Archive for the ‘CHALLENGE’ Category

Project 365 lost and found

April 24th, 2009

… Jan *  in full swing

… Feb * I pretty much had a migraine every single day

… Mar * so busy playing catch up in work and life – pictures were scarce and time to upload them was worse

… April * so out of habbit, but wanting to start again

I was trying to take a photo a day and when I could not (I litterally could not see from the migraines and high blood sugar) and I thought I ruined it and would have to abandon the project .  But why?  I am doing this for myself, I didn’t comit to a group or anything… sometimes there is more than one photo I want to show… I can’t beat myself up when I’m too sick…  Why am I making all these rules for myself?  So I’ve decided to spend Sunday uploading the photos that I’ve taken and continue on…

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Project 365 : photo a day

January 2nd, 2009

My son Tyler and I want to do this, this year.  I have a link above in the menu, and in the side bar to the right.  You’ll be able to follow my pics there.

Break out your cameras and do it to – it’s fascinating to see the snippets of your life, down the road.



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art*essence capture: fave tools

October 1st, 2008

I used digital goodies from Shabby Miss Jen to make this layout.

I used digital goodies from Shabby Miss Jen to make this layout.

My fave tools change alot becaue I do mixed-media stuff, but it seems no matter what I’m workng on, I still reah for the same stuff…. my computer to help me research imagery and tweek my photos, my bamboo digital pen for editing/generating images fo my art, my gel medium for sticking it down and adding texture, my paints, graphite penic and brush, and last but not leas-  my trusty water container that I can’t live without.  It originally had some tasty treat from Trader Joes in it, but now it holds my water for painting.  It has a lid which comes in handy when you have silly cats that think it’s fun to drinky ‘painty water’.

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art*essence is on it’s way!!!

September 25th, 2008

I’m so excited to launch art*essence on October 1st!

come & play each week!

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Getting my homework done

August 24th, 2008

Well you know me and journals… I love to collect them, but I’m not good at keeping at it.  I guess I’ll have to make an exception for art goddess Suzi Blu.  For Suzi Blu… I would do anything ;)

Part of our homework is to create a healing art journal.  Nuturing our feelings while we do our art is important to Suzi, so the journal is required.  I made mine from paper bags, binding it with those circluar binder clips so I can add more pages if needed (ha!), and tying it up with fun ribbons.  The built in pockets from the opening of the bags lends itself to tucking in my sketches, poems, or whatever.  Fun!
Healing Art Journal for Suzi Blu's workshop
1. homework: healing art journal * side, 2. homework: healing art journal, 3. homework: healing art journal * binding

Oh check out that clear ribbon in the last pic… that’s new in my shop! (shameless plug)

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Habitat for Humanity Art Auction 2008 … my offering

June 11th, 2008

Tickled to be invited back to create an art piece for auction again this year, I knew what I wanted to make as soon as I heard we would be given boxes to alter.  After working on the box for so long, I kinda bonded with it, and didn’t want to part with it… so I put in my own bids to win it back, lol.

Let Your Spirit Fly Free

Here’s the low-down on how I made it:

  • I painted the box with acrylics, using the same technique I use in most of my paintings
  • Next came the cutting of the copper wire, in lengths to make the birdcage ’skirt’
  • The dremel came out to dill holes to poke the wire in the box to anchor each piece
  • More wire was used to go around the cage, making the horizontal bars
  • I tried to solder it with a soldering iron, but I couldn’t get in the joints properly, so my husband taught me how to solder with a little pen torch
  • I cleaned off the flux, cut out a few bars for the door (dremel with cutting wheel attachment) and used copper patina to turn all the solder joints from silver to copper
  • I made the heart with air dry clay (Das brand), painted it, and then carved in slots where I attached the feather wings that I cut off a bird * fake bird of course ;)
  • Cutting up another bird for her head, I found it’s inner body was plastic, not Styrofoam like I thought it might be, I had to trim the plastic inside away so that the feathery outside would mold to the cut up ballerina Barbie that I used for her body
  • Speaking of the Barbie… I took off her head and legs for the project, and painted her dress to match the bird head’s feathers
  • Gathering the top of the cage wires with a wire & ribbon to cover, I added cheese cloth and lace that I ‘dyed’ with watered down acrylic paint (the paint gave it a good stiffness to hold it’s shape)
  • Then on went the doll body and everything was wired and glued underneath, to hold her in place
  • I used fishing line to hang the heart inside, then glued moss on to hide where her legs used to be, so it looks finished if you dare to peek underneath
  • I used scripty rub-on letters on the inside to spell out “Let Your Spirit Fly Free”
  • Working backwards as I often ‘leap before I look’, I attached hinges and a latch so that the bottom of the box was now the lid, and the lid became the bottom – this would have so much easier to do before the cage was attached!!

I think the bird head on her kinda freaked people out, lol – but they really dug her “Marie Antoinette” style dress and fact that I soldered my own bird cage for it.  View slideshow

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The Bunny Crown

March 18th, 2008

I got to mail the crown off, so I’m posting the pic.  I want to make my spring one, but I better wait till I get moved/settled in the new place.

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It all started with the Eclipse…

February 24th, 2008

Image from Getty Images

Did you see the eclipse?  I had no idea it was even going to take place.  I was laying on the couch with an ice pack on my head (migraine) and Tyler called and said “Mom, you better look outside – the moon is amazing right now”  I got up and headed out to the patio where there it was… dimly lit with a super bright edge.  I was catching it in the nick of time.  It got a red hue and went darker and darker and the poof, it was black – we were in a total eclipse of the moon.  It was awesome.  I’ll have to try to catch it when it happens again in 2010, and don’t forget about the total solar eclipse this August 1st.

My migraine hung out for a few days – and the meds I take for it make me feel like I got hit with a truck – the muscle ache is terrible, but better than the feeling that my brain might bust out of my head I guess.  I don’t know if I actually got the flu or if it was because of the migraine or if I ate something weird, but it was not a good weekend all around with all the ’sickiness’ that followed.  BUT – I slept litterally every single moment in between and I had nothing but dreams of new art projects! Oh – the shimmery silver lining to my barfy black cloud!

So as the planets lined up for the eclipse, they also lined up for my muse and plenty of ideas came rushing to me.  Then I opened up the mail and I had an invitation to be on the artists for the 2nd Annual Habitat for Humanit Art Auction.  Woo hoo – it arrived at a great time!  This year’s theme is “Thinking Outside The Box”.  We’ll be given a wooden box to transform.  I’ve already got some good stuff planned – I better sketch some stuff out before it’s lost.

I’ve started another bunny crown.  I’m going to give one away and sell one in time for Easter on Etsy.  I’ve also started my Spring crown, and have the sketches done for Summer, Fall & Winter one.  I think I might also go a few movie themed ones too… you can look forward to Alice in Wonderland and Wizard of Oz.  Maybe that will help me get over my fear of that movie.  I hope so because this years’s Relay for Life, cancer walk, is themed Wizard of Oz.  Holy crap!

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Plugging in the iron

February 9th, 2008

Not the clothes iron…. c’mon.  The soldering iron.  It’s on my 2008 "Do Art" list.  I want to solder more.  I haven’t soldered anything since the birdhouse last year, so it’s high time.  I just joined a new swap too – to my item will be soldered…. so I stay in the zone.  Pics to follow.

Hey, maybe I’ll even shoot a video with my new laptop.  I can aim it at my table… lighting permitted.

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Tokyo here I come!

December 8th, 2007

Well my art anyway….

I got a really nice letter from Joei Lau, a caligraphy & paper artist in Tokyo, inviting me to participate in her Red bind-it-all book swap.  I couldn’t be more thrilled or excited!  Of course I told her I would do it, so I have a month to plan and make 30 pages for this swap.  They can be the same or different, any media style – so I’m excited to incorporate some digital design in there, and theme is my choice also – as long as features red as the prominent color.

It funny that it’s the color red.  I’m not a big fan of red… I don’t have anything red, decorate with red, etc.  Until just recently when I chose red balls for my trees – very strange of me.  Since then red is popping itself into my face all over the place.  When I heard the theme of the page exchange is red, for the book, I knew I had to do it – it’s a sign.

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