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Wednesday, March 25, 2015

I Folded...

...and folded and folded. Who knew I could have one day made a living at folding paper like Sipho Mabona !??  When I moved to Japan I fell in love & couldn't have enough origami paper.  If my parents gave me money I would spend it on origami paper.  There was always a silver page or gold page, or both at the bottom of the stack and I always had a hard time folding those. I would save them for last because they were pretty. I would get so upset if I messed up on those pieces. haha Looking back it was sort of a comfort having that paper to play with being in such a new environment & culture. I love the Japanese people, Japanese art, food.  My mom jokes (but it's true)  that she was still finding paper of mine long after I moved out. (I won't say how long. haha)
A nice package of origami paper can still stop me in my tracks. 



After all these years I can still make these in my sleep! I also make one upside down with a little flare...
My son's wedding is July 3rd.  The rehearsal party is at my house. Maybe I should start now and cover the backyard in white cranes!  hum.... I think I'd need some volunteer paper folders my yard is pretty big!  Did you know according to Japanese legend that 1000 folded cranes makes a wish come true? Who's in? Who's folding with me?



 
Today I plan to work listing some new art & paint some more.
So folding my hands in prayer is the only folding I'm going to get done today!
Create a great day!
Blessings!
 
 

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Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Happy St. Patrick's Day...


Feel free to use the above picture as you'd like.   Right click on the picture and save to your desktop.
 
My morning doodle. 
A doodle a day!
 


http://www.ebay.com/usr/folkartjane

Have Fun! Be green!
Create a great day!
Blessings

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Monday, March 16, 2015

Pinned and Nailed...

... I will try to start posting more of the Pins I try.  I hate that I love Pinterest so much. haha  I don't dare get on there sometimes, time will vanish.  This jean skirt haunted me until I tried it.  (just like the hot glue gun molds on a previous post.) I've had some pin fails for sure and today I'm using the word "nailed" loosely.  The next one, however, is nailed for sure.  I have had a big bag of jeans/pants ready to donate but I was at the thrift with the kids a few weeks ago and these jeans were only $2.  I liked the flat pockets so I thought I would use them to practice on this skirt I had Pinned .  When you click on the picture for the Pin there are no instructions just a picture to go by.  The blog is Moda e Dicas de Costura, Fatima has lots of super cute refashion/upcycled clothes ideas, which I love. 
http://modaedicasdecostura.blogspot.ca/search/label/RECICLAGEM%20DE%20CAL%C3%87A%20JEANS%20-%203
But I'm all in. Chalk, Scissors, Machines at ready. Thinking how hard could it be?, usually with me end in a mess.  Surprisingly not that hard! It goes together pretty well.  I used white chalk to draw my lines on and I actually folded the pants in half & cut all layers at once. 
(Be careful if you have different pockets & pocket placement on the back)
Next time I will round out the point on the outside of the leg more. It's a little tricky navigating around that point & easing in  the ruffle.  I will do a little better sewing the back together with the weird inseam leftover too. That took a little time to figure that out. The picture above is before I completely serged it - the seams are nicely serged now.  On this one I didn't bother sewing a flat felled seam (jean seam) to attach the ruffles. I thought it might be too thick, but now I don't think so & I may try it.   The front is short, but wearable if you like short skirts. It's falls mid-thigh. Below it is modeled with a purple gypsy-ish slip skirt underneath. Some additional layers in the front would make it more modest.  I didn't take a picture of the back.  boo. The back is just as cute.  I just left all the edges serged but they could be hemmed. As it turns out,  I don't like the pockets that much but it was $2 of fun!  How cute this would be to do to little girls jeans.
After that skirt turning out better than expected,  I decided to use a pair out of the donate bag to make this one...
... but 2 of us couldn't figure it out! and it looks easier than the 1st one.  If you do, let me know! That pair of pants is still in pieces.  I want to try this one next. I may even wear this design...a little embroidery on the longer side...we'll see...
... that bag full of pants to donate may be skirts instead!
Create a great day!
Blessings

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Friday, March 13, 2015

Egg-cellent Idea...

... Why haven't I thought of this before?  We like egg salad on toast for breakfast sometimes.  I switch it up.  Plain, with pickles, with curry,  with turmeric, sometimes olives, horseradish, (gee I guess I have a large egg salad repertoire)... The other day I made some with green olives & fresh rosemary, mayo, salt & pepper.  Hubby wanted more but I only made a little. Boo. Next time I'll make more. The bread made it more delicious.  When I was just picking up a few things at the store,  passing by the bakery, I spy French bread straight out of the oven. Driven that direction by my nose probably. The bag was steaming,  I paused to look at that bag for a second. When I realize I am looking at a bag of bread, contemplating on whether to buy it or not, I snap out of it, hoping no one saw me because I'm sure I had a big thought bubble above my head.  So I pass it by. I looked around like I didn't care, then circled back around. I took it to the bakery lady and had her slice it for me.  Far to dangerous to bring home in a loaf & slice myself. *chunk butter guilt *repeat. :P nom nom nom  We normally don't eat white bread so it's a real treat. I'm not a candy, cake & cookie person, I'm a bread, pasta & chip person. Sugar is sugar. Anyway, I hate chunky egg salad so I usually meticulously chop the eggs one at a time into itty bitty pieces with a fork.  Out of the blue, like a blue light special, the bulb went off! Pastry Cutters! Pow! That worked so great & such a time saver I thought I would post it for you.
Such a long post for a simple tip, but if you like egg salad, you might appreciate this tip just in time for Easter!
 
Did I make the price of eggs go up? hahaha Since I have been eating sorta kinda vegetarian, we have been lots of eggs.  In the past year they have gradually become more & more expensive, almost doubling in price.  My hubby ordered a cobb salad the other day and there was no egg on it, he said he didn't complain & joked it was probably too expensive.  I say sort of vegetarian, because I love McD's Jalapeno Burger - what a surprise right? (pepperfool)  I normally would not pick McD's as my go to place for a great burger and I don't even like cheeseburgers! I never order a cheeseburger coz the cheese is all slimy & makes the meat taste slimy & taste less meaty to me, but I like the Jalapeno Burger. It's all about the peppers. I do get one now & then or have a little tuna, or chicken, but not very much.  If you love a cheeseburger I hope I didn't just ruin it for ya. hahaha 
 
Speaking of veggies.... I have been drowning my sorrows a little with paint.  Hours go whizzing by. My #4 Mom I call her was just hospitalized. Please pray for Mom Freda and her family. She was diagnosed with Sundowners syndrome and her husband has Alzheimer's. It a difficult time her children & family.  I also could use a little extra money with so many things coming up and things breaking.  Don't you find that sometimes happens all at once? I am putting most of my small pieces on Ebay.  Click HERE to see what's there.  My sister,  SandyPetals, who I love so much, has been encouraging me to zendoodle like she does, I've dabbled, but when I make a mistake or a line I don't like...it's over, but she says there are no mistakes, just do it, she said paint some eggplants!  So I did, then radish, then peppers, then cherries, and green beans....
http://www.ebay.com/usr/folkartjane
 
 
These turned out to be "happy little paintings" as someone once said.  haha The doodle paintings surprise me when they are finished.  I love eggplants - but that's another post!  I've done 2 eggplant paintings, 2 radishes, cherries...  I started these & can't quit.   I want to paint some for my kitchen or at least make prints for my kitchen.  I'm fond of the radishes. I love to eat radishes now but I didn't use to. I salt them and let them sit for 1/2 hour or so.   Hey they are also good on egg salad!
Create a great day!

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Monday, March 9, 2015

P.H.D. completed? ....

...Project Half Done that is.  I love zipper bags. My zipper bags have zipper bags. I use them for everything.  I have my make-up in 3 or 4 zipper bags, (yes organized, eyes, lips, etc ...) however,  most of that I don't use everyday but I pull out my make-up bags & they sometimes end up on my counter  for a day even though it takes 2 seconds to put them back in the cabinet.  I don't like that.  If you are a Follower of my blog you might already know about my "Hidey Holes", they are places I put things in so things are out of sight, just one tiny example is a antique large green bell pepper cookie jar filled with vitamins, aspirin, cough syrup, etc... in my kitchen, that jar would be classified as a "Hidey Hole", a medicinal hidey hole. hahaha   Basically they save me, I can have lots of crap but not look like it. haha   True story. When I was a kid my Mom had us shove clutter from the coffee table under a couch cushion when company came calling. hahaha  In her defense, she was married to Dad who doesn't like his clutter touched & had 4 kids, personally I thought it was brilliant at the time.
3 years ago (I know, craft hoarder) I saw this ugly worn jewelry box at the thrift store for $5. (The picture doesn't do it's homeliness justice, I thought $5 was a lot for it.) I also thought it might be perfect to put my everyday make-up/facial things in and a few pieces of costume jewelry or what nots - basically a new Hidey Hole for my dressing area.  
When I got it home & started painting. First primed it with white.
I drew out flowers, and painted it black.I didn't like the flowers.  
 
So I changed the flowers to Hydrangeas, which I love.
 
 
Then I decided I didn't want that for make-up. I like my zipper bags, they take up less space and swore off leaving them on the counter.  So I just put it in it's own hidey hole and left it. Well I pulled it back out a few weeks ago and decided I finish it and if I didn't want it I would just re-donate  it or give it away. But as I was finishing it I thought I would use it to house lots of sewing notions that I grab often, bobbins, rippers, stuff that .  
 
I liked it black and may turn it back to black...  
 
 
 
...but for now I am leaving the pop of red color on it.
 
 
 

I still have to varnish it or wax it...one day...
I hope this inspires you to make something new again!
Blessings

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Friday, March 6, 2015

Squirrel ! ...

.... and I'm off!  That didn't take long did it? Today I was "squirreled" after viewing an online artist friend's new video.  Mystele Kirkeeng.   She is a Mixed Media Diva!  She makes it look so easy & not messy at all.  I love to watch her process and I am happy that I have some of her art.  Well right there on the side bar was a video by Betty Franks, Mystic Tulip Art, (click on their names to view their videos)  and her colorful doodle painting caught my eye so I watched Betty and I then painted & doodled all day.  I love mixed media pieces. I try, I make a mess, I have fun for awhile then I start thinking too hard, I get stuck, or I ruin it somehow, anyway I'm not ever super happy with the end result ...  then I clean up the mess & vow not to do it again for a long while...  But these were fun! It's just paint & ink. No stamping, poking, scraping, coloring, spraying (well I didn't spray. I dabbed ;)  I actually did some paintings like this in 2008 or 2009. I even resorted to my white lines like my ol' folky folk art I used to do.  
I took pictures of my process today so you could see that too.
http://www.ebay.com/usr/folkartjane

http://www.ebay.com/usr/folkartjane
 A great tip that Betty has for doodling is what I am gonna call the "double doodle".
Going over your lines twice and not perfectly does look really good!
http://www.ebay.com/usr/folkartjane



http://www.ebay.com/usr/folkartjane

http://www.ebay.com/usr/folkartjane
 
 I already have some ideas for more and will probably think of a few more when I'm trying to get to sleep.
I did these little spontaneous pieces yesterday.
http://www.ebay.com/usr/folkartjane

http://www.ebay.com/usr/folkartjane

http://www.ebay.com/usr/folkartjane

All 3 of the latter are ACEOs. 
Now I'm off to bed with paint in my head! 
Blessings!

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Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Back to Black...

...Painting my little women; starting with a black canvas and letting them come to life with out drawing or planning, like my Aura Angels in the past, is as comforting as a hot bowl of Chickin' & Dumplin's and a lot less calories & carbs.  I almost felt like my old self today painting these, then felt a little lost.  Since I haven't been able to paint much the past 2 years, maybe I've been forcing it when I sit down to paint, maybe I've been drawing too much, maybe thinking too much, maybe getting too squirreled by new things.... I look at the pieces I did today and they make me feel good. It looks like they are doing all the thinking for me. hahaha They are a little wonky, scratchily scrubbed, rough brushed (my brushes are in desperate shape & calling me all kinds of names).  They were soothing yet exciting, in an unwrapping a present really slow kind of way. Well not too slowly because I didn't spend a lot of time on them or fret over them. They are all small. 2 ACEOs, 4 x 4" & 6 x 5".  A few I like better than others but each one was a journey.  I actually started a few more with different colored backgrounds who knows how many I will do.

Actually all my drawing/doodling wasn't in vain because I came up with an easy method of drawing/painting faces using circles.  It fires up my right brain and I start seeing people's faces in circles, ovals, oblongs, soft squares, etc...  hahaha I think it's might be good for a beginner portrait artist or experienced artist who just want to have fun and try something new.  I plan to start working on a tutorial for that as soon as I find out how to properly do a tutorial.  I have seen many Artist selling their tutorials or classes, however, I have never purchased a tutorial from anyone so I don't know if they use pictures or videos. 

 
 

Create a great day!

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Sunday, March 1, 2015


Have been down with a virus but I'm taking a turn for the better.

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