Peacock & Pieces...

I had so much fun making this peacock bag with all my bits & pieces from vintage fabrics...

The peacock machine embroidery design was free at Free Embroidery Designs. 

Click HERE or on the picture for a link to the free design. 

As you can see I don't follow the rules when it comes to color, I made up my own peacock colors.

 

   The lining is a magical royal purple satin that they don't make anymore.  I only a a little left.  I'll admit I am a fabric hoarder.  I don't think I'll find myself on tv yet, but I do have a good stash.  I am about to bust it loose on some more of these bags though.  I put myself to sleep 2 nights in a row thinking of bags I can make! haha I am working on several now & hope to get them finished in the next few days. On has a Heart Locket w/ keyhole that has wings from Urban Threads, I am also working on a Butterfly bag. and I hand died white cotton fabric today for a Cherry or Strawberry bag that I want to make.  

 I died the fabric by floating oil paints on water, then dipping it in, making pretty marbling that looks so fun! Suminagashi  style. I hope it works, I've never tried it. I figure I will iron it, then wash it with Dawn and see what happens.....if it works you will see it on a new bag!  When it comes to sewing every seam has to be perfect. It has to be cut perfectly, no mistakes, so this is a good exercise to let go of some of that OCD that keeps me from creating at times. No Fear - if I wreck it - it's gone!

I have had peacocks in my brain since our little trip to Daffodil Hill where they had lots of them including a pure white peacock!

 

I hope this inspires you to create something new!

Blessings!

Ta Da I Tried It Thursday...

...This week, mixed media art play.  I'm trying to quit listening to my left brain tell my right brain what to do and just live in my right brain for a while. It's happy there. haha  I actually tried several projects that got me inspired and in create mode.  I made 2 lace books like these by Scrappin Happyxo for friends over the past week or so. Each took several days for me to do solely because of not being able to make a decision on how the fronts should look. Rearranging them over & over.  Just Click on her name to watch her video.  I'm not going to share mine right now because they are in the mail as I type. Maybe a post for another day.  I will say that I really had a lot of fun constructing these with paper like her, however, I put cereal box cardboard in mine on front & back covers & pages to make them sturdier, a little more functional.  The more you create the better you will be at it.  It made me want to learn how to do different bindings & make lots of art journals to play with.  Honestly I have never painted an art journal. I have many many spiral notebooks with notes, lists of things to do, sketches, ideas, plans, etc... but never have really painted "art journal".  While I was daydreaming of starting one & looking for some inspiration & helpful tips, I came across this video by Alma Stoller. Painting on a magazine page.  This was a fun & partly a major fail project so I am going to share this one.  

As soon as the video started I knew I had to try this! I bet you want to now after watching and I hope you do!  I "needed" to try this because I feel like my backgrounds just got boring.  In 2008 I sold mixed media paintings (not glued paper though), very folk artsy, incorporating sand, but somewhere along the line I just got too simplified, or out of touch.  Anyway, I found an old Fine Cooking Magazine, I must have been saving it for some reason. After doing my first pages I decided to use it as a funky art journal. (I did end up ripping 1 page out but the rest will be left in tack)  I feel the need to explore new products & try new techniques. I almost feel like burning everything and starting all over.  Reinventing myself. I actually know of an artist who did just that - but then spent a little time in the hospital if you know what I mean. Happy to say she is back to work but she is also back to creating the same art. So can we ever really reinvent ourselves?
Doing this project/exercise, I found out that I love painting on magazine pages with acrylic paint! It turns the stiff paper into a fabric like texture with a matte finish almost suede like.  I love the feeling of it. Could it be varnished with acrylic & then sewn on? hum...

 I also learned that it doesn't adhere to canvas very well or I'm a bum gluer.

My first pages...

I started off having so much fun, no plots, no plans, then all of a sudden I am painting food! hahaha

 There was a pea pod on this page upper right corner -  I call this "Minding my Peas & Q's". haha

 I ripped out a page  (see below) so I looked to the next page for inspiration.

I left the backs of the painted pages unpainted for now but may end up painting over them. 

I love tomatoes.

The words on this page are  from the collage sheet in my last post. I'm glad I saved this magazine. :)

This portrait page I cut out to put on a canvas...  Also realized that since it's a cooking magazine that I will leave all the paintings food related.  I do like to paint some food. Love kitchen art.  (Sushi paintings & veggie paintings are in my Etsy Shop)

Major Fail. This canvas turned out to be a hot mess, I don't even want to show you how it ended up but I will.  I used Golden medium to adhere it to the canvas but as the magazine paper dried it began to lift off. Then as I started to paint over it, it began to wrinkle & bubble.  Perhaps next time I will gesso the canvas first, or use a different glue. 

 I have to admit I did feel a twinge of guilt for spending so much time on a go nowhere piece but I have to admit that I think it was worth learning what I did, and I must say that the background isn't boring! Some of these might find their way onto a canvas in my Etsy Shop.

I hope this inspires you to try something new.

Create a Great Day!

Mugged...

 

... I love the mugs that people make with Sharpies that I have seen on Pinterest.  These are a few of my favorites I have seen.  For Father's day our little "Bubbie" gave my hubby a hand painted mug, & it has been a joy for "PopPoP" to use.  There are only remnants of the paint left even though it has been hand washed.  So thinking of Christmas, (yes already!), I want to make some special mugs for some of my beloveds. Finding the right words like the first one above is not as easy as making them! Wouldn't these be great way to personalize a gift basket?!

Last year I used a Sharpie on a antique plate & on some old Corelle plates.  A tip I learned  if you make these... even though the most directions say to clean it off with soap & alcohol prior to inking & baking at 350 degrees for 30 minutes,  don't,  just make sure it's clean - I ran mine through the dishwasher. Putting the alcohol on it first seems to make the ink tend to run a little & not stick as well.  I actually used a brown Marvy Marker on the plates, which is a water resistant book marker. Once baked it did not smear at all it was very well adhered. On this first plate I had to clean it up (it wasn't baked yet in the photo) over & over before I baked it, I think because of the soap & alcohol.  The soap & alcohol tended to make the ink slide while you are creating your design. The latter was easier when I did use the soap & alcohol. Of course I would not eat on these, nor would I run them through the dishwasher.  The mugs I would hand wash as well so that the design wouldn't fade.

On this plate I simply outlined the design on the plate & incorporated it into my drawing.

These get your "right mind" gears working and could become addiction, eyeing every flowered plate that you pass by in a whole new way!

Magazine Mania...

Nothing personal Dan Patrick! I had lots of fun altering his photo from Sports Illustrated! I remember when I was little my mother oil painted a black & white photo of my sister. Something about Dan's photo made me want to paint it! and paint it some more! These are mounted on ACEO acrylic paper. Sorry the photos are any better. I have downloaded a few royalty free vintage photos that I am doing. Once they are finished I will share them with you. I hope you think twice about your magazines before you throw them away. Give it a try! It may get your creative juices flowing!

Christmas Cards in January?

Why not! A Reuse/Recycle Christmas Card project is what I did today. I am the new moderator/fearless leader of the Reuse/Recycle art group, a subgroup of the Swell Sister Society. I hosted the first meeting at my home today. I got up early & made 2 quiches this morning. I haven't made those in years. Why? They are so good. My boys ate the leftovers for dinner with a little salad. I am going to make them more often. While searching for a recipe (I ended up making up my own) I saw one that used a large tortilla instead of a pie crust. I may try that next time. I'm thinking that would be tasty and a lot less calories. After I got those in the oven my son & I hopped in the car and headed for Heavenly Donuts. It's a little hole in the wall place down the street from my house that is well known for having the best donuts & cinnamon buns. We got 3 dozen glazed donut holes and they were almost gone when the girls left. Donut holes seem less evil than regular donuts. haha I even ate 2 of them and I am one of those odd people that doesn't like donuts. I also had grapes and beautiful strawberries, that came from who knows where this time of year, and they were big sweet and delicious. My hubby finished off the pitcher of cucumber water when he got home. I love cucumber water! If you haven't tried it, and you like cucumber, you must try it. Just plop in a few slices in your ice water next time you're making that salad.

The Christmas cards we made were from Christmas cards that we received. One of the artists, Mikie Spencer, does this every year and has her creations printed to use at Christmas time. She has made some really beautiful cards. I am not so happy with the one that I made & a little red faced to show it, and because of all the shiny gold choices (can't resist shiny) it does not scan well, so it's not a good candidate for printing. I learned in the process though. I still have lots of cards and will be making more. If you save your cards you might like to do this project with us. Hopefully I will end up with one I can use this year...we'll see. I think my cooking was better than my art today!

I am in the process of designing a knitting pattern for a neck warmer with my whimsical flowers on it. I also need to start something for my niece's baby so I went to the little knit shop we have in my little town. Ok that's another story....

Quirky Night

Tonight was my monthly "QAG" meeting ( Quirky Art Group), a sub-group of the Swell Sister Society. I had so much fun. We did a journal project from Keri Smith. Collages with a catch. We had to tear out 15 or 20 pages (or as many as you can cut through) then pick a shape, I did approx 2x2 square, then cut your shape through all pages, no peeky. Then you had to collage with your cut out pieces only, no tearing, ripping or altering them. You get what you get. I used an old Gourmet magazine so mine came out with a little bit of a theme. The squares with recipes or writing is on the sides. Sister Juliana, a fantastic collage artist, brought Caran d' Ache crayons which now I have to have. They are like butter. The colors are great, they smear, blend & seem to just melt into the into paper. When you have all the paper glued to your canvas or wood, (I used wood) then you can embellish with crayon, ink, paint, whatever you want. Every time I get together with my Swell Sisters' I step outside my little box and I always have a big surge of creativity. I embellished mine with the crayons & black paint that I put in my henna bottle for a thin controllable line. I did some ACEOs last night using this wonderful little bottle. I'll take some pictures & post them. I think I am going to try this collage technique on some ACEOs and see how they turn out. So grab your old magazines & have some fun!

Dag Blast it!

Just logged on and checked Etsy and surprise! The front page has featured artist selling tiles with trees on them like the trees I have been doing for quite some time now, even same colors. This person just started selling on Etsy. Compliment? Not so much. It sucks when you work hard and are trying to make a living. It got my panties in a knot but oh well what can you do? This is not the first time. Last year another artist apparently printed out one of my paintings, it was a mirror image, then added a word to it and sold it as her own. I was given the heads up on that one by another artist. On the bright side Yoko Ono started following me on Twitter!

I wanted to start a diet today but my hubby insisted on taking me out to breakfast. I got a club sandwich & only ate 1/2 of it, not really diet food but I could have eaten the other half. haha I have hardly seen him since I got home. He has worked or had gigs every night & day since I got back. He has a few days off and doesn't have a show until Friday, then another on Sunday. Sweet man is taking my car to the wash as I type. It's a real benefit to me that he's such a neat freak. haha

I have my painting clothes on! One day I'm gonna post a picture of this nasty splattered outfit that I live in! hahaha. That's a first step anyway. After this post I am forcing, yes for some reason I have to force myself into my studio, and I'm not coming out until something is painted. I am going to be painting an angel for a dear friend of mine that has cancer in South Carolina so I can get that mailed out to him. I am also swishing some ideas around in my head for the May show at the Marco Fuoco Gallery. The theme is music. I'm not sure if I am going to do a painting or a few altered photographs. Last month the theme was "The demise of the newspaper". I did this altered digital photo for the show but missed the show because I was in South Carolina. I really have a lot of fun doing these photos, like my angels they are a mystery how they will turn out. I think I'm gonna have an altered photo play date at my house with my Swell Sisters. Here's the altered piece I did last month...

A Great Day!

I had my little JJ today. We had fun out in the yard. It was another beautiful day. It's been 2 weeks since I've had him and I couldn't believe how grown up he's getting. He's sitting up and crawling everywhere. He's the sweetest thing. I got lots of slobbery kisses today!

Tomorrow I am finishing up a collage/altered piece for a gallery show on April 11th at the Marco Fuoco Gallery in Sacramento. It is my 2nd attempt on this piece. My last try I messed up an altered photo that was to go on it. I'll be going solo to the gallery show because my husband will be playing a gig up in Lake Tahoe. He found out yesterday that The Spotted Dogs will be playing at the California State Fair this year! That will be so much fun! He doesn't have the date yet but he's really excited.

My purple Aura Angel was featured yesterday in the most beautiful Etsy Treasury . Thank you BusyBeads! Please check it out! Purple in all it's glory!!

Ok *heels dragging* I decided to check out Twitter. I joined and it's actually more fun than I thought it would be. I can see how some people are so addicted to it. Just click below on the blue flying bird if you'd like to Follow me getting my Tweets on!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

To see Tuesday's Altered Page & Altered Thoughts click Here.

A Little Irish Humor...

Tuesday's Altered Thoughts

You may need to click on the picture to read. If you would like to see more Altered Pages & Altered Thoughts please visit my new blog here.

Yesterday I had my little doodle bug again. He was sick but the only time he cried was when I gave him green beans. It was hard not to laugh because he really grimaced & hollered! I had never seen him cry like that so it was a little shocking. He made it clear he did not want those green beans. Other than that he was an angel again. He can do razz berries now and is scooting around pretty well. His mom picked him up early and took him to the doctor. It turned out that he has a double ear infection poor guy. My youngest son (a preemie) is the same way. He was a very sick until he was about 7 or 8 years old but he would never complain. I would just know he wasn't well when his lymph nodes would swell (he had surgery to remove some of them) or by the look in his eyes. It's funny how JJ reminds me of my youngest son more than his dad, my older son. Anyway, I think he's the sweetest little guy on the planet. I take a picture of him every time he's over (at least once a week) so I am gonna have to get it in gear and start a scrapbook for these pictures.

Hayley Egan presented me with a blog award! Thanks Hayley! She has a lovely blog you should check it out. I have to list 7 things that I love then pass the award along. I have to give this some thought to come up with 7 things that aren't listed below, oh I'm sure I can do it! but will have to get back to you on that.

Tuesday's Altered Thoughts

If you would like to check out more Altered Pages and some Altered pages submitted by other artists! Click here! We invite you to join us in the fun and Alter a page of your own & let us see!

Ok you might think this is gross, (I sort of do), but I couldn't help myself, I couldn't throw it away! I made this doll nearly 18 years ago. The stains on the face are from my son's kisses. He loved this doll. He would carry it everywhere and kiss it and kiss it and kiss it. He is still a very kissy person, loving and sweet. I just had to keep it, kissing stains and all. It used to have a shirt and pants but those are long gone. My grandson was over and we went in my studio to look at all the colors and I spied this doll up in a dark corner of the closet. I pulled it down, showed it to JJ and he laughed and wanted it. I couldn't let him play with it because it's so dirty & beat up. That was rotten because I love to hear that baby laugh. I want to pull out one of my sewing machines when I'm finished with the commission painting I am working on. I am going to make JJ one. Isn't it strange how just a face with little rosey cheeks and 2 black dots for eyes can mesmerized kids?

I had an email this morning from a buyer in Maryland that hasn't gotten her paintings that were mailed priority on 2/14. I am worrying myself sick about it. I have the reciept for the postage but it doesn't have a tracking number on it. It wasn't insured but I am going to have to charge for or pay for insurance from now on. It's worth it. I may be repainting those for her and I hope I will be able to get them to look like the ones she purchased. I don't draw my angels out, I just paint and they usually let me know when they are finished. Well I have had a couple that I thought were finished, but they keep nagging at me, so I do more on them until they quit nagging or I completely ruin them. Like the white ACEO angels. I can't stand it that they are all white now. Maybe I was on color overload the day I painted them, but that didn't last long and they have been screaming at me. I think I will give them some color and make everybody happy. haha

Something New!

I'm off to a Mardi Gras party tonight which will be a great time with a great bunch of friends. I may not be going all New Orleans on them but I may have a Hurricane...we'll see!

I started a new blog today! It's called Altered Pages, Altered Thoughts. Click here to visit! There is also a picture link on the right side bar that will take you there. It's for my new addiction/obsession of doing altered pages. I will just be posting Altered Pages to enjoy so I don't think it will be too much to keep up on. Don't worry I will still be posting some here on Tuesdays too! Some of my artist friends have already done some that are fantastic and I will be posting those. I'd love to see yours too!

Tuesday's Altered Thoughts & Toasty Toes

You may have to click on the page to read each one. If you would like to submit an Altered Thought to be displayed on Tuesdays, please see the rules on the right side of page.

I have been crocheting these little slippers at night. A pair only takes about an hour to make start to finish. Maybe less if you are fast. They are super easy and super comfortable. I am using up some of my old yarn. I am ashamed to say how much I have. I'm not changing colors or making them fancy. I go through a bunch of them every winter. When they get yuky I just toss them out. I had bought this yarn when I was making ponchos and selling them a few years ago. Actually sold a lot of them. Too bad they aren't as popular as they were a few years ago. They are fun to make. I have forgotten how I made them. I made up the pattern and don't really remember it now. It may take a while to figure it out again. After I had made a poncho with this beige yarn I hated it. Because it is beige, I thought it made you look a little nude with no arms and I couldn't use it for making hats either! It would make people look bald. hahaha It's not a problem for slippers though and I am glad to finally get rid of some of it. I will start another pair later today and write down the directions as best I can and take pictures. If you would like the directions for these toasty slippers just let me know and I will be happy to send it to you.

**Shortly after this post my husband was called to work the night shift!

Tuesday's Altered Thoughts

I was trying to do a Sudoku puzzle and realized in a hurry it was not for me. Seriously it made me feel like I was so retarded. I can't even say it right. I get all tongue tied! My husband and sister tried their darnedest to get me to understand it but I still don't get it. I know some of you who do them are thinking I am retarded right now. I picked it up because I was watching tv and reading the PennySaver at the same time. I have been painting so much lately and needed a mind break. Anyway, forget it, I can't do Sudoku. So I picked up a very old paperback and started altering the pages with a big black marker. I have to say this kept me entertained for a long while and did them while I watched tv. I can't just sit and watch tv. I have to watch and crochet, knit, embroidery or whatever at the same time. Well there are a few shows that I get totally absorbed in and do nothing else but for the most part I can't sit still. You would think I would be skinny as a rail. Not so. So destroying a paperback has actually become my new addiction! I even made up rules for myself. haha Yes I did! No more than 7 consecutive words, only a black marker, yada yada. I can entertain myself quite well. Maybe I'll start a new blog and just post those and have you send me yours to post! If not I'll post one on Tuesdays and you can still send me yours if you want to. I'm sure you can do better than mine! Here are a few I had fun doing... You may have to click on them to read them.

I have a few Big Shout outs to several Etsy peeps for including my angels in their wonderful Etsy Treasury's. Be sure to check out their great Etsy shops by clicking on their names!
ArtAngel , BlueSkySunburn, & TotallyCrosses. Thank you so much!

Getting Out of Town

Sunday was a big road trip to Anderson, CA to have a little visit with my brother-in-law and his family. His step-daughter just had her first baby, a little girl. So cute and I came home without a picture! I did come home with a photo that he took with his digital camera looking out his front door. I think it's beautiful. They live out in the country not far from the Sacramento River (which was so beautiful that day I daydreamed for a split second of being on it in a boat & wondered how long the trip would be from our house to his on the river) He has a beautiful view of Mt Lassen. Volcano's freak me out. Regardless I still watch anything on tv about Mt Vesuvius or volcano's. When we went to Kauai a couple of years ago, was I worried about flying on top of thousands of gallons of fuel over hundreds of miles of open ocean? No. *enter Steward with Bloody Mary* Was I afraid a volcano might go off? Yes. *enter hula girl with Mai Tai* So I would have a hard time being comfortable living where they do, with a volcano staring at me everyday, but it's nice to visit them. I laughed & laughed all day. He also showed me 3 original pencil drawings done by a Dutch artist in 1939 that he bought at a flea market. He asked that I do some research on the artist Johannes Garardus Den Hengst. The only thing I could find were some of his water colors that had sold at big auction houses such as Christi's & Sotheby's. He might just have stumbled on to something fantastic! Good for him! He is going to do more research on his own now and I hope they are worth some good money as he plans to sell them. I wish I had a picture of them. They were unusual as they were of the inside of a cabin type home or a very modest home of that period and almost comical with old shoes sprawled on the floor. We made our usual stop on the way to The Olive Pit, in Corning, CA, one of my favorite places. Besides having lots of different kinds of olives, they have a great little gift shop & deli. The Martini olives are my favorite. They are the size of walnuts and so delicious. We bought so much the last time we were there that we only bought one little jar of Sweet lime, Pepper & Cilantro jelly this time. No olives. You can buy the jelly & olives online. I haven't had a drink for a long while. All the references to yummy drinks in this post it's making me want a cocktail or 2!

I have been working since. Getting new things painted and new listings online. I mailed out 2 commissions today and got more sales ready to mail. Yesterday I posted some new print listings, some are copies of a few in these 2 commissions. I used a photo program to create a picture as if they were matted & framed, then framed in a grouping in a contemporary room, however, I am selling these unframed. Sometimes it helps to visualize it all. These I listed on Etsy.

They are saying on the news today that we may have rain this weekend! Rain would be music to my ears & soul. I think if it does rain, (not getting my hopes up), I may have to get out in it and dance like Gene Kelly. My husband's band, Spotted Dog, has 2 shows and they are both outside, so maybe they will be canceled and he'll be staying home, dancing with me!