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!

 

 

Wii Origami ! ...

...Wii! is right! My son's friend left the Wii here and I watched "Between The Folds" on Netflix last night. I must have a Wii now. I was immediately smitten with Eric Joisel's work. His whimsical characters, their faces & figures. You know I love a wonky interesting face. I was mesmerized. One piece of paper folded. Amazing. I'm still pondering the comment made in the intro that "We all come from folds". That may be true, but I didn't like how that sounded or the imagery that popped into my head when they said it. Now it's stuck in there. hahaha

I fell in love with origami as a young girl while living in Japan. I would spend my yen on the beautiful packages of paper with eye-popping bright colors & patterns. Back in the day there was always a silver & gold paper at the bottom of the stack. Maybe there still is? I haven't bought any for a long time. The gold paper was like a treasure. The paper I savored the most and took the most time folding. My precious bone folder would have made things a lot easier back then. My mom still tells the story on occassion that she was finding little bits of paper in my bedroom months after I moved out. I have origami paper in my studio as I type this, serving no purpose other than it's comforting on some weird level to know that it's in there. And besides you never know when you might need a crane :)

Too Much Art Too Little Time!

I am tackling a long list of things to get done today. Preparing wood for painting commission, making my own clay plates for cuffs, finishing some card/book/zines. I knitted a new cuff this morning while having my coffee & watching the Today show.

I love perfume, however, most of the commercial perfumes on the market give me a headache, so several years ago I did a great deal of research, got lots of essential oils and like a little chemist (Nutty Professor! ) came up with several wonderful original blends. I gave some as gifts, sold a few bottles, but never really marketed it. Each perfume was a "girl" so to speak and if I say so myself the boxes are very cute! Basically set up an entire business but never took it anywhere. I was working and just wiped out tired when I got home, didn't have the energy for both jobs. I have Mermaid, Garden Girl, Tropical Girl, Bride to Be, Dance Hall Girl, Sweet Baby Girl, Indian Maiden, Queen of Denial, etc... I did the art work for each, made the boxes and made up a poem for each box. Mermaid is my personal favorite, surprise! haha It's a blend of 8 different oils with the top note being pikake an expensive Hawaiian Jasmine. Anyway... The other day I was thinking that these poems and art would make great cards/book/zines! So I am in the process of constructing those. So keep a weathered eye out for those! (love that saying from Pirates!)

The Swell Sister Society meeting was so much fun last night! We now have a website http://www.swellsister.com/ and we plan to make an impact in Sacramento! Our first art show is in December. I'm so blessed to be in this group of lovely women! We made paper wallets last night. It was like a kindergarten project but mine was pathetic - truly! A Swell Sister said I need to learn how to use tape! hahaha Actually that's so true! One thing I am not good at is wrapping presents with tape! I do wrap my art before I mail it and I must admit I could probably do a much better job. I just hope the pretty ribbon makes up for it! hahaha The paper wallet project did inspire me though. I'd love to make some with fabric. I just can't pull out my sewing machines right now or everything will go by the wayside!

My First Zine!

What's a Zine you say? It's a tiny 8 page magazine, card or book made from 1 piece of paper. This was so much fun!! I did a Old Fashioned Bee theme and have listed some for sale on Etsy. I had to come up with all the things to put on the page, then it was hours of frustration trying to get it to print out right! I used 110lb card stock. When I finally got it right, I added ribbon, antiqued the edges and added glitter to the bees wings. I have some other themes in mind to do. These are cool cards but are little gifts in & of themselves. Little tags, gift cards or notes could be stuffed into the open edges on a few of the pages. These would be great for altered art !
I need a bone folder asap! I love folding paper! When I was little and lived in Japan I was an origami geek! I had origami paper all over my room! I have forgotten most of it but I still can make cranes!