A New Year to Create

Wow, the rest of the year just flew by. Before I knew it Christmas had come and gone and I hadn't posted for months. My son has been keeping me going and I started and finished a business class. I'm looking forward to starting my own business on-line besides the etsy shop and doing more jewelry and mixed media. I've temporarily set up a painting station in the middle of my kitchen. It sounds weird I know but it's the only room I can gate off from my son and still be able to watch him. Plus I have this huge counter top height table in the center where I can paint etc. I know I need to write more it is very therapeutic for me. Everything had just started culminating all at once and this was one of the extras that got booted for awhile.

I just picked up the latest "Artful Blogging" magazine and am so inspired by the beautiful blogs. I highly recommend the magazine if you've never read it. I have to say this is the first magazine I have read from start to finish every word. Usually I just read a couple articles here and there in other ones and focus on the pictures. My 22  month old son helped in the reading,  I would lay him down for a nap and read it out loud to him till he fell asleep.

I made several handmade gifts this year for presents and devoted a lot of time to the season so I haven't created much to sell. I did find a sorry little bunny that I painted. Here's the before and after.

I just love how she turned out with the hard candy crackle finish and pretty collar. I have a thing for bunnies so I pretty much think I'm keeping her.

 I have completed a painting but most of my time has been on the computer looking for found objects and vintage jewelry to repurpose. I've become a rhinestone addict. Not very many people still wear brooches or rhinestone but I love the repurposing of them into new necklaces etc. The Rosa and Josies blog has really gotten my creative juices going again too,  such lovely rhinestone creations. I'll be posting my new creations soon.

Recycled Art

This has been a crazy two weeks I found out about a Recycled Art Exhibit in Alamosa Colorado about three weeks ago and decided to enter a couple pieces. Because I have never been to this show before I really was worried about what to create. This show is usually only open for people in Alamosa to enter pieces too so I was so excited to be able to enter two pieces. So in order to enter pieces you have to send digital photos before they are due and the "jury" decides if they are accepted into the exhibit. Each person can enter 3 pieces and they will let you know if they are selected. Well, the deadline was just two weeks away and I had no idea what I wanted to do also the pieces had to be 90 percent recycled material. The picture on the front of the postcard I found advertising the exhibit was of some plastic bags weaved together as a wall hanging. Nothing against that type of art but that is just not me. I love assemblage and altered art and decided to do two wall hangings and one drawer which I had never attempted before. The first one here is a cupboard door re-purposed as a background canvas for the piece. I has found some horseshoe nails (I believe) at a re-store shop and loved the look of them and wanted to use them for a project and this is what took shape above. I also added a vintage padlock on the bottom of the heart not shown because I found it on the way to the exhibit at an antique store. This one was accepted and is to be on display all of August.

This piece was also accepted for the exhibit. I had a lot of fun making these pieces I haven't worked on larger creations for awhile everything has been jewelry and smaller fabric collages. The funny thing is I've been harboring most of the materials I used in this project for awhile. I hate to throw things out and am trying to reconcile being a pack rat with trying to keep the house decluttered enough to be able to sit down and eat and watch t.v. You may laugh but sometimes and especially last week we almost didn't have a place to sit. I used to have a plaque that says "Creative people are seldom tidy." I thought it was funny and made for me but I have seen some other artists homes and studios and have heard some stories and I think it's true for creative people. Try as I might but by the end of the week the house looks like a bomb has gone off and with

a 16mo old that isn't exactly a good thing.

Anyway this was also done on a cupboard door sanded a little but mostly left as it was and things glued to it. If you can make it out it says "2 Grow and Learn is Key" with all the elements and words.

The next project I did wasn't accepted ;( I think it was because it was too girly! which I thought was funny. Who cares if a couple people on the jury didn't like it as much but if it sells and they get their commission why should they care if it doesn't meet their taste. My dear husband was very upset that someone didn't want my work. He doesn't really understand my altered art and assemblage sometimes but he didn't understand why they would not accept it. I do love the man!!! He doesn't get my mad and sometimes crazy need to create all the time but he supports me and puts up with the mess (most of the time). Occasionally I agree with him it does get old having a wiped out house. Our solution... we are gonna move! Hopefully we can get a large house and turn a basement into a studio for me :) ! I have been dreaming about a studio for years.

Anyway here's the pic of the third piece. After the exhibit is over if they don't sell I'm listing them on my etsy site for sell. Right now I am living with the "Soar" piece before I can part with it. I tend to be a girly girl even if I don't really dress like one.

On the next post I'll be showing some jewelry that I've started to created from vintage pieces that are re-purposed. Cia

A New Day

I feel the need to share and I hope there will be people out there interested. I've never blogged before so pardon my grammar. My mind tends to go faster than my fingers. I became interested in blogging because I LOVE to learn new things and I research on the web constantly. So hopefully I can help some people learn some new things and be inspired. Now a little background: I used to be a Dental Hygienist but decide to stay home with my son when I got pregnant last year. I find the experience wonderful although sometimes BORING. I am a creative person but at many times find myself unmotivated. I call myself an artist and have been since I was a child. Okay sometimes I lean closer to a crafter but in my mind they're almost the same. What was once a crafter is now an artist through mixed media etc. Artist use to be thought of as just painters or sculptors but that idea has expanded greatly. There are so many talented people out there and so many ways to create art that many people don't know about so hopefully I will enlighten some and they can enlighten me. I will also blog about food because that can be so creative and I'm sad to say a lot of people I know can't cook. I was raised with multicultural foods that a lot of people experience now with restaurant food but don't know how to cookat home. I didn't get alot of bland food at home thank goodness and my family didn't cook a lot of traditional italian but the basics I have down. I cook many things now that I never grew up eating but, I find myself getting trapped in several basic dishes so hopefully with the blogging I will be inspired to new meals.

Next, I may at times go on and on about weight loss and exercise. I find that if I keep my focus on those two things they might just happen. I will of course try not to bore you. If you haven't noticed I will be writing as though I am speaking right to you I hope it doesn't annoy!

By and by the dog in the photo is my Fraiser one of three Shih Tzu's that we are priviledged to have. If anyone wants a fantastic dog get a Shih Tzu but please pronounce it correctly (sheed zoo). Everyone thinks it's shit-zu. My three are great with my son even if he's a little rough.

My next post will be later tonight because I want to post about my newest craze fabric wrist cuff bracelets. I know a lot of people don't know what they are but they are getting hot!!!