Is it too early for Spring Cleaning?

Is it too early for Spring Cleaning?  Maybe it’s too much work,   or I can’t move in my studio, maybe it’s the return of the birds, out there singing all day.  I can’t stop.  I just filled two bags in my greenhouse.  It needs a good washing, but it’s too late in the day for that, still it looks wonderful, cleaned out, organized, old plants dried up in their pots removed.  A quick hit with the hose then it’ll be ready to start some seeds in a month.  Usually the cleaning is part of the planting, each year promising to do it a month before.  Maybe this will be a start of a good thing. 

 

Earlier, in one of the art rooms began  just putting things away.  Hours!  I start working on a project and every box, drawer, bottle, cabinet is open, supplies everywhere.  It’s just how I work. Magazines show photos of beautiful work space, do they actually work in them or are they staged for the photo?  I have beautiful things all over the room, but that’s just it, all over the room.  When I’m creating I get inspired by stuff!  I’ll see a piece of velvet ribbon or a broken  bisque arm, then  know it belongs, if it weren’t in sight it wouldn’t have been added. So perfect for the application, it was on view for a reason. After all the time I spent in there today I completed half a closet .  Look at the pictures, my clean is still a mess.  This is how I work the best.  My brain runs too fast for everything in neat rows or labeled boxes.  Too many ideas and never the time to execute them.  I have journals full of ideas for the day I have time. 

Fiber art and crazy quilting mixed with Polymer clay.

Doing art quilts is the ultimate fun for me. With many  things I like to do in one piece, the results are usually just total eye candy, fluff.  Putting clay faces in the mix adds another layer to dig through.  Sitting for hours with a pair of scissors, a needle and a bag of scrap is bliss.  Layering to the point where it's thin and thick.  I love the feel of the thread sliding through my fingers.  Wools have such  a warm feel, silks slide with beautiful color, metalics drag, but give little spots of light.  Twisting threads over and under a scrap of fabric giving it depth  and dimension, not sure how it will finally look.  I give control over to happy chance.  Mix in a cup of hot tea and it's a perfect moment.

I've been reduced to a bag woman

Okay, I'm a professional artist, translation:  people are now paying me enough for my art, jewelry and handbags to support myself- but isn't that why I got married>?  His money supports us, mine is whatever money or on responsible days~my retirement fund!  Even though I have 4 online stores and I work as an art teacher part time, even  sell my jewelry wholesale now!!!  I am still the maid, cook, chauffeur, care giver, dog walker, poop picker upper!, laundress etc, you can fill in the rest as I'm sure you have your list!  Popping a tube of paint is directly causes a  "Mary, ..."  or the phone rings..."Mom..." or someone stops by because I'm not working, can't be- I'm at home. 

 

I read a great article about creative people, we're disorganized, scattered, etc!  No I'm not, I just have to fit it in between the 90 other demands of the day.  My husband asked at breakfast why I was soldering on the kitchen counter?  Uh, last night  they all wanted a big dinner- soldering had to be done, can't I do that while I watch a vat of spaghetti sauce simmer?  Made perfect sense to me!  I didn't get any flux in the pan!

 

By working like this  I  am still able to cook, clean, be healthy in my home-if you don't clean that mold will kill you!...hmmm, wonder what kind of medium I could mix it with to make...I digress.  I’m always multi tasking, just  moving the art with me.  I've become a bag woman!  I have great tote bags, saved over the years from every charity, club or wherever they seem to come from, now I have a new GREEN stash of grocery totes to pull into service.  All  the bags have glue, scissors, thread, needles, yarn, crochet hook, knitting needles and about four ongoing projects.  When I leave a room, a bag goes with me, when I go in the car, sometimes two bags go with me.  I am never without my projects now.  I went on vacation one time and forgot a bag and had to go to the store just so I could have some art supplies with me.  I wouldn’t be comfortable otherwise.  Now before I go I pack the art supplies a week in advance, my clothes an hour before I leave for the plane.  I have my priorities right!  Gotta go, which bag will I take with me?  

TIME ONLY BEGINS WHEN THE CLOCK STOPS

Time Only Begins When The Clock Stops STEAMPUNK SCULPTURE 

TIME...HARE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW! Okay, I have to give some credit here, my new wonderful friend, Marj Epp gave me that name. She actually came up with several:
Today Is A Good Hare Day!"
"Time...Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow"
"Cwazy Wabbit Whimsy"
"I Thought I Looked Good, But Just Look At My Hare!"

I met Marj at a craft show and I instantly fell in love!! Did you ever meet someone that you just felt like you've known your whole life and they totally "get" you? That's how I felt about Marj. I just love her, she makes the most amazing things too! I'll be putting one of her ostrich shell brooches on here shortly, so stop back. Probably one day this week. They are true "art jewelry" ! She is going to have a shop, until then I'll put one of her pieces on my site for now. 

This is an old clock case, painted and emptied of it's innards. A tin type photo on the clock face with vintage print around her. On the "floor" of the room: a vintage china doll leg, a watch maker's part jar, old key, some REALLY old buttons, a vintage pharmacy label with the word SPIRIT showing. Above her head is a scrabble tile, collaged with the words "to amuse" and a vintage watch crystal label. On the top of the case, a vintage bobbin with a toy rabbit that I make into pendants and a really old key on top of that. Kind of reminds me of a merry-go-round ride. The top is all wired and glued so it won't slip off. If you turn it around there is a little morbid surprise back there. In the hole where the batteries go there is an extra china arm and hand tucked away. Sorry, couldn't help it. It could also be called the Bone Collector.


Measures: 6x3.5 inches 1 3/4 inches deep

I've had some responses to my name choice for this piece:
from VintageArts: How about "time to be amused" She sure looks like she could se a laugh.

From Beadliotheque : A Hare to the Right

I've been blogged!

wow!  I've been blogged!  Here's the link to the blog post about my store: http://ornamentia.blogspot.com     What a nice compliment!  I've been working on posting some lessons for my blog.  I'll have them posted this weekend so please check back.  

I've been working on clay faces for dolls all afternoon.  I haven't done black and white before, I think it looks kind of cool though, I needed a change.

I couldn't sleep at all last night

I couldn’t sleep at all last night.  Ideas were racing through my head.  This antique bronze from an old light fixture has been calling out to me.  It just wants to be a canopy over a little girl’s bed.  Just picture this…wide, faded, vintage ribbon, spaced around the circle, pulled up and attached to the ceiling.  Sheer, gauzy, fabric attached to the tiny holes at the base, draped over the bed.  Leaded glass drops dangling randomly beneath the cherubs feet.  This would make any little girl feel like a fairy princess, BUT, I have no little girl or an extra bedroom…hmmm…off to find the little princess this is meant for. This bronze canopy is for sale in my supply store: http://www.pinksupply.etsy.com

Is This A Sickness? And are you qualified to help??

Yeah!! I went to an auction and have a huge haul of bronze keyholes,VICTORIAN SHABBY CHIC BRASS METAL PRIMITIVE MEDIEVAL GOTHIC ART DECO HARDWARE GOTH ESCUTCHEON COVER PLATES FURNITURE PLATE ALTERED ART MIXED MEDIA ASSEMBLAGE STEAMPUNK !!!!! Dancing around my pile BUT!!! I have to sell some in my supply store on etsy to make the money back I spent that I don't have!!!! That's NOT THE PROBLEM!! The problem is I want to keep most of it for myself. The problem with being an artist is stuff. You never have enough, you're always looking for more, have no storage for all of it, can't get rid of it because it may just be the piece you're looking for in the future and on and on.....Is this a sickness??? I have two bedrooms, an office, a finished basement that is HUGE, an area in the family room, MY CAR!!, the garage and even things in the shed. OHMYGOSH!! Am I going to be on the news someday as the woman found under a pile of newspapers, only insert art supplies and paintings for newspapers!!! My pile is growing....and GROWING. I opened a supply site on etsy, then a sewing supply site on etsy. It hasn't helped, it's actually hurt! Now I can't pass up anything because it may go on the site OR in the pile for later. Really, I'm not a nut, just obsessed with my art. THere it doesn't stop. I am obsessed with my art. Does that mean too many paint brushes. NO. I paint. I draw. I sew. I build. I assemble. I make jewelry. I make soap. I make paper. I make things from paper. I collage. I do mixed media. I do clay, both ceramic and polymer. Now you take all of those and you have art supplies X however many and on top of that I'm an obsessive instruction and biography and anything altered art book and Magazine collector. I think it's a sickness, but right now I'm not looking for a cure. I will take some off today's finds and put a FEW of them in my store. The rest I'll leave out for a while so I can just enjoy gazing at them. Help needed, qualified destashers only need apply. http://www.pinksupply.etsy.com

tutorial: How to make a rabbit pendant

Here are some quick instructions how to make a beautiful rabbit charm using a plastic toy.  Supplies needed:  plastic toy, silver metallic- enamel paint, oven, black acrylic paint, gloss or satin sealer.  A dremel or drill to put a hole through.  Before I start painting I put a hole with my dremel tool,  through the middle of the rabbit's back, all the way through and out the bottom, or his stomach.  Then I clean him to get all the drill dust off.  With a paint brush I put on two coats of enamel, follow directions on the bottle.  You can get enamel paint in the craft store with the other bottle of craft paint.  After I let it dry for about an hour I put it in my kitchen oven or craft dedicated toaster oven and bake it for the time on the enamel package.  I usually start checking it about half way through to see  if it is set and dry.  You don't want to walk away while you're doing this or your rabbit may melt.  When it's done, carefully remove it from the oven and allow it to cool.  If the legs are curled at all, now is the time to straighten them.  After it's completely cooled, put a coat of black acrylic paint on the entire rabbit, then wipe off with a clean, soft cloth.  This will make the rabbit look antiqued.  When this is dry, two to three coats of sealer may be applied.  Allow it to dry completely between coats.   When finished you can thread a wire or string through the hole and make it into a pendant.  I've used regular acrylic instead of the enamel and it will rub off with wear.  You want your piece to look professional so take the time to use the enamel.  If you are just doing this for an assemblage where it won't be getting any wear you could probably get away with just acrylic.  In jewelry you'll need to make it durable.  You don't have to use a rabbit, any hard plastic toy will work.  I use the ones made in Germany, they cost more but they are a much better toy, they are stronger, better made and have great detail. 

It's freezing and there is snow everywhere!

I want to go to Florida!  All these years complaining my husband takes me to Florida every jan and feb!!! and this year we don't go and I'm freezing all the time.  Check out my snowman, paper mache.  He'll warm me up.   I need sun!!!!!

Philadelphia Bakery Blitz

OH MY GOSH!! We went to Termini's bakery in South Philadelphia today after painting class. We ate so many samples the lady took the sample tray away. Okay, we were being pigs but OMG they were delicious. I bought a pound of Italian cookies, they were 18 or 19 dollars a pound but they are so good. Look at the pictures of these beautiful deserts. I think I gained 3 pounds today.

Sometimes I forget to have fun

Sometimes I forget to have fun. I started making jewelry years ago and teaching art and forgot that I really love to paint. My husband was in a two year term of a club where he had to wear a tuxedo, he just finished his term. Here's the painting, unfinished of him in his "uniform". Wow, I forgot how much fun it was to paint for fun and not for a job or deadline. Having someone I like as the subject helps too. This isn't the finished picture, I never took a pic before I sent it off to be framed. You can still tell how it will end up from here though. There is something so wonderful about painting when it's for yourself. I find I even breath in a slow and almost dreamlike breathes, very zen. When I'm painting for a job I feel the pressure of the clock and how it needs to come out. This was just so relaxing, and in my life right now with so many things going on everyday taking two evenings off to just paint for myself was the best present I've given myself in a long time. It's important to stop rushing and trying to fix everything and feed your soul once in a while. Take a look at George, my old guy!! He wouldn't go out with me on a date years ago because he thought I was too young, took a long time to convince him that it was ok! We've been together 26 years now!

Frozen Charlottes in Jewelry

I've been using Frozen Charlottes in my jewelry for several years. Lately I've noticed so much of it on etsy I feel like a fraud posting it on my site. I've been selling my jewelry locally for years. One of the things I like about Etsy is the exposure it gives you. I've sold all over the world now, to places I didn't even know were countries. The best part is the friends I've made online. At first my daughter was upset, that's a little backward!, that I was talking to strangers, but I've made some really good friends that I check in with all the time. It's like having a coffee club online. I don't have to go out in the weather and I don't have to read the messages until I have a minute to sit down and enjoy them. Here's a picture of one of my new necklaces I've just put up. Stop at my store and have a look at the other pictures.

Snowing in Philadelphia Potato beads!

It's been snowing here all night. I was hoping to get snowed in, but no luck!!
Last night on my etsy supply site I listed some potato beads. A friend of mine, Sandy Dawson, makes them from real potatos. She dries them in a dehydrator and cuts, sands, paints and repaints, and seals them. Drilled for bead and what an outcome. The texture is bizarre. When you tell people they're potatoes they can't believe it. Here's a link to the potatoes: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20607084 and here's a link to a necklace she made with them: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_2&listing_id=11453239&ga_search_query=potato&ga_search_type=user_shop_

Mixed with glass beads they're fantastic, I love hard and soft, smooth and rough mixed together. I think her turquoise ones are the best. Have a look and let me know what you think of them.