New Etsy Items / Studio Update

I have several new items which I will be listing on Etsy over the weekend.  This is a Lisa P. stamp that can be used for rubber stamping or for clay imprints.  The impressions are deep and intricate providing a nice clear and clean design transfer.

I have added two new items in the spin ring and the micro crystal dust inclusions.  I am anxious to try these.

My studio is about 75% done and I have been able to move storage items into place, begin to put things away, think about items to make the room warm and homey..... and see what items I can get rid of, what I need and what I want to do first.  I feel MUCH more organized .... and it is a good feeling.  I have a couple of areas I am "stumped on" but I will work through it....lol....  I love that a vase with some sticks in them make a wonderful "shadow" image on my wall up near the ceiling....maybe the medium shade of the paint has provided this capability?   Although I didn't like the transition of colors as I had originally wanted I am really pleased with the 2 colors that I have used on the walls.   I am hoping that I feel good enough tomorrow that I can get more done and maybe even be able to paint a little bit....I have really missed the peace of mind it seems to bring to help with coping mechanisms.

Have a great weekend everyone and hopefully on Monday I will have some Studio finished photos for you.

Create some fun...

Explosive Fire


Today when Larry and I were working downstairs with the door opened we heard a muffled explosion...we didn't think too much of it until we heard two more....so I went to investigate. There were billows of black and shades of grey smoke in the sky.  The garage/house slightly to the left  of ours and a street over was on fire.  It started in the garage which is seen burned to the ground.  It was full of tires (we were having a free old tire pickup tomorrow down here where we live) paint, and some propane tanks....The firemen were able to save the house you see to the right but the house to the left looked to be a total loss also.  The house is only a few years old.  It was scary.... yet beautiful,  colorful, mesmerizing, anticipated, and then just sad..   NO ONE was hurt.  It could have been so much worse.

Paint Storage

There are times when it is hard to part with an item....probably because it has been here but I never really utilized it so......it has become a storage piece for my Matisse paints.  The vintage, handmade sewing stand is light and easily moved so I can just carry it over to my table.  Using this  item as a storage unit also gives me a half shelf for something else.  



Now that I know it is going to be a "keeper" I have to do a design to fit on the lid.  (It opens on each side of the top handle).

As I work around the house if I find something that I think might be able to have a "new life" I take it down so as I work I will see it.  

The color of this wall brings out the color in the vintage wood pieces I have and also the burnt sienna that is in the rug....

Studio Update


Ha, ha, ha...DON'T I "WISH".  

This is the 2nd half of my daughters' studio which she has been working on.....and where she does her ordering, mailing, accounting area end of her Etsy business.  It would be nice if "my" studio  was done....but it isn't.  

                                         SO...Here is the update on my Studio.....

Today I went and got some quarter molding to put at the ceiling level.  The take down on the texture was left really rough and it was not easy cutting in so this was a good solution to my problem of the zigzag look at the wall/ceiling meet.   I used a watercolor mix with Decoart Khaki Tan to stain the molding as I wanted a bit of the grain to show through..... My husband is going to put it up tomorrow and then I can get my left hand wall "put together" which will give me some "center room" to move around a little.  I have a light I will hang from the left hand far corner....get my clock and some of the pictures up, etc. 

The next step is to finish the dark color around the door casing that comes down into the room from the house,   blend in the next lighter color and get the front wall painted the mid color so I can transition this and then "think" about the green......  I hope it comes out the way I "see" it.  LOL....  

I haven't been able to get to my painting table and I think I am having withdrawal......It is like being punished.....  If I can just unearth it I will feel SO much better....then I can do the other side which will be for the altered art, sewing, light box, and "sitting" area.  

My daughter gave me a half mannequin bust that is done in a muslin material (vintage) that I want to incorporate into a floor lamp......with the help of a "shade" which I may hand make, and a vintage kerosene stove.... My daughter saw the 2 pieces setting side by side and made the suggestion so I can't 
say this is "my" idea....but I am hoping I can make it come to life....  It will be the first mixed media assemblage large item that I have done so it will be a fun challenge. 

 I am hoping that everything runs smooth tomorrow ....  and we can get all of the painting done and the molding up so that I can begin the embellishing....  (Larry is recovering from a week of tests, doctor appointments and a 2nd debilitating muscle spasm in his leg tonight) so we will work slow, rest,  and do a little more. 

With this redo I am REALLY seeing the entire room as a blank canvas.... ....you do the background first by adding your wall color(s) .....place your furniture (artist working area(s) and storage where they are easily accessible....Next I will begin placing items into the shelving areas, cabinets, etc.  Last are those last few finishing touches....  Curtains?  Artwork.  Lighting in the different areas, and any accent pieces such as furniture for sitting and "wall painting art", or artful wall.   I have some wood cobwebs from Patricia Rawlingstons website and her witch which hangs beneath a shelf....I will enjoy doing this piece...and just might use the roclon...  There won't be any more "costs" involved.  I will be using pieces that are in other rooms...Seeing them in a different area I know is going to make them "look different".... new in a way...  Maybe I will get lucky at some fall garage sales and be able to pick up something really inexpensively if I have the room to "fish off" with an additional cabinet or shelving area....  Seems as if there is always that last piece or two...and I have to find a place that "works" for the gorgeous piece of wood that I have.





'Shrooms

My Shady Mane mushrooms are "up" again this year but they always seem to appear in a different place and get greater in number.  These cropped up in our driveway....and I have a much smaller patch which is on the other side of the fence.  They are really fun to watch grow, mature, change shape, color, etc.

I have head this is a tasty specie ... and I like mushrooms but for some reason I have NO desire to try these.


STUDIO EXPLOSION...

I had hoped to be farther along than I am but I did manage to have the wall to the left (that you can't see) painted and now I have the more intricate details to do...all of the cutting in.

I changed the darkest color darker as it has to cover a horrible, that I have lived with for 7 years, green paint....  and now that it is "on" I can tell that I am going to like it and it will bring out the reddish orange tones in my vintage pieces....I love my jelly cabinet that is down here.....

After I do the area next to the ceiling I can begin to put things back in their place and the next step will be the 2nd color and then blending in and the 3 color which is the lightest blending.   I can begin now to see what it is going to look like so the anticipation seems to increase....  I am getting rid of wood surfaces and some of the "too"  MANY frames that I have.

Tomorrow is DH upper GI endoscopy so the majority of my day will be spent in the Surgery Center...and evenings are so poor for "paint seeing" but it is progressing forward and that is "a good thing".

Have a great week everyone.

Two by Two

Today I worked on getting greeting cards using my photos ready to go back to a unique Schoolhouse Boutique Store of handmade items.  I had a report from my sister and she said the first day they grossed over $8000.00 so I would say the store has a "good start".

The card photos have been named, signed and into special sheer clear envelopes then I will have to tag....    Tomorrow I will start on the photo calendars and then begin the steampunk brass flowers..... then think about Christmas...and high on the list will be the large wooden clips.

I am hoping that I will be able to get some altered art jewelry, and some altered art shoes/spoons done and out also.  There are just not enough hours in the day sometimes to get things done and I wonder how I ever in the world "worked"....

Tomorrow I will get the largest shelf down and furniture moved away from 2 of the walls so I can think about painting on Monday.  I have my brushes, paint, drop cloth, ladder, etc. so I am pretty much ready to go....just need that little extra oomph.


Introducing: Fall Transformations

Why is it one day a tree has green leaves and then bang you wake up and fall has; during the night,
knocked on your door.  We have had about a week of temperature down in the 40's, 30's and high 20's overnight.  Tonight I had my husband light the fire in the stove down in my studio...and we are sitting with a long sleeved shirt over our "daytime" shirt.

This tree is our Japanese maple and it never got the normal yellow... just  directly to red so I think it is going to be gorgeous this year as will so many of the trees in Bend.  Fall is gorgeous here and the anticipation, the watching, the seeing is awesome; even though I hate, HATE, to see summer become a yesterday thing.

I love to paint in the fall....the breeze that smells like crisp leaves, the temperature is just perfect, the shadows that seem to be so natural, and the colors....how can people NOT paint and create when there are colors everywhere?    The squirrels are busy gathering their nuts for the winter, the deer come down out of the mountains for their last summer fling, and I find myself looking forward to a creative fall and winter.....and a more organized studio.... SO much to look forward to.

In the summer I love being outside.....but fall and winter create "less guilt" when I am inside and not out enjoying the weather.

So start gathering up your supplies....get your "space" in order and ready, so when the weather gets cool and it gets darker earlier you find your evenings are longer...and for some reason you seem to have more "spare" time,  it is time to relax a little and enjoy life...  Reap the rewards of the summer months,
(I just purchased a food dehydrator) my old one "bit the dust", so I look forward to trying my hand at dehydrating some tomatoes,  herbs, jerky, etc.  I am not much of a canner like my mother but the dehydrating just might be something I will enjoy.

The only thing I don't look forward to are severe storms or really bad roads that threatens lives, lives of loved ones and friends.  

Oey...boye


I have to hope that my daughter and grandson don't read this post or I am "in trouble".... a garage sale to get rid of items and then I buy this....but it is so unique and different and I could swear I heard it calling my name in the store.  I walked away from it two times and on the 3rd pass I carried it to the front of the store to the check out area....and purchased it.  I have never seen a chair quite like this...and to me it is a piece of art as are the other 2 chairs which will go downstairs....


Dynamite !!!!!! Explosion

It sure does look like hurricane "Diana" blew through....LOL....What a mess....what a mess and having to work in increments is a big pain in the butt,,,,,, literally... BUT slowly but surely,  I can see it STARTING to come together...which is great.  New ideas pop into my mind,,,,and many times if I can and it is just a little bit of something;  then I will go down and do it.  I don't want to ever have to do this again

My husband brought me home a humming bird that he picked up at a car parts swap meet of all places. I guess it is made from automobile pieces so that is how they "made the grade" and got in.   I took it downstairs to work into the accents and when I did a shadow popped up onto the wall so I painted it....using 2 colors of paint, and then when it was dry I went over the whole thing with some Glamour Dust Paint....and YES, I know that the shadow is going one way and the actual statue the other...MY choice...I enjoy being different, a little of the unexpected, etc.  I call this art....seeing how people put things together....how something different might work instead of the same ole' way...the technical book way or no way.   Don't get me wrong there are techniques that are REALLY important to learn cause they help you grow and get your own look.    Stipple, highlight/shade, to bring forcal to the front or make it recede which to me are all important techniques and the importance in doing other artists' designs.

Patricia Rawlinson has the most adorable pattern called If the Shoe Fits; on her site:  http://www.Creativeartslifestyle.com   In an area in the studio where I have a shelf her delightful design is going to be worked into the shelf  SOMEWHERE.  ( Rather than the way Patricia has used hers with a plaque).   I have some raclon I purchased awhile back so the only thing I really needed to purchase for this design...were the cobwebs..which I ordered from her site.   I will probably change the colors to match the colors I am using so I will be kinda going "out of the box" with it, totally different colors,  different concept, and I may work it in a totally different way, but the design is still Patricia Rawlinsons.
There are just times I see things that are just too totally adorable...and just works perfect in a situation.  It is just so much fun to have other peoples' designs, in my shop.  Artists whom I admire....have learned from along the way and who I credit as often as I can.  This particular design by Patricia is just one of those pieces which allows a lot of creative license.  To me this is what makes this design just stand out as a design that has to be done..... It can be taken in so many different directions.

I had forgotten that when we lived in California I had painted a window with the curtain blowing out the window on one of our bathroom doors....it was so small (the bathroom) the window seemed to help.....so this is something else I want to work into the studio room at one of the windows... a curtain blowing in the breeze.

 I am really enjoying this redeux....I don't have any idea for sure on  how it is going to look when I am done.  I do know that the two chairs that I will have down there will be an antique wooden  wheelchair, and a vintage rocking chair that is really different in looks, which made me fall in love with it.   I can kinda see where it is heading....and it is exciting...but I see no "finished look".... it just seems to be transforming.

If I can stop and create a piece every now and then to use it the studio it will make things so much more fun....kinda like building a room to suit me to a T... not Samantha Pickens in somewhere, USA....  Something that no one could ever totally duplicate....and I can see a lot more time being spent downstairs when I get done.

The shutters I have are no longer going to be used as shelving....they are going to be shutters on my windows instead..... Just how I am not sure....I may cut them in two horizontally and have 2 sets which will only be half as tall which sounds kinda cute and different, ....or I could not cut them and use one left and right of each window..... I just know I want them used in a way that they will be seen as art.....
If I cut them in half I could put in some of the marbles like I put in my fence out back....so that kinda sounds interesting....

It is coming along....and as I work on an area it is fun to take a photo......since this photo was taken when I said I was "done for the night" I have gone down and added more to the wall, changed a couple of things around.....etc.  so it is already different and I will no doubt make even a couple more changes when I go downstairs tomorrow.    Kinda like leaving a finished painting out to see if there is anyting you want to change before announcing "DONE"....(Notice the hummingbird metal statue and the other one which is to fool the eye.....I am striving for good eye flow to the area....... where someone might want to stand and take it in as a entity of several items....

I have always heard less is more....but sometimes it just screams keep going....  I haven't heart stop so I am going to continue with this wall as seen below until the voice says less is more....and what is less in someone elses' book may just not be the right less in mine.  

Computer Hutch


This is one of those awesome finds that seems to get better and better.

In the first photo...The desk that is shown folds up and goes on to the right hand door and locks into place when not in use.  The neat thing is it can be right in the front as shown or off to the side...and when it is off to the side there is another piece of wood which can slide out and make an even larger work area.  (I didn't know about the desk portion until I got the piece home.

In the 3rd photo you see the sliding shelf portion out and the desk portion locked into place on the inside of the door.  There is a shelf, cubby hole and large drawer in the bottom and two shelves in the top which are for now just laying inside.

My last photo shows the unit closed.  It is in near perfect condition and just PERFECT for my needs plus the extra perks.  I love the wood which shows in the middle and the bottom...and there is like a beaded molding at the top.  I may decide to change the handles.  I am pretty sure I have some neat reproduction hardware which will really look nice...and because of the color it will either go against a light wall or my white wall....I have not decided on the exact location but I DO know that for $125 I got a heck of a deal.  It is not fiberboard but a nice wood as you can see from the photos so I would say this piece was from the 60's.. It was labeled as a computer hutch.  I am delighted with it....but MAY change the color...

This second hand consignment furniture store has some fantastic pieces....and my wish was for a couple hundred more dollars....as they had some awesome offerings I would have loved to have, but I will be satisfied with what I got for now....  I need a comfy chair ..... next time.

I can hardly wait to get started downstairs.

The Depth of Inspiration

Copyright 9-2012    DP
Today I got to go out in the Side by Side....my first time since the purchase.

We went to Todd Lake, and Broken Top Mountain.  We wanted to go down into Sisters but the Ranger said it was still closed.  There is a big tree in the road and because of the fire danger right now they don't want to use chain saws to cut it down....so we may not get this particular ride in this year.

I love seeing the scenery and counting the layers of background.
I see 6 in this photo so if I should decide to piant it...or a portion of it;  the value changes with come into play as work my way forward...so many different shades of greens and blues....and in order to make certain things "work" mixing is so imperative...

In this photo to the top right, there is a round light spot?   I am wondering just what that is as it was about 3 o'clock in the afternoon when I took this.   Hmmmm.

Got some nice shots so it was a day of many joys.

JJ Bracelets



JJ Bracelets is short for Jewelry Jeans Bracelet... bracelets that will go well with jeans and the top of your choice.  I didn't have a bracelet that was designed in blues just for jeans....soooo here are 3.

The first one is mine.

The second one I picked out the semiprecious stones that had the brown in them to do brown and blue which I like together.

The third one ismade using lampwork to match the colors in the semiprecious stones which have been cut, beveled and polished.  They measure 12 mm.

Each bracelet I make will be different based on the accent beads I have on hand and what colors are in the semiprecious stones.  So once they are gone...they are gone.  I will list on Etsy where they will remain for a pre determined time and if they don't sell they will be on their way to a boutique gallery in NY state.



Artistic Renderings the Muse




  • There are times when I take photos simply to have reference material like this photo of some pretty and unique tree bark with a small vine growing up the trunk.  I will use it for color, texture,  etc.

 I decided I need to be more organized with my photos....so I purchased 2 photo boxes.  One for horizonal and one for vertical photos....I then classified them as animal and insects, winter, water, flowers,  etc.  That is a great accomplishment for me.  Now I need to go search for older photos I have and get them into one of the boxes.  My memory isn't as good as it used to be so to have a library set up like this will be a great help.

I did get down into my studio today and finished the painted portion of a small canvas I am doing for in my studio.....  for some reason it doesn't feel "done"... so I am not sure just what will be next or where this piece will lead me...  I then sat down visually moving furniture, seeing where I want certain things,  and hoping I can begin the painting soon....etc.

This evening I made 3 bracelets in the JJ line (Jewelry Jeans).  One is mine ..   They are made with a beautiful dark jean blue, an off white abstract design,  semi precious stone, and are 12mm, beveled edges, square,  cut and polished  with handmade lampwork beads and an elephant clasp for "luck" to the wearer.    Tomorrow I want to work out a design for an "Unmatching" necklace to be worn WITH the bracelet and will get the 2 other bracelets on Etsy.  Since I have a tendency to not like "getting into a factory type assembly of sameness" these pieces of jewelry will be one of a kind.  Those that don't sell in a reasonable amount of time;  pre-determined by me, will go to the new consignment store in Pennsylvania and I will be off on another creative tangent... Tangents of different is how I seem to most enjoy my artistic renderings....

Handpainted Feather Jewelry

Copyright 8 / 2012    DP

IThese are HAND  MARBLED  feathers and can be purchased at www.quillnaros.etsy.com  Ely does her feathers in "series".  Once they are gone, they are gone as they are one of a kind pieces.  An exact duplication is pretty much out of the question....

I purchased the feathers to make earrings for my sister for Christmas.  I don't have pierced ears or wear earrings but these earrings are a real temptation.  

I used 3mm blue grey crystals, small silver beads  and
 mauve pink delicas and I can't wait till Christmas to give them to her.  I will have to send these out to her next week.....

AND.....go back to Ely for another set to make for someone else.  TOO PRETTY...  Gorgeous Ely but I have been telling you this since day #1.

Oh, the feathers are soft and pliable...and I love the little fluff of wisps
 at the narrow end....so frilly and remind me of the retro DOTs of the 50's.  The colors are vibrant, yet soft and these have iridescent colors here and there so when the light hits the sparkle will be THERE.



 

Little tin boxes


I have purchased the elements and have been working on making  miniature, portable watercolor kits using these little tins....(The altoid tins have an embossed top which makes them difficutl to work with, and I don't care for the mints so purchasing new is less expensive, and more creatively useful)

These little tins come in many shapes and sizes and  have a been a BIG favorite of artists for a long time when doing mixed media work and creative art swaps on some of the neat groups which are available.

You can use polymer clay, paper, material, inks, stamps....it is pretty much left to the creative mind of the artist.

The boxes have so many individual, personal uses and they come in different sizes, hinged lids, snap on lids, clear topped, round, rectangular etc.

I have purchased the lip balm sliding tins, paint them and use them for my Moo cards...and have sold quite a few of them as pill boxes, to hold stamps, etc.  The larger ones are great for sewing kits, to hold
store coupons, loose change, etc.  These small ones make adorable magnets.

For artistic "use"  they can hold beads, findings, left over wire, screws, backs for pins, etc...and the neat thing is you can glue the item to the top for instant identification.

Remember plastic canvas?  How neat to do one of the larger sizes with an initial on the top, some ribbon, etc.   They would also make a nice pin cushion for those who sew with the lid being the pin cushion...and the inside holding your precious pins.

I have one that I love.  "Memory Mints for Senior Moments" .....what a cute little gift-y for a 50th birthday...


Large Computer Cabinet

Copyright 8-2012    DP

I had to go to town today so since it was on my way home I stopped at a shoppe I love called Re-Duex to check for a large piece of furniture that I could use for storage in my studio....  They had so many neat pieces this time I was torn between 3.   A large, almost new looking computer wall unit won my heart as it will accommodate my plastic totes...  It has shelves as well as drawers and doors, and very sturdy vs the fiberboard one normally finds in furniture these days.

I may decide to spray paint this piece but we will see how it fits in to the scheme of things.

The price was right so sometime this coming week we will go pick it up and bring it home.

Much neater than a "New Item"....

I LOVE FREEZIN' FOG DAYS

I LOVE FREEZIN' FOG DAYS
Freezing fog on a pine tree bough.