Glad THAT is over with !!!!

Two weeks ago today I underwent one of my worst nightmares in deciding to agree to a back fusion L4-L5 with bone graft.  I have a plate and four screws as well as them grinding the bone they removed in spine to give me some space room.  This material was used as the grafting material....amazing.

With support from framily and friends and the word COURAGE on the day after the surgery I was up walking even though I had problems from anesthesia, was overdosed with pain medication the first night,  the threat of having to have a blood transfusion,  rolling veins, extreme pain and 13 staples...

My doctor was quite impressed with my first check up today and my progress.  Staples are out,  I am walking with a cane,  and although I am to really restrict bending, twisting and lifting I was told to just listen to what my body says to me....  I am walking a bit slower, and more carefully using a cane as a precautionary measure....but otherwise I am great.

After the frist 3 days in the hospital I was able to reduce my pain medication to simply OTC Tylenol and no more than 3 muscle relaxants aver a 10 day period so yippe.   I am proud of me....

So, now that I have been "released from care" with no real restrictions I can continue to push myself just a little bit more and work in some art every day as well as continuing to post here on my blog, as well as handling my Etsy Shoppe and adding some new and different items for fellow artists.    THANKS AGAIN MEGHAN and MICHELLE for running ArtisticRenderings during this 2 week period, and Meghan for helping to nurse her Neema back to health....

ZEUS......NOT for the faint hearted.....

How about this guy....he is absolutely gorgeous and a new found friend.  He looks and feels as if he is beaded with delica glass beads and feels so cool and smooth.  He belongs to my son in law... and is one of the smartest lizards and can be "walked" with a harness.  He mesmerizes me...

TO PONDER:

           "Your thoughts are your reality"

MY Journal (Mixed Media)

This week I finished up the front and back of the journal I have been using....  Somehow It just seems more fun to pick up a fun journal instead of just a book......  The heart at the botttom right is a small tin which holds paper clips and is glued onto the hournal....On the back of the journal is a cigarette type cigar tin that is slim and nice and the colors were perfect.  (Havana Honeys....roller derby chicks...mud or jello female wrestlers....?    I also gluee this tin to the back and it holds a pencil, 2 pens, small sissors, etc.  Now I won't have to go "searching" it will all be together for me...

They say BRASS is in this year...but I really prefer the copper .... rusty colors with a green or blue hue....  The round brass and black item is a vintage cabinet door knob and the horizontal piece moves to the left and right so it opens the journal and I really love the victorian steampunkery look of the item.  

I found a very nice fretwork laser wood cutter online and they do some very special pieces that are spectacular and reasonably prices.  I have made 2 orders and have been more than pleased with the aroma of the wood/burn smell which brings back childhood memories for me and the top of the line quality of the pieces.  

This journal will be a mish mosh of this n that ....

Kitchen Facial

Tonight, the first time in probably 10 years (and these were years I should have used)  I remembered that my mother used to give herself egg white facials... And what is egg white but placentia???  AND... what is the main incredient in most face masques....oinments, gels, etc..??  PLACENTIA.... and I got mine for roughly 10 cents which refrigerated will last so I can do it every night for a week.....  My face is tighter,  just a very soft tingle and my face is so soft.   Did it diminish the wrinkles....no, but that is not to say it won't over time and my face is as soft as baby skin not to mention how clean and fresh it feels.

Steps:
I would do a test by applying some of the egg white to the inside of your  elbow.  You want to make sure you are not allergic to egg whites....and some people are so don't skip the test.   A pinking of the skin is sometimes seen .... but as long as it is not RED you should be OK....
1.  Wash hands and face with a mild soap and water.
2.  Using your fingers dollop up as much of the egg white as you can applying it to your face using outward and/or upward strokes.  I went down my neck applying the egg white in upward strokes also. The direction of the application is an important part of the procedure.
3.  Let dry.
DO NOT laugh or smile when you are letting the mask dry or it will crack and you will have to remove  as the "tighness" will no longer be...so do alone in a door shut room.  You will feel a drawing, tightening procedure whe you have applied, which will also draw impurities out of the pores.

4.  AS SOON AS THE MASQUE IS DRY or within 5 minutes remove  the masque with a wash cloth and hot to warm water.
5.   Follow with a cold rinse patting on to close your pores.
6.  Apply an astringent (Witch Hazel is what my Mom used so what I use) and pat dry I pat my skin with a clean face towel.
7.  Apply a good moisturizer
  My Mom used the pink Oil of Olay so .... yep, that is what I use.  It certainly worked for her so.....why not use the same thing?  Do other products work?  I am sure they do but the cost is certainly higher than my products....and nothing short of a face lift is going to last longer...

 Egg whites and Witch Hazel are both "natural " ( you can even purchase a witch hazel bush and make your own).  Oil of Olay has been around a GOODLY amount of years so it has to have a good reputation as to effectiveness or it would be long gone....  

So give yourself an old tyme natural facial ....  I think you will be pleased,,....

Bearded Dragon 

Pillow Sole Socks

As we get older hmmmmrrppphhhh it seems it takes LESS to make us happy and we enjoy those "little" big things in life.

This past week I found Pillow Sole socks.  When I saw and felt them I said "yea, right (in a negative mind only thought) but I bought them to try as I have Mortons' Neuroma and RSD... WELL,,,let me tell you...I went back to the store the next day and I bought 2 more pairs (they run $7 per pair and were on sale for buy one get one at 50% off).  These sock are awesome.... for what little extra there seemed to be in the sole.  AND they carry the socks in knee length as well....    The brand I purchased was Legale...  So if you want/need some foot comfort I have to say this would be a great option....  If your feet hurt seems as if everything is "wrong"...

Gathering

I enjoy "gathering supplies".

When I purchase supplies from garage sales, Etsy vendors,  street faires, thrift stores, antique shops, or going for "walks" I tend to gather things that I like, unusual items, or a item that brings back a memory, or maybe creates a new one.   Many times I have NO idea what I am going to do with the item, how it will work into a design, etc. but I know that it "will" somewhere along the line.  I have items that I have had for 10 years or more.  The spools of thread reminded me of my grandmother who was the town seamstress and when I was young I can remember her continual complaining about the poor quality of thread....it is a good thing whe can't see what we have to work with today....but at least she would have the option of getting better thread if she was willing to pay triple the price....the thread on these 2 spools I am sure is what she "used" to work with back in "those" days.   The nut is an acorn I picked up in CA when we went to see a family member in the hospital...and I LOVE tree bark.  I am on the look out now for birch, aspen, bark (white and black).  A few years ago I purchased an antique ledger book and when I finally found time to look at the entries I discovered it belonged to an artist who was handpainting place settings, dishes, tea sets, etc.  and she loged in the persons name, what she did and the amount the purchase was for.....   And the intricately cut laser wood tree......Unique and I have just glued one on to an art journal I am making for myself.  The pewter witch I bought at Goodwill and it is going to be used in a wire sculpture I am "gathering" for....

Just as with all art........the journey is half the fun....and each item I purchase or find is a personal "treasure" ....  a sense of satisfaction... and even excitement.  Everyone tells me an artist is a "different" breed of person and I have yet to ask or know if they mean that in a bad or good way....

So enjoy your own personal journey.....

Another Bridge and New Projects

Another covered bridge from the Scio, OR bridge tour can be found in the middle of my post.......this was the newest one...... while the others were built in the 1930's.   This was the only red one...the others are all white.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

For the past few days I have been busy but still finding time to work in some  'me' time in my work room.....   I have 4 new things I am working on; in different mediums that I can jump back and forth between.

I am working on a pink crystal necklace made out of a tiny crystal looking salt and pepper set and I want to incorporate some colored wire into this piece if it is feasible to do so....

Tonight I began another abstract wire sculpture using a Tablespoon this time, half of a welding rod,
some bubble glue that ran over onto my living room rug of all places and dried there but lifted right off the carpet with no effort leaving none in the rug....and fit perfectly into what I am doing.....is this one of
those "happy accidents" that Bob Ross always talked about....lol....  I purchased some colored wire to play with so I am pretty sure that some will be used on this piece.  And .... the base of this one is going to be a piece of tree bark (I think) from PA that flew back to PA and then later was trucked from CA to here in OR...so it has litterally been a LOT of places and I have had it quite a few years.....(over 10).
Not that it matters but the bark is Hemlock.  I am finding that I really like the wire medium as I am really in control of where the wire goes, how it is wrapped, twisted, turned, and molded....and seems to "fall into place".  With this piece I THINK, I know where I am going....but I have thought that before so we will see what happens....  I also like that I have not seen many wire sculpture artists  so I pretty much know that these are truly MY pieces, not copied from anyone else....and I can say with confidence will be one of a kind....not duplicatable.  I am going to wait until I get about 6 made and then decide what I will do as far as selling them and where.

I just finished painting, matting and framing a 5 x 7 acrylic painting of Mt. Shasta from a photo I took this fall....... and have plans for my next painting which I will start sometime this coming week.  It is

going to be a floral....on a black background....

Next I want to get a clay "something" in process.  It is fun working between the different mediums and projects.....and each helps on of the others I am working on....a nice flow that is enjoyable.

This weekend is to be nice so I will enjoy the sunshine and warm weather......back shots on Monday which I am not looking forward to with a couple days of "down recovery time".... which I normally don't do but am planning on definately doing this time.......

Have a great weekend everyone.

EVIL DOERS --- Hannah Bridge

We have all encountered Evil Doers' in our life which can be either human? or technical.   Whatever or whomever has done a complete job of slowly destroying nearly everything in my computer, thank you very much;  so now to begin the fixes, repairs and hopefully restores.  All of my photos here on ArtisticRenderings have been "obliterated" "deleted" but I am determined to move forward a little wiser than before.

This weekend I was near Scio, Oregon and even though the weather was not co-operative with plans we still managed to enjoy and visit 6 of the old covered bridges in this area.

One of the bridges was called HANNAH so this is where I sit...  the bridge to tomorrow.

My email site is gone so I need addressses of all of my friends to re-establish an address book on my new email site..... so please comment here and provide it to me.    When all one has to do is "click" we fail to "remember" personal information of importance.....  so across the bridge to the rest of today.

Winter Wedding

This is my third wire sculpture and I think I am going to call it Winder Wedding.  I have used many different types and sizes of crystals as well as a vintage one right in the front.

Some portions of the wire body areas have been covered with a couple of different sheer fabrics.

The base is glass and pewter and was purchased at one of our local consignment stores and worked just perfect as the base.

Small delicas have been strung on wire in a very translucent blue and white..

The one gorgeous white bead to the right which hangs was made by my daughter Dragynsfyre and is a white and silvered ivory lampwork bead that has been etched.  The top was clear and the bottom a white....above and below are etched handmade lampwork spacer beads in clear which are
different shapes and sizes done by a lampworker in the state of WA and are also etched.

I already have the next piece started which I think is going to be a "lot" different from the other ones I have created.
 I have a vintage witch head pin and a retro looking bell chiming alarm cloce.............THIS should be interesting...  I have chosen the colors to be green and purple.... for "A Witchin' Good Time"..... check back in a month of two to see this one.....lol......


Title:            Winter Wedding
Inspiration:  Mother Nature and my love of winter, white and blue, cold, ice, snow. etc.
Elements:    Snow, Ice, Fog sparkle and Water.
Accomplished:  Texture, dimension, movement (one of the vintage crystals is suspended and gently swings, color (silver, white with just a touch of blue), design, theme and flow with a feeling of icy, cold glamour (temperature).

Day and Night

This is a piece I just finished painting using a design by Josh Shanoon for inspiration.  His design was done using computer graphics.

When doing landscapes I tend to paint in my design ....  I don't draw or trace a design until AFTER it is painted.  I enjoy letting things just happen.   The same with colors.....the only thing I concentrated on was the pink in the sky, moon and water... 

I needed to practice waterfalls so I ended up with 3 in my rendition....and I love the curved tree.  This reminds me in many ways of a place where I used to go and read, write poetry, etc.  down back of where I lived growing up deep in the woods.  The tree wasn't quite this curved, but it was gnarl and between the trunk and roots was deep thick green moss that was my special cushion.  I loved the sounds, (frogs, birds, an occassional train) and smells (moss, water, wild flowers, etc.) as well as the visual clouds, shapes, colors, etc.  
was deep thick green moss that was like a cushion.... It is going to be matted using 2 shades of green mat and a black frame then right ino the master bedroom to hand on an empty wall.  I am actually tempted to paint this right on the wall as it is a perfect width and height....hmmmmmm.

I used a limited palatte....Liquitex soft body paints and several different sizes, shapes, and styles of Dynasty brushes....my favorite tools of the trade....or and handmade fine portrait grade handwrapped canvas boards....  This one is an 8 x 10.

Trash to more of a Treasure

This was impromptu....I purchased this rickity ole bookcase at a garage sale because I needed shelving and for $5 I "figured" I could do something to make the piece more attractive....  These shutters have been around forever and I always used them as "freestanding" dividers but they fit PERFECTLY on this bookshelf.  One pair served as the back of the bookcase as it "shows" and one half shutter for each side.....and I love the look which holds my glues, inks, etc. for when I am "claying" so I don't have to search all over to find what I need..... perfecto mundo....  Since this photo I have painted the very top of the piece black ..... and the shelving has been modge podged with Simplicity tissue pattern pieces.   Is done ever really DONE.....but done for now, but I would like an old window I could prop on the front and move when using, replacing when done....hmmmmmmm.

Altered Straw Hat

In making this hat I did my best to use textures, monocramatic colors for a neutral look, style, etc.
The white flower on the hat is from Michaels and is burlap,   The center of the flower is a steampunk button that i sell.  The leaf has been imprinted on clay (by me) and added.  The brown around the hat is a brown satin mens tie... with lace glued on (Beacon Adhesive for Fabric... which I like real well as it dries so you can pull of the excess....very little is needed for a nice strong bond,  and sets up quickly.)  I handpainted the roses, leaves and ribbons using Liquitex Parchement and Burnt Sienna paint and when dry I added some of the Ice Crystal Glitter paint by Americana (LOVE this paint)  in dots here and there for some sparkle.  Around the hat with the hat band is a copper necklace I made but decided it looked really neat on the hat....and oh yea, the bumble bee is a button I sell....every bonnet has a bee in it....  In between the narrow and wider ends of the tie I have taken several strands of waxed twine and knotted the strands randomly and then glued underneath the criss cross of the tie.  

The recipient of the hat is leaving for Florida for 2 weeks and loves being out in the garden so I am hoping she will like her hat....it is a bit weightier but she won't have to worry about the summer breeze blowing her hat away....so dual purpose.


Since I knew the hat was "winding down" I started work on a wood cigar box to set on the table by my chair to hold "stuff",  finishing up my 2nd wire sculpture and already thinking about #3 so I guess I am in wire mode.....which is brand new to me...   I am also thinking about doing some more canvas winter pictures.....my fingers are calling out to the paint brushes that it is "their turn" to be creative.  I stopped at Goodwill while in town today and picked up 2 really neat items that can be used as bases for the wire sculptures...and I want to explore making myself an altered journal and somehow incorporating black and white paper so THIS should be interesting......  All in all it has been a week of accomplishments as I slide down hump day into Thursday.....

Snow Storm 2-6-14 Oregon

This was one of the worst storms (amount wise) that we have experienced here in Oregon.  HOWEVER, it was gorgeous.  The tree avalanches as laden boughts become just too much (my favorite photo),   the neat little snowcaps on the bird house.... and then we have the more dismal side which is the darkness, hours of snowfall, and inconvenience.  I  was beginning to wonder if it would ever end.

I am working on a straw hat which needs to be done by the 15th of February,  and another wire sculpture which is progressing a little slower than normal, but that is OK.  It is convenient to have several pieces going at the same time in different mediums.  I am also just starting what I hope will be a journal for myself.....  This particular journal is going to be my IDEA journal...the beginning stages......which is exciting in itself.

So enjoy my snow shots and soon I am hoping I can
blog a finished project.

Just for the record,  we ended up with about 3 foot of snow then during the night the temperature went up to 40 degrees so snow melted and now we have slush,  ruts and slippery walking conditions.  Tonight when I walked outside at midnight freezing fog is rolling in but it appears to be a high fog.... so we are below freezing again tonight.....  Many people here in Orgeon are without power......

Stay safe and warm everyone.

Altered Journal #2

  Once again the creative force was drawn to doing another journal....I thought it was for me....but after getting it done..I realized it wasn't.

The mesh grids were meant as candles...the wicks are watch "innards" as well as the right hand bottom piece.

The woodend wheel is a vintage spool which I purchased from an overseas Etsy Vendor.  I love adding pieces from other countries, items that one doesn't normally see.   Since taking the photo I have cut the purple ribbon to be just a bit longer than the shorter one...and removed the key.  It didn't belong...  It made the journal off balance somehow....  the ends of the purple ribbon are beautifully frayed..... and the lady bug...kinda fits with the fire and the colors in the "wordage" with refers to Imagine......

I have been reading a book which talks about truth, intuition, reality, and light so I think this was the inspiration for this piece.

The bottom photo is the bookmark that goes with the journal.  It "WAS" the cuff of a denim jacket I am working on, and was salvaged to be a bracelet  but just seemed to gowith the design of the journal which has blank pages.  Sometimes the lines can be distracting and you get more of a creative flow with just blank.  I wish I had a journal with both in it....  wonder if anyone has thought to make a handmade journal in this manner?

Altered Journal

I am really enjoying altering journals.  I love this one with the wheat drawer pull which I incorporated into the design... unique and different.  I feel that you if you have a "personal handmade journal" you will WANT to write in it....It is special, for special thoughts, poems, ideas, or just a day to day journal of life.  This one was sold before I got a photo of it.....so now I am working on another as a gift then I need to do one for me....before the year passes me by.   I know I will love writing in mine...now to find that special PEN.....

The one I am finishing is called "LIGHT".... that is it;  simply Light so will try to get photos soon to post.   It is a black, blank page wire bound type sketching journal....or for someone who doesn't want the restriction of lines.....

Meet: Miss Betsy {1 of 1) Wire Sculpture

This week I have been working on a "create something" for a class I go to on Thursday nights.  A while back I did a swap on one of the Yahoo Groups that was to be an altered art spoon and I did one similar to the one below....but yet different.  I like one of a kind items vs someone who has/does only one thing.  Just my personal preference and I am sure there are those who think differently....  I really enjoy working with wire, twisting and turning...embellishing, trying some new "things", gathering bits and pieces,  and then the actual putting it together, rearrainging, changing ones' mind, a mistake that ends up being a neat thing when worked into the design.  I already know there will be another....

Wicker base:        Frame from thrift store
Mirror:                               ??  Check out a department type store for the beveled endged bases that I think can be found in the candle section.
Wire:                     Different Guages  (Loews)
Crystal flatback sequins:     JoAnnes
Head and body of dragonfly and the bee on the headpin in the water and within the rocks:  Buttons I sell on Etsy
Flat etched sea glass:  (Waterfall/pond) Joannes in the artifical flower area.
Base:                      Vintage Teaspoon  (Etsy Vendor)
Glue:                       E6000  Glass and Jewelry Glue (Works GREAT)
Wings:                    The pale purple wings are done with Gallery Glass (I LOVE this stuff) in purple and White Frost (I wish I would have used just the plain Clear with a little bit of purple) and spread onto an acrylic texture tile that I believe is called Frost (I haven't seen this item in years)....  Once dry I glued pieces onto the tops of the winds as tightly as I could and let dry.  Then I went back with small sharp sissors and cut around the wings...this is the easy way to achieve a clean perfect fit.

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK YOUR LOCAL DOLLAR STORES FOR A FRAME, MIRROR,
WIRE, SEA GLASS, ETC.  I have seen these items there but soemtimes it is hit and miss with their items and they are not regular stock...

I pick up items when I see them and it could be months or years before I use them.... I especially pick up things I haven't seen before, or I might pick by color or shape and broken doesn't even bother me because if it intrigues me I will make it work somewhere along the line....  

The wire I am using is 18 guage tin/copper....and I have NO IDEA where I bought it but I am out so if I find a source....I will come back and add it.  This gauge works well because you can bend it with your fingers...and if you warm the wire with your fingers you can gets some nice rounded curves if this is the effect you are looking for.  I have also found it is a pretty substantial base for the size pieces I have been doing to give a good foundation for the "freeform" when you begin to create....just start and the rest ... just seems to fall into place believe it or not.

Tonight I started another sculpture (out of wire) and I used an inexpensive teaspoon for the base and I pretty much covered the spoon with wire and then created forms.....I am not sure where I want to go next so I have put it down to rest and look at......  I just saw that I have some clear wire out to look at for this piece so I kinda/sorta think I know where this one is going...but we will see.   

As for tools I would sugges a big pair of toenail clippers, flat nose jewelry pliers, round jewelry pliers,
jewelry snips for cutting wire, and once you get going on YOUR piece  you will be finding your own little special tools.....

Go to Pinterest and put in Wire Sculptures ....  so MANY ideas will pop forth to inspire your own pieces.....  one of a kind art....Kinda neat after tracing others work.....this is fun to art my own stuff....


I wonder what my next one will look like...or maybe it won't even BE a dragonfly...

So gather your supplies and make yourself one,  or as a gift for a special friend.


MEET MISS BETSY:

Shabby Chic Kitchen Set for Two (BEFORE) / Denim Vest

New Thrift Store Purchase.....

Someone has already distressed this piece and my present thought is that I need to do a couple of repairs to the piece before I do anything and that is a good thing cause it gives me some "thought time.....  Do I go shabby chic colors and roses....or do I do something on the other end of things and 
do something "french chic" and go with black and white.  Decisions....decisions....  I already have a couple of sticky notes on the chairs for an idea I had for them...   I need to "visualize" it in different ways.....sheeeeeesh......  

The other thing I am working on is a denim vest.  I love soft denim....well, anything soft really but jeans/skirts, etc.   It started out as a Jacket....  I cut the sleeves out, and then removed the cuffs which I will use to make bracelets.  In a group session I belong to;  our homework was to create something this week.  I may not finish the vest in time so I think I had best work on a bracelet first to match the jacket....for just a small verison of the vest design wise..

  Sewing is NOT my forte so I am going to be doing handsewing which I prefer anyway.  Since I have been working on the jacket for two evenings  I have a portion finished ..... and it is in a "sit, waiting for the "next" step to spring forth.....lol......  I want it 65ish but a bit updated ..... but I also KNOW that it NEVER works out this way....  I with I had thought about getting a before photo but didn't so there will be only a finished vest and everyone will have to "see" just an ordinary jean jacket (but this one has a gorgeous PLEAT in the back, the vest will be a bit longer than normal vests which helps the "big hip" syndrome....It buttons but I don't like buttoned up vests so I utilized the button area with buttons but in a different manner.. (I have been raiding my Etsy jewelry button bins for buttons to use on the jacket...Tierra Cast items for some neat charms....a decision on "color" and looks like the accent color will be red (based on lady bug buttons and A red flower for in the hair (from a talented Etsy vendor) on the jacket instead.  I don't wear flowers in my hair but it was so pretty I knew I would use the flower somewhere....  I am using silver buttons because the bronze/brass ones blend into the jacket and don't show the detailed work of the the buttons like I want them to.  (What better way to advertise my button business....and FREE).    

Knit Sweater by Maria and Steampunk Buttons

I love to see what people do with the Buttons or the Rubber Stamps that they purchase from my Etsy site.  I was delighted when Maria agreed to send me photos of her finished knit sweater....and believe me it is awesomely beautiful.....this woman can REALLY knit....  I don't think I could ever knit anything this gorgeous.  So enjoy....  the design, color, and buttons she used.  The back of this sweater also has a continuous pattern of decorative stitches which are just gorgeous and looks very similar to the front.....  The mechanism steampunk buttons come in 3 different sizes in bronze brass, silver and copper.  I believe Maria used the copper ones on this sweater.

Snow Storm January 11, 2014

 I love the snow and especially first snows so it is awesome outside.  It has been snowing on and off all day...sometimes so hard we couldn't see our neighbors across the street.  Big, sparkly, wet flakes of snow....  I am hoping to get some photos tomorrow.


My foot told me Thursday and yesterday that we were in for something a bit more than the "usual"....  although nothing but light rain was predicted....so I was not a bit surprised when it started "coming down".

Enjoy....

Minature Sculpture / Polymer Clay

I really enjoy sculpting with polymer clay....this is my second attempt at a face and I used a couple of new tools I purchased as well as my old stand-by acrylic painting "berry makers"....  they are just pefect for the end result of "soft" and "smooth" that some things call for and they "push" the clay perfectly. 

My preference, at least at this stage of development, is the Sculpty III and I have used beige on this piece.  

Just recently I purchased some "eyes" from Lisa Pavelkas line of polymer clay items.  They are glass and handmade but I think from here on in I will
bribe my daughter somehow to make the lampwork eyes for me....  With the size faces I will be working with I need them all to be the smallest in the package of 5 assorted sizes. 

Male or female?  Animal or human?  Not sure actually....  This went together in an evening of listening to tv and I love that I ended up with a partial body/base but is NOT sculptured as...which is how I think I will make others....

Now the next step........absolutely, positively NO IDEA 

UPDATE:  Since my original post I have done 2 more face sculptures.  This last one took a few more hours as it more detailed.   I am amazed at how they just seem to "happen".....not complaining mind you.....just inquisitive as to how I seem to just know which way to move the clay, the right tool to use, finger positions, where to start, etc.   However, this is just one of the many "popups" of different thoughts, different actions, to what almost seems a bit like a different me in some aspects of the same life.  Nothing has changed....but me.

Trash to Treasure

This trash to treasure item (actually $5 yard sale item) is going to be revamped into a display unit....  The bones were good, size is fair but I am hoping it will turn out as a useable piece.  I am "thinking" about doing one section of the front left of my studio into a SMALL selling area....by appointment only.....   I also have another unit I will be using and as a result this means I have to get rid of some "piles" and keep the room a bit more as it should be but it will ALWAYS look worked in cause it basically is....

How am I going to transform this item?  I think I know but it always seems to change so I will just have to reserve judgement till the end.....LOL....

Colorful 3 strand necklace

 Jewelry is not the easiest "item" to photograph and do a piece justice.  This is the first multi strand piece I have made and there is a lot more to takeinto consideration.
I used seed beads, delicas, charms, jumprings, cat eye beads, handmade lampwork, locket, material and the locket which can open.

This piece was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the process.

Mixed Media Journal

I am working on a mixed media Journal book cover using some of the rubber stamps that I carry.  I purchased a PDF tutorial but wasn't real impressed with it per the cost.  Just a step by step pictorial....so winging it here as I journey along.... learning as I go.  There aren't really any rights or wrongs....they appeal to whom they need to appeal to.  There hasn't been a whole lot of "planning" with this one....I have just made a lot of "looking" trips through stash till I find things which might work and try them on.  Kinda like going clothes shopping and trying on a blouse for fit, look, color, etc.    Mixed media work is personal satisfaction and hoping I can find items that relate to the person it is being made for.....or just to my own eye if there is not a "special" person in mind.   Sometimes what I choose and put together may mean nothing to me....but will to the person it is made for, or whom chooses to purchase.  Mixed media really comes from deep within and takes into consideration scale, color, balance, theme,  elements, etc.

I prefer to NOT use crafty elements  or an item totally made from say Tim Holtz products.....  I love to use bits and pieces "because",,,, because I do.  

Today is the application of a patina color.....and I have to decide what color I want to use and I am learning towards the light mint aqua color taking into consideration the browns, beiges, and neutral palette I have so far....or maybe a mixture of a couple colors?

I also have to complete my dragonfly wings ceramic hot/cold drink container which is a belated Christmas gift...it is already to be "winged".

The designed squares are embossed polymer clay which I will patina before I add the elements which you see....and right now are just "laying" on the journal.

Around the squares is a coppery ball chain which was just the right size.

To the right of the 1st and 2nd squares are picture jasper beads and I can see a mini landscape ...the middle one at the top is a seashell and I can see 3 different faces in the shell...

The mushroom, which I love just came together.  The stem is a portion of a deer horn, the top of the mushroom is perfect as a sea shell with holes in it.  the base is a rock, and beside it is a bead and the grasses are fall head pins in brass.  The words are by Kelly Rae Roberts and I love them...the rest of the elements are jewelry components or buttons that I carry.....  To the lower right is a sewing machine part.....

There is a ribbon inside to mark the page but I am going to redo this and add some lampwork beads, etc. for some weight and I may do a page in the book.  FUN.......

Will show another photo when it is completely done.

Creative Instinct

As I "mused" today one of my thoughts was " Many times where I think I am going is not where I end up".   I find this so true in art...  When doing your own designs things change along the way and it is amazing that what you thought you were going to create is no where near what you are holding when finished.  I always chuckle at where I "end up" with some pieces be it a painting, jewelry, mixed media, etc.   I am learning to not fight "Creative Instinct".

  

 

What's Next

I purchased a PDF from an Etsy Vendor on making a clay cover for a journal and the design is totally awesome.  Because I don't have the same items (which is fine, and more fun) the main thing I was wanting to learn were techniques and how to's so I could venture into doing my own designs.  ---

This is going to be a fun, informative journey....I can already think of how I want to do journals for friends and family personalizing just for the recipient and since 2014 is right around the corner.... maybe making for birthday presents is the way to go.  Now to find journals....and one of my favorite places for these are Big Lots.... inexpensive, nice size, ugly covers but good construction and with or without lines....  Somehow I would like to incorporate some crochet into my first journal....now to determine how.

I am also wanting to sit and play with a few of the rubber stamps that I sell on Etsy so this is going to be a perfect opportunity to do that.  I will probably use 5 different stamps rather than just one so I need to go through my personal stash and begin my "pile" of items of possibility.....  charms, beads, buttons, material, stamps, determine colors,  etc. so that I will have nearly everything "together" for when I start.
Sometimes this takes a couple of weeks, months, and at other times if I have a direction my gathering is done in just a few hours.  I just never know....and have learned to "just go with the flow".....

Cigar Box Personalized Art

Now that my husbands' family have opened their gifts...I can post photos of the cigar box pieces that they received which I tried to tailor personally for each one of them.  They were so much fun to create and remarkably they made it from OR to PA with only a couple of small issues.....

The first one was for my step son and the license plate on the back is his name done with scrabble tiles and the tail lights are large jingle bells.  The inside (as are all the boxes) are lined with felt and some of the lids have been embellished as well.

The second box was for our 16 year old grandson who likes skeletons and skulls.  The last photo shows the inside of his box as it is a photo I took of a skeleton that hangs in our garage and then I painted around it matching the paints to the background of the picture.  The legs of his are minature bowling pins as he is an accomplished Junior bowler in the local area and state of PA.

The 3rd photo is of our daughter in laws box which is vintage feminine.  The legs on this box are vintage spools.

Most of the items came from thrift stores, garage sales, antique stores, swap meets, auctions etc..... I guess you could say I am one of those "creative collectors".... gathering bits and pieces to use in art pieces.

Fun to make and definite learning experiences only learned from the experience of doing.  No real mistakes can be made....