Faux Bone

When cleaning my studio I found the 3 different sizes of faux bone that I had purchased several years ago and had "misplaced".... so...  I began the "hunt" for the book by the artist who first started using this product for jewelry designs that my daughter had given me for Christmas as well as the tutorial to read.

I was able to go out in my husbands' garage and got the necklace focal piece cut out, found all of my dremel bits for my dremel and so now I am "ready to run"....

This substrate can me melted, embossed, stamped, embedded, drilled, inked, etc. etc. so there is so very much that can done.  I am anxious to see what I can do.   My first piece is going to be more trial and error and will be used to see what can be done....and if what I want to do can be done.  It should be an interesting journey...and far over due.

Dragynsfrye Lampwork Focals

I have been making some jewelry items ...  the four focal beads for this bracelet were made by my daughter Dragynsfyre and then I added some small lamp work nuggets in the green color to balance the
bracelet...  The lamp work is green,blue, brown, ivory and then encased with clear which really provides a lot of depth to the beads and makes the color really stand out.   The spacers and bead caps are by Tierra Cast out of California which is lead free and intricate in design.  This has turned out to be one of my favorites.

House Finch

A quiet, reflective Sunday.  Sun was shining,  skys were blue, and every once in awhile I would see a soft snowflake flutter down....  the house finches were hungry today and are so pretty with their bright red heads and pinks down their necks, chests and tips of their feathers.  There are so many gorgeous things here.

Sandy McIlvreid

Yesterday I received the news that a new, dear friend had passed totally unexpectedly from "flu like symptoms" in Canada.


I didn't know Sandi well but in a short time she had made her mark in my life...and I will miss her so very much.  She was a ray of sunshine.  Always thinking of others feelings...making sure everything  was OK.......pushing everyone to step outside the box, strive and achieve.   She praised and supported  in a way that made a bright spot in the day.


To her family, my condolences.  To her friends that share in my grief we won't soon forget her.  And to Sandi.... God bless you.

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK: From: Dalia Lama

A new way of thinking has become the necessary condition for responsible living and acting.  If we maintain obsolete values and beliefs, a fragmented consciousness and self-centered spirit, we will continue to hold onto outdated goals and behaviors.

Fuzzy Wuzzy

This little girl is a new deer for us and I am thinking she was one of this years fawns...and how cute she is.  Mom or Dad just has to have been a lama or an alpaca, and there are both in the area where these deer would be.  (My husband tells me that most deer have about a 10 mile radius that they roam... )

 The hair on this deer just sticks out all over its body and seems curly and more dense down at the skin area.  The deer is also a very different color that the regular deer of the area.  You just want to reach out and touch to feel the fur/hair.....  So here she is:  Fuzzy Wuzzy......

Maybe she is blown dry?

Mt Shasta

We don't go to California often but when we do my camera is always clicking away when we get to Mt. Shasta.  Going down it was overcast and foggy not to mention cold and snowing....but coming home Mother Nature gifted me with glorious sunshine to get my photos.    As you drive the scenery keeps changing around the mountain.  Click on the photos to make them larger and see more detail.

Spring Hopes

Spring is well on its way here in Northern California as you can see from this tree in FULL budded bloom.....  It is cold here but the sun is shining brightly which takes the edge of the nippiness of the day.
The trees in bloom, the magnolias, an occasional jonquil.....was a nice change....but I am anxious for HOME.....

ARTISTIC RENDERINGS (Per Wikipedia)

Rendering in visual art and technical drawing means the process of creating, shading, and texturing of an image, especially a photorealistic one. It can also be used to describe the quality of execution of that process. This is synonymous with illustrating.

The emphasis of the term is on the correct reproduction of light-and-shadow and the surface properties of the depicted objects, not on the emotional impact, composition, or other more generic qualities. Unsurprisingly, most often it is used in relation to the more exacting, meticulous techniques like pencil or airbrush.

In an artistic rendering visual information is interpreted by the artist and displayed accordingly using the chosen medium. The non-photorealistic rendering area of computer graphics develops tools and techniques to enable interpretive rendering in digital media.

An Artists Eye

I am blessed with "an artists eye".  I see details where others just see form.  I see shades of color,  shadows, reflections, rays of light, etc.  I feel that as an artist I am blessed to see "more" so that I can create feeling in what I paint as well as temperature....  I take a lot of notes to go with the pictures that I take so that I have a full birds eye view of everything to use in conjunction with the photos...so that I paint in dimension and not flat.  I like to incorporate light and mystery into my pieces.   I see lacey patterns in the trees foliage, the sky within the leaves, the colors of white in a cloud, and the movement of fog and the bending of tall grasses as the wind blows.  .  I am blessed and feel so rich in being able to "see" in such a wide, tall, dimensional way.

Third Eye.... (Per Wilkapedia)

The third eye (also known as the inner eye) is a mystical and esoteric concept referring in part to the ajna (brow) chakra in certain dharmic spiritual traditions, in particular Hinduism. This concept was later adopted by Christian mystics and spiritualists as well as people from other religious faiths. It is also spoken of as the gate that leads within to inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness. Among Christian mystics, the term is used in a broad sense to indicate a non-dualistic perspective. In New Age spirituality, the third eye may alternatelysymbolize a state of enlightenment or the evocation of mental images having deeply personal spiritual or psychological significance. The third eye is often associated with visions, clairvoyance (which includes the ability to observe chakras and auras),^[1] precognition, and out-of-body experiences. People who have allegedly developed the capacity to utilize their third eyes are sometimes known as seers.

COINCIDENCE

  TOO MANY COINCIDENCES ARE NOT A COINCIDENCE.

New Brush

Oooeee.  I can hardly wait to try this brush.  I have a hake brush which is too soft and it just doesn't work well for me.  When I saw this brush, and even though it is not really a paint brush, I loved the shape...oval and the size 2".

The handle is comfortable and I can pretty much tell by the shape, size, how it fits the hand and can be
held different ways,  along with the chisel edge, and a medium stiffness  that this is going to do exactly what I want.  Sometimes one "just knows".

If you look at the bristles you can see they are shorter on the outside and longer on the inside and this is what creates that nice sharp chisel.  I wet the brush and was amazed at how skinny it got at the bristle ends

to form that nice sharp chisel and the thickness of the brush means it is going to hold a LOT of paint like a reservoir....A real WOW brush in quality right down to having the attributes for performance.

  

TOE SHOES /// SKELETOES

Ever since I first heard and saw these shoes I wanted to try them.  What could be better than barefoot...I know that when I change shoes and the height changes so does the pain in my back... 

When I was killing time store browsing I found these shoes on sale and they had a pair in my size so I grabbed them...and I haven't taken them off....they are super.  So comfortable..  

My daughter thinks they are "UGGLLYY"....even after I painted a rose on one of the shoes.  

There is a velcro strap in the front to tighten, two in the back, a strong elastic loop in the front and another in the back which works great getting them on and toes into the toe divisions...  It is kinda like wearing a wet suit on your feet and getting them off isn't easy.....and neither is a wet suit.  They act just like a suction cup to the body....

But anyway... sometimes one has to buy for comfort and need rather than beauteous.....and as we get older body comfort begins to take greater precedence ....

Thinking Positive

One of the most important attributes to creativity is having a positive attitude.  A positive attitude is a mindset that must be nurtured ... and sometimes you need to give yourself a "pep" talk....  I begin everything with "I can".....  If you have learned techniques, and a desire to succeed... you hold the key to some fun times, learning experiences and a finished piece that you will be proud of.

I knit, crochet, clay, sculpt, do mixed media, assemblage, design jewelry, collage, photography, painting,  wall murals,  faux stained glass, and have no fear in "just doing it" taking it slow and easy.  When you feel frustrated lay it down and walk away for a little bit...then return refreshed and positive.  It may not turn out as "planned' but it does turn out....and I am generally pleased with the end results and/or what I have learned along the way to make it easier the next time.

A positive attitude is a happy attitude.  Laughter adds a real positive note when you are creating...  Positive thinking comes from deep within .... it is not a false surface positive but one that reflects in things that you do, what you say and how you say it, the way you deal with others and yourself.  A negative person shouts negative, finds fault with others to make themselves feel better and are easily
recognizable.

Negativeness doesn't have a place in my life (nor do negative people).  My parents were great about telling me that I could do anything I set my mind to do....  There are times you have to adjust what you have done, change something, etc....but this is part of the journey.

Set mini goals....on the road to your main goal.  Set goals that are attainable.  Little steps are so much easier than giant steps.  Don't judge what you do by comparing yourself to what others do..... or say and block negative attitudes from entering into "your space".

So when you start something take a deep breath, tell yourself you can....and you WILL.....

Mental Health Email Subscriptions

I don't get many junk emails.....so imagine my surprise when I went into my email yesterday morning and found NUMEROUS emails where someone or someones and signed me up to receive numerous mental health newsletters.   It took me awhile to open each and unsubscribe.  

Evidently someone was sharing "their" resources with me...to have found so many....

To Aid with Laughter

Word of the Year

I joined a group after the first of the year and just heard about the members each choosing a "word of the year" for themselves.  The moderator was asking everyone to think how the "word they chose for the year" was playing into their every day life.....  What a neat concept...  One that could also be used for a journal.   Can you imagine a year journal all based on just one single word....  It sounds like a lot of fun, healing and would be a hoot to see what happens.  I am a little late in choosing but in this case I think Late is better than Never.

My word for the year  (and giving myself only a few seconds to decide) is going to be LAUGHTER........ It seems as if every day I  laugh more .  As you get older there is most certainly a lot more to make one laugh....found simply  by "checking up" with ourselves.

So LAUGHTER....LAUGHTER it is...