Friday, December 28, 2007

Better Late Than Never

Well, I wasn't sure I'd even get to start my December BJP piece in December, let alone finish it! But I did get to start it anyway. I decided to used a snow globe as my symbol for the month. Here it is cut out & penciled in with the beading started.


As I bead along, I erase the soft pencil line...somehow it looks like the kneaded eraser is kissing the globe in this picture! :)


Got the outline done, & a really pretty white rock glued down. I wish I knew what it was called. I got it from a pal & it has shiny, sparkly spots on it like white mica or something. I just know I like it! Maybe someone will recognise it.

Well, I have a long way to go, and it's almost time to start JANUARY!!! So I'm outta here!

Back in the Saddle...almost!

OK...so I'm gonna try & start posting again on Fridays. I think I'll make it thru' the New Year!
Anyway, as I hear that some people are getting their Christmas gifts, I'll be able to post them. Here's one I heard about today:

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Happy Holidays!

Wow! I haven't posted on here for a month! Well, I've been a busy camper! I took the Handmade Pledge & have been making all of my gifts for Christmas! (Well, except a couple!) I know...I'm crazy! But I'm almost done! Here's a couple pics of the small gifts that "someone" may receive soon! I thought they were good ones to put on here to wish you all the most joyous holiday season!


Have a great holiday and a very happy new year!

Blessings to one and all!

Friday, November 23, 2007

November BJP Finished

Well, I wasn't sure if she was finished or not...but as I looked at her, I felt she really was complete.

At the top & bottom of this focal piece, it felt messy, unfinished, open. Then I realized that it was exactly what I wanted her to be...ascending, breaking barriers, & opening up! I love her!



I had to show her on a white background so you could see the edges. But I'm learning more about photographing pieces, editing & what I really like to show. I don't necessarily like this piece on white as much as I do on black, or a neutral color. But for the sake of detail, she'll remain this way.

And, about that hole in her head, well, I figured it out. I like what I finally decided to do with it!

For some reason, this piece really says more about me, & this month, than any of the others I've done to date. Not sure if it's using one of my favorite pieces as a focal point, the colors, the theme, or that I just didn't have any question on what to do! Finally, huh? ;) It really was a freeing piece of work!

A Sneak Preview

OK...so here's a sneak preview of some things I've been moodling on...you'll see them, & more, finished, maybe after the first of the year! :)

Hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving!

Friday, November 16, 2007

November's BJP Progress In Spite of No Nails!!!

OK...even tho' I had no fingernails, & had to use my tweezer thingy, I did make some progress. Here I first added a row of black all around with long bugles around her head. As I added more colors, she kinda started to remind me of Guadalupe, or a goddess...the more I worked on her, the more she seemed to shine!


There's just a little problem...my goddess has a big old hole in her head! Not sure what I'm gonna do about it, but have some ideas brewing.



So here's a couple of pics of her so far.

In spite of the nail issue, I am really loving her!

Suspense Movies

Does anyone know what this is?

Well, I got it years ago when I was doing off-loom beading & stringing alot. It's some kind of bead tweezer grabber thingy. But this week it's called "Fingernails"! Why? Well, DH & I watched a suspenseful movie he hadn't seen before. And I really don't like to watch them, but did. And, you guessed it, I bit ALL my fingernails off! Try picking up a needle or a bead without fingernails!!!
Luckily I do grow nails back quickly, but progress was a little slow this week on some projects!

Friday, November 9, 2007

November BJP...a week later!

Happy Aloha Friday everyone!

Lots of stuff going on with family & friends, so haven't had time to post in 2 weeks! Yikes! And then there's the making of Christmas presents. And then, my camera decided it wanted to go back to 8-2006! Go figure! Mercury is 'sposed to be out of retrograde by now! Ha! ;)
So, here's where I'm at. I decided to go with a symbol of the turkey's tail feathers...Thanksgiving, pumpkin pie, spices & all that. So I made a template & cut it out.

Then decided I didn't want to try to adhere fabric to all those round edges, so I painted the Timtex an orangeish gold color.

Then I needed to decide on a focal bead. I had this beautiful Native American Woman porcelain piece by Laura Mears...should I use it? Ya know how you hoard those things you love? And you don't want to let them go? Wonder why that is? Anyway, I put her on the Timtex & she fit just right!


So now I'm just deciding on the colors & beads I'd like to use with her...here's some I'm trying...

I sure wish I could show more of the other things I'm doing now, but can't let anyone see what the elves are working on! :)

Hope everyone has a great weekend! And Happy Veteran's Day to all you vets...that includes you, DH! :)

Friday, October 26, 2007

October BJP done!

Yea! I'm ahead this month! Woo hoo! Got the BJP done for October. First I put a border of milky white beads around the edge.

Then I asked DH his opinion...we agreed it need something else...so I tried another row using beads & Swarovski crystals.


I liked it so finished it that way! And here it is:

That's all for this week...can't show anything else 'cuz I've been busy with Christmas gifts! And I wouldn't want to give away any hints! :)

Happy weekend, & Happy Halloween to those of you who Trick or Treat!

With aloha,
CC

P.S. Ooops...looks like I uploaded that first image HUGE! And I have no idea how to delete it & replace it. Can't find a "cut" option! Oh, well! :)
P.P.S. Thanks Robin for teaching me how to fix the picture!!! :)

Friday, October 19, 2007

Improv Unleashed!

Wow! I have no idea where I'm going, but it sure is fun!
After getting some wonderful advice, I let go. Decided, after all, it's just a piece of beadwork! (Thanks Robin & everyone!) I remember from art school being told "It's just paper!" This was the same connection I needed to make! So I started to walk from the kitchen toward my studio & happened upon 5 pieces of plain beach glass that were sitting on the ledge. Hmmm...guess I hadn't put them in the container. So I grabbed them & brought them with me. I had been thinking of the elements, Samhain, magick...well, I just stuck 'em down & went at it. Then it just felt right adding the big bead I got years ago...and lines just swirled from there! I really don't know what will happen next, but it's really alot more fun when you can let go! Yea!!!
Hope you all have a fun weekend! See you next Friday! Aloha!

Christmas Ornaments

So this year we're making some new ornaments for Huckleberry Hut. We take the bark from the Black Wattle tree, an invasive pest here, cut strips & form them into shapes. We let them dry. Meanwhile we gather the beach glass we've collected & do some wire wrapping around them. Add a colorful Christmas ribbon & you have an earth friendly ornament! Gosh! How many days to Christmas? Ack!

Finished Knotless Netting Amulet Pouch

So, just in time, I finished the amulet pouch for my pal visiting me from the mainland. Here's a pic of the finished pouch.

I didn't get alot of time to visit with her, but what time I had was a joy!

Friday, October 12, 2007

Stuck, Stumped & Stupefied!

OK...so I started out LOVING this month's BJP piece! I had my beautiful face cab & my base all RTG!!! I knew I'd have to use freeform peyote around the cab 'cuz it was really uneven. Got that done. Then I added the special sign. Finally added the border of gold. NOW WHAT??? I did the poem & wrote all the words for October, but I don't know where to go from here. Here's a pic of the beginning of the week:

And here's one after the border was added:

Now I don't know what to do! I know I want the owl feather hanging from it on the final board, but I'm just not getting any leading to a bead, charm, embellishment....nothing. So I think I'll take a break over the weekend & start anew on Monday! Going to the Pow Wow tomorrow...maybe I'll get some inspiration there!

Just an FYI, here's where I got the face cab mold! http://www.theenchantedgallery.com/ I just love her molds!!!

Knotless Netting & Finishing Minerva

Needlelace, knotless netting, buttonhole stitch...it's something that seems to be used the world over. And I love how many different ways it's used. I use it to make pouches. Here's one I've worked on this week:

I've made a 4 thread braided neck strap for it & just have to finish adding some embellishments.
I also finished my Minerva top. Now I just need to find out where to get some ultra suede! We just don't have everything here in the middle of the Pacific ocean! Here's a pic:

Swaps Galore

OK...so some other things I've been involved in are swaps. All kinds of different swaps. Here's just a few that I've recently finished, or am almost finished.
First, my pal Jo and I, just finished an almost 2 year journal swap...hey, we like to take our time! :)
Here's a pic of my finished journal:


Then I did an ATC swap with my pal Azlina in Malaysia. Her country's flower is the hibiscus, & it's our state flower. It's the first time I beaded on a preprinted fabric instead of one of my own photos:



And 3 of us are just finishing up a Bendi doll swap! This is what they looked like when they started awhile back. I wonder what they'll look like when they're all done?! Mine is the middle one. I tinted her using bogolan fini...a mud cloth technique from Africa.

Friday, October 5, 2007

Harvest Moon

So...I decided I REALLY wanted to do a witch's hat for this month...got all my sketches done...BUT...when I went to add the face cab I'd made, it was all too big for the hat & the boards I will be putting all of these on! DANG~! So, I decided to make a harvest moon for the symbol of the month. OK, so it didn't take alot of art expertise, but I have a feeling I'm gonna like this one.
Here's a pic of the painted circle, the face cab & some other items I may use.

She's gonna be kinda heavy to work with, but I do want to put her on first & add the rest later.

Friday, September 28, 2007

School's started and I'm DONE!!!

Yahoo! I was a little worried about this piece! There are so many memories for me that have to do with September. Including my parents' birthdays, 9-11, school starting, quitting smoking, etc. Being a WYSIWYG, I wear my heart on my sleeve & am direct in what I say & do. So it was hard to work improvisationally on this piece. But once all my BJP helpers let me know it was OK, I started to play with the piece. And now it's done! Whew! Here's a pic:

Like I said, no hidden agendas with me! :)

Also, every month I've been collecting/making little danglies that will go on these pieces once they are mounted on boards. Here's a pic of some of the shells, milagros, old earrings, etc that may find their way onto a particular piece:

I really enjoyed making that snowflake! I've done off-loom beading alot more than beaded embroidery, so it was fun to find the instructions for this & take a break & make one! Woo hoo!

Minerva Update

There's so many things I'm working on that I can't post 'cuz they are for specific people who read this blog!!! But once they receive their items, then I'll post them. In the meantime, I'll post what I can. So here is how far I've come with my Minerva piece:

Not alot, but I've learned something thru' doing this piece. I really enjoy creating pieces that have meaning to me. Especially a spiritual meaning. And this one is so calming to do...it's like a meditation. It's not big, but it has a big lesson. I think I'll be doing more of this kind of work, whether it's beaded or watercolor!

Friday, September 21, 2007

Minerva


This is a personal piece I'm working on for my home altar. Minerva is the Italian goddess of arts & crafts. There's so much evidence of her in Italy...Christian churches on top of her temples...I just felt like I wanted to remember her. And her helper, the owl...which is our family "totem". (It's called something else in Italian, but figured everyone might understand "totem" better.) There's more to her story & mine, but that's all I'm gonna blog about it! :) Except to say sorry for the hard to see pics, but it's been a busy week!

Playing with September

OK...so after all the helpful encouragement, I threw out the rules & just decided to do whatever the heck I wanted! So I played! And it's funny the bits that showed up to go on this month's BJP piece! I didn't even remember that school ephemera! Who knew? So I'm just gonna play all the way until it's done! Here's a pic of it so far:

I know I only have a week left, so I better hop to it! Oh, & in case you can't find it in the comments, freebird, I did the rainbow colors around the word "Dream" 'cuz when I went to grammar school, every year I'd get a big box of crayons every color of the rainbow. I loved 'em! Also, this is the time of year people start getting ready for the pow wow here, so I used beads I got from the pow wow in the rainbow. I'm really not sure what's happening with this one, but I'm just gonna play with it!

Is it a journal? Is it a sketchbook?

Hi, all & happy Aloha Friday!
This post is specially for freebird. She commented about journals/sketchbooks, so I thought I'd share my stuff. It's not all neat like it shows in the previous post! :)


Here's a sampling of what I do. That big black "book" (lower left) contains my "morning pages"...the hour I spend getting rid of the "mitote" as suggested in "The Artist's Way". It's just a bunch of words. I go thru' about one every 3 or 4 months. The smaller black moleskin (upper right) is my watercolor sketchbook...the one I showed a couple sketches from in the previous post. Just mostly daily play sketches. The leather journal (lower right) is my life events journal. I paint/journal from the big events in my life in there. But the one I love the most is my "idea" book. It's the small green sketch book (upper left) that I carry with me everywhere! If I get an idea, it goes in there. If I get an address, phone number, receipt, whatever, it goes in there. If I ever get stuck, I go to these books!!! I have 'em lined up on my table & I just browse thru' all the ideas I've saved over the years. It's so nice! I even put a little sketch of a lightbulb by the idea so I can pick it out from the rest of the stuff! :) It's my most messy, loved "book" in the world! It's like that story about the Velveteen Rabbit! So, freebird, I bet your sketchbook is a Velveteen Rabbit that's loved alot!

Friday, September 14, 2007

Technical Difficulties

This was a week of technical difficulties! Especially on my September BJP piece! After I learned my lesson with markers, I painted another base to start over.

Then I decided to learn from my new "Beading with Cabachons" book. It seemed to work ok, but kinda felt loose to me. So I ended up going thru' each row alot of times!


Then September 11th came and I had to do something. So I added 2 large beads to represent the Twin Towers. But I wanted all the families to be covered in healing blue energy. So I tried to do some netting over it. A new stitch and ALOT of do-overs & pulling out beads & threads.

After this, I was getting nervous. I'm really new to this improvisational thing, but having so many mistakes on one piece was frustrating me. So I decided to get out some big size 6 beads & make a path thru' it all. That was after I did one of those poems Robin talks about in her book! That seems to help me go on to the next step. So here's where I'm at now.

I'm really hoping this turns out ok...especially after this rough start. One day at a time we all move on!
With aloha!

Remember September

So it was September again. This year I read about the Remember September mail art project & at the last minute decided to send one in. I sketched the NY skyline on red mulberry paper & tore out the outline of the Twin Towers. I remember being there years ago. I added some words to the families & friends who lost someone, and here it is ready to be mailed on 9/11.

You can read about the project here if you'd like to have a go at this next year.

Creative Decisions

Well, it's been an interesting week to say the least! In the midst of working on some other projects, I came across an old sketchbook that got me interested in doing some figurative art again. Here's a few sketches after Gorg:

BUT...I've also been doing some fun watercolor & ink journalling! Here's a couple of those:
The thing is I like doing it all! Including all the mixed media art I do! I sometimes just wish I could stick with one thing so my studio wouldn't be so crowded! But whether it's fabric, paper, or beads, I want to be able to do it all! Is anyone else like this? :) And then there's all the crafts I make for Huckleberry Hut, and all the jewelry....and....Ack!!! My head is so full it feels like it's gonna burst! But at least it's full of JOY!