Happy, but just all tuckered out

Hi everyone!

We just got back from a lovely visit with my parents (actually, it was totally awesome...thanks Mom and Dad!!), and I'm feeling a bit tuckered out.  I love to travel and see new things, meet new people, and just generally enjoy being inspired by the differences I see, but it sure takes a lot of out of me.  I'm not 20 any more (even though I feel like I am in my heart :-) ), and it shows on days like these!

So, I haven't been creating for the last week, but I have been seeing some beautiful things and of course I have to share them with you.

So, with no further a-do...here are some photos to tide you over until I have gotten fully back into my normal time zone!

 

Inspiration and beauty are truly everywhere.  Ain't it grand?!  :-)

Until next time, good friends, enjoy and happy days!

One of my favorite things

One of my very favorite tools to use is...wait for it...wait for it...

A toothpick.

Yep, the lowly, get-junk-out-of-your-teeth, wee slice-of-a-tree toothpick.  It is small, yet mighty in its ability to do good things.

So, what do I do with it?

I use it to hold beads from going astray.

See how nice that bead fits on the end of the toothpick?  It won't slide off too easily but easily enough when I need it to.

In creating "Gogh and Flourish," I used toothpicks in both hands to corral the beads as I set them into the glue.  I also used them to keep the beads upright so the holes on the beads don't show when looking at the piece straight on (I wish these closeups of "Gogh and Flourish" were better...I'm still working on how to make that happen...please be patient with me :-) ).

Yep, each one of those beads was placed by hand using toothpicks.

I also use toothpicks to clean out glue.  When I'm placing a bead or other small item onto a canvas, spool, or whatever, glue will often ooze out from underneath that item.  I can use the toothpick to clean out the ooze without messing with the placement of the item.  It's tedious work, but I get great results with less worry about mucking something up.

You can also corral wee items on on your work table with toothpicks.

Very helpful, as wee things tend to have minds of their own and want to wander off at inconvenient moments.  (By the way...my table is shiny because I have a clear plastic tablecloth you can pick up at Walmart covering it.  This way, I can see the beauty of the wood table [it is quite lovely :-)] and not worry about mucking it up with the painting I do.)

You can also make paint dots with toothpicks.

Aren't those nice dots?!  Lots of fun uses for those.

So see?  You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a really useful tool.  You just need to look around your house for inspiration.  If you look hard enough, you'll find it.  If I can, so can you.

Until next time...happy days everyone!

Where the magic happens

Hi all!

I have a studio.  I'm a lucky, lucky girl, as I know not many people have the luxury of this kind of place.  This is a space that is all for me where I can go (or run away to when needed :-) ) and be creative.  Or just rattle around for a bit if I am feeling a little lost.  The really great thing is that when I rattle around for long (more than 2 minutes), I usually find that I come up with something fun to do.  Then I am happy and no longer rattling around.  My studio always makes me smile.  I told you I was lucky.

And with no further a-do, here is my space:

Awesome, huh?!  Well, I think so!  It isn't huge by any means and every single space available is used for supplies or work space.  That's okay...I really don't need a huge space.  What I do need, it has and that is color and inspiration...really, it is filled with magic.  The kind of magic that works for me.  Yep, I sure am lucky.

And now, an update.

Remember the tribute to Van Gogh piece I was working on earlier?  Here's stage 2:

More beads, more embellishments.  Slowly but surely "Gogh and Flourish" is taking shape.  Just as it is supposed to.

Until next time, my friends..."Gogh and Flourish" in your world!

From start to finish...this is the beginning...

Howdy folks!  Wow...two posts in one day!!  I can hardly stand it!  Can you?!

I got to thinking today as I played in my studio (yes, it IS playing :-) ) that I have shown you stuff I have completed or projects that are in mid-project completion.  I haven't shown anything from start to finish, and I'd like to change that.

So, here we are.  Or here I am (you're here in spirit, my friends :-) ), and this is what I am thinking.  Washi tape.  Don't know what that is?  It is like regular tape, but more fun.  It has patterns, colors, and various widths and has many crafty uses (you can check out a post here for more information: http://www.crafttestdummies.com/craft-product-reviews/what-is-washi-tape-an-overview-of-paper-and-tissue-tape/).  I love the stuff and have tons of it, but haven't used it much.  Here is the one time I did use it:

The spool is covered in Washi tape...the only paint that shows is on the top and the bottom of the spool.  (BTW, the quote says: "Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent." - Victor Hugo).

I love this, but as I have quite the Washi tape stash (see below), I want to do more with it.

So, I am going to create a mixed media piece with it.  Here's my starting point:

I'm starting with a plain 8x8 canvas you can pick up at any art or craft supply store (I think I got mine at Michaels...I've had it a while, so I can't remember :-) ) and two rolls of Washi tape.  I have no idea how this is going to go together yet, but it will come to me.  And I will bring you along for the entire ride.

So, stay tuned, my friends...there is more to come!

Buddha says...

...to take care of yourself.  Honest, he does (well, he did :-) ).  And I agree with him.  We often don't take care of ourselves...we insist on trying to take care of everyone and everything BUT ourselves.  Well, it's time to stop that, and I've created a reminder to do so.

I like how this turned out (see an earlier post for pictures mid-project).  The crackle paint, the Buddha bead on top, the grosgrain ribbon, the bronze brad to close it, the braided thread to attach to the brad (yep, I took cross stitch thread and braided it...it took a while [like 45 minutes to get the length I needed], but it makes for a nice, finished product :-) ).  Simple, yet complicated in its detail.  What do you think?

So, stop the chaos of your life for five minutes, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and find something you can do for yourself.  Even if it is just for 10 minutes.  Those 10 minutes can go a long way to making you a happier, healthier person for the rest of the people in your life.

Take care, my friends!