Still crafting. . .

It has been ages since I've taken the opportunity to blog.

Not much painting or drawing happening - 

however, the craft bug continues to bite!

"Buoyant"

Mostly beads and yarn these days though - 

Took the Eclectic Beaded Crocheted Jewelry class hosted through Jeanne Oliver's site.  Loved that class and it seems

"Flight"

to have created a monster!!  I can't stop making these necklace/wraps!  I think I've made close to 20 of them in the past month or so.  

"Naranja"

Some are in a local gift shop which thrills me because I seem to be addicted to the acquisition of beads lately. . . 

What have you been up to these days??

AEDM - Life is. . .

Life is about change

Sometimes it is painful

Sometimes it is beautiful

But most of the time - it is both.

So I took my cut up flower painting and made a book using this tutorial.  I even got out my trusty Scor-Pal for old times' sake.  No worries if you don't have one - just use a scoring blade on your paper cutter.  Makes me want to get out and use my papercrafting tools again. . . 

Check out the other work daily on Art Every Day Month (AEDM)!

Everything grows you. . .

Took my sketch from last week and made a little mixed media piece with it. . .

Linking to Sunday Sketches and

Creative Every Day

Society6

Have you ever ordered from Society6?  I'm in love with my new mug featuring one of my very own girls!!  Some of my favorite artists have their work available there - including Denthe.  I ordered one of her mugs several months ago (fabulous mug on the left below) and have been very pleased with its quality.  It has been through the dishwasher innumerable times and is in great shape. 

It was a bit of a learning curve to load my own art (the girl is repeated three times around the mug) but I am so happy with the results!  Think I will try loading more girls. . .

Cardboard girl. . .

The other day I watched "Face Mask with Pam Carriker" - shortly thereafter we had Chinese takeout for dinner and at the bottom of the bag was a piece of cardboard that was just begging to be painted on. . .I only used three colors of paint for this girl - white, black and flesh.  Some stamping with my handcarved chevron stamp and white pen journaling added the final touches.  Followed Pam's suggestion to let the penned guidelines show through the paint - cool look, huh?

It is SO cold here now!!  I knew that it was going to turn cold but 31 degrees always seems so much colder in November than it does in March - am I right??  BRRRRR!!

Linking to Art Journal Every Day, 

Art Every Day Month and

Paint Party Friday

Reworking a picture. . .

So about a year and a half ago I painted a picture I called "Taking the Leap".  It is propped up on a shelf in the dining room and for the past couple of months her mouth and nose have been bothering me - enough to where I started working on it last night to change things up a bit.  I've never done anything like that before - messing with something that I had previously considered "finished".

Her original look is on the left - the reworked version is on the right.  What do you think?  Should I have left her alone or do you rework pictures that you aren't happy with?

Below is a glamour shot of our dog scratching while I was outside taking pictures - you are very welcome! 

Linking to Paint Party Friday and

Art Journal Every Day

Abstract Girl -

While painting the other day, I cleaned off my brush onto a piece of cardboard.  Sketched a girl down in the corner.  I'm not in love with her gray complexion - maybe I'll add some skintones one day.

Linking to Art Journal Every Day and

Paint Party Friday

Wood tag girl

This girl is on a tag - not just any 'ol paper tag but a 1.75" x 3.25" wood tag!  The wood tags were an impulse purchase that I "knew" I would use but sat in the crafting cabinet for more than a year.   

That fact that I've used ONE wood tag "totally" justifies that purchase along with the even tinier 1.25" x 2.5" wood tags that also snuck home with me that same day.  LOL

Do you end up with purchases that you wonder "why did I do that" later??

'fess up - we all want to know!

(Flowers were doodled on with a .005 Micron pen - tiny work.)

Check out all the fun with 29 Faces!

The Ugly Duckling. . .

So I had no eye-dea (har har) - how crazy cock-eyed this girl was until I stamped her on paper! 

Sketched a face on Speedy Carve . . .

and went to town carving it out - I do like her hair - and I think her crazy face is kinda charming.  She's my Ugly Duckling but I'm her mama and I still love her. 

Linking to Sunday Sketches and

Creative Every Day

Baby afghan?

We have a new baby nephew in Washington state!!  He is such a cutie - I wish we lived closer but for now we are having to make due with pictures through Facebook.  I've been working on this baby afghan for several weeks now based on the pattern found here.  I squealed the moment I saw it and would've loved something similar when my boys were little.  

I don't crochet much (hardly ever) so I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.  Here is my question to you - Would you consider this to be a baby blanket?  The non-traditional colors have some people, particularly my mother(she loves it when I pick on her on my blog - doncha mom??) shaking their collective head. 

On a completely different note here is a weird pod/plant sketch done in the car. . . 

Linking to Sunday Sketches and

Creative Every Day

Yarn Doodling

My  mother is an artist with yarn - she can knit and crochet with equal skill.  As long as I can remember she was always working with yarn.  Many, many people have been gifted with gorgeous afghans, delicate baby dresses, cableknit sweaters, etc.  Carpal tunnel surgery on both wrists have slowed the "afghan machine" somewhat but she still can crank out the handknitted washclothes in every color and stitch imaginable.

I have gobs of them and use them everyday!  Mom taught me to crochet when I was small and I will admit that it always makes me feel womanly to work at something with my hands.  Anyhoo, the one thing that I made that mom never did was potholders.  That's because I rarely had the patience to finish big projects -  while mom has literally made hundreds of afghans I only have made two.  

Mom has a drawer that has lots and lots of my handmade potholders and while some were definitely saved because her daughter made them many of them have been in daily use for over 30 years and are in fine shape.  Handmade items definitely last better than storebought!  I've gone through so many oven mitts/potholders over the years and when I am at mom's house I always say that I need to make some for me but never get around to it.

I had a hankering to play with yarn the other night so I decided to just make a plain potholder with maybe a "m" on it.  Many of my old handmade potholders were in afghan stitch that are cross-stitched with geometric designs and fruit/flowers.  Did you know that afghan stitch is called Tunisian Crochet now?  Fancy. . . 

I got a wild hair and thought it would be more "me" if I attempted to stitch a girl onto it - so I grabbed some red yarn and just went for it - no real plan and no pattern at all.  Just free stitching.  LOVE how it turned out.  Now if I would only commit to making about 3 more I'd be in good shape!

I still put the "m" on the back though.

Linking to Sunday Sketches

Check out 29 Faces at Ayala Art!!

Mini Wax Canvas

Look at my teeny-tiny wax canvas!  

This critter is only 2" x 4".

Colored directly onto the canvas with some cheap-o crayons.  If I were to do this again I'd use better quality crayons - they would have more pigment. 

Melted the first layer with my heat gun.  The wax is shiny cause it is still hot.

Added more colors and kinda swirled it a bit -  

Finished off with some India Ink droplets and a book quote.  It is residing in the living room keeping company with some shells, rocks, a geode and a tiny pinecone.

Linking to Art Every Day Month

Leaf stamp

Carved up a leaf stamp out of a pink eraser.  My younger son was scandalized that I used some of his precious school supplies - LOL! 

Linking to Art Every Day Month

Dish cloths. . .

Desperately trying to squeeze in some time to finish up a set of dish cloths for my mother-in-law before they leave.  The bottom two are knitted.  Knitting is a really slow process for me although I definitely enjoy the look that it gives (do you see the "monkey sock" yarn?  LOVE it).  The top two are crocheted - they whip up with lightning speed.

Linking to Art Every Day Month.

Amigurumi for Violet

One of the most popular posts on this blog is Amigurumi for Stella.  I've had people from all over the world visit that page - go figure.   This little cutie is for my other Washington niece, Violet (named after her maternal grandmother) - Guess what color Violet wears the most?? 

Thought it would be fun to have her namesake flower on her little purse.  The free pattern is from Jenny and Teddy Craft blog.  There are lots of adorable patterns to check out on this blog.  Each of my nieces love having a little doll that reflects their looks and personalities! 

Linking to Art Every Day Month