~~


IT DOESN'T GET ANY SWEETER

I am guessing it's about 70 degrees. The sun is warm and in the shade of the patio you might even need a light sweater.

It's noon on Sunday. The last day of BLISS that is four days at home.

I need to clean some more

I should iron.

I could make lists (I love making lists)

I need to shower and doll up for dinner out.

Instead I am out here breathing in the fabulousness of a glorious late Fall day here.

Heaven.

Feeling happy that I am writing out my Holiday postcards to pop in the mail.
Having something wonderful to sip on in my stunning English bone china mug adorned with birds and berries.

One of my prezzies from Lyn that came in that stunning brown and pink birthday box.

I feel lucky trying to savor each moment.

NEW FAERIE IN THE NEST

This is a new, old creation.

A while back, while sculpting faeries, I fashioned a quirky-faced worm of sorts.
I painted her a beautiful, shimmery, blue green like dragonfly wings.

Then I left her in a box for a long, long time.

During that time she evolved.

Wings emerged.

A tuft of hair grew and glitter appeared magically.
(But that is how glitter appears)

While she evolved, I also created little plaster, fiber encrusted, cocoons that were painted with a pearly white.
Originally I made them as baby faerie pods.

They, also, sat in a drawer.

A few weeks ago while looking through the enchanted drawers, I pulled out the worm and realized

she was a silkworm who dreamed of a beautiful life while munching on mulberry leaves and learning the language of faes.

Out came the cocoon.
In went some soft silk, followed by a mulberry leaf for her next meal.

Here she is.

All 2 3/4" of her.

WHERE DO YOUR FAERIES LIVE?



That was the question posed to begin another project with Paper Whimsy
Hmmmmm......

Well, gosh.............I seem to have many living in all sorts
of creative places.

Some are reclusive and others boldly flit around
without care.

That is, until you-know-who is on the prowl



Anyhow, the most amusing set of faerie sisters hide out in the closet pantry.

I found them quite by accident one night when I wanted a little morsel
but nothing much and not too sweet.

Remembering I had stashed a box
of animal crackers in the pantry, I went hunting.

Wait!! The box looked a bit odd.......and there were crumbs all around the box.

Yikes..
what could be nibbling my cookies???????????????

And then I spied them.
Sleeping soundly on a little bed they had fashioned
from bits of my silk and snippets of ribbon.

Two feathers at the head of the bed to create a gorgeous faerie headboard.

Even a bit of handmade paper for a colorful rug.

Those rascals!!!

Looking inside I could see they also 'borrowed' some of my Paper Whimsy images.

I WONDERED WHAT HAD BECOME OF THEM AFTER CUTTING THEM OUT SO CAREFULLY!



Look how they made little curtains out of the woven cloth handle that used to be on the box...very clever sisters.



Well, I could hardly be mad.
Look at their faces.





I confess I bring them more animal crackers from time to time

and I keep the pantry door closed

so you-know-who will not find them



That would be bad.

In a few days I will find out which of my
PW sisters I will ship these rascals off to

You see, it's a one on one swap
and we will find out on the 30th
who we are mailing to.

CHAIR OF BOWLIES

What could be better than a chair full of bowlies??
A chair full of bowlies and fallen, New England leaves sent 2500 miles to meeeeeeeeeeeee.

On Thursday a box arrived from a dear one who had
kept a secret for many months after finding bowlies that I had so coveted once spied on this wonderful blog I visit daily.

These fabulicious bowlies were not available here in AZ....only at the Christmas Tree Shoppe which happened to be in New England.

Rats!!!!

So when speaking to said dear one, I asked if perhaps, possibly, per chance, a trip to this store could be arranged.
Alas, dear one called one day to say that sadly, these bowlies were no where in sight.

Double Rats!!!

Well, I certainly could understand that since they were so divine they would undoubtedly be snatched up pronto!!

Buuuuuuuuuttttttttttttt, the real story is that not one, but two sets of these delights had been scooped up and saved.

Saved for a November birthday that I began to celebrate two days early as I opened the box and squealed with delight.

Tucked away in the box was also a zip-lock bag of fallen leaves that I was so missing.

Sigh.

I held them to my face and for an instant,
with eyes closed, could smell the nutty, eathy wind
blowing through these beautiful trees that I so miss.... transported backward to my childhood, to cracking walnuts with rocks in the woods, to long walks and the fluttering of young love, to drives along winding road
past a stone house that might be finished some day,
to crisp apples picked with children lifted high on shoulders peeking through the branches smiling at this mother capturing moments that would stay
with the five of us

forever.

Thank you, thank you, thank you...Forever Dear One



Now, the celebration continues
and I have more to share
love and treasures sent
again from 2500 miles away
but from a best girlfriend
who loves what I love
and has shared many years
with me
and shared today
by phone
as I opened her beautiful box
and unwrapped each and every
pink wrapped bundle






And I am moved to tears
because I feel so wrapped in love
by arms stretched over many miles

and here close by.

And tomorrow

MY day

I will begin with some of the treats that I opened today

and then drive to my sister remaining

and we will have a sister's day

and share laughter and love
and talk about celebrations of past
when there were three.

~~

SOUL PAINTING

I've held off on sharing this project because it's hard to give a tutorial
And it's also very, very personal.
I don't mean that in a way that it's
so personal to me that I cannot share, but rather, it's a form of painting
or creating that comes from within YOU and it is, therefore, very personal.

So I will share how to go about it.

I 'put everything away' in my head. Work, troubles, fear, disappointment.
(Some days this is not possible and this type of art waits.)

I play music that reaches deep inside. We all have those pieces of music that open our
hearts and spirit.

I wet down my piece of paper (I use 140 lb cold pressed water color paper. This is postcard size), and without preconceived ideas of what this will become
I choose a color and begin a wash. That is the primary color. I then choose another color and
add it with total freedom. Maybe a third....totally free and allowing.

Next I touch it with my fingers which removes some of the paint and leave impressions.

Important: DO NOT THINK ABOUT MAKING ANYTHING. JUST TOUCH WHERE AND HOW YOU FEEL.

Next, put it between something to lay flat and dry. I use our crazy big phone books that I never reference. (I love when 'they' come and drop those heavy hitters off at the door)

After a few hours........or days........when it's time to art again.
Take your piece out with an open mind and heart.
At first or second glance you will see what was created with the soul of the artist that we all are.
Something deep and unspoken.
Something that may touch another's life. Something very personal.

Now you can take a pencil or gel pen and outline what you see to make it 'pop' And you are done.

When I first took this piece I saw the angel immediately. Clear as day. The head, face, wings within the sky.
It takes your breath away, really. Trust me on that.

I took my pencil and gently outlined and then took my white, Japanese, uni-ball Signa pen out and ever so gently re-outlined and then added a few stars.
Because, she is the Star Keeper.

written on the back:

At twilight, moments before the Sun's appearance, Star Keeper Angel gathers every twinkling gem and places them in the folds of her gown. Guarding them until night falls once again.

I may have to spray her with a fixative to protect her mail journey


I encourage you to give this a try.
It's a beautiful experience

Another finished project

A few years ago, my dearest friend, Lynnie, sent me a postcard.
One of many over the years.

It was a Christmas PC with this Catherine Moore image and little tags that said "PEACE".

Well, I love, love, loved it.
So much so that I attached it to the front of my daily planner that year so I could look at it every day.

Thank you, Lynnie.
For that post card and all the gorgeous art you have sent me over the years.
I am surrounded by it in my nest.

So, this weekend, I wanted to make a Holiday post card.
Out came my cold press 140 lb. watercolor postcards.
First I adhered snippets of paper and paper hearts cut from magazines with my paper punch.
Using the same paints as I used on the wooden bird (see post below), I then color washed the whole thing.

Once happy with the color combo, I adhered the already printed letter tags, the Catherine Moore image I colored with my Prisma pencils...and added a golden washed 'halo' from a stamped image from Stampers Anonymous.

A few white pigment stamped stars...then edged the whole thing with navy blue ink to finish the edges.

It's deliciously rich in color and when I take it to be copied at KINKO's for my Holiday postcards I know the richness might be lost in translation, but I am crossing my fingers........

Now to get my address list ready.

I am determined to get these out in plenty of time this year.

If not, well, I might be able to use them

as Valentines
hahahahahaha
good thinking!!!

OH, AND HERE IS ONE OF THE PROJECTS I ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISHED THIS WEEKEND

THIS IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF A PIECE THAT TICKLES ME
THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS

THEN MR. J. COMES HOME AND I HOLD IT OUT

WITH GLEE

DOUBLE GLEE

BECAUSE I LOVE IT

AND HE LOVES THAT I LOVE IT

BUT HE SHAKES HIS HEAD and RAISES THAT ONE EYEBROW

THAT MAKES ME LAUGH
EVEN TO TYPE IT

AND SAYS

"I DON'T GET IT...........

AND I SAY THE SAME THING EACH AND EVERY TIME THROUGH THE LAUGHTER

"I KNOW!"

So, it's a wooden bird.
Actually two wooden birds that I bonded together
with wire legs stuck in between.

Now, THEY were a struggle.
I made a few that got trashed until I came up with these.
It takes a bit of wire, (especially when the first two are in the garbage) but they work!!!

then I filled the little gaps here and there with wood filler.
(My tool box has many things in it..hahaha you thought I got it from Mr. J's stash....uh, no.
I love my tool box and duct tape and drill and hammers.....AND ACE Hardware store)

The next step was to gesso......
then gorgeous Golden Primary Magenta paint.......
then some stunning Golden fluid Iridescent Gold Deep (fine) paint.
..then some scrubby dabs of Plaid Deep Purple Violet Glaze paint.

Then collage bits and faces from Paper Whimsy stash
.....and another wash of Iridescent Gold paint......(in between Golden Medium Gel)

Next she got blue wings that were on transparency

then sprinkles of stardust and glitter.
yes, stardust and glitter.

Isn't she smile worthy?!!

Now here is an unfinished project
started at my desk this week
when I needed to exercise the other half of my brain


It seems that any of my projects that involve paintings
began at work
When I am just about at the end of my rope
with things that almost put me into a coma
I pull out my pencils and grab paper
and begin to sketch

I don't seem to start a drawing at home
although every face I see
I am formulating the HOW and WHY
of composition
and shading

I will do that today
when Mr. J. and I go to dinner

the people sitting next to us

the waiter

I will be soaking it all in.
The slant of their eyes
or the turn and fullness of their lips....

...............lost in it....................
....................................sigh...............

"oh, what was that??, yes, I'd like lemon with my water, thank you."

FABULOUS FIND

Certainly many moons ago, I enjoyed a weekly wandering through some of my
favorite stores picking up a morsel here and there.
If the 'morsels' were on sale,
FABULOUS!!,
if not, well I would make a buy if I totally loved it.
The bottom line
is that I enjoyed the process.

NOW: the enjoyment of the process has changed.
The whole process has changed.
My shopping is mostly online.
I would almost say my motto is, "If I can't find it online....I'm not trying hard enough!"
:)

It seems that I prefer other things during my down time, (playing with paints and paper...creating..reading...good conversation, etc.)
plus, their isn't the same charm here that I could find so easily in Connecticut.
Here, everything looks the same so it doesn't jump out and say "STOP HERE AND SHOP".
Now if I was into 'BLING' , high end shoes, and cars
(don't EVEN get me started on the gas guzzling Hummers that are all around me)
I wouldn't have far to look.

But that's just not me.

Now to the point of this post.

I HAD to leave the nest yesterday to pick up cat food, littler, water, the basics of life
.......and I passed by Pier One......"why not?"
So in I go.

I visually scanned the place in a nano second and noticed with regret that they have really changed the feel of the place.
It has been happening for the past year.
I don't get the same warm cozy feeling when I walk through the doors.

But that's o.k.......I don't GO through the doors that much anymore.
In my 10 minutes there I happened upon the Clearance portion of the pillows.

This is what I found.

2 - 20" X 12" pillows. Originally $25 marked down to $2.48!!!!!!!!!!

WHAT??

I will sometimes look for decorative pillows on sale to just use the form inside. Pillow forms can be pricey, so this is a good way to get unusual sizes and shapes for very little money.

These cream and black pillow are a great shape to put behind your back
for extra support...see how they are already on my bed with
my many, many pillows? They don't really "go" with anything in my studio nest, but they
sure came in handy while I was blogging and reading in bed last night.

Look at the cool texture!

Look at the price tag!!!!!!!!!!

I DID GOOD!!

THEN

I FOUND THESE FABULOUS, OFF WHITE SHELL BUTTONS....HUNDREDS OF THEM.




They are so cool for embellishments on mixed media pieces.......or if you sew or knit.
They are gorgeous!!
There are three sizes and I am thinking of packaging some up and putting them in my
etsy shoppe.

~~~~~

NUMBER 5, NUMBER 5, NUMBER 5, NUMBER 5

~~

Have you used one of those number picking "gadgets" on the web?

It's kind of fun

and keeps you out of the process, which is good

because I always want everyone who comments to win.

So when I fed in the number 13...

IT spit out the

number 5.

Just like that!!

And number 5 just happens to be

JAMIE.

On Tuesday, when the PO gets back in gear after

the holdiday

(Yippeeeee I have an extra day off!!)

the package filled with bits and baubles

AND

the very special

faerie house

will be picked up and whisked away.

I like to ask the winners of my

'gift aways' to pay it forward

and also 'gift' something away

but....

when you visit

Jamie's

blog

you will see that

she lives by that motto

all the time

LEARNING TO RELAX

Today Morgan took a cue from her beloved piggy doll (little scrappy toy far left that used to be pink, but now has a grayish cast--I didn't even realize

they were in the same pose until after viewing all the photos)

"This is how you relax, miss kitty.....
just like this.....
on your back..legs kind of up..
head a little to the right....that's it.......
R E L A X"

I think she's got it!!

...and don't forget
tomorrow morning we draw a name
for the wee faerie house

MEMORIES


~~
Sweet memories linger
like the perfume of roses
on petals long since dried
~rella


My mother, like her mother before her, was a talented seamstress.
Seasonal curtains on the kitchen windows, wardrobes for my dolls, tailored blazers for my Dad,
a pink satin and white sequin prom dress, hundreds of alterations for clients,
and my beautiful, empire waisted, wedding dress
of cream peau de soie, with hand sewn lace roses embellished with hundreds of pink seed pearls...
to list a few.

In looking back, I believe I took for granted that Mom could sew anything,
DO anything.
I think that is how it is with children and their parents.

As an adult, Mom and I shared the love of sewing.
It was the last shopping adventure we shared,
and the only things I retrieved from house after she died was her sewing machine and notions.
I didn't NEED a sewing machine as I already had two of my own.

It was simply our connection and the topic of many conversations.

Today is an anniversary I wish I did not mark in that 'calendar' in my head and on my heart.
This exact day of the year in 1990.

Saturday, November 3rd. She, only one year older than I am now,

went on to the next chapter of her journey.

But today I choose sweet memories and a celebration of what we shared.

Not sadness.

Not the thought of the loss or the void.

Instead, I celebrate what was passed on to me
and I have created a little faerie house.

The faerie is my Mom.
A little dancer with her long limbs
dressed in an outfit created by her Mother,
my feisty, Irish/English grandmother.

The roof of the house is decorated with snippets of vintage lace roses and buttons.

This is the last of my faerie houses that began several posts ago.
All have been given away....

except this one.

To celebrate my Mom's creative energy
I will gift this away to one of you
my dear bloggies far and wide

The drawing will be next Saturday
Leave a comment here and a way to contact you
(if you do not have a blog)
to be in the drawing

Bon Chance