ANGELS FAR AND NEAR

A beautiful piece that still amazes me, is this serene angel
with the perfect and deeply meaningful butterfly.

Comforting and assuring,
this gorgeous artwork came to me from the sweetest of hearts

Zorana.

Her blog is a place I love to visit...
her talent is huge and her work speaks to me,
her words often cause me to stop a moment and reflect......

or to smile.........

This very special piece lives here in the nest at Faerieluna.........

a beautiful and loving gift.

Thank you.

Gently Holding on to Hope

Last summer and beyond, when I struggled with the enormity of Jenny’s murder
and the collateral damage caused by this unbearable cruelty,
there was an outpouring of love and kindness.

There is such beauty in the contrast

and the kindnesses seemed magnified to me then,

and still.

Cindy was one of many such souls who created a beautiful memory for me.

A necklace that she fashioned herself with such tenderness that it still brings tears, but they are good tears as it is proof..

in my hand that goodness is truly powerful…..

and that gives us all hope.

When I am not wearing this piece, I have it hanging in a spot that I can see many times a day….every day.

Thank you

zWlvsm

iS IT ME??????

What is up with Blogger's word verification these past few days??

I mean, COME ON!!!!


Why are they schmooshing crazy letters together??

One letter hunkered into another with different fonts??

I find myself pulling my head back....

squinting.....


getting closer to the screen........


and typing what I THINK it is....

only to have another crazy glob of letters thrown at me...

I talked about this before
and at that time the deal was way too many letter combinations

but this week I am NOT kidding
a teenager with 20/20 eyesight would have difficulty!

and I want to hit the icon of the wheelchair because I am

feeling................challenged.
(actually annoyed 10+ is more like it)

But REALLY


HAVE YOU NOTICED???

WHERE IS THIS DAY GOING!!!!!

Jeepers......I get up early and begin a gjillion things. And now it's 4:00 p.m. and I WANT MORE HOURS IN THIS DAY!!!!

Typical work around the house, but really only the minimum.

Checking e-mail and various blogs and websites over coffee.

List my artdoll on Etsy..........that is time consuming for sure!!

Get out the 4x4 watercolor pages that are blank and need color since 29 finished
pages need to reach Linda's hands by May 20. This is a Chunky Book for
Art Unraveled. Well, first layer is my favorite Magenta from Golden.
Second layer is a blue the color of our sky most of the time
Third layer is white pigment ink.

BOTH SIDES OF THE PAPER, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!

Tiiiiimmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeee consuming for sure.

Now I need to decide if I will use copies of the watercolor "Muse"
I painted to embellish the mailing envie
of my Art Unraveled registration


OR

draw another one and make copies

OR

Use copies of the original I made for Sis for her birthday.


I usually pick the hardest or most time consuming choice.

We shall see. Time is not on my side.

I am also needing to work on three fabric and paper Gothic arches due next month

AND, let's not forget that the fabulous theater is also due the end of the month.

ALL PROJECTS THAT I AM ENJOYING VERY MUCH and look forward to the finished product.

Now, the theater I get to keep. Catherine is only needing good photos. That's a real plus as I seldom keep anything I make.

the arches I keep one and mail three others to receive back two of our group's originals.

Ohhhhh, and I got some face bubbles ready for some pink button faeries.

It sounds like a lot, but it doesn't FEEL like a lot and I find myself counting the hours I have left until I have to sleep.

ILOVESATURDAYILOVESATURDAYILOVESATURDAYILOVESATURDAYILOVESATURDAY

LITTLELAMBIELOTTIE & oLiViA share some stories

I've been a bit preoccupied with 'stuff' the past week or so
Most of it good.

But that meant that some things took a back seat.

Choices....uurrggghhhh
sometimes it's just no fun having to act responsibly.

littlelambielottie was feeling lonely it seems
and this morning I found her
curled up in Olivia's lap, yammering away to her about this and that

LLL looks over at me as if to say "ummm, do you MIND???" as I snap the picture

I don't know, I think someone got up on the wrong side of the bed!

Did I ever tell you how Olivia came to be?

Well, this is how she started life.

Sort of a prettier version of a small crash test dummy
27 cm. in length.

Look how wonderfully articulated her body is.
And truth be told, I rather like her like this.
I even called her 'Crash' back then.

She is an Obitsu ball jointed doll.
Often referred to as a BJD.

Once you lay eyes on them, you are never quite the same.

It's another world, really.
And I needed another hobby (obsession) as we all know.

There were a few hours in the day
that just needed to be filled (the 25th & 26th to be exact)
so fill it I did.

First she needed eyes and some color.
In the bjd world that is called a 'face up'

Then hair was in order.

I had some gorgeous Tibetan mohair
that was so soft and a bit curly
This arduous process of creating a wig was actually quite fun in the end.

I think she is really the sweetest thing
and other than this one dress that I found on ebay a long while ago,
she has nothing else.

But now she has a lamb!!!

I actually DID create something today

A friend I made through Flickr,
Rosa from Barcelona makes the most beautiful
sculpted faeries.
Truly some of the most beautiful I've ever seen.

She also makes little button faeries and I asked her permission to give it a whirl
myself and she graciously gave me her blessing.

This is my feeble attempt.

Paper Whimsy image for the face
German Scrap butterfly wings
glass pebble
buttons and beads
wire and glue

My button supply is not what I would like to create
one in my favorite colors
but this is not too bad for a first attempt.

She is about 5"
I am thinking of adding a teeny word tag somewhere

I DID NOT GET TO LISTING ON ETSY

I tried, really I did..............I try to fit in so much on the weekend it's crazy stupid.

If you are interested in her, you can e-mail me or leave your comment here and I will
get in touch with you.

Where oh where does the weekend go?

REMEMBER HER?
GYPSY FORTUNE TELLER DOLL

(you can read about her in my August 08 posts)

After the wonderful class last year at AU with Lisa Renner I presented her and then
promtply wrapped her to protect her while I decided if I could part with her or not.

Well, as AU 2008 is only a few months away I've decided to part with her and a few
of my more recent creations to help make my way to this year's art retreat.

A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.
Art should support art, right?

Plus, it's time for her to bring some special magic
to someone else.

She should be listed on my Etsy shoppe by the weekend.

My Daily OM actually made me laugh this morning.

Not laugh AT the OM, but rather, at myself I guess.

I will explain:

For the past four mornings, I have been awakened by the soulful bellowing of a Quail.

The "WHAAA,....WHAAA....WHAAAA!!"

that echoes in the stillness as
the sun is barely introducing itself to the sleepy, little hollow
I call

'Glenville'.
(Streets named Gleneagle, Glenpoint, Glenbrook, Glendora....you get the picture)

Time glaring at me from the digital cable box = 5:20 a.m.

25 minutes before my alarm will go off.

My reactive mood = Annoyed.

The whirring of the little fan by the window,
combined with the shooshing noise of the white machine next to my bed do little to mask the mournful sound....

and for 25 minutes I try to go back to sleep
fighting not only the sound of this new neighbor,
but the agitation that is growing.

Throwing off the covers ("DARN BIRD!!") I give up

and head to the coffee that automatically begins to brew at 5:30.

A wonderful Christmas present from Mr. J.

who took seriously a comment I made
that I wished I could train the cat to push the button for me at 5:30
since she was up wandering the house at that time anyhow.

Knowing that was impossible
as she only does what SHE wants to,
he went in search of a fabulous machine with a timer.

"BLESS HIM!".

AGITATION TURNED TO GRATITUDE
:)

and now reading my OM I am hoping one mood canceled out the other..........
.....as I would prefer to enter into the day
with gratitude
and leave agitation behind.

April 17, 2008
Conscious Creation
The First Moments Of The Day

The moment during the day when we very first open our eyes and come into consciousness is a precious opportunity. It sets the tone for all that comes after it, like the opening scene in a film or novel. At this moment, our ability to create the day is at its most powerful, and we can offer ourselves fully to the creative process by filling this moment with whatever inspires us most. It may be that we want to be more generous, or it may be that we want to be more open to beauty in our daily lives. Whatever the case, if we bring this vision into our minds at this very fertile moment, we empower it to be the guiding principle of our day.

Sometimes we wake up with a mood already seemingly in place, and it�s important to give this feeling its due. It can inform us and deepen our awareness to what�s going on inside us, as well as around us. As long as we are conscious, we can honor this feeling and also introduce our new affirmation or vision, our conscious offering to the day. We may want to decide before we go to sleep what we want to bring to the next day of our lives. It could be that we simply want to be more open to whatever comes our way. Or we may want to summon a particular quality such as confidence. Then again, we may simply call up a feeling that perfectly captures the texture we want our day to have.

We can reaffirm our vision or affirmation as we shower and eat breakfast, as well as recalling it at various times throughout the day. We can write it down and carry it with us on a little slip of paper if this helps. Simply by being aware of those first moments, we set the stage for a more conscious, enlivened experience, and we become active participants in the creation of our lives.

Side Note:
Tonight before I drift off to sleep I am going to send a message out to the universe
"Bring peace to that bellowing Quail"

CREATING JOY

Here and there, on a tag hanging from my bedside lamp,

a tiny rock with the very same proclamation,

to small scraps of fabric I have stamped these words
using a RED LEAD stamp that I just love

create JOY.

Some days my heeding this exhortation will push me
to make a little something for someone as a surprise.......

some days it will be a small time spent doing what I love to bring ME joy.

Today I claimed the words for myself

and added something to my Nest, my StUdIo wItH a bEd
that will without a doubt, bring me joy daily or rather nightly.


Above my bed I added some whimsy and faerie magic. With a branch that I gathered last year after a wind storm and saved for this very thing, some Luna Moth Lights, a teeny vine, a twig chair and a gathering of some favorite things, I fashioned a faerie headboard


SWEET COZY FAERIE FUN

FROM ME TO YOU

Because Thursday is not quite Friday...
and we all love Friday
(those of us who are paid for what we do Monday through Friday)
And for everyone who is home and not paid...working just as hard

Here is a gift.

I loved the look of these and they are copyright free.

My last image gift was received so well I thought it might be fun to
make a weekly event of it.

Until I run out of images, that is.

Enjoy

FAERIE SLIPPER PROJECT FINISHED

I thought I would have to wait until the 19th
to share the slipper project
in it's finished state,
but it turns out we are sharing the photos in the Gallery of Projects
on Paper Whimsy before the swap out
Once I posted there, I thought it was time to share them here.

We each decided 'who' our slippers were for.
Since I was totally
engrossed in my Marie Antoinette Theater project

and

surrounded by pinks and blues and frou frou,

it was determined quite easily that the faerie I
would be fashioning slippers for would be
the Queen Faerie of Versailles.

Callia

who lived happily in the gardens of Marie Antoinette
stealing snippets of lace and lost royal gems
Sleeping on a bed of moss under the thick bed of ivy.

The slipper box was painted, gilded, and fitted with flowering vine
Silk fabric, ribbon, glitter and bobs and bits are tied to the side of the
case in a metal eyelet that was gilded and set into the casing.

A piece of favorite, hoarded paper was adhered to the back
along with a glassine envelope
that holds a painted up and stamped tag
tied with silk
Queen Fae Callia adorns the front of the envelope...
...a Paper Whimsy image
with crown and
wings attached.

This was an amazing project
and I truly loved every minute of it.

On the 20th I will find
out who is to receive my creation and off it will go wrapped and beribboned

JOY OF DISCOVERY

So you finish the fabulous raspberry jam
and you love the jar

and cannot bring yourself to throw it away.

From the dishwasher it goes into the nest
and sits on the table

next to the bits

and baubles

you've collected like a magpie......

and in the middle of another project

you look at that lovely jelly jar
(of course, because you have AADD - Adult- Art -Distraction -Disorder)

and
decide that one of your little Paper Whimsy girls
(Image sheet 017)

that sprouted wings
some time ago,

needs a home.

Out come some snippets of silk you dyed
over the winter...

and pearls...

and stars...

and glitter...

Oh My!!

Rub on letters,

gauze,

silk ribbon,

and a glittered up white rose.......................

And your little faerie now has a fashionable place to reside.

I wrapped her all up and added it to the birthday girl's gift bag.


Yes I did.

She is finished..........


and not a moment to spare
since the sister birthday dinner will now be tomorrow night.

Considering I left her pretty much blonde
I am surprised I am rather fond of her

So, after work off I went in search of a frame.
I already had the mat and wanted to find
a frame with a feminine flair to it

Eureka!!

You cannot see that the crackle portion of the frame is a slight lavender pinkish hue.

It's perfect!!!

All wrapped up now and in a very che che gift bag.........it is ready.

It's a good thing Sis doesn't blog, eh? The surprise would be out the window.

WHAT BECOME OF THE TEENY LITTLE DRAWING DONE SEVERAL DAYS AGO
AT THE DESK

Remember the little drawing? Well, I added some color and decided it would make a great
birthday card for my sister. She will think it's art heaven getting this AND the piece made as her present. That's the fun thing when the sister thinks everything you do is wonderful. What I will put inside a very fun text messaging exchange that ocurred yesterday. (to fill you in first, she has several birdhouses in her darling little back yard that feels like a secret garden.

It went like this:

Sis = " There is a bird looking at one of my rental properties"
Me = "Make sure you do a background check"
Sis = "No sale, I think it lacks curb appeal."
Me = "Evidently flighty"
Sis = "We watch too much HGTV"

P.S. I have many nicknames........sis calls me Beaner. Long story.