OH, I AM STILL HERE................

The vacation does not start until Sunday
when I head to Art Unraveled

I am just so disorganized with the little time I have after work

that I had to start last week to prepare to go.

And, of course, there is the problem of

ArtAttentionDistractionDisorder.

Below is a prime example.

I have a plastic shoe box container
filled with the buttons and wings and face marbles
of partially assembled Button Faeries

and I keep passing it

every day

and I cannot stand that I have not
finished another one since the first few.

So, in true AADD fashion,

I picked up one of the unfinished Button Faeries
and finished her.

And .........that means taking photos to share.........

and that means that I come to the computer......

and that leads to blog journeys.........

sigh

the white rectangle above right of her eye is a reflection of the window shutters behind me..........
perhaps she is dreaming of soaring out that window

And I was wanting to experiment with Crystal Lacquer
over a wire leaf on top of a bit of text.

Fun and easy peasey!!

AS I WAS SAYING......................

during the quiet time here at faerieluna
I was working on and off to make this paper doll.

Using one of the fab STAMPOTIQUE original stamps

#6051 'Prom Queen"
in the Jill Penney & Daniel Torrente line

I stamped her on matt board this time to experiment
since I seem to have a stack of not quite 8X10 pieces

which is what happens when you order 8x10 pieces and
the company sends you pieces that measure about 8 1/4 x10

I gave her color with water colors
then cut her out with an X-acto knife

making sure I did this after only ONE cup of coffee


the backside I painted black, then decided to lay down
some thin decoupage paper with the medium gel
and after a spritz with a sealant,
I gave her front side two coats of gel.

Using the same advanced technique
(not)
to cut the cork and give it a grooved channel,
then gave her a good amount Liquid Nails
and inserted her feet into the cork.


A layer of black gesso takes away the 'corky' look.

After purchasing several sizes of wood mounts, I had a stash
to pick the right size to

fit the classic statement

Whatever.........

another fab stamp from Stampotique
that is under Carol's line

I will get back to you about the number
but I do remember I 'arrowed' over 16 times
(I have a thing about counting.....
pages, each slice of the knife, twists of the jar lid
it's an odd thing)

I used StayzOn ink in black for the stamping
of the word

Then got the Liquid Nails out again to adhere the cork to the mount.

She sat (or stood) on my desk for a while...
her attitude filling my sTuDiO WiTh a bEd

She needed something else I felt

Then it hit me.
Just a bit of green and pink tulle fashioned
into an overskirt.

It's hard to see, but there it is.

I like it.

She STILL has attitude, so don't ask her!!

I'M STILL HERE

I have been busy with the mundane chores of a household
and preparing for an upcoming week away

but I will be back later today
with a fun and sassy
paper doll

xo Rella

IT'S MY LITTLE BIRD'S BIRTHDAY

So I made her a cake
a mini Ace of Cakes

I could ship a few states away

one that would not spoil

and one that was so small

I had to reference the size with the little dime faerie
that another artist made to show the size of her faeries

See.......that is a dime in her arms

and this little cake I fashioned from polymer clay
has a teeny, tiny, bird that need jewelers goggles to sculpt and paint

I used a white Fimo clay
three graduated layers

then I rolled out skinny clay ropes to wrap around each layer
and work with my little tools to become 'frosting embellishment'

I knew from the beginning that I wanted to use bright paints
then I glossed and protected it with clay glaze sealer.

The 'cake dish' is a teeny single serve jelly jar turned upside down.

Isn't it just a scream?!!!

Happy Birthday Little Bird
xoxoxoxoxoxox

I finally finished this little faerie and her precocious kitten.

8X10 wrap around canvas

First I adhered several pieces of art paper to the canvas
to add dimension and interest.

Followed by several layers of Golden's liquid acrylics
(applied with my brayer)
in turquoise, violet, pink, and gold

scraping a bit off here and there with my trusty art tool

discarded plastic hotel key card.

digression:
Back when Mr. J. traveled......
before the start of the cafe
and the handing over of life that appeared to be normal......
he traveled weekly.
Sometimes three different locations in one week
as the Western regional sales manager for a large corporation.

When he asked me if there was anything he could bring me........
I always replied
"YEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS...
BRING ME YOUR HOTEL KEY CARD!!!!"

Four and a half years later I still have a stash.

back to the painting

The faerie
(wondering what to do with her ankle biting kitty)
and kitten are both done in watercolor and applied after acrylic is dry.
I gave her several coats of matte sealer and then added the text.

I love the richness of this piece which doesn't convey well with the camera.

One of my very favorite pieces to date
and she is winging her way to someone very, very special.

Yikes….

did we really just say good-bye to one half of 2008?!!!

It feels like a run away train,

this life.

Looking out…

the images of my life so far.. blurred

flickr photo

..and quickly behind me

I seem to be racing to whatever is at the end of the tracks.

Does it seem unfair that when we are young

and all of life is ahead

we stand unaware of the preciousness of every day?

I confess to submitting to melancholy today

quite similar to the last days of each December.

Of wanting to hit the ‘rewind’ button

and hold my tiny children in my arms again

and smell their just washed hair

.....feel their kisses on my check

or at the very least

push ‘Pause.’

And allow each hour today to be filled and overflowing...

to shut the lights tonight feeling it was an abundant day.

I guess I would wish you all a day

aware

of the preciousness.

I smile when I think of the pieces of paper

and small notebooks filled with

one or two lines

that my children will inherit when the train ride is completed.

flickr photo

My own poetry.

...little drawings

Words from a song or a book.

Lines from a movie on film

or one made up in my head…….

Like this one jotted down so quickly in a tiny notebook

“There is melancholy in the wind and sorrow in the grass” (Charles Kuralt).

right next to the words of Herbert Hoover:

Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die.

I read these notations and try to think back to the writing

there is no notation of the date

none of the thoughts that I am certain followed the writing...

no reason behind my
wanting to remember.

Just the saving of words and thoughts

An attempt at hitting the 'Pause' button I suspect.