end of the break

it is the end of spring break and i still have this obnoxious head cold and all i want to do is lay down. i still managed to plow my way through it and get lots of new things made with lots of ideas for more making.  tonight i added 6 new things to my shop!

remember those watercolor banners that i started and then became overwhelmed by?  i was given the good advice to start with mock-up so i could get a feel for what i was doing. that idea turned into making mini banners. i got three finished and cannot wait to make more and more.

here they are. click the image to see details in my shop.

i also finished two medallion pieces. i know i said i would make five but the little mini baners started to take over my life.  once again, click image for details in my shop.

and, because i sold one of these garlands this week, i made a new one to fill it's place in the shop.

i hope you aren't looking at these pics and shaking your head at me. seeing them all together like this makes me realize that the last two and a half hours of editing was apparently all in vain because the pics are either way too red or way too blue. i swear i thought i was getting better!

i'll fix it when my head isn't pounding.

i've been obsessed with this trailer and the song in it. it's all i've been singing this whole week.  i want to watch the movie but i'm not ready for how crazy sad it's going to be. in the meantime i'll just keep singing.




thank you for looking in on me. xoxo

Fever Dreams

This productive work week has so far been a slight fail.  I am at least blogging regularly and am working in my studio but it is still at the snailiest of all snail's paces. 

 I finished this today. I don't know what to make of it. I kind of love it and I kind of things it's so weird.  

What is weirder is cutting off these animal heads and mounting them on an xacto knife while I cover them in glitter. It's kind of like a big fever dream. I have been under the weather since Monday so that may be why I am moving slowly.  Spring is making it's way back and it's bringing sinus pressure with it but I promise I will not complain. I am so happy to hear the birds chirping again and to see the sun staying longer and longer each day.

 I am working on more medallions and hope to actually finish at least five before the week is done. I think I am really just procrastinating making those banners that I mentioned the other day.  I keep staring at them from across the room and am hoping the perfect idea for them will strike very soon. I am still watching Friends on loop so maybe I should do portraits of each of the actors on them. Friends is still cool, right?

My studio is a total wreck but what else is new? I feel like stopping and cleaning it would just mean more procrastination so I'm going to power through the mess.

Are you on Spring Break? If so, are you booze cruisin' or having a staycation?  Send me postcards!

Hot Cakes

The other day Bryanne came over and we made cakes.  We don't get to hang out nearly enough but when we do we always put our time to good use and work on something creative. 

I have been wanting to make cakes lately really badly. I blame pinterest and all the gorgeous cakes that are circling the 'net.  I thought it was going to be so easy and we were going to make the most beautiful cakes and I was already dreaming about having my own business and making cakes for everyone in town.  

After buying lots of cheap supplies we set to work with very little clue on what we were doing. It seemed like it would be intuitive.  Turns out cake making is really really hard...

The cake above is my first attempt and the cake below is Bryanne's.  Not exactly what I was expecting!  I started out very timid because I wanted it to be perfect. Once I realized that perfection wasn't going to happen I was finally able to go wild.  

I admired Bryanne's fearlessness because she dove in headfirst.  

Bryanne set up a "photo booth" so we could document our cakes.  As we worked we laughed and laughed at how badslashbeautiful the cakes were. They weren't perfect gorgeous cakes but I couldn't help but fall in love with each one.

After we used every last scrap of cake and icing we could find we wanted to take glamour shots of our cakes all together.  Setting up the table for this was just as fun as making the cakes.  

As I mentioned in my last post I have been so afraid of making mistakes with my work but I wasn't afraid with these cakes.  I feel like I learned a good lesson.  I  am already planning my next cake baking session and dreaming of the many candies and colors I will use. And maybe I'll make a triple layer cake that doesn't lean. Or maybe I won't and I'll love it anyway.

Making Stuff

Since the time change it feels like the days are zooming by faster than I'd like. I am on "spring break" this week and I am trying to settle in to my old routine of being a stay-at-home bunny mom.  I rearranged my house and ate cold pizza for breakfast. So far so good.

A few weeks ago I made this skateboard art for a local skateboard art show. It is my favorite thing I have made in a long time.  

Now during my work hiatus I am trying to work on some wall hangings that are inspired by the skateboard. I have been moving at a snail's pace on this because I second guess everything.  And my studio is freezing cold.  And I could come up with a million more excuses if you've got some time...

I am just being a scaredy cat. I don't know why I get so afraid of failing.  I didn't let myself worry when I made the skateboard piece so why is this holding me back?

So I am trying to loosen up and work on these little paper ornaments before I go back to the banners.

And I am working on not taking things too seriously. I am so uptight for someone who uses hot pink and turquoise in my work.

What do you do when you're afraid of art making? 

Craft Date

Recently I had a very fun craft date with a little creative cutie-pie named Lorelei. Her mom, Courtney, is a friend of mine that I have mentioned many times here.  She has two darling girls but her youngest, Phoebe, is under the age of one so it was just Lorelei and I.  She is a smarty who can spell her own name and chose sausages and grapes as her favorite foods. I may have also encouraged her to choose pizza as well. ( :

 I have been interested in doing classes with kids for a while now but wasn't sure exactly how to go about it. As I have very little experience working with children in this arena I have been a bit overwhelmed and intimidated by the notion of trying to put together a class.  Courtney has been so kind to let me work with Lorelei as I learn about what works  and what I should expect.

This project worked so well because it was fairly minimal work but there were several different steps so boredom wouldn't set in too early.  I gave Lorelei prompts and let her draw different things on the doilies.  As she is still in the "scribble phase" of toddlerhood I tried to focus on building up color instead of drawing representational objects.

Next we decorated each doily with glitter or other objects I brought along like tissue paper flowers and feathers. She is so tuned in with colors so it was fun to pick colors to represent her family.

Lorelei was so into it all which made it even more fun!  When we spilled out some beads on the floor she said "We need to take a picture of this!"  I loved how much she loved things.

 When we were all finished creating we strung the doilies on some string with beads in between each piece.  Lorelei wanted to place it over a painting she previously did so up on the wall it went while she smiled the cutest smile ever in front of it.

I loved this project and am excited to try it again with a larger group of kids.  It can be very simple or it can be more involved which is nice. What I learned was that I can't be a control freak when working with kids.  The control freak in me wants to make everything be beautiful and perfect but I have to realize that beautiful and perfect means a million billion things. I think the finished results of Lorelei's garland are more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.

I can't wait to work with her again.  I am also feeling confident about putting together my own class.  

Do you have any advice for working with kids and making art projects?  I'd love to hear.

Imagine

I had a great day today but I ate too many sweets.  I totally forgot that I was going to stop.  Why does my job have to have donuts on Mondays?? It gets me every time.

I am trying to remember what summer feels like.  I was making these little feathers in my studio and thought about this red and yellow color scheme and how looking at these colors on a super hot summer day would make me even sweatier.  

I miss sitting outside. I miss working outside. I want one of those summer nights where it's just cool enough for a light hoodie and I'm sitting on my adirondack chair sipping a glass of wine and listening to college students in the distance drunkenly making their way to parties.  I want to watch lightning bugs and try to grab at them when they get too close.  I love when there is heat lightning in the sky or you hear the distant rumblings of a storm making it's way in.  I want warm summer mornings where you can sit outside in a tank top and drink coffee at 6:00 am because the sun is already up.  I want to swim in the sunshine.

But it's February 3 and those days are a ways a way.  Maybe we'll get lucky and Spring will come early and the sun will stay out longer sooner.

In the meantime I'm going to keep taking shelter in my studio.  Maybe I'll paint a sunshiney mural on the wall.

How are you surviving the winter? If you are reading this while in Australia I hope you know I'm so jealous of you and I really like your dress, it's really pretty.

Since Last Week

Hi. I managed to survive my back-to-work jitters last week. It helped seeing on facebook that so many other people were experiencing the same kinds of feelings.  Of course as soon as Friday came I was back in my space making stuff.  I am also watching Friends on loop lately because something about that show is so comforting.  I did watch a super great movie last week, Frances Ha.  It reminded me of me and my friends so much.  We are all slowly growing up and it's a hard thing to adapt to.  If you haven't seen it check it out. It just may be right up your alley.

My rabbit is killing me with cuteness. Which is a weird way to die.

I don't want to sound braggy but I am really catching on to the ukelele.  I love this instrument so much. I still sound like a little kid at their first recital but I'm okay with that.  So far the only song I have been playing is Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah."  It's such a melancholy song but I keep playing it very upbeat.  I wonder if I can turn all rap songs into ballady ukelele songs. That could be what I'm known for!

 

Do you know that I have blond hair now? I do I do.

Saturday I was so grumpy and for no real reason.  I also felt kind of lazy and run down so I did a lot of couch sitting and TV watching. I think the inactivity was making me even grumpier but I did keep my hands busy by making these pom poms.

And then today I finished them up and listed them in my shop! Not so grumpy any more! Just kidding, I'm still a little grumpy. I don't know why!

You can click on the pictures for details and to see what's happening in my shop. I've been sprucing it up as much as possible. I even dusted. Just kidding. I actually vacuumed.

By now you probably know about Phillip Seymour Hoffman passing away. I am truly torn up over this.  We just watched a movie two nights ago with him in it and were talking about what a terrific and prolific actor he was. I was honestly surprised to see that he has only been in about 60 movies because it seems like he has been in every movie I have ever seen.  Some people think it's silly when people get upset about the passing of a celebrity but I don't think thats fair.  Their craft allows you to make emotional connections to them and even though you do not know them personally you may still feel like they are a small part of your life.  PSH was definitely a favorite of mine and I always rooted for him.  I hope if you feel the same way that you are finding some sort of peace in all this.  Addiction is a horrific thing that affects more than just the addicted.  I hate it.

On a lighter note.... I don't hate this swan planter given to me by one of my favorite people.

Have a nice night. If you are reading this tomorrow I hope your day is perfect and that you found some money you forgot about in your pocket!