playing with fabric & fiber...

I recently happened onto a new artist through connections made online. Both Judy and Joanna introduced me to fiber/mixed media artist KC Willis. Her art, online workshops, and more...
have me feverishly contemplating which of her offerings are best for me. She recently announced Studio Retreats in Colorado. hmm... could there be a road trip this summer??? 

My love of all things vintage have me wild for her use of aged fabrics, and fabric photo transfers. I love her use of small bits and pieces, and am thrilled to be able to incorporate even more of these things I love into my own art. I'm completely inspired to play and create KC Willis style, and just wanted to share this talented artist with you all. Stand warned... you can easily spend the next hour pouring over her art, workshops, Etsy site and more!

PS: the picture above is of my dear Grandma taken in the 1920's

because you asked...

I've finally put together a few kits for those of you who've asked. This is from the class I taught a few months ago at Gilding the Lily. You can find them here, if you're interested...

Happy Father's Day...

letting go...

You know how I said I'm not a jewelry designer a few weeks ago? Well, I'm not... and so last week I began letting go of some of the things I've picked up over the past couple of years. I figure if I'm not going to use this, maybe some of you can.
I love the feeling of letting this stuff go. Sometimes I get so attached to it all, and forget that it is indeed only stuff. 
And so, on that note I've also decided to let go of some of the jewelry I've made. I didn't realize how many things I really had put together!
While I love the pieces, I simply don't wear this stuff. So it to is headed into my Etsy shoppe. I have few pieces I'm keeping,
but if you're interested you can find the rest of it here. 

playing and creating...

It was love at first sight when I saw this great canvas earlier this spring, and ever since I've thought about making one myself. The project was one Heather had done in a class with Amy Hanna, the original creator of the project.

This went together easily once I felt free to use the things I love the most... things I'd long thought I'd use in jewelry... old rhinestone strands...
a vintage prayer icon, as the topper of our house... old mercury glass buttons...
vintage shell cameos. When I found the old tin type frames, at Gilding the Lily's last trunk show, I immediately saw them as windows and I was finally ready to create a canvas of my own.
It's amazing how easily things come together when you allow yourself the freedom to play... (and some great inspiration doesn't hurt either). In turn I've come up with another project I hope to finish tonight and share with you all soon! Here's wishing you the time and freedom to play, and use the things that you find beautiful!

I lied...

Last week when I said I was going to go make jewelry (or at least attempt it), I lied. Please forgive me. I've found that I really have to rally myself, when I even think about making jewelry. I love the way it looks, but apparently it's just not my thing.

I love the findings... and all of the elements... I love the look all the designers use in their jewelry designs. But I've really struggled with this art.
and so I'm giving it up. I have to say I feel a huge relief! I was talking with a friend of mine about my gathering, and collecting of this stuff only to find I'm not doing anything with it. We were at the flea market and I literally banned myself from even looking at any more of it. I don't do anything with what I've already bought!
Then we ran into another friend, she is a wonderful jewelry designer, and her's is the look I really love! After telling her how I was feeling, she told me I should use the things I collected in the art I'm most comfortable... my books.
I'd never looked at these things as pieces to add into my books, but when she said it, it made perfect sense. Tami was right! I don't need to make jewelry, I don't even wear jewelry! 

But, I do love my books. I don't know why I hadn't thought about this before, I guess that's what friends are for. Sometimes they see things we don't see. So now, I really am off to make something... I promise... I'm just not promising what it will be!

grey skies...

We've had such odd weather all day with grey skies, wind, and rain. I love it, but it feels more like January than June.

So I'm inside playing with these new pieces I picked up at Gilding the Lily's Trunk Show last Friday night. As usual Nancy had a full house, and lots of loot to go around.
I've either got to stop gathering these things, or start making something with it all! I LoVe the metal connector on the rosary, and those tiny mercury glass beads, the mother of pearl... oh, it all makes me so happy. Ok, so I'm not a jewelry designer by any stretch of the imagination, so wish me luck and I'll share the results soon.

Where have you been and where are you going?

I've always loved art and gravitated towards anything I could make with my own two hands. As a child I found happiness hand sewing the bits of fabric that fell from our dinning room table as my mother sewed above me. I was in the 6th grade in 1976, the year of the bicentennial, and I was voted by our class to paint a mural of Paul Revere's Midnight Ride on the side of one of the school buildings as a gift from our class. When my son was 5, I built him a tee pee after he found one that was finacially out of reach for us. So it's been for as long as I can remember... I've played at art and loved everything about it.

But when I discovered blogs a few years ago, a whole new world opened up to me creatively. I never imagined the impact it would have on my life as a whole. I remember reading about Silver Bella on Teresa McFayden's blog, and thinking it would be such a extravagance to even consider attending. But the following year after taking a class with Teresa when she was in California for CHA, I came home full of excitement and announced to my husband I was indeed flying to Nebraska come fall for that years event. And I did, that was 2 years ago. Since then I've been fortunate enough to attend several art retreats including Art and Soul, The Art Nest in Utah, and this August I'm thrilled to be hosting Judy Wilkenfeld in a 2 day workshop here in SoCal.

Never having had a creative goal in mind, I was happy to simply go where I wanted and play at the art I've found stimulating and fulfilling. I've been lucky to be able to take classes with those who's work I admire, and to have learned more than I ever thought I would. But last year I happened onto a blog post which spoke of naming what we want creatively. Specifically it spoke of being published and the author told of pursuing that, if it was what you wanted. I hadn't ever thought about it before then, but for some reason the idea resonated with me, and those words began to cross my mind more and more. So I made it my goal to at least try and see what would happen. Happily it's become a reality this year. First with Stampington's Marie, and now with Sew Somerset. Amanda Nolan contacted me a few months ago and asked if I'd send in a book of mine she'd recently seen on my blog. It was the book that was the basis for a class I taught last year, In the Company of Women. 

I know my creative journey is far from over, but I can't help but feel like I've come full circle. I love where I find myself creatively and I'm sure I'll be surprised by where artful blogging takes me in the future. So tell me... where have you been, and where are you going creatively? If you find yourself waning more, go for it. It's a lot closer than you might think!

Happy Memorial Day

Thanks to all of you who so selflessly serve this great country of ours. May you serve with pride, and return safely home to us all. God Bless America!

Gone Fishing...

We're home from a week of camping at Lake Nacimiento and what a great time we had. My husband has long been a member of The Long Beach Bow Hunters, and for about 25 years several families have spent the week after Mother's Day at the lake camping and of course fishing... these are manly men after all.

There were 20 of us all together ranging in age from 4 to 74, what a fun bunch! We made smores, had fish tacos, and many, many cold beverages were consumed and enjoyed!
I haven't been camping for long time, but I can tell you for sure I hope to join them each year from here on out.
It's funny how soon we forget these family fun pastimes once our own children grow up. Thanks to LBBH for reminding me how much I love this stuff... dust, dirt, icky fish and all!