Upcoming Events

Have I ever mentioned that I am the Queen of Biting-Off-More-Than-I-Can-Chew? I guess that's only a half truth as I always seem to pull things off right at the 11th hour ...

Currently on my plate:

Donna at The Cookie Sheet is having a Breast Cancer Awareness Giveaway. The Prize is a signed 8 x 10 matted and framed copy of her original illustration and rhyme "Princess Pink". Click on the Cookie Sunshine picture above for a direct link to more details - there's still time for you to participate as the drawing is not happening until November 1st. (My part is done - with the exception of crossing my fingers every now and again - but I wanted to give YOU a shot at it, too)

Kathryn our lovely Collage Diva is hosting:

A Soul Journal Halloween Blog Part this

Sunday, October 26th.

The photo above will link you to her party announcement ... but you can find additional party suggestions, ideas, etc. HERE - HERE - HERE and HERE ... her pages may take a bit to load, but be patient as they are definitely worth the wait! Hope to see you there ...

And don't forget about the:

Terisa is accepting artist contributions until November 1st. Please click on the above image for complete details.

Just in case you haven't heard ... Stephanie & Susanna are hosting:

Dia de Bloglandia on November 2nd

Visist them HERE and HERE for some serious Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) information and inspiration ... there's still time to join the party, so head on over and sign up.

Finally, I wanted to remind everyone about:

Some amazing artists are already signed up, but there are a few spaces still available. If you are interested, click the above image and leave Amber Dawn a comment.

I know that Sunday is going to be here before I know it, so I am off to finish what I've started for Kathryn's Soul Journal Halloween Blog Party.

May your day be so full of smiles that your cheeks hurt!

Another Step Closer ... plus Beachy Keen!

Somehow I missed taking pictures after getting the little charmies painted black ... ah well. Once black I felt like they were missing something ...

POLKA DOTS!

yep, that's right ... first I tried using ye ole standard tiny round paint brush, but it was rough going, so I flipped it around and used the butt of the brush ... mucho betterer. Here's a close up of the front and back:

Next step ... gloss. High gloss. I think that'll do the trick.

Next up ... photo's from Monday's treck out to the beach. I thought there would be neat things due to the recent storms & only wish I had planned tide timing better ... I thought I was going at low tide, but it seemed pretty high to me ... then again, that could be due to Ike.

--- click on the below pictures (any picture for that matter) to see a larger version ---

this crab carcass looked like it had been planted there and posed like that ... I just really like the way it's splayed and its colors against the color of the sand and shells ... take a closer look at the postion of the front claws ... what does it look like to you?

then I came across this bit of ocean vegetation ... the color of it was amazingly rich and deep. Plus, the little hitch-hiker was pretty cool, too.

The most surprising find was a handful of urchins scattered here and there. I have never seen any urchins on my beach visits, so this was a rare treat ... I couldn't help but snap a few shots and take a closer look:

and then I thought to roll it over (with a shell, of course) and discovered this little critter was still alive ... I don't know the proper thing to do when you come across a beached urchin ... are you supposed to leave them there to get eaten by birds or dried out? or put them back in the ocean? since I didn't have a naturalist handy, I did what felt right & returned him to the gulf (along with three of the four others I came across - the fourth was unquestionably lifeless, so I brought it home with me ...).

It was a gorgeous day and there weren't many people out, which is always a bonus.

What kind of fun things have you been up to?

Charm Update and Doodley Doo's

Slowly, but surely, I have been working on the charms. I have framed the glass pieces and added a loop for the jump ring. Here's a shot of them (post cooked / pre painted):

The next step will be painting the frames black. I haven't decided if I want to do them simply in black paint or a metallic black paint - I am leaning towards metallic, but think I will test a few in each color ... either way, I'm thinking that I'd like to finish them off with a coat (or two or six) of high gloss varnish ... I am really trying to take my time with these (procrastinate) since painting Sculpy has a tendency to be the bane of my existance ... I'm trying something a little different ... which has me holding my breath a bit ... fingers crossed, please. :)

In other news ... I am rarely found with just a single project going ... it had been a while since I doodled with my Sharpie, so ...

and

and may your days be full of

Wishing you a plethora of all three, ~M~

Soul Journal - Days 7, 8 & 9 ... Plus a Charmed Sneak Peek

Did you think Sadie and I had thrown in the towel on our Soul Journals? Nope, just put them on pause for a bit.

Day 7

We were instructed to journal (in small writing with a ball point pen) on two pages using the prompt, "I forgot to tell you". Once done, we covered the entire two pages in tape (Sadie and I used plain masking tape, blue painters tape and duct tape). Somehow I forgot to take a photo at the completion of Day 7 ... oh well.

Day 8

We sanded the tape to scuff the surface, put a light coat of gesso on and then painted (with a dry brush) and wiped off the paint - I used yellow and pink to make some sort of seriously Easter egg-ish washy finish. After the paint dried, we sanded the pages some more. This is how mine ended up:

oh! we also picked a flower and pressed it somewhere in the book ... hmmm ... wonder where it is.

Day 9

Time to revisit the pages started on Day 6 ... we were to add a lighter color (I actually chose three - magenta, a really light powdery blue and a glitter paint) - wiping and dabbing along the way. Once the paint was to a point that we liked, we had to grab a pen or marker and write: 8 words describing your pictures, circle one picture, draw a messy square around four, draw a dotted line around two and draw a broken "stitch" line around one. Work them till satisfied ... I started off with my handy dandy fine point Sharpie. I thought I was done when I finished the prompts ... UNTIL ... I saw the white Uniball that Sandy had sent along with the Mad Hatter Winning Package of goodness ... oh, I do believe that I am in LOVE ... ok, here's Day 9 fini:

and a close-up to boot:

... and it should also be noted that Sarah asked how many of us found and put together the word "ART" ... uh, guilty (yes, I have been known to state the obvious on occasion)

And for the Charming sneak peak

... this is where I am with the Michelle original designs/glass/Sculpy prototypes that I am working on for possible inclusion in Amber Dawn's latest Black and White Charm Swap:

Not so easy to photograph ... If they don't end up working out (or making the cut for the exchange) I know that I can easily turn them into little tiny magnets ... something about them appeals to me.

... Remember ... you can click on any image to see a larger version ...

... and all Large Itallic words (except these two) are actually links ...

Here's hoping all is well in your little universe!

Babies ... so Charming

Can't help it ... sometimes I think I'm so clever (humor me and nobody gets hurt) ... last night there was an amazing sunset. I thought I'd try to get some photo's when this little guy decided to steal the show:

With all the rain we've been having the frog mama's and the papa's have been behaving like bunnies - there are nearly a gazillion baby frogs around (most of them pretty good at hiding) ... this brave little one posed for the paparazzi. Unfortunately, I forget how humid it would be outside, so the first few shots are foggy with lens condensation ... ah well, at least this shot is a keeper. The sunset shots ... not so much.

In other news, Amber Dawn is hosting another Black & White Charm Exchange ... I was slow getting started. The first submission was weak in the creative sense, but I still think it ended up cute (but not original quality enough for the actual swap). Check it out (the photo is larger than actual size):

The ring is the small end of a closure. If you remember the charms that I did for the Think Pink Exchange, you'll recognize the inspiration ... this one is a tad boring in comparison. :)

Next I broke out one of my tiny crochet hooks (7/1.65mm) and some black #10 cotton thread and came up with (again, photo is larger than actual size):

It's sweet ... but still didn't rock my world. AD had some concerns about it possibly snagging and the durability ... I'm not so concerned about that (plus I was thinking that I could dip it in the setting agent that I used on the paper cranes and could actually shape it and be certain that it could stand up to some serious wear). I think I would like the nest idea better if I used a natural colored cotton thread with some metallic thread laced through it here and there ... not an option in a black and white challenge, eh.

Back to the drawing board ... tonight I have been playing around with another design. Materials: shrunk down Michelle originals (thanks for the suggestion AD), decorative clear glass beads (the round ones with one side flat), Sculpy and paint ... I think I might be on the right track ... I'll share photo's when good light and I are on the same schedule. If you are interested in participating in the swap, visit Amber Dawns Black and White Charm Exchange post and leave a comment to let her know that you are interested.

Hope all is well with you and yours ...

8/31 update:

I have been playing around with the glass/sculpy pieces and haven't quite got something I like. I haven't completely thrown in the towel as there are a couple of tricks up my sleeve ... will post when I'm a little happier with the outcome. In the meantime, I have been thinking knots ... I did a search for macrame owls and found a couple instruction sheets that look promising. Since I need a break from the other ones, I plan on giving it a shot tonight after dinner - fingers crossed!