2010 Diary Project

7/31 - My final versions submitted to the 2010 Diary Project:


(click on images for larger versions)

It's nearly 1:30 am, but I did it ...

... I finished my journal page for the 2010 Diary Project hosted by Fantazya ...

... drum roll, please:





In her latest update she mentioned that we could send additional pages (I think she didn't get the 365+ participents that she was hoping for). I sent her two more designs to check out ... this first one is super simple, but I like what it says (it was something that I woke up thinking):


... dream ... believe ... achieve ...





And this one:





I like this last one ... didn't notice it at the time, but there seems to be a heart (if not a sacred heart) hiding in the yin-yang design. Cool.


Thank you to everyone that took the time to comment on my last post. I can't begin to tell you how great it felt to read what everyone said and to see how many people have similar feeling.

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~

Updates & Awards Time

I was in touch with the project planner for the Diary 2009 Project in hopes to send an updated version of the first image - it occured to me that the print was going to be really small and that the grayed out area made my web address look kind of muddied ... she didn't have any problem with the updates ...

... AND ...

... she has decided to use the second design. I find myself more drawn to the second one, so was thrilled when she sent the date - February 15th. Here are the final versions of both dates:

This was a fun project to be involved in. I don't know what the cost of the books are/is going to be, but considering the number of artists that are involved, it ought to be worth whatever the price. I'm definitely hoping it's within my budget & if it is, maybe I'll just purchase the disc and print them out myself. All said and done, I'd be willing to do this again next year.

On to a different topic ...

Carmen from Writing from Life recently presented me with this:

The Arte y Pico Award is presented blogger to blogger ... in researching the origin, I visited the site (via the wonderful imperfection of its translated version as I cannont read Spanish) and came across this statement:

What is the meaning of the expression: Art and Pico And basically, ironically, it translates into a wonderful phrase in Mexico, “lo maximo.” LOL! It will never find its counterpart in English, but if it HAD to, it would be something like, Wow. The Best Art. Over the top.

Wow. I like the word ... it simply says so much. :) So, to continue paying it forward, I would like to present it to the following five blogs:

Monica - for without her (& the Pink Artists Community Doll Project) I wouldn't even be blogging ... seriously ... if you still don't believe me, check out this very first post

Vanessa - because my head is STILL spinning from her most Fanciful Mad Tea Party!

Sandy - it's all in the name ... ok, inside joke ... go visit her.

Jessi - simply for the sake that she's FINALLY opened her Etsy store and I know you've been just itching for a lil shopping spree!

Amber Dawn - if it hadn't been for her, I would never have tried a Charm Challenge or done the Diary 2009 Project, so that's definitely inspiration, dontcha think? ... ps - she stole my middle name!

If you were selected for the award, please pay it forward by following these steps:

1) Choose 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award based on creativity, design, interesting material, and overall contribution to the blogger community, regardless of the language.

2) Post the name of the author and a link to his or her blog so everyone can view it.

3) Each award-winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award.

4) The award-winner and the presenter should post the link of the "Arte y pico" blog so everyone will know the origin of this award.

5) Please post these rules!

I guess when it rains it pours ... when I logged on today, I was surprised to find that Denise at Couture de Papier has bestowed this lovely little sparkly on me:

The rules of accepting are as follows:

1) Put the logo on your blog.

2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4) Add links to those blogs on yours.

5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

Here are my 7 nominated blogs:

Donna

Marilyn

Kathryn

Marlou B

Lea

Christine

Cathie

... and on that note, I have stuff to make and a spouse that's itchin for his turn in the chair ... I'll be sure to let all my nominee's know in the next day or two.
Cheers! ~M~

Nothing Like Waiting Until The Last Minute ...

ok, not quite the last minute ... I'm about 23 hours and 35 minutes away from the very last minute ... *giggles* ... I must be tired as I can tell I'm a bit punchy. In an effort to avoid rambling for days, I'll get to the point. Remember the 2009 Diary Project that I signed up for? I posted my first design attempts on THIS post to get some feedback (I recieved such a great response and the feedback helped ... A LOT, so thank you). The format for the pages really threw me for a loop ... 1350X2400 Pixels in .jpg ... eek ... doesn't really translate to an 8.5x12 inch piece of paper very easily, but I think I figured it out (guess we'll really know when the project is complete and can hold a copy in our hands).

Anyway, here's what I just sent over:

In the last email that the project coordinator sent she mentioned that she still had pages that weren't taken. I didn't respond requesting another date, but I did go ahead and do another design ... I followed up my first email with a second one letting her know that if she was (is?) still looking for more designs and liked it, I could easily add the date ... this is the second design:

and on that note, I think it's time for bed.

Friday Fill-Ins #69

1. When I fell in love the air around me became electric and the whole world changed ... for the better!

2. My imagination goes into overdrive when the flowers bloom and it heats up outside!

3. Oh no! The internet connection is down, I just may have to slit my wrist! ... uh, no - that's not right ... I think I'll bake some bread and play games with the fam.

4. Soap was the craziest tv show ever.

5. Cheese and crackers (what else did you expect?!?) make a great meal!

6. Once upon a time I thought that when I grew up more than anything else I'd like to be a fairy that tended a beautiful garden.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to sweet dreams, tomorrow my plans include escaping from work on the early side and having friends over for a play date and Sunday, I want to get started on my 25 black and white charms for the swap!

My Charm Entries

4/24 - Woohooo! Looks like the elephant charm won out. Time to get-a-making. :)

I just emailed Amber Dawn with my two attempts for her Black and White Charm Swap - the entries are juried, so there's a definite possibility that my attempts will not be accepted. I am so totally OK with that and no matter the outcome, I am really happy that I worked on these. The first is a beaded doll. The head is a black Swarovski crystal and the rest are glass beads:

This second option took two of the ideas I originally had and morphed it into this:

As you can see, it's a reversable charm. This (being the first attempt) isn't as refined as future versions will be - I plan on much smoother coats of paint, a little finer sanding of the wooden pieces and a little more border of the silver painted edge. If you click on the pictures to see a larger view, don't be surprised by the grainy looking elephant - the photo's are much larger than actual size as this charm measures 3/4 inch x 3/4 inch. I will keep everyone posted on if either of my submissions are accepted. Wish me luck!

For the latest Art Doll update, check out the newest photo's here.

A Challenge or Two

I have been working on my submissions to the Black and White Charm Swap. I just put the first coat of gloss on one attempt - it's a small two sided wooden piece. One side is painted white and the other is black. I reduced the elephant pic and did a negative of the same image - one for each side. I painted the edge in silver (airplane paint) ... I still need to add another coat of the gloss prior to photographing it, but I am close. The other little piece is a little beaded doll that makes me grin. I should be able to take pics of both day after tomorrow and will post them after I email pics to Amber Dawn. I honestly can't say if she'll accept them and if she does which she'll pick, but I do have to admit that I am glad that I made an attempt. :)

I have another challenge facing me, too. The spouse just challenged me to complete a piece by this Sunday at 6:00 pm. He said part has to be painted, part beaded and part found object and that it should be designed to be suspended ... I am at a complete loss. The more I think about it, the more my brain hurts. lol.

I did a little more beading on the artsy doll. I'll likely take a snap of it tomorrow after work. On that note, I'm wiped out and still have dishes to finish, so Ciao Bella's! ~M~

Mandala

In case you're curious, here's a close up view of my profile pic:

I have a girlfriend in Phoenix that was redecorating her bedroom (this was actually about two years ago). She mentioned that she was looking for a print of a Mandala and I thought ... hmmm ... I can paint one! So, I did. This was the first one that I had ever attempted and I was really happy with the results ... she was too as it is still hanging on her bedroom wall.

This was one of those paintings that I really enjoyed working on. I broke out my ruler and a sharpened pencil to lay down the design - it started with the eight point star in the center and radiated out from there. I used acrylics on an 18"X18" canvas. Shortly after I finished this one, I painted another that's 12"X 12". I'm not as fond of the second as I am of the first (go figure, I still have the second hanging in the house). It's got a simpler design and the colors don't appeal to me as much ... but, I have been thinking about painting another one. I would like to revisit the first design again - or something similar to it. I just need to figure out the colors that I want to use ...

In the meantime, I have to set the art doll aside (I have done a little more beading since the last update, but it's dark and I prefer to photograph it in natural light). The more I look at it, the more it reminds me that I really don't know what I am doing. :) That's not really the reason that I am setting it aside ... I recently visited Monica's blog and saw mention of a Black and White charm swap ... I've never made a charm, so I am not sure what possessed me to add my name to the list, but I did. Now I actually have to create something - EEK! I contacted the host and let her know that I would work on something this weekend and would email pics so she can decide if they are acceptable for the swap. Since then, I have been racking my brain trying to figure out what I am going to do ... I have a few ideas:

1) I can "macrame" black and white embroidery thread (love that 100% cotton feel over rough hemp any day of the week - no offense, hemp) over wire, embelish with black and white beads and bend into a heart shape.

2) Make the charms from wood and paint - I'm thinking geometric. I kind of see a half inch square base with a quarter inch square attached (in the center and at an angle) on either side of the base ... i think just paint and no additional embellishment

3) making little frames from sculpy and printing off pictures of the elephant that I did last fall to set (and somehow seal) in the frame ... here's the elephant that I mentioned:

Considering it's Sunday night, I don't really have that much weekend left. I've got to get started. Wish me luck - I could definitely use it right about now. :)

Checker Board

Here are two more 4X4 Sharpie pieces. I remembered a time in my life when I covered most pages with random oddly shaped checker boards and decided to revisit the theme. They tend to be fairly simple to design and don't require a lot of brain cells (in regards to coloring them in).

lines, lines, lines

For as long as I have been able to hold a pen, I have loved lines ... straight, curved, crooked, hatched, circles, graph-like & patterns! Lately I have been on a Sharpie line-fest. Here are the latest creations:

OK, so now that I have this many (and it doesn't look like I'll be stopping anytime soon) ... what, exactly, am I supposed to do with all these little squares? ... the one that is 4X6 is being sent off in a birthday package for a friend, but the rest are just sitting in a zip lock baggie with a bunch of blank 4X4 squares.