one more for the diary project

I am happy to say that Lucy accepted my first submission for the 2011 Diary Project, so I went ahead and sent her another one:

plus, if you get the chance, go grab a copy of:



it's so full of great inspiration and has terrific artists featured this month ... like:

EB of Be ... Dream ... Play

&

Sandy of Sandy's Show n Tell

If you've never entertained the idea of an art journal, this issue could definitely plant the seed.

wishing everyone a day full of craftiness!!

A Winner Announced ... and other news ...

The Royal Palm Marina announced the Seawall Art Contest winner on this past rain filled 4th of July. Congratulations goes to Diane Davidson! Her piece really is pretty special:

Here's a detail of the cool crab (holding a beer from Zeke's - the Tiki Bar located right above this portion of the wall):



and another detail:




Also, the:

Contributions are (mostly) in. I, unfortunately, did not rise to the occasion and submit mine in time ... I did notice that Lucy still had pages that looked like they needed to be done, so updated my design with one of those dates and sent it over to her ... I don't know if the list is current or if she'll use the design, but thought I'd share this one:

I believe if you click on the above image it will take you to a larger version.

and

finally

...

must give a shout out to one super-fantastic

grrl+dog

on a fluke, I picked up the latest issue of Stuffed (been wanting a copy since the first issue, but this was the first time I actually has the chance to buy one from the newstand) ... to my happy delight, Denise and her delightful Fuzels were brilliantly featured ... methinks you ought to go check them out:

you can also find grrl @ her etsy shop HERE

Anti V-Day Contest Entry

Who's surprised to hear that I waited till the very last day to get started on my entry? Yep, me neither. I had it in my head that I wanted to do a mock Valentine ... the front would be a happy image with the words, "thanks to you" in some large scripty font and then you'd open it and there'd be the words, "I've got a serious case of" and a picture of a burning heart ... get it? a serious case of heartburn ... bahaha ... at least I crack myself up. After many wooden matches and heartshaped pieces of crumpled paper, all I could get were these:

Not exactly what I was going for ... phooey.

So

with an hour to go (seriously close ... it's 11:49 as I type) I broke out some Bristol Board and a favorite black pen and some red ink ... the camera and some brightness manipulation (it's late and the light bites) ... here's my entry, "Restricted":

... phew! just by the skin of my teeth.

I'm up against some seriously amazing artists and their awesome contributions.

Wish me luck!

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~

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. :)

What's in a Name?

I love letters. I could freehand personalized monograms for hours and hours on end. There is something about letters that my brain (and hand) finds so soothing. I'm sure that it has a lot to do with letters being symbols (yep, I love, love, love symbols & patterns - especially repetative patters and symetrical symbols) and that you can change the expression of the symbol by shifting the script/style of the letter. "M" has always been a great letter for me ... first letter of my first name, the month I was born, and the following fantabulous words ... mama, mother, magic, mystery, muse, music, moon, mist, myth, mirth, move, maze, maize (hehe, I like corn-knee stuff), mitten, mouse, mastery, maiden, moth, monolithic, mercurial, Matisse, Monet, Moore, marigold, mandolin, magnolia, macrame, malochite (sigh), macadamia (yum), mud, Mabel ... uh, I could go on and on, but I will refrain ... all this leads into a thank you to Monica for her fun post "Celebrate your name by throwing it a party" ...

... You see, I haven't been making anything for the last few days. Typical - I tend to feast or famine. It's not that I don't want to make/draw/paint/create anything, it's just that I'm ... dry. The feeble attempts have been just that - pretty feeble. I'm not good with that. Not good with trying to force something ... it's like, when I hold a pen in hand my strokes aren't just flowing, but stagnant or strained. It feels cramped ... that doesn't quite capture it, but I am at a loss for a better word ... so, I've been spending a few days checking out other peoples blogs which leads me back to Monica and that fun post ...

I decided to check out the meaning of my name .... drumroll, please

Michelle

ORIGIN: Hebrew
MEANING: Who resembles God

The French feminine form of Michael that debuted on the popularity chart in 1938 and has been listed among the top 100 since 1954. The name spent nine years at No. 5 after the release of the famed 1965 Beatles' song "Michelle" known for its bilingual lyrics.

I have been known to tell people that I was named after above mentioned Beatles song (I have always, always liked the Beatles, thank you ... plus, how can you not like hearing your name and then, "I love you, I love you, I love you ..."?) ... alas, this is not really true. My brother's first girlfriend was a pretty little strawberry blond with a serious lisp (they were 5) and her name was Michelle. My mom said she just liked the name ... want the better part of the story? My middle name is Dawn ... I have no issues there - daybreak is pretty spectacular - but, get this ... Dawn was the name of the bassett hound that lived next door ... such is life, eh? :)

Just the same, I don't think I'd trade it ... even for all the Sharpies in all the lands.