Bits and pieces

Well, I'm hopelessly behind reading Ya Ya posts but I am nearly done with my April card challenge. With help from Anne, Denise, and Scarlett I think my idea for the card is funny now. Then again, my sense of humor is so warped we'll see if I'm the only one laughing. : ) This has been a challenging month, so my sense of humor is not in top form. I'm planning to get my card posted by Friday. (See? It's in writing. Now I have to do it.)

Speaking of getting inspiration from that trio of talented ladies, I had a great time at the Drunkin' Bunkin' party working on fabric collage. I'm still working on my piece, which is also my first attempt at beading. So far, my "row" of beads is, well, not in a row. Not sure how the finished piece will look but it has been a fun learning experience. I thank each of them for sharing their goodies, ideas, and inspiration!



About a week or so ago, I received a pretty card from Debbie and a purple bracelet that reads "Cure CF." I haven't sent her a thank you note but I thought it was really sweet for her to share. I feel happy to wear it as a way to remember and honor sweet Jennifer.

I finished another shadow box. Look Kimberly! I used the rest of my crackle paint to refinish the frame. Thanks for sharing and letting me experiment. Now I'm wondering what I can add to regular acrylic paint to make it crackle. I'll let you know if I discover the answer.

Stormy weather

My sister's car was pummeled by her Bradford pear tree in the storms last week but I have no other damage to report for my crew. She lives about a mile from the NLR airport, which was hit pretty hard. I hope everyone else faired well during the foul weather.

pictures

Here are pictures as promised of Charlisa's domino necklaces and recent progress on my screen.

Spring

I’m really glad spring is here--and more sunshine. I’ve been playing in the garden sweeping away the last bits of fall and winter, cleaning up the canvas so Mom can paint it with pretty flowers. Since the days are getting longer, I feel I have more time to be creative both in the garden and in my studio.
Taxes and boring organizational tasks out of the way, I can focus on fun. I have painted once since working with Charlisa; I’ll post pictures of the additional work soon. Since I completed quite a bit, I’d like to push and finish one of the panels this weekend. I also need to get caught up on cards since there are a couple of birthdays I’m about to miss. I can’t quite figure out where I lose all my time. I feel rather inadequate I’m not producing more art when I have so little to show for my time. I see so many tremendous artists who have children, husbands, jobs, and other responsibilities to steal away their creative time yet they produce so many beautiful things. Is it that I’m too easily distracted or just too lazy? Spring is full of fresh growth and new beginnings so I’m hoping to inject my all projects with spring fever.

Treasures

Yesterday I received treasures in the mail--Charlisa sent me two very lovely domino necklaces strung on beaded wire. Even though I picked out the dominoes when I visited and knew Charlisa was planning to mail them, I was completely blown away by their arrival. Both necklaces were packed in a pretty, red organza bag but the real surprise was how much the beading changed the look of the dominoes. I was expecting more casual looking pieces but instead each piece is refined, delicate, and very elegant. I will post pictures soon to share the alluring alcohol-ink abstracts adorning each piece. In the meantime, you can check out Charlisa’s other creations on her new Etsy site:
Remarkably Red

Progress

Here is the progress from Friday night's painting frenzy. Thanks Charlisa for a fun, inspiring weekend!

All done

My butterfly is finished after much fretting over the wings. I finally achieved the look I wanted using tee shirt transfers on tissue paper. I coated one side with white glue to add a little stiffness and attached a wire using super glue. I then drilled holes in the butterfly's body and glued the wires supporting the wings in place. The original technique using liquid polymer came out more like the texture of a bat wing and the resulting wings were too heavy to stand up under their own weight. These are much more delicate and still a little translucent.