$1.50 pastel set

Months ago I was rummaging at one of my favorite thrift stores and found an oil pastel set that was water soluble. I had never used pastels or chalks, but have seen some wonderful art done with them. Since I do enjoy water color painting and acrylic painting, I thought this might be up my alley.
I had watercolor paper already and sketched a few things that I like to paint and gave the oil pastels a try. I loved how fast I could complete a "painting" because I didn't have to keep mixing different shades of the same color to get variation. You just apply water to blend and you remove color to obtain your shading. Awesome!
So, then I wanted more colors and went to Hobby Lobby where I had seen an inexpensive pastel set.. but it wasn't water soluble. So this piece looks less polished to me. I am still experimenting, but think the water soluble product is the way to go.
I had no more than finished these three experiments when my friend Lori, who is a talented faux painting artist called and asked me if I was interested in a small job. This picture of the airplane mural is NOT my work or Lori's.. it is in the home of one of Lori's clients and was painted in a child's room when Lori's client purchased the home. There are also two banners that had the previous child's name personalized on them. I was asked to remove the old name and replace with the name of the boy who's room this is now.
My part in this room was very small. Just the name change here on this sign and on another banner that I can't show as it has the child's full name. But I wanted to show this great mural that I spent the past two days oogling and which I helped give a new life to. I looked, but could not find a place where the artist signed or dated their work (it might have been behind the bed?) If you are doing work like this, you should sign it somewhere! Funny how long it had been since I had painted, and all of a sudden, I was doing a lot of it. I forgot how much I enjoy it.

Goodie Bag

I love this lavender floral print! This used to be a size 2 women's skirt.. the fabric drew me to it at a thrift store quite some time ago. The style (and the size) didn't work for me, but I couldn't walk away. So I bought it and it has hung in my sewing room closet waiting for me to become inspired enough to do something with it. One day last week it came up in conversation with a fellow crafter/sewer that she had been thinking of making a purse from a skirt. That was all the inspiration I needed. I have so many because they are an excellet source of fabric for a sewing project. I have an entire closet full of clothing that is waiting to be turned into a pillow, a bag, a crazy quilt. I just can't part with certain pretties, even if they are impractical - a use will be found, I know it.
Over the past three weeks I have been moving my daughter's room from our basement back to her old room (my most recent craft location) and relocating all my sewing and crafting supplies down two flights of stairs. I have lost count of how many times I have traded spots with a child, but just feel grateful at this point that I still have a spot to call my own. So, to celebrate the relocation efforts and to finally call my new room my own, I spent all afternoon sewing this sweet little purse. Prior to my celebratory sewing, I did sort and put away the towering pile of folded laundry that had lingered too long in the basket. I also sorted my closet and came up with a huge pile of rejected clothing to add to the donation pile I've been driving around in my car. The back of my Jeep look as if I might be living out of it, and many days I have considered it, but I can't plug in the sewing machine.

I love junk, I love to look at junk!

I have been making a lot of photo collages and slide shows because I love to look at my junk! I can't decide what photo to use, so I use as many as possible. I repeat some of the photos now and then, I realize, but that is because they are my favorites, like a comfortable pair of jeans. I usually feel inspired to play with my digital photos after I have rifled through a dozen or so magazines.. I can't help but want to create something pretty to look at with my own images. It is dawning on me that I need more images to choose from now!

When you can't part with it..

I'm a sucker for a clearance aisle. Last year after school started, Target had one of my favorite things on sale, composition notebooks for $0.12 each. COME ON! You know I stocked up.
And then, there they sat in a pile for the longest time. I was blogging, not journaling and if I was going to journal, one knows it wouldn't be in a plain composition notebook. Don't be ridiculous!
So this weekend I had the absolute joy of digging out all my magazine clippings and stash of left-over scrap supplies and made some pretty journals. Once I laid out the covers, I applied DIY laminating sheets, so they look smooth and glossy. Inside the covers I also put pretty scraps and fun sayings. I keep a little zip bag full of things I can't part with (torn from magazines and the like) and when I start to journal in my pretty book, I use some double sided tape to add color and pictures and words to my writing. I love recycling in this way. It makes me happy!

Have a fun and safe holiday!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Things of Comfort

I love this cow creamer. It belongs to my mother and sits on her what-not shelf (one of many).
This is a collage piece with pictures of Mom's grand kids, their hand prints and keepsakes. I gave it to her for Christmas a few years ago.
This stash of children's books has been on Mom's bookshelves since I was 5 or 6. I remember loving how small they were, how clever, how perfectly they fit inside a box that kept the collection together. The stories were silly, but the illustrations were memorable.
I love how sentimental my mother is. I never thought much about it growing up, but now I see how many things she has held onto over the years that hold such strong memories and meaning to her. She was never one to take photos or make photo albums or even consider scrapbooking, but she kept track of special times and noted special memories in her own way. Sometimes I want some comfort, and then walking by a shelf or opening a drawer, something kept with love suddenly jumps out at me and practically gives me a hug.. much more so than a photo album ever could.

Can I get a minute?

It was time to update my blog. I made a few fun changes and added a new banner. This week was about cleaning house, making decisions and letting go of things that don't work for me anymore.
I mentioned once that I stopped decorating and designing when I became debilitated by an "injury" to my foot. Well, I have had some breakthroughs and some let-downs in trying to treat the pain. I felt as though I was getting my life back a little after a successful cortisone injection, then it wore off and I had to seek out another doctor, as the doctor I was so happy with left this area for Dallas. I followed up with another doctor, another injection, but no pain relief. I just finished four weeks of physical therapy (third time around now) and minimal pain relief using iontofreesis (totally spelled that phonetically) which pulls an applied steroid deep into the tissue using a negative ionic charge. Upon my followup with the doctor and my 6th set of Xrays to evaluate the results of P.T., my doctor suggested I should get some over-the-counter gel inserts from WalMart and come back in 5 weeks. Had I only thought of that, I could have saved myself around $1800.00 and eight hours in the doctor/P.T. office. Dr. Scholl's, here I come!
That wasn't working for me.. I decided not to reschedule another appointment.
So I am back to wearing a Ten's unit and I do find some relief.. but this can't be the best I can expect! Wanted: Doctor that will listen, think outside the box, doesn't mind treating a Type 1 Diabetic and can spend more than 5.5 minutes per visit considering alternative medicines and techniques to treat pain. Anyone?? Anyone??

And what is it you do?

I get asked that question often, but mostly as a "polite conversation starter". And when forced to answer "what do you do?" I find I never have a really good answer. (I get distracted thinking about how to explain it QUICKLY..Don't you love this cloth belt and leopard buckle?)
I try to explain that to be good at what I do (be a creative consultant slash computer geek-squad for a pattern designer), I must shop, browse, surf the web, read blogs, tear pages from magazines and create like a mad woman now and then.. But I've usually lost the interest of the person questioning me by this time.
I have actually quit telling people that I work unless I think they REALLY care, or have an imagination, or at least ten minutes to kill. Because describing it just sounds like having a tea party with friends and makes some people really mad.
I have been fortunate to find a place to work in which creativity is essential, desirable, in-demand and most appreciated and ENCOURAGED. I have mentioned in the past that I have enjoyed working in a fine group of women that comprise Jackie Clark's design team. Jackie just finished publishing two new patterns which you can find on her website http://www.jackieclarkdesigns.com/ or by following the link in the title of this post and clicking "Patterns and Books". My favorite of all her patterns is one of the new ones, Midnight Breeze. I LOVE to look at it and think about what fabric I would use. Right now the team is setting up Jackie's booth for Fall market - Can't wait!
When I first began working with this wonderful team, Jackie was beginning a project book, since starting with her last year at this time, she has published two project books, two patterns, gone to Spring Market to firm up a new fabric line and is about to finish another pattern before Fall Market.
(I made a few scarves, a couple of necklaces, a scrapbook and some dinner reservations last year, but that's about it). Watching this process, being involved in it, having your opinion shape into decisions that you can watch become a reality.. and see a response to it all - EXCITING, I tell you!
So if you've never seen what Jackie does (or can't figure out what I do) visit her website. I just help with whatever is on the agenda, help with orders and computer geek stuff.. But I love watching the progression of Jackie's ideas, seeing them come to fruition over the course of several months hard work. I love hearing the response the public is having to Jackie's work.. and knowing I was part of that process. This is an exciting time for her, I am so happy to be able to participate.

Come see the Babies!

Several months ago, I announced that Jackson and Priscilla, my sister's sugar gliders had their babies. We have had the wonderful opportunity to babysit and be part of the excitement of taming and training the new babies. Barney and Petrie are their names (this week), both males, both sweet and snuggly and precious.
The parents were very young when my sister got them, but there is such a difference in the level of trust and comfort with these little babies. The adults are not comfortable being held in your hand without something to hide under (little scrap of fabric or towel). But the babies will come to you and walk onto your hand freely.
They are bigger each time I see them, they change in many ways and are amazing to me.
My nieces put them in the pockets of their shorts and walk around with the babies while they sleep snuggled in a pocket full of lint and gum wrappers. Cute, cute, cute!