Category: art and life

Moshi Doll In Flight

Moshi Doll In FlightI was searching for something clever to say, other than “Hey, look at the Moshi Doll I made in Leighanna Light‘s workshop a couple of weeks ago!” But I don’t have anything really thought-provoking. I’m so pleased with the way she came out, though. And, as I found last time I took a class from Leighanna, she really helped me stretch myself during the creation process. I’m still in the process of finishing the other things I made in Leighanna’s classes and I love them all.

So, the big exciting news is that Tim and I spent all of Thursday night and part of Friday moving around furniture in my studio/office and I’ve been reorganizing. I’m rethinking how I work, how I used my supplies, and I’m trying to use what I have, both for keeping organized and for creating new pieces. When I’m ready for photos, I’ll put them up. I did sort through my rubber stamps and found a bunch that I don’t use much anymore, so I thought I’d put them on my shop. Come on, you know you need them!

Second bit of exciting news: I set up a Zazzle shop! As time goes on, I’ll add some items with my artwork on them. For now, I just have some basic t-shirts with silly things that randomly came out of my mouth in the past. Check it out!

a little bit of art on sale now!

I’m still catching up from my trip back east. My dad died, after a couple of weeks in the ICU, ultimately from aggressive pulmonary fibrosis. It’s been a really rough time, as some of you know my grandmother died in December, and I’ve been struggling with infertility issues. There also have been an inordinate number of losses for my family and friends, seemingly all at once, and I am overwrought with hopelessness and despair most of the time. I don’t normally talk about this kind of stuff here, preferring to focus this blog on artwork, but I think that, as I focus on my artwork and therapy in the coming weeks, all of that pain and struggle is going to show up. I thought it was only fair to warn you! 😉

There hasn’t been much time for anything lately, but I did manage to completely finish my online store. If you haven’t checked it out and might be in the market for some handmade gifts or goodies for yourself, please do check it out. Free shipping on all orders over $10! I’m also taking 10% off all orders now through Pi Day (that’s March 14 for you non-geeks)…just use the coupon code grandopen.

Speak For Yourself Tags (4 pack) Speak For Yourself Tags (5 pack)

wow! time sure flies when you’re having fun!

…although I wouldn’t call work and worrying about my dad’s health fun, necessarily.

This is a quick note, since I’m a bit late for my self-imposed Thursday blog update. I ordered more color mists from Outside The Margins and I believe Tim is picking them up from my PO box today, so I’m looking forward to getting out some of my aggression tomorrow with those. Also, Kelly Kilmer, evil enabler that she is, posted about jetpens.com on her blog a few days ago, thus causing me to place a large (for me) order of pens I don’t really need, but that I need. If you know what I mean.

This past weekend, I managed to do some backgrounds. They’re big, and made mostly of scraps lying around the studio, and I intend to cut them up to make Valentine’s Day cards. We’ll see how that goes. My dad has been in the ICU in upstate New York for almost two weeks now and things aren’t looking good, so it’s distracting me from everything else I need to do in my daily life. I hope to catch up on work tomorrow so I can spend at least an hour doing some art.

And that’s all I got for today. Maybe Thursday’s update will be inspiring!

reflections on birthday #41

Last weekend, I made this canvas. I was shooting for a turquoise theme, however, I had gotten confused between Somerset Studio’s and Stamper’s Sampler’s challenges. I realized afterwards that, while I did stamp on this canvas, it’s not really Stamper’s Sampler material. So it’s just for me for now. I had intended that in 2008 I would enter more magazine challenges, but the fact of the matter is that I just want to do art for me. Or for a patron. Sending artwork into a magazine that could credit me incorrectly and not pay me for my effort isn’t worth my time anymore. Life is short and I don’t really need the “approval” of Stampington or any other publication in order to value myself and my art.

Thursday is my self-appointed blog update day, but since yesterday was my birthday (I turned 41), and the day got so crazy with FUN, it never happened. First things first, I want to reflect on what a great day it was. Generally, I find that my birthday can get busy with phone calls and messages, especially since I work from home. Not that I’m complaining, of course. Everyone in my family feels the need to sing “Happy Birthday” to everyone on every birthday, too, so it’s hilarious. I spent a lot of the day laughing. I know, it’s shocking, isn’t it? I know my friends who know me and my state of late will find that very shocking!

Those who know me know that my life has been hard lately: Great disappointments, sad events, big health scares and broken friendships. In other words: LIFE. I do know things could be worse and I do know that God would never give me more than I can handle, but there have been times in the past 18 months where I didn’t think I could handle any of it.

But yesterday…yesterday was such a great day that I remembered the young, happy, optimistic Tracey and I even FELT like her, which was unusual and rare. All of the calls and cards and IMs and texts and emails and gifts reminded me that in spite of the bad stuff, I am so loved. And I am so blessed to have so many amazing people in my life. Even if a lot of them live inside my computer!

So, I’m working really hard on keeping that in my head and my heart. Today was a good day, especially because the cards are still pouring in. Crazy!! It’s also encouraged me to do more RAKs and other random notes/cards/art/communication for my friends and family, and not just my arty friends. How awesome does it feel when you know that so-and-so spent a few minutes picking out the perfect card to let you know you’re loved? My friend Shanna in Georgia sent me this amazing fruit bouquet yesterday and it really made me feel amazingly happy and loved. There was fruit and chocolate! WOW…Life can’t get any better right now.

what’s in the cards for 2008?

Here are my project plans for this year.

Project 1: Finish all of my unfinished projects.

Project 2: Andrea and I are going to do a super special secret one-on-one journaling project in the new year. So that’s a big one.

Project 3: I want to make more books. I have been experimenting with using junk mail envelopes to make little books. I have one almost done and then I’m going to make more. I think that they’d make great birthday cards for special folks.

Project 4: I remember seeing a book project where the artist used a styrofoam pear for the covers. I still have the pears and I want to try that.

Project 5: I’m considering buying a sewing machine and a bind-it-all thingie with my Christmas money. I’ll have to learn to use them. That’s a project.

There are more, of course. Some of them rely on my unjamming my coil binder and/or buying a Bind-It-All. Some of them rely on my re-learning to crochet when mom sends me my grandmother’s crochet hooks. Some of them rely on the weather getting warmer so I can do things in the garage and outside. All of them require getting over my fear of failure. Wish me luck!

Today I’m working in my new journal for this year, as well as in Karen’s calendar journal for our round robin.

crazy things artists do

The day before yesterday, I was in a car accident. We won’t talk about that in detail. But here’s where we make lemonade: My automobile is being totaled. Yesterday Tim and I went over to the mechanic’s and got out all of our personal items. I also found some bulbs and pieces of metal and grabbed the CD magazine out of the smashed CD changer in the back. I’m taking a class tomorrow with Leighanna Light at The Artists’ Nook and it’s entitled “Reliquary of Inspiration”. I was originally going to do a shrine for my former dog, Zuni, but decided it would be more timely to do one for my beloved 1992 Ford Explorer, which is about to be laid to rest.

So today, I called my mechanic and asked him to pull off the rear view mirror and save it for me because I’m going to make art with it. He was amused, but I’m sure he thinks I’m a wacko.

And I’m ok with that!

art in my sleep

Last night, after I finished reading Alphabetica by Lynne Perrella, I put it under my pillow in hopes that some of the techniques and good ideas would seep into my brain while I slept. Instead, I dreamed about visiting stamp stores with my sister. The stores don’t exist in real life, and they weren’t very good stores, but I managed to find something to buy in each one!