Sneak Peek

It's almost show time and I'm putting the final touches on things. Once the name plates are printed and the wire to hang them is on the back, they are going to get wrapped up and delivered tomorrow afternoon. 

Here's a quick glimpse at some of the other pieces that will be unveiled at the opening tomorrow night. This top piece, was a ton of fun to make. It was made through pure intuition and play with lots of color and metal wings. Who doesn't love metal wings, right?! 

And this one, with it's Greek, summer flair, is sure to take the chill out of the winter air - or at least that's what I hope. 

Wish me luck, or to break a leg [but not really], or well, you know what I mean. 

Art in the Making

It was a cold weekend here in New York. A perfect weekend for staying inside and making art. With multiple pieces in works for my opening this Friday night, my studio exploded into the kitchen and onto the island and the table. If the surface was free, it was mine for the taking. 

It was at times beautiful and times a bit chaotic feeling with the multiple themes I was playing around with. Not how my kitchen typically looks and feels. It was in direct conflict with my day-to-day Type A personality, but my inner artist was totally fine. 

I played around a lot with paper and fabric, which are my go-to elements, but I also tried working with wood and metal, which I also really enjoyed. Much more than I would have anticipated. 

In the end, I was able to complete three, almost four, new pieces over the course of a few days. That my friends, is what I call an art marathon. It has left my mind much more full of ideas than I expected. Not at all as drained on ideas as I would have thought. Go figure. 

The rest of the week I'll be finishing up my big piece and working on one more little one for an upcoming class. Stay tuned for more pictures later in the week. 

In addition, a new project will get kicked off this week. A book. My first. For years and years, I have been wanting to write a book, particularly a children's book. This year, I wrote about it in my 2013 plan and here it is already. It will be a gift and a self-published book, but nonetheless exciting. 

Friday's Quote

As I prepare for my first gallery opening, I've been bouncing back and forth between ecstatic and a wee bit nervous. In the past I would make mixed media pieces at my leisure without a looming deadline. Now with an opening in one week's time, the pressure is on.  

As I create and build these pieces, I'm reminded of this wise quote from Eileen Caddy "Cease trying to work everything out with your minds. It will get you nowhere. Live by intuition and inspiration and let your whole life be revelation." 

With that in mind, I'm letting intuition and inspiration take over this weekend to see me through. 

Special Mail

I remember as a child how special it was to receive mail. Something just for me. A letter, a card, or a small package perhaps. Whatever it was, it was a big deal, especially since it was never a bill or a pile of junk mail to sort through.  It was sent with love and picked out especially for me. 

And yet as I write this, there is mail in the mail box that I could care less about. It could sit there all week [although my husband would never let that happen] before I care to even look.  

This is precisely the reason I love, love, love sending personalized, fun mail that will bring a smile to the recipient, if even for a moment. This card was sent to my childhood friend with lots of wishes for her birthday and the year to come. I hope she had just as much fun opening it as I did making it. 

Rest

It was a busy, full weekend between errands, visiting with family and seeing old work friends. In between, I spent some extra time resting and relaxing in an effort to prevent going into a state of mental overload and to try to quiet this headache that has camped out in my head. 

In between naps and cuddling with Jax, I was able to watch a few season one episodes of Downton Abbey. A pure indulgence for me. I'd like to re-watch season one and two, before moving onto season three. 

Don't you just love how this little guy is keeping watch? No matter what I do, he is always interested and happy to be by my side. 

Toadstool Fun

It's cold and dark outside and all I want to do is play! Forget work, laundry, errands and all that other jazz....I'd love to be frolicking in a field of flowers in the warm afternoon sun. In five or so months, maybe I'll be doing just that. 

Until then, I'm playing inside, dreaming on the whimsical side, with this champagne cork from New Year's. Every so often, I come across a toadstool, sometimes felted, sometimes sewn, and each time I want to make one of my very own. So I guess you could say, it's been on my artsy bucket list. 

The top part of the cork I painted with a couple coats of bright pink paint [no red paint to be found - well no patience to look for any extended period of time] and then dotted it with a pearly white paint. Once dry, the bottom half was wrapped in lace and fabric, using the handy dandy hot glue gun and...tada...my very own toadstool. 

Any minute I'm expecting little fairies to come along and play besides it. Well, not really, but you know what I mean.

Worn Doors

Saturday morning was spent on the hunt for old, large doors for a project we're working on. All the doors were way too small at the local architectural warehouse, but there was still plenty of fun odds and ends to look at throughout including....

....multiple bins of door handles.....

...this kitchen hutch....

...a fully functioning yellow phone....

....an Acorn stove [just love the name alone]....

...shelves of glass....

...and a beautiful old letterpress shop used by local artists. And the hunt continues. 

Friday's Quote

It's a sad, somber day with the news of a dear former colleague passing away, way too soon. She was highly respected, liked and loved by so many for her sweet nature and beautiful smile with never a bad word about anyone. 

She embodied this quote, "By choosing your thoughts, and by selecting which emotional currents you will release and which you will reinforce, you determine the quality of your light. You determine the effects that you have on others and the nature of the experiences of your life." Gary Zukav - Seat of the Soul

The quality of her light and the effect it had on others will never be forgotten. 

Mug of Love

Have you seen this project all over Pinterest?  I think I may have liked and repinned multiple versions of this project, before I decided to get off Pinterest and give it a whirl. 

All you need is a blank white porcelain mug, a sharpie and an oven. The local dollar store had plenty of white mugs to choose from. I would advise buying a couple extra in case they don't quite come out the way you're hoping they will the first go around. Drawing on a mug is all fun and games until the marker slides right off the edge of the mug. 

Drawing on the inside of the mug was the hardest part. All of a sudden I had old lady hands, that were shakin' up a storm - lots of self imposed pressure to not screw up my one dollar mug [I had no extras]. 

In the end, I made a his and hers duo, which will make a great Valentine's Day gift [as long as he doesn't read this post]. I love tea [yep, true stuff] and he loves cocoa and me, his Coco. How oooey, gooey lovey dovey is that?!

Once the drawing is complete, pop it in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and you have a non-smearing , microwaveable and dishwasher safe, piece of fine quality art. 

Decorations

Can you stand just one more holiday post from me? I pinkie swear that I have taken down all the holiday decorations in the house and that this is the very last of my holiday talk. There's an ornament class I'll be teaching this fall, and in my over preparation for it, I thought it would be best to make a few ornaments now, while still in the spirit with snow on the ground. 

This old spoon turned out to be my home run favorite. Loving the non-traditional colors, the use of lace as the hook to hang it by, scrap pieces of paper for the tree and of course glitter. The girl is easily swayed with a little sparkle, but I'm sure you know that by now. 

This little lady was from a set of six vintage ornaments found at a local antique shop. She sits on top of a former cardboard ribbon spool. The base has a couple of different types of ribbon and the top is reinforced with cardboard and music sheet paper.

The face on this little one makes me smile. The ornament would be perfect for a new baby or small child in the family. Old and new ephemera, bakers twine, a wooden spool and one  little pearl were the perfect ingredients for this ornament. 

The options are endless really and if time allowed, a few more would have been made, but I'll save that for another afternoon and unless its the holidays, you have my Girl Scouts promise I won't be posting pictures. 

In fact, I'm off to finish making a Valentine's Day treat that I'll share later in the week. 

Friday's Quote

"If your body were a temple, wouldn't you give it the best food, water and spiritual nourishment. " Author Unknown. 

When put like this, it's hard to argue that our bodies are precious and in need of a multitude of good things to keep us feeling well and moving towards all that we dream of doing [not to mention all the things that simply need to just get done]. 

And yet, doing these things for ourselves can be a challenge given the high speeds at which we move through our days. There are days when I feel like my body simply cannot keep up with all the great,wonderful ideas swirly around up there in my head. Sometimes it due to a lack of time and others because the energy is not there. 

In the coming days, weeks and months, a conscious effort will be made to treat my body as the temple it deserves to be. 

2013

Happy New Year lovelies! How was your celebration lats night? Do you have goals and new things you're going to be ushering into your life? If you don't, boy, do I have the tool for you. Susannah Conway's Unravelling the Year Ahead. A few nights ago I spent the night cuddled up on the couch with her workbook that helped me pinpoint exactly what it is in 2013 I plan do and how I plan to do it. Get ready to plan BIG! There is no small thinking allowed. 

There were two things I absolutely loved about the workbook. The first was looking at where I've been and what I need to let go from the previous year. The second part I loved, pinpointing in one word the essence of all that I dream of in the here and now. Mine word is....are you ready?...........

Nourish.

Nourish in the traditional sense and on a much deeper level too. Last year had lots of highs and wonderful memories that I cherish, but it was also a year wrought with illness from being in the hospital to having shingles. It's time I learned how to more properly nourish my body, but I'm not stopping there. My goal is to glow from the inside out with health and happiness that comes from a place of 'richness' you can only attain through experiences and achievements that feed the spirit. 

This nourished, rich year includes, but is not limited to: 

: Working with a health coach 

: Chickens and a coop [in my very own backyard] 

: Visiting the elephants 

: Teaching, sharing and creating 

: Being calm and in the moment

: Finding my tribe, locally and beyond 

: Learning to embroider  

: Building strength 

Celebrate all that you're planning, dreaming and scheming towards. It's going to be a year to remember.