AEDM #9

Just a little sketch.

AEDM #10

Prints! I (finally) cleaned up my desk enough to bring out the printing ink.

I have a good supply of handmade recycled paper remaining from our wedding invitation preparation; the pink paper in particular had been waiting for a suitable project. I made some prints using vintage Indian wooden blocks (possibly used originally for fabric printing?), but neglected to take photos.

These diamond pattern prints were made with a small carved stamp. I like the repeating pattern and the variations of the ink on the handmade paper.


-- This print (above) is available for sale, others will be listed soon --





No two are alike! Printmaking is so much fun.

AEDM #6, 7, 8

Oh dear, behind already.

Day 6 I did some sketching that was not worthy of anyone's time. Completely uninteresting doodles.

Day 7 was a total washout. Getting semi-dressed-up to go to the VA Film Festival volunteer/wrap party in the evening was my major accomplishment. Maybe putting together an outfit from my increasingly limited wardrobe counts as an artistic endeavor?

Day 8 I took a walk in the woods with Ramona the Dog and took some photos. Autumn is lasting a deliciously long time here, it seems the colours have been here for weeks and they are still so bright and gorgeous. It has also been particularly warm the last few days, just the perfect being outdoors type of weather.














I like taking photos of the details, I think they help me to appreciate the individual aspects that make up the whole of the forest and I see each vignette with a new appreciation.

AEDM #5

Yesterday I slept quite a lot. Its to be expected when one is expecting, but it does make a day disappear.

In the evening I made this card, a last minute project for a guest at the Inn who celebrated her birthday today. Apparently she likes dolphins. I like the card, it has me inspired to try more simple graphic silhouette-type cutting designs.


I used two colors of plain cardstock. I would like to get something a little fancier though, maybe a slightly shimmery paper.

AEDM #4

Yesterday evening my art project was working on some embroidery projects. I built a fire in the fireplace, stretched out on the couch and stitched away... until my eyes started drooping shut and a short nap happened. It was rather blissful, but not too much progress was made on the embroidery. And no photos were taken. So it goes, better luck today!

November is Art Every Day Month!

I am taking a stab at it. It's good to have a push to set everything else aside for a little while each day and just make something, otherwise I get sucked into work projects and the days go by and soon I feel as though my creativity has dried up to a sad little pit somewhere deep inside. And that's bad. So this month I have a reason to be guilty if I don't make some art.

To start out, I'm working on a new paper clay doll. She is a travelin' gal, getting all set to make a long trip to visit friends in a foreign land. But first she really needs some clothes!


Her body parts were sculpted a couple days ago. I am still new to the jointed doll creation and I did not get the joint points quite right, so she's a little awkward. And she has very skinny arms and legs, but we really shouldn't judge. Yesterday I painted them all pink and strung her together with thin elastic cord.


This evening she got a face. The mouth is the hardest, since I did not model her lips into the clay. I like the smile she ended up with though, she looks cheerful. She also got some bright orange hair, needle-felted out of wool and glued to her head. And a heart.

Next up, clothes!

::: List it Tuesday :::

I finally got my list made in time. Is it cheating to have written it the night before?



This list reminds me of two things:

1. I am not the least bit hip. These authors are way too prominent for that. But I really do love them all.

2. My reading habits have severely deteriorated. I used to have my nose in a book every free second, now I never seem to have a free second. Must change that.

Which lead to this conclusiong: I must find some new favorite authors (to add to the list, these ones will never leave).

Suggestions?

::: See more Lists at Artsyville :::

Hot or Not

Since my camera is not connecting and uploading photos on its own (do I have to do everything around here?), and because I have enjoyed reading others of these lists, and for lack of anything else to write at the moment and it is still Wednesday for another 30 minutes, here is my contribution to Loobylu's Hot or Not Wednesday...

Hot

• Snow days! Even if I had already driven to work by the time I got the message. I give myself props for being a hardcore Northerner who ventures unflinchingly forth into the storm (next time I will check my voicemail first).

• Christmas lights. My late night long drive home from Syracuse last weekend was brightened by the cheerful (and not at all cheesy) light displays in the small towns along the route. I am determined to do my part to cheer the weary traveler and have begun with a nice garland over the door (I should take a picture, I suppose). More are in the works.

• New boots! Since I was already on the road, having driven to my office, I detoured to the mall on my drive home to find some winter boots (the danskos, while much beloved, aren't much good at keeping the toes warm and dry in 5 inches of powdery snow). Hooray for toasty feet!

• The Three Musketeers. I have read this book before and am in the process of reading it again. I went through a Dumas phase in junior high and I just might be ready to relive this part of my youth. Such fantastic stories, with dashing heroism, clever intrigue, and cheeky humor!

Not

• Sore throats and stuffy faces. Yuck. Need I say more?

• Carpal tunnel. Yeah, I'm just a mess right now.

• I was considering telling you about the rest area washrooms I experienced on my drive home from Syracuse, but that's really just gross.


I guess that's all, I'm not feeling very complainy right now. Plus there are only ten minutes left of wednesday (I know, slow writer), so I'd best get this thing published! This is fun, its a good way to stop for a minute and consider things - something I need more of these days.

I'm blushing

This is just so nice. Kelly from May Day Studio featured my shop today on the Made in Vermont group blog!

New Taste of Stowe - Part II

I made it to the field about 10am on Thursday, in time for the exhibitor check in. It was really great to finally meet in person and put faces to all those names I have been seeing over the past several months at this job. Not so great were the heavy rainclouds that hung persistently about and periodically dropped buckets of rain on our heads and on the festival field and all the gravel (subsequently mud) roads throughout. It was a fairly dismal day, made exciting by events but with an ever-present fear that this might just be the weekend's forecast.




Imagine our feelings of relief when 6am the following morning brought bright blue skys and mountains glistening from the overnight thunderstorm. Friday was a gorgeous day. We finished the set up and the public began to arrive as soon as the gates were open. It was not a mad crowd, that would have been an unusual - although certainly acceptable - turn of events for a Friday morning. But it was satisfactory. This was our first festival of the season, but some of the exhibitors reported that at other festivals, attendance has been down by some 20-50%. We had significantly better results than those, but the current economic situation was apparent. Interesting how that works.


I spent most of Friday touring the tents, meeting and chatting with exhibitors. There are some really wonderful people who attend this show - I am looking forward to seeing several of them again in Manchester, VT next weekend!



Saturday, I had to make a trip to Syracuse, New York to visit another festival - it was a big weekend!

New Taste of Stowe Arts Festival!

This weekend all the work of the last seven months starts to pay off - our first Art Festival of the Season! If you are local, please do come by, there are some really amazing artists and artisans selling their work, and the food is going to be simply incredible. The show is in Stowe, Vermont, a top-quality resort town for those unfamiliar with the area, and several of said resorts will be attending the show, offering spa treatments and gourmet menu samples. If you are in the area, you can visit craftproducers.com for details.

We are so hoping for these crazy thunderstorms to pass on by!

The Facts and the Habits

I was tagged a couple days ago by Sherry of Sage and Thyme to share 6 habits or facts about myself... here goes...

THE RULES

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

THE FACTS AND THE HABITS

1. I am left-handed. I feel that this is a very defining part of my life and sometimes I wonder how I would be different if my right hand were dominant. I also like to tell people that I am lefthanded when I discover that they are too, and then we can talk about how we, unlike the majority of the world, are in our "right minds"! I also feel uncomfortable in Indian restaurants, although this does not stop me from visiting them regularly.

2. I find four leaf clovers. This has been a habit of mine since childhood, and now is somewhat compulsive - when I see a patch of clover I have to at least glance over it to check!

3. I also pick up pennies. I blame this on my mother because she does it too. All of my coat pockets are filled with lucky pennies that are probably incredibly disgusting from the street. The combination of the clovers and the pennies make me feel like I really fit into my wierd neighborhood. (I am just not sure if I am exceptionally lucky, but so far I have no complaints!)

4. When I am nervous I twist my earrings. Because of this, I kept losing earring backs, so now I pretty much only wear the ones I got my piercings with, the ones with the backs that lock on tight. Now I can twist to my nervous little heart's delight!

5. I hate shopping for toilet paper. Not quite sure why, but the toilet paper aisle really stresses me out.

6. I blush very easily. My father used to enjoy demonstrating this to strangers.

There we go. That was actually harder than I thought it would be! Where have all my habits gone? hmm, maybe the transitory college lifestyle was better for me than I realized!

Moving on... I tag Becca and eb and anyone else who wants to play along! Leave me a message so I know where to go to learn all about you!

oo, I'm Featured!

Very exciting! Erica from FiddleLee just featured me on her Etsy Treasures Blog. There are some pictures of my work that is for sale on Etsy, and an interview. Thank you so much Erica! I'm so honored!

ooooo...

and a Happy, spooky, shivery, sugar-filled Halloween to you!

ok, so I'm addicted to Etsy...

I'm not going to lie. I have been spending waaaay too much time lately perusing the pages of Etsy.com. I'm not quite sure why, even. I guess it is just that there are so many talented people all gathered together, and they are real! I especially like the forums, getting the inside scoop on the artists and artisans. Fun. And time consuming.

If this is going to work for me, I need to get off the internet and get working on items to post and, ideally, sell! I have a couple little needle felted dolls who will make an appearance once they are clothed and presentable. And some embroidery. And possibly some drawings... I have lots of in-progress projects going on, but no pictures of them at the moment.

In lieu of my own photos, have a look at some of the totally beautiful things I came across in blind obedience to my addiction:

>>>exquisite simplicity
>>>brilliant!
>>>so clean and modern
>>>adorable, in a kinda creepy way
>>>lovely, as are all the rest of her pieces

Now I will move away from the computer... maybe there is time for a bit of my own creativity before sleeping!

Ghosts and Ghouls

Its a bit funny, considering how much I love costume and dressing up and all, how much I always disliked Halloween. Even as a child, I felt strange doing the rounds, beggin complete strangers for candy. Of course, I loved the candy. So I always did it. But it seemed somewhat rude.

I always had funny costumes, maybe I was just a strange child. One of my favorites (I think it appeared more than once) was a "bow girl" - a costume invented by my mom in which I covered my dress with little safety pin bows, which I then handed out to people. So random.



Anyway, this year, I plan to join in the "Bloglandia" Halloween celebration - no begging involved! You can join in the fun as well - go here to learn all about it!

I'm putting up my shingle...

Isn't that what it's called, when you open up shop?

Today I finally placed some items for sale on Etsy. I signed up in - May? I think? - and it has taken me this long to overcome the mental block of putting my stuff out there. I think I subscribe to the philosophy, albeit involuntarily, that as long as things are not tried, there is always the possibility that they will work. Conversely, there is no chance that they will not work, which I think is more to the point. But of course that means that there is also no opportunity that they will work, so I am attempting to overcome that way of thinking and jump right in!


The first jump is five paintings, listed this afternoon. I realize that fine art, and especially paintings such as these, might not be the biggest sellers on Etsy, geared as it is towards jewelry and other more crafty items. I plan to list some other things soon, dolls and bags and the like. I would love if you would have a look, and I would really love feedback on the whole affair (especially from those experienced in the ways of Etsy)!

Always running late...

I finally finished my gown, am I too late? When a girl has to go to work, and coddle her sweetheart, and walk the dog, things like ball gowns get horribly neglected.


I am making up, though, with flounces and ruffles and silk.


Perhaps it is time to break open the champagne and dance with the puppy in the moonlight! (don't worry, I know she is too young to drink).



(permission to use this dress in the Ball Book excitedly granted!)

The Bloglandia Ball

It's nearly time for the Ball and do I have a dress? of course not! It will be here this evening though, never fear!

Neat!

Check it out - I'm the featured artist on the 1 Mile Project site - have a look! I don't know how long my piece will stay there, but if its gone and you want to see my little sketch, its permanent home is here. Funny little drawing, neat project! You can join in too by submitting a drawing (there are instructions on the site).

(this isn't my drawing - I did the funny looking birds. This is the official 1Mile.org button. Click it to learn about the project!)