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Blizzicane of 2010 - Ocean Grove, NJ

Well, I'd love to say that as a work-at-home artist, I am diligently working away on this Monday. But I would be fibbing. I am actually still in my pajamas... I mean, who is going to come to my door today? In fact... being the tiniest town within the Township of Neptune, Ocean Grove is always the last to have their streets plowed. And the likes of this snow is something else. Perhaps they'll get to us around Wednesday?

Here's a few highlights from the neighborhood. Although they are all taken from inside my house as I can only open the door this much right now...

This is our neighbor's house... what you see here is her front door and the clothes line! There is no working back door! Good thing she is visiting her son!

View from the front porch...

Duuuuude... where's my car?

Neighbor's house directly across the street. Check out the snowdrift on the right side of the house!

Good thing it's plastic "wicker" furniture...

Winds still whipping the snow around...

Various neighbors digging out. We're going to wait until the plows come through though.

   

If you're stuck in this... enjoy! If not... enjoy that too!

Seasons Greetings From The Seashore...

Happy Holidays everyone! I trust you are enjoying this festive season and all it has to offer? It can definitely become a very busy time of year... but it also helps remind us of the wonderful people we have in our lives... and how blessed we are for the things that we do have.

Hopefully you've been able to find the perfect little treasures for your favorite landlubbers...

Or maybe shopping has got you feeling a little crabby?

You may have gone a little overboard and purchased everything and the kitchen sink (okay, so it's the bathroom sink!)...

Perhaps your seasonal pursuits have been a bit more angelic...

It could be that you are visiting a special place this holiday...

But no matter where you are this glorious season... be sure and keep your arms wide open...

For those you hold most deer...

And remember... there's no place like home... for the holidays!

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy!

I've Got Class!

I am very excited to announce that I will be teaching my first full day class at Art & Soul Retreat in Hampton, Virginia next April. I've been an attendee for years, and I have also taught the opening night class a few years in a row when I worked with Ranger Industries. And so now it's time for the student to become the teacher.

I'll be teaching a class called Do You Do Voodoo? where you'll make an extremely detailed and aged-looking Voodoo Doll Kit that looks like it was created decades ago and happily discovered in the back room of your favorite antique center! And you'll accomplish this using many items and craft products you already have at home!

The class is from 9:00-4:30 on Friday, April 29th. I will also be part of vendor night on Saturday, April 30th... so even if you don't take my class, stop by... say hi... and check out my mixed-media creations, dolls, jewelry and flea market finds. For more information, visit the Art & Soul website. Registration for the Virginia Retreat is now open.

Diving Right In...

So... I'm finally getting a chance to make stuff and I'm diving right into making jewelry. I'm kind of going back and forth between vintage repurposing, mixed media creations, and detailed beadwork.

I was totally inspired by some gorgeous mermaid pendants I had purchased a while back... and am enjoying outfitting them with the perfect colors and combinations of freshwater pearls, vintage beads and Vintaj natural brass findings, chain, charms and wire.

I fell in love with these chocolate brown freshwater pearls and they really worked perfectly with this sea-inspired piece. With a mix of faceted vintage beads that have a hint of metallic sheen, everything just kind of fell together...

The filigree bead caps really lend an edge of sophistication to any bead... even oddly shaped vintage glass notions or freshwater pearls...

And a sweet little hook and oversized jump ring make the perfect duo for a closure on this refined yet whimsical piece.

It's funny but, it took a little while for me to get back into a comfortable rhythm of jewelry making again. Kind of like riding a bike. You get back on and you're a little wobbly, but then you ride around the neighborhood a couple of times and you're like... "oh, yeah... I've got it now!"

This piece is available on my Etsy shop.

Speaking Of Feeling Like A Little Kid...

I found this photo buried in a bunch of stuff over the holiday weekend. It's my First Grade Class Picture from when I went to the Wayside School in NJ, circa 1973! Can you guess which one is me? (you can click on the photo to enlarge it). If you haven't met me in person, here's what I look like today. Seeing this photo brought back a lot of memories—including some of those invincible feelings that you have as a child—before all the responsibilities in your life take over! The look on my face is just priceless!

Play Time?

I've been admiring, sorting, and enjoying my purchases from the Bead Expo this weekend... freshwater pearls, vintage lucite, unique glass beads, faceted rondelles and porcelain eggs. I've also been sifting through much of my old flea market finds... mini metal purses, antique pill boxes, brass stampings, costume jewelry, pins and other oddities. Creative inspiration at its finest!

But I've noticed something... sitting down to play as an adult is so much harder than it was when you were a kid, isn't it? You want to just let go and be free but the clock is ticking, the bills are coming, and the obligations keep tugging at your mind. Now if only I could call upon that childlike fearlessness and pretend that I am no longer bound by the constraints of time, money, and task. I think I'll give it a try...

6 Months Already! Happy Anniversary To Me!

Wow! I cannot believe that 6 months ago I took a leap of faith from the absolute into the unknown when I left my full-time job as Art Director for Ranger Ink and decided to pursue my own personal art career. So, how the heck is it going?

Well... let's see... 462 tweets tweeted, 23 blog posts written, 4 retail stores carrying my art, 2 craft shows done, 1 Etsy Shop open for business, YouTube channel created, Facebook Page up and "liked", blog look revamped, website updated and expanded... I'm probably forgetting something! And that's just the business stuff!

I've gotten a chance to play... a little. But now that I have a good foundation with the business agenda completed and in the works... I am finally free to play a lot. So now comes the fun part. I'm both excited and nervous! Excited to sit down and be free to let my creativity take its own course... and still nervous about how I'm going to make this really pay off. But right now... I cannot wait to "get to work" every day, I am so very happy with myself and my choices,  and I have plenty of creative ideas to fuel the passion...

Photo credit: By the way, this very sweet good luck sign was made by my BFF Jackie McLaughlin, using lots of Ranger's Stickles and Liquid Pearls! Thanks, girl!

Let's Talk Dirty!

I don't know about you... but I love for everything new to look old. And while these very cool 2-pocket construction aprons I recently acquired were nice and broken-in... I wanted them to look even older! So I dirtied them up with a strong mixture of tea and coffee and now they have more of a vintage feel. Sometimes when the tea and coffee aren't enough, I'll add a little bit of watered down Van Dyke Brown acrylic paint... but for some reason, this time I'm thinking... pink! You may see me sporting one of these at my next craft show as a money belt! Fun, fun, fun...

Things I'm Drawn To...

Artist extraordinaire Claudine Hellmuth once said... make a list of all the things you like. And so I did. That list grew into about 5 pages of "stuff" and is still growing today! I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite things with all of you...

I definitely have a thing for well-loved paintbrushes. I make sure to only clean the bristles, so that I can see the history of the fun projects I've worked on.

I love a good leather-bound journal with a decorative front. Makes it so inviting, doesn't it?

I absolutely adore stripes. I think it has to do with my fondness of carnivals and growing up around the boardwalk. The page shown here was one I originally didn't like. I pulled off some of the items, gessoed over some others,  then painted stripes over top. Now I love it! It's ready for a new story.

I encourage you to start noticing the things that seem to repeat themselves in your art... or your life! What things are you drawn to?

*Oh, and can you tell I love the color pink?

Yesterday's Trash Etsy Shop Now Open!

That's right, folks... I am pleased and excited to announce that my Etsy Shop is now up and running... we're open for business!

Here you'll find all handmade one-of-a-kind merchandise made by me... like collage, assemblage, jewelry, dolls, home decor items, holiday ornaments, fashion accessories and more! It's mixed media madness.

I'm adding more daily, as I get items photograhed and written up... so check back often! Thanks for looking!

Mixed Media Tutorial: Adding Charm! How To Attach A Hollow Embellishment

Did you ever wish you could attach a cute little 3D embellishment to your project but were reluctant because it was hollow in the back with only a very thin edge? I know I've asked myself, "how can I do this and be sure it's going to stay put?" Well, I'm going to share with you my special method, so... here we go...

Step 1: Grab your embellishment and protect your work table with a non-stick surface. Here I'm using Ranger's Non-Stick Craft Sheet.

Step 2: Tear up small pieces of paper towel. Paint one piece with a gel medium on both sides. Make sure it's nice and saturated, but not drippy. I'm using Claudine Hellmuth Studio Multi-Medium, also from Ranger.

Step 3: Next you're going to take your gel medium-soaked piece of paper towel and "stuff" it inside your embellishment. You can use a toothpick to make sure it's pushed into all the little nooks and crannies.

Continue painting your pieces of paper towel with gel medium and pushing them into the back of your embellishment until they are even with the back edge of the charm (you can even turn it over onto your non-stick surface for one final "push" to make sure the paper towels are nice and even). Let this dry overnight.

Step 4: So now your embellishment is ready to securely be added to whatever surface you like. Here is the necklace that's waiting for it's little brass kitty cat. Put a glob of gel medium onto the backside of your "stuffed" embellishment and put in place. Don't press it all the way onto your piece too hard. Place it so that there is just a wee bit of "breathing room" for the medium. You'll get a much better hold that way, as all your glue won't squish out from underneath your charm.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this process as I know I did when I tried it. Opens up a whole new set of possibilities!

Art & Soul, Portland... A Retrospective...

Wow, what a spectacular time in Portland, Oregon! But I always know I'll have a blast at Art & Soul... no matter which venue I go to (did you know they have retreats all over the country?). I got to see so many of the instructors I've become friends with over the years... make new friendships with people as nutty as me (we're a special breed)... and learn from some of the best teachers from all over the world. Not too shabby, ay?

I decided to man-up and take a class called Yes, I Want That Drill Press & More by Tory Brokenshire. We got to learn how to use all kinds of power tools including a drill press, belt sander, jig saw, chop saw and nail gun! We were building our very own shadowbox from raw lumber. Our manly helper, Gil, was very encouraging...

Tory liked my finished assemblage so much, she encouraged me to want to make more! I think I see one in every color scheme, hmmmmm.... maybe starting with pink? As I worked on my piece everyone kept noticing that my art was matching me. Funny.

Next was Mechanical Flying Bird with Charley Slaughter and Kerin Gale, where we got to make an unconventional automaton-style assemblage with a bird that really flies! Here is a little video I made so you can see it in action (please pardon my awkwardness, I'm still trying to figure out how to record from my computer - it flips your image backwards!)

This full day workshop was a lot of fun and Charley and Kerin were so attentive and helpful... as making a moving bird is no easy "feet"! Didn't everybody do a fantastic job!  We all got to sculpt our birds and "dress" them up so very personally. What a lineup...

Next I went to Julie's World, where students joined whimsical artist Julie Haymaker Thompson to make quirky little characters out of paper clay. She taught us a few tricky assembly techniques and a bunch of interesting painting techniques that I'll be using in my own work moving forward...

Judy Wise taught Let's Make Dolls... a fun and relaxing adventure into making a folk art style doll in under 6 hours! We worked with Sculpey—a bakeable clay—which was new for me. I usually work with paper clay, which air dries. I really liked the immediacy of creating with Sculpey. Make a head... bake it. Start the body... head's done. Attach it. Bake that... make some arms, legs, a dress while you wait. The possibilities were endless. And seeing what everyone else was creating gave me even more ideas! It was funny, but I had trouble naming my creations this time. When I made this one, I was creating her fingers and they kind of "fell" into a peace sign. So I think I'll call my little hippie chick Summer... after the Summer of Love!

The workshops were great, but having never been to Portland, I couldn't very well spend my entire time inside the Embassy Suites! Sometimes it was nice to just get outside... grab a few rays of sunshine... and watch the planes land. We were very close to the airport!

I also got to spend some time in the city, there was plenty to do...

I walked around and looked at all the beautiful downtown architecture...

Then made my way to the Portland Art Museum... two buildings worth of art from ancient times to modern contemporary. It was very inspiring...

Made my way to the Pearl District which has all the old warehouses, buildings and such...

I even got a chance to get over to Hawthorne which is a funky little area outside the city with cool shops, galleries, and eateries. They served coffee here... I swear!

Did lots of perusing... bought some interesting vintage clothes... and saw lots of art everywhere. On buildings...

And even on a retro VW bus...

All-in-all a fabulous trip. I am creatively inspired... finally well-rested... and ready to make my own creative dreams come to fruition. Thanks for joining me on my trip! Until next time...