where my toes keep wandering

skipping out to do lawn/garden things despite large amounts of studio work.

did I miss the April showers part? sunny and 80 degrees already??!

not complaining...just saying.

actually rain is forecast tomorrow which is a good thing for project deadlines sake.

goodbye nature kisses for now.

today, this is where toes need to stay planted.

Hiding the Table or more 1st Art Show prep

I've had my eye out for fabric for my upcoming art show table for awhile now. Nothing uglier than your standard 2' x 6' white plastic hotel table...yeah, that baby must be covered. Yesterday on a thrift shop pop-in, I rooted through the fabric/bedding section to find 4 yards of the above for the bargain price of $2 (total). I questioned its busy-ness, but decided that the shade of purple perfectly matched my color scheme. This certainly isn't bed-in-a-bag matchy that I'm going for with this and this and now THIS, but it's all working and "matching" in my colorful, patterned world. I also loved that the funky paisley had a nice sense of movement, and was a non-wrinkly-silky kind of fabric that would look pretty good pulled out of a box if an iron couldn't be located, and ~LOVE~ that it was $2.

After trimming the fabric to size, I decided it needed the other kind of trim. I rationalized that 8 yards of perfect trim probably wouldn't turn up at a thrift store anytime soon...so I purchased the above ribbon from a craft store for a big $4. Bringing my table investment to $6. With all the other show necessities adding up, I'm being cautious. My goal is to at least break even.

I hemmed the edges of the fabric first and then went back and added the trim. Not sure if there's a "right" way. If so, my making a trimmed table cloth by the book would have been purely accidental.

Here's my purple, paisley, polka-dotted table cover all finished taking a test run on our dining table. I'll also have a white cloth under it at the show which will extend to the floor so I can hide stuff like bins and bags and maybe myself depending on how things go... : 0

Another big check off the prep list....I've got the table covered.

*P* dust

We've returned from our family reunion/spring break in Disney World. Our family, along with grands, aunts, uncles and nieces had a *magical* time with gorgeous Florida weather. As I was doing the many loads of return home laundry, I found a couple pieces of "pixie dust" thrown as we opened the Magic Kingdom one day last week. My three-year old niece called it "pissy dust." I'm thinking now that she may be on to something as "pixie dust" once home from the magic, does indeed transform into "pissy dust" when found in the 7th or 8th basket of laundry. Settling back into reality...one load at a time.

Bloom today

I am always a bit shocked (especially in my garden) when those kinda-ugly bulbs planted in the fall, peek up through the ground the following year and bloom into the beauties they truly are. (what a message, wouldn't you say? )

Wishing you and yours a blossoming spring and a happy Easter. I'm giving myself a blog spring break, but I'll be back in about a week. Big projects to wrap up including prepping for the show and hustling to get my entry done for this. ~enjoy your weekend!~

update: "bloom today" print is available for sale in my etsy shop.

Rolling out the Blank Canvas

After flag garland, the next thing on my list for my upcoming first ever art fair booth was the main sign. I purchased a 3' x 5' piece of primed canvas from Dick Blick. And I really have to remember this stuff for future sign making, kid projects, etc. This huge piece was a steal for under $8. Plus I can roll it back up on the sturdy cardboard roll it came with for easy transport to wherever my show tour may take me.

The first step was to transfer my nameplate to the canvas. I printed out my name (in tiles...this was huge) from the computer. After I drew lines and knew where everything should go, I attempted to hunt down carbon paper. Stuff I knew I had somewhere, but for the life of me could not find. Refusing to go to the store, I came up with an alternate plan for transferring that works just as great. I took charcoal sticks (wowza! that's my box from college!) and charcoaled over the letters on the back of the paper. Then I flipped the paper right side and traced the outline of the letters with a pencil. The charcoal left a perfect line on the canvas.

Next I recreated what you see at the very top of this blog ('hey did ya notice the new header...up there?!' ...me pointing to top of screen.) Paint flew and things got pretty messy at this stage, but that's okay. You gotta have a little fun to sell it. I laid the canvas out to dry in the guest bedroom a.k.a. warmest room of the house with a threatening sign. Maybe a "Please DO NOT STEP ON" would have been nicer, but that might have taken away from the strong message I wanted to communicate to the eight other feet in the house.

Tah-dah!... here it is all finished. Well, almost finished. I still need to give it a coat or two of protective varnish. Plus an edge trim. Checking this off the list + flags is HUGE. I'm starting to see my vision come together. Next up is bags. Believe it or not, over thinking bags for customer purchases is what threw me into logo redesign mode in the first place. I've got a thing for a good store bag. More prep craziness coming soon.

This is what you look like when you're mad

I'm not exactly sure what triggered my memory of this little gal. Maybe it was the latest kid temper tantrum or it could have been me having a grouchy day. Regardless, I remembered "mad doll", proceeded up to the attic and dug her out of a box of saved memories. My grandma gave me this figurine back when I was five which was sometime in the mid 70's. Apparently, I was going through a stage of "mad-ness." Grandma G wanted me to see what I looked like. She wanted me to look at this crazy mad doll and laugh instead. I sure wish I knew Grandma G today because that lady had to have a great sense of humor plus she was a crafty genius (I definitely remember that.)

I tried to track down evidence of me needing a mad doll back when I was supposedly going through this little growing phase, but couldn't find any. Just look at this angel with a matching cake nonetheless...could she possibly have a temper? naaaah, I didn't think so either (if anything maybe she was "mad" about the curtains? guessing.)

So Maddoll is out of the box and now has a permanent home in my office for a quick referral in case anybody around here "forgets what they look like." My kids are both amused and "freaked out" by her which I think is exactly the point. I wish I would have remembered her sooner. Nothing like a visual. :0 (

Making it up as I go

I decided it was about time I signed on to be a vendor at an art fair. It's one of those things that I knew I wanted to try on for size sooner or later to see if we were a fit for each other. So when opportunity knocked, I answered and signed on for what I felt was a good fit for novice me (good fit for my first show = one day, inside, laid back yet professional, whimsical vendors with a humorous, friendly organizer.) Now with a little over a month to go, I'm working on my booth design. If you've ever peeked over at my etsy wares you know I'm all about bright colors and fun. The goal is for my booth to match, yet not overpower the goods. My vision includes a pennant garland to add to the festive atmosphere I'm working to create. I didn't use a specific tutorial or anything to make...this wasn't wheel invention. I just created a triangle shape from cardboard for a pattern, then cut, interfaced and pinned together more triangles than I ever cared to count.

For the triangles, I used three solids (found at yard sales for pennies) and then sprinkled in my more cherished prints. I powered up my sewing machine and had fun sewing triangles with funky multi-colored thread and zigzag stitches. Nothing too serious...this garland was all about having a good time. Next, I laid out a pattern of sewn triangles (yes, there is a pattern, but heck no, it's not obvious.)

After rummaging through my rick rack box, I found yellow bias tape perfect to string the flags together. (disclaimer: my rick rack box filled with vintage bias tapes, trims, etc. does not exist due to years of sewing. I picked it all up at a yard sale years ago before I sewed anything more than buttons. I knew it was a jackpot for $1, even though I had no idea what to do with the stuff. Self pat on the back...glad I didn't pass that find by.)

Yards and yards of flag later, I can check 'garland' off my booth prep list. Next up is signage. The 3' x 5' piece of primed canvas I ordered from Dick Blick came in the mail yesterday. I'm excited to roll that baby out on the floor and go to work. I'll keep ya updated as the days tick down. It's exciting to see it all come together. Making up a space design and loving it.

Robin vs. Glass

Yesterday morning as I was sipping my coffee, I heard a loud thumping in the family room. At first, I figured it was the restless-spring-breaking kids bouncing themselves off walls. I chose to ignore since there wasn't screaming. However as the thumping persisted, I decided an investigation was needed. Much to my surprise, I found this little guy staring at me through our picture window.

Over and over she/he would fly directly from branch into window with a loud thud. You would think after the tenth or say eleventh time he might give up and realize that there was indeed an invisible barrier between him and our family room...but no. This continued throughout the day and quickly went from amusing to annoying. Repeated attempts to shoo and explain, 'hey bird, you're flying into a window...somebody is going to get hurt and i'm not driving to the emergency room (end statement used interchangeably between bird and kids) did not deter this spring robin's persistence.

Here's our little friend giving the window the evil eye as in the end the glass came out victorious. Hopefully today this silly birdie has gone on to do more mainstream bird things so I can get out there and Windex one bird smudged-up window.

PB and rain

After two solid days of rainy weather, I couldn't take it any more. This called for action.

With two assistants/spring breakers on hand, we whipped up a batch of our favorite cookies.

shhhhhhh....my secret is to use a potato masher instead of a fork for the patterned tops. I experimented with other kitchen utensils way back here to make cookies that looked like these, but the potato masher is still my all time favorite.

Yes, the sky is definitely looking brighter now (not really...butwhocares...we have cookies in the house.) If you're looking out at umbrella weather, may I strongly suggest some cookie therapy. It works for us.

flashcards + paint = a PIF giveaway

As promised, here's the second flashcard-inspired illustration I created over the weekend. This piece plays off the idea of paying it forward. And speaking of good deeds multiplying, I'll send a free 8" x 10" good deeds multiply signed print to the first two commenters here. The only thing I ask in return is that you agree to play, which means that you also give something away on your blog. Positive multiplication. Happy Tuesday!

Free home addition

Subtracting can be a funny thing. Especially when you think about it in terms of cleaning out, decluttering, organizing, rethinking all of that "stuff." Sometimes you have to subtract to add space, gain perspective and enjoy what you already have. Less IS more. Drawers, closets, maybe even a room can be added free of charge just for subtracting. I'm a big believer in the one bag in, two bags out rule. When one bag comes in from the thrift stores, yard sales or wherever else, I try to make sure I'm sending out an equal amount...better yet more.

An illustration about subtracting was the perfect opportunity to finally use the vintage flashcards I picked up a few months ago...decluttering the art related stockpile is another story by the way. It was the last day of this retreat, when instructor Michael deMeng announced to us eager students that we should look through and take anything we wanted from the shared mixed media goody pile. I spyed boxes of vintage flash cards and admittedly geeked out. I shoved them into my already overflowing supply bag while holding the art created in class plus my 50lb+ art bin. Well the cards spilled. Everywhere. Michael joked, "you're losing your flashcards." Which was really funny...since it was true literally and figuratively. I laughed, blushed a little and reasoned that he understood (artists and our cool junk) as I hurried to gather up the ever multiplying cards.

As I was finishing up the piece above, another idea came to me. While I was on my flashcard kick with numbers and signs floating around I went for it. More flashcard inspired art currently drying. I'll be sure to add that piece later this week.

Start your engines

Last weekend I experienced my first ever Boy Scout Pinewood Derby. For those of you not familiar, a few weeks ahead of race day the scout is given a kit with a plain chunk of wood, wheels and axles to create a derby car. The idea to sculpt and design whatever your aerodynamic imagination dreams up (within a certain weight/size limit of course). Dad helped our scout with the sculpting and construction of the car. Brendan then marched up to my studio and together we planned out design.

Ed Emberley a.k.a. the master of children's how-to-draw books provided major inspiration for "Frankensteins Fury" or "Fury" for short. Brendan painted his car monster green and rendered Frankenstein the Ed Emberley way.

After that, I introduced Brendan to my ever-growing rubber stamp collection. Going with the theme, we picked a cool skull and a spider to add more spookiness. Next, I showed him how easy it is to paint a spider web. The little wire+fiber antenna thingamabob was my idea..not really sure of the purpose, but it seemed to me that the Frankensteinmobile should have something weblike blowing in the breeze. Brendan searched for a lego steering wheel and put together a creepy little Lego driver from the lego surplus we have going on around here. After we attached those with hot glue, we were ready to burn rubber.

Race day was a complete S*H*O*C*K to me. Unfortunately my husband couldn't attend, so with three kids, Frankenstein and numero uno cup of coffee we headed off for the race track. I left the pot on as I was expecting we'd be home from the festivities in a half hour...45 minutes at the most...really...how long could this last? I slowly began to get the gist that I may have underestimated things just a little when we walked in and saw the metal track running the length of the cafeteria. PLUS the electronic finishing system, the computerized standings board on a big screen and an eager Dad announcing that lunch would be served at 11:45 over the loud speaker. Definitely not in Kansas anymore Dorothy. Welcome to the Indianapolis Speedway. Even without my beloved second cup of coffee, I'll admit that it was a thoroughly entertaining and exciting morning. As far as the standings, my little guy managed to finish sixth for speed overall (after 6 rounds of racing) and captured an honorable mention medal for best design. Not too bad for a rookie. Next year we'll really be ready. And I'll be bringing my second cup along.

Miss four finger's pink pony

I can hardly believe that my youngest turns four today. That happened in the blink of a pink pony. Speaking of which, she had a really hard time deciding on a cake this year. First, she wanted last years cake. Then there was a stream of other ideas, finally deciding that the cake should indeed be a pony. I made the pony pink while she napped because everybody knows that a pony is pretty great, but a pink anything is 10 times better.

This is how the pony came together. Nothing too complicated...just a cake baked in a 9" x 13" pan...cut and pieced like so. I used different colors of butter cream icing and a variety of decorating tips to make things a little fancy, but I certainly don't claim professional. Plus a four-year-old only naps for so long.

She practiced her new fingers today. All ready for someone to ask how old she is. Four fingers is much easier to hold up than three...go figure. Happy birthday sweetie. Enjoy your fourth year in which the best things are always pink.

the secret to happiness (well one of them anyway)

Don't you feel all content inside when your coop...errrrr i mean...house is clean?? Not to be confused with the actual 'cleaning of', but you know what I'm talking about...the aftermath when everything is in order, nobody sticks to the kitchen floor and there's not a dust bunny or stale crumb to be found. ahhhhhhhhhh...Happiness.

I took a trip across my studio into the craft supply closet to pull out a few tricks for this one. I reasoned that old latchhook canvas would be perfect for coop walls, as would raffia for nesting. Then I chose a funky paper for the hen. Yes, everything you see above was attached to canvas with some big dollops of matte medium. My paint brush took over from there. This silly hen print can be found over in my etsy shop. I'm thinking it's a nice reminder to have hanging around for the rooster (and peeps if you have them.) Everybody knows there's nothing worse than a grouchy hen.

A recipe for cupcakes

Here's a book I've had my eye on for some time. I finally purchased and found myself completely inspired and totally excited about the possibilities of felting with cast-off wool sweaters. Mainly because I don't knit and I'm pretty sure that I don't have the knitting gene. I've tried several times and found knitting needles and yarn more stressful than soothing. But maybe, like running, I didn't stick with it long enough to get into that zone I've heard about. Plus after my three year old got a hold of my in-progress scarf and pulled...well that marked the end of that.

Betz White put together a book filled with projects that even a beginner felter like myself can whip up with ease. The first step is to acquire a variety of wool sweaters. As luck would have it, it's the perfect time of year to find them for a steal at thrift stores.

The only new material I had to buy was an assortment of felt balls. Pretty little things aren't they?

Here's a look at the treats I put together...the infamous cupcake pincushions from the cover. Maybe not as perfect as Betz's, but satisfying just the same. Hope you're having a sweet Monday!

Fruits of labor

Here's a peek at one of the bigger projects I've been working on over the past two months. I was commissioned to do a total of fifteen paintings for a Catholic Motherhouse cafeteria of fruits, vegetables and in one case flowers. I came up with the idea to incorporate Bible quotes that involved food and harvest in a modern, more unexpected way.

These are 18" x 18" paintings on gallery wood paneled canvases. I used a mixture of xerox copies, acrylic paints, matte medium and charcoal. The paintings have lots of earthy texture.

I finished wiring the last of the fifteen yesterday.Today, they all got a second coat of satin varnish. I'm actually kind of sad to be finished with the project. I absolutely loved taking a closer look at the subjects working to capture their simple beauty while translating into my mixed media style.

To keep parts of the passages showing through I used a rag and even my fingernail. The selective reveals also served as highlights.

Tomorrow I'll be putting my designer hat back on as I tackle several projects lined up for the next few weeks. I so enjoy the variety of work I do. Much to be thankful for.

take this winter

i admit it. winter is getting to me. At least there are no signs of a monochromatic landscape on the inside. After getting my new toy for Christmas, it occurred to me that I didn't have to settle anymore. Settle for the ordinary curtain pickings I was finding in stores. I might not be ready to take on zippers, but I can certainly sew a square panel. And so I present...my first long panel curtains made from six yards of Anna Maria Horner's Garden Party fabric. What you're seeing above is our second floor landing space. If I land anywhere, I think a garden party would be a nice spot to do so.

With my sewing machine on fire, I also took the time to whip up some funky flowers. These are sewn from muslin with a wooden dowel stuck in for the stem. Then I poured out the brightest, happiest paint palette I could and went to work. No more winter doldrums here. Have a bright Monday!