Just Add Color

On December 6th, I took a class at SCRAP. The title of the class was Fantasy Box Workshop. Since there were only three of us registered, I recruited Howard to join us (and he said YES!). We picked up our friend, Peshe, grabbed a latte from Blue Gardenia on N. Mississippi (yum, yum), then settled in for an afternoon of play under the tutelage of Laura Fitzgibbon. Laura is a first year student at Marylhurst in their Art Therapy program and is an artist herself. The goal of the class? To make a shrine of some sort using a cigar box that Laura provided and by trolling the aisles at SCRAP. Are you kidding? Shopping at SCRAP is one of my very favorite things to do and then to be handed a hot glue gun all in the same day!?!

Here we are hard at play:

Here is cute Sarah, the store manager of SCRAP, with Laura:

And here is what the sky looked like when we emerged from SCRAP a few hours later (thanks, Peshe, for telling me to look UP!):

I didn’t get my fantasy box finished that afternoon, but I played around with it the past two weeks adding a few more bits (all things that I found at SCRAP). Here is my completed piece (is a piece ever really completed?).

Rather than to continue to fuss with it, I found it a home high above one of my work spaces where I can be reminded to: Just add color.

Introducing: Miss Bee Bop Bo Bop

Laura, a good friend, commissioned me to make an Alley Art bowling pin for a friend of hers as a Christmas gift. She said it would be nice if I could include all of her friend’s hobbies and interests: golf, bowling, clowning, recovery, and monkeys. WHAT? I put off starting the piece as I was stumped how I was going to integrate such a variety unrelated possibilities. Time was running out . . . and then, finally, inspiration struck. Here is what I came up with: Miss Bee Bop Bo Bop herself!

A few details:

Classes Galore! In Salem

The Artist’s Way
January 6, 2009 – March 24, 2009
Tuesdays, 6:30-9:00 p.m.
$195
Alley Art Studio in Salem
A 12-week program of creative recovery and art projects based upon the book by Julia Cameron. Please note that this class fills quickly and is limited to six participants. If you are interested in joining this group, please send your $50 deposit as early as possible.

Fanciful Dream Houses
Saturday, January 24, 2009
1:00-4:30 p.m.
$40 (includes all supplies)
Stampin’ Cat Studio in Salem

To register, contact Stampin' Cat Studio

Visual Journaling – A Life Collage
Part I: Create a Hand Bound Visual Journal
Saturday, January 31, 2009
1:00 – 6:00 p.m. (break mid-way)
$50 (includes all supplies)
Stampin’ Cat Studio in Salem
To register, contact Stampin' Cat Studio

Visual Journaling – A Life Collage
Part II: Let the Fun Begin – A Month of Thursdays
Thursdays for the month of February, 2009
6:00- 9:00 p.m.
$75 for the month of classes (includes all supplies except for journal)
Stampin’ Cat Studio in Salem
To register, contact Stampin' Cat Studio

Itty Bitty Pretties
Saturday, February 7, 2009
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
$23.00 (includes all supplies except for personal photographs)
Stampin’ Cat Studio in Salem
To register, contact Stampin' Cat Studio

Classes Galore! in Portland

Fanciful Dream Houses
DIY Lounge at collage in Portland
Saturday, January 10, 2009
11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
$60 (all supplies provided!)
Register by using DIY Lounge link above

Itty Bitty Pretties
DIY Lounge at collage in Portland
Saturday, February 21, 2009
11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
$30 (all you bring are personal photographs -everything else provided)
Register by using the DIY Lounge link above



Matchbox Shrines
SCRAP in Portland
January Date TBA

Lookie-Lookie

Lookie lookie at what I received in the mail yesterday:

My beautiful earrings were designed and crafted by Juanita Bitonti, artist and owner of Lookie-Lookie. Juanita’s tagline is Fire + Hammer + Metal = Original Jewelry. I encourage you to follow the link to Juanita’s website and browse her beautiful gallery of hand-forged precious metal jewelry. Here is how Juanita describes my earrings:

They are hand-formed with .999 fine silver using transfer of vintage french postage stamps. They also have dichroic glass, 24K gold electro plate, brass components and sterling earwire and Bali silver. No wonder I love them so much!

Juanita and I met through the Artists’ Way and worked out a trade of services. I sure lucked out in receiving a pair of Juanita’s handcrafted earrings. Here are a couple more photos, which feature Juanita’s advertising cards (and showcasing my earrings in a different format). The detail on my earrings is stunning.



I can’t wait to wear my new beauties. And if you’re looking for a last minute Christmas gift, I can guarantee you anyone would be delighted to receive a piece of Juanita’s jewelry!

Words, Lovely Words

One of the things on my never-ending “To Do” list was to install some wall words. I had them at our historic home, the Court Street Retreat, and when we moved over a year ago, it is something I’ve wanted to add to our new “old” home. The word project finally got set in motion when my friend, Jill, a representative of the company Uppercase Living, offered to come over and help me git her done. I decided on the quotes I wanted for each of the rooms and then a couple of weeks ago, over vanilla lattes, Jill helped me measure and select fonts and sizes. The quotes arrived within a week of ordering and were ready for installation. My dear husband tackled them room by room during the past week and ta da! the words are now in their new home. Walk with me . . . .


Our bedroom words say: Today's beautiful moments are tomorrow's beautiful memories.

The kitchen words are in Italian and mean The Sweet Life.

Finally, our living room has a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt and is the same quote that we had at our other house in the living room/library. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. I truly believe that.

Finally! Finally! Finally!

It seems that since returning from our big trip the first part of November, my art work and creativity have been in a holding pattern, sort of stalled, never quite sputtering to life. Family matters have taken precedence, playing catch up from being away so long, and then planning for a slew of January-February classes. I had planned on getting into my studio on Monday, but this came up, then that popped up, and before I knew it, the day was over. But today, oh yes, today I made my way into my tidy little unused studio. I entered cautiously, lit a candle, turned on my iPod and rolled the dial until I hit upon Sting (Brand New Day), did some stretching and jumping (yes, I actually jumped up and down and then grooved a bit to the music). I proceeded to spend the next several hours working on several - SEVERAL - unfinished projects!

This is my Fantasy Box in process from a class I took at SCRAP last Saturday. I'll share more about the class the my finished piece, well, when I finish it. For today, I dripped melted crayons on the round ball at the top.

Here are some of the metal cards I started at Art and Soul in Leighanna Light's class. Today I added more paint and metal bits to some of the cards.

Okay, my daily canvas project has suffered a bit as well and today I did about a dozen "entries" (I'm not quite caught up). I had suspended my efforts for the month we were gone, then I got behind when we returned. As of today, I am up to November 26th and on entry #141. I'll post an upright photo as soon as I get up to the current date!

Another Art and Soul class I took was with Kelly Rae Roberts. The photo at the top of this post was a finished piece from the class and today I played around with the background on the second piece (today I started to work on the face, but I took the photo before I painted on hair, eyebrows, or pouty cherry-kissed lips).

So that was my day. I'm pleased with myself and with my progress. And tomorrow? My friend Destree is coming first thing in the morning for an artful play date!