6.30.2008

Jumping-Off Point...?


This little medallion (see Note below) keeps coming back to me with connection-possibilities about which I just wrote. My brain continues to be tickled at the edges.
I wish everyone the joy to throw your hands in the air and laugh out loud and dance in the wind!
Be explosive! Be exuberant! And I'll be back!!
Note: Batternburg lace by me and SRE/emroidered flowers also by me. Fibers courtesy of Hand-Dyed Fibers.

Thoughtful Time

I'm sitting at the hub of a wheel, each spoke a different project. The subjective connection (besides me!) is tickling my mind, but I feel like I'm on the edge of an explosion of realizations, tied together by my art. In the mean time, I took a few minutes today to feed my mind and have come across several links which I'll share here with you.

Mirabile Dictu -- differently neat blog, with a GREAT sidebar set of resource links.

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom -- years ago I used to belong to this, when I was young and feckless, so to speak. Now I think it's time I investigated their organization again...many many cool ideas and actions coming from these ladies. In fact, years ago, I got a set of postcards from them, one of which I recently sent to my friend Arlee. It said, next to a blue stencilled playground with children playing on white background, "One day the Air Force will have to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber". Telling, no?!

Global Art Project -- I participated in this a couple years ago before I started blogging and it was most worthwhile. I wish I had thought at the time to take pix, but I had no idea my professional life in art was going to take off the way it has. However, I will be participating next year, and I urge all of you who are interested to check it out and considering participating as well.Artists

Artists for Peace -- This group is through the Bernier Dance Organization, with dance, music, and poetry. Nevertheless, We are all artists in our own particular medium, and who's to say we can't be struck by a particular dance, poem or piece of music and translate that idea into our own language of textiles and fiber??!!

And, just one more for now:

The Fund for Women Artists -- Check out the site -- absolutely awesome listing of peace groups within our purview of being women and artists, great resources links, can't say enough good things. I've been a member here for a while now, and I absolutely advocate their ideas, methods, and membership.

This is enough to provoke your brain cells and your creativity for now. Please leave me a comment -- if there's enough interest (i.e., at least three of us??), I'd like to add a page here to my blog featuring photos of folks' work, whether in progress or in final.

Be caring! Be creative! And I'll be back!

6.16.2008

To WISP or Not To WISP

This is an on-going WISP. It's ongoing because I am still collecting bits and pieces. SharonB recently posted about collecting all her scrap bits of linen fabric, etc., dying the scraps, and putting them together for another sampler. I collect bits of everything, down to scraps 1/2" in size (amazing what you can do with that size!), bits of lace (bottom left corner in the plastic baggie), efforts at new techniques (that embroidered flower there in the upper middle on the blue fabric), etc.

And NOW for the ALL-TIME, ULTIMATE reason for packratting...(*HUGE GRIN*) For a backing, I'm using an old dust ruffle. I loved the quilt set with which it goes, but I've always hated that darn ruffle so one day as I yanked it off the mattress in disgust, I thought "hmmmm" Lots of perfectly good backing fabric here...so I ripped off the ruffle part and cut it up into manageable sections for something some time and cut the white part that goes on the mattress into a few rectangles/squares. VOILA!!

Be collected (*grin*) Be ruffled (*VBG*)! And I'll be back!!

6.13.2008

Catching Up with the Next Steps


OK, well, the first rose petal I tried tore. So I've smathered the ones I've chosen (above) with, yes, yet more hand lotion. BTW, the lotion I'm using, the first one I grabbed (with an 18yo daughter around, there is NO END to little sample bottles of hand lotion!) is, NAYY, coconut/lime verbena body lotion by Bath and Body Works...ANYWAY, I've laid them out with another leaf (upper left corner) that I'm going to attach to the front with the petals. There are two colors of petals, cuz Katie gave me a double rose bouquet for Mother's Day. Such a good child (*GRIN*)!! Here's the original bouquet (below), including baby's breath, which I also may use in this project.




I also took a picture of the next step of my actual piece (below). I trimmed half off of the dryer sheet and basted in red thread. I think you can tell in the pic, I tried to get a good view -- the whole lotion concept worked so well that I was able to actually baste through the leaf with no problem! Never having done this before, I am, of course, suitably impressed!


As you may notice the length of time between today's first and second posts, it takes about an hour for the lotion to be absorbed. I dont' know if it's because of the technique or the fact that I slathered it on just in case. But in the meantime, here's an image I'll leave with you -- Katie's boyfriend practicing spinning fire (below). He uses glowsticks for practice, but he actually has two chains with stuff and he lights it on fire and spins it in all kinds of intricate ways and it's a ton of fun to watch!



Be exploring! Be sharing! And I'll be back!

Experiment Part Next!


OK, here's the next part...

I inserted a (moisturized) dried leaf between the dryer sheet and the angelina. I have not yet basted the layers. The leaves are crumbly (although the flower petals dryed more flexibly), so I slathered this one with hand lotion and let it sit for a bit. As you can see, the leaf is now completely flat behind the dryer sheet. I'm going to then baste the layers with red thread (easier to see) and observe how well the leaf can be viewed through the dryer sheet after basting before I determine my next step.

A New Experiment


Well, I'm back on the road again!

I know I'm behind in what everyone is doing all at one time, but isn't that why we have the different drummers?!

This experiment involves background through sheer and a foreground. I wanted to use angelina and dryer sheets because that's what I've got. I held them up together, and the dryer sheet (used, thanks!) seems like it might work.

I have been intrigued by this concept for a while and am only now getting to it. So my first pic here is having cut my 4x6 background fabric, chosen my angelina and ironed it, and grabbed my dryer sheet. I've just pinned the layers together prior to basting.

Be intrigued! Be curious! And I'll be back!!

6.12.2008

Exciting Things Are Happening...!

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