Ta Da!

Remember the little girl that loves pink, ponies and princesses? The princess is done and has arrived safely in Cincinnati. I actually made 2. The first sat for awhile and everytime I looked at it something just seemed off. The girl seemed too big for the frame, so I decided to do another and choose between the 2 of them. The first picture is the second one that I did. She is wearing a pink rhinstone crown that I found in the clearance bin. I liked it better and  framed it in the shadowbox. The first one has a tiny glass vial from a perfume sample that I filled with some vintage flowers. I loved that detail! Now what to do with the first one? Well, I ended up sending that one unframed as a bonus and she can decide. Or frame them both and have a set. My bonus? Very happy client with 2 pieces she is taking this to a trend meeting for the company that she works for....North Light Books!

My Old Friend...the Sewing Machine

Ahhhh. Finally I have my computer and my car back in working order. It's been a rough couple of weeks. Took my car in because it wouldn't start and only $900 later it still wouldn't start! So back to the shop it went, me, kicking and screaming! Hubby, at this time decided to upgrade computer, cleaning out the old and installing the new, and of course nothing is as simple as it should be. I went a total of 7 days without a car or computer. Imagine! So I turned to an old friend that I haven't had the desire to see in years....my sewing machine. I have been dying to sew a doll for quite some time but just didn't want to deal with the mess of sewing. Dragging the machine out and having the ironing board up for days just doesn't sound appealing to me. But drag it out I did and surprisingly we got along quite well! I bought some fabrics from Lil Urchin at the last Chateau de Fleurs show thinking I would make a doll someday. Well that day came when I was stuck at home in the rain with no car or computer to distract me. Fancypants was soon born! I decided to make her body look like my art so I stamped muslin with black permanent ink using a french script stamp. I wish her sleeves were more of a contrast than the rest of her dress but I still like her. Most of my girls have oversized hair embellishments so I put a giant fabric rose in Fancypant's hair and of course she has just a touch of blush on her cheeks but no face.

In the middle of all this, I received a package with a tote that I had my art printed on. I set out embellishing it with whatever stuff I could find in the craft room. I stamped flowers in the background and used some old clooney lace and buttons that I found from my 70's stash that I had from my days when I worked in the garment district. I had to laugh at my 22 yr old son that told me to make sure I put plenty of pockets on it! So there are 2 pockets on the front, perfect for a cell phone and lots of paintbrushes.

All in all, my friend the sewing machine and I had a pretty good time but my favorite part of sewing is all the hand sewing that can be done in front of the tv watching talk shows or home improvement shows which I don't allow myself to do often.

I will be selling the bag at Chateau de Fleurs this coming weekend but Fancypants isn't going anywhere. I can't part with her. Perhaps she will sit in my Christmas wreath this year.

Lil Urchin

I have a Cover!

Well, I think it's time to introduce my book....it now has a cover! It's been available for presale on Amazon but never had an image to go with it. Imagine my excitement when the cover finally showed up on their website!
It was exactly a year ago when I was waiting to hear whether the proposal for North Light Books would be accepted or not. Once it was finalized at the end of Nov, I began working on the art. I haven't really thought about all of the pieces until today when I received an email of some of the pages after the design process. I can't believe how much the design enhances the art. Kelly is soooo talented! I absolutely love everything she has done so far. I can't wait until June...it seems so far away!

My New Friend

Emily's wall

I spent Thursday with a new friend Emily. She is 10 yrs old going on 30. I met her at my very first art show Chateau de Fleurs. She kept me company and made me feel welcome, not the new outsider that I really was. She saved my day. She made me feel like maybe, just maybe I belonged there.
So on Thursday, I went to Emily's home and was in awe of the magic there. Her mother Lisa, is one talented lady. Lisa has been featured in many of the Stampington family of magazines and it was easy to see why. Her home was filled with her whimsical creations. So inspiring! I had the pleasure of drawing with Emily on my first day at Chateau de Fleurs during the slow times and I'm pretty sure she has picked up on her mother's talents. She's got the sketching bug for sure.
Anyway, Emily greeted me at the door in her brand new navy blue coat and sporting a very cute headband with flower attached. She reminded me a bit of Madeline minus the straw hat. She looked very grown up but with a teensy bit of little girl still there. I liked that. I think all girls need to keep that bit of little girl still there for good measure. I wished I had brought my camera, but of course I forgot it.
We went antiquing in Ontario and Upland. She and her mom know of all the good places to go and know of all the good things to look for. Me? I'm new at all this vintagy stuff. I'm not an antique buff but I love looking at all the goodies that remind me of my childhood, all the while being upset that these things are called antiques! Really...it hasn't been that long!
After one huge store, we were ready for lunch. We went to a delightful little place called Molly's. Emily announced in her most grown up voice that she was buying. Now you can imagine the thoughts going through my head. How could we possibly expect her to pay and of course she probably doesn't really mean it anyway. Molly's is located in an old house in downtown Upland. Very cute and old fashioned. We ordered and Emily's drink came in a little teapot and teacup. Too cute...I too wanted mine in a cute little cup! When the bill came, Emily picked it up and proceeded to pay for it. I so wanted to protest but I felt like she needed to do this. If we took it away from her we would be treating her like a child and take that wonderful feeling of well, feeling grown up away from her. So I let her pay but offered to tip. We told her it was customary for people to tip when others pay. Just a little bit of grown up advise for her.
We trekked through a few more stores. She spotted an old tin dollhouse that she bought with birthday money. It was exactly like the one I had when I was little. I offered her $50 for it but she wouldn't budge! I don't know how but that dollhouse ended up on her lap and she was halfway in it on the ride home. She was so excited about it. I was relieved that the grown up  girl dissappeared for awhile and the little girl came back to play.
I loved seeing both sides of Emily that day. It's not easy being 10. Teenage years are so close you can touch them. I remember how excited you are to be a grown up and you just can't wait. But then there's the dolls...it's hard to let them go. Keep the dolls for just a while longer Em. If you're anything like your mom and I, you will never let them go. For some reasons, they keep appearing in our creative lives and that's a good thing.
Thank you Emily, for a wonderful day and a girly lunch. I had so much fun!

Inspired!

Yee Haa!

So last week I should have been getting ready for a show that I was doing in Redlands for the weekend. But instead I was super excited about doing a little girl project. When I received the email asking me if I would do a piece for a 3 year old girl that loves horses, dancing, and has a room that's bubblegum pink, lime green and turquoise, I have to admit I was less than excited. It was the horse thing. I just didn't know how I was going to get a horse incorporated into a piece of my girly art. I told her I needed a couple of days to think about it. So I thought about it and just wasn't feeling it. Then I went to the store. THE scrapbook store. The store that is so crowded with aisles of paper that sometimes I knock things off the racks just turning around. And there it was, in the very back, a stand with cowgirl and cowboy stuff. So cute! Colors perfect! So I grabbed a couple of sheets for inspiration then pulled the solid colors mentioned above. I knew I had enough printed papers in those colors but I couldn't resist the pink paper with xoxo's in lime and turquoise. And of course how could I not buy some sort of princess paper, right?

Upon arriving home, I cut out some of the horses and started arranging paper to see exactly which ones I would use. I spent about 2 hours before I decided. It was so much fun, trying to get in that little 3 year olds head! So I continued to play, using crepe paper ruffles, buttons, rhinestones, ribbons and bows, and all kinds of girly embellishments for this little cowgirl until I felt satisfied. I think what made it so much fun was that I felt like that little girl playing paperdolls once again. Too fun!

When I finished playing, I promptly went to the computer and sent out the email that yes, I could fit it into my schedule this month!



What's wrong with me??!!

Self diagnosis, we've all done it. I think I've narrowed it down to being Artistically Bipolar or Creative ADD. What's with this crazy up/down, up/down? I have so many ideas swimming in my head right now, so many half way there projects, that I seem to get so overwhelmed and then stop doing everything. No, I'm not depressed and no, I'm not so crazy busy that I just can't handle it all! Wish!
I just can't seem to focus and I've never had this problem before. So, what to do? I have neglected this blog for much too long so I guess I will just post what's on my mind and what's going on just to get back in the swing of things.
I am happy to say that I am published in the current issue of Somerset Studio...Four wonderful pages. I will be doing a class at Stamp Your Heart Out in Claremont on Nov. 28. We will be making these cute little girlfriend gifts in the magazine.
I will also be in Artists Cafe issue to be out Dec.1....so blessed with that one because it came as a nice suprise to be paid a second time for something that was published 2 years ago! This was my very first article for Somerset Studio and it means so much to me to revisit it. This weekend I will have a booth at a show called Tell Me Bout the Good Ol Days in Redlands in a great house in the historic district. It should be lots of fun. And very happy to report I have my tickets for a retreat in Key Largo that I'll be teaching at in March. Such a wonderful group of women who have just welcomed me into their creative world. I can't wait! See how scattered this is?! But I felt like I could put off this blog forever if I didn't do something now! So there it is...until next time. I hope to be more focused then@ Haha now why would I put that there instead of a period? Focus!