Ravings Of A Lunatic Jewelry Artist.... ME!!!

cover of Soul Asylum's CD: Let the Dim Light Shine

Lunacy/lunatic - a reckless impetuous irresponsible person in other words ME. Have you ever had one of those moments when the words come flying out of your mouth before you realize you are the one talking???? Of course you have we all have. Well I did a really good job this time.  Martha my friend who runs the Mexican NGO CONREHABIT, (think parrot release last month) is really struggling to bring the birdseed home. So we have been doing a bit of brainstorming ways to increase the intake side to be at least equal to the take out!! She had asked me awhile ago if I would make some pieces that we (conrehabit) could sell in the city artist's First Friday Art Walk, if we were accepted. "Oh sure, no problem, it'll be fun, give me something to do" I say as I think no worries we have a snowball's chance in h... of being accepted!! Well Miss Martha had a meeting with the selection committee the other day (damn if she didn't wear her bird necklace I made for her BDay), and we received a much coveted invitation to be part of the Art Walk. Now Martha not being one to let the grass grow under her feet, when asked if we wanted to start in April says "what's wrong with March, we'll start then" Haaaaaaaa Haaaaaaa Haaaaaa What's wrong with March it's only days, count them days away!!!!! And who is this we person??? That would be Me person by the way!!!!

Well never being one to turn down a challenge "WE" will be part of the March Art Walk god help us and the creek don't rise!! :) I have now turned into the mad jewelry maker, you know the one she's a few beads short of a full string!!??

I have a couple of pairs of earrings done 2 necklaces almost done and one finished. I'm hoping we will have a few pieces to get people interested and knock them dead next month. Well that's the plan for now.....

The earrings are simple Canadian jade and crosses hanging on wires I squiggled, the other pair is wire wrapped smoke topaz.

I'm really pleased with the finished necklace, in fact if it doesn't sell I think I'll just be putting it in my little stable. A while back I won a Saturday giveaway on the Art Bead Scene Blog. It was one  of Lynn Davis' pewter and resin beads. I really love her pieces they are always the most incredible and imaginative creations and so fun to work with. This was the one piece I gave to Martha to show as a representation of "our" work. Well I guess as it turns out it was one of two pieces (read she just happen to be wearing the other piece)

I placed the clasp in front and used a piece of from a Mexican show saddle (horse that is) I think the patina on the old Mexican silver is a perfect match to the patina on Lynn's piece.

I used tiny amber beads and garnet nuggets which as we all know are two of my all time favorite stones

Well kids I'd love to sit here sip a lovely cup of tea and visit but this

little lunatic has many a mile of beads to string and wire to bend. EEE GADS think of all the rust I've got to make!! I'm off with not a minute to spare, but not before reminding you that today is a perfect day to make art, no matter where in the world

you are  p;

Lazy Girl Try Outs & Projects

Lately I have been playing the part of Lazy Girl, one in which with very little practice I can be very good at :) Ahhh but then I remind myself that I have no schedule to keep, no deadlines looming, no threats of professional ruin. Nope nothing, so I figure if I feel like being lazy, lazy I'll be :) (so there!!) 

I do have one er two huh... maybe three projects started, and that's not counting The Room, in different stages. Since I hate that's with a capital H cutting out patterns I spent Monday cutting out 2tees,3skirts,2jumper/aprons. Yeah pretty much my spring summer clothes. I also have been playing around with a bit of resin/wire&paper. Of course there is always the call of rust. Renate sent me some nicely aged pocket watch cases in her gift box of German flea market treasures. I've been playing around with both the rust and verdigris patinas on it. Here it is with the rust

I did finish another hmmmm what to call it???? Top sounds good, I had a piece of awesome stretch lace I threw in with a couple of tea bags to age a bit. Then I cut out the little shrug pattern I made.

 I took the bottom half of a jumper and used it as the bottom for the lace top. Cut it so it's above my knees so I can wear it with my jeans or a long skirt and not look to eccentric. I edged the top and ran through the eyelet lace, strips of a cotton flower print material I tore into ribbons.

It actually turned out quite cute. And I have already worn it more then I ever did the jumper :)

Okay that's about all I've gotten accomplished. I think it's about time for this Lazy Girl to go do a bit more rehearsing :) Don't forget today is a perfect day to make art no matter where in the world you

are  p;)

New Do?????Ok

Okay so you caught me. I'm a bit bored with the old look and I been going through my closet trying on different looks. I'm kinda liking the sepia, vintage, tropical, home-y, junkin, look. What about you guys??? How about giving me a few suggestions here, please. 

Well I think I'll sleep on it tonight, I'll check back tomorrow to see what you guys think..... Oh and remember today is a perfect day to make a bit of art, no matter where in the world you are   p;)

Cosmetic Surgery for Angels & Annalise's Stand In

 The little widow grandma three doors down has a little gift shop she runs out of what would have been her tiny 1 car garage. As much as possible all the women on our block try to buy most of the little (and bigger) gifts for birthdays etc. from her. My goal is to spend between $120-$150pesos  or around $10us a month there. This month with no birthdays coming up I bought a little resin angel shelf. I thought I'd use it in the girlie room. Oh and it's still in the wall repair stage as we speak I write. :) Before you yell let me confess that I still have not mastered the before picture idea so I don't have one. You will just have to visualize. Resin angels with pink and blue wings, flesh colored skin, ruby lips and curly blond hair.

I sprayed the whole kit and kaboodle white. Then slathered a nice thick layer of crackle medium over everything When that was dry I painted on a very very pale (almost white) blue color of paint.

When the paint was dry I broke out my secret antiquing medium (brown Kiwi shoe wax) to age things a bit and hi light the cracks.

I understand the mechanics behind how the crackle medium works it's magic but I have been wondering if it has to be paint you apply over the medium to get the crackle?? If I wanted to reproduce the crazing and crackling that happens with ceramic and pottery could I cover the dry crackle medium with a clear paintable acrylic glaze???? Anyone out there know?? How do they fauxtique ceramics???

I decided I liked my little brown shrug, wrap,cropped sweater thing so well I'd try my hand at another. I did a bit of modifying on the master pattern, dug out a few lace type scraps and put another one together.

Unlike the brown tablecloth one I can wear this one well into the warm months. This will be great because it will dress up a tank top without adding any more hot layers of material.  Huh??? Well as a matter of a fact, yes that would be my body inside the cute little top. And yes I'll turn around so you can see the front of my little creation. In a moment of slight insanity I let LW talk me into wearing the top instead of having Annelise model it. But Annalise has no worries of losing her job, because I'm staying behind the camera thank you very much! :)

AAACK why is it that you don't notice a long stray white thread hanging on the middle of your shirt, right in front of God and everybody until it's way to late to do anything about it??? Oh Sweet Mysteries of Life!! :)

On that note I think Annalise's stand in is off to do a bit of bed time reading. Remember today is a perfect day to make art, no matter where in the world you are  p;)

A Valentine From A Kindred Sister

There were a number of needs and reasons why I started my blog. And to be sure all of them have been fulfilled. But what is so amazing is the fulfilment of needs I had no idea I had!! I not only have friends all over the world but I have kindred artists from all over the world. I have a world full of "little sisters" and a few "little brothers" :) I now belong to a family who understands me, accepts me. Thinks it's perfectly normal to see music, hear colors, feel beauty, stuff your pockets full of found bits and pieces, rescue that "dirty old thing" from the garbage, "what shall I make today" is the first thought of the day.

Who will nudge me out of my comfortable nest,

celebrate my successes,

 listens to me

Accepts me warts and all

This is my Valentine to all of you. You have made my life all the richer to live and for that I thank all of you!!!

 

We are off to watch the night parade This weekend is Carneval!!!!! Pictures with next post :) Remember Kids today is a perfect day to make art, no matter where in the world you are  p;)

A Sunday Drive

Last Sunday was a lovely mild day, our friends Toni and Martha...who by the way loved her necklace set... invited LW and I for a little Sunday drive to one of the smaller villages outside of Mazatlan.

Where there is an incredible family run restaurant, that years ago started out as a couple of tables in their living room to taking over the home, patios, courtyard and yard. Since the weather was so nice everyone was outside, so Martha and wandered through a couple of the dining rooms to take a peak of the hand painted wall murals 

I know I've said before that here in Mexico Family comes first, last always When asked to make a choice, if it involves family there is no choice. That applies to not only immediate family but also extended. In one of the dining room we found the family tree. It starts with the generation that immigrated from Spain. This mural is like no other family tree mural I have ever seen. The artistry is amazing The tree and branches are both trompe l'oeil and two dimensional and have all the members names painted on them

The roots are all trompe l'oeil that is painted to look as if the plaster and paint have chipped off leaving the bricks exposed.

The "ground" is a large rustic shelf and the roots above ground create little niches where decorative pieces have been placed

 

Since Martha and I both being girls of course we had to make the last stop before getting into the car for the ride home, the "Girl's" room. Now that we are both all grown up we can go to the potty by ourselves, no need to go two by two for us. ;) Being the first one to volunteer, after asking for directions and wandering through a couple of rooms I pushed open the door and I was greeted with the most AMAZING sink/counter/vanity I think I have seen in a whole bunch of years. Well for sure never in a tiny little town in the country!!! I was so stupefied I went dashing (politely as not to cause a scene) back to the table for the camera!! I mean there was no way to explain it without show and tell time!!! This time Martha went with me, so it's her arm demonstrating the faucets.

I'm so sorry that this was the only picture that turned out. It was so dark and the room was so tiny. See the two skeleton keys, they are the hot &cold facets. You can't begin to imagine the cool patina the hot and cold trumpets have. That's a hollowed out tree trunk the pipes are hidden in.  The bowl which you can barely see is a vintage wooden tortilla trough, where the corn meal and water were mixed and kneaded to make tortillas. Last but certainly not to be forgotten is the rustic wood carved angel head. :)

Our tummies filled with an incredible Mexican dinner and our curiosity and imaginations satiated we piled back into the Yellow Submarine (aka the Xterra)

 

Waved goodbye and promised to come back again for a lovely relaxed Sunday afternoon.

Wishing you all good evening and remember kids, today is a perfect day to make art no matter where in the world you are.  p;)

A Couple of Special Gifts

I as of yesterday had not given Martha her Christmas gift.  It's not out of procrastinating (this time), neither one of us had been struck with a divine vision as to the look of the jewelry she wanted. I have a couple of silver "metal" bird charms I had bought when we were in the Northlands. I was playing around with the largest one and some of the antiquing mediums I brought home. There is a kit by the same company that makes the rust anything kit. This kit has either gold or black bronze paint with iron dust. When you add the sulfur type antiquing medium it turns the piece lovely shades of verdigris :)

The perfect shades to use with turquoise beads. Birds, nests, earth colors, hmmm I was beginning to get a stirring of that vision for a gift for the original Earth Mum, founder of a NGO dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of the birds and mammals of the Mexican dry forest.So out came the turquoise and delicate brown striped clay beads, and that ever so cool bronze wire from Vintaj. 

 

For the clasp I made a wire nest and hook to close just above the focals

I took a vintage watch case of course you realize that Martha tends to be a matching, symmetrical kind of girl, so I had no other choice then to add a bit of verdigris to the case. :) Inside the case I placed the words Rescate (rescue) Rehabilitar (rehabilitate) libertad (liberate), I'd cut from a vintage Spanish dictionary. For the earrings to the set Martha like many women especially Mexican women here,likes to have them match the necklace, I made two teenie tiny nests with tiny pearl "eggs". I used copper as I don't have any 20 or 24 gage bronze wire. Not to worry though they will have a lovely patina within 2 weeks, and will blend with the bronze of the necklace quite nicely :) 

 

I have to tell you I was a bit apprehensive giving Martha this set. She is somewhat conservative although she is slowly learning to enjoy and wear art jewelry. But there was no need to worry she loves it!! She plans on wearing it Tuesday when she goes to Culiacan as the state representative on President Calderon's ecology & responsible development task force :) 

 

You guys remember this necklace? I made it for the Art Bead Scene Dec. challenge.

 

This necklace is what I gave Luci for her Christmas gift. I just didn't have any creative or even boring ideas for earrings. This is an ongoing issue for me. I know how a lot of my bloglandian sisters really enjoy making earrings, and have the most creative and beautiful results. I on the other hand have so much trouble making earrings that are a bit creative and not just stringing a couple of beads on a wire.!! But the other day  I was contemplating the wire coils I made as spacers in Luci's piece. That's when I came up with the idea to incorporate wire coils in earrings. I was pretty darn tickled with the results, but more importantly Luci loves them!! :)

These last 2 pictures are at LW's request. He is always teasing me that I spend as much time on the presentation as I do making the gift ;) Which isn't exactly true, but I do like to put a bit of thought into the first thing someone sees when they receive a gift. Well if truth be told I can not wrap using wrapping paper or paper and gift ribbon. And I really hate having to do it, in fact I'll do anything not to. I use to pay my kids to wrap each others Christmas gifts! :) No it true just ask them. This is the little pouch I made for Luci's present. I made it with a bits of scrap silk & lace. I thought she might enjoy using it as a little stash bag. Besides putting together a presentation is always another chance to make art. And you just can't have to many chances when it comes to making art!!

 I'm off to do a bit of Blog hopping I haven't had time to check in to see what you guys have been up to. ...Remember today is a perfect day to make art no matter where in the world you are  p;)