A New Joli Parquet!! Yeah

Before I get busy and forget to post this, here it is. :) Cindy reworked the Joli Parquet blog site and added a new button for us to post. Why?? Cuz they are going to do Valentine tutorials, give aways, and just plain fun. If you joined them for the Christmas frivolities you know how much fun it is going to be!! SO head over to their blog Here, grab a button for your blog side bar and spread the word!!!

If you haven't had a chance to find out what RABs are drop down to last night's post I promise it's more fun then being stuck all night in the basement of Tinsel Trading Co. !! Yep really :)

If I don't see you again have a very audacious day or evening Bloglandia depending on where in the world you are ;)

RABs & A Scavenger Hunt

As y'all know there are ATCs, ACCs, ATVs ;) CNN ;) PMS ;) Well it seems that all you have to do is string 3 capital letters together and you have an acronym. So the one I have created is (though I'm pretty sure someone has already don it) RABs Random Acts of Beauty. :)

Let me "splain" I had heard of artists in different countries that create a little piece of beauty and then leave them some place public so they're found. Boy I thought that is so cool!! But then I got sorta busy with life and the idea sorta slipped into the great idea file in my "Little Gray Cells" Then the other day I received the new Winter issue of Somerset Life magazine :) (happy dance) and in it was an article titled "Heralds of Humanity" by Morgan McLaughlin. The article is about artists world wide creating a small piece of art with a message on it. Then quietly leaving in public areas so they can be found. You know it gives the finder a bit of nano-art to bring a smile to their face, a giggle, or just a nice warm fuzzy. Morgan focuses her article on Susanna Gordon and the "Winged Messengers" she creates and leaves around the city.

Ah ha there's that idea again. But now I have the time to do the creative things I want to do. Soooooo as I was getting ready for bed the other night I thought I can do this, Actually I want to do this. I did have one little problem though. This type of art for want of a better name has fallen into the "Guerrilla Art" umbrella. You know street art, graffiti etc. To many Guerrilla Art tends to have a negative connotation. That's when I came up with RABs Random Acts of Beauty. Sounds better don't ya think?? :)

Now what to do, Susanna draws an envelope with wings and prints a peppy phrase on it. "Smile someone is thinking about you" sorta thing. So as I was thinking I decided I needed to do it with recycle, reuse, in mind. Ahhhhhhh Haaaaa I live in Mazatlan Mexico the capital of Mexican Beer. You ever heard of Corona, Pacifico, Sol..... ?? It's all made here :) So the basis of my art piece is a... yep you got it a beer bottle cap. Which in case you want to know for Jeopardy is a 1 inch circle --inchies anyone. So I printed out sheets of a vintage letter and then inchies of masters art work, (you know how much I love "Mona") Although I can place what ever tickles my fancy when I'm making them. The one problem I could foresee was that the caps are mighty small,what if no one sees them?? I decided that Susanna's idea of the wings was perfect. So I made and glued a set of wings under the caps. Just a tad of glitter for good measure. Then I printed out words like Create, smile, dream, dance,imagine, give etc and glued them on one wing then on the other wing I glued the word today. Ahhhh but I live in a Spanish speaking country, so using English sorta defeats the purpose. How can it bring you a bit of joy if you don't know what it says. So Create Today became Crear Hoy.

LW and I put the first few together and headed for the Historical District this afternoon. As we walked along I would peal the backing off the adhesive tac on the back of the cap and stick it.. oh on a front door, pay phone, a carving of a monk, just were ever we thought they would be seen and be a gift to bring a smile to someones face :)

I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is way more fun then this middle aged woman has had in ages. Creating art has never felt this wonderful, and the best part is no one has any idea how, who, or when the little beer cap flew in!! :)

So here is a little challenge fellow Bloglandians take an afternoon create a few RABs nothing elaborate we aren't trying to be the next Monet. Then head out and stick your RABs where they can be found!! I promise you will come home with the biggest smile on your face, feel ten feet tall, and feel the worlds biggest warm fuzzy. :) If you do give this little Zen exercise a try come back and tell us how it went!! Let's start a movement RABs Forever!!

Scavenger Hunt: Dame Penniwig is doing a scavenger hunt. So head over to her blog: Dame Penniwig's and check out her prizes and get the first question. Oh and while you are there, check out all the cute graphics she has/is making that are free to the Bloglandian community :)

I think I'll close for now I have to make more winged bottle caps for tomorrow. Martha and I are going to lunch. So dear Bloglandian friends have a most audacious day or evening depending on where in the world you are ;)

A New "Kit"

If you are like me during the "Dog Days of August" I'll go on an imaginary vacation to the Alps or Alaska. I will settle in with a good mystery set in a really cold winter environment, fix a lovely cup of tea (which of course I would have to put ice in). Put a Christmas CD on with Winter Wonderland, Let it Snow,& Frosty The Snow Man. Anything that for a little bit would take my mind off the HEAT.

Now that Christmas is over I keep hearing you guys in the great white northern lands saying you are ready for spring. Well as we all know it's a ways off still kids ;( Sorry but I did put together a bit of a day at the beach kit for you :)

Sooooo pack your beach bags. be sure you throw in:
A couple of beach towels

Sunscreen,
Reading Material

Put in a Jimmy Buffet CD or better yet stick in one of those great CDs with waves and sea birds sounds:) And turn the volume up

Dig out the kids little wading pool from last summer. Get a bucket of sand from the sand box and spread it around the pool.

Now go dig out that bathing suit that's stuck in the back of you sock drawer and put it on.
Grab your beach bag and head to the beach ;)

Oh Look there are a couple of lounge chairs, pull them up right to the water (wading pool)

Slather on some good 'ol' sunscreen, spread your towel on the lounge chair, grab your book and get to lounging.

When you start to feel a bit thirsty doesn't a pitcher of Margaritas sound good or even a frosty glass of Limonada?? Interesting note. Lemons are a real luxury in Mexico and have to be imported. But Limes are everywhere, and Mexicans have a great love affair with limes. It's in everything, mayonnaise, salsa, ceviche, chips, a dish of fresh lime wedges is place on the table with every meal

Now that you have all the ingredients necessary for a day at the beach, lay back close your eyes listen to the music, sip your drink and IMAGINE

But like all good thing the sun will eventually set and you have to open your eyes to the reality of the weather. Ah but never fear a day at the beach is only a wading pool and a vivid imagination away! :)

Shaking the sand out of my sandals and wishing you an audacious day or evening my Bloglandian friends depending on where in the world you are ;)

Blatant Advertisment

Of Course it would only be something like blatant advertising that would make me post this late before going to bed :)

Be that as it may. Gail posted all the entries to this month's Mind Wide Open challenge. There are some very remarkable pieces this month so you guys should head over there to see them for your self. As always the voting started today and runs until the 12th. That should give everyone plenty of time to wander over and cast their votes :) Excuse me just a minute, this is for my non blogging family & friends.... This is your mom, sister, aunt, sweetheart,buddy, pal, junking buddy etc. You do not have to have a blog to vote so if after checking out all the entries, you think that mine is worthy of your vote DO IT please :) EH hmmmm okay I'm back as I was saying wander over and cast your vote won't you?? :)

I'll even make it very easy for you, just put your cursor right HERE and off you go.

Buenas Notches mis Amigas al la Bloglandia ( Good Night my Bloglandian friends)

Few Going Ons in Bloglandia

I'm sure many of us know who Venessa Valencia of A Fanciful Twists is. One of those very rare humans with a childlike imagination and the gift of translating it to her art. Like many of us her art is who she is ;) Like many artists her art is also her livelihood. She innocently entered into an "advertising" relationship with a web company called Polyvore ,as a way for more exposure to more people. Good idea you would think but.... as we all know the protection of copyright work doesn't seem to matter to some. It didn't take her look to noticed that not only the few pieces she authorized to the company where being used, but so was all of her work, appearing in digital collages many in very unprofessional, and even perverse "expressions" of "art". Venessa's is not an isolated incident. All over the cyber world any artist who has a web site or blog has become bait for copywriter infringements. Here is the link to Venessa's blog, please take a a bit of time to read her posting, and follow the links she gives that help to explain just how this "cancer" has metastasize to all of Bloglandia and all expressions of art :( When you are finished reading get very angry and then turn that anger into positive actions. Learn how you can protect your expressions of imagination, and do it!!! Spread the the news to other artists. Remember knowledge is power. Even as Artists we are not naive enough to believe that we can put a complete stop to this thievery however by banding together we can make it very difficult to steal from us. It is time to educate yourselves because right now it's "as easy as shooting ducks in a barrel" to steal an Artists Soul!!!

Okay moving on to a little more pleasant Bloglandian activities. :) Today is January 8th that means only 10 more days until One World One Heart begins!!! Run do not walk to Liza Swifka's blog and find out what all the excitement is about!! I hadn't moved to Bloglandia in time to participate last year but boy I'm sure going to this year!! What a most awesome way to meet all kinds of Bloglandian neighbors from all over the world !! :) along with maybe winning a give away or two!! :) And the coolest part is if you are unable to sponsor a give away you still get to meet and participate in this world wide extravaganza!!! So what are you waiting for go grab a button and get it posted!!

Here are a couple of give aways that might just be something you want to check out.

Kaari Meng of The French General is sponsoring a give away of one of The General's braceletkits!!! A beautiful winter white one :) If you have never visited her blog before grab a cup of tea and stay for a wee visit, guaranteed to brighten your day!!

Sharon of My Vintage Studio is sponsoring a great give away also. Actually Sharon does a monthly give away much like the one Karla of Karla's Cottage does. Sharon's this month is giving away the brand new Somerset In Love special issue Valentine magazine (yipee, yeah hoo, all right!!) yet the one we all have on our wish lists!! Lets see there's three right there!!!

A bit ago when I spent the afternoon skipping around Bloglandia I ran into "Chicken Little" and instead of running around fussing about the sky falling in she was pointing up saying "Look Oh Look, that's a real honest to goodness Castle in The Air"!!! Sure enough there it was and waiting for you at the top of the ladder is Karima Cammell who will invite you in to explore her most amazing Castle in the Air!!! Filled with all manners of gnomes, tree houses, star dust & glitter, and the most amazing vintage Dresden papers and vintage German paper supplies!!! Sooooooo very cool!!! You just have to go see what I mean, and be sure you take a pocket full of seashells to leave a little trail so you can go back to visit many more times!!!!! And when you get there please give my greetings to Karima and her gnome friends :)
Well it seems to me you guys are going to be very busy bees now that you have read today's news!! So all that is left is to wish all of my Bloglandian friends a very audacious day or evening depending on what part of the world you are in ;)

I've Got That Naked Kinda Feeling

Ha I bet there is a word or two in that title that will set an alarm off in a cyber surfer's early alert system. I can't wait to see what kind of commercial will be waiting for me tomorrow in my comments :) I figure if you can't beat these sneaky sales people you might as well get a bit of entertainment from them!!

Okay so now about the title. I finished my combine challenge piece today. Yep I even took pictures but I'm having a real argument with myself about posting them so everyone can see them. You see I have never entered any of my work in a challenge or for that matter put it out there to be judged. I mean of course I think my creations are the Bee's knees, but that doesn't mean that regular every day Joe or Jo will think they are any thing more then macaroni art their kids made at Camp Belikeverybodyelse. Jeez something like that might just shake my confidence a bit. It's way easier to keep my creations in the shadows. I don't sell any of my work , I only make them to give friends and family as gifts or just for the pure enjoyment of creating a bit of my imagination :) This is very good for my ego and confidence I mean thankfully my friends and family would never tell me if my creation belongs on the bottom of some one's shoe!! Well at least not so I could hear them :) But to put them out there to be compared with others now that is another story. I don't know how many of you have noticed but my Bloglandian Sisters are a hugely blessed, creative, and a gifted group of women!! I mean there's Miss Lulu of Coastal Sisters her jewelry is amazing!! Not to worry Little Sis I won't be taking any work from you in this life time :) How about Laurie -Charming Designs, I would be happy to spend one day sharing her paint brush!! Oh and there is Karima Cammell- Castle in the Air, , Ulla Milbrath and Venessa Valencia-A Fanciful Twist they are blessed to still have a child's imagination :) There are sisters that truly are a renaissance artist, creating in many mediums, Jenny Doh , Linda Notts, and Dawn-The Feathered Nest. Why there isn't anyone on my inspiration list that isn't amazingly gifted!!

Therefore I have come to a decision. I'll post my creation and enter it into the two challenges, not because it is so much more creative or "better than" but rather it is mine. A reflection of my imagination, of who I am, my soul. I create because I must, it's who I am, it's what makes me happy :)

Yikes now that's a lot of saccharine, which really boils down to It's mine, I like it, if you don't... to bad ;) Yep I think that sounds more like me, don't you think. Besides if "The Emperor" can parade around in the all together so can I :) So here it is. Remember Linda's challenge was to create a charm and Eye's Wide Open was a print of a ballerina and the word forever. I used the print as the center of my charm. Then I put together a little piece I could add the charm to. I put the copy of the print we were to use at the top of my post. No matter what I did, no matter what my favorite Tech did we couldn't get a clear picture of the print when it was in the charm. The crystal is convexed so it distorts the light and on and on with more tech terms then I want to know :) But anyway in real lie at inchie size the print is the same:)

The watch was an old bracelet that I took apart (in artist terms I believe that's deconstructed) Then I soldered (but don't look it's nasty!) the three smaller rings onto the large one and then the large one to the watch.

Then I found a heart stone I attached to a crystal wishbone, and a cute maroon tassel, and hung ithem from the 3 rings I attaches to the watch. At the end of the string of blue and pink crystals I hung the charm.

Remember the charm was one that I took apart and scraped off the old painting on it. On one side of the charm is the picture of the dancer, she is on top of a piece of tatting and that is on top of a piece of black ribbon. Then I added a little red glitter heart, well I mean I have a bunch of glitter left over from the holidays and want to use it up before it ferments ;).

On the opposite side is a pair of pointe shoes I did with color pencils. They are on top of an old piece of maroon ribbon which is on top of a scrap of silk I washed. Then at the bottom I placed the word "Forever" . Then on the crystal I placed one tiny magical "diamond" that will surely grant our ballerina's wish to, dance forever!! But sadly our Ballerina must still learn that for humans there can never be "forever" Time ticks away so for us there is only NOW

Then I strung the watch on an old yellowed piece of tatting lace.

Well there it is. I enjoyed making it and in the end isn't that what really matters?? :)Have a most audacious day or evening Bloglandia depending on what part of the world you are in ;)

Just a Laid Back Saturday

I think I mentioned that young Dulce was on vacation. :( She went to Mexico City to spend the holidays with some family friends. When she told us she was going to be gone I made her promise she would come back. Dulce is 17 years old and attempting to swim up stream. A major percentage of both men and women still feel that in order for a woman to fulfill her destiny she must marry young have children and only work outside of the home if she must help pay the bills. Many of Dulce's friends are already married, getting married, and having babies. Few have graduated from high school and many have never finished secondary school (jr. high) And that was exactly where Dulce was headed 2&1/2 years ago before she started cleaning for us. But as her self esteem and self image has grown so has her courage. She has realized that she is responsible for her destiny. That a woman can be fulfilled and also educated. Tomorrow school starts for the winter quarter and Little Dulce will be there!! :) Just like she promised she was here at 9:30 this morning!!

I spent the afternoon working on two challenges. I set a goal to participate in different challenges and swaps this year. I don't sell any of my creations so unless it's a gift for a specific celebration I don't have to stay on task. In some sense that is a good thing but in others it's not. It's all to easy for me to not work on a piece if my joints just don't feel like cooperating that day. It's much better for my head, heart and body if I have a goal to work towards. Meeting these goals challenge me to explore new techniques and mediums which in turn truly boost my confidence and self worth :) I have had to accept that the word can't really does exist, only on my terms. I have learned that it is not that I can't do it rather it's I can't do it the way I did before. :) Okay back to the challenge thing. I decided to participate in both Art Adventure challenge for this week and Mind Wide Open's Jan. challenge. Yep I know that's a lot of challenge to get created in 8 days. Not to worry being ever resourceful I've combined both so I have only one piece to create. For AA (not that one :} ) it's to create a charm and for MWO it's make a creation with their print of a ballerina and the word forever. Sooooooooo I'm working on a charm with the picture incorporated.

I'll keep you posted on my progress. Things are going a bit slow cuz I can't just run to Micheal's to pick up a couple of this or that. To get the base and glass for the charm I first had to deconstruct an old necklace :)

It's hard to see but it is a ballerina bending over to tie her pointe shoes. She she has her brown hair up in a bun?? :)

In case you were wondering about the picture above the title. That is Little Rubi Roo our smallest critter sleeping in my lap as I worked this afternoon. She is way way to cute, and you can't help but smile when she looks at you with her big brown eyes :)

Have a most audacious day or evening depending on what part of Bloglandia you are in ;)