Running With Bees Wax and Scissors

I got the latest issue of Somerset Studio a couple days ago and groaned when I saw the the big doe-eyed, Goth looking, Wednesday Adams girls on the cover. It was the Halloween issue where everything wears black and a pointy hat. Truly, how many different ways are there to make a Victorian lady look like a witch? All the instructions could easily be reduced to one simple sentence, "add pointy black hat" (material is irrelevant, as long as it is BLACK).

[sigh]

Sorry if I have offended your fondness for the holiday and its creative inspiration, but really. My eyes had glazed over by the time I had reached the back of the magazine where all of the ads were and thankfully the call for entries had some interesting challenges! One is entitled, "Fearless". Now that's something I can sink my fangs into! I immediately thought of the first bees wax tag I did. The technique was fearless, but the design was a little static to me (I was not very fearless in my layout- it looks calculated and "safe"- I had no control over the wax at that time so did a very conservative design). So I went back to my pile of fly screening tags and pulled out the next contestant. This time I was going to run with scissors! The bad influence is "Mr Ellis" from an antique copy of the New York Times. You can just make out, "Mr. Ellis says" in my composition.

The word "RuN" was also created by clippings from the same newspaper. I used the same technique as before- glopping on wax from a dripping candle stub and then melting it off with a heat gun, tipping the tag to control the direction of the drips.

The "Fearless" art entry deadline is not until December 15, so I may just ponder creating another piece or two before mailing. What would you do if you created fearlessly? Somerset Studio wants to know!

Oh, and please be sure to enter my blog-iversary giveaway! I will be picking two winners on Wednesday morning!

An HEARTy Meal

I recently got a bag of potatoes that had an unusal amount of heart shaped specimens. This one fit perfectly in my hand. "Heart in hand"- get it?

Hrrumph, ... anyway, I "baked" it in the microwave for a couple minutes, which not only cooked it but also loosened the skin for easy peeling.

Then added it to leftover corned beef and cabbage.

A little heavy for a summer meal, but oh, how I love corned beef and cabbage!

And what a unique presenation.

I think there is a market for heart shaped potatoes.

What do you think?

Don't miss my blog-iversary giveaway.

Only a few days left to sign up!

Carole's House Revisted

Lots of show and tell lately! This is yet another tag I created, inspired by the wonky house I made for Carole (previous post). This one has decidedly fall-ish colors.

Everything I make now has to have a rusted suspender clip on it!

Stitchery RR

A bit of stitchery on Carole's sampler.

Next it goes to Linda.

I like this wonky house so much, I may just do it again on a tag.

Be sure to stop by my Blog-iversary posts to enter to win one of two tags I am giving away to celebrate 3 years of blogging!

FEARLESS

Being FEARLESS is- having never done anything with beeswax before, deciding that assembling metal with it was the right "fit" for the medium.

Being fearless is- lighting a beeswax candle stub and dripping the wax very closely onto antique newspaper and polyester lace, ignoring the fact that both are highly flammable materials.

Being fearless is- not pannicking when the wax gets too thick and lumpy and appears too white and opaque (it becomes more translucent as it cools).

Being fearless is- using a heat gun to heat the surface of the wax (to smooth it out) and not being concerned that it could all possibly melt through the fly screening and become one large puddle on the telephone book being used for a work surface. (It didn't.)



Being fearless is- putting this unique assemblage ArT tag for sale in my etsy shop.

Blog-iversary Giveaway Part 2

It was 3 years ago TODAY that I wrote my first post at Linda's urging. She said she would read my blog if I wrote one. She was my one faithful reader for a very long time!

To celebrate, I am giving away two tags. Each is very different, but both feature the use of one of my rusted suspender clips (available in my etsy shop!) This fly screening creation is tag #2. To see tag #1, see my previous post. Leaving a comment on either post gets you into the random drawing for both.

Tags aren't made out of just paper anymore!
And no, my sewing machine did not break from running fly screening through it, although there were a lot of paint flecks and rusty bits left behind! And yes, that is a zipper used as a border element!

Blog-iversary Giveaway!

It was THREE years ago on August 16th that I created my first post. Hard for me to believe that I have been
blogging for so long! I spent the other night reading through old posts until 2 am. My kids have grown, I have gone from selling on ebay to having an etsy shop and I have made a lot of (enduring) Blogland friendships along the way.

I can't let this pass without a celebration! So from now until the last day of August, I will be collecting comments for a random drawing. So far, I am giving away this quilted fabric tag (another creative example of why you need to buy my rusted suspender clips! I can feel your resistance weakening...) And in case you are wondering about the image-- she was printed on a paper napkin. I just cut her out and stitched her down. Yes, I did! And I didn't accidently leave in the pins-- they are embellishments. heehee

I am planning to create one, maybe two more tags to give away, so you will just have to come back to see!

A Stitchery Fragment and Introducing SUSPENDER CLIPS

I whipped up this little fragment for a friend who kindly added some stitching to my linen currently making the rounds of the QB5. And I added a rusted suspender clip as a hanger so this stitchlet is now ready to display. The fragment is made from a scrap of tattered quilt, an antique hanky, lace and buttons.


I am offering the suspender clips for sale in my etsy shop. You can get them very rusted or just lightly pitted. Either way, they will add a unique and functional detail to your art quilt or assemblage. Would also be a unique link or hanger in jewelry making. I am just beginning to experiment with them myelf, but I already think that they are the coolest things since buttons and keys in altered art.

Sold by the half dozen.

Once you clamp them down, they hold on tight!

Life is Too Short...

...Not to sparkle!

I don't normally paint my finger nails because I work so much with my hands that polish chips in no time and looks shabby very quickly, but when my girls and I had a "Girl Party" this past Saturday night and painted our nails, I figured what the heck and got ridiculous with a sparkly gold I reserve for my toenails and then added a top coat of clear polish with glitter in it (picked out at the store by Rebecca, no surprise!) My toenails are painted to match.

I might get really silly next time and use hot pink (one of my summer colors) under the glitter.
Use your good china, wear your prettiest dress to the grocery store and for goodness' sake, add glitter to your life whenever possible!

New Art Installation

We now have this pop art look going on in our living room. Just hung up this 6 foot x 6 foot canvas this morning. Where did I get such fabulous statement art? From a parade float!


Last week was the 110th annual Corder Picnic - a 3 day festival that includes a rodeo, a carnival, parade and local events (kids' bike race, burn out contest for those with too much testosterone, volley ball tournament, etc.) I was in charge of building a float for the Home and Community Club, of which I am a member. I came up with the theme, "Movies in the Park", to promote a free entertainment provided by the Corder Park Board (who do not meet often enough to create their own float).

I sketched Tom and Jerry on an industrial shower curtain (hotel surplus) and then my kids, Ashlyn and her boys did the painting. I did the final outlining. My father-in-law, bless him, built the frame for the "movie screen". The man is a saint for giving of his time to indulge me in my project.

Kids from the community rode the float and we won first place!

"Most Attractive Non Profit"

Yay!

And now we have totally awesome art in our living room.

My son especially loves it -it was his idea to bring it into the house.

Move over, Roy Lichtenstein!