Farewell Harry Potter...

Since Saturday at about 1:30 a.m. I have been deeply engrossed with the new Harry Potter book. We have been HUGE fans since the first book. Jacob was in 1st grade and I got it for him. He had no interest in reading it so I read it and LOVED it! I got him to sit through the first chapter and he was HOOKED! We have eagerly anticipated every book release and movie since. Jacob spent 3 or 4 Halloweens dressed as HP and strongly resembled him for most of his elementary years. He even had HP brand glasses from Target! So it was with excitement and sadness that we entered the Border's party at 9:30 Friday night. There were costumes, potion lessons and wizard duels. It was fun to see the kids, now it jr. high that I have watched grow up through the series, much like Harry. Just a few years ago they were chasing each other around with toy wands shouting hexes and spells at each other. Now they are busy chasing girls and embarrassed by these stories!

So I dived into the book and stayed up the past 3 nights until about 3 a.m. reading. It is the best volume that J.K. has turned out. It is very engrossing and tense from the first chapter. There are a couple of chapters that drag a little but the story line is fairly cohesive. I cried as a I read the final chapter last night. I won't give it a way for anyone that sees this and does not want the ending spoiled but it is the close of nearly a decade of living with these words and characters. I know the buzz is that J.K. will not be writing any more HP books but I still have several questions about how things end up.

There has never been a book that has created this much buzz among kids and it is amazing to see kids reading near 800 page books! not just 1 but 7 of them! wow! that is amazing! I don't know if another series will so intrigue and captivate our kids any time soon. It has been a good run and it is a truly a bittersweet ending--sad that the series has come to an end and we will never again hear of the exploits in the wizarding world and happy that there was one more chance to share the journey of the "boy who lived".

When I was the baby cousin...

I was going through old pics and found this pic of me and my cousin. I was the baby cousin back then. Now my baby cousin has had a baby! Wow! I remember my cousin being very artsy and creative. She later went on to own a very successful flower shop. Now we are both social workers! Imagine that. I love these old pics and I have to say she has aged gracefully!

And look, me with my boobies out! I am amazed I ever had clothes on as a kid! I am half-naked in most of my pictures! I remember going to the swap-meet with my grandma and grandpa and I wanted to take my shirt off because it was hot. Grandma kept telling me no and I could not understand why it was OK for the boys and not for me--and apparently OK at home most of the time!

Greetings from the Land of Fimo!

Well after the beading class I was so pumped I signed up for a "Make Turquoise out of Polymer Clay" class the next day. To my amazement, I was very easily and successfully able to make large turquoise nuggets! They look so cool and have amazed my friends and family! I will include instructions soon but have just come up from a week-long Fimo binge! Let me tell you, this hobby is much more expensive and potentially toxic then other things I have tried. It is a blast however. Of course, I checked out all the books at the library that looked half way interesting and set off with clay in hand. The problem is that all the books make it sound like you need all the stuff to make anything 1/2 way decent. I have scoured E-Bay and picked up a few things. Here are my tips for polymer clay on the cheap...

1. use Fimo...it cures up harder and will last better BUT if Sculpey is on sale and you are mixing the clay (like a translucent) with a Fimo color then buy the cheaper, weaker translucent.
2. A empty green Tobasco bottle makes a fine clay roller
3. check out the cake decorating sections of your craft store for rollers and cutters that are cheaper and just as effective as the "clay" brand rollers and cutters--also kid's clay tools
4. Pearl-X is the most gorgeous stuff on the planet but VERY expensive. The E-Bayers go crazy for this stuff when there is an auction for it! Try tacky pearl, loose powder eyeshadow. I also picked up a Wet-n-Wild brand to try--I have used Jane as well and both work great!
5. Check out nail art supplies for foils and leafing products. Gold and silver leafing is SO expensive and necessary for certain clay techniques. I have tried substituting paint and thin layers of gold clay but without success. There is a $1 nail art web page but you have to buy $25 in stuff to order
6. check out E-Bay for supplies also for altered art supplies. I got two distressed ink pads (HL for over $5 each!) for $4.26 including shipping--one was only .01! The new bid manager tool is awesome and lets you select several similar (or disimliar) items and it will monitor your bidding--you just set the max bid on each item and the bid assistant will bid away assuring you only get one item.
7. Have fun with the clay and remember your color mixing from art class--it works the same.
8. one thing that I found I could not skimp on is a good clay blade--a "tissue blade" from the science department is great. Some very sharp and very flexible. Mark the dull end with tape to avoid using the blade upside down like some obsessed art mama's may do!
9. Marbling is cool and you do not need fancy tools, condition the clay (this just means that you work it around until it is warm and pliable and the plasticizers are distributed, roll it, make a snake, twist it together, roll it, make a snake...etc. until nice and soft). do this to two colors you like together. Then roll one snake of each color, put them side by side and make one snake. when it gets a little longer fold it in half and roll again. Don't squeeze it or you will blend the colors. You want to keep the streaks seperate. When you fold it you can either twist it and keep snaking it or keep the lines straight. I tried both ways and did not see much difference. When the marbling is how you like it, fold the snake in half, and in half again to make a sort of rectangle. Then roll it as thick as you like--look at all the pretty colors and patterns! Use it in large amounts to cover and alter an Altoids box, silverware handles, a votive holder or in small amounts cut out earrings, pendants, or buttons. You can texturize it with sandpaper or other interesting textures around the house or add that pearly eyeshadow! Bake according to package directions. I find some Fimo colors bake up much darker and have been frustrated in my projects--(will post soon). But play around and have fun!

Beading Class!

I have a beading class in a little bit at Michael's. I need some help to string all the little buggers together. I am excited to see what I come up with!

I finally have my baby cousin's package together! I had a hard time mounting the collage and finally settled on a clear acrylic frame, a black matte board, felt and E-6000. Thank you Judy Kellas for the frame suggestion (http://www.geerkellas.com/) she is an amazing local artist that so kindly gave me framing tips and offered to help me learn to frame! She definately rocks!

Here is a picture of how it turned out. It is passable and will work but not perfect--

I used an acrylic box frame, I don't remember what they are called but they have a white cardboard box insert. I played with the box to use it for the backing with really bad results! So I used a black matte, I wanted the back of the collage to show since I used an 1890's book cover. Then I took 4 pieces of felt and E-6000 adhesive and sort of suspended the collages in the frame. I don't love it but it will work and if she wants to change the frame to a shadow box at some point it will be a piece of cake!

I also included the sling:

and the first baby blanket I ever completed!

Good news this morning that baby cousin's baby is on the way. She went to the hospital this morning! I am so excited!

More on Hobby Lobby

Well, after my last post and trip to Hobby Lobby, I wanted to know what is really going on between HL and Fred Phelps. I searched the Internet high and low and could only find the same things I hear around town--"Did you know that Hobby Lobby supports Fred Phelps, I'm not going to shop there anymore!" I never found any information confirming this. I check http://www.snopes.com/ to see if it was some sort of vicious Internet rumor but Nada.

What I did find that was interesting but not terribly surprising if you have ever been to Hobby Lobby is that they are a "front" organization for the Assemblies of God church (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobby_Lobby). Now, honestly, I am not sure I get the significance of this so I checked out the Assemblies of God main web site after a Google search. This is a link to what they believe:

http://ag.org/top/Beliefs/Statement_of_Fundamental_Truths/sft_short.cfm

Near as I can tell from a brief summary of this and some position papers, the things that stick out to me are: they speak in tongues, they take a lot of the old and new testaments quite literally and develop their positions from that, they have really strong rules about divorce and remarriage--like they won't marry you if you have been divorced and your ex is still living--the minister can loose his license...Pretty strict! I expected to see very oppressed woman stuff but actually, I was surprised at how normal the woman looked--make-up, cute hair and pants! Not sure if they are a "stay home with your kids, home-school to prevent outside influences" type of group but would not be surprised.

They are considered "Pentecostal" which means:

"There are three basic streams of Pentecostal churches. The majority believe that one must be saved by believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior for the forgiveness of sins and to be made acceptable to God. Pentecostals also typically believe, like most other evangelicals, that the Bible has definitive authority in matters of faith. To this first group, speaking in tongues is the sign of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, but not necessary for salvation. The other two groups fall under an "Acts 2:38" based salvation message which says that a person needs to repent and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and then receive the Holy Spirit. Receiving the Holy Spirit is necessary for salvation and includes speaking in tongues. Of the Acts 2:38 based churches, they fall into four categories of "Jesus Name", "First", "United" or "Oneness" Pentecostals which baptize in Jesus name only, and those that baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost "Matthew 28:19". (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecostalism)

They also do a lot of missionizing. Having seen and heard horror stories of missionizing in Native communities, I am not a supporter of missionizing in order to recruit more people--especially by taking advantage of folks in undeveloped nations and depressed communities. It sounds like they think the church is the body of Christ and that they have to "grow the body" by recruiting more members. A little creepy to me.

Oh and here is their take on "homosexuality"...which I find in direct opposition to Phelps' own "God Hates Fags" beliefs: "We must hold no malice toward, or fear of, homosexuals—such attitudes are not of Christ." Not accepting which I oppose but not stupid, ignorant and hate filled like Phelps.

It also sounds like they do not keep women out of their ministry like other religions, which I like...again not my thing but I like to know that women can do and practice what they like:
"we conclude that we cannot find convincing evidence that the ministry of women is restricted according to some sacred or immutable principle."

So it is definately not the type of religious organization I would support but on the other hand, it is not as bad as I thought either unless this is just the cleaned up, pretty version of the church on their web page! Aren't these the folks that forbid music and dancing?

Also I read in several blogs that the reason that HL does not use bar code scanners is because they believe that the number "666" is hidden in the bar codes so they choose to KEY IN every single item you buy! UGH! It is no wonder their lines are SO LONG and SO SLOW! They never have enough registers open and you have to really pay attention to how much your things are because they make mistakes a lot! I thought they were just cheap and that is what they say. I never knew this "666/bar code" thing was an issue but here is info on it:
http://www.virtualsalt.com/barcode.htm

I also have to say that HL donated money to the Women's Empowerment Action Coalition for the Womyn Take Back the Night march a few years ago. Now if we are not a bunch of feminist gals, I don't know what is!

So here is my future HL plan:

I will wear some type of feminist apparel when I go shopping there--a Take Back the Night Shirt or NOW shirt to shield myself from the conservatism that is seeping out of every nook and cranny.

AND

I will ask the checkers--every time I shop--why they don't use bar code scanners! Maybe if I get them to start thinking and talking about it they will come together and form a revolution from within and take down the system!

AND

I will check Michael's more frequently for things I need even though it is hard to navigate and I have to drive all the way across town and I don't particularly like the "vibe" in the store--not attitude but temperature, lighting, arrangement--makes me anxious--but I would rather throw my money at an organization I do not know and disagree with on so many levels!

I am not sure if anyone will believe me about no Phelps connection with HL but I will give it a shot!

Finished the Collage and Two Things I am not Proud of...

I finised the collage for my baby cousin. I was so happy with the way it turned out! I am struggling with how to mount it and then mail to to CA. I probably should have thought about the mailing before I used so much beeswax! There really is nothing more fun then dipping things in hot wax! So here it is...There is really cool hand marbled vintage paper underneath, some old beads--metal and glass, one of my fabric beads, some homemade paper with mint leaves, hand dipped string and stick as well as shells and an old dictionary definition for "son" which lies between Somnalent or sleep and sonnant...it is the "Sleep Son Sonnant"!

and the two things I am not proud of...

1. I went to Hobby Lobby. Does not sound like a big deal right??? Well, our Hobby Lobby contributes to Fred "God Hates Fags" Phelps in Topeka. A person, ideology and movement I am COMPLETELY opposed to. Lots of people I know will not shop at Hobby Lobby for this reason. The problem is--they have most of the things I need and I know where things are. We have a Michael's but is much smaller and strangely organized and crowded. Sometimes, stores make me feel anxious when I walk in the door--and I LOVE to show--but Michael's makes me feel anxious. So I always feel guilty going to HL but I like the selection.

and

2. I bought decorative paper! I rarely do this. I believe there is enough paper in the world in junk mail, newspaper, magazines, books etc. that I can create my own decorative papers BUT these were SO pretty and 50% off! Did I mention that I am cheap???? I am actually going to frame them in some fashion for my living room and kitchen. One of them looked like an old want ad that was sponge painted over! So simple!

So these are the things I am not proud of that I did today--heavy sigh...always striving for perfection but never making it!

Homemade Paper

I have been facinated with paper and papermaking for a long time. I first started experimenting with toilet paper (Scott brand) and have not found a very effective way to use junk mail! My toilet paper experiment begain after participating in a children's workshop years ago (Thank you Catherine Bolton!) where we took a few sheets of toilet paper and put them in a bottle of water, added glitter, shook well and poured out onto a screen mold. It was very cool and I had pretty good success with making small bits of white paper but my color would fade towards the edges.

I got a couple of books on papermaking from the library and realized that it was much more difficult then my toilet paper experiements--frames and deckles and pulp and sizing! UGH! Have I mentioned I like things to be pretty easy and cheap! So I got some tips on using junk mail and so I stuck junk mail and (brain storm!) colored art tissue paper in my toilet paper bottle. I let it soak and shook it and let it soak some more and shook it some more but it was still chunky! I took a hint from the books and used my immersion blender! Viola! I had great colored paper pulp! I put it through my kitchen strainer, which turns out these paper pucks and I was very pleased with the results! So here it is step by step:

Supplies: old magazine, junk mail--slick types papers, art tissue paper, emersion blender or old blender you don't use for food (Goodwill or garage sales are great for picking one up, clean juice bottle, large deep bowl, screen for straining (be resourceful--a grease spatter cover, a wooden picture frame with window screen tape on it--this is my ideal right now, other type of kitchen strainer that is a mesh or screen type), clean kitchen towel or felt.

1. collect magazine and junk mail papers--Better Homes and Gardens is great because the pages are thin and are bad for collage. Include text so some of it pops though. If you have a shortage of junk mail or magazine go to your local recycling center--I usually leave the recycling center with more then I dropped off!

2. get art tissue paper, the kind that bleeds use left over from birthday parties, in fact I bet wrapping paper would be great too!

3. tear everything up to about 1 inch square (don't cut because you want the rough edges to be penetrated by the water). The amount of tissue paper you use will depend on how dark you want the color.

4. put everything into a large deep bowl and cover with water. I use my Pampered Chef Classic Batter Bowl (http://www.pamperedchef.com/). Let it all soak for about 30 minutes

5. use your emersion blender and blend it all up until you have a pulp you like--don't over blend and loose the texture of the recycled material--it makes it more interesting.

6. Once all the pulp is seperated, pour your mixture into a clean juice bottle. You can store it for a while but I am not sure how long.

7. put your screen over a bowl, pour the pulp onto it in the shape you want--use different colors of pulp to create a picture--and the thickness you want play around with it until you like it. It takes some experimenting.

8. gently press the pulp to get the water out and you can either let it dry on the screen or carefully remove it to a piece of felt of a flour sack type kitchen towel. Lay it so that there are not wrinkles or creases under the new paper. Let it dry completely.

9. this is a rough homemade paper that is great for projects, give tags. I tear it, write on it and stamp on it. You can add in giltter, flowers, leaves, confetti--store bought or homemade during the pulp stage (after blending) to add interest to your paper.

Have fun and send me copies of your creations! I would love to see them!

Art Endeavors of the Day

I went to Borders to day to read the final installment in the Manga epic "Death Note". I am not usually a manga reader but my son got me into it and we have plowed through 11 of these books and were eagerly anticipating the cliffhanging conclusion that was realeased today! It was good but left some unanswered questions for me.

I also perused the new edition of "Cloth, Paper, Scissors". There were some really cool paper beads with embossing powered and a heat gun. It sounded really complicated but looked really cool. I have been making cloth beads by rolling strips of fabric around a pencil with fabric glue, then wrapping some fibers around the bead. I made several of them like this then today I told them out and wrapped wire and small beads around them to finish them off. They are really pretty but I am not sure how to proceed now!

I got this idea from http://www.scn.org/arts/pnnag/0203fab-beads/fab-beads.htm

I am taking a beading class next week to learn about findings and basics of handling wire. I really like playing with wire. I was also crocheting with 28 gauge craft wire with mixed results.

My friend Annola is a textile artist and I ran into her at the library and we talked about starting an art guild to share our passion. I told her about my art obsessions and how I get possessed with ideas and she compared it to a "download from the mothership". I like that and can totally relate!

My first blog!

Well I learn so much reading everyone else's blogs I thougt it was time to start my own! I am an ambitious summer person as my day job is on hiatus during the summer. I am discovering the artist that lives inside of me and has spent many years hidden away. I am not suddenly inspired to make, create, design, etc. Some days I am electrically charged with creative energy and am finding that other "artist types" experience this on a regular basis! I am finding many kindered souls to commune with through my experiences.

I enjoy fiber and mixed media arts particualarly: knitting, crocheting, free-form sewing, collage, altered books, paper making and anything else that strikes my fancy!

Let me know what you think of the things you see and any feedback is fantastic as I am new and learning about putting my stuff out there.

Card for my baby cousin

I just learned that my baby cousin is going to have a baby in two weeks! Since I am off in the summer and madly creating whatever I can, I have been putting stuff together for her. I made this computer collage and was really happy with the way it turned out. I also made a "girl" one just in case I need a girl card (Plus it was fun to make!). I miss the texture and fingers full of glue that traditional collage gives me but it was fun.

Angel

This piece is made of items from Goodwill. The frame and matte came with a little teddy bear picture in them. I covered the matte with vintage dictionary pages including words "angel" and "guide". I scored the angel picture from a 1983 daybook from the National Museum. I used a little black paint and some sandpaper to distress the frame and TA-DA a brand new piece of art! The frame is small about 3" x 4" but very cute.

Mini Shrine

Don't Altoid boxes just inspire creativity? This is a mini shrine I made my mom for Mother's Day. It is Shire to Motherhood with stamps, vintage photos, vintage buttons, quotes, paint and beads. It was definately a labor of love but worth it. It was a lot of fun but took much longer then I anticipated. It takes a lot of time between layers to dry and that was the biggest problem. I did not plan my project well and had to undo and redo several elements. Lessons learned: plan well and give the box a nice undercoat to help the paint stick better. I have heard that Gesso works great but have not gotten around to getting any yet.

First Collages, December 2006

These are the first collages that unleashed the artistic beast inside of me. I made these as postcards for my mom for Christmas. I was so happy with how they turned out for a first attempt that I started playing around more with these, mini-shrines and altered books.