Friday, November 27, 2015

It was a Nice November


 The show at the Art Hus was fun. It was a great motivator to get some stuff made. I am still finishing up a few things. All these items can be found at the Art Hus now. 
I want to make more of these tags when it is a bit warmer. I wonder if I have any paper clay left over. I would like to carve some new stamps for them too.
 I still really like these paper mache birds. I have not sold many of them, but they are still some of my favorites. Maybe it is because I love birds so much. These are how they look to me in my mind ;)
 Me and my daughter fit in a trip to the zoo to see the baby penguins before they get too big. It was a lot of fun. I really liked the outfit my daughter chose. Her shirt has a penguin on it.

 The koi fish in their pond are so big. We had fun feeding them. I want to do a painting of these beautiful fish someday. They are so calming to watch. I would want to capture that feeling. It would take a few tries I am sure.

 I tried a lot of baking this month and I am not done yet. I took a trip to the farmers market and got inspired by all the persimmons and tomatoes. I plan to make some persimmon bread and more cookies. I hope to roast the tomatoes and the squash I got and make soups out of them. I also got some beautiful, multicolored carrots to add in as well.
 I had hoped these photo albums would be ready for the shop by now, but I got stuck on how to finish them up with closures. I think I have it figured out, now I just need to find some time at my sewing machine.


 I really enjoyed putting these fabrics together. After I finished them up, I found more of my fabric I could have used...maybe next time, if these do well.

 This was the very special blue pumpkin I got at Summerset Farms and Dale's Nursery. It was very hard to break down (my boyfriend did all the work). The pie was terrible though. I am trying it again myself this time to see where it went wrong. The second batch smells great, I just need to buy more butter to make more crust.
 This was our table this year for the Thanksgiving feast.
 These were sitting on the counter and was so inspiring. I had no time for a sketch, so a photo will just have to do.
 The inside was so pretty. I sure hope my experiment on making the second batch works out well. I have so much pulp left over, I would hate to think it was no good and would have to be thrown out. My hope is that it is all good and I can make another pie for my sister when she comes next month.

 This bouquet from Ballard Canyon Farms is amazing!!! So beautiful! I have photographed it many times, but the images don't seem to do it the justice it deserves. Yet another thing in the house I want to sketch!

I hope you all had a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving this year. I have so much to be thankful for...it is a very long list. I hope to have more creations to share soon! Happy Holidays!!

Sunday, November 01, 2015

Starting Some New Projects

 Art Show coming up at the Art Hus This November 7th (yes that is next Saturday!!) and I am frantically trying to finish up some new stuff. Here are some images of a few things I am working on. My ability to get things done lately is not what it used to be, so do not be surprised if I am a bit short on jewelry this year. I have plans to get some new necklaces made while I am on Thanksgiving break, but we will have to see how that pans out.  




 This is how I make my red enamel earrings. I hand cut out the hearts with sheers and clean them up with a file. I would have a metal stamp to make these more uniform, but I like the uniqueness of doing them all by hand. There are many steps, but these are one of the items I can make simply with no soldering or stamping patterns. I love the red that this enamel makes. It is my favorite. I really love the way this deep red looks with rustic silver.

 Can you see the love?

 Next I will make their special earwires. I like to make these from scratch instead of using my pre-made ones. They will have a tiny spiral to finish them off. I will post more photos when they are done.
 This year I am making some cloth bowls and vessels. I have always likes these. They beg to have things put in them. I will have many different sizes. I made one for my mom last year and she uses hers all the time. I hope everyone else likes them as well.



 Not quite done, these were my first 3. I am having fun with these. I just need to sew up my reversing hole and add an embellishment. Feeling the pressure.. I have some photo albums I am working on too.
One last thing before I tuck in my daughter for the night: I have been bummed not to be able to get much artwork done these last 5 months or so, but I am finding many creative outlets. I am sure there will be a time where I can make to my hearts content, but not for a bit. I am not giving up, just moving around. It's just life ya know? I hope to paint again and make lots of awesome jewelry. I have so many great ideas swimming around! See you soon!

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Happy Halloween!

I have been absent from blogging for far too long! Happy Halloween everyone! It has been a very fun month.
 We went sketching at Summerset Farms Dale's Nursery again this year (my favorite pumpkin patch around!) I started sketching the cactus first...odd. I did more pumpkin sketches, but I guess I did not photo them.


 I added some black ink to this one for more definition. I usually to the black 1st, so it was kinda different and fun. I may not be getting a lot of my artWORK done lately (which is painful and crushing) but at least I am still finding time to sketch.
 We went to the Quicksilver Ranch with all the miniature horses. That was fun to sketch the horses (again I did not get pictures of those sketches). I noticed while sitting there sketching them that the sycamore trees were lined up so straight along the front, so I sketched them. I really like how they came out.

 I am always a little nervous to add color. I am pretty happy with this.

 Another day after work, I found myself with some time, so I went to the park and sketched. I had always wanted to go there with my sketchbook. I did not draw what I thought I would, but I was in an odd mood. I like how these came out.
 Then we went to the Disneyland Halloween Party at the beginning of October. I got in a sketch in the dark while we waited for the parade. I did a lot of sewing in preparation for the trip which I will show you in a minute.My daughter helped me add color later.

 So this is the end product for our costumes. We were Jack and Sally from the Nightmare Before Christmas. It was fun to figure out how to make the costumes. My daughter had me make one for her new doll as well.

 I had never been to Disneyland for Halloween. It was so cool!!! I wish we had gone the next day as well. The Halloween Party is 4 to midnight and everything seemed rushed. I missed so many things and got very few photos. In Downtown Disney, the next day, we say them making some special treats they only make this time of year. These were so cool. I wish I liked caramel apples.


 Beautiful skies lately. Fall is coming. It has brought back the cool nights at least. The winds are picking up and the days are so short. Time to start making stuff when ever I can find any time.

 My daughter made a fairy house. We have had a lot of fun working on this.

 We went to Boo at the Zoo this year. They did an excellent job with all the fun and decorations. My daughter was the cutest little black cat.
 I have been sewing small clothes for this doll. I find it challenging and fun. My daughter loves the outfits. Here are our costumes all in process.





 Decorations on the table in wait for Halloween and pumpkin carving. We carved 4 last night. It was a lot of fun. I really love this time of year. My daughter made some awesome pumpkins this year.



I hope you all have a happy Halloween! I will post a sneak peek of what I am working on for our next art show later this weekend. The show is at the Art Hus courtyard in Solvang November 7th 10-5. See you there!