Herding Bunnies

Worked all evening with Ms. Maria and a school friend getting ready for the 4H Junior Demonstrations.  Go ahead ask me anything about having a bunny rabbit as a house pet... I can probably answer it.  

Link

It is difficult at best to get a 9 year old to settle in and create a tri-fold board with all kinds of rabbit information...now try to get two very silly girls to get it done...ugh it's like trying to herd cats...or maybe bunnies.

Angie

Unearthed

I really appreciate when those who make treasuries find my work...buried under the never ending listings on Esty.

 Meet me in St Louis

Polymer Clay Acorns Collection

From the bottom of my heart...thank you!

Angie

Blog Hop

Welcome to the Sparkle N Sprinkle 

Deco Divas - Love is in the Air Blog Hop!

If you arrived from  My Creative Corner - Gerlinde then you are hopping along the blog party trail just fine.  There are four fabulous prizes to be had; to be eligible just start from the beginning at the Sparkle N Sprinkle blog and comment along the way for your chance(s) to win. 

My inner Diva is throwing a Romantic Art Deco party!! The Roaring 1920's were a time of new freedoms in art, dress, design and music. I love Sparkle N Sprinkle South Beach stamp set, it has a great mix of art deco design with a touch of art nouveau, and it makes my heart swoon.

For my first project I made wine glass charms from polymer clay...you don't want to forget which glass is yours!  With all the colors of glitter available at Sparkle N Sprinkle you can invite as many guests as you wish and still let each one have their own unique color.  Using the Palm Border Stamp makes this project easy because with only one stamping you complete 4 charms.  Check out the directions here.

  

Can't let you go home empty handed, so for my second project I made goodie bags. Not able to resist the urge to use an Alphonse Mucha image, it was a great match to the intricate Floral Border stamp.  These are really nice and deeply etched stamps that work well with detail embossing powder . Directions for this project are here .

So now with drink and bag in hand you can hop along to your next destination:

http://craftemarie.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment to be eligible for the fabulous prizes being given away.

~Angie

Joy Sparkles

Crazy busy weekend with a basketball tournament plus indoor soccer games. Kids and Bob are off school tomorrow, looking forward to some time together.

Mixed media, image transfer on fabric with hand embroidery and glitter.

Stay warm!
Angie

Hope Floats

Still have transfers on the brain...today I added a bit of stitching.   

image transfer on fabric, old buttons & hand embroidery

As I worked on the piece my mind went back to the first needlepoint kit my mom gave me.  It was an owl in a tree, on color coded adia cloth and it was almost all straight stitching.  I also remember it came out a little wonky but mom framed it and hung it in my room anyway.  As I got older I moved into printed cross stitch, then counted cross stitch.  I rarely do free style hand embroidery, but today I found the book of embroidery stitches in the van.  It has been there for months, buried under papers. I think maybe it's time to make up a cute sampler.  Have you ever seen the ones done by Teresa McFayden? In my dreams I could do this.

Angie

Hazy directions

Pulled my transfers back out again, added some new layers.  

I'm never sure where to stop with a collage...how do I know when it's done?

Winter Glittered Light Bulb Tutorial

 I know, I know, Christmas is past...but I have been thinking a lot about my mantle in the family room, it is oh-so bare since the decorations came down. I'm envisioning a winter, snowflake, frosty theme...but I don't have much in the way of winter snow decorations and I'm feeling cheap.

With that in mind I started gathering materials...
-burnt out C7 Bulbs
-white glue
-glitter in my favorite winter colors:
           Blue Jewel
           Sassy Silver
           Golden Silver
           Sparkling Snow
           Bridal
-wooden Laundry clips

 Place the bulb in the laundry clip, it will make it easier to hold and sets it upright to dry.

 Coat with a generous amount of white glue.

Sprinkle all over glitter, be sure to tap off the excess and look closely to find any spots that were missed.

Keep going until you are covered in glitter from head to toe.

Now all I have to do is figure out what to do with them, stringing them up with beads seems logical...but I have to admit I'm having a hard time not jumping ahead to make up a set of bulbs for Valentine's Day...St Patty's Day...Independence Day...Halloween...

Hello...my name is Angie and I'm a glitter-a-holic.

Studio Progress

Been working on the studio this weekend, felt a crazy urge to get the ideas out of my head and into reality.

Here is the before...lots of great household storage and shiny silver insulation, all very practical...but not what I wanted to look at all the time.  My mind saw curtains to give the illusion of a wall, something that could be opened and closed easily.

It took 30 feet of cable, clip hooks from Ikea and 15 yards of muslin...

The louvered bi-fold closet door in the corner hides some PVC piping, opposite that are a full set of doors that screen the furnace.  Found all these at a local re-use shop for $10 a pair.  I will probably paint the brown set eventually, also wonder if I can add cork to the insets to make them into bulletin boards.

Over to the other side of the room... I replaced the sagging plywood shelves with white melamine boards, one day I will paint the wood white too.  Organization will come slowly but surely, still trying to determine my needs, but it's not a bad start.  The Christmas light strand hung on the ceiling is a necessity since lighting in the area as really poor, only two light bulbs in the whole space.  

Here is the next project I will tackle...it is an incredible built in workbench but there is no electric.  I need to take down the pegboard and stud the wall to I can have electric run.  My hope is to do all my polymer clay and jewelry work in this space. Oh, I'm also dreaming of a thrifty old wood window pane to hang and cover the not-so-pretty metal window but not lose the light.

It will all take time, trying to be patient.  I'm reluctant to spend a lot right now...still in the Christmas spending hangover stage.  Thanks for stopping by to see the progress!

~Angie

Persistence

I used to be persistent when I was younger, kind of a squeaky wheel.  As I've gotten older I have chilled a bit, looked inward, tried to push less and allow more.  Now I feel I have become a bit complacent, waiting for something to happen when it really doesn't work that way.  We need to listen to our hearts and be guided but the work needs to be done.  We are allowed to aspire as long as we take what comes without resistance even if it wasn't in our 'plan'.

I think this year will be one of persistence, so I am making that my one word for 2012.

I have set some goals for myself:
List one new item in the shop every weekday.
To take Kelly Rae's e-course "Taking Flight".
I also aspire to attend a couple classes or ..dare I say it...an art retreat!

It all revolves around art in some way...creating a little something everyday...making it a priority...learning something new..looking for inspiration and guidance.

In addition, I do need to replace the part time job I left in October, take care of the family, and hopefully try my hand at some small decorating projects in the new house.  It's a full plate for 2012!!

~Angie

Ring it in

..or in our case...beat it in with metal pans and wooden spoons!

Banging pots is a tradition set by our Grandma...perhaps it's a German thing?  As little ones we would spend every other New Year's Eve with her when we came home for the holidays.  She let us watch the TV until midnight then sent us out on the front porch to 'bang' in the New Year.  This year we celebrated with Debbie's family and the pots and spoons were ready... all 5 kiddos banging out in front of the house, such a sight, such a racket, and such fun!!

Today is Mr. Bob's birthday and the official last day of our holiday celebrating.  The food is gone (we are all more than full),  family will start traveling home, and the decorations will slowly be packed away.  A clean slate starts tomorrow.

Happy New Year!
Angie