a gift from a gift

"A friend accepts us as we are yet helps us to be what we should."

~ Author Unknown

Sometimes we creative types can be misunderstood souls. We don't always follow the crowd or the rules, be they social or other. We dance to our own music and learn over time to be our true selves & not compromise our spirit. It is no wonder so many of us flock to the blogging community, Yahoo groups and other networking mediums to discover & connect with like-minded souls that respect different opinions & applaud individuality. Online I've met some of the most wonderful people in my life. People I care about very much. They are gifts in my life. One such gem is Tracey, who surprised me this week with a generous gift.

This beautiful mixed media piece is proudly displayed on a stand next to my monitor. I photographed the piece first where it's displayed (second photo below). Since this is a little dark (I like the ambiance it creates), I also photographed it in natural light. Gorgeous, isn't it? I love how the whole mood of the piece changes with the different lighting. To me, the flowers mark the entrance to the woods just behind, and I want to go explore....

"Spring on Over - Anytime" #004

8" x 10" mixed media

copyright 2010, Tracey Jean Kraft

Tracey is a talented, multifaceted artist with wonderfully unique works. Please do yourself a favor & take a moment to visit her...

ArtFire - Angel Wings and Whisperings

Blog - Whisperings 13

Etsy (art) - Whisperings 13

Etsy (vintage) - The Giggling Goblin

Zazzle - Wadsworth-Noll Studio

books - 2010 to be record year

I realized the other day I've read four books this year. That's amazing for me. I love to read, but am a slow reader and not one to sit still for long (without falling asleep...lol). Thank the stars for audio books! Three of the four I've 'read' this year were audio books. What a convenient way to learn & grow.

I've decided to make 2010 a record year for reading, and have updated the right side bar of my blog with book information. If you have a book you'd like to recommend, I'd love to hear from you. I enjoy books about creativity, arts/crafts, spirituality of all kinds, time management, understanding human behaviors, the power of being positive, motivation & self awareness, inspiration & ways to make a difference.

Happy reading!

1st photos in the light box & fp/glass pendant

I set up the light box last night and experimented a bit, then changed some things around this afternoon and experimented some more. I'm sure I'll be tweaking things a bit as it gets more use, but it will definitely get more use. Thank you, Chris, for sharing your inexpensive option.

Here are a couple photos of the altered Friendly Plastic pendant. I used a Dremel to grind down a mirrored glass piece (by Diamond Tech) and a craft iron to remove enough fp from the original fp piece to accommodate the glass. The back of the pendant is embossed pewter. Everything but the top of the glass and the bail is sealed with glaze. I like the results and am anxious to create more fp pieces. Have you tried this fun medium yet?

making a light box

Tonight I'm making a light box. I've admired the way Chris at Crafts by Chris photographs her gorgeous beads, jewelry & clay works, and in her last few blog posts, she's been sharing her photography process with her readers. If you're interested in how to photograph your small art/craft, or just want to check out some cool jewelry & other miscellany, click here.

I'll be back this weekend with a photo of the altered blue fp pendant and maybe more (I have a feeling it's gonna be a great weekend!).

Cheers!

wip ~ altering blue fp pendant

I decided the blue Friendly Plastic pendant shared in my last post needed something more (in addition to a bale).... something to make it truly unique. The idea came to me this past weekend. The process began Sunday and I've done a smidgen each evening. Tonight the back went on. Once I get it all sealed I'll share the results. For now, here's a peak at the back...

And lest I forget, a warm welcome to the new "followers" that have joined since my last post. Thank you for your interest!

fp tutorial

First & foremost, I want to welcome a couple new "followers" to my blog. Thank you for your interest! Please let me know if you have questions, comments or suggestions. I love hearing from people.

I'm trying something new today and posting a tutorial. I don't know that this is my forte, but I indicated in a November post I would share the process I used to make the purple Friendly Plastic pendant, and today's the day. Today we're making a blue FP pendant.

Start with a bargain piece of costume jewelry. I'm using a silver clip earring. Cut a piece of FP slightly bigger than the earring and choose a stamp (I'm using one from Fancy Pants). Unmounted stamps work best if your piece isn't totally flat. You can use a stamp that's smaller than your piece, but I'm not good at placing them in the center so I just use oversize stamps to eliminate that problem.

Lay the FP over the piece & melt it with a heat gun.

When it's nicely melted, prepare your stamp by pressing it into a watermark stamp pad (I use VersaMark) and then pressing it into the FP. Use your fingers to press everywhere to ensure full contact. Experiment with the pressure for different looks. Firm pressure will reveal the metal underneath, which may or may not be your intent. That's what I did for the purple piece, but for this blue piece I chose to use less pressure.

When you're confident the stamp isn't going to lift from the FP, place the piece in a cold water bath to solidify the FP.

After a few moments remove the piece and carefully lift the stamp from the FP. The edges might be a little jagged, as you can see here.

Place a nonstick craft sheet (I use Ranger's) on a griddle and heat the griddle to 275. Lightly touch/drag the edges to melt/smooth them. Once cool, add your preferred glaze/sealer (I like Triple Thick by DecoArt) and a bail. Thread on a cord or chain and you're set!

dusk

It's been well over two months since I created anything in the studio. Admittedly, it's a bit intimidating to get back into it... but I will. I cleaned the work area today in hopes inspiration or my muse would show up this evening. No luck yet, but I did come across a poem I wrote 06/20/09:


dusk is falling
and you've changed.
you're not the person you were
in the midday sunshine.
I don't know you anymore.
did I ever know you
or did I just see
what you wanted me to see?
maybe I never looked hard enough.
did I not care enough to know
or did I somewhere
deep inside
know I wouldn't like what I found
if I squinted & looked into the sun.
is this your dark side
come out to play in the twilight?
it's playing with you
as much as the rest of us.
you're just too close to see it.
caught up in the exciting rush
the evening breeze
is taking you away.
a storm is here.
we're trying to pull you to cover
while you insist on being swept away.
at some point
we must save ourselves.

reclamation

I apologize for my absence. It's poor blog etiquette to go offline for more than your usual amount of time without indicating when you'll return. My last post, from 11/26 was vague in this regard. At the time, I expected to post again in a couple weeks. Let me rephrase that ~ I hoped to post again in a couple weeks. Turns out, December was an extremely challenging month (closing out a challenging year in many ways), with many wonderful blessings and several unpleasant events. Tough times can wear on you and push you down. Thankfully, I remembered a couple of days ago I'm in control of my life ~ no one else is. I'm going to take a little time to put my life back in order (read, journal, meditate, etc.) but will be creating again & sharing very soon. I intend to be back posting at least once a week by the end of the month. I'll also be catching up on your blogs as soon as I can. I'm anxious to see what you've all been up to!

I want to sincerely thank those of you who have emailed to check in on me. Your caring friendship helps keep my candle burning. You are angels & I appreciate you very much.

Here's to a healthy, joyful, creative 2010 for all of us!

And... because I love quotes, love sharing quotes and couldn't choose just one today...

"There are no hopeless situations; there are only men who have grown hopeless about them." ~ Clare Boothe Luce

"One of the quickest ways to become exhausted is by suppressing your feelings." ~ Sue Patton Thoele

"Don't ever confuse the two, your life and your work. That's what I have to say. The second is only a part of the first." ~ Anna Quindlen

"Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim." ~ Nora Ephron

Thanksgiving, and every day

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity… Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~Melody Beattie

"Gratitude connects us to others and feeling gratitude allows us to be our best selves. When we are truly grateful, we can count on living the life we want." ~MJ Ryan

I am grateful for the countless blessings in my life, including you, my blog readers and online friends. May you have a fun-filled, healthy holiday!

PS ~ I've received a couple inquiries about how I made the purple FP pendant, so I'll be sharing details in an upcoming post ~ just not sure how soon due to the holiday, family in town, catching another bug, working most every weekend, etc. But ... creating & sharing via this blog make me happy, so it will definitely be ASAP!

purple fp pendant

It was a stellar day last week when I found a forgotten gift card in my wallet. Without missing a beat, I trotted off to that store & found a beautiful purple shirt, crying out for a custom-made pendant. It was so much fun creating this pendant last night, I'm making matching earrings tonight! This Friendly Plastic is a tad addictive {smile}.

Thanks for coming by! Don't be shy if you have a question or comment. I'd love to hear from you.

fp & metal pendants

Here are my latest Friendly Plastic & metal pendants. Boy, are these fun to make.

Here's a shot of the backs, along with a penny to show their size. I like embossing the back so it looks nice, just in case the pendant flips on my neck.

And in case you're wondering what the heck I could wear the blue, aqua & orange one with, well, I wasn't thinking of it at the time I made it, but it goes great with one of my favorite shirts....

Thanks for coming by! Drop me a line if you have a question or comment. I'd love to hear from you.

to start your day...

In case you missed the sunrise this morning, I'm sharing the beautiful sight from central Iowa just a few minutes ago. It took my breath away. Now I'm sipping my favorite coffee as I type this. I have a hair appointment this afternoon (wonderful scalp massage), RENT tickets tonight (my favorite musical) and plans to go to a art/craft show tomorrow with my mom & sister. Life is good! Have a fantastic Friday, everyone! Oh, and I have been creating some here & there.... I just don't have anything done yet. I'll share when I do.

part two ~ getting arboreal: a nature collection

It's time to check in on our trees, for the photo excursion Julie & JeriAnn are hosting. These updated photos are a stark contrast to the green leaves I photographed on the tree August 28. Just a few leaves remain, shimmering a golden yellow. I didn't realize it until I downloaded the photos to my pc, that our pooch is in the background of one of them. The little sweetie is with me everywhere....

It over 70 degrees here in Iowa today ~ a rare treat for November. I hope you're enjoying rare treats today too!

diffusing flash

I don't have any recently completed items & am not big on sharing works in progress so today I want to share a photography tip. The other day in one of the Yahoo groups I belong to, the subject of photographing our creations came up: specifically, to flash or not to flash. Sometimes you need the light a flash provides but that light is just too darn harsh. What can you do?

• Weather and all other things permitting, take your photo outdoors.
• Add other lighting at various angles to offset the shadows cast by other lighting.
• Bounce light off white walls and/or ceilings. This spreads out the light and reduces the shadows.
• Increase the ISO setting, attach your camera to a tripod and take the photo without the flash.
• If your camera has an internal flash, try covering it with a piece of white paper, tissue, coffee filter, opaque plastic lid, etc. I've found various layers of bubble wrap work nicely. This lessens the amount of light reaching your subject, thus reducing harshness & shadows.
• If your camera has a pop-up flash, cut a white or opaque plastic bottle so it will fit over the flash, thus dispersing the light a bit.

Beware that diffusing your flash can change the light from a bluish cast to a more golden tone. You may or may not like this. It's easy to adjust with your photo software if you want to change it....easier than trying to remove shadows.

If you're interested in more information, there are a good number of photography books & websites out there. Just google "diffusing flash" and you'll get all kinds of hits. Most important... experiment to see what works best for you, your camera and your situation(s).

Here are some photos from my experimentation last night. The first three photos were taken with my subcompact Canon with internal flash. Photo one is with no flash (it's blurry because I didn't use my tripod). Photo two is with flash and photo three is with flash that I diffused with bubble wrap. What do you think?

These next four photos were taken with my better quality Canon. Photo one is with no flash (using a tripod). Photo two is with added lighting. Photo three is with flash and photo four is with pop-up flash diffused by a plastic bottle. The differences are subtle, but there. If I wanted the best photo possible, I'd start with photo four and enhance it with photo software. What do you think?

belated blogiversary!

Monday was the first anniversary for my blog. Woo-Hoo! While I wasn't sure what I was doing when I started out, and still don't have a clear focus, I look back at my posts over the year and see growth, which was one of the main reasons I started the blog. I've also met some talented individuals and made some good friends. I thank you for visiting my blog and enriching my life. You've reached out and connected with me, encouraged & inspired me. I'm grateful. Life is good!

I'll close this short post with a quote I came across today. It goes along with the variety of creative endeavors I experiment with and share on my blog...

"Everybody has talent, it's just a matter of moving around until you've discovered what it is." ~ George Lucas

nature nurturing

Life has been pretty stressful lately. I grabbed a couple hours after work today for some soul-care. We're fortunate to live less than 10 miles from some wonderful parks, so I grabbed my camera and headed for one of my favorites. It's not a colorful park, but it's beautiful nonetheless. I could sit and stare at the oaks for hours....

The water is so soothing....

Even the clouds were cooperating to set just the right meditative mood...

A couple times I was so moved by the sights, sounds & smells, I nearly cried....

Then a squirrel came along and coaxed a big smile out of me....

Nature brings peace, balance & harmony to my life...

Please, my friends, take time for yourselves.


"We hear voices in solitude we never hear in the hurry and turmoil of life; we receive counsels and comforts we get under no other condition."
~ Amelia Barr

experiment, practice, learn!

When you're creating, do you strictly follow product instructions and/or lessons learned in classes? I like to know the rules mostly so I can determine which ones I want to break.

I've been experimenting more with Friendly Plastic lately. Most of my efforts have been rather hideous, but eventually something worth saving results. This pendant is an example. It's FP on copper I added texture to then heated to warm the color. The entire piece is sealed with gloss glaze. The glaze is fine, but I'm going to the store today to buy some EnviroTex Lite and see if it will provide a nicer finish on future pieces. If you've used EnviroTex Lite and have any tips you'd like to share, I'd welcome them!

1.25" x 1.5" pendant

Friendly Plastic on textured, heated copper

autumn postcards

Fighting a bug & laying low last weekend allowed me to start working on a postcard swap I signed up for with one of the groups I belong to. I hadn't done any paper crafting for awhile, and it felt surprisingly foreign at first, but it came back to me. I finished the five cards today, so will drop them in the mail Monday.

Now to grab some lunch & a nap before moving over to the other side of the studio..... I hope you're enjoying a good day too!

clove & our first snow

I awoke this morning congested & with a sore throat. Boy, did that hit fast, as I felt great last night. Hopefully it'll pass as quickly as it came. To help in that regard, I cancelled today's plans and am laying low. I did some online research about which essentials oils are good for my condition and unfortunately, didn't find a lot of consistency amongst the various websites I visited. A couple mentioned clove, and since that's one of my favorites and I have it on hand, I chose it. If it doesn't work, at least I'll enjoy the aroma. It's such a warm fall scent.

I had another surprise when I awoke this morning ~ our first snow of the season. Large, fluffy flakes floated gently about, bringing a crisp freshness to the air. I took these photos early in the day, from our patio door. A little over an inch accumulated before it all melted away this afternoon. The photo below shows it on a cob web ~ interesting, huh?

Stay healthy out there!

postscript to virtual studio tour

I had a great time this past weekend visiting all the studios on the tour (at least I think I made it to all of them). What a visual treat to see such varied work spaces, each enabling those creative souls to express themselves and make this world a better place. My special thanks to those of you who visited my studio via my blog and especially those who left a kind comment. You truly brightened my day.

Speaking of comments, I received several comments about the metal strip at the bottom of one of the shelving units. I'd like to share a few more of these little niceties that make the area so functional. If you can take away a helpful idea from here, my mission is complete {smile}.

Drawer slides work great for printers that open on top for scanning and for other items that need to be opened from the top when used (like my Silhouette).

An eight-outlet electrical strip attached under the work surface makes getting power easy, without the inconvenience of cords draped across the work surface. A peel-n-stick ruler (this one is 48") attached to the work surface means there's one less item to get in the way.

Modular shelving made from inexpensive mdf (medium density fiberboard) allows for wonderful flexibility. The majority of the shelves in my area are like the one pictured above. They can be hung (see next photo) or stacked. The slots allow thin panels to be inserted either horizontally or vertically as needed.

The shelves can be hung any number of ways, but we found this method to be the most flexible. A wedge-shaped board is screwed to the back of the shelf and two boards, the top one also wedge-shaped, are screwed to the wall. The board attached to the shelves nestles into the top board on the wall while the bottom board on the wall keeps the entire shelving unit equal distance from the wall, top to bottom.

Last but not least, is handy parcel paper and gift wrap storage (please ignore the dust ~ I'd rather be creating than cleaning).

If you have any questions or tips you'd like to share, please post a comment or send an email to me. I welcome your input!

welcome to my studio

Welcome to my studio! Latin guitar is playing on the stereo & cedar incense is burning to sooth the senses. There are warm glows here & there from various little lamps, dragonfly lights, etc. Make yourself at home, be inspired, get paint/ink/clay/whatever on your hands & under your fingernails. Indulge & have fun!

This photo shows the room overall (the other half, behind me as I'm taking the picture, is the yoga/exercise area ~ a very important part of my life too). My very best four-legged friend and puppy soul mate is there in his bed.... with me wherever I go.

This side is set up for card making & painting (the easel is mostly cut off in the picture ~ off to the left with my denim apron hanging from it). Recently gessoed canvas frames are drying on the work surface, calling for me to express myself. If you're interested, you can click on the photo to see more detail.

As you can see, I have a weakness for stuffed animals ~ a weakness my wonderful husband indulges me in. There are several stuffed animals sprinkled about the room, helping to lighten the mood when needed, as well as giving me someone else to talk to when our dog stops listening {smile}.

Oh, and speaking of my husband, he's the talented individual who built this studio for me, to my exact specifications. I'm very blessed... and very grateful. He didn't miss a detail. For example, the bottom front edge of the shelf in the third photo has a metal strip, painted black, so I can easily use a magnet to hang instructions in front of me when I'm trying new techniques.

This area is set up for jewelry work, metals, sewing, UTEE, Friendly Plastic (the griddle is a few shelves under the stuffed animals in the last picture) and polymer clay (the oven is behind the butterfly photo on the upper shelf to the right). I don't really need two dremels, but my dad didn't use his anymore and offered it to me, so hey, why not? It's actually come in handy a few times.... having one with a sanding disk attached all the time and the other open for whatever attachment is needed has saved a little time.

Here is, unfortunately, where I am a lot of the time, instead of creating in the other work areas. There's just so much eye candy in blogland, that I get pulled in. Does this happen to you too? I now have a timer next to the keyboard, to help me manage my time better. Saturday, however, that's going out the window. I'm going to take my time and enjoy the Open Studios Virtual Tour. Come along with me, won't you?

The words on the lampshade, repeated in at least three other places in the room are a constant reminder to myself. BELIEVE.....

Thanks for visiting. If you'd like, leave a comment with your questions or feedback. As most bloggers will tell you, it's not why we blog, but it's a very nice fringe benefit!