the magic of beginnings

This past weekend I finished the piece I shared as a WIP last week, adding texture and dimension to the tree trunks, more leaves here and there, and a quote.

fall trees WIP

This week I worked some more on a WIP I started a couple weeks ago. It's slow going, but that's ok. Progress is progress. 

red poppies

I wasn't in the mood to finish last week's WIP so I started a couple new ones this week, both exercises in Gina Lee Kim's book. I like how the poppy exercise turned out. 

WIP - first time using drawing gum

This last week I played around with some flowers, and then got the drawing gum out to see what that's all about. Oh My! I think I'm going to use this stuff a lot! I love trees and birch trees are one of my favorites, so the fact that drawing gum helps to create them, well, I'm over the moon. Sure, I could use acrylic or some other medium to create the birch trees over the watercolor, and likely will in the future, but I really like this effect. I plan to add leaves and I'm not sure what else, so it's definitely a WIP, but this was a fun practice session.

watercolor stained glass

When I sat down to practice watercolor this week, I was inspired by the beautiful landscape panels at Glass Art Stories.

the trouble is...

I finished two watercolor courses in August, and this month I'm learning from a watercolor book by Gina Lee Kim. I followed her work a few years ago and then forgot about her when I wasn't creating for a couple years. Thankfully, I stumbled on her work again and ordered her book. She reminded me watercolor doesn't have to strictly be watercolor. It can be augmented with other mediums. DUH. I do this all the time with my art but it hadn't yet dawned on me for watercolor. And it was exactly the inspiration I needed after failing miserably at my watercolor practice last week (see below). I felt good for practicing but was very disappointed in the results, frustrated to the point of wanting to return to acrylics. Gina Lee Kim to the rescue! 😊

 

glass for art

No watercolor practice this week, but I did meet a watercolor artist at the State Fair Friday, buy some of her art and talk with her about the classes she teaches (both watercolor and quilting). I will likely take a class from her at some point - she's talented and nice. 

I spent the majority of my day today sorting through, cleaning and organizing the stained glass my husband no longer wants (too small for him so I get them). They'd been stored in open boxes in his shop where he also does wood working, so they had lots of sawdust on them. I'll use them to make pendants and jewelry, as well as small stained glass items. I *might* use some to make mosaic art as well. I've not worked with mosaics before, but I saw something recently out of larger pieces of glass than the usual mosaic art, and liked the effect.

3D spheres

This week's class exercise was 3D spheres. I found the shadows tough to do, so will continue practicing this week. 

beginning watercolor class

I've tried watercolors a few times over the years, but always been so frustrated with the results that I'd quickly return to acrylics. I love the texture that's possible with acrylics, plus it's so forgiving. If I decide I don't like something, I can just paint over it. Watercolor has more limitations, and I don't like limitations. However, I also know I've always tried watercolor just randomly without any research or instruction. Since this is my year to learn from others, I decided to try watercolor again. I started classes this past week and, no surprise here, learned I was doing several things incorrectly. I'd been using watercolor crayons, watercolor pencils and a cheap watercolor pan set and random brush. All were wrong for a beginner so off to the craft store I went to pick up enough supplies to get me by until my Amazon package arrives this week. The photo above is my initial practicing of proper brush technique and shading. While I'm one who likes to fast forward to results, I'm forcing myself to truly practice every lesson in the classes. This particular exercise was both challenging (being new to me) and therapeutic in that it was somewhat rhythmic, requiring focus and patience.

classes & watercolor

This week's creative time was spent doodling sunflowers and starting a watercolor tree at sunset. The drawing class I'd been taking just wasn't cutting it for me. The instructor uses Procreate and while she said the lessons easily translate to traditional tools, I struggled to make the leap so am looking into alternative classes. While I'm searching for ones for drawing, I think I'll look into watercolor too. Who know what will entice me? It changes all the time. A couple weeks ago I picked up some fabric for a new collage I have in mind, but ever since I brought it home, I haven't wanted to sit down and get started on it. Sigh. But alas, at least I'm creating something each week. :)

Friendly Plastic is still friendly

This week I got the Friendly Plastic out and experimented a bit. What a relief to find I had sealed it up well so it didn't dry out and get brittle over the last few years. These might be transformed into pendants or embellishments for greeting cards.

fired alcohol ink tiles

These are the ceramic tiles I adorned last week using alcohol inks and fire. For someone who likes to be in control, this project was challenging because there's little control to be had. The good news is if you don't like a result, you can wipe it clean and start over (and yes, I did that a few times - ha!). The orange and green one is my favorite, as I was somehow able to make it resemble flowers. What I'll do with these tiles is a mystery, but I had fun making them.

short break + glass pendants

Other than doodling and starting a new drawing class, I haven't crafted or created anything for a couple weeks. There have been a lot of changes going on at the office, and when home, I was preparing for our annual Fourth of July party. Weird, now that the party is behind us, I'm finding it hard getting back into creating. It's like exercising, if I take a break, it's tough to get restarted. By posting this today, I'm hoping it'll encourage me to get back on the horse (so to speak). It's a photo of the glass pendants I made this past winter/spring. I really like the new technique of lumpy soldering - it's much more pleasing to my eye than smooth solder. It adds another layer of interest to each piece. 

I don't know what I'll be posting next week, but it will be something new that I work on this week. :)

airplane mobile repair

This week's post is a bit different, but it's still something creative. My father used to fly radio controlled airplanes and it brought him much joy. Now that he no longer flies his planes, this old airplane mobile is about the only airplane-related item he has. I wanted to fix it up after all these years of neglect. Some chain was missing and one of the hoops was gone, but I had chain that was similar and was able to make a new hoop out of 9 gauge galvanized steel wire. The wire wasn't easy to bend, even with a wire bender, so it's not perfectly round, but it's close enough. A little paint so it matches the rust on the other hoops and voilà!  It brought a smile to face when I hung it up for him Sunday - definitely worth my time this week. ♥

all stitched up

I'm pleased to say my first beaded fabric landscape collage (boy, is that a mouthful) is complete. Is it perfect? Ha! Far from it. Am I happy with it? You bet I am. I dove in and saw this project through to completion, even though there were times when I questioned my sanity. The point is I tried something new, experimented, watched videos for tips (especially helpful for the binding, which I ripped out and started over more than once) and didn't overthink things like I have a tendency to do. I learned a lot on this project but more importantly, had fun and am eager to try my hand at another one. 

yes, gardening is creating

The weather has been so good I gave up the craft room again this past week to work in the garden. The rock riverbed had filled in with so much dirt over the years the rocks could barely be seen, so it was time to rip it out and start anew. It was a lot of work and took nearly every night as well as the majority of the weekend, but it looks a lot of better. Next to it at the south end I set up a small memorial area for Mom, under the lilac bush. It includes a memorial wind chime from my coworkers and a memorial stone from my best friend. ♥


I also ripped out a few roses that were diseased and had gone wild, amended the soil and planted a mix of flowers for hummingbirds. The bees and butterflies flower mix I planted awhile back hasn't germinated as well as I'd expected, so I sprinkled more seeds there. The seeds that didn't germinate were from a school fundraiser so I don't feel so bad about the cost. In another section of the garden, the wildflower seeds I ordered online and planted just a couple weeks ago are sprouting nicely (although they might not show up in the photo below). 

The best part of the garden is the tomato plants. They're looking really good this year - best ever at this point in the season. Then again, I got them in much earlier than usual. 

As of this post, I've been blogging five weeks and it's helping keep me on track with my creativity goals. It's supposed to rain this week so I'll likely switch my creative time from the garden back to the craft room.

planting seeds

Yesterday morning I was torn. I wanted to get out in the garden since it was my first free day without rain in a long time and I don't have everything planted yet, yet I'd committed to creating every week and hadn't made it into the craft room in several days. As I poured my thoughts out onto my journal page, I entertained the idea that gardening is actually a creative endeavor. I hopped out to google and found numerous people and studies that confirm this (here's one I especially like), and decided then and there I was going to enjoy my creative time in the garden without guilt, saving the craft room for rainy days. So, this week my creative photo is of the herb garden which I overhauled Sunday - removing the cedar mulch and landscape fabric, ripping out plants that have been doing poorly, working/amending the soil and planting a boatload of wildflowers. It was a long, hard day but very enjoyable and therapeutic. 

decisions

I finished beading the sun this week and debated whether to stop there, making the sun the one focal point, or continue beading other parts of the collage (and if so, which other parts). Knowing when to stop and when to keep going has always been a challenge when I create. As I pondered what to do, I realized if I stopped, I'd never know if adding more would've improved it. If I add more and don't like it, I can undo it or toss it. At least I'll have tried and in the process, practiced the skills I'm seeking to improve. My theme this year is practice, so the decision was then easy. I kept beading. I don't yet know if I like it, but I'm not done. 😉

beaded fabric landscape collage

This is my current WIP - beading a landscape fabric collage. It's my first venture into sewing (other than mending) for many, many years. A friend who quilts gifted the fabric scraps to me, I watched a couple instructional videos and got started. Once the fabric was all sewn, I decided it needed more oomph so out came the seed beads! I haven't applied seed beads to fabric for over 30 years. 

My mom was an excellent seamstress and I now have her machine alongside mine. I feel her with me as I venture back into sewing, and I remember the younger, more carefree me as I bead. The project is not just fun, but therapeutic.

return to blogging

It's been 3.5 years since my last post. Much has happened, including breast cancer, closing my business, returning to the corporate world (new role in a new-to-me company) and the loss of my mother. The experiences sparked a lot of self-reflection, especially my cancer and losing Mom.

One thing I realized is how much I missed making things. Not being in the craft room much in 2016 or 2017, I set a goal to create at least 10 hours per month in 2018. It worked so well I kept it as a goal for 2019 and added an element of learning something new each month. This one is a bit dangerous, because I already hop around to various mediums so frequently that I don't get good at any of them, so learning new things seems like giving vodka to the drunk, but my goal is to learn from others instead of trying to figure out everything on my own. My hope is I'll settle in on just a select few mediums and focus my energy on them. The more I practice them, the better I'll become.

So why take time away from learning/practicing/creating to blog again? Because I believe it will help hold me accountable to my goal. I'd also like a record of what I'm doing so I can see my progress over time. So, while I'm putting this online for anyone to see, I'm doing it for me. If you stumble upon this site and have a positive or encouraging word to share, feel free.

repurposing garden art

A couple months ago my sister and I tore down an old shed at our parents' house. It was falling apart and had been replaced with a bigger/better model. While we were loading the truck, dad said we should get rid of the wheel barrow too. It was covered in rust and the wheel was about to fall off. It wasn't worth repairing and had already been replaced with a shiny red model. I was about to oblige when my sister asked if it was the wheel barrow our oldest brother had used when he was a brick mason. My radar went up. What did she say? Was this something that had belonged to our brother? In the 20+ years since his death I had gradually let go of all but one of the gifts he'd given me, but I'd never owned anything that had once belonged to him. Sure enough. The wheel barrow had been his and no one wanted it - except me. 

But what on earth was I going to do with an old wheel barrow? My sister suggested I put it in the garden and plant some flowers in it. That's when it hit me I could use for seasonal displays in front of our house. Since it was the end of September, it was the perfect time to set out some pumpkins and a straw bale. 

For Christmas, I looked around the garden and decided to repurpose the Eiffel Tower as a Christmas tree. 

 

Toss in a few gift boxes and voilà -- inexpensive seasonal decor with personal meaning for me. It sits just outside my office window and brings me joy each day.

Speaking of joy -- I'm wishing you all much joy and good health this holiday season and beyond!


Believe, 
Di

creating again

Greetings! Thank you for being patient while I took some time off from creating this year. I had no intention of being away this long, but you know how life goes. If we don't manage our time and energy it manages us and boy, did I learn some lessons this year in that regard. I'm slowly working my way back and with as much grace as I can muster, intend to continue. 

Here are a couple pics from when I made it into the studio recently. The first one was playing with metal and the second one is something new I'm experimenting with. I really like it but haven't completed a piece as yet. The glaze I used the first time was apparently old (go figure, huh? ha!), and ate away at my work so I had to start over. I actually like the colors of the second version more than the first (no photos from that). They look a little like the cosmos to me. Anyway, I ordered some new glaze to try and am anxious to play around some more with the process. If the results are good, I'll add some pieces to the shop. 

Oh, and for those of you who like the stained glass pendants in the shop, I haven't stopped making those. A few are ready to solder but I'd like more ready before getting out the soldering supplies. To make more means replenishing my glass supply, which will require servicing the grinder. Sounds like I'm complaining but it's helpful to know what all is involved when making things. It's not like I'm buying kits from the store and assembling them. As much as possible, I create from scratch. This doesn't make what I do better than what someone else does, it just makes it more authentic for me - more enjoyable and rewarding. And heck, isn't that why we create to begin with? To have fun, express ourselves, learn, explore and refine not just our skills but who we are on the inside? 

"True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done,

the zest of creating things new." ~ Antoine d Saint-Exupery

Believe, 
Di

Location Matters / Organized Creativity / Dec, 2014

Having received positive feedback from the Organized Creativity series I shared May 12-16, I'm sharing the update each month. Today we feature Tracey Jean from the December issue. Click here to read about her, her creative space and how she organizes it. Enjoy! 

Believe, 

Di

paw print pendants in the shop

Happy Thanksgiving weekend! I hope you were able to enjoy good food and good times with your loved ones. 

Having received several compliments on the paw print pendants I made for the Furry Friends Refuge auction, I decided to make a few more (plus, they're fun to make). These new pendants are now listed in the shop -- they're just right for the animal lover in your life.

"A true friend leaves paw prints on your heart." ~ unknown

Believe, 
Di

Location Matters / Organized Creativity / Nov, 2014

Having received positive feedback from the Organized Creativity series I shared May 12-16, I'm sharing the update each month. Today we feature Heather Schmitz from the November issue. Click here to read about her, her creative space and how she organizes it. Enjoy! 

Believe,
Di