Americana jewelry and art for Spring at American Holiday Artists Studios & Marketplace

 Before you know it summer will be here and fireworks will be lighting up the sky. At least it's supposed to although you can't tell by the weather. I did hear that the meteorologists are saying warm weather is on it's way so it's time to think summer clothes and how to dress up your favorite outfits.

 I've created a bracelet and earrings suitable for any nautical or patriotic themed ensemble from gorgeous glass beads.

Another mixed media art piece, created on a wooden scoop. I used stamps, vintage buttons and other tools to create the texture on this piece. I then used layers of paint and sealer to create the color for this piece. A one of a kind original, you can find this at American Holiday Artists Studios & Marketplace

A Pretty in PInk Maneki Neko for Japan

A Pretty in PInk Maneki Neko for Japan
If you have a moment please stop by and see what Eleanor is doing to raise funds for the Japan earthquake victims. You get a lovely gift, and can choose between several charities that the money paid for the charms goes to. She is donating 100% of costs, not including shipping.

Hippie Art?

A little music to go with this post...hopefully....

 The other day as I was showing my husband these newest creations he asked when I decided to create hippie art... huh? I asked him what he meant and he said he thought the colors, so bright and the patterns reminded him of California and hippie art. Well duh! Lol... I am a Cali girl born in Salinas... and yes I spent a bit of time on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley right after the riots....

 ....so I guess it comes naturally? Funny he would see it that way, but I am having fun, and hippie or not, it's a nice change of pace for me. The wood scoop at the top is about 16 inches tall and will hang or sit. The pink and orange and lime green still needs it's backing and frame. I did do the antiquing and some touch ups with color. I wish I had taken photos during the day as I just don't have good lighting in our tiny cave. Hopefully you get the idea.

This one is ready to hang, and again, I will have to try and get some daylight photos as these just don't show the true colors. I antiqued this one as well, and am pleased with the over all result. I can see some fun possibilities with this medium.
What are you working on that's different or new for you?

To Antique...or not...that is the question among others

 I have become so addicted to these textural abstracts! Fun and challenging, as I try out different color combos, they give me a freedom to explore color in a way I've never done before.

I've also re-visited the whole color purple and shades of thing in regards to photos. This is a bit off in color, but as close as I could come. My husband says the painting on the top is done, and ignored both inquiries to this one, so I'm thinking he's not fond of it, or it was just coincidental....lol. I was going for a spring like feel with shades of peach and violet, but am not sure yet if I've done what I could. I threw in green to give contrast.  I'm trying to decide if I'm done layering color on both pieces, and if either one should have a final antiquing to bring out the texture more. What do you think?

Craft supplies on ebay.....

 In my continuing effort to find focus in my art, and make room to work in my tiny studio room I'm getting rid of pieces I know I will never use. Above is a nice batch of wood textile bobbins that would be great for art doll bases or Halloween shakers, among other creations.

 These tin canisters are so cool and I had imagined painting a nice apples or cherries border on them and spiffing them up for a kitchen with glass knobs for the tops, but alas, I just can't seem to find the time and so I'm letting these go as well.

Here are a set of children's blocks, some are very old and very cool, but again, I know that I'm never going to get to them. I planned on using them as bases for Christmas creations such as Santas or snowmen. What would you use them for? They are all starting at very low prices so check them out if you are looking for a good deal. Here's the link to see more about them... Simply Sheryl's

Bitzy Bee is buzzing around ebay...

 Pretty little Bitzy Bee

Buzzing everywhere...

Busy little Bitzy Bee

Do you really care?

Fancy little Bitzy Bee

Honey is your game...

Flightly little Bitzy Bee

Sweetness is your name!

A gourd folk art ornament  to be found on ebay. She would love to buzz around your home!

Vintage Victorian Easter Bunny Treasure Keep on ebay

A sneak peek at a paper mache box created with storing Easter treasures in. I've taken a Victorian Woolsen Spice card and copied it, then added it to this hand painted and embellished box. Aren't the little bunnies darling? Stop by my ebay auction to see more. Easter Bunny Treasure Keep
Here's to a wonderful Monday.....

Bernice Bunny on American Holiday Artist's Studios & Marketplace

 

Bernice Bunny has gathered her colored eggs and a sweet little chick to get ready for Easter.

 She wants to get ready for the Easter parade, Shhhh, don't tell her it's a bit later this year!

 Doesn't Bernice look lovely though, in her sweet homespun dress and sparkly little hat?

Bernice had me use the best trims and ribbons to dress up her outfit. As I was sculpting her she made sure I gave her big beautiful eyes, and nice bunny ears so that the big boy bunnies would be sure to be smitten. Bernice has made her debut at our American Holiday Artist's Studios & Marketplace for this coming month. Easter is already hopping at our marketplace so pop on over and enjoy!

The Layers of Life and Art

I've been reading "Of Human Bondage" by W. Somerset Maugham. It's the story of a young man with a club foot, who is orphaned at a young age. His discoveries in life and human nature take him through a period when he is in his late teens and early 20's, where he thinks he wants to be an artist, in fact he is sure he has the "genius" for it. He soon finds out though, that his aptitude for art amounts to being able to copy others quite well. After much soul searching, and a compatriots death by starvation and suicide he finally realizes that perhaps he hasn't got what it takes, and asks others their opinion. He is told that while he is good at the mechanics, he has no real "genius" for art. His friends have the mind set that you must have the overwhelming drive, the "do or die" attitude towards art, where all else suffers, even family, so that one can paint. The idea of making money wasn't as important as creating. But, without money, you have no resources to create. Quite a dilemma, wouldn't you say?

That got me to thinking about where my artistic journey is taking me. I love to create holiday figures, or storybook figures such as this White Rabbit, from Alice in Wonderland.

I made him a couple of years ago, and he was sure a fun challenge. I have a tendency to be very literal in my thinking, and that spills over into my art. As much as I would love to create whimsical figures that delight and bring smiles to those who see them, I have an even stronger drive to paint and sculpt in a more serious vein. I would also like to make money at it, so that we can do the things we want to do when hubby retires, and not feel like we have to pinch pennies all the time. Then you throw in the human factor of the needs of those around me. I am so in tune with those around me, that I can't seem to step back and let them find other resources or support so I have more time to create. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, but then am I being arrogant in thinking I'm the only one who can do it right, or do I truly care those around me and want to be helpful.
I find it interesting that I should get "Of Human Bondage" at a stage in my life where I'm assessing where I want to head with my art. Do you ever have those sorts of life coincidences? What are your challenges in your creative ventures?

Abstract Art- Challenging Myself...

 Awhile back Alyice Edrich of The Dabbling Mum shared a youtube video of work by Paul Bozzo. It was fascinating to me how he put his pieces together so I decided to try my hand at his technique. My first piece warped as I used a bare canvas, but this one didn't as I used a piece of standard board which is a type of lightweight sheet rock. It's easy to cut, and easy to work with.

Then I gathered stamps, doilies, and tools to create texture just as Paul does. I took a different approach than he, more a spring time theme for the fun of it. It was a blast to try this, and I may do more, perhaps with different themes. Layering the paint and sealer was also interesting as I like bold color but am still learning the whole "what comes first" thing. It's different for different media, some you would start light to dark, others dark to light and this ended up being a bit of both.
I would sure love some feedback on this and how it turned out. Thanks for stopping by. :-)

I'm not goofing off, really I'm not....

 Okay, rules for taking photos #1 Never wrap something until you know the photos are clear and sharp....  Ahhh well, what can I say, live and learn right?
Among the many projects in my studio were creating this pair of earrings for a family member who has a birthday coming up shortly. Simple with spring colors to perk up any pink lovers ensemble, I sure hope she likes these.

Here's the box I jazzed up to hold the earrings. It's always nice to have "stuff" on hand to make gifts out of isn't it? One of the advantages of being a creative spirit.
Well, back to the studio to work on 3 dolls that were commissioned to go along with my last Queen of Hearts doll, as well as a new art technique I'm testing and a bunny for the upcoming AHA Spring launch. What is going on in your studio these days?

Horse is finished, yay!

Hmmmm blogger is up to no good again...lol. I have been slogging through back pain and mental fatigue trying to get this piece done, and finally! So I've taken the photos, filled out the entry form for the show, and it's off to the post office in a bit to send the entry off. 
I knew it! As soon as I try to add another picture below the text, it pops underneath the other photo, oh well. So here is El Caballo De Calabasa II, a gourd horse who has a bronzed and silver look. Hubby wants me to start on the next one now, while I'm in the groove...:-) It's so nice to have his support. My house is upside down right now, but it will get put back together next week, I think. I now have 3 art dolls as a commission to do, and so it goes. Thanks to all who were cheering me on. I look forward to seeing what you've been up to. Oh, if you want to see what is happening and more information on this art show here's the link. Wallowa Valley Festival of Arts  I'll bet you've never seen a more beautiful and inspiring place to have an art show...;-)

How do you help....

 

As I sit here today sanding away the rough spots on my latest sculpture, my heart wishes it could wipe away the pain our community is feeling right now. We lost a bright young lady this last week to a tragic death. We've been told the perpetrator is in custody and has made a confession. No one has the details yet, and hopefully they won't be splashed across the news as there is already pain enough in our little town and this usually only serves to sensationalize the incident and hurt those who've lost their loved ones. 

Both of these young people had promise, and now one is gone, and the other will be put in jail for a very long time. How do you help all the families involved? How do you reach out to them, unlike my sculpture you know the cracks in their lives will be hard put to be repaired if ever. You can't give back a life, and you can't take back an action against another, once committed. So many people were involved in these young lives, and so many will be hurting for a very long time.
And then there's our family, and the struggle with trying to deal with my niece's father's murder in January. We still have no why or who in that tragic incident. Her mother died 6 years ago in a sad and awful way, so my niece has lost both of her parents in a short span of time. We have little contact as she hasn't had the opportunity to be around us much and has her own life with her husband. Yet I know that she will miss/misses her parents. My first instinct has been to want to gather all my family close so I know they are okay. I can't do that as one daughter is far away in Alaska, the other in Alabama, and my son in Oregon. My one grandson is in Arizona. The only consolation I have is that no matter what, I know Heavenly Father is there, and He knows what we need. Please pray for us in Wendover and West Wendover. We are trying to sort this all out and want to be a support to anyone who may need it but sometimes it's so hard to know how....your prayers will surely help.

WIP's for Wallowa Valley Festival of Arts

 Oh boy, I told myself I wouldn't be in this predicament again, trying to get something done last minute for the show. They changed the jury process though and want to see the actual pieces for the show so this fella has to be done by the end of this week or so to get my photos and such sent in. Yipes!

 I still have the leather tooling design to add to the base, and then painting the piece. Or and smoothing out the rough areas a bit more. Although I do rather like a bit of texture to imply muscle.

So back to work I must get, as the time is flying and it's already March tomorrow! What a whirlwind week this will be for sure! What are you working on right now?

The Circus is in town....

Have you heard the news? The circus has come to American Holiday Artists Studios & Marketplace! So grab your popcorn, cotton candy and take a trip down memory lane, or see the goodies to be had....

AMERICAN HOLIDAY ARTISTS STUDIOS & MARKETPLACE

"UNDER THE BIGTOP" SHOW

Treat boxes for your sweetie....

 Two designed treat boxes that I created as part of a challenge that May Arts Ribbon was having for Valentines Day. There are a lot of wonderful entries. Not sure why they don't have the description for my project, and all the photos, but that's okay. It was fun to do, and I have a bit of scraps of ribbon to use for other projects. Here's where you can view the other entries... May Arts

What did you create for Valentine's Day?

How Do I Love Thee?

Another Ruffles Folk Art Easter baby has been featured in an etsy treasury!

etsy treasury

Another Ruffles Folk Art Easter baby....

It's really starting to look like Easter over at my esty shop! Bunnies and chickies and lot's of love to share. So take a moment if you would and see all the bright and colorful Spring items that are popping up at etsy. Thanks for stopping by. :-)

Ruffles Easter Bunny is hopping over to etsy!

I have so much fun creating these little Easter babies! An egg shape is perfect for all sorts of Easter baby delights, so there will be more to follow.
With the advent or hope of warmer weather, which we will have a taste of this weekend (yippee!), sometimes we have to deal with the rain or muck or melting snow and slush so decorating for Easter is a great way to brighten up your home. I like to bring Spring indoors early by spreading a little color through out ours with my hand crafted Easter goodies. This year I'm hoping to have a feather tree in pastel Easter colors, and I can just imagine how one of these little fellas would look underneath it. In the mean time, I'm offering some one of a kind creations in my etsy shop for you to enjoy as well. :-)

Give a little love this Valentines...

What to do with a cute little pocket that had hot cocoa in it I wondered. The plaid pattern was too nice to just toss the pocket away, so I trimmed the top flap off, added all sorts of doo dads and fluff, and whaalaa! a Victorian style Valentine treat pocket for that special someone. This inspired me to create some of my own by hand, and they will be showing up soon. For now, this little goodie pocket can be found at my etsy shop.

Queen of Hearts Doll on etsy

Just added her to my new etsy shop and she already has been featured in a treasury! etsy

A gift for my daughter, hand made stationery

As I talked to my oldest daughter recently she mentioned that she was thinking of hand writing letters to her friends in Alaska. With her birthday coming up this week I decided to experiment and see if I could make some art stationery for her. I first thought of scanning all sorts of lace trims and such and then it donned on me, oh duh! I have some of my art sketches on the computer already, so why not try those?! 

These aren't too fancy mind you; hey it's a start, and I'm going to experiment with different scanned items to see if I can add a touch of vintage to my stationery as well, but these turned out pretty nice. My favorite is the Pansies with it's lavender lines. I created lined sheets without the art as well, so she could have the first page with the art and the rest just for writing. These are done two to a standard sheet of paper so they are smaller, the half sheet size, which I personally like more. She will get a stack of all three designs with a request to let me know which she likes the most. So here's to a happy birthday for my Stephanie!

Teenie Tiny Topsy Bunny WIP

I'm trying to make a mad dash in to share one of my latest WIP's. We shall see if blogger cooperates. :-) This roly poly little bunny is about 4" tall. I have a little chicklet that's waiting for it's ruffle but I will wait until the twins are down for a nap again. I'm even thinking of a little kitty in this style. These are so much fun to make that I may end up using all my egg shapes to create more, perhaps a puppy as well? I'll keep you posted. What are you working on right now?

Adorable Vintage Style Sketches

 

My mother-in-law creates the cutest little sketches! Considering the fact that she is almost legally blind I think she does fantastic. Coming from that era where they lived by the motto, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without", she will put little illustrations such as these on presents that she's wrapped with white paper she has kept, or on the corner of a birthday letter envelope or even the letter itself. She will cut out pictures of flowers and such from magazines and ads to use as stickers as well. I've been saving all I've gotten from her to use for embroidery designs on baby blankets and such. Our nephew and his wife just had their first baby so I asked Mom to create some pictures I could use to make something for the new little one. Here's what she did for me, so I'm using the one on the top left in a wall hanging with the baby's name and date on it. I can't wait to show you what it turns out like. It may take a little bit though as I save working on it for when I'm with Mom and Dad so I can do it while chatting with them. After I get the embroidery done I will be covering the mat with a quilted cover that has tiny buttons from great grandma's button jar and "pearls" from a little necklace this little baby's grandma had when she was little. A little bit of history in the design that I will type up and add to the back of the finished work. I found a shadow box frame with mat at the DI store that will work perfectly for all of this. So many of you have inspired me with your creative ways, so I credit you for all you do. I will share a photo of what I'm doing soon.

My angel has flown to ebay....

This little angel has flown to ebay....

She's a bit shabby and a bit chic, with a design for keeping your Valentines, or a sachet, or perhaps a vintage handkerchief or two.

Playing with clay and texture

One of the very talented members of Creating the Hive shared a video with us this week, which had me looking at more by this artist so one thing led to another..... Alyice Edrich shared this  video Bozzoart   So I gathered buttons, stamps, stencils, wood, and clay as my texture paste was too sticky. Now I have to wait for it to dry and see whether clay works for this. I know there may be cracks, but am keeping my fingers crossed.....

The Queen of Hearts revisited....

I'm not sure why the Queen of Hearts theme has been my muse this year, but it's been an adventure for sure. The is the last of the ideas I wanted to work out, so now I can move on to other ideas that are fighting for space in the front recesses of my tiny little brain. 

This lovely lady was created using clay, wood, wire, fabric and lots of embellishing trims. She is now up for consideration on ebay. I wonder where she will end up?
So now I'm on to bunnies and western art....

American Holiday Artists Studios & Marketplace is getting a facelift...

 

We area getting a face lift and new digs but our site is still under construction. Here's a sneak preview or our new look. There will be a big launch and grand re-opening coming in February. In the meantime you can still find great art by our members by searching AHA art on ebay and AHA or AHAteam on etsy.