patinamarie

CHA Anaheim is approaching fast...

2012-01-20T10:47:00.000-08:00

I've never been to a Craft and Hobby Association Conference & Tradeshow, but I hear it's quite the experience...

I'll be there representing ICE Resin for three days and am looking forward to meeting a bunch a great gals I've only had online conversations with.

It's fun putting a face and personality with a name...or more like with a BLOG or a FACEBOOK profile.

*****

If you are visiting, be sure to check out the booth.

There will be book signings, demo's, giveaways and lots of laughter and creativity...I've heard rumors that the booth is to-die-for and will be loaded with all sorts of wonderful eye-candy and ideas.

Here's a peek at the all the fun they have planned....

Amazing Giveaways will occur at the commencement of every demo/signing time however you must be present to win!

Sunday and Monday
Come have your snapshot taken in the ICE Resin Booth with the ICE Queen herself Susan Lenart Kazmer

Tuesday and Wednesday
Have your snapshot taken with the Stars of ICE Resin which include well known Industry Authors and Artist's in the ICE Resin Booth #1029

Sunday
10:30 - 11:30 Demo Joanna Pierotti - ICE Resin Creative Team Member and Published Artist

12:30 - 1:30 Demo and Book Signing with ICE Resin Creative Team Director, Artist and Author Kristen Robinson (books will be first come first serve)

2:30 - 3:30 Demo Joanna Pierotti - ICE Resin Creative Team Member and Published Artist

4:30 - 5:30 Demo with Artist and Author Kristen Robinson

Monday
10:30 - 11:30 Demo with Artist and Author Kristen Robinson

11:30 - 12:30 Demo and Make and Take with Fiskateer Tami Bayer of Fiskars

1:30 - 2:30 Demo and Book Signing with ICE Resin Education Director, Artist and Author Jen Cushman (books will be first come first serve)

2:00 - 3:00 Book Signing with Kristen Robinson, Author of Tales of Adornment - Techniques for Resin Jewelry in the R&M Booth # 1329

3:30 - 4:30 Demo with Tina Schiefer ICE Resin Creative Team Member and Published Artist

Tuesday
10:30 - 11:30 Demo Joanna Pierotti - ICE Resin Creative Team Member and Published Artist

12:00 - 1:00 Book Signing with Kristen Robinson, Author of Tales of Adornment - Techniques for Resin Jewelry in the F&W Booth # 868

1:30 - 2:30 Demo with Tina Schiefer ICE Resin Creative Team Member and Published Artist

2:30 - 3:30 Demo and Make and Take with Fiskateer Tami Bayer of Fiskars

4:30 - 5:30 Demo with Artist and Author Kristen Robinson

Wednesday
10:30 - 11:30 Demo with Tina Schiefer ICE Resin Creative Team Member and Published Artist

12:30 - 1:30 Resin Paper Demo

*****

See ya there!!!!

ICE Resin Jewelry Box...

2012-01-18T10:14:00.000-08:00

Passion. Love Guides Us.

My featured project today over on the ICE Resin Creative Team Wednesday is a fun little jewelry box I found at my local Goodwill. A darling little silver filigree design, I gave it a new life with a bit of bling.

By adding a silver hobnail bezel filled with layers of pretties...

a small string of clear glass rhinestones

a stamped silver hobnail heart

some very fine (and very shiny) silver glitter (I know! Glitter...my nemesis! You either love it or you hate it!!!)

two layers of words (the first layer of opaque words "Love Guides Us" and a second transparent layer of words "Passion")

By having two layers, I've created some depth and at first glance you see the word Passion, but upon a closer look, you can read Love Guides Us.

I am really a believer in both of these... I believe every solid relationship needs both and should be held closely and treasured to the fullest...just like this little jewelry box will hold treasures from my sweetheart!

***
Speaking of Love...an interesting thing happened yesterday...

My dear friend, and maid of honor 26+ years ago, Ginger, came into my office yesterday with a sentimental project in mind. Along with old black and white photos, in her hand she held her husband's Grandparents multi-page wedding booklet from the 1920's.

As I was leafing through the pages, yellowed with age and still tied with the original worn ribbon, I began reading the printed poetry and the beautifully handwritten words within. A few pages in, I noticed a poem Love Guides Us...It was the VERY same sentiment and illustration I had used for my jewelry box project.

However, I had sourced mine from a commercial clip art book I have. To say I was touched deeply by the fact that there in my hand was a REAL and VERY TRUE version from the 1920's would be an understatement! Wow! How often does that happen?

***

Now if only I could find some vintage love letters in my attic, I would be elated...Sadly, my house isn't vintage and I've already seen what was in that box way back in the attic...Oh well...

Sharing over at:

Sew Lost in an ICE Resin moment...

2012-01-15T10:24:00.000-08:00

I've been doing a lot of experimenting with ICE Resin lately...

1. Projects for the upcoming CHA ICE Resin booth.

By the way, I'll be there Jan 31 and Feb 1 demonstrating how to create with this versatile product. Stop by and say hi. I'd love to meet you...

2. Projects for upcoming Creative Team Wednesday posts on the ICE Queen E-Zine.

3. Just for fun...I wanted to see what else I could create and do with the resin.

I've played with resin-coated paper. I've created filled bezels. I've used it as an adhesive. I've even cast small dimensional pieces with it.

But...I wanted to go BIGGER!!!

Here is my first BIGGER experiment...

The clear, textured casting is approximately 7" x 9" on a larger multi-layered fabric base panel.

I've always been fascinated by the alpha exemplars featured in Somerset Studio magazine. I've wanted to attempt to make one, but I am not the best when it comes to drawing or creative lettering. But working with dimension, paint, texture...well, that I'm not afraid to experiment with.

My wonderful Phillip bought me a sewing machine for Christmas...a completely unexpected surprise! Not because he isn't ALWAYS surprising me, but a sewing machine wasn't even on my radar!!!

I had originally thought I'd be drilling holes and hand-sewing this piece together, but then I had a bright idea (of course, in hindsight..cause had it NOT worked, I might be regretting that bright idea right now...if my machine had been damaged..., but it worked...and now I'm elated!)

With my machine speed set to the lowest setting, I proceeded to sew the resin panel to my fabric...WOW!!! I am so going to be doing this again...!!! I LOVE IT!!!!

I really like the dimension, the texture, the look of the whole experiment... even my little fabric flower (first one I've ever made) turned out ok.

I guess you can say, I was truly, SEW Lost in a MOMENT....

Sharing over at:

"I QUIT!"

2011-12-29T08:39:00.000-08:00

Yep. That's what my christmas tree said yesterday!

So, I removed its ONE string of white lights, all the celophane wrapped candy canes, the red glass ornaments, the sheer red ribbon garland, the little red bows, and the silver tinsel strands...there was NEVER a topper put on the poor thing. I NEVER even took a photo of the tree this year...so I guess QUITTING was warranted.

Plus, even though it was watered (a couple of times), a couple of times wasn't enough. The needles were DRY and DEAD!!! Even with the huge tree stand still attached, it only weighed about 2 lbs...MAX! I'm betting the tree stand weighed as much as it.

When I lugged it in, it weighed A LOT more than that...talk about a starvation diet!

I've been really busy the last few weeks...months, actually, so our tree this year was a bit neglected...If it wasn't for A.J. and Kyra decorating it, it would still be standing in the room naked as a jay bird!!

Moving on...

So, I put the tree, with the stand still attached out on the front porch (which still isn't finished!).

There were needles EVERYWHERE!!! I guess the tree was getting even with me.

Pulled out the Dyson and proceeded to vacuum the floor...

Thinking I got the last laugh, because the needles made the vacuum smell so good and fresh, I looked up to see the tree on the porch when I was done, and IT WASN'T THERE! Only needles.

Now, keep in mind, I don't live in a city. There's no recycling service going around removing trees into a big truck. There are no neighborhood kids to play pranks. SO? Where did the tree go?

I walked out the door. Looked to the left and then to the right, over the porch railings.

NO tree.

Walked down the stairs.

NO tree.

Walked down the walkway....

WHAT THE HECK?!!!

There was the tree. Tree stand still attached. Lying down and around the house - a complete U-Turn - in front of the garage that is below the house!!!

Dang tree.

I guess when it said, "I QUIT!" it wasn't kidding!!!

ETA: the wind was HOWLING yesterday!!!

"I, Tina Marie Schiefer, do solemnly swear, that Christmas 2012's tree will be fully decorated, watered, pampered, photographed and shared!"

Rusty....Vintage....Tricycle....for the Monkey...

2011-12-26T19:47:00.000-08:00

Not the best picture. Taken with my iPhone at night. On Christmas Eve.

BUT...

I LOVE the gift!!! A REAL, VINTAGE, tricycle in all its RUSTY, CRUSTY glory.

This is from Ty's girlfriend's family-run, real, honest-to-goodness, local dairy farm.

She said it's just been sitting outside under the trees for years...

and she was ever so kind to gift it to ME!!! Little 'ol me!!!

I think Monkey LOVES it just as much as I do...

Thanks, Jania and Ty for thinking of me...

I will cherish it forever!!!

Inspired Dragonflies

2011-12-24T22:53:00.000-08:00

A long while ago, I came across some pretty unique, LARGE dragonflies on a site called Lucy Designs created from an old table leg and ceiling fan blades. Like many things out there, I put them to memory for an "I wanna try and make those someday" moment.

Well, that moment came this last week. I made these for my newest friend at my local as-is Goodwill. She is planning to gift them to her daughter-in-law for Christmas... I hope she likes them!!!

Can't wait to create some other styles...

Here is a peek at the BEFORE....note the pencil for scale...

Merry Christmas EVERYONE!!!!

Joining up with these parties...

Recycling for Christmas....

2011-12-17T08:58:00.000-08:00

So, here is a photo of my DIY foyer ceiling. It's tongue and groove pine planks.

Off the subject? Well, NO.

These are the little end cuts from when I installed the ceiling. Cute, don't ya think? I have a whole gob of them.

Armed with an assortment of holiday paper, stamps, buttons, paint, Mod Podge, ribbon, etc... those little wood ceiling blanks became....

great little vignette accents around the house

gift tags

swag embellishments

tree ornaments

Christmas Joy

Warm Holiday Wishes

Crinkle-torn-stamped tissue paper.

A Warm & Friendly Wish for a

Very Happy Holiday!

I Believe in Santa

(The "dark" metal charm reads - Believe)

Merry Christmas

Crackle finish Vintage Ad paper.

Love Stamp

Crackle finish Teddy Bear stamp.

Naughty or Nice? Yes....

A favorite re-make from last year.

I Believe in Angels

Lots of glass glitter, buttons, and fiber.

Don't Peek til Xmas

A Holiday Classic

Let it SNOW!

In classic black and cream.

'Tis the Season

Who doesn't love a Snowman?

Glass Glitter. Looks just like a sugar cookie.

Tinker Toys!!!

Just what I wanted!

Crackle Finish vintage Ad paper.

Believe in Christmas Magic

Dear Santa, I WANT.

Oh, come on. What else? Isn't that what all letters to Santa begin with???

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world,

and behold, everything is softer and more Beautiful.

Star Light, Star Bright -

A Wish for Peace on Earth Tonight.

Layered paper stars.

Christmas Cheer

Another crackle finish .2 cent stamp.

Happy Holidays

December 25 Postcard.

Crackle finish tree stamp.

SNOW

These still need to be drilled and strung with ribbon.

Here's a finished set.

These were swapped a few years back in an online ornament swap.

Linking over at....

It's beginning to look a lot like....

2011-12-13T15:21:00.000-08:00

an office!!!

My Santa Jack is finally hung up over my desk. We bought this a few years back at the Disneyland art store above Pirates of the Carribean. They have the best pieces up there.

I bought my piece un-framed so I could easily and safely transport it home. My old office was pretty modern-ish and so the simple black metal frame and with a black-core white mat was fitting...

But....

now, I'm thinking something a bit dimensional would be fun...but, I don't really want it to detract from the art...hmmmm...

For now, my dear Santa Jack is content staring longingly over Halloweenland...

In the opposite corner, I have temporarily placed my vertical, galvanized metal magazine rack under my favorite chandelier...

and

in the place where my future window will go...

(still trying to figure out what to "write" on my saw blade...)

the new $5.00 baby crib bedspring found at Habitat for Humanity that I made to look old by...

1. misting the new metal with ivory spray paint
2. dragging it up and down on the concrete driveway at work with much ooomph...the more scratches and dents, the merrier
3. spritzing daily with a bleach/water mixture
4. sprinkling with salt the last few days

Who needs to find vintage when you can make rusty patina yourself?

Embellished with a few rusty, galvanized stars on sale at Craft Warehouse...

and...this very cute galavanized bucket stuffed with a sprig of holiday greenery and a clip-on cardinal.

This is a stand-in chair...I have a really quirky high-back chair that I want to re-cover in purple velvet (cause purple is fun in a NBC office AND it's the favorite color of my friend, Ginger...and she visits frequently...)

The blank area on the wall above, is slated for a big, 'ol chalkboard and a shelf to house my little NBC critters...

Guests to my office, will be greeted year-round with my lovely wreath...a gift from my dear friends, Jeff and Kris, a few season's ago...Jeff is a Disney set decorator and they ALWAYS gift me the best NBC presents!

What I am realizing, is I'm such a fan of NBC because it allows me to combine two of my favorite holidays...and can leave it all up YEAR-ROUND!

****

Even my crew is on-board with this...

I've come into my new office a couple of times to find some fun little "goodies"...

...metal turnings/scraps from the machine shop...little trees...Sharp little buggers! But very sweet!!

...plastic scraps from the CNC router...little snowy-white garlands....VERY FUN!

Thanks, guys!

Cheers.

It's Always Better Together....

2011-12-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

For so many things...

Peas and Carrots

Peanut Butter and Jelly

Left and Right

and even two of my favorite colors...

Aqua Blue and Silver, especially at Christmas!

As a Creative Team Member for ICE Resin, I had the opportunity to play and experiment a bit with some of their wonderful bezels, transparent ribbon and, of course, ICE Resin.

For my first featured project, I chose a Silver Triangle Open Back bezel. They are wonderful for filling with resin as a transparent casting either with or without loose embeddments.

I've embedded a cut-to-size, miniature flash card from my vast collection.

I love the word TOGETHER and what it stands for ... for so many applications!

The addition of a PatinaMarie Original transparent leaf, cast from ICE Resin, with loose loops of silver wire and a length of Steel Transparent Ribbon add just the right amount of translucent sparkle and elegance.

Together.

Always.

***

Always collecting and re-purposing...combining old and new.

This began as a simple, second-hand vase from the Goodwill. Add a dismantled clip-on earring and it all comes together nicely.

The silver platter is a yard sale find.

As are the blue and silver Shiny Brite ornaments, the styrofoam "beads" and even the little white square hankie it's all perched upon.

Just goes to show that elegant doesn't have to cost a fortune.

linking today to:

Blue Cricket Design

Jewelry? Who Me???

2011-12-06T16:06:00.000-08:00

I know. I know.

I. Don't. Make. Jewelry.

I don't wear jewelry - except for the diamonds my honey has bestowed upon me... I can't NOT wear those, now can I?

Plus, I'm an April-baby and so diamonds are my birthstone and I LOVE them...

***

Moving on...

Back in October, when I went to Art Camp, I admit, I was out of my element and a bit intimidated. Surrounded by expert jewelry creators, they were creating like crazy. Wielding their soldering irons and mini torches, their solder flowed like wine (oh wait, maybe that WAS the wine!) O.K., like butter!

But I did play around with a soldering iron and solder.

I experimented with some little pieces of glass, paper images and copper tape. Bent some chain and introduced myself to my newly purchased 5 pc. jewelers tool set.

Learned a bit about how to etch and patina metal. Even came up with a new technique, quite by accident, of stamping Staz-On ink onto metal and putting it in the patina solution, instead of the etching solution! Oooops! But, even though it didn't etch, it did create a unique look that I will definitely use again. (see metal roof of glass house-1st photo above-upper right in the mess)

The properly, pre-etched piece of brass supplied in our creative kit was supposed to be bent into a bracelet cuff, but I made it into a mixed-metal necklace instead! You know me....I'm such a rebel!

I just knew I wouldn't wear a cuff, but a necklace? Well, maybe. On occasion. But more likely, to hang in my home or my office as a pretty little reminder to....

Make. ART!

...and make ART I have been....

AND Phillip surprised me with my very... own...soldering station...

Now I can practice soldering to my little hearts content...once I get settled in at the Rusty Monkey, of course...

***

Come back tomorrow and see what other new medium I've been "experimenting" with...

I think all you non-jewelry wearers will be inspired...

Cheers!

Baby, It's Gettin' Cold Outside..!

2011-12-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

Just the other day it began getting chilly in the morning and chilly in the evening, but 70 in the afternoon.
But, it's getting cold out now. The sign flashing across the street says it's 29!!! Yeah. That's cold!!!

The freeway was dusted with snow and frost. The car thermometer said it was 28.

Maybe not as cold as my blogger friends that are up in Michigan or Montana, but for little 'ol So. Oregon...my chilly hands and red nose aren't making comparisons between 28 and -12.

(the water fountain last year in front of my favorite Mexican Restaurant)

When the snow starts falling, I'm all up for a snow day.

Some time up in the mountains making snow angels, drinking some hot cocoa from my vintage, red plaid Thermos, and throwing some snowballs at those I love...Watch it, boys!

Maybe even build a snowman! I bought this old pipe just for that reason.... Come on, SNOW!!!

Maybe we can even try some ice skating this year. Never been, except in my dreams. That re-occuring dream where I skate like an Olympian doing twists and turns, jumps and spins.

Yeah, that is a fun dream, but reality would be stand, wobble, twist an ankle, fall and break an arm, leg or hip.

Not being negative, just...well, let's just say, I don't have the best balance and coordination on skates...inline or all eight. I can't imagine blades. Skinny. Little. Blades. I've tried snow skiing and water skiing, and it wasn't a pretty sight!!

At any rate. STAY WARM, where ever you are. And to those enjoying the warm tropical islands right now....have fun decorating your palm trees, make a sand angel, and enjoy sipping your blue coconut beverage with the cute little umbrella... xoxoxo

Cheers!

Don't wake me from my NIGHTMARE!!!

2011-11-30T17:53:00.000-08:00

'cause I'm kinda loving it at the moment....

This is how my new office wall - the wall behind where my desk will be - was about a week or so ago.

Last weekend, many more elements and details were added.

Something tells me I'll be adding to this new space for a long time...

Currently, my space has one entry door off the main hallway and no window - inside or out. That is a little bit of a change from my other offices.

So, that will have to be remedied soon. I love being in my own little nightmare, but I don't like to be in a dungeon...

A window facing out to our lobby will go here...

...under this really cool saw blade, within the blue tape lines.

The saw will be stenciled with something creative...

Tina's office?

Accounts Payable?

Bone Daddy?

Halloween Land?

Christmas Town?

What's This? What's This?

Still thinking on this.. I'll keep you posted...

I've added a large pumpkin above the little pumpkin. Still need to scenically treat the bright white plug plate. Kind of looks outta place, don't you agree? LOL

The stone pillars to the cemetary entrance were embellished with this wonderful scroll work arbor. And the light from the moon was cast over the entire landscape.

Love it!

Jack's house was completed.

and now Mr. Skellington will forever be keeping his eye on things around here...Thanks, Jack!

Zero's abode is now a ghostly-white. He is very happy, I'm sure.

Above his little plot, we've hung up some garland, complete with some skulls - each with their own personality.

I say we've, because I had a bit of help from this guy.

He's really NOT mean. That's just the way he looks. Not every wreath is born of a pink feather boa or sweet sheet music. And those teeth? They are clean as a whistle! No yellow or green gunk there!

He's singing "Deck the Halls!" Ever looked in the mirror when you're singing at the top of your lungs?

With three arms, he's really quite helpful in the decorating department.

Here's a bit of perspective.

Those little blue tape pieces are marking the area for Jack's chalkboard. You know? The one where he's plotting on how to replace Santa this year. He's SO "tired of the same old thing" being the Pumpkin King of Halloween Land.

Part art. Part real chalkboard. That's on the to-do list. Mr. Wreath's third arm will hold my piece of chalk.

Above the chalkboard will be a shelf. These little baskets and buckets will be the backdrop for my collection of NBC figures.

Bones in honor of Halloween Land. Snowman face in honor of Christmas Town.

The snowman was actually a happy accident. The knob on the side of the bucket looked like a snowman to me, so when I wasn't looking, Alan added the orange carrot nose. Love it!!!

As the 8 balls were stacking up in this wooden basket, I barely mentioned how I like the number 13. No sooner were the words out of my mouth and poof! I had a #13 pool ball in there!

*** off topic moment....when we moved to Grants Pass, I went to the post office to get two PO Boxes. One for personal use and one for E.B.

The guy behind the counter told me they only had TWO boxes left to rent. He had two 3x5 note cards in his hand. #173 was bright white and new.

However, #13 was yellowed and dingy.

"Guess, this one has been vacant for a while..", he said.

So #13 has been our mailing address since 2004.

Introducing my new chandelier. Kinda. VERY. COOOOL!!!

I have a vintage, high back parlor chair that I plan to re-cover in purple velvet for the corner, under this guy. Now, in hindsight, I'd love to create him in 3-D, with real flicker light bulbs....maybe....sooner than I think.....it's only paint, right?

Another shot, since my last post, of Lock, Shock and Barrel. They are little creeps and deserve to be behind the door, in the corner....

I told them, they'd had enough sugar!!! but in true character, someone snuck an orange and black lolly!!!

So, there you have it.

So far. So good.

A few more details to go. Getting Jack and the skeleton reindeer flying up in the big 'ol yellow moon with Zero leading the way, of course. Hanging some dimensional art pieces. The chalk board. The shelf. Flooring. Crown molding.

Moving in...uugggh!!!

But, I'm Happy. Happy. Happy!

Many thanks go out to...

Phillip, for supporting my creepy side and knowing I'm NOT REALLY CREEPY, I just LOVE NBC.

Alan, for your talent of creating my NBC world, putting up with my art direction (even as things were changing), and for allowing me to wield a paint brush beside you.

To my family, friends and employees, for all the support, compliments and "sniggers" about my decision to create my DREAM office...

Cheers!

Ice Resin Inspiration.....

2011-11-22T15:09:00.000-08:00

Hello all my dearest friends and family...

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so let the grocery shopping commence....

yay!

I love the cooking, the eating, the gathering...but I'm NOT a huge fan of the grocery shopping.

There. I said it. Maybe it's because grocery shopping is the same 'ol, same 'ol. Maybe it's because I've been grocery shopping since...forever! There are NO treasures to be found..unless you consider the latest, greatest, not-so-good for you chemical concoction "they" market as a snack..

I'll stick with plain.

Old.

Boring.

Yummy.

Delicious.

Basic.

MILK CHOCOLATE!!!!

Yeah, baby...now that's a snack worth going to the store for. Especially this time of year. Those BIG. HONKIN. HERSHEY. MILK CHOCOLATE. CANDY BARS....ON SALE!!!! FOR CHEAP!!!

So, now that I'm craving CHOCOLATE...before I run out to get myself a mocha and go to the grocery store...I wanted to share a little ICE Resin Inspiration piece I made a while back to submit to the ICE Resin Creative Team powers-that-be, selection team.

After having remodeled the Coca-Cola building, there was a variety of hardware-fixings from the electrician lying about. These little silver gear-looking pieces made perfect bezels for filling with glass beads and resin.

The cast resin leaf added just a bit of "soft" to the mechanical pieces.

One of my good-best-friends had just recently passed away - Rest in Peace Ms. JUDY...we all miss you! (there's that lump in my throat!) - and so this leaf quote seemed so perfect for my state of mind at the time.

Enjoy the holiday with your friends and family...and if you LOVE yourself some grocery shopping, lend me your secret to making it so....I'm all ears!

Cheers!

Finders Keepers! Forever....

2011-11-13T11:04:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time...

there was a woman who loved to go treasure hunting. She would stop the car in an instant, to pick up curbside cast-offs ... a crusty old picture frame, a mis-matched set of broken chairs, a rogue set of table legs.

She could barely pass up a yard sale sign on any given Friday...

or Saturday...

or Sunday.

When running weekday errands to the bank or store or post office, the local thrift stores called to her.

On occasion, she would patronize the corner collectors mall or antique stores.

One day, while out on a play date with friends at one such collectors market, she happened across this little heap of black fur with yellow boots sitting on an end cap shelf, surrounded by all sorts.

He was ~~a little~~ a lot worse for wear. His tiny plastic hands were stained and yellowed with time. His once fluffy black coat was thread-bare. His face was scarred and scuffed. His bright red corduroy overalls were now faded and worn smooth in places. His boots, well, his boots were tired.

There he sat. All frumpled over with his internal stuffing broken down and a bit dishevelled, causing his head to flop down towards his chest. Time had taken its toll upon him. He had all but given up. He no longer had the confidence to hold his head up high.

His time to comfort, entertain, love and be loved had come to an end.

There he sat.

A discard.

A second-hand Monkey.

But he caught her eye, sitting there on the end cap all forlorn.

She walked over to his perch; reached out to him. Said a few quiet words and gently touched his tiny hand.

His heart jumped.

Could it be?

He felt it. She felt it.

There was an instant bond.

She lifted his head. He looked up to her and his face was full of joy! He had found a new friend to give his little life meaning once again.

Today, he spends his days lazing about watching over the goings-on at the Rusty Monkey.

Some days, he sits in his basket swing.

Some days, he sits on a shelf, warm in the sun.

Some days, he wears a hat ... he can't decide whether his favorite is the little blue and white striped engineer hat or the bright white sailor cap or the silly little sunbonnet that makes him look like a girl!!!

BUT, he doesn't mind, because regardless of what he is wearing or where he spends his days,

HE IS LOVED!!!

linking up today to Donna up at

301st POST.

2011-11-10T15:02:00.000-08:00

I just noticed this morning that I've posted to my blog 300 times.

Wow! I would have guessed it was more than that.

I mean, I've been blogging since October 8, 2007.

We had just brought home our kitten, Dude. All my boys were still living at home. Kyle was still in High School and A.J. was in Middle. We had only lived in our house just over 3 years.

Man, time has flown and a lot has happened since then.

Blogs are a great way to reflect and reminisce.

There have been days, weeks, months that I post more than others.

Heck, if I had blogged everyday, there would be over 1000 posts by now. But who's keeping track? Clearly not me, since today was the first time I really noticed the number of posts....

So, here is # 301.

Well, today I'm here to share a couple more shots of my NBC office...

It's getting closer.

My ZERO wall.

It's a little, narrow wall inside my door.

Isn't his little abode just the cutest place ever?

...and here are the little "terrors" known as Lock, Shock and Barrel...

They are in TIME-OUT proper...

In the corner...

BEHIND the door!!!

Soon they will be standing atop a crooked-y stack of pumpkins.

Stay tuned...there's still SO MUCH to do...

This. Rusty Monkey. ICE Resin. MY DAY JOB!!! Oh, yeah, let's not forget THAT!!!

Oh, and CHA in Anaheim in January was just officially added to my list today...and Art Camp in April and ...and....and...

Cheers!

Playing with ICE Resin....

2011-11-09T17:47:00.000-08:00

Wow! I've been having SO much fun experimenting with my inspiration package from ICE Resin.
I think it's almost time to fill up the FRIDGE again...

All my packets, but one, are empty.

I have to be honest here.

If I can't be honest on my OWN blog, then where can I? Right?

I had a few bummer pours last night. Yep. I did.

At first I was dissapointed.

I am supposed to be inspiring others, by coming up with new and exciting, outside-the-box uses for ICE Resin, not showing them how to waste product and fail.

BUT, instead of throwing them away or hiding them in a drawer somewhere for my kids to find after I'm long gone, I let my creative, NON-WASTEFUL, muse show me another way to go....

Sure, they aren't exactly what I ORIGINALLY had in mind, but that's how Post-It Notes & Silly Putty were invented, right? RIGHT!!!

If those creators had thrown their mess-ups in the garbage, where would we be today?

After we read the funnies, as kids, they would have ended up in the wood stove (me, the country mouse) or the recycle bin (for you city mice) instead of "pinkie" contorted comic faces that made us giggle for hours?

I'm embracing this experimenting for what it is... FUN. CREATIVE. EXPERIMENTING.

...and while I can't show you my flubs or successes, just yet, I will share these two outside-the-box couplings...

Really cool Mica sheet material in a wonderful amber color.

Perfect for FALL or Steampunk or Vintage designs ... Or ???

.. and the INSERT of a baby shoe?

I see you making a face or raising an eyebrow or just plain bewildered on how that idea came about...

But, just wait and see what this became. It really was fun...

Do you know how hard it is NOT to be able to share???

HARD, I tell you.

But, stay tuned to the ICE Resin website for INSPIRATION WEDNESDAY to see creations from all the Creative Team members every week.

Our CREATIVE TEAM LEADER, Kristen Robinson, is featured today...

This is EXCITING!!!

My NIGHTMARE continues....

2011-11-05T21:24:00.000-07:00

confound it all, I love it though....

The focal wall behind my desk continues to get the TREATMENT!

I took a little artistic license when
directing Alan on creating the main mountain.

The original graphic had a neighborhood of houses as an outline
on TOP of the mountain fanned out like a deck of cards.

So, now they are staggered up the side and there is a pathway,
a fence and a stairway leading up to the main house
with A LOT more detail!

...and now kitty has a graveyard landscape as his view.

Mr. Pumpkin, on a fence post, will have company soon, but in the meantime,

Ginger thought he was up for a HIGH-FIVE!

I'm SO happy with my office so far.

I could say it's turning out better than I ever thought it would,

but Alan is VERY good at what he does.

THANKS, ALAN!!!!

Eleven-Two....

2011-11-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

A while back, I announced on my blog that I was chosen to be part of the 2011-2012 ICE Resin Creative Team.

Well, since then, I've received my inspiration kit...

Where better to keep the inspiration on "ICE" than in my miniature, vintage, Wolverine Refrigerator?

I just LOVE how nicley my little fridge
coordinates with the Creative Team Logo. Hmmm....

I've been busy designing and creating.

Mica sheets + silk ribbon + wire + bezels + ICE Resin EQUALS a whole LOT of experimental fun...

Using ICE Resin in my mixed media creations is opening up a whole new dimension of creativity.

I may even need to move up to my bigger, full-size, vintage refrigerator!!!

Stay tuned here to join me on this journey; AND be sure to watch the magic of the entire Creative Team unfold on upcoming posts over at

Creative Team Wednesday.

Cheers!

Greetings from Halloween Town!!!

2011-10-31T11:06:00.000-07:00

As I sit here in my office listening to the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack, on this chilly, Southern Oregon Halloween day....

...I am truly into the moment.

Before coming in this morning, Phillip and I stopped at the "new" location to take a peek at my "new" office...Alan has begun his magic....

OOOOH...can you feel my excitement????

This is the main focal wall that will be behind my desk. Clearly still a work in progress, but, OH WHAT FUN!!!

....a bit blurry...I think my little iphone was shaking from excitement....

I LOVE the BLACK graphic elements against the drippy, grungy background..

In the transparency above, I had Alan replace the winged Gargoyle-like cat with this little screeeecher!!! Can't you just hear him yowling into the night?

I almost like the rickety stairway leading up to nowhere, but, alas, Jack's little house will be perched atop that hill.....

I'll keep posting MORE, MORE, MORE photos as this, my dream NIGHTMARE office comes together!!!

I'm SO exicted, I could almost CRY or SCREAM or WAIL with delight.....

Happy Halloween!!!!!

Reflect.

2011-10-27T15:42:00.000-07:00

photo credit: Kyra...A.J.'s girlfriend

Horsepower and Hot Rods.

2011-10-24T16:22:00.000-07:00

Are these NOT the cutest little wooden rocking horses you've ever seen?

Sure, they were rescues from the vacant house across the street from Janice, and are well aged...

I can't imagine a little kiddo riding them, but oh, they make me smile every time I go to her house. She has these little ponies in her front yard. I bet they'll look really cute in the snow...Not rushing Winter, just sayin...

Phillip giving Janice a spin in the hot rod on Saturday.

This little pony, for real horsepower, is Phillip's 1965 Chevy Impala.

I call it his, because it's the BIG car and I've only driven it a couple of times. I feel SO small inside that big 'ol hunk of steel. BUT, when I see HIM driving it, well, I get all gooshy inside, just like when I was 15 in 1983. My heart flutters just a bit!!!

Back in 1993 when he was working away from home, he called me and said he'd found a "really clean Impala...the proverbial little old lady from Pasadena car". It was owned by a woman whose husband was strictly a FORD man. She had bought it off the lot from Hansen Chevrolet in Los Angeles. When she drove it home, her husband refused to EVER drive it because he was strictly a FORD man and this was a CHEVROLET.

Weird, I know, but that was good for us. You see, when the dear woman passed away, she left it to her son. He parked it next to his house. Phillip spotted it and true to our hobby of days gone by, he knocked on the door to see if he would be interested in selling it.

Needing a new roof on his house, he said he'd take $1000 for it. SOLD!!!

Phillip charged up the battery and drove it home (well, to his home-away-from-home anyway).

It had the original head lamps!!! The interior was original. There was NO rust - only a little oxidation on the roof and some body panels. SCORE!!!

Once we decided to make it a hot rod and restify it, we chose to paint it 1995 Kia Sportage Whisper Green, after many drive throughs on car lots. I love the color. Depending on the light, it's green, blue, grey-green, almost black. The black interior with custom carbon fiber dash and accent panels (designed and fabricated by the man himself) is a nice, simple design.

When we met in high school, Phillip was driving a 1966 Impala that was about 8 different primer colors with ratty interior, but he stole my heart with the hot rod. It was cool then and it's even cooler now!

Yay for HORSEPOWER and HOT RODS!!!

Rusty Monkey...

2011-10-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

Un-packing and moving in and setting up and moving it around again and scheming and planning and...
well, you get the idea...

It's certainly a process.

Good thing we aren't under any pressure for an opening date!!!

There's a lot to do. A lot of sorting. Setting up. Planning. Doing...and the holidays are looming. YAY! (did you hear the sarcasm coming out of the end of my fingers?) I cannot believe it's the end of October already. CAN YOU???

****

Any hoo...on with the tour...my apologies ~~if some~~ when some of the photos are blurry. I took them yesterday as we were leaving..."I haven't taken any in-progress photos in a while!" - end quote. I was tired!

An adorable vintage stand I found at the Jacksonville All-City yard sale a few weeks back.

I like that the adjustable baskets are gridded so smallish items won't fall through AND how could I pass up that cute enamel metal sign on top that reads "BUY NOW".

LOVE it!!!

Those shoes are for my mantel at home...witches shoes AND darn it if I didn't forget them there last night! Oh well. Monday will be here soon enough.

Janice's card rack. "Hi, Janice. Ginger is testing out the rack with our cards....You better get busy, or you'll need to find a new place to put your cards..." Alas, I jest....this rack hold SO many cards!!!

My infamous, folding baker's rack. This thing has some miles on it! It's been in my kitchen, my craft room, our bedroom...it held dress-up items at our 25th anniversary party, it was at our booth, and now it's here! I like it!!! I'll like it better with shelf toppers, so merchandise doesn't fall through!

STUFF! LOTS OF STUFF!!!

Another view of STUFF!!!

After the unloading the second of TWO 15' box truck loads of STUFF - calling it "stuff", "crap" and "shit", we decided on a kinder, gentler description...

MERCHANDISE

More MERCHANDISE.

Two of my windows. Guess what? They will fit in the opening we created between the two rooms.

CUUUUUTE!

We'll still have natural light in the little back room, but with character!

...and for light after dark, there's this little five-legged gal...Can you visualize it creamy white with jars for shades? We can too!!!

Just some of the ~~stuff~~ merchandise unpacked from totes...random order. Not staged, yet!

More unpacking.

Gingers dress form. She has a make-over in her future...Stay tuned...

A fun stand with three swinging baskets.

A perfect catch-all for my vintage wooden blocks.

The new stick-on floor tile. An inexpensive cover-all with the look of rusty steel. NICE!

An old hutch top. Looking for a long, wide dresser to use as a base....Keeping our eyes peeled...

The nifty, thrifty electronic cash register I scored a few weeks ago at a barn sale....

FIVE, WHOLE, ONE-DOLLAR BILLS!!!!

A bit of rusty & cream garden fencing with the legs curled up....

... to serve as an accent topper over our indoor sign.

It won't be crooked or resting on a bright yellow/white paint bucket!

But, if we had a rusty ol' bucket? ..lol

and RUSTED WONKA? What does it mean?

We were goofing around with a stack of letters I bought a few years ago in a Ziploc bag and never opened. There weren't enough letters to spell RUSTY MONKEY, so RUSTED WONKA it was!!!

In honor of Wonka-Doggish, I guess....

Cheers and have a HAPPY Saturday.

Boys and Girls of EVERY age...

2011-10-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

...wouldn't you like to see something strange?

Come with us and you will see.

This our town of

HALLOWEEN.....

one of my favorite t-shirts

Have I ever mentioned my LOVE of Nightmare Before Christmas? LOL

The movie was released back in 1993 and I had never seen it.

I guess I was pre-occupied with having a new baby - the 3rd.

Years later, when I saw it for the first time, I

WAS. ABSOLUTELY. HOOKED!!!

I only regret NOT having seen it on the big screen. Oh well.

I love the animation. The music. The lyrics. The love story. The characters.

Since then, I have gathered, collected, been gifted quite the collection.

I am however kind of a snob when it comes to the items I collect.

By that, I mean, I don't like just anything Nightmare. Like cheap knock-off crap that has been marketed just for the sake of making a quick buck.

I am very particular in the unique-ness, absolute likeness, and quality of the item(s).

Much like my snobishness (is that even a word?) of Disney art. There is so much stuff out there in the marketplace, just for the sake of making a quick buck, that is NOT up to Disney standards --- trust me, I know what their standards are -- that I can't imagine how some of the mass-manufacturers received a license. Especially the faces on some of the stuff. Likenesses are SO important. How can a Tink that looks like a man be sold as Tink?

O.k. I'm off my box now...moving on...

source this is my computer screensaver

As a likeness snob, I am being really particular about my new office.

I have the BEST, Disney-quality scenic artist on staff right now, and he is my go-to guy when it comes to creating my Nightmare environment.

After much deliberation, Photoshop edits and transparency/over-head projector placements, I have settled on a color scheme and element placement.

At first, I was leaning towards animated color realism...is that an oxymoron or what? But, the more I considered that approach, the more I decided against being THE human in a cartoon.

The final design will be more charcoal sketch-like, mono-chromatic and warm-toned black, tans, creams, and whites verses bright blues, purples, yellows, etc...

I cannot wait for the finished space....

Stay tuned.

The EYES have it!!!

2011-10-19T15:59:00.000-07:00

Or at least the "eye" that sees through the lens of a camera has it.

Funny how the simple things in life look differently through a lens.

Here a simple cloud on a crisp FALL day becomes a WHALE with a little bit of imagination.

That reminds me...the whales will be migrating soon...in Hawaii....
yeah, Hawaii in the Winter...hmmmmmm...pause for a bit of daydreaming....

A HUGE leaf in the midst of changing its colors. Beautiful!!!

Up in Lincoln City, at the Art Camp retreat...the trash can lockup of the house next door...Taken while walking to the car one night... Do you see what I see? GRRRRR!!!

A simple little moth inside the ART CAMP house. Bet he was enjoying being a moth-on-the-wall in house full of women/artists. Wonder the tales he could share??

Gorgeous Oregon Coast sunset view from the deck of the house...First Night at Art Camp.

Taking pictures is a fun past-time...even if all the above photos were only taken with my iphone.

I love the Nikon, but sometimes, the little phone camera does the job just fine!

12 more days until Halloween....

Are you Kidding ME???

2011-10-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

Graphic Art Source

I can't believe it's already the middle of OCTOBER!!!

The FUNNEST month of the year...!

Where has the time gone? Why is it flying by so fast?

I grew up in a family, with mostly my mother at the helm, celebrating Halloween with much exuberance.

I have fond memories of my childhood dressed in the BEST homemade costumes; winning many a contest as a witch or a princess. Mom was always SO creative with the limited budget she had. We never could afford those printed plastic masks and "silky" costumes, like Wonder Woman - remember her?

Instead, mom would think outside-the-box. Creepy press-on fingernails were created using layers and layers of clear tape applied over our little nails, then cut into pointy shapes and coated in paint. The proverbial hairy cheek wart made from a rolled up piece of rubber cement with a cat hair inserted in it. Pasty wrinkled hands imagined from Elmer's white glue applied and left to dry and crackle and peel.

Or, the rolled up paper cone-shaped hat - 2 feet tall - coated in glitter and cheap string pearls from Ben Franklin. The flowing gowns she sewed from all sorts of left-overs from the thrift store. My costumes were one-of-a-kind. THANKS, Mom, for all the great memories and instilling a sense of repurposing. Who knew you were a trend setter 30+ years ago? Repurposing is really a HOT thing now!!! and you don't even have to be a struggling single mom...

*****

Fast forward to my own motherhood, as a young mom, with three little boys, and a fledgling business, money was always tight. My boys grew up with second-hand duds too! Halloween costumes were no different. Off to the thrifts we would go. Culling all sorts of bits and pieces to create werewolves, vampires, super heros, pirates, ghosts, etc...

I have never been the best seamstress in the world, but for a Halloween costume, worn in the dark, one day a year, I could muddle through. My trusty little $99 Brother sewing machine and I have sewn a number of delights.

I have many fond memories....sewing Kyle's first little Dopey costume. Complete with an old knitted ski hat sheathed in a lavender bed sheet, a clunky pair of shoes mocked up with yellow fabric to look like boots with felt buckles, and a green crushed velvet throw cut and sewn into a tunic over the stretchy light blue pajama bottoms.

Sewing Ty's Hunchback of Notre Dame costume into the wee hours of the night listening to a Loverboy Greatest Hits CD - over and over and over again, because I just couldn't bring myself to stopping to change it.

Driving all over town trying to find the ideal elements for his pirate costume - even GIRL'S clothes!!! Well, most pirates are a bit flamboyant, right? And he was just a skinny little guy so he looked good in the emerald green corduroy dress with GREAT brass buttons we used a a vest over the tight black velvet leggings. Who knew my boy would want to go jewelry shopping with mom? Lots of rings, necklaces and even a clip-on earring...

FUN TIMES, I tell you.

Halloween....One of my favorite holidays for so many reasons.....

ICE Resin Inspiration Monday...

2011-10-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I was at Terri Brush's Fall Art Camp in Lincoln City, Oregon last weekend, if you can call Thursday through Monday a weekend, with a fun bunch of women.

Me, Christina Lovisa, and Jenny Doh
Photo courtesy of Jenny's Facebook - Terri Brush Art Camp Album

While I was away playing, visiting, eating, and creating...and gone...I had the honor of posting on ICE Resin's Inspiration Monday...

Autumnal Rust

As many of you know, I love the color RUST.

The color.

The texture.

The age of it all.

Fun Stuff. Stuff with character. Stuff with history. Stuff to be collected, for sure.

A RARE glimpse within....

2011-10-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

It's not often that we share what's going on behind the walls of E.B., but I thought it would be fun to show a glimpse of the crazy, creative, prankster, fun, hard-working, comical guys I work with everyday...

Just a handful of the team working a late night to meet a deadline.

Darrin, Ty, A.J., Erik, Phillip. They are VERY tired, but still smiling...

They are a fun bunch, to say the least. Even when things get a little hectic and hurried, we all still laugh and continue to play at work.

Our oldest son, Ty. He is almost 24 and quite the character. I think every picture I've ever taken of him has either his "thumbs up" pose or a quirky smile! Here he is with a project we did for Philharmagic Theater in a famous Japanese theme park...

Every surface is a canvas for a group of artisans...even the dusty ol' pressure tank!

Some of the employees, even though they move and move-on, they are still part of the E.B. family. Graphic rendering by Royce Owen - Seattle

Graphic renderings help sell the client an idea prior to creation.

Robert always does a great job and takes it VERY seriously!!!

Here is Erik, reminding us where the NOSE belongs....That obviously made Ty burst out in a belly laugh!

ROAD TRIP!!!!

Robert making a pass, ESPN Zone-style...

Let's not forget one of our HARDEST working "employees", OTIS the forklift...

Darrin and Phillip...a bit distorted....

...and last, but not least, it's only fair that there's a glamorous picture of me...the ONLY female in the building....but I sign the paychecks, so they tolerate the spikes of estrogen from time to time....LOL

Hope you enjoyed the glimpse....

Tina

TWO more days...

2011-10-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

...and I'll be road tripping to here with two of my friends.

FALL ART CAMP OR BUST!!!!

Lincoln City Beach House.

Food.

Creating.

Friends.

FUN!!!

I can't wait...

Now, I'm off to unload a 15' box truck full of Rusty Monkey treasures, scrub the floor, and lay the new floor tiles. (don't be envious or anything...my back still hurts from cleaning out the garage and loading the truck on Sunday!)

but....

we can park the Jeep and the Outlander in the garage again...

just in the nick of time, too, the rain has arrived....

Yay!

CRAVING!!!!

2011-10-03T17:14:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when you live in Oregon, you just have a craving for something from your past!!!

Yum.....I could really use a good In-N-Out burger combo from California right now....

Moving on....AGAIN...

2011-09-30T10:11:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned before, last year we (Phillip and I and three partners) purchased the original Medford Coca-Cola building. It has had many owners since the 50's, and it was literally a wreck! BUT, it had potential...

View to the Right

View to the Left

We have darned near re-habbed every inch of this place, except for maybe the original workshop floors.

View to the Right

View to the Left

But....

we are expanding into a new location, which means a new office..and let's not forget, my new adventure, the RUSTY MONKEY Vintage Marketplace (studio & workshops).

When we moved into the Coca-Cola building, I had pondered theming my office in Nightmare Before Christmas decor. But, I chose to go a bit vintage instead. My Grandmother's hutch, the Three
You-Nique Boys window, etc...

This go round, I'm going back to my original thoughts and jumping in with both feet. Nightmare Before Christmas it is! Plans are in the works. We have a freelance scenic painter in-house right now that is an A-list Disney and studio artist. OH YEAH!!! Now is the time to get it right!!!

So, off to the new office with paint and brushes and transparencies in hand....My new little, creepy, Jack filled world awaits....

Source

You bet, I'll be posting in-progress photos you won't want to miss...he's that good!!!

Cheers!

Tina

Black or White?

2011-09-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

Is it possible to have a BEFORE and AFTER...AFTER?

Well, in this case, that is the case....

You see, I had the bright idea of using this old, METRIC, canvas tape measure as an accent on a white chair rail running around the main room of the Rusty Monkey Vintage Marketplace.

Ooooooh....Pretty.....Right?

Well, yeah, but something was missing. It just layed there like a wet noodle with NO sauce.

It needed some seasoning.

First, I thought maybe a little black pin striping on the top edge of the wall??? Or maybe underneath???

Then, after a pow-wow with my SUPER creative husband...staring at it...and discussing it, he suggested painting the molding black.

Uuuuggh! Seriously? It's already installed!!!!

Nail bradded into the wall. Tape measure double-stick taped and bradded into the molding...

Uuuuuggh!

Option ONE: Taping off FOUR horizontal lines. Top & Bottom of the molding. Top & Bottom of the tape!!!

THE BETTER Option TWO: Remove the canvas tape, fortunately, the brads came out easily. YAY!!!

And then armed with my trusty beveled Purdy brush and can of my favorite Mann Brothers black acrylic paint, let the games begin.

Once dry, I used another roll of double-stick tape and the previous brad holes.

WOW! What a difference a color can make!

That's why I love that man of mine...well, there is a WHOLE long list that I add to daily, but that is just ...well, a story for another day....

Here's a shot of all the trim painted out black - pre-canvas tape install.

This is the FIRST time I've had black trim, but I really like it...

Cheers!

Sometimes...

2011-09-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

Wishes do come true!

To say I am excited to be part of the 2011-2012 Susan Lenart Kazmer ICE Resin Creative Team would be an understatement. This year's team will be led by no other than the talented, Kristen Robinson... She truly inspires the jewelry and mixed media art world with some of the finest creations on the planet. Our team is gonna ROCK IT with her at the helm!!!

Since first being published in Somerset Home Vol. 5 last year, things have really opened up for me. I have made some fun new friends in the creative world and hope to continue down that path with the other Creative Team members. I think this next year of design ideas will be spectacular!!!

I have been asked if I will be creating jewelry samples for ICE Resin. Those who know me well, know that even though I LOVE the look and feel of beautiful jewelry, most of what I own serves as a unique collection inside my jewelry box or is appreciated as eye-candy in the various corners of my day-job office and studio.

As I am always working with a variety of materials and out treasure hunting in not-so-nice places, I tend to keep my personal bling to a minimum...my diamond stud birthday earrings, my 10th anniversary ring, and my 20th anniversary ring....no wedding ring, cause after 26 years, it's worn-the-heck-out!!

My contributions on the Creative Team will be geared more toward using ICE Resin in mixed media assemblages and elements in new and exciting ways.

My head is swimming with ideas and I hope they will be well received in the creative circles I'm looking forward to getting to know and share ideas with.

Here's to a new adventure with a great group of creative minds!!

Lesley Fisher & Michael Putnam

Cat Kerr

Joanna Pierotti

Andrea Ring

Tina Schiefer

Take a peek at their blogs and watch for many new and amazing creations from this group of talented individuals. I promise great and amazing things are on the horizon!

Cheers and welcome to the world of ICE Resin.....

Tina

Oh, to be able to just sit and color.....

2011-09-26T11:21:00.000-07:00

Color crayons.

Remember...

the smell?

the feel?

the freedom?

the imagination?

the stay inside the lines?

the color outside the lines?

the shavings melted between waxxed paper with the old heavy iron?

the leftover pieces added to paraffin wax to make colored candles at Christmas?

the kid in class that ate them?

the store shelves full of them in the fall?

the crayon box in the desk?

the big fat ones?

the brand new box of 64?

the little box of 8?

the worn out nubs?

the brand new coned-shaped tips?

the built-in-the-box sharpener?

the peeling of the label to get more crayon?

the names...like cornflower blue?

the Ziploc bags for all the leftover stubby pieces?

the melted crayon between the seats in the car?

the scribbling on the walls?

the scribbling under the kitchen table?

the rogue crayon that went through the dryer?

Oh, the simple memories of the crayon.

I love my crayons.

EVEN this little 4-pack from Milton Bradley....!

What memories do you have?

Life's Little Surprises....

2011-09-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

The day before yesterday I stayed home from work, in bed all-day, with a terrible head cold. I was exhausted and in between naps kept wondering who the heck got me sick!! Couldn't be just some random cold germ floating around out there, right? It had to be someone...

Used to be, with three little boys going off to school and coming home with a plethora of plague-like hitch hikers, I was used to fighting off some sort of bug...but, now? What gives?

Was it the guy in Wally World in front of me telling the checker how he was just getting over a bug?

Or was it the checker at the paint store that was hacking into a Kleenex saying how he was just getting over a bout with a bug?

Or was it one of my employees that was feeling a bit under-the-weather but still coming to work?

Whomever it was or wasn't, I was laid up at home on a beautiful, end-of-summer day while my sweet Phillip was at work. When he came home he told me I got a box of magazines from Stampington.

Well, since our shop is about 30 or so miles from home, I would have to wait to see what was in the box.

The next morning, yesterday, I saw the box sitting on the conference room table. "Oh, it's my wholesale order of Life" and then went about my day --- see yesterday's post....

Fast-forward to about 3 p.m.

Ginger and I took a break from over at the Rusty Monkey so we could eat lunch and I could get an E.B. (see day job) freight shipment out. While I was in my office completing a BOL (bill of lading) for the shipment, Ginger was sitting out at the conference table and apparently found the magazines.

She yells to me, "Hey! You didn't tell me you were in Life!"

"Um," I reply, "me neither. What's in there?"

Truly, I had NO idea what could possibly be in there. I am waiting to receive the Premier issue of Mingle - our 25th Anniversary Party is being featured - and I have NOT seen a sneak preview yet!!! Only the little teaser House Ads...and to make my antsy self even more antsier (that's a word, right?)
I've received some emails about how great the article looks....It's driving me crazy, but I SO love surprises!!!

So, back to Ginger...

She, in a most excited voice, yells..."and it's the first article! You're getting closer to the COVER!"

"What? What is?", says me.

"...and Kristen!", says she.

So, I go out there...

"OHHHH! It's the article and photoshoot Kristen and I did at Anahata's place, Papaya Living, over in Ashland!", I finally say.

So, friends, just goes to show, even when you do something and completely put it on the back burner, it can totally be a surprise!!!

***Thanks to Kristen Robinson for trusting me to do the photoshoot for your article.

***Thanks to Anahata for your generosity...you know what I mean!!!

***Thanks to Stampington for another great publication.

***Thanks to Ginger for surprising me...I needed that!

***Thanks to my sweet Phillip for telling me about my magazines coming in...and SO much more!

***Thanks to whomever gave me my head cold....NOT!!!

Rusty Monkey...a slooooowwwww reveal.....

2011-09-21T21:03:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned before, a couple friends and I are beginning a new adventure called
Rusty Monkey Vintage Marketplace and Workshop.

The primary location used to be a muffler and automotive repair shop. Fortunately, it doesn't have ANY smells of its previous tenants...oily or petroleum stink. If you've ever been in an unkempt automotive shop, you know exactly the smell I'm talking about.

So, the re-do has been fairly easy to accomplish. Ginger and I have spent her last two days off (not connected days) busy at work.

First, we decided to remove an interior window that had been drywalled up to open up the rooms. It worked!

I poked a few nail holes from the backside wall to mark the space on the front (the front was well textured and had no signs of a patch - the back side wasn't so nice and the shoddy tape lines were easy to follow).

We cut and removed the drywall. Fun, but messy. Drywall dust is so..um...dusty!

Next up was the back wall in the little room you could now see through the "window".

Enter the huge, old dictionary I had found a couple years ago for $2.00. Remove the duct tape that was holding the binding together. Unscrew the big ol' barrel bolts. Cut off the 3-hole margins. Ready to apply to the wall using good ol' liquid starch.

Many hours and 10, no, 20 sticky, gooey fingers later, the wall was covered. It looks kind of funny in photos, due to the random-ness of the margins (narrow and wide), but it looks REALLY cool in person. It will be clear-coated to seal and possibly even get a glazing treatment...we'll see.

The window opening got a good squaring up and trimmed out. We still need to fill the brad nail holes and paint, but I think we are on the home stretch!

We've re-painted the gray 1/2 walls with plans to put up chair rail at the existing lines.

However, the three window walls have windows that are not at the same lower plane. So, we decided to raise all the moulding and will add more Natural Linen paint to the bottom-most part of the chair rail.

A couple weekends ago, Janice and I went to the Jacksonville city-wide yard sale...OH, WHAT FUN THAT WAS...(another post!). I found a vintage canvas tape measure for $1.00. Yep, $1.00!!! Funny thing is it's METRIC! The foot marks are spot-on, but it doesn't have 12 marks in between - only 10. Well, I had the bright idea of using it to embellish the moulding. So with a bit of double stick tape and a few little black brad nails my idea came to fruition. Fun. Easy. Cool!

The rusty orange wall will also get a mocha glaze and this queen-size box spring frame will go up. Our sign, a rusty piece of corrugated metal (the match to my Home Is...sign) will be layered on top of it. Stay tuned....

We've still got a ways to go, but I'm gonna take my recent fortune to heart!

Good Morning, Gourd Jess....

2011-09-12T11:50:00.000-07:00

I just realized from reading a few of my past posts, that I never did do a Good Morning, Gourd Jess reveal.

She was featured in the Autumn issue of Art Doll Quarterly as part of their gourd doll challenge.

On one of my trips to Stampington to pick up a few of my pieces, Jana, the editor of Art Doll Quarterly gave me the 10-cent tour and introduced me to the whole publishing team...from copy editors, to the photographers, to the graphic layout girls. It was a fun to get a peek behind the "curtain".

At the end of the tour, there were a few fold up tables chock full of goodies - props from previous photo shoots, art cast-offs, etc... Jana offered to let me rummage through the goods...

In one of the boxes, was this little 4" brown gourd. I commented to her what a cute little Halloween ghost it would make. It was then she challenged me to make her a gourd doll for the upcoming Fall issue...

The rest is history....

For those of you that ask, "How do you get your art published?" Here is a little sample of my submittal document...UN-EDITED, of course. The actual article was much more personally re-written by Jana herself. Thanks, Jana!

Somerset Art Doll Quarterly

Attn: Jana Holstein

22992 Mill Creek, Suite B
Laguna Hills, CA 92653

Submittal Title: Good Morning, Gourd Jess

Inspiration and Description

On a recent trip to California, I “acquired” a 4” dried gourd with the challenge to create an art doll. Admittedly, I had never created a doll from a gourd, or for that matter, any doll from scratch. Sure, I’ve dressed up dolls before, but making one from scratch, using a gourd, was intriguing.

On the long ride home, I closed my eyes, and let my mind wander. Of course, the play on words “gourdgeous” came fast and that soon evolved to designing a doll that epitomizes what the stereo-typical woman goes through to stay that way – a peek into her glamorous morning routine.

Good Morning, Gourd Jess was born.

Technique

Beginning with the mottled, brown gourd, I added a dried, sculpted paper clay nose using Mod Podge. Knowing my girl would be more stylized than a perfect-porcelain, I did not stress over adding dimensional cheek bones, brow or chin. Once dry, the entire gourd was coated with peach paint. Using a fine tip mechanical pencil, I sketched her eyes, brows and lips; then painted in those details. Her avocado facial mask was next. I applied the first base coat, then built-up the thickness using heavier coats to give it the illusion of smooshed avocado.

Using a standard red plastic drinking straw, I cut ½” sections for the rollers. Using a tiny line of low-temp hot glue (to not melt the straw) and 3” sections of yarn (to ease handling) I wrapped and glued each roller; then trimmed excess yarn and glued them to her head, including the rogue roller that is “falling-out”.

The mug was sculpted using a ball of paper clay shaped over the end of an empty, large diameter ball point pen. The handle was added using a “snake” of clay. Once that was air dried, it was base painted pink, then brown polka-dots and the word “bean” was added. I chose “bean” over coffee, joe, or java, since my husband, Phillip, doesn’t drink coffee and when offered, replies, “I don’t do bean!”

With Super Sculpey clay, her hands and slippers were sculpted over thick wire arm and leg (with knobby knees!) armatures that were painted as well. Her slippers would be no other than the fuzzy-pink-slippers every woman wears…wink! Once dry, darker pink socks, with white polka dots and white lace trim were added. The flowers were cut from trim with a touch of white painted detailing.

Her traditional white terry robe and bathmat were sewn from a dollar-store microfiber wash cloth. Random splotches of pink & white paint were added to the mat; then it was trimmed with a strand of mini-pom poms. Openings were cut into the mat and divots cut into the base of the slippers to allow the adhesive to bond to the book base. The book page edges and the printed text were Mod Podge sealed.

Tools & Materials

4” dried gourd

Acrylic paint
Microfiber cloth
Matte Mod Podge
Paper clay
Super Sculpey
Pom pom trim
Fabric flower trim
Red plastic straws
Multi-color yarn
12-ga wire
Book
Printed paper text
Low-temp hot glue
Glue gun
Devcon 2-part adhesive
Mechanical pencil
Sewing needle, white thread
Paint brushes

End Lines
Tina Schiefer lives in Grants Pass, Oregon and enjoys creating mixed media art using found objects and cast-offs. She has previously been published in various Stampington & Co. publications.

Tina welcomes emails at patinamarie@gmail.com or visit her blog at patinamarie.blogspot.com to learn more about her hopes, dreams, and reality.

Cheers!

A Little Before...

2011-09-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

The main room of the Rusty Monkey Vintage Marketplace and Workshop.

We've begun the painting. Bye Bye gray 1/2 walls. They are now a nice and clean Natural Linen color.
The top section will remain white. The black trim, which we are NOT inclined to re-paint using 14 coats of white paint, will remain black and receive just a bit of distressing with our trusty sanding block. The "chair rail" will clean up the white and cream separation lines.

The focal wall (behind us) has been base coated in rust, but since the floors won't be stained, the focal wall will. A little bit of added gray will tie it in with the gray, for now....

The original plan was to pull up the gray office carpet and stain the concrete all sorts of beautiful rustic colors. Well, the best laid plans....

Under that carpet is a wonderful layer of office tile...glued down with a vengeance...SO, the gray office carpet will get professionally steamed clean on Tuesday, and will remain in place for the first few months, because we just practiced pulling up a load of glued-down office carpet and scraped up glued-down tiles in our Coca-Cola building last year...until our fingers bled, our backs ached, and our knees were about to fall off....SO, I'm not in any hurry to give up valuable creative time to make my body ache...I have a completely DIY attitude, but I'm trying to look at the big picture right now....Besides, the more I think about it, the more I think I'd like to pull up the carpet and lay down wonderfully aged wood planks...like those in an old general store...hmmmm....

The steel and wood rack you see through the doorway will be moved and with a bunch of shoe-box totes added it will be an awesome place to store all sorts of bits and bobs for creating. YAY!

This is out in the bay. This will be the heart of the workshop. The blue 1/2 walls are now painted the same rust color as the focal wall. It completely changed the look in here. I love it!!!

This area will also serve as the sales floor for the "big" items...furniture, garden, home decor, etc...

We'll be adding a false ceiling, but not a drop ceiling, like in the entry room photo above...I don't like drop ceilings, but at least it's clean and basic for now. Less $$ that has to be spent in there...

I hope to add open, wood trusses up there and cap them with rusty, old corrugated metal (see my Home Is sign a few posts down). With the open space strung with the clear twinkling lights...OH YEAH!!! That will definitely set the tone.

Here is the rest of the bay....moving to the left...Phillip claimed the workbench. I claimed the steel and wood rack in the "little" room. It will be moved out here and get a coat of paint.

The "little" room will become our feature room....Holiday, Baby, Kitchen, etc... I'm in search of a little chandelier for the ceiling in there. Two of the walls are going to be covered with some liquid starch and the pages of a HUGE dictionary I bought, just for the cause....actually I bought it two years ago...but, just goes to show, if you have an idea and you find the supplies, buy them....a time and a place will arrive someday.... :-)

I'll keep posting the in-progresses....and mark your calendars...November will be here soon.....

Cheers!

Beauty is in the EYE of the BEHOLDER...

2011-09-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

I truly believe that!

I see beauty in all things rusty, grungy, and just plain cast-off. This illusion is always further enhanced through the lens of a camera - even if it's only my iphone point-and-shoot fixed lens!

Last year, while we were remodeling the building we are currently in, I found beauty in a group of mold growing behind this old, wet, wall of drywall.

To the naked eye, it was a gross mess, but through the lens of a camera, it became a grouping of trees against a dark, starry, Winter night. Can't you just feel the chill in the air?

Here are a few other shots from the same wall....

Same goes for an area of rust stained concrete in our shop, which was the original Coca-Cola bottling plant of Medford back in the early 50's. I like to think the discoloration is from an old, steel cistern or tank that had years of use. I love the colors.

This is the floor in its dry, natural state.

This is the floor (same angle) wet from a mop.

I'm hoping to re-create this look for the floor of the
RUSTY MONKEY Vintage Marketplace and Workshop.

Maybe even this focal wall that is now based-out in rusty orange colored paint. I'm thinking the plain, one color rust may be a bit boring...??? Although, it will be broken up once my sign - made from vintage corrugated steel - is hung up.

Cheers!

You can tell them a little bird told you...

2011-09-04T17:05:00.000-07:00

It's been quite some time since I blogged.

I see that same sentence a lot throughout blogland lately. Must only be the die-hard bloggers that find the time to blog every day! Certainly not me. Oh well....

Just because I haven't found the time, doesn't mean I've been sitting around on my laurels watching t.v. and eating the proverbial bon bons...Does anyone eat bon bons anymore? Hmmm.

The GREAT news of late, well, actually there's a lot I could say here, but the thing I want to share today, is this....drum roll.....

We are in the midst of purchasing a commercial property in a great location with two buildings. Yep. TWO. And the frontage portion of the smaller of the two will house my new adventure...

RUSTY MONKEY Vintage Marketplace and Workshop

Now I'll be able to come to work everyday and do my daily routine for E.B. and fill in all that "dream" time creating art, repurposing goods, and just plain having a ton of fun in my own little space.

Actually, the space will be the biggest space I've ever had - THREE rooms.

Lots of natural light. A roll-up bay door.

All decorated in Rusty, Industrial goodness.

Lots of metal.

Lots of wood.

Lots of texture.

And just a touch of softness.

The additional bonus here, is all those totes, boxes, shelves, etc. that are at home will be moving out and be readily accessible at a moments notice!!! YAY!!!

The Rusty Monkey will be open for sales the 2nd, 3-day weekend of every two back-to-back months. At least that's the plan right now. For example, Fri/Sat/Sun - Nov/Dec, Mar/April, July/Aug, etc...

Art Workshops will be held there too. But, that probably won't happen until next Spring. Even though I'll be busy during that "dream" time, there is still a whole lot of "dreaming" to do....

Needless to say, I am beyond excited, excited!!! Finally, a REAL place where I can set up shop, leave it set up, and play to my hearts content - all during the regular work week - while I'm already at work anyway!!!

The other exciting part is, I will be joined by a handful of my closest friends in the workshop. They will be able to set up their own workplace and then sell their creations too!

Each will have a tag # but unlike a traditional rental booth space, we won't have designated spaces, the overhead will be quite low, so all their (and mine) hardwork doesn't go to the "house".

It's a dream come true and I have my wonderful husband to thank!!!

When we first walked through the buildings, he was the one to say,

"...And Honey, this space would be perfect for you!"

Whatta Guy! He works SO hard and yet he puts me in the forefront of his mind....I love you, BABY!!!

There's a lot to do, but because we are Pre-Close Leasing, I began the process of painting the focal wall behind the check-out counter a beautiful shade of rust, of course, right? The other walls will be painted a subtle shade of cream linen. The old gray carpet is going bye-bye and the underlying concrete floor will be stained muted shades of rust, black, cream....The trim is already painted black and will promptly be distressed. Interior doors will be removed to ease traffic flow. A walled up partition window will be opened back up and galvanized trimmed shelves will be added. I can see some rustic garden fencing over the windows with a touch of burlap.

Out in the bay, exposed wood trusses will be capped with old, rusty, nail-hole-ridden galvanized sheets. The clear twinkle lights will be woven overhead. The little back room...well, here's where a soft touch lands. An overhead chandelier. Too cute. I'm loving it all!!!

Yeah, lots of "dream" time, but I can see it in my minds eye.

Sorry for the long, no-photo, post, but I promise there will be photos soon!!! Times a tickin!!!

WISH. DREAM. CREATE.

Those were the words on the first art piece I had published....

Those are GOOD words!!

Cheers!

Somerset HOME Vol. 6

2011-08-01T17:06:00.000-07:00

Home is...

Featured in August 2011 issue.

This is by far my favorite featured piece. Beth, the editor, did an amazing job on the article, the colors, the layout. You'll just have to get your hands on a copy of the magazine to see what I mean.

This issue has a ton of cool projects in it!!

For those of you that can't find it, here's my submitted article...

Home Is…

Ever since I was a little girl, I loved going on the treasure hunts my grandparents called yard sales; jaunts to the old junk yard with the guys; and the weekend trips to the local salvage yard to forage for all sorts of random finds.

As the first born daughter, I must have disappointed my mother a little. She dressed me in all sorts of frills and lace when I was a baby, but soon I showed my true tom-boy colors. One story in particular resonates. Of course, I was too young to remember, but mom always had a way of sharing. One morning she had me all dressed up in a new lacy white dress. My dad was outside working on his car in the driveway and I had wandered out the door. For a split second, I was missing. They promptly found me sitting in the oil drainage pan under the car!

Fast forward to my adult life, I’m still a tom-boy. I still love a good yard sale and get giddy when we pass a junk yard full of vintage, rusty steel. They just don’t make ‘em like they used too. There’s something about real steel –scratched, pitted and rusty with age that just makes me happy.

A couple summer’s ago, Phillip and I were out-and-about on a weekend dune buggy drive and came across a defunct old wood mill. It was incredible. Vintage junk as far as the eye could see. Piles of rusty gears. Weathered wood ladders. Stacks of red, round-bottomed fire buckets. Wooden boxes full of all sorts of hardware, fittings and fixtures. I was in re-purpose paradise!

The following Monday, I tracked down the keeper-of-the-mill and met with him there. As we walked around - me, like a kid who just won a shopping spree at a toy store - he, amused at my excitement- he shared many heart-felt stories: “the so-and-so used to be here” in an area that was now over-grown with weeds; “these were used for” describing the piles of rusty gear; “who knows who those belonged to” pointing at the old dust covered leather work boots; and a story of the huge owl that was watching us from at least 30 feet over-head in the rafters.

He shared, “That old owl was abandoned by its mother when it was still in the nest. All of us guys kind of adopted him as our mascot and he’s lived here ever since.” I couldn’t help but have a lump in my throat as we shared a quiet moment; looking around the abandoned building that once held so much promise and hope for this little logging community. That old owl was once abandoned amongst the hustle and bustle of men and machinery and now lives out his life in an abandoned building; where the only noise you hear is the creaking of the doors and metal roofing sections scraping against one another as the wind rolls through.

I will, forever, have a piece of this history in my home and in my heart, as one aged section of corrugated metal from that mill became the base of my HOME sign. It was perfectly aged and distressed with nail holes from a by-gone era.

Using my Cricut die cutting machine and smooth white contact paper, I cut out my letters one at a time, as the whole word was larger than the 12”x12” mat I had. While still on the cutting mat, I removed the negative sections that would become the painted area. Using a length of 6” wide clear vinyl transfer tape, I lined up the topmost edge in the same place each time so they would ultimately be aligned. I burnished each one down; then moved on to the next letter. Once all four letters were adhered to the clear vinyl, I carefully placed it on the rusty substrate. No easy task getting the contact paper stencil to stick to rust, but patience paid off.

Using cream acrylic paint and a flat stencil brush, I carefully stenciled the letters. Once dry, I outlined them with a paintbrush and black acrylic paint. I used this same technique for the other words. POP represents the number in our family and ELEV the elevation of our house.

Using three old water spigot handles I had in my collection, I drilled holes at the bottom of the sign and using nylon stand-offs and long carriage bolts, created three pegs to hang items from. To add a bit more dimension, I added some wire “ribbon” by wrapping the sign horizontally a few times and added a wire “bow” embellished with a vintage skeleton key. This wire also serves as the wall hanger.

Very simple, rustic and full of meaning.

Tina Schiefer lives in Grants Pass, Oregon and enjoys treasure hunting, designing and creating mixed media projects. She has previously been published in various Stampington publications. You can visit her blog at patinamarie.blogspot.com where she shares random thoughts about her hopes, dreams and reality. She also welcomes email at patinamarie@gmail.com.

Materials

Vintage corrugated metal section
Skeleton Key
Water spigot handles
Baling wire
Die cutting machine
6” vinyl transfer tape
Smooth, contact paper
Acrylic paint – black and cream
Stencil brush
Fine tip paint brush
Wire cutters

Stay tuned....my little gourd doll challenge project has also been featured in ART DOLL QUARTERLY - Fall 2011...she's...well, you'll see....

Joining the SNS #98 over at Funky Junk Interiors
Playing over at My Repurposed Life too!

FOLK...All American Living....

2011-07-21T09:12:00.000-07:00

http://folkmag.tumblr.com/PreviewIssue

Hi All...I found this new magazine today via Donna @ Funky Junk's blog. The premier issue is due out Sept 1, 2011. Looks like a good, down-home publication....right up my alley...! I've ordered some to offer at my Savannah Faire booth. Gotta support these guys!

On another note, I'm counting down the days until two of my projects hit the 'stands....

August 1 issues of Somerset Home Vol. 6 and Art Doll Quarterly.

More on that later.

HOME is....

2011-07-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

Somerset Home Volume 6 is due to hit news stands on August 1 or if you absolutely can't wait or have trouble finding it locally, you can pre-order it direct from Stampington - just click on the cover above and it will link you to the pre-order page. I will also have copies available at my Savannah Faire booth.

I have the honor of having one of my pieces featured on page 82 of this issue. A four page spread that, I have to say, is one of my favorite featured pieces. I LOVE the layout. I LOVE the text colors they chose to coordinate with my piece. I LOVE the two-fold meaning behind the creation.

You see, without giving it all away, the substrate was a "found" object from a local saw mill with a story behind it - both the story and "rusty-steel" shared with me by one of the old mill-workers. It wholy represents where we now live - both geographically and within the walls our HOME.

Here's a tease....

HOME is....

Five Schiefers.
Five Keys.

The door at home will always be open....

Reminders of my boys are everywhere...

2011-07-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

As my boys are growing older, I can't help but find myself thinking about "when"...

If you are a mom of grown children, you can most likely relate.

My baby will be turning 18 next weekend and my middle, Army serving-son, will turn 21 this Saturday ... a BIG birthday to be sure, but he is ALL the WAY in KOREA!!! I will not get to hug him. Kiss him. Squeeze him. Or toast to his big day in person.

But, have no illusion, I will be thinking of him and will be toasting him from his home-town. Cheers!

The photo above is a bit of a reminder of those two younger boys. The lunch box was deftly sand-blasted by A.J. when he was just a little guy. The Monkey stamps served their purpose, stamping many letters to Kyle whilst in boot camp...."To my Middle Monkey...Love, Mom Monkey."

Good thing lots more memories are yet to be made....

ps. This post was not meant to only focus on the two younger boys...Ty, our oldest, will be 24 this year. TWENTY-FOUR!!! Now that's a BIG reality check! 24...That means, I'm.....yeah, I'm celebrating 26 years of marriage this month too! :-) CHEERS to July....

Goodbyes and Surprises....

2011-05-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

Kyle was home for a little less than a week, but fortunately, part of that time fell over the weekend!

He spent time with us, his brothers, his friends and his dog, Wonka.

We ate well. We had some good laughs. We heard some good stories.

Then the time came for him to depart. Great! Here come the tears and red, swollen eyes. I can't help it! I try to think of things to distract me, like bugs, cleaning the bathroom, traffic, etc., but the dang emotions ALWAYS win!!!

Even Wonka knew he was leaving and wanted to go....WONKA NEVER gets in a car by himself...He knew....

I can keep it together, for the most part, during the first hug and good-byes, but it's always that SECOND and later rounds of hugs that get me, cause I know I'm running out of time!!!

Well, I cried. He welled up. ***GEEZ, WHEEZ! I'm welling up again!!! He's been gone for TWO days. Two days!

That's only the beginning of a LONG, LONG, LONG separation.

ONE YEAR in Korea.

Boot camp was long.... 2 months.

AIT training was longer... 4 months.

ONE YEAR!!! That will feel like forever!!!

EVEN more so, since he won't be coming home AT ALL during that time.

In the last hour before taking him to the airport, I asked him if there was anything he needed or wanted. He said, "Salt Water Taffy!"

We were siting outside of Carl's Jr. eating a quick bite in his car (yeah, that's just how we roll!) and I racked my brain...where to find Salt Water Taffy - FAST???

Hmmmm....I called Harry and David down the street and they had it! Score!!!

A mixed bag of taffy - not exactly sure how many would be black licorice or banana, as he prefers - but I got him a good sized bag and three bags of assorted licorice. That should keep him in candy snacks until he hits Korea...LOL

****

For balance, yesterday, I checked the mail and Somerset Studio - Gallery magazine was there!!! Yaa HOO.....

My House 13 was there, but the big surprise came when on page 32 ... SO was my Life of Charlotte - 1688 canvas!!!

I hadn't expected that.

I actually had to do a double-take.

My eyes recognized it, but my brain was clearly lagging behind a bit.

This photo is a bit blurry, and for that I apologize, but my phone, sometimes has a mind of its own.

I originally had submitted it for their FEARLESS call for art. Here is the article I submitted, to explain the meaning behind the art....

Title: The Life of Charlotte - 1688

Category: Fearless Challenge

Inspiration

When I think long and hard about the word Fearless, I begin to wonder if any of us truly are?

I am a woman who is brave, stubborn, headstrong and capable of overcoming many obstacles, but does that make me fearless?

Recently, I came across this page in an Outline of Literature journal. It outlines author’s Jean de La Bruyere’s circa 1688 book, Characters, poignant reference on women – a woman, much like my imagined dear Charlotte. Using phrases like “wishes she were a man”, “women are ignorant”, and “sluggishness of their minds”, really moved me. I found myself reflecting on how much has changed over the years and how thankful I am to the many generations of women before me that were truly fearless enough to have their voices heard. They overcame condemnation, defeat, and prejudice enabling me to explore who I am as a wife, a mother, a business partner, a sister, a friend, a daughter. Ever changing. Always dreaming. Continually moving forward on my life’s journey, while still looking back...

I have fear. Fear of rejection. Fear of failure. Fear of inadequacy.

Will I be judged by what I am wearing? Or by the fancy label I am not wearing? Where I live or how I live? Will others have negative opinions of my art? The answer is yes, but I will never have to fear being a woman in 1688.

Technique

Over the last few years, I have created numerous keepsake canvases with photos of my family. This, The Life of Charlotte, is the first art canvas I have created. Inspired first by the reference text, I envisioned an imaginary life of a woman named Charlotte living in the year 1688. I added a Memoirs element to further my imagination – I wonder what she would have written in her life journal?

Usually, I paint my canvases with acrylic paint. This time, however, I experimented with a new technique – no paint at all. Instead, I used a moss green pigment cat’s eye ink pad and walnut wash dauber. I lightly dragged the moss pad over the surface, daubing the edges of the pad in places, creating oval markings. Next, I added more to the edges to darken them. After that was dry, I used the walnut dauber to add another layer – light on the surface, darker on the edges – leaving some of the white canvas to show through. This gave the illusion of multiple colors.

When that was dry, I used matte finish Mod Podge on the surface. Using a spool of naturally aged vintage thread, I wrapped and tied the edges like a gift box. Then I added a scrap of cotton lace vertically. The edges of image and the text were inked using the moss ink pad. Both were layered and Mod Podged directly to the canvas. I used a vintage word stamp and a date stamp – rolling a 16 and then an 88 – on a scrap of coordinating paper layered onto a scrap of chipboard. A tiny button was added to the centers of the paper flowers and in a vertical row underneath the vintage tag element.

Using the same moss ink, I inked a raw wood clothespin, wrapped the top with thread and tied on a miniature paperclip. Lastly, I added The Life of Charlotte, cut from the same book. The authors name was added to the bottom side of the canvas. I enjoy clipping text and images from old books, though not original antiques, and creating my own story.

Somerset Gallery Summer 2011

2011-05-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

It's FINALLY time I can share!!!!

A couple years ago, over Mother's Day weekend, in our VERY chilly basement - with a concrete floor, unfinished walls and old hanging florescent lights - NOT up to WHERE WOMEN CREATE standards by any means - I was "playing" to create an assemblage to submit to Stampington, with their Somerset Studio Halloween challenge in mind. Well, that deadline had come and gone, but I knew that their Holiday and Celebrations issue was still open.

My inspiration was originally the Eagles song, Witchy Woman. Primarily the verse, "she drove herself to madness with a silver spoon"... That was my jumping off point. A silver spoon.

Then, I remembered I had an old, thrifted, wooden house....

*****

I've been asked a few times what it takes to be published.

Well, it's a bit art, a bit committment, much waiting, and a whole lotta luck.

My very first submittal was a "why not?"

You could have heard me a mile away, screaming from my mountain-home kitchen - I was doing dishes - when my I-phone music blasting from it's charger/stereo port was interrupted by an email "bing".

I went to check my phone and there it was. An email from Stampington informing me one of my submittals was selected to be in HOME Vol. 5 2010.

Just like a giddy little girl, I called everyone I knew. I had to share! The dishes could wait.

Then, later that afternoon, my phone "bing'd" again...

Another of my submittals was going to be in the same issue....OMG!!! I had submitted both, months prior, and now all of a sudden BOTH were selected!!! I was truly on cloud 9...

*****

Fast-forward a few...

My creation, HOUSE 13, has been selected for a one-page mini-article as an Artist's Spotlight, in Stampinton's Gallery magazine hitting newsstands on June 1 - page 118.

As a one page feature, a lot of the detail and my article was edited for space, so I thought it would be fun to blog the details of the assemblage and my original submittal.

Inspiration & Description

As a child, and even as an adult, I have had some nightmarish encounters in my deepest of sleep. Inspired by an old, house-shaped shadowbox found at a thrift store and armed with several pieces of collected scraps & cast-offs, I attempted to
re-create that terror-filled madness - within and without the walls of House 13.

“A place where falling fast asleep in a starry, silent dream-land, turns into a descending pathway of a never-ending nightmare; filled with silent screams. Left to wander through the dark unknown; running for your life with no momentum. Hearing voices behind you, and enduring all things that haunt you in the darkness of House 13.”

How fitting, too, this assemblage was created over a couple of stormy nights in the chilly basement of our house using an assortment of mixed media – paper, rub-ons, paint, fabric, record, tree branch, jewelry bits, doll pieces, silver spoon, brass stencils, glass vials, wood, metal, game pieces, toys, miscellaneous hardware, and pure junk. Quite the departure from what I usually create from found objects, but perfect for displaying at Halloween.

I created this 3-dimensional piece to be viewed from all sides in three primary sections:

RECORD BASE - with the words “Echoed Voices” scratched into the record and the stamped muslin warning “Don’t fall asleep”

TREE – its starry branches whose leaves turn from white to black to signify dreams turning to nightmares and the ever-present “arms” of the big tree just outside your window

HOUSE - each room hauntingly distinct with references to the number 13, while others remain vacant waiting for the next over-night guest

This assemblage is truly one of my favorites to display at Halloween. I'm wanting to make it's polar opposite. One of dreams. All shades of white and cream...Now, I just need to find another HOUSE!

Inside, Outside Upside Down....

2011-04-22T16:04:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new little booth at a local crafter's mall-slash-gift shoppe, Savannah Faire. This concept has been rolling around in my head for quite some time...a few years to be exact. Honestly, I have been a little nervous committing to something like this, given life's schedule and interruptions, but I determined NOW is as good a time as any...Economy aside, I'm jumping in. (and in just a few days, my girlfriends are taking the leap with me!!!) Kind of like a Thelma and Louise and Louise moment...Only without the sad ending...

The space is quite small - 4 foot x 4 foot - but on May 1st it will be expanding to 4 foot x 16 foot. Me and two friends, Ginger and Janice, are sharing the over-head and will be selling under three separate #'s. This will allow us to add larger items, as well as the smalls.

I have SO many ideas and collected items to re-purpose into fun home and garden decor.

Here is my sign. We have agreed to sell under the one "banner", which is fine with me. I think the name covers all manner of "sins" we could possibly put in the space! lol

Inside Outside Upside Down
Home and Garden Goods
Refreshed. Renewed. Rethunk.

Green House.

2011-04-08T22:16:00.000-07:00

Well, NOT really a GREEN HOUSE, but more of a greenhouse/atrium/summer kitchen.

I'm talking about the area that was a HUGE selling point of this house almost 7 years ago. I can not believe it's actually been almost 7 years, but it has and man, oh, man how the time has flown. A lot has happened, but the only thing that has happened in that wonderful space is JUNK storage. A drop zone.

New stuff. Old stuff. My stuff. His stuff. Their stuff. My Mom's stuff. Boys' stuff.

STUFF.

STUFFED FULL!

Whatta MESS....

Well, on Wednesday, Ginger and I braved the cold - although, after working for a few, we stripped our layers - one by one. And when we were finally done sorting and organizing and throwing away garbage, and I came inside to change into clean clothes, the fat layers on the lower portion of my body were very, very cold! Good job fat layers! They were cold, but I hadn't noticed! Maybe, and I'm only gonna say this once, I like my fat!!!

Anyway, back to my story - pre-cold-fat-discovery - we tackled the mess like troopers - with gloves! I won't even go into the whole mouse poop debacle, stemming from the oatmeal containers in a box (thanks, Ty! - Boys move out, and boys move back in...but who would've guessed they would bring food from their kitchen cabinets and store them!???)

Pre-sorting....

This is the view to the left, over the banister/landing - mid-sorting...

This is the view from the upper level.

This is me - armed and ready for battle.

This was Ginger's reaction to all.this.crap!!!

She was soon a happy, happy friend - I "gifted" her this window she was eye-balling...

She promptly took it outta there before I changed my mind....not likely, since I have many, many windows....plus, she was willing to glove-up in the mouse poop! What a trooper!!!...(yeah, a pooper-trooper) ... I couldn't resist... LOL

The upstairs room/space. Ginger says it would make a perfect theater room or game room... I see it painted all white with a new ceiling - it leaked a few years ago before we re-roofed it.

These are Cub Scout badges from when my boys were little ... IN.GRADE.SCHOOL!!! Circa 1999!!! I was a den leader and these were left-overs I found in an envelope. Moved in a box, oh, 4 houses - WA to OR, OR to CA, CA to CA, CA to OR. YES, in a box we actually moved FOUR freakin' times!!!

This is Ginger teasing..."Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!" Wearing Ty's Chevy's Restaurant Birthday sombrero...from, like age 9!!! He's 23 now....Thanks, DEAR FRIEND, for the intervention!!!
I'm NOT a hoarder....am I????

O.K., but maybe hoarding is a good-thing? In that same box, I found $$$ that was reimbursed to me by one of those little- NOW 23 years-old - boys for a Scouting book....$4.25. Whoo HOOO! Talk about SAVINGS plan...um....

Hoarding Proof!

The Summer kitchen. Cool, old Formica, dontcha think? When Ty was "living" in this space, he removed the upper kitchen cabinet doors and began painting them with chalkboard paint. How cool was that? A boy before his time....

Organized piles that are sorted, but now need to find permanent homes. Car parts for the shop/garage. Bankers boxes of business documents to store for 7 years. Bankers boxes full of magazines to get rid of. Windows to use, re-purpose, sell. White plastic tables and chairs to use this Summer. Boxes of Ty's belongings that need to go to his rented 3 bedroom w/2 car garage!!!

Yay! Progress....progress that will continue and transform into a Where Women Create space? A GREEN HOUSE to grow plants and veggies? A game room? A Guest House/Room? Who knows. But NOT a DROP ZONE!!!!

The view from the kitchen towards the bathroom/breezeway....under the room upstairs... NOT yet finished.

I'm thinking it would be SO cool to order a few pallets of used, red brick and a load of playground sand and "pave" that dirt area/side. Hang up a few clear twinkle lights. Maybe a chandelier. Bring in the patio table and serve dinner under the stars....Or maybe put the hot tub in there...hmmmm...

For now the greenhouse bathroom and the kitchen sink has been sterilized and the mice - Dude the Cat, mouse traps and LACK OF OATMEAL willing - will be a thing of the past...We've NEVER had ANY evidence of mice in ANY thing in the house...including the dog, cat or bird food. Go figure!

Happy Saturday!

ETA: I HATE the used, red brick on my fireplace, but LOVE it on the ground!!!

Did YOU Hear Me Scream????

2011-04-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

Yeah, you read that right.

Did YOU hear me scream in your part of the country?

It was 7:18 tonight. I was sitting in my chair, surfing my favorite blogs while waiting for a movie that Phillip was watching to end - so we could watch the recorded episode of Survivor - and there were my boys.

Well, my boys in my vintage window....

I screamed, and it wasn't even a scary part of the movie!!!!

"I've been featured!!! Over at Gail's blog, My Repurposed Life!!!"

I have to be VERY honest here, 'cause I was taught to be honest. Gail sent me a comment the other day, but I didn't put two-and-two together when she said she'll be "catching" me this week. Duh, me...

Thanks, GAIL!!! I get it now....but only AFTER I screamed with excitement!!!

*******

More good news came today....

I got the official word that another project of mine is officially being featured in this years issue of Somerset HOME magazine - Volume 6. It will hit newsstands in August.

As I really, really, really enjoy surprises, I will give only a sneak peek here.

As you all know, I love ALL things vintage, rusty and perfect for the home - inside or out!

*******

That brings me to my NEXT exciting news.

Six days ago, I played this April Fool's joke on Phillip, and that opened up a whole can of discussion. So, yesterday, I took the plunge - more like a baby-toe dip in the BIG POOL of retail sales....

I've officially leased a 4' x 4' space at a local crafters outlet/gift shoppe, Savannah Faire/Fiona Bean. My good-best friend, Ginger, and I are BOTH dipping our baby-toes!!! My move-in date is set for NEXT Saturday, the 16th, and hers is at the end of the month. We will be neighbors with opportunity for expansion late May or early June.

Talk about getting no sleep or being able to concentrate at work today....I even went shopping for "ideas" and ended up with a whole ~~cache~~ cart of good things....

Stay tuned for photos chronicling the little space - BIG ideas adventure.

*******

On another happy note, a few weeks ago, I participated in the Road to the Final Tchotchke swap over at Beauty in the Attempt. The idea behind the swap was very fun. Post a photo of some home decor item you either don't love or use anymore and have others that love it, want it, or need it comment. On designated day/time, have a random draw and whoever wins, gets the goods!

Well, as it was, I had ONE comment and ONE winner! Man, was Jenny, over at Crossing the Bugger-Dixon Line, LUCKY! lol....

At any rate, Jenny commented that the garden-themed item I offered up for grabs would be perfect for her little guys upcoming April Showers birthday party...hmmmm. Based on that comment, I KNEW I had so much more to share....perfect for a party! I SO loved giving parties for my guys when they were little.

She was SO delighted with the extras I sent and she posted VERY, VERY kind words on her blog...WARNING: her blog has some really cute party ideas....REALLY!

*******

On a FINAL note for the night...

We are STILL looking for at least THREE more participants for my Celebrate AMERICA home decor swap.

I've seen some of the ideas...and you still have a TON of time to play. That was the point. Start early enough to not be stressed!!!! Who needs stress? Let's just wrap the houses in RED, WHITE and BLUE.....

Cheers!

What a beeee.uuuuu.ti.fullll day.....

2011-04-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

Baby Shoe Nest courtesy of Barbara Jean of Treasure's From The Heart.
I won this at a giveaway she had last year.

Oh, man. What a tease today has been. Still a bit on the chilly side, 60-ish, but the SUN was shining....

and we have to

take joy in the simple things

I opened up some windows and doors for a few, then after things aired out a bit, brought in some wood and started me up a fire to take the chill away. Nothing like a fire when it's NOT freezing outside. Just cozy.

***********

The other night, after work, I decided to Spring-Up our fireplace mantel. I found a few goodies I just happened to already have (duh! smiles my honey..."with all that treasure hunting you do, you could probably Spring-Up a whole city of mantels!")

O.K., truth be told, he didn't say anything, except, "Whatcha doin?", as I was wearing a path between the dining room and the ~~catch-all~~ storage room that will someday be the guest room...

He never really complains about anything I do or how much ~~stuff~~ treasure I collect. He's the best that way!!!

*********

Earlier that day, I was at Goodwill by my work (errands are so fun to run during the day!) **you did not just read that, honey! :-) wink; and I spotted this gorgeous framed picture. It's just a print, but it's matted and it just SCREAMS Springtime!!! $6.00. ** My friend, Ginger, called me today and said she found the exact same print today for $18....score....

What a perfect match for the wall in the dining room...

It was hanging on the wall. I took it down. Examined it for stains, broken frame, scratched glass, etc...contemplated it. Hung it back up. Shopped the other areas of the store. Came back to it. Took it down again. Put it in my cart. Took it back out again...

Birds. Hmmmm. I don't decorate with birds. Hmmmm. It is yellow. I have lots of yellow in the house. Hmmmm. It's Spring. Birds are Spring-y. That blue bird is awfully cute. Hmmmm. Yeah, o.k. I can put it on the mantel. Then I can decorate the mantel for Spring. Now I'll need some bird houses. And maybe that little pink bird book I have. And, I do have those little yellow rain boots. Oh, and frogs. I have LOTS of frogs. And, I have those little seasonal blocks I made. And, there's forsythia and daffodils in bloom in the yard right now...Oh and....

The list in my head just kept getting longer and longer...

So, once I got home. I started on the mantel project.

One of my cast metal frogs AND an assortment of books I've collected because of their genre, color, and/or titles. This little birdhouse came with the house when we bought it 7 years ago, but has never had any little birdies, but don't ya just love the little roof line?

Bird houses from the back porch. I simply added a #5 house number with a nail and "painted" the head with a black Sharpie.

Truth be told...these DID have residents, only NOT the kind I wanted in the house...good old Summertime leftovers....not bird poopie, silly-willy. This one has NO bottom.....dried up hornets nest!

Both houses will have "residents" tomorrow, as Ginger is kindly bringing me some mushroom birdies to add...

Just a little of my collection....I SO wish Daffodils smelled as good as they looked...Don't you??? Lilac season will be here soon, and then....Oh, those babies smell SO, SO yummy!!!

A couple pieces of my creamy white collection as vases with the flowers.

Loving the Forsythia, but I think it was happier outside! Saw this idea today, though....Very, very cute idea!
~~Dang it! I need to go find the post and link it....I can't find it...check back, cause it's SO cute!!!~~ Found it! I love me some Google!!!

A little wooden drawer turned on edge with some scrapbook paper cut to fit to house the most adorable yellow rain boots.

Darling little rain boots I found a few years ago for a song. Bought the bird book last year, for..well, things like this!

Add a little bit of this and a little bit of that and Voila!

Frogs or toads, if you like, at the base of one of my vintage white, 3-paned windows; and my fave - a cast metal "S". I found THREE matching letters at one time....only three...T, P, S. I love it when things are meant to be....!

This years Spring mantel. ***Insert confession here....I did NOT take a photo of the entire mantel...BAD, Tina....

Simple little wooden blocks painted and stamped with each season on the sides. Perfect for changing things up....at least four times a year.

*******************

Now if I could only get that UGLY 70's orange/black/white brick to GO AWAY like WINTER!!!

I have an idea....I'll keep you posted....and it's NOT painting the brick white. That's the ONE thing that won't work in the house....we use the fireplace way too often to contend with ugly brick chipping through the paint...NO matter how tough it is...

I hope it's as great in real life as it is in my head....that ever happen to you? Where it's perfectly perfect in your head movies, but then a complete and utter flop in real life? I've read about a few of those in the Land of Blog lately...glad I'm not the only one that happens to...

These stacked vintage suitcases topped with an old chippy wire basket reside at the end of the mantel. Ours is "L" shaped and the end faces the back hallway entry doorway.

Happy Spring Saturday!!!

Linking up to Donna up North at Funky Junk Interiors....

Linking up to The Stories of A to Z: Spring Mantel Linky Party...

I'm Gonna Getcha Good....

2011-04-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

...and good I got him! Now, I'm just waiting for the pay-back...

So, the prank went down like this:

I'm ditching work today, trying to get on that stay-home-Wednesday-and-Friday schedule.

He calls me around 11:30 a.m.-ish.

I'm in town running errands. We talk about food. What he's doing for lunch. What I'm doing for lunch, etc... I'm headed back home; he's going to the Friday buffet with all the guys at work.

About a 1/2 hour later, I call him, all outta breath and begin my excited, fast-speak....I'm all,

"Honey, guess what??? .... You're NEVER gonna believe this!!!!

Uh, I just picked up Janice from work and uh, we're gonna go to lunch, and, well, remember the old Goodwill building???

The one with those really cool, old barn doors with the glass in them separating the spaces...The one's that I told you about? That I love so much? Well, you know how they're moving and stuff?

Well, they have a FOR LEASE sign.

And, well, Janice and I stopped. And the owner was there. And, well, we leased the place.

We're gonna have a studio in the back - in the space behind those cool, old doors - and have a store in the front.

It has big windows.

And it has a parking lot.

Places for people to park and stuff.

Not like those houses we've looked at that would be perfect and cute and stuff, but have no place where people can park.

It's perfect!!!!

I'm SO excited!!!

I'll talk to you about the details more tonight.

Janice and I are going to lunch to celebrate!!!

Love you."

I DID NOT LET HIM GET IN A WORD....Until the end.....

His response was, "Really? O.K. I'll talk to you about it later."

Then we hung up.

Knowing he was at lunch with all the guys, I waited about 5 minutes, then sent him a text ....

"April Fools!!! I'm not with Janice. I'm not at the Goodwill either!"

His reply: "You suck! You got all of us good!!! I owe you for that one.."

Uh OH!!!!

Nice to know, that he'd be supportive and so would the other guys at work...I love it!!!

Happy Friday....

ETA: I was wondering what a place like that rents for...the internet is such a wonderful resource...

There it was..."Goodwill location on 6th"....6500 sq. ft. - $4000/mo. nnn (triple net - means rent + property taxes + insurance) WHOA!!! outta my price range..... I'll just keep dreaming about one of those little houses with no parking....

Featured In Somerset Memories

2011-03-29T11:03:00.000-07:00

April 2011

I am SO excited!!! I just received the latest issue of Somerset Memories in the mail...and I'm proud to say, one of my projects,

"Three You-Nique Boys - A Keepsake Window"

is Featured on Pages 50-53.

It hits newsstands on April 1, but if you can't find it locally, click on the magazine cover above to order yourself a copy! If you are a paper artist, scrapbooker or a journaler, you won't be disappointed. (I am NOT paid to say that!)

Here are a few photos of my vintage window...complete with close-ups,
just so you can see the very cool CHIPPY - RUSTY detail that came with the cast-off window that I saved from the landfill! Yay!!!

My three boys were definitely the inspiration for this piece. It marries my ~~love~~ obsession with vintage windows, collected findings and cast-offs, and my very favorite photos of them.

I enjoy being able to reflect back on the memories we've shared, as they have certainly grown-up faster than I ever imagined.

And I get to enjoy it almost.every.single.day, as this new family "heirloom" hangs prominently in my office at work...but I'm not in my office every.single.day!

It does my heart good and makes me smile when I'm there....

Note: I've linked up LATE to for obvious reasons...I didn't want to post photos until the magazine was out!

ETA: Just linked up to Gail's Catch-As-Catch-Can party over at My Repurposed Life. Go take a look at all the links....

A Link Close to our Hearts and In our Minds...

2011-03-28T09:57:00.000-07:00

When we heard of the news of the earthquake and following Tsunami,

our first thoughts were "who's over there working on the park?"

Tokyo Disney Seas and Tokyo Disney Resort, that is.

Immediately, we started naming of a list of people we

work with on a regular basis.

Although, several were there, fortunately,

no one we know was injured or was missing.

However, I cannot even begin to imagine the devastation and grief of the whole situation - even after watching the news footage and plethora of online uploads that followed that tragic day.

It looked just like an action-adventure movie, but this was REAL!

Real people. Real homes. Real businesses. REAL LIFE!

As I was surfing this morning for images within the parks for projects we've worked on, I just lost interest after seeing more of the damage

and reading more.

One touching post I did find is below:

http://disneyshawn.blogspot.com/2011/03/for-our-friends-in-japan.html

Even though, it's so far away, it's still close to home....

Celebrate America!!! Home Decor Swap

2011-03-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

Update: Looking for at least THREE (3) more players...

1. Me
2. Janice
3. Ginger
4. you're Next....
5. ...and you too....
6. ...this swap wouldn't be the same without you, as well...
7, 8, 9, 10, 11.... REALLY...the more the merrier....Comment below to join the fun....once the swap items are posted, you'll be sorry you didn't join up...NO matter how many play...you only need to make six items and you'll get SIX back...
*****************
As I sit here on this Saturday, thinking about my son, Kyle, and my cousins, Chadd & Aundrea, and friends, and friends-of-friends who are currently serving their country and NOT at home with their families, I began to visualize the house decorated in shades of RED, WHITE, and BLUE.

Vibrant or muted.

I love both!!!

All in honor of our country and the freedoms we have.

Sure times are tough for many in our country right now.

Homes being lost. Unemployment at the highest it's been in a long time.

School budgets being cut.

BUT

we need to stay positive, regardless of our political or religious views.

Our ancestors fought hard to make America a free country and even though we still fight for many rights and against unfair issues, we need to keep the colors flying.

In honor of our Heroes, near and far, present and past,
let's honor them with a

Celebrate America

Home Decor Swap

The rules are simple.

Grab the Button on the Right...I know, it's HUGE!!! It should be...
It's our COLORS!!!! Fly them proudly!!!!

It is open to any and all designers, crafters, and artists who wish to create and

share with others in the swap group.

Each participant will make 6 home decor theme-related items.

Stick with your favorite medium - be it fabric, wood, clay, paper arts or try something new...Just have fun with it.

Use your imagination and let the creativity flow, just, please use quality items in your creations, so everyone will be proud to display them for years to come.

There is nothing more disappointing, than spending days or weeks on a project and getting a folded paper and pipe cleaner menagerie that took 5 minutes to make in return.

Sorry, but it had to be said!

If more than 6 swappers choose to participate, the items will be randomly sorted and equally dispersed so everyone will receive 6 items in return for their 6 items sent. I am choosing to keep the item number low so the quality can be higher.

Feel free to make 6 identical items or 6 unique creations. The choice is yours!!!

Please email me (it's on my profile) and/or leave a comment so we can exchange mailing information in a private manner.

You pay the postage to get it to me and I'll pay the postage back to you.

Once you receive your items, please post your creations and those you've received. I will link up all participants blogs so you can share and peek at what everyone else received too!

Please ship to me by June 1, 2011 - please, NO exceptions. If you sign up and absolutely MUST bow-out, I understand, but please just let me know, so another swapper doesn't become the odd-man-out. That ruins the fun!

I'm starting this swap early, because I know how time flies the older you get, and want to make sure everyone has time to squeeze this one into their busy, busy lives...Lots of Holidays between now and then, Graduation Parties to plan, Summer vacations, June Weddings...see what I mean?

June 1 will be here before we know it!!

Plus, that will give me time to turn them around and everyone will be able to decorate for the 4th of July...

So, sign up and get to creating.....

Art Doll Quarterly

2011-03-23T10:49:00.000-07:00

What an inspired magazine!!!

Lots and lots of eye candy....

Just look at this little guy, with his newspaper hat and little friend.

I LOVE this whole miniature vignette.

Get yourself a copy here:

ART DOLL QUARTERLY

February 2011 Issue

Have you seen it?

Read it?

Loved it?

I was intrigued by their latest challenge...

Gourd Dolls.

I have never, ever, ever made a doll.

I've dressed them up...

(see Emily here)

So, I took the challenge

and my little lady is on her way

to being featured in the Autumn 2011 issue.

Yay! I could just scream....!!!

I don't want to ruin the surprise,

but

here's a little sneaky-peeky....

Spring Cleaning & Blog Hopping - Part 2

2011-03-22T21:13:00.000-07:00

If it's good to find a home for one item, why not TWO??

Yep, it's time for a bit of Spring Cleaning.

But, what to do with all that stuff you don't want to sell or donate?

You offer it for FREE via a community BLOG HOP!

What a great idea from MeganDVD from Beauty in the Attempt.

This offering is for a cute Pfaltzgraff Naturewood spade-shaped spoon rest.
Use it as designed, or as a jewelry holder, or just for decoration in your garden inspired room.

Measures roughly 3 1/2" wide x 9" long and Made in the USA.

The simple rules are:
1. Become a follower of Patinamarie
2. Tell me why you like it, love it, have to have it.
3. If you are the only one interested in taking off my hands, it's YOURS! I'll even pay the postage.
4. On Monday, March 28 at 9 pm,pst,it's yours, unless more than one person has their eye on it, then I'll do a random pick for the winner. That's the only way to keep it FAIR AND SQUARE!!!

Feel free to link up your stuff too! But it's NOT necessary to play...

Have fun! I'm off to see what others are offering up...

Spring Cleaning & Blog Hopping

2011-03-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

Yep, it's time for a bit of Spring Cleaning.

But, what to do with all that stuff you don't want to sell or donate?

You offer it for FREE via a community BLOG HOP!

What's a blog hop, you ask?

Well, it's the brain child of MeganDVD from Beauty in the Attempt.

Just post a link to something you want to give away FOR FREE so someone else out in blog land can select it for their home.

My offering is an Angels Wall Plaque.

It is approximately 8" wide x 4" tall and would be the perfect addition to your Angel collection.

It has a hanger on the back side or could easily sit on an easel.

The simple rules are:
1. Become a follower of Patinamarie
2. Tell me why you like it, love it, have to have it.
3. If you are the only one interested in taking off my hands, it's YOURS! I'll even pay the postage.
4. On Monday, March 28 at 9 pm, pst, it's yours, unless more than one person has their eye on it, then I'll do a random pick for the winner. That's the only way to keep it FAIR AND SQUARE!!!

Feel free to link up your stuff too! But it's NOT necessary to play...

Have fun! I'm off to see what others are offering up...

It's Officially Spring....

2011-03-21T14:52:00.000-07:00

or is it?

I've been freezing ALL day!!!

Summer will be here soon enough

and then I'll be complaining about how hot it is.

Am I never happy?

Yes, most times, I'm happy-go-lucky and pretty positive,

but today I'm just cold.

I've had a cup of hot tea, but what I REALLY,

REALLY want is a cup of mocha.

BUT,

I'm trying like the Dicken's to kick that craving.

There's a whole ton of fat in those little, satisfying drinks that I keep going to my favorite local drive-thru coffee stand to get. Even without the whipped cream topping, which I gave up saying "yes" to.

BUT,

my favorite local drive-thru coffee stand loves to share with their customers..

little espresso beans covered in yummy goodness...

So, in honor of Spring, I'm sharing my "beans" with you instead...

....see, I haven't eaten them for at least THREE visits!!!

Cheers!

Sew Green....

2011-03-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

After this melted recently, I was taking A.J. to school and

after dropping him off, I just happened to stop at a yard sale.

That's what I say..."I just happened to stop."

Like the vehicle just pulled over and WOW! THERE'S A SALE GOING ON!!!

Anyway, I bought a couple little things, nothing to blog about really.

BUT then....

as I was walking over to pay my whole $3.00 tab,

this was being wheeled out...

(sorry for the not-so-great photos,

but they were taken in the garage with my phone)

The tag sale guy loaded it up into the back of the car

and I got to unload it all.by.myself and ~~roll it~~ drag it across the

gravel driveway.

No small feat, I tell you. Do you know HOW HEAVY these things are?

I clearly had NO clue.

The yard sale guy didn't seem to break a sweat at all.

So after dragging two deep ruts in the gravel, I got it in the garage.

I opened it. And the angels wept!

This thing is gorgeous!!!

It came with a leather pulley strap.

Needs a good cleaning and a bit of machine oil, but it works like a charm.

There were some needles and modern thread in the drawer,

so who knows how recently it was being used.

Not sure I really needed a vintage treadle sewing machine,

but who knows...I might feel so inclined to sew-green!

Happy Finding!!!

All in the details....

2011-03-16T09:34:00.000-07:00

On a recent business trip to San Francisco, we took a break

and toured the aquarium at the Wharf.

We've visited several aquariums over the years - Tacoma, Long Beach, Monterey, Maui but I'm still in awe of the detail the creatures have.

The colors. The shapes. The textures.

Working in a business that is always trying to "fake" it (see day job link)

I love to see the REAL thing in all it's natural glory.

These jelly fish were stunning!

I could sit and watch them all day...

I absolutely LOVE the contrast of them against the dark blue.

When we were in the "tunnel" under the sea, this guy was above us.

So pretty.

Another star from below.

Kind of surreal.

Man, don't mess with this guy.

Just look at him...I think he's a kingpin in the mob or something!

"Pucker up and gimme a kiss...."

Such detail.

I love the turtles....

and they love each other!

...and what the heck kind of creature is this?

Oh, that's a rare, tinabowbina in it's natural habitat!

That was a tight squeeze to get under there - it's meant for kids - but I think everyone should act like a kid from time to time!

We won't mention the McDonald's Playland experience a few years back...

See. I wasn't the only one...

My sweetie.

So happy to watch the penny go round 'n round 'n round...

xo xo

I have a thing....

2011-03-15T16:34:00.000-07:00

for baby shoes...

I know that's random and all,

but there's just something about their diminutive

size that just makes me smile.

I have a growing collection.

These are just a few I recently found at one of

my local thrifting haunts.

You know how I just love rust...

well, this little pair of leathers

has spots of rust.

These were well loved.

I think it adds character!

And how about this pair.

I've never seen this type before.

The leather sole wraps all the way around to the back.

Guess, I don't get out much....ha ha!

And speaking of character and babies...

I never did share the "airport" photo of Kyle coming home for

the holidays...I cried like a BABY when I saw him!!!

I miss him tremendously, but I am proud at the same time...

He has a couple more months of Intel training, then we'll see what

news that brings...sigh.