GIVEAWAY

GiveAway, well I decided that it was about time that I gave something away on this blog. So Now is your chance to win this amazing chabachon wrapped pendant. I have a few of these and love wearing them. You can add them to a chain or just slip it onto a ribbion.



How to enter


1. leave a comment below stating what is your favorite item in my etsy shop ( 1 entry)


2. blog about this or put it on facebook for an extra entry. Just leave a comment and leave a link back to your comment. (1 extra entry)


The giveaway will end on Aug 7th so be sure to stop back to the blog and see if you're the winner so that you can claim your prize. Pin It

Embroider circles on handwoven scarf

By taking a look back to my childhood and rummaging through my grandmother's things I was reminded of how much I wanted to learn how to embroider as a child, just like granny. She did teach me when I was in elementary school and I don't think I've touched it since then. However, I have decied to start using it in combination with my weaving. I am a true mixed media girl at heart, and love combining different materials and techniques. I kept it pretty simple for this scarf, but had a lot of fun and have a lot more ideas. I used the French Knot for this piece and created circles in various shades of yellow and green. My favorite part was using yarn that was my grandmother's to create the circles.

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Summer Essentials

Kreativlink

I"m one to always carry a sketckbook with me, you just never know when an idea may come to you. At least for me it doesn't normally happen when I'm just sitting there staring at my sketchbook. I love this journal and would be proud to carry it with me everywhere! Check out the shop to purchase this journal along with lots of others.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/50451927/lemon-swirls-leather-journal-notebook?ref=fp_feat_4

bridgemanstudios


I love pottery and dabble in it a little bit myself. There is nothing better then drinking my morning coffee out of handmade mug. I love these wonderful white cups, they would also make great gifts. Click on the link below to make these yours.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/49606497/set-of-four-handmade-textured-naked-cups?ref=tre-4c48183c525b6d91381edfc4-15



CharmdImSur

I may be a bit biased here as I know the creator of this shop. Jean is a wonderfully kind women with a great zest for life, which you can see in the jewerly that she creates. Here are a few of my favorites, but there are many more in her shop.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CharmdImSur?ref=seller_info Pin It

Wire Wrapped Pendant

I just took this wonderful class at Potomac Bead Company, the class was pretty easy and so much fun with great results. These would make such great gifts! I think that I might sew some little drawstring bags.

I bought the stone in the middle, but think that I might try to make some out of clay as well. So if you're into creating polymer clay jewerly this might be a great project for you.

To make this we used 20ga square wire 20 ga half round wire, along with the center stone.

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Learning from the Past

My grandmother taught me how to embroider when I was in elementary school, but I haven't done it in a long time. Lately I have really wanted to add more to my weaving, it's that mixed media part of me coming out. So I decided to try some embroider on my pieces. I have a lot of ideas, and am excited to see what my next set of scarves end up looking like. Here's a previes of my first try at embroidery.

I'm keeping it pretty simple so far, making a variety of circles in different colors using the French knot.

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Candle Holders

I had made some mugs and experimented with different glazes and a few of them just didn't turn out so well. They looked okay, but I didn't like the way that they felt to drink out of them. I didn't want to throw them out as that seemed like a waste, so I was trying to think of what to use them for. Finally I decided they would make great candle holders, I love them. It's a great combo, mugs which are warm and cozy and with a warm and cozy candle burning inside!

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Relax in the Tub

 I was browsing through etsy this morning while drinking my warm cup of Hazelnut coffee...mmmm... when I saw this amazing tub turned couch. What a great way to reuse something old, however, I'll be the first to admit that I still love to take a nice hot bubble bath in our claw foot tub, so while I love this idea, I'm not sure that I"m ready to cut it apart just yet. However, there's no way that our tub is leaving the bathroom of our house all in one piece, so this could be a good solution of how to move it without totally destoring it. These would be such a great eye catching piece in your own.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/48023773/cast-iron-bathtub-couch?ref=tre-4c444cdec9fe8eef7680bf18-12

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Studio Tour

I finally decided to take the time to rearrange my studio space, I am one of those messy artists, making it challenging for me to keep my workspace organized.

I decided to move the tables around, and went through all of my stuff and discarded a lot of old artwork from college and high school. I just kept a few of my favorite pieces.

I also picked up some great wooden boxes that someone was going to throw away and bought them into my space to create a little extra storage. The room is never spotless as I have come to realize I can't work in that type of enviornment. I like to be able to sit down at my loom or table and see all of my supplies. I also like to easily just be able to reach out and grab things, I work in the moment, and do not like to have to take the time to get things out or clean up, so as I am creating supplies stay out and things tend to accumulate, until every once and awhile I put everything away.

I am always amazed when I see photos of peoples studios that are spotless, I just don't seem to know how to do that.



Many of the items in my studio were created from things that I found in our home when we bought it, or that other people were throwing away. I didn't have a lot of money to put into the studio, but I love that everything in it is upcycled. The black tables were created from two old doors that I repainted. I used old milk crates that were left in our house as book cases beside the tables.





My percious loom, I purchased this used on Craigs list, what a great find!



My chair, purchased from a second hand store for a few dollars. I love it!



I have created my studio space to be a cozy space where I feel comfortable. There are times where I think that I have to make my stuido look a certain way, nice and neat, so that other appreciate it more, but I have come to realize this is my space, and it's where I need to feel comfortable. I feel comforable in small spaces, somewhat hidden with things all around me.  I can not create in neat and tidy wide open spaces. I once tried to and then moved my loom into the corner of the room and moved my tables so that there was something around me on all sides.

I actually came to this realization at work. I am a high school art teacher, and have found that I always set up my desk so that there is a just a little walk way into my space, then my desk is piled with papers and books, when it is not like this I can't work. Some of my extremely tidy students are itching to clean my desk, but I just can't let them. They are allowed to organize and clean any other part of the, but my desk is off limits. Pin It

Free Stuff

And yet another great giveaway from, oh, hello friend, Eden's wake is giving away a $40.00 gift certificate to their wonderful shop. They bags to die for.  Go and check out the giveaway here http://ohhellofriend.blogspot.com/


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Giveaway

Check out this great giveaway at one of my favorite blogs, Oh, hello Friend, http://ohhellofriend.blogspot.com/

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Memories of Granny

My grandmother, Granny, is still living, however her mind is not so great these days. I find it extremely hard to visist her, as she is no longer the Granny that I remember as a child. It is a challenging stage of life to witness a person that you love so dearly slowly disappear in mind and soul, however still be there physically. Many of my grandmothers possesions have been passed down to me. About a year ago I received her sewing basket, I remember sitting and crying as I looked through it, remembering the times when I would go over to her house and she would sew clothes for my dolls, or when she taught me to knit, and to embroider. All these things that had been so dear to her were no longer of use to her slipping mind and aged knuckles. I put the basket away, and hadn't really looked inside until this week. As I pulled out the pile of embroider work and remember wanting so desperately to learn how to do this, and so she taught me. I haven't done embroidery in a long time, but plan to use it in my next weaving piece. It seems as she leaves me slowly, I too must process her leaving, for me creating is how I best process life. So I now going on a jouney, that I am not sure that I want to take, of remembering my wonderful grandmother, and understanding what our relationship is today.

So while the story is somewhat sad, there is a lot of joy to be found in memories, and a lot of beauty to come for projects she was never able to finish, that I will now finish for her, using what she taught me as a little girl.

I began by making stawberries from her fabric. To me the smell of the fabric reminded me of her home.

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Vitage Inspired Scarf

I have been drawn to netural colors lately, and thus I created another lovely scarf in neutral shades. As a mixed media artist I am extremely interested in texture and how different materials interact with one another. I have been slowly but surely cutting apart my wedding dress, I'm still madly in love with my husband though, so don't get the wrong idea. I began cutting the dress apart, as I had no desire to keep it stored in a box under my bed, but wanted what was so special to me to be turned into many wonderful pieces.

For this scarf I cut the top layer of tulle off of my dress, cut it into organic circular shapes and sewed around the edges. I then hand sewed each shape onto the woven scarf.  I really like how it turned out, and love that this scarf is both simple, but unique and eye catching. Making it a scarf that you could wear everyday, or that you could reserve for special occasions. You can now find this piece for sale in my etsy shop. It's one of a kind, so don't wait around, buy it now and store it away for the cold winter ahead, ,or the cool summer evening that we're all dreaming of.

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vintage containers

I have lots of little craft items, that never really seem to have a place, I'm always in need of more storage. I came across these lovely etsy shops that have some great vintage containers. Oh, it would be so much fun to fill these wonderful containers with art supplies and have them stacked all over my studio!

What is your favorite way to store things in your studio?

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BehindTheScreenDoor?ref=seller_info



http://www.etsy.com/shop/honeyblossomstudio


http://www.etsy.com/shop/oliverpoodle
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Art of the State Favorites

After finding out that two of my college professors, Ted Prescott and Gene Vandyke had work in this years "Art of the State" show at the State Museum in Harrisburg, my husband and I  decided to go and check the show out. We were thrilled to find out that today was also free day at the museum. If you live in the Harrisburg area and have never gone, you really should go and check it out. Regular admission is only $5.00 and there's alot to see. Anyway here are a few of my favorites. I have come to realize that I am drawn to pieces with texture, and more muted neutral colors.







I really loved this quit. The wonderful stitching, and the many great fabrics, made me want to reach out and touch it, prehaps that's why it was behind glass. Some of the fabric also had hand writing on them which I was really drawn to.


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