crisp fall days

These last few days have been the very definition of fall in northern Michigan - crisp and cold, with the sounds of raking leaves off in the distance. (I mean, really, they're great mulch - why would I need to rake them???)

Today is supposed to be a sunny one, albeit cold, and I believe we're getting out "little yellow" and seeing where it takes us. I'll post pics of our adventure.

I've been working in the studio quite a bit - Kendra, my latest passion is earrings because of you. Yes, I have several more journals to make before the craft show, and LOTS of cards to get done. But... I have been making some fun earrings in that "shabby chic" style I seem to like so much. Each and every one of them is one I think I would like to wear, so I won't cry too much if they don't sell. LOL.

I also made a killer necklace, bracelet and earrings based on bracelet kits sold by Kaari Meng at French General. I saw the little glass beads that looked like pearls, and well, that was it. Just had to get them, and then I did my own "take" on her idea. OOOHHH, that set is not going anywhere. I wore them to my cousins wedding a few weeks ago, and must admit I looked smashing!! (LOL) Well, at least I thought I did.

Kendra gave me some wonderful earrings - if you're coming to the Manistee craft show, her booth will be right next to mine, and you'd better stop and check it out. She does these fun and funky earrings that are great, well made, and really affordable. I think she's going to do really well at the craft show, so come on out and support her - her booth is "Forced to Create." I'll post pics here shortly. Next I'm going to see if she'll get an etsy store up and running, for those of you who live away from Michigan. If she will, I will - it's actually one of my goals after this year, to open my etsy store again.

Well, enough ramblings - have an artsy day, everyone!

Okay, I'm back, I promise

One of my goals this school year, was to post regularly here and at the ASBDA Blog. (For those of you who are my art friends, you probably don't know that I'm the National President of a Band Director's organization this year - we have a blog - I need to post regularly, quite frankly) I haven't so far, mainly because my mind has been totally consumed here with stuff from work. Hopefully I'll be able to write a little about this some day. For now, no. Suffice it to say, however, that I feel very humbled by the feeling of support I have had. Nonetheless, I have found my thoughts totally consumed by this dark fog, and now, ever so slowly, I feel that I am coming out of it. So, I plan on beginning now and posting regularly. What is it that I say to my students constantly???? "START WHERE YOU ARE." You can't go back, you can only go forward, so Start Where You Are.

Today, I start again. Where I am.

It was a horribly wet, rainy day yesterday, and we had Homecoming - which meant a parade (it was sunny for that, albeit cold. COLD.) And then the football game. Started sunny. (and cold. COLD) and got colder, and darker, and colder and darker, until it began to rain. AND THEN TO SNOW.

Not fair.

Today, however, was pretty sunny throughout, and was while cold, bearable. I put on my hoodie sweatshirt & was just fine. It was nice to get a lot of things done. I got to cross a lot off my list today. That always feels good.

And it felt good to start. It felt good to smile. It felt good to feel lightness again.

To all my friends out there - I hope you have a light, sunny, bright, warm day!! I'll have more to say in a few days. Until then - start where you are! (it felt good to take my own advice!)

Note to Hardy Family

Video of the students will be posted tomorrow, (Friday) and I will be trying to post on the MHS Band Website, as we had spoken about. Sorry for the inconvenience.

More stuff

One of my classes that I just "had" to take at AU this year was Richard Salley's Copper Enameled Bracelet. While anyone who knows me well, knows I adore bracelets, it wasn't about the bracelet that I went ga-ga, it was the chance to learn copper enameling. If I did only one class at AU this year, it was going to be this one. **And was I petrified ~ after all, this involves fire!!** LOL!! (Thanks, Kim, for talking me through my momentary panic just before class began!!)

I did a necklace, too, and fired some other pieces for someone else, because I was all done and had no more copper read to fire. This seemed just as natural to me as walking -- in fact a couple of the ladies watched what I was doing, because they said that I made it look easy. HA!

Kim said before I went in, that I would probably love the class, and then want to do it more. And it's funny, it was so very easy, almost natural to me, but I think I need more practice before I want to do a lot more of it. Right now, I'm thinking I may take the same class from him again next year, try it some more, and then see if I want to continue. For now, no more new stuff. (Well, that's not true ~ I bought a new sewing machine yesterday. I'd drooled over it for a while, and finally just went down & purchased. Ooh, it will be fun & and I'll post pics when I've got it up and running.)

Anyway, here's the bracelet - and the necklace I made from the bracelet scraps - complete with a toggle that I created out of some of the leftover wire from someone else's project. Geesh - once a scavenger, always a scavenger, I guess!

And, here's one of the panels from my class with Jane LaFazio, called "Paper on Cloth Collage." It will be interesting to see what it looks like once I add the stitching (with my new machine), as that will outline the flower, create the stem, and give some other little accents. When it's done, I will post.

Until next time ~ have a great day!

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More Art Unraveled Projects

One of the evening classes (a 3 hour class) that I took at Art Unraveled was with Kelly Kilmer - her "Little Book of Faux Monoprints." A great class where we painted and made little monoprints and then bound the pages into little books. Look at the cool pages, and the two neat little books I made that evening.

Another cool class was with Katie Kendrick, and okay, so my finished picture is laying on it's side in this post -- LOL, I'm going to try scanning it & inputting it again, anyway - I'm finding I'm not liking the posts with pictures of my projects as much as the very few that I've done with scans - so, here's a sideways "glimpse" of my finished project, along with a pic of Kim, Katie and myself -- isn't Kim's picture GREAT?

That's all for now - more later! Be artistic today!

What a time it was!

I've returned home from Art Unraveled in Phoenix. What a wonderful time it was. I think this year's classes were some of the best I've taken. I have so many cool projects to show - I finished EVERY project!!! (Now, to be fair, not every class was a project class - and to be fair, by Sunday evening I was pretty "full" of art stuff, but I still finished something in every class!!)

It was fun to reconnect with friends - Kim, it was great to spend time laughing and giggling with you, and making art. It was fun to make some new friends & getting better acquainted with people that I had met in previous years.

Over the next few days, I'll show you some of the work I did, and the people I spent time with - here's a start!

First stop, Frenzy Stamper in Scottsdale - I regularly watch the blog of this amazing Rubber Stamp store, and owner Debbie Bick has an amazing selection - it's like I'm making a pilgrimage when I walk in the doors!! Debbie is so fun, too - we laughed a lot the entire time I was there - turned out she was signed up for one of the same classes later in the week. To give you an idea of how great her store is, and filled with so much inspiration, take a look at the shelf behind her head - here's a close up of the books with the beautiful bindings that she has made - such eye candy I could stand and look at them for quite a long time!!

Kim & I took "Watercolor Transfer" from the gracious and kind Carla Sonheim. This is a wonderful technique and the results were astounding - although the picture below doesn't do it justice, the colors are muted, soft, flowing and dreamy - it's cool.

BTW - Kim & I met 4 years ago at Art Unraveled - she now lives in the Phoenix area, after having moved from Southern California. She was the first person I met at Art Unraveled, standing in line to register - we've been friends ever since. It was SO fun to get to share classes with her, and to spend time together -- this evening was the first time we'd seen each other in 2 years - yes, there was a lot of happy chatter from both of us during this class!!

L to R - me, Carla, Kim

aren't the colors dreamy?

Okay, I have to admit, when Carla saw this, she politely asked me, "so, are you a graphic designer or an accountant? Everything is so very orderly, I just assume you are a very orderly person." Hence, I tried to loosen up a little bit more on the others.... LOL!!!

Well, that's it for today - until next time!

To Camp We Go!

Well, I'm off to camp again! This time, it's art camp - Art Unraveled. I plan on posting pics to the blog as often as I can, to let you know about the classes I'm taking. It's going to be a fun trip, and one I've looked forward to since signing up for classes in February - it seems a little mean to make us sign up for classes in February and then wait.....wait......wait.....6 full months to get to take them.
Alas. Perhaps I should just be happy that I get all the time of blissful anticipation!

Until next time - from Art Unraveled! (or maybe someplace between here and there!)