Fun new projects!

I've had several projects I wanted to try and recently decided to dive into my creative "bucket list" and see what I could come up with!  This first is a "wave" bowl which I have seen for ages, and finally had to just try it - not bad for a first try, and I found just the perfect sea shell to adorn the front.

Next, I tried a bowl with swirls on the side - this was a challenge!  I wasn't sure how to space them out when I attached them to the base, and it was pretty wobbly to stitch together. But I do like the results, especially after I sewed on some small wood beads to give it a more finished look!

The bowl below is a cutie, if I say so myself!  I came across this fabric and decided it would make a fun bowl for Independence Day celebrations - made one and posted a photo on my Facebook biz page, and got an inquiry from a friend about buying it!  So I sent it off to her in California!

One of the groups I belong to on facebook does tie-dye color challenges, and I decided to try one with these colors - very different than what I normally use in my dyeing, but I thought it really popped!

Then I decided to try it on one of my rayon dresses:

Yikes!  Did I go too far with the orange?  Guess I'll find out - it's heading to Sedona Artist Market tomorrow.  If it languishes there over the summer, I guess I'll have my answer, lol!

I saved my latest Spirit Doll for last - she is quite different than most of my dolls - mounted on painted canvas that has corrugated cardboard added for texture, I really had fun playing with creating her... took awhile, but I love how she came out.  She's heading to Sedona tomorrow too, but if she doesn't sell, my heart won't be broken... I have had her hanging in the studio for over a month now, and she makes me smile whenever I see her!

So what else has kept me busy of late?  I'm doing a lot of promotional work on social media for Arts Connection!    We have several new artists who have joined us recently, so I've been posting on facebook and Instagram to highlight them and also our other artists - regular posts help keep followers interested, right?  If you're on either Facebook or Instagram you can check it out: https://www.facebook.com/ArtsConnectionAZ and https://www.instagram.com/artsconnectionaz/

I really love seeing our local artists coming in, and our community is very supportive! 

Okay, time to get back to work - I hope you are all enjoying our pre-summer season, wherever you are!

 

Time has flown the coop!

 Wow, I can't believe it's been over a month since my last post... time does fly, that's the truth!  I just looked back at my last posts, and see that I can update you on at least 2 WIP's I mentioned earlier:

Here is "Bright Maiden", finished and hung at Sedona Artists' Market:

I added a tulle overdress, beads and yarn streamers plus a Hamsa charm, and called her done.

Another WIP shown in that same post was a piece of bark I had cleaned and sealed, then I mounted a polymer clay face on it.  Then it languished, waiting for me to decide what more to do, until yesterday.  I pulled out a bag of feathers, auditioned some and glued a few down... that took care of that!

On the non-creative front, my hubby Bruce had to have emergency hernia surgery after Thanksgiving, and once he got through that, there were still follow-up doctor visits from his mini-strokes to keep us busy.  They discovered he has afib, so changed his blood thinners to handle that.  But all the doctor visits, etc., took us away from our regular visits to the gym to exercise.  After 2 months of inactivity, I started getting on the treadmill at home to try and get back into a routine.  Last week, I was working to increase my speed, and also wanted to give my arms a workout so I was pumping on the "walking stick" feature... that night, I laid on the floor to watch TV and got a super strong, sharp pain in my right shoulder!  I should mention that my right shoulder has given me problems in the  past, but it had been feeling just fine for quite awhile, so I must have forgotten to be careful.  At any rate, I got xrays done Tuesday, and I start physical therapy today to see what can be done to get me back to "normal"!  Guess I'm not as young as I used to be, lol!

But I'm not letting it slow me down too much - I recently finished making another crochet rope bowl:

I used several yarns, including some interesting yarn I picked up at a thrift store, then added a piece of bark that I glued feathers to, along with a small copper colored bead.  Yep, bark and feathers - my new obsession!

And I'm busy dyeing some cotton jersey shells to bring to Sedona Artist Market next month:

I'm sure I've forgotten to mention other things I've been doing this past month, but I guess this will have to do for now.   I'm looking forward to our next trip to Sedona, and sometime in the future, my friend Joyce and I will be taking a day trip to the valley to enjoy the warmer temps, shop and browse - an annual trip we make when it starts to warm up down there!

Hope you are all having a good January - stay warm!

2021 Comes to a close...

 And what a year it has been!  My friend Cinde and I became contributing artists at Sedona Artist Market

Which led to a return for me to creating Spirit Dolls

And lots of tie-dye as well as some bowls

All in all, Sedona has been a great place to sell, and Cinde and I have enjoyed our monthly trips down to restock our booths, hike when the weather permitted, and enjoy a nice lunch together!

At Arts Connection, I stepped down early this year as co-manager and focused on keeping my booth there stocked with tie-dye, bowls, and recently some freeform weavings:

This year, we were able to resume our annual Flagstaff Open Studios tour, and although we were not sure if people would be ready to come out in gatherings due to the pandemic, we were pleasantly surprised to have a good turnout, and good sales!

On the personal front, we did have a couple of health scares - in October, Bruce had a couple of "mini strokes" which landed him in the hospital, with a myriad of follow up doctor appointments and tests.  They finally determined he has atrial fibrillation, and have modified some medications to fight blood clots.  And he has lost about 20 pounds, which is all good.  He also had to have emergency hernia surgery a few weeks back, but has healed nicely from that.  He just celebrated his 79th birthday, and we're hoping the coming year will find him in better health!

One bit of very good news - our Son Joe returned stateside after a year long deployment in Kuwait, and he and his wife Dawn will be moving from PA to TX soon, and will be coming for a visit after the first of the year.  It will be awesome to see them, and good to know they are located closer to us so maybe we can see them more often!

So as the year comes to a close, my thoughts are focused on what I want to do in 2022... right now, my creative juices are low, and I'm taking it easy, just concentrating on what I need to do, but also giving thought to what new directions I want to take creatively.  I recently bought a couple of books that I hope will get me started:

I'm always looking for hand stitching projects I can work on, especially when I work shifts at Arts Connection which is pretty much every Monday now.  And the clay book will be helpful as I strive to learn how to make my own clay faces for my Spirit Dolls.  I have another book coming soon:

I saw this in a blog post as I was admiring the blog author's freeform crochet vessels... right up my alley!  

So that's the plan so far for 2022... meanwhile, I want to wish you all a  Happy Holiday season, and a New Year of Peace, Good Health and Dreams fulfilled!

So.... what have I been doing lately?

 I've been in kind of a creative "blah" period lately... wanting to do something different, but everything I try seems to not inspire me to continue!  Every felt that?  I used to go into a creative "black hole" mostly by the end of the year, but it seems like I've been full steam ahead for the past few years.  So maybe this is just a call for time-out to catch my breath, creatively speaking.  Anyway, here are some pix of several works in progress - some may never go any further, others do have some promise... just a matter of deciding which appeals to me more.

Above, top left is a Spirit Doll that needs more, I'm just not sure what yet; top right is one in progress, but it will be a little different - I want to mount it on a flat surface, maybe a painted canvas... but haven't decided the size or shape of the canvas yet.  And below is the start of a hand stitched piece with houses.  I stopped because the first window I stitched down (lower left) is crooked, and I didn't feel like removing the stitches and doing it over, so put it aside for now.

In the picture above, I started playing with stitching swirls using a blanket stitch - the one on the dark blue background started with a blanket stitch, then I decided to make it more like a ladder stitch, if there even is such a thing!  The concentric circle is a loop stitch.  The one with the black background is more to my liking, but I have no plan for what to do next, so this is more of a stitch meditation/exercise than something with a plan in mind.  And the piece on the right is based on an article I read in QA magazine from Dec/Jan 2020 by Julie Basseches Booth where she creates small talisman pouches using layers of sheer fabrics and covers with yarn and threads she couches onto the base, then adds beads and other items before stitching the pouch together.  I've admired her work for a long time, and would love to use her techniques in my textile projects.

So other than these WIPS, what have I been up to?  Mostly dyeing shirts and tunics!  I did a few recently using a "multi swirl" pattern which were fun - here are a couple of them.

The tunic above was tie-dyed

The shirt above was "Ice dyed", meaning instead of using a liquid dye where the dye powder is dissolved in water, I apply dye powders directly onto the tied shirt, then cover with ice cubes.  As the cubes slowly dissolve, they gradually dissolve the dye powders.  Most dyes are made up of several different dye colors, so there is color separation as the item batches.  I love how they come out, but they do take a lot longer to batch so I don't do them as much.  But I love this latest batch, so may have to get some more going soon!  I got a shipment of rayon tunic blanks yesterday which are selling well at Sedona Artists' Market, so maybe I can get a bunch done before I go down next month.

So that's what I've been doing lately... how about  you?  Happy Thanksgiving to you all, and I'll see you soon!

Open Studios returns, Sedona sizzles, now what?

 

After having to cancel our annual Flagstaff Open Studios Tour last year, we were blessed to be able to have a successful event this year!  I was dismal at taking pictures - this one was taken by my friend Cinde Dalhover, who hosted the studio again this year.  We had 5 artists in total, and while the crowds weren't as heavy as in previous events, we had a good turnout and many of those who came also bought, and even placed custom orders!  Thanks to all who came out to support local art, it is greatly appreciated!

Meanwhile, down at Sedona Artists' Market, my summer rayon garments were flying off the rack - had my best sales to date, and I'm over the moon thrilled!  Time to dye, but I have to wait for the garments to be back at my suppliers - all their rayon comes from Indonesia and other Asian countries, and shipping is still backlogged... hope to get more this month, then I can build my inventory up again for the winter crowd!

On another note, I did finish another Spirit Doll last week - this is "Guardian of the Night":

She is clothed in silver lame' (I've had that fabric for over 30 years!), black tulle with stars, eyelash yarn, a polymer clay face, hand beaded crescent moon, feather and angelina fiber headdress, and a sequin and bead face embellishment.

She will join her sisters in Sedona as soon as there is a free space for her.

Meanwhile, back to Summer's end - our property is always covered with wild Coreopsis this time of year, which I recently had mowed (otherwise, the property looks like it's derelict!) but growing wild out back are some giant Sunflowers!  I got this photo yesterday - isn't it magnificent?

With only a few more days of Summer, the temperatures are starting to cool some - we have had the best Monsoon Season in years, breaking lots of records and bathing the entire state with much needed rains.  As the temps cool, my thoughts turn to soup making, so I am making a batch of Meatball Minestrone for dinner, with enough leftovers for tomorrow and probably a lunch as well!  

Enjoy the season, and if you are in Flagstaff, stop by Arts Connection at Flagstaff Mall!  In addition to our regular artists, we are hoping to have at least a small display later this month into October of Recycled Art created by members of the community!  Open Noon daily, and I hope to see you there!

Off Loom Weaving and other projects

 I recently created my second off loom weaving, using a foam board card as my loom. It was a little more difficult to use compared to a regular loom, so I bought an easel loom for future projects. But I do like how it turned out... love using a variety of yarns and wood to add texture and visual interest!

Right now, I'm busy building my inventory for our annual Flagstaff Open Studios tour scheduled for

Aug 28-29.  

This will be the 12th year I have done the tour, and always love seeing friends and shoppers, and visiting with some of my fellow artists.  This year, we will have 5 at my friend Cinde's house, so it should be a fun weekend.

 

I'm also continuing to create my spirit dolls, which seem to be selling well at Sedona Artists' Market... I was hoping they would!  Here is my latest, "Wild Child" who will be going there Friday with a few others I've blogged about in past posts:

So, what's next?  Well, a couple of years ago, I tried my hand at eco-printing... you can see my post about it here. 

 I made a bunch of cards, then tried several scarves, but as usual... moved on to other things, and haven't done anything else with it since 2019.  But recently, I was inspired to do some tea-dyeing after watching a great video on a tiktok post, and did a few tries with tea I rescued from tea bags... not great results.  But my friend Jana of Little Cabin Soaps is an avid tea drinker, and she has donated loose tea from a local shop that she had in her stash.  I did my first experiment with it yesterday, and got great colors, but not the great designs I saw on tiktok.  So I'm going to combine some of the loose tea with leaves from the yard and see how that works!  It involves clamping together a number of papers with leaves sandwiched in between, and steaming or boiling for a couple of hours, so I'm re-assembling my equipment and chemicals to do a batch this weekend.

But that's not all!  I watched another video that creates prints with leaves, AND adds some dye to the mix to give it more color, so that's on my list too!  

I will "show and tell" pix in my next post, so check back soon... I don't think I'll be able to wait long to share the results (if they come out!).  Meanwhile, hope you are enjoying your summer!  We've had a very good Monsoon season so far this year... lots of rain, even had a lightning strike nearby take down our internet for 3 days, but the moisture is so welcome!

Until next time, Happy August!

Summer: heat, rain and FOS preparations +++

 I swear, someone has set the clock and calendar ahead again... the time just whizzes by before I know it!  My last post was in May.... what happened to June?  And here we are nearing mid-July already!  I just re-read my last post... seems the pace has not slowed since then, but part of the reason is:  my Spirit Dolls have been selling at the Sedona Artist Market, woo-hoo!  I sold one in May, and I think 2 or 3 in June, and at least one so far this month!  So you  know I'm cranking more out as quickly as I can, especially since we are planning to resume our annual Flagstaff Open Studios Tour the end of August!  So there's that to get ready for, and keeping inventory ready to put in both galleries.  I think I will try to take a day or two off in September, lol!

In the garden, I have some basil, parsley, chives and tomatoes growing, and some nasturtiums are sprouting in planters on the deck.  My 2 geranium cuttings are doing well.  I had hoped to do a lot more planting this year, but it's still really hot most days... monsoons in the forecast for next week which will lower the temps, but it might be too late to get much going, so I think I'll focus on cleanup and maybe get a handyman to come do some maintenance work to spruce things up.

I promise to do better about posting more often, honest!  But for now, the housework needs to start, and I'm in production mode at least for the next month.  Stay cool, and I hope you enjoy the summer!

Going in all directions at once!

Good Grief!

Every once in awhile, I find myself going slightly crazy trying to do six or seven... or a dozen things at once!  It's like I get hit with a heavy downpour of creativity and I'm trying to juggle that with regular activities (laundry, meals, shopping, etc) and I start spinning out of control!  Well, that's what's been happening lately, and that's why it's been awhile since my last post.  

As mentioned a few posts back, I got back into making Spirit Dolls... the kind of project that I love because it's totally freeform with very few requirements:  sticks, scraps of fabric, yarn, ribbon, etc. And faces to give them personality.  It helps to have thread, glue, and a place to spread it all out so you can play.

Above, my work table with boho beads in progress

Got myself a new hot glue gun, and it's awesome!

A SMALL portion of my yarn stash... more in the closet!

My collection of wood - twigs, bark, branches

My current doll in progress

So I've been haunting Pinterest for quite awhile, looking for inspiration and ideas... always with questions unanswered and no  clue where to go for them.  Then I posted on a facebook group I belong to called Fiber Arts/ Mixed Media Art, asking if anyone made Spirit Dolls and if they knew of any groups that shared about them.  Nope, so you know what followed... I started my own group and let the Fiber Arts folks know, and now I have 61 members!  If you are on facebook and want to join (for those who haven't already) the group is called Spirit dolls and guides.  

So far, I've posted the names of a couple of books and a tutorial I have used as references.  And yesterday I found a great video tutorial on making Spirit Dolls, and another one on making Boho beads, which I love to use as embellishments.  And now I have a group of friends to schmooze with about making them, woo-hoo!

But that's not all I've been doing - one of my long time tie-dye customers has been buying clothing for me to dye for her and her husband, so that's on the "to do" list with more to come!

Here's a shot of one of the shirts in progress - I still have to overdye with black after tying into a pattern:

And there are 4 more after this, all with the rainbow/black combo... this gal loves color!

Other than that, I have some herb seedlings started in the patio room along with a geranium cutting that I rooted in water... projects galore waiting to be farmed out to handy workers - waiting for checks from the bank, then I can get those started.  Spring cleaning is underway... slowly, but surely!  So now you know why I haven't posted in awhile, but hopefully I will get back to a more regular schedule soon!

Happy Spring, all... and hope you're all well and happy!

Playing with dolls

 A few years back, I tried my hand at making a few Spirit Dolls... something I think I came across on Pinterest - my favorite rabbit hole! 😉  I think I made about 4 or 5, but they weren't big sellers either at Arts Connection or at our annual Open Studios tour, so I hung them in my studio and moved on.  But recently, my interest came back... my thought being this might be something that would be of interest at Sedona Artist Market Gallery.  I sent pictures to the gallery manager, and she said "sure, bring them!" so I dug out my supplies and started making them again.  

This reminds me of when I was  a kid - during the summer, we would spend time with my paternal grandmother, who was a quilter.  Grandma Doane let me raid her fabric stash for scraps I could use to "make" doll clothes, which was pretty much wrapping them around the doll and tying them with another strip of fabric... fast forward, and I think my time "Playing with dolls" stayed with me, and I'm right back there playing with scraps of fabric, yarn, ribbon... you name it!  Here's the first one I finished recently:

I named her "Dancing in the Moonlight" - I used a crescent moon earring for a pendant, and have added some star sequins to her "hair".

Here's a closer view

This is "Lady Bountiful" - I actually made her a few years ago, but did some more work on her this week to add to her appeal.  I had scraps of fabric collage I made a few years back, and decided she needed a small purse.

This is another one I made a few years ago - the one I sent a photo of to the gallery manager.  I call her "Colorful Soul", and she makes me think of Mardi Gras... festive!

I have my stash of wood branches, fabric and yarn, as well as some other "faces" that I bought from Lyn Belisle of EarthShards.com.  Lyn says "The evocative Shard Faces originated in old sculpture gardens and cemeteries and were carefully and respectfully captured in clay with a press mold".

I do hope to make some of my own faces using push molds for future projects, but will use up the ones I got from her first.  Meanwhile, the never ending fabric stash will keep me going for a long time to come!

Coiled Bowl Class and "Blue Lady"

I taught my first Coiled Fabric Bowl class yesterday at our local quilt store, Odegaard's Sewing.  I had 7 lovely ladies as my students - one was a self-confessed complete novice to sewing - and they were just great!  We had a four hour class, and I took them through the whole process with some individual coaching where needed.  Here are some shots of the class, and a group shot at the end (one lady had to leave early, but all the others were either finished with their bowl or real close!)

I am teaching the class again May 5, and I hope the next group is as great to work with as these gals were.

On another note, I have been getting back into making "Spirit Dolls", something I began dabbling in about a year ago.  Here are the ones I made last year:

I loved how these came out, but I think I have taken my dolls to a new level with the one I just finished:

I call her "Blue Lady".  One of the things I like is the face, which is one of 3 I bought from Lyn Belisle.  She makes them from clay and they are fired, then painted.  The features are lovely, and the size is a little larger than the ones I made from a mold.  "Blue Lady is about 20" long and 9" wide at the arms.  

Now that I have more wood to work with, and a plethora of fabrics, yarns and other fiber and bead embellishments, I hope to have some sisters for her soon... and they will be on display at the Arts Connection Gallery in the Flagstaff Mall starting in May.  Come by and welcome the ladies!