Wednesday, June 30, 2010

ACEO-X (3.0) Submissions

Time's up for ACEO-X (3.0) - all the tiny works of art should be in the mail, flying to their new owner. Which one is on its way to you?

*Sorry guys - I meant to get this posted yesterday but I was still waiting on one last photo. An extra thanks to those participants who made it in well before the deadline - I really appreciate it!
*No wordless wednesday today - just some great ACEOs to scroll through!

1. Kate of scientificculture:2. Leslie:
4. Kara of karalennox:5. Lindsay:
14. And I decided to submit my Asian goddess Guan Yin:
Again - thank you to everyone who participated in another successful round of ACEO-X!

Item of the day: Bath & Body Bar

I love handmade soap - I've tried some from many different sellers, Canadian & American. I can't say that I've found a favourite, as long as it's handmade it's good. One Canadian seller that I've tried & loved is carvelcountrysoaps. Great scents, awesome lather & long lasting - what more could you ask for?

Saturday, June 26, 2010

So Lucky

Yesterday, I wanted to challenge myself - I've mentioned before how I've been inspired by Kelly Rae Robert's Taking Flight book & I wanted to take that inspiration & apply it to a mixed-media piece. Here's what I came up with:
If you've ever glanced at Kelly Rae's work, you can definitely see how I was influenced by her book. I combined a few of her techniques with what I hope is my own style. Can you see the resemblance between this girl & my goddesses?
One medium that I'm encouraged to play around with more is paint. In my collages, I tend to stick to pencil crayon & ink - I used that too in this piece, but I also incorporated some paint in the background & to make my figure, as the book shows.
I also used some graphite pencils, which really helped make the outlines pop.
When I was trying to decide on what theme or feeling to go with for this piece, I browsed through some old cards. I found quite a few from Pat & was feeling particularly loved after reading some of the sweet things he's written. So I decided to make this collage for him - and for me: as a reminder of just how lucky I am.
Indeed, "I am so lucky" kept playing through my head, so I wrote it on my girl's chest & collaged a heart over it. Then I noticed that Pat had written the same sentiment in one of his letters - which I highlighted.
So here was my process: after collaging the sentimental background, I sponged paint over top. I used doilies to get a neat pattern. Then I inked over all that. I used some gold & copper ink, so there's some shine to the piece. I sketched out the girl next & painted her in. Next came the finishing touches with graphite pencil, a few more collaged elements & a bit more ink & paint.
I'm really, really pleased with how it turned out. I realize the balance of the piece isn't perfect - there's a lot of empty space in the top left corner. I should have pushed my girl closer to center, but I didn't want her to have a crease from the collaged background in her face. Regardless, this piece definitely holds a special place in my heart & will have a place of honour on my shelf.

Item of the day: Teapots & Jugs

I mentioned yesterday how I won a shopping spree in South Africa (from the lovely rikrak) - so of course I've been browsing South African shops. I'm leaning towards these great tea towels by skinnylaminx.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Friday Five

I don't know about you, but I am so glad it's Friday!
  1. I WON! I WON!!! I was blown away when I received a convo from one of my favourite bloggers (& Canadian too!), rikrakstudio, letting me know I had won the 2010 handmade world cup! I get to go shopping in South Africa - how awesome is that?
  2. I finally retook that allergy skin test - and I reacted to histamine this time, as I was supposed to. But I didn't react to anything else - figured, I'm not allergic to much. Then I did a methacholine test to make sure I'm not asthmatic - I'm not. Again, no surprise there. So I'm considered normal (ha!) & am going to be giving blood & sputum for a study next week. Great....
  3. I updated my blog template - blogger has a new design thing out so I wanted to try it. Plus, I was tired of those other dots - too busy. These ones are much more relaxing.
  4. I made some red velvet cupcake to see what all the hype is about ... meh. They didn't turn out spectacular, so I definitely won't be repeating that recipe. I will be repeating this tandoori chicken recipe from Kayotic Kitchen though - it was delicious (Pat even asked that I make it again!).
  5. I listed this pretty bracelet (I have a choker in these colours, just beautiful):

Item of the day: Oh Happy Day!

The first thing that always pops into my head when I first wake up on a Friday is "Oh happy day!" This sweet original painting by noodleandlou captures the sentiment perfectly.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Things I've been working on..

Here's a little peek at a few things that have been on my craft desk this week.
First up - goddesses. I was in the mood for ACEO making yesterday, so I made 3. Above is Bia, Greek goddess of force & compulsion. She's my favourite & the first goddess of my series with her back turned to the audience.
This is Saraswati, Indian goddess of speech & wisdom. She originally started out with her mouth closed, but as I continued constructing her, it was clear she was trying to say something. A little research made it obvious who she was meant to be.
Finally, here's the 3rd Goddess ACEO I made yesterday. I haven't named her yet - she seems Asian to me, but I can't seem to find the perfectly suited deity. Perhaps Kwan Yin, goddess of mercy & compassion...?
I've also been working on paper flowers this week.
After receiving some positive comments on the blue one in my Wordless Wednesday last week, I decided to make a few more. The blue one was constructed quite some time ago - I was just never all that happy with how it turned out, so I slapped a magnet on the back & forgot about it.
These ones turned out much better with their uniform petal shape. They're a great way to use up scraps of paper. I'm thinking of putting them in my paper shop ... I'm just not sure what you could do with them besides a magnet...? Any ideas?

Fabric cuffs have been on my mind for ages. I'm not sure why I kept putting it off, it took no time at all:
I'm quite pleased with how it turned out - I've been wearing it almost non-stop for a week now. The inside is a patchwork of scraps of 4 different fabrics - I originally wanted it to be reversible, but I had some difficulties with the buttonhole / sizing. So I'll be practicing a bit more before I offer these in my sewing shop. If you'd like one of the practice ones (free!), let me know!

Item of the day: Petals Earrings

I love mixed-media artwork - & I especially appreciate it when jewelry artists incorporate non-standard materials in their work. Take MGMart for example & these gorgeous satin butterfly earrings:
Unusual & unique, they look incredibly delicate & feminine.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Collections: ACEOs

Seeing as I'm hosting my ACEO swap right around now, I thought it was a good time to show you my own ACEO collection. Especially now that it's all organized into a binder (well, almost all - I still have a few on my walls).
So, from left to right, top to bottom:
The backs are almost as beautiful:
Here's the second page:
Again, from left to right, top to bottom:
Here's page 3:
Page 4:
  • Daisies by artbydonnarose
  • The End by TheSecretNest
  • Morning Lute by jerise
  • Dia De Los Muertos by ... hmmm... dre...? That's what the signature looks like. I think I got it with one of my other ACEOs, but I can't remember now...
  • Spring by nikid2
  • Unicorn by Belinda Hall (formerly of bellsakabin)
  • Linden Trees by jerise
  • The Visitor by GrayArt
OK, last page (only 2 more landscapes):Now, that we're finished flipping through the binder, let's have a look around the apartment. I have 2 more by Jerise hanging on my wall beside my craft desk (Ocean 2 and Water Hose):Right above that hangs a magnetic board with this cute Baby Jackrabbit by tapestry316 (you can also see a sweet magnet by misseskwittys here):My craft desk has a magnetic whiteboard where I've pinned my first Goddess ACEO - Aphrodite - and Homegrown by GrayArt (the little house magnet is by thelittlereddoor).When I sit at my desk, there's a small space of wall right in front of me - I have these 2 ACEOs there (along with some Doodlage artwork & a wooden 7 I collaged):The top one is Trees by willowcatstudio & the bottom one is A Wooden House by wendy_kirk.

I also have The Bright Guys by Cheryl Schmidt on my fridge (again, this one was included with the purchase of something else, so I don't have any link...):And finally, I have FauxBois Tree by BrowningtonForest framed in my living room:Not too shabby a collection, if you ask me! I can't wait to add in the next one from ACEO-X!

Which one is your favourite?