Gudonya!

Gone to the Dogs

2009-03-18T08:15:00.003-05:00

Just a bit of eye candy while I tend to my sick kids (AGAIN). Strep is going around their school. Thankfully, they get to go back tomorrow, cuz I'm getting a little crabby from three days without art, let me tell ya!

Aaaaaanyhoo, both pieces are acrylics on watercolor paper. Enjoy! Thanks for stopping by!

Pussycat Pussycat

2009-03-06T12:29:00.003-06:00

I am officially all caught up with my post cards. They've been sent and people are beginning to let me know they're arriving where they should be. Here is the last one: something that begins with P. I painted a piece of fabric and layered it in my usualy way, with Timtex and the bottom layer is cardstock. I love to paint and decided to give this post card extra effort since my recipients waited so long (and so patiently, too!).

Thanks a million for the wonnnnnderful trades! I pull out my post card collection every once in a while and every time I'm amazed at the beautiful work!

K is for Kansas

2009-03-04T19:28:00.005-06:00

/\ FRONT KANSAS PAGE /\

/\ BACK KANSAS PAGE /\

/\ FRONT OF TAGS /\

/\ BACK OF TAGS /\

I'm in a private art group (that stems from treasurearttrends) in which we're making a book of all 50 states plus the US Possessions. I've not been involved in such a major project, so I'm really REALLY jacked!

We have to make 13 of each page and I worked on Kansas today. I'm happy with how it turned out - whaddaYOUthink?

Red Ribbons, Red Ribbons

2009-03-02T18:08:00.001-06:00

And the final post card for artsnthemail is Red Ribbons. This set had to reflect "something that begins with R". I like how they turned out and am working on something bigger along this same line.

Easy to do, all it is is a painted piece of Timtex, painted ribbons (which I then sliced thinner) and red thread. I enjoyed sewing the meandering lines. Very therapeutic.

A Girl and her Gun

2009-03-02T15:09:00.004-06:00

I'm catching up on things that have been patiently waiting in line to be finished. Since I completed another one, I figured I earned the right to finally play with my new lutradur. I LOVE it! This piece is a rusty copper over green aqua fabric. I like the heat gun and playing with this first piece has given me some ideas. I'm looking forward to more play time!

Good To Be Queen

2009-03-01T12:28:00.006-06:00

I'm juuuuuust about caught up with my postcard trades. They all get mailed out tomorrow - YAY! :o) Just making it before the postal hike, I'll be glad to have them on their way to their new homes. I hope they enjoy them!

This one had to be something that begins with "Q". I HAD to do something with Queen! It's made from fabric on Timtex, then painted randomly with aqua, stitched with a blue sulky metallic thread. I stitched the crown down and it's made from watercolor paper painted with gold Lumiere. Letters were stamped, varnish applied and sprinkled with fine, iridescent glitter.

Go ahead and treat yourself like a Queen today. You're WORTH IT! :o)

2 + 5 = Art

2009-03-01T12:18:00.006-06:00

Boy, how time flies. I can't believe it's already Sunday. Where on earth did Saturday go?!

To push things back even FURTHER, last Friday, the kiddos were off school. SO. We had a houseful of kids over for Art Day followed by a sleepover. Since we had some little ones here, we started off with a simpler project. We made collage bookmarks. OMG, they were SO into it! I chopped up all kinds of papers and had them, along with glue, brushes & paints, on the table. They went crazy. I loved watching them go from a wee bit outta control laughing and yelling (giving me a headache) to almost instant quiet as they began to work on their treasures.

So here are some shots of their final products. I'm already working on our next Art Day...

The Things I DO...

2009-02-26T11:31:00.003-06:00

...for my husband! Today is his birthday and he submitted a request for his favorite: carrot cake. So, I checked with my boyfriend (which is what my hub calls "google") and found a new recipe. Supposed to be the very BEST carrot cake recipe EVER. We'll see about that. I just finished shredding 6 cups - yeah, 6 CUPS! - of carrots. My hand looks like I glazed it with orange acrylic! Sigh.... but I suppose he's worth it... :o)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY LOVE!!!!

FABulous Fabric Finds

2009-02-25T08:25:00.007-06:00

On Fiber Art Traders a coupla weeks ago, we had a fun members/vendors sale week. We each posted anything we had for sale, which was fine enough. The really great part was when the vendors posted links to their shops as well as any FAT discount! Boy, I had never been to almost all of those places, and I'm really glad I have now. Talk about eye candy.

I made a purchase of lutradur (FINALLY!), since UK Kathy has teased me long ENOUGH about her fantastic use of the stuff, and a few fabrics from Material Girls in Michigan. I gotta tell you, Barb's fabs are really REALLY nice! I loved how they looked in the pix in her shop. But once I got to see them in my own face and touch them, I was SO glad I didn't listen to the evil plastic guard who resides in my wallet!

For instance, the copper fabric doesn't look brocade-like at all in the pic, so I thought it was a cool-looking copper-colored batik kinda piece. I should tell you here that I am a complete copper nut! But then when my package arrived, I had GOOSEbumps when I saw the pattern on this stuff. OMG, it is GORgeous!

The two Kaufman swirlies are, as usual, completely yummy, as all Kaufman fabs are. But again, I thought the pics looked like the swirlies were bigger. In actuality, they're a lot smaller and I LOVE them even more.

And even though I wanna wrap myself up in that copper piece, I think I gotta go with the Aussie Aboriginal fab as my fave. Once again, the pattern is smaller than thought. It is SOOOO cool!! I don't know what I'm gonna make out of it, or how I'm gonna get the courage to take a rotary cutter to it, but man, it is WONNNNNNNNderful!

Thanks for such fantastic fabrics, Barb - I'll keep an eyeball on your shop! And the rest of you, check it out if you're looking for some top-quality stash additions. Oh, and especially if you like African pieces - she has some of the most beautiful prints of African women in her shop. And a really cute African animals one that I debated on. Now I wish I had bought it. I guess I'll have to watch for the evil plastic guard taking a nap...

REAL Portable Pressing Boards

2009-02-23T10:41:00.006-06:00

I got to the end of my rope when I needed to press something this morning (making art, of course, I don't press all of our clothes). I have one of those so-called "portable" pressing boards. Problem is, it's, like, 18" x 24". So NOT portable, if you ask me. I mean, if I wanna fuse something to a post-card sized piece, I SURE as hayll don't wanna get up, draaaaaaaag it out, scootch my chair back, balance it on my lap whilst attempting to hold and iron this tiny piece! Cuz I can guaranfreakintee you, I'm gonna burn myself! SO, there it was, the end of my rope. Time to stop what I was doing and remedy the situation.

I had these birch boards already cut to 12" square. I WAS gonna paint on 'em, but since we live in a place so filled with humidity, it wrecks everything not ziplocked with silica pouches four different ways, they warped all to spit.

Aaaaaanywho, I used those, covered them with 2 layers of cotton batting and cotton fabric. Six long glue sticks later, they're finito! They are SOOOOOOOO great to work with! OMG, I could kick myself for not making these sooner. They slide nicely into my side workbench next to me and the best part is, I don't have to futz with 'em while fusing. Yay for ME! (And, it's about damn time!)

Krazee Kritters

2009-02-22T16:13:00.004-06:00

I was on Crazy Art Girl's blog (it might have been an old one??) last night and she mentioned an idea of doing something new each day. Whether it's trying a new technique, or using a new material, it doesn't matter. Just do one new thing each day. And I've had a few projects going for a while and something new sounded great to me! I mean, sometimes ya don't wanna start another month-long project, but you need a break from what you're currently doing. So that's what we did today.

We woke up, the kiddos and I, and wanted to paint. What to paint, what to paint. We went round and round, looked at some new books, then settled on these. We've been drawing "monsters", "critters", whatEVER you wanna call 'em for months now. But since we're getting more and more into dolls, we thought we'd make our creations into something we could hold.

SO... we worked on some basic drawings for a bit. Then I took those and traced them onto white sateen cotton and we painted them. WHAT FUN!! This cotton is a DREAM to paint on! The paint goes on so creamy and opaque. We were happily surprised at how nice they came out! I stitched mine and Chloe's (lavender cat) with a vivid variegated rainbow sulky thread, which looks REALLY great, even though you can't tell. Then, Denny chose copper metallic sulky for his red guy. Again, looks fab.

I then layered 'em with a back, two layers of fleece and a bit of fiberfill. Although I never quite got back to getting my current projects a wee bit closer to completion, this was a really fun break!

Get the Flock Outta Here!

2009-02-19T09:40:00.004-06:00

(aka "For The Birds" ATC trade on Fiber Art Traders)

W.O.W. I got the BEST ATCs in the mail this and last week! As shown above, in order, are ATCs received from Kathy (with an extra ATC and a piece of mystery paper - kinda feels like lutradur, but maybe not), Wanda, Linda, Leilani & Charmion. Charmion also enclosed some extra fibers, which are gonna get used as soon as I finish up my current projects. They are SO pretty, in browns and blues. (And kinda freaky that she sent these colors, because I was just telling Kathy that I'd like to work more with brown combos. It's fate, I tell ya!) Then the bottom pic is of the COOLEST 2-mile long string/thread that Charmion also sent. I mean, it's COOL! It's an aqua iridescent color which I know you can't pick up from the pics, but hey, I tried) and feels like flat fishing line. Wanda, one of the most talented quilting artists, knew what it was, and I'm gonna go and see if I can pick some up tomorrow. I'm dying to make some abstract stuff with it!!

A million thanks go out to everyone who traded with me! Your talent will be forever treasured!! I have to tell you that Linda was inspired by Counting Crows' song 'Mr. Jones', which coincidentally, is one of my favorite songs. Don't cha love it?! And Leilani's owl - is it not the sweetest thing?! I wish you could feel the texture in her piece! Kahty, who never ceases to amaze me, made her little water hunter by FREEHAND machine embroidery! Sheesh! I wish I could learn how to do that, but I'm afraid mine would look more like a coughed-up hairball (which is also why I cannot needle-felt. sigh.....). It probably didn't take Wanda very long to perfect her creations (that's a compliment, Wanda!), but let me tell ya - it's GORgeous in person! The paint and threads on the brown base are really great - and the different stitches around the edge really finish it off. Love it! And how could ANYone resist Charmion's "Birdies On Board" nest?! Not me! It's SO cute in person - I wish the pictures could do these art pieces justice.

Honestly, the imagination on FAT is really growing! If you haven't checked us out yet, you should. I always squeal with delight (sad, maybe, but I DO!) when I see some familiar names signed up to trade with me on FAT! THANKS, GIRLS!!

Garbage Anyone?

2009-02-19T09:22:00.005-06:00

I'm a recycler. I don't usually USE things and turn them into useable things. I just place them into our newfangled recycle bin for the garbaggio guy to take. But then I happened upon a technique and I am LOVING it. Turning those plastic grocery bags into art.

Yeah, I hear you loud and clear. You don't need to scream: "WHY ARE YOU STILL USING THOSE THINGS?!?!" Right? Well, FYI, I don't still get them. Ok, except for earlier this week when I zipped off to the store and realized my fabric grocery bags were still in the Exploder, which my hub took to work. However, I have a zillion of these things out in the loft because I saved them and saved them. We have garage sales every year, sometimes a few different ones, so we were always using and reusing them. But from now on, I'm afraid people are gonna have to bring their OWN dang bags to our g-sale, cuz I'm using mine on cool stuff!

Aaaaaanyhoo, I made the above wallet (front, back and front opened up views) with plastic bags, paint, and a LOTTA fun! I'm revamping the process a bit and am really loving them! I'm almost done with a little purse for my 5YO princess. I'll post that once it's done.

In the meantime, Enjoy your day and feel it love you back!! Someone said that to me last week and I LOVED the way it made me feel! :o)

100 Days Brighter

2009-02-19T09:08:00.004-06:00

So my 5YO girly came home with this crown the other day (they're forever making crowns in school to celebrate special days, which I love, cuz then we wear them around all the time and feel like the Queens we ARE! LOL!). They celebrated the 100th day of school. It made me stop and think for a minute and wonder if I, too, was a hundred days brighter. I am proud to say that YES, I definitely AM a hundred days brighter!

I hope that you all, even if you're officially finished with school, are also a hundred days brighter. Treat yourself well and never EVER stop learning! Read, check things out from the library, take fun classes, do things with friends and family - whatever it takes. Just keep that brain growing and you'll always benefit from it.

I find this to be especially true during this bad economy (yeah, I'm tired of hearing about it every day, too, but I'm proving a point here). I mean, how much more depressed would we all feel without our art and our constant "yearn to learn"? I don't know about you, but I'd be pretty freaked out. I find solace in creating. In trying new techniques. In receiving trades in the mailbox that otherwise holds WAY too many bills.

Speech is over - now go get brighter!! :o)

Cat Bird

2009-02-08T08:32:00.003-06:00

We're at the tail end of another fun trade on Fiber Art Traders. This one's called "For The Birds" (as in "this weather is for the birds!"). I'm always impressed with the creativity of our members in these trades, as pictures posted run the gamut when it comes to birds.

I'm really getting more and more into painting and don't quite feel the same if a busy day goes by that I was unable to get into my art room. So I had a lotta fun painting my Cat Birds. Tweet! Tweet! Meooooowwwww!

Milestone Madness

2009-02-07T12:50:00.005-06:00

We have a birthday party to go to tonight and I'm excited about it! My hub's aunt turns 50, so her hub and kids are throwing her a big party. The fun part is what I made for her - these 4 fridge magnets. No, not to be mean. In fact, I bet they'll be one of the few positive gifts she'll get (you know how everyone just LOVES to poke fun at the women getting older!). I think she'll like 'em. I might even put some into my Etsy shop....

...please excuse what looks like defects in the color. It's glare because these puppies are so shiny. They're solid black.

Hard to Let Go

2009-02-07T12:17:00.005-06:00

I woke up to a beautiful day, full of sunshine and MELTING SNOW! Yippee! I made some chai tea, then stumbled over to the 'puter to check my email. What's that? I sold something in my Etsy shop? COOL!

Well, I didn't realize how much selling my original work would mean to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful I sold something. And I've sold a few other pieces. But my heart felt a bit less elated than my bank account as I looked at the message, informing me that "Crooked Man Blank Journal" would soon be on its way to the West Coast. This piece has been one of my faves since completion. It's also inspired me to paint more houses, which, surprising to me, is one of my favorite subjects.

So I will gingerly wrap it up and ship it out promptly on Monday. And instead of mourning the loss of a piece of my heart, I will rejoice in the feeling that my art - that the art I made - connected with another human being. Off to console myself with acrylic paint...

Love Grows

2009-02-03T15:15:00.005-06:00

Boy, is it COLD outside! I think we got spoiled by a few "above zero" days and now we're paying for it AGAIN. I know I shouldn't complain, as we haven't had any power problems like so many continue to struggle with. I sure wish Spring would quit her dilly-dallying and get her butt HERE!

Not much else to do but stay inside and make art. Too bad, so sad. :o) NOT! So today I have another mixed media piece to show. It's maybe 5 X 7 inches. It's hard to see all of the texture, so I'm gonna try to get some better pix. But for now... Enjoy! :o)

xo debmarie xo

Maternal Privilege

2009-02-02T15:16:00.004-06:00

Sharing a new piece with you that I'm very happy with. It's a mixed media piece of paper, transparency, inks, cello, wire, and thread. It was one of those projects where you began going in one direction and then all of a sudden your brain screams, "WAIT! Look at this! Can u see what I'm seeing?!" And it does a 360 on you. I love those moments! I'm working on another piece that's in this same vein.

I hope you're all enjoying a wonderful day. We actually have sunshine and a teensy weensy bit of warmth - it's 25 outside now and supposed to get to 40 this weekend! Wow! Pretty sad that we're excited about that... will Spring EVER get here?? ....sigh......

Stupor Bowl Sunday

2009-02-01T15:42:00.002-06:00

Welcome to Stupor Bowl Sunday! I must admit, I couldn't care less about football, Super Bowl or not. And yes, even when the Packers make it. Now, snacks are a whole other story! We're headin' over to my hub's cousin's for the tradition party shortly and I am bringing my first attempt at caramel corn. Not too bad. Hubby says it's really good, but that I should probably make some more soon "just to be sure I know how to make it". Whatever....

Have a fanTAStic evening! Now where did we put those 3-D glasses.....?

House in the Country

2009-02-01T09:49:00.002-06:00

Ok, maybe not your average house in the country, but this one's more my speed. :o) I love Dr. Seuss - I could read his books and watch his cartoons over and over!

I painted it on another barn block, which is about 6" square and 1.5" thick.

Building Buildings

2009-02-01T09:37:00.004-06:00

Here are a coupla works in progress. The house is on a block of rescued barn wood I cut up into chunx last summer. And the city is on birch plywood. BTW, if you wanna work on birch plywood, GET THE 1/2" STUFF! Avoid the 1/4" at all costs. Yeah, it's cheaper, but it warps, no matter the size. Maybe it's because we have lotsa humidity here in southern Wisconsin, but jeez, it's bad. 'Specially the larger pieces.

Now, the blox of wood are fanTAStic to work on. After I chunked it up, I planed the fronts and left the sides and backs alone, so they look nice and rustic. I like them alot!

MorphKat

2009-01-30T20:28:00.004-06:00

I can hardly believe my eyes with this cat. If you remember, we adopted Betlgeuse in the summer. He was about a year old and looked JUST like a Russian Blue. Totally sleek, short hair and full of character.

Well, he's grown into a giant fuzzball! No more shiny, sleek hair. No more skinny butt. Just long, long, fluffy hair. He looks like he's fat, but it's ALL hair! Craziness!

I'll be back tomorrow with some more of my latest projects. In the meantime, I HIGHLY recommend you check out Michelle's Stitch & Paint blog (listed in the "blogs I enjoy" roll to the right). She's been doing this "snow dyeing thing" that is AWESOME!! Finally - a use for all this freakin' SNOW!! I'm gonna drag out the dyes and see what I can do. No promises, but I'll try.

Have a fab night, kids!! I'm off to join the sleepover my kiddos are having. Snuggling in the quilts with big bowls of homestyle popcorn and laughing little faces. What could be better on a Friday night?! :o)

Blue Moon

2009-01-29T08:30:00.004-06:00

Been getting back into weaving baskets again and it really takes me back. I love to smell the wet reeds soaking in a huge bucket next to me. When I've been away from weaving for a while, I'm always nervous that I might forget how to do it. And this time I was REALLY scared. I had carpal tunnel surgery done on both hands as well as a thumb tendon release on my right hand. When all of my strength was gone, I thought I had made a big mistake, getting my hands done.

But then, one day, almost like magic, they felt a lot better. Each day brought more strength and hand control, only without the pain and the tingly zapping I had 24/7! I couldn't believe it! So I thought weaving would be the real test. I gathered my materials and sat down, ready to give it a go. Blue Moon is the product of that session. I made one more, just to double check my manual dexterity, and it's true. My hands are better than ever! I think I'll start another basket today...

Paring Down

2009-01-29T08:07:00.005-06:00

Well, with Spring (hopefully!) on its way, I've begun to pare things down around here. First up is books, which you can see at: http://www.gudstufff.blogspot.com/

I will be getting to everything else soon. But it's WAY too cold to go up into the loft now to dig through boxes. At least the books were easy to pull off the shelves.

If you see anything that grabs ya, just email me at debmarie@hughes.net and we can work out the details.

Thanks a million for checking it out - I really appreciate it!! Have a great day!

Blind Boy

2008-11-15T09:39:00.004-06:00

"How can one cat cause so much raucus?" I wondered one morning, as I heard a strange noise coming from the living room. Well, when it comes to Betlgeuse, or Beetles, as we call him, ANYthing's possible, and quite probable! Here he is in BETWEEN the closed blinds and the window while one of his cohorts was pulling on them from the other side. Cats....

3 Cool Cats

2008-10-28T08:12:00.005-05:00

Good morning, friends!

Things continue to be "full speed ahead" around here as we get ready for fright night. So we're up to our eyeballs in costume-building and treat-making. I haven't had a ton of time to dedicate to art, but I've been getting some done. Little by little... Here are a three new pieces. I merged 'em all into one pic to save space. In reality, each one is about 3.5" X 12 and I can't recall what kind of wood it is. Maple? Or ash? I'll have to check with hub-a-roni.

Oh and to those of you who've left me comments to publish over the last month... I've tried SEVERAL times to publish them. Everyt ime there was a problem with either Blogger or HughesNet. Sorry for the delay - I wasn't ignoring any of you!! :o))

Zulu Luv

2008-10-23T17:38:00.009-05:00

UPDATE Fri, Nov 14: We lost Zulu a couple weeks ago and things just haven't been the same around here since. We miss you, girl, and think about you every day, especially Chloe. I keep your picture on the art bench, since you liked it so well there. I'll never forget those days and nights you kept me company while I painted. You're a sweetie, Zulu. We love you and will never forget you...

Well, I just changed my profile to reflect the newest member of our family: Zulu

Zulu came to be a part of our family the day that I found her (or she found me). She was literally starving to death. Oh man, she was mangy! Her fur was thin and you could actually see her bones poking out, especially her hip bones. Poor thing doesn't even have a VOICE! Oh yeah, she's a complete mess.

But we brought her home and smothered her with food and love. She's still teeny tiny - and I...mean...TINY! But she's much healthier. She's been here a few weeks and is finally getting comfortable moving around the house. She's just a DOLL!

The best thing about her is her face. She looks like a ROYAL "B". It's just how her face looks. But we laugh when she looks at us because she's purring away, yet her face looks like she could just smack ya one! lol

...And aNOTHer 2 months gone by..

2008-10-23T17:25:00.005-05:00

...sigh... I just don't know how so much time escapes me. I try so hard to keep up with blogging, but as soon as I get on a roll, life starts happening and "more important things to tend to" begin pouring in like a hail storm. On the flip side, I HAVE gotten a lot of art done.

Here are some acrylic paintings on watercolor paper.

Alpaca Your Bags

Pink Spunk

Every Child

2008-08-24T10:19:00.006-05:00

Every child is an artist.

The problem is how to

remain an artist

once he grows up.

~Pablo Picasso

We began this gloriously fall-feeling day by going through our latest art books from the library. What ideas! We just spent a great time, the kids and I, making sidewalk paint. So easy peasy, you'll want to make it just to play with it for yourself. And perhaps you should. Even if you don't have any offspring. Make some and go out to a place on the cement and paint like you were still a child. Feel the sun (or breeze) on your face, smell the freshness in the air, and get in touch with that free spirit that allows you to create with abandon. Suns, rainbows, your name, stick people...

What cha need:

sticks of chalk

ziploc baggies

hammer

one cup for each color

one paintbrush for each color

water

Ready? EXcellent! Place one stick of chalk in each baggy and zip it up.

Now bash the daylights out of it with a hammer. Upset with your significant other? Your mom? Your boss? The idiot at the grocery store who smashed up your grapes by putting them in the bottom of the bag? Go ahead and take this opportunity to get that anger out.

Where was I? Oh yeah - hammer it until it's powder. Note: it's best to do this on the welcome mat as opposed to the actual sidewalk. The baggy can only take so much abuse before it tears. The welcome mat is a good buffer. Also, do this all outside and DO NOT breathe the chalk dust. The chalk itself is non-toxic (if you use kid chalk), but still - not good to breathe in a whole lotta chalk dust, ya know?

Pour one baggy of chalk dust into a cup. Add a little bit of water and mix it up with a dedicated brush. I started with a ratio of 1/4 (one part water to 4 parts chalk). Add more water as needed. We left our's kinda thick so the colors would be vivid and not wimpy on the sidewalk.

Zat's eet! Paint away! Then, once your little Picassos have had enough, simply hose it off with the sprayer set on "rip it!".

Have a fun, playful, childlike day - you deserve it!

Smooches & rainbows!

Lindi made me cry

2008-08-11T21:44:00.003-05:00

Yep. She did. Earlier tonight. What? Oh, you wanna know what she did? Well, she nominated me for my very first award. And what's cool is that SHE was just nominated for HER first award! I gotta tell ya - I have been envious as all get out viewing blogs that are plastered with awards! What can I say - I'm a Leo and, well, I "need" to be in the spotlight. Those of you who are "other than Leo" prolly don't get it. But those of you who ARE Leos, well, you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about, now DON'T CHA?! lol

I will be posting a LOT more on this tomorrow, but I just couldn't let the sun go down without thanking Lindi. You truly made my week!! THANK YOU!!

More tamale...

Be Brave. It's ok.

2008-08-11T14:07:00.004-05:00

There's a booming voice in my head 24/7 that is yelling at me to FREE UP! LET GO! And that voice is right. I'm always worried my art is not great and that my peers will not like what I create. But I know that I should, instead, be making art for MYSELF and not for anyone else. I'm great at preaching this to others but I'm just now realizing I'm not giving myself permission to really create. To really lose myself in what I wanna do. I haven't even told my Ma I have a blog because I fear she will say, "uh-uh - too damned crafty! DO...YOUR...ART!" And maybe she's right. Maybe I'm afraid the art in my head will not be acceptable. Maybe I play it safe by holding myself back.

I never really thought this could be true about ME until I joined Suzi Blu's Mixed Media group and as I read comments others had added, I realized I wasn't commenting myself. And I think it's because I'm afraid of failure. Failure of anything. I am very hard on myself. I know most people are, but I am REALLY hard on myself. I believe it stems from my uniquely twisted and abused childhood. I know it was a long time ago and that the monster can no longer get me and that it's time to face my REAL issues so that I can be free to enjoy my life to the fullest. And believe me, I have more issues than Sports Illustrated! But for the first time, I feel like the lightbulb has gone off and that I can change myself. The past is the past and I cannot change it. It was not my fault. But if I do not change my future, that IS my fault.

From this moment forward, I will make better choices. I will be brave and change the things I don't like about myself. I will stop making excuses. I will start living and not simply coasting through. Every night, as I lie in bed next to the man I truly love with all that I am, I will ask myself these things: If I die in my sleep tonight, have I done all I can to let my loved ones really KNOW what they meant to me? Did I do all I could to make their days better? Did I take the time? What would I leave behind if there is no tomorrow for me?" Right now, my answers would only make me cry with shame and regret. But I will make the changes. Now.

I hope you are not holding yourself back from life, my friends. Don't fool yourself with a false answer. Stop and take the time to really live. This ain't no rehearsal. And there DEFinitely won't be any "do-overs"! Think about it.

Gimme an A...T...C!

2008-08-11T13:04:00.006-05:00

I have made a coupla ATCs and have some more in the works. I am happy enough with 'em.

On the one above, the background is Caran D'Ache Neocolours (I really like working with those). I also incorporated foam, hand-painted paper by my girly, brads, orange and metallic gold fabric and 2 rubber stamps. Then stitched around the edge.

On this next one above, the base is a piece of fabric I handpainted. I then used a scrap piece of paper I had saved and put a glossy coat on, then the face is out of clay and baked (again, one my girly made) and then I painted it. Also stamped DREAM on the bottom half (not sure if the camera picks that up enough to read). I then stitched around the edge and then added gold lumiere - kinda dry-brushed.

Then the next two are WIPs. More neocolours, stitching, wire, stamps and shimmery threads. The burnt orange background was actually a paper towel I had underneath the "real" project. I like the PT better! HA!

I'm Feeling EXTRA Dirty...

2008-08-10T18:00:00.005-05:00

...from the GARDEN! HA! I spent the majority of the day weeding the garden...and tying up the tomato plants a bit more (some are really ginormous!). I tried several new (well, new to ME) varieties this year and the one I was particularly excited about is turning out kinda weird. It's called Goliath. The maters are very big BUT they are all bumpy and they look like a buncha bad butts on the vines. Lots are nearing ripeness, so I'll show ya what I mean then.

But I did get a good bounty of yumminess!n Right now we're eating a salad of fresh cukes and maters from the garden. SO good! Later, maters!

SHERRY! Woo hooooooooo!

2008-08-10T11:09:00.004-05:00

Sherry, Sherry, bo berry, banana fanna fo ferry, me my mo merry...SHERRY!

YOU are the winner of the fantastico alphabet blocks which have been sliced, not diced, sanded and packaged! Kindly send me your snail mail addy and I will happily skip to the post office and ship your new bundle of art supplies!!

Thank you everybody for playing! More giveaways to come so check back...

...and the weiner is...

2008-08-10T09:51:00.004-05:00

Hmmm..... who will it be? I wonder whose name is inside that piece of paper.... hmmm....hmmm...hmmm....

More Blog Giveaways!

2008-08-08T13:20:00.005-05:00

Well! As I was surfing around at other blogging arTEESTS, I came across some others who are having giveaways! WOW! Yeah, I know, I know, I SHOULD be taking a shower and being productive. But sometimes ya just gotta say WTF ("where's the fun?")! Shame on you - were you thinking something else?!?! ;o)

SO... here's one of 'em: http://www.lindijanej.blogspot.com/ - closed
Aaaaand here's another: http://www.kiwicarole.blogspot.com/ - closed
ENJOY!!

Lawn Trouble

2008-08-07T19:02:00.004-05:00

As I was fighting the mosquitos off me, Betlgeuse ran past me and posed in the, uh, grass. Yeah, I know, there's not much grass. Our lawn is more "casual" than most. But aaaaanyway, I had to share this pic. He looks so innocent, but BOY he is ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS, on the lookout for something to get into!

B is for Broken Heart

2008-08-07T18:40:00.003-05:00

I literally ran into the house moments ago after being mosquito fodder as I took this pic. If winter comes early this year, you can blame me. I am sick, sick, SICK of getting eaten alive every time I step out of the house. The skeeters are uber abundant this year due to the flooding.

I am desperately trying to catch up with my trades on artsnthemail and today's post is "Something that begins with B". I chose Broken Heart. It is a collage of fabric, painted paper, thread, transparencies and staples. I'm kinda groovin' on staples and was a wee bit frustrated that I couldn't locate my new pack of colored ones. "Something that begins with C" is also about done. Whew!

I signed up for a Quilt University class today and I'm REALLY jacked about it!! Of course, I HAVE to get a few new supplies. Hey - what can I do?! Don't give me that look. They're REQUIRED! ;o) Class starts this Saturday and will require a LOT of commitment. But it looks like I will learn a LOT. Come back to see if I'm completely bad at it.

Ta ta for now, all! Have a fanTAStic night!

Blockhead

2008-08-06T10:09:00.009-05:00

Happy hump day! Unless, of course, you're on the other side of the map, in which case I wish you a happy Thursday!

I bought these children's blocks last Christmas. In fact, I bought three boxes of them. I knew I would think of something to do with them. Eventually.

Yesterday was that day. I powered on the band saw, whipped up a quick jig so that all my cuts would be the same, and 20 minutes later, I had a nice, big pile of thin slices of wood - some with letters and some just plain. I got 6 slices out of each small block. I still need to touch 'em to the belt sander, but you get the picture. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nothing happens this afternoon to change Grandma's plans to take the kiddos for a few hours so I can play, play, PLAY! Just THINK of the possibilities!!

I made sure I cut up the entire box so that I'd have some to share. That's right - my very first giveaway!! If you'd like to qualify, all you have to do is leave a comment and I will use a random system to choose the lucky winner. You have until midnight Saturday (CST). Come back on Sunday to see if you're the winner. giveaway closed

Thanks for visiting! Have a grand day!

Stick a Fork In Me Cuz I'm DONE!

2008-08-03T17:59:00.004-05:00

Do I look frazzled?! :o)

Well, after yet ANOTHER wonderfully HOT weekend of holding a second garage sale in two weeks, I am done. done, DONE with g-sales! Man! I know, I know, we shoulda had 'em in the Spring, when everyone's hoppin' to get outta the house and shop in the cooler weather. Buuuuuut, we weren't ready then. I did sell a lot - finally got rid of the end of the soap-making supplies. Can you say, "Hallelujah!!"?

It seemed like I sold a million cooking and crafting books, yet I still have a bunch left over. I think I'll take pix and make a list and see about selling 'em online. Same with the kiddo clothes - got 'em allllllll from the time the kids were born. I don't think I'VE ever owned so many clothes! Sheeeeeeeeeeeesh!

I have several boxes of books and movies we're gonna donate to our local library. I did pull a few before boxing them because I'm gonna make some altered books out of 'em. You think of a lot of ideas as you're sitting there, melting in the heat, lemme tell ya.

Well, I've still got my work cut out for me, as I spent all morning sorting and boxing stuff to go to GoodWill, Library, my little brother (for my only nephew whom I FINALLY get to meet in exactly 12 days!!!! WOO HOO!), eBay, list out, aaaaaand Craig's List. Whew! Tomorrow's supposed to be killer hot, too. Can't wait...

I'm gonna sign off now so I can get that list going. Just wanted to check in for a minute. Have a wonderful Sunday evening, all!

Dyed and Gone 2 Heaven

2008-07-30T16:17:00.012-05:00

O...M...G. I felt like I was in Heaven when I happened upon these two new batiks they got in last week at JoAnn's. I bought the last of both bolts. I know I'll be participating in Nj's FAT Chance fat quarter drawing, but I'm still not sure which of these beauts I'll use.

I also bought the latest issue of Quilting Arts in which I see someone stole an idea right outta my head. Seriously. Has this ever happened to you? You get an idea and you turn it inside out and round and round and are finally ready to bring it outta there when you see it somewhere?! I feel like I'm in a time warp when this occurs. You know what they say, though... there are no new ideas, just old ones reborn. I know I sure believe it!

Now, I can't remember when the last time was that I bought a basket. That's because I weave them. But then I saw Kiwi's comment on the Lust for Rust post I made and she gave me an idea. I bought this basket for the purpose of showing how I did the crate. I hope the basket will end up looking like woven pieces of rusted metal - cool, huh? I think so. Stay tuned...

Stripped

2008-07-30T08:26:00.005-05:00

Poor, poor Betlgeuse.... he's been stripped of his manhood. He's actually taking it quite well, as you can see. He did have a wild night in the mud room (still working on the box thing), as it looked like a windstorm hit it this morning. :o))

Vet said he's about a year old and in great health. Yay!

More later. I'm off to town to check out the new batiks my MIL said Joann's got in. Might have something for Nj's FAT Chance draw on FAT! Woo hoo!

My Lust for Rust

2008-07-29T11:22:00.009-05:00

I dunno about you, but I really REALLY love rust. Old, crusty metal is something that has so much character. That's exactly what I love about my banner. It is a photo I took of the bottom of a metal dresser drawer that has been out in the weather for who knows HOW long. I could have stayed there all day, even though I was freezing, taking pix of that piece!

Well, my knowledge of duplicating rust is about as long as my memory. That ain't good. But I'm having a lot of fun and learning at the same time, as I work on a plain, ol' wooden crate. I liked the crate but, well, it was just that: a crate. Made out of cheapo wood and staples. After watching Tim Holtz's DVD for, like, the hundredth time, I was inspired to see what I could do with this piece that I was SURE had potential.

So maybe rust doesn't have the vivid color in the "crooks and nannies", but I wish you could see it in your hands. I love how the rust seems to come alive from the colors beneath it and vice versa. It's not done, but here are a few shots. I'll try to get some better ones in the natural daylight later this afternoon. I have a houseful of kids now, begging for quesadillas and cinnamon applesauce (don't laugh - the combo is GREAT!), and I must admit: that sounds pretty yummy to ME right now!

I hope you have a wonderfully creative day! Lemme know what you're working on!

Celebrate Today!

2008-07-28T21:16:00.008-05:00

Here is a piece I've been slowly working on. I wasn't sure what I was gonna use it for, but I now think I will make it into a tote bag.

It was so fun to make and watch as areas developed. I purposefully didn't plan it all out. I thought this would be something different to try, because I usually AM a planner-outer. But I'm pleased with it.

I painted different fabrics and then pieced them together atop a piece of timtex. The text pieces were made by running painted sheets of fabric through the printer. I back a piece of acrylic-painted fabric with a full sheet label and my printers have no problem accepting them. I then spray a bit of clear sealant on them, cut out, and stitch down.

I think I may play around with a pair of my DD's jeans with this technique.

Ooooh... I am a Fiber Bandito!

2008-07-26T22:37:00.005-05:00

Just finished these up for a trade on Fiber Art Traders called Fiber Frenzy. The only requirement is that each spool must have one continuous 3-5 yard piece of fiber. I thought why not sprinkle some fun into it! And since I'm into the whole cat thang these days, I made these fiber banditos, drawing them and cutting them out of cardboard. They're painted with acrylics. Their masks and grins are black slick fabric paint. I wrapped their bodies (we don't need any nakee banditos running amok, now do we?!) in 2 different fibers, each one 4 yards long.

Hide your fibers, girls! The Banditos are coming!

How Time Flies

2008-07-26T09:01:00.007-05:00

This is Swiper (was Sophie)

This is Betlgeuse

UPDATE August 8, 2008 - We renamed Sophie. It seems she's a real "petting junkie". When she yells at you to pet her, you do. Then you stop and she swipes a paw at you. NICE, eh?! Hubs and I are gonna apply her new pink SoftPaws on her talons this evening. We had to wait for her newly trimmed claws to grow out and since she swiped me good this morning (after holding her and petting her for about 20 minutes!), I'm thinkin' they're long ENOUGH!

How time flies, indeed. I can't believe I've not blogged for so long. I had many personal things to take care of. Seems every time I turned around, it was something else. Don't cha hate when that happens?

Well, here's the latest. First I have to tell you that we live in a small house. I mean VERY small. We bought it from Thumbelina. We live here with our two kiddos and a cat. As most people know, last winter was pretty horrendous here in Wisconsin. Record snowfalls and frigid temps. I love winter but it was BAD.

I had seen this white cat the winter before, but only a few times. This past winter, I put out some food the minute I saw her and I shoveled a path for her (she's small). She would never come close to us, but she always welcomed the food. I quickly made a makeshift shelter so she could at least get out of the wind as she ate. We saw her every day and it killed me that it looked like she was getting frostbite on the edges of her ears. But what cha gonna do? She was wild. Or so we thought.

In about April, she started to come closer and eventually allowed us to touch her. She purred and purred. We named her Sophie and kept taking care of her, ridding her of ticks and ear mites. Since she continued to hang around upon our return from vacation, we decided to take her in. She's just a sweetie.

I took her in a month ago for her shots and check up. All was great. Just had to bring her back 3-4 weeks later for her booster. I took her in this past Wed., and it appears Sophie has some little buns in the oven! Ok, so now we may have a possible 7 cats, as the ultrasound saw 4 critters.

What's that you say? One cat we have plus Sophie plus 4 babies only comes to 6? Right you are! That's because we have also taken in another stray who might be the Daddy. He is GORgeous! And SUCH a honey! Looks like a Russian Blue, only with longer hair. We think he's pretty young, maybe a year old. Betlgeuse goes in on Tuesday for his, um, transformation and shots.

When it rains, it pours! More to come...

Memory Weaver

2008-03-18T12:22:00.005-05:00

I have a lotta works in progress, and today is the day we clean the art room. Yeah, it's a disaster area. Seems every time I wanna go in there and play, I find myself cleaning up instead. I just can't create if I'm surrounded by this project and that project and the last supplies I used. It makes the river of creativity just plum dam up. So today, I'm rearranging things and getting rid of stuff I'm not currently "into". I have too much new stuff with no place to put it. Makes me scream cuz I'll just stick it in someplace and then when I wanna use t, that's riiiiiight - NO CAN FIND! AAaaaaaarrrrrrgggggh!

Since I got so many lovely emails about the baskets, I thought I'd share some more with ya. I'm sorry for the coupla grainy pix - I took pix of pix since my scanner isn't hooked up. The originals are just not great.

My fave is the one I'm holding. It's made from a shed moose antler. I knew a woman in Montana who was a (VERY GOOD) Taxidermist. Her Mom found this antler on their property and loved it. I wove it into a basket (it's a wall pocket that can actually hold stuff) in exchange for getting an elk hide tanned. LOVE trades like that!!

Anyway, enjoy! I hope you have a fun day and that you are the one hogging up all the sunshine we're not getting today! :o) Enjoy it now cuz once I get my hands on that firey ball, I AIN'T sharin' it!! Smiles... debmarie :P

A Basket Case

2008-03-16T16:54:00.004-05:00

Happy Sunday!! Is it almost Easter already?! Sheesh...

I hope this day brought you time to enjoy the coming sunshine (or the coming cooler months if you're on the other side of our rock)! I ran across some pix I thought were lost forever, and almost cried over the discovery! Thought I'd share them with ya.

When I lived in Montana, I made my living for a while by weaving and selling contemporary baskets that I wove. I've recently taken up weaving again and cannot even begin to describe the flood of memories and feelings that came flooding back to me. It's all attached to the smell of the materials, softening in the warm water that does it. I just LOVE the fragrance of soaking reeds and grasses!!

Here are a couple that I sold last year in my Etsy shop. Enjoy! Hugs...debmarie :o)

Gone Fishin'

2008-03-14T17:46:00.004-05:00

I can hardly believe it's been pretty decent here for a coupla days in a row! We've had highs in the 40s! Yeah, well, ok, we're not exactly squirtin' the sunscreen all over the place. But if you'd been through this past winter with the rest of us here in the Midwest, you'd be jacked about the temps. We can even see the ground, and not just in teeny tiny patches. COME on, Mother Nature! Sock it to us with the Spring stuff - we can take it!

Kim in Pennsylvania has been waiting so long for me to finally complete our trade and it's OUTTA here! Thanks for not sending me a mean note, Kim!! Watch your mailbox for a swimmingly fun new addition to your post card collection. Here's the slimy seadweller on the way to PA. I've been playing with a variety of inks and plastics, and the sea on this card is a piece of it. You can't tell (OF COURSE!), but the water actually buckles out ever so slightly and really gives it a 3D look. I hope Kim likes it!

Flow - Laguna

2008-03-13T10:55:00.007-05:00

It's been a busy, busy week here in southern Wisconsin, where we are melting with every passing second. And a big YAHOO for THAT!! I sure hope the rumour is true that Spring IS on the way!

A quick post today, as I pause in the middle of housecleaning (absolutely NO yahoo for THAT!). This is a piece I just made and it caused me to make it part of a series, which I'm calling Flow. This particular piece is named Laguna. More later... I GOTTA get my new shower curtain up, complete with leaves of green on the curtain rings.

Mmmmmmmmmmm..... I can almost feel the warm sun on my face...

A is for Abstract

2008-03-06T14:04:00.007-06:00

Ok. One more post today. I'm shippin' these outta here this afternoon, so I thought I'd give you a looksee first. In the artsnthemail group, we started the alphabet. You choose your own theme, as long as it starts with the current letter. For A, I chose Abstract, which is my favorite kind of ANTHING really. I had a lot of fun making these and I only hope they're not TOO abstract for the recipients.

I made 7, all different, and 5 of them are headed for Washington, New Joizee, South Caroliiiiiina, England and Turkey. How cool is THAT?! They're made out of grape flannel, handpainted paper, shredded cello, glitter, copper metallic thread, paint and foil. Have a FABulicious day!! Smooches!

Far, Far Away

2008-03-06T11:16:00.006-06:00

I am SO very fortunate to have artistic friends all over the world!! Today's piece is from Kathy in England and I absolutely LOVE it!! It is constructed of fabric, thread, (note the cool french knots!), lutradur, neocolours and Xpandaprint. Lutradur is a material that seems to be more common overseas. I have been wanting to get my grubby little hands on some, but have not been too jazzed about paying for it, coupled with hefty postage costs. Kathy sent me some to play with and, I suppose if I become hooked on the dang stuff, I'll break down and buy some already!

I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I do!! A million thanks, Kathy - your creative abilities are incredible and I will forever treasure your art!! Watch your mail for a little package, Kathy!! Many hugs... debmarie :o)

The Cutting Edge

2008-03-05T15:59:00.006-06:00

Happy Hump Day!! Today's post might be a bit long-pictured. I have been working on several pieces and yesterday I spent a bit of time on them. I had a thought as I was finishing up my work in the shop (on the metal lathe) and I looked down and saw all these fabulous, curly shavings all over the lathe! I was ECSTATIC and my mind was racing! How pretty they looked all by themselves, just waiting to be swept into the trash.

Instead of trashing 'em, I gathered them all up and ran into the house with my shiny, new treasure. I grabbed one of my background pieces and went to work, adding gesso, glaze, glitters and the aluminum curls. I love how it all looks and, as always, wish I could convince the camera to grab the beauty and depth in this piece. Sigh....

Enjoy my shimmery fun! Thanks for stoppin' in! Hugs all around...debmarie :o)

Bugs, Bugs, Go AWAY!

2008-03-03T07:56:00.008-06:00

WHEW!! I probably shuldn't say this out loud, (ok, I'm whispering now), buuuuuuut we MAY be on the downhill slide with this flu. What a MESS this was! I can agree with the "experts" who say they "might have missed the mark on this year's flu shot recipe". YA THINK??! ll four of us got slammed with it and lucky me - I'm still trying to hold on to the "duffy dose". But at least I can THINK now... well, as good as I ever could.

Since I have no new work completed and ready for viewing, here are a few wall quilts I made. As I looked through my pics, it was interesting how much my color work has improved. Never really knew I was devoid of color, but as I look at my older work, I realize I was,generally speaking!

But wait! I found one more! Whew! I guess I wasn't TOTALLY colorless! I forgot about this one, as it sold a while ago.

Collage Mania Challenge

2008-02-26T09:20:00.005-06:00

Virginia Spiegel heads Fiberart For A Cause: Fundraising for the American Cancer Society. Her hard work and dedication seems unending, which can be witnessed by perusing her website: http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/NewFiles/ACSFundraiser.html

ALL proceeds raised through Virginia's efforts are donated to the American Cancer Society! And she has raised an incredible amount of money for ACS.

I recently submitted a collage for Virginia's review, which was accepted (pictured). I'm so very pleased to be a part of Virginia's cause. If you get a chance, please consider donating a collage for this worthy cause. Or perhaps become a buyer on May 6!

A Deadly Weave

2008-02-24T09:24:00.006-06:00

I hope you're all having a nice, relaxing Sunday (or not so, if that's your preference)! Yesterday was jam-packed with birthday preparations for both a great-grampa and my hubster. I made a german chocolate cake and a carrot cake, eeeeeverything froim scratch. OMG, is brekkiie gonna be GOOOOOOOOD today! LOL!

artsnthemail posted a trade that, at first, I found impossible, interest-wise. The rule was that you could use one plain piece of fabric and one thread (any choice and you COULD use the metallic or holographic ones) to make a post card. I gotta say, my brain went, "HUH? Oh yeah, THAT'S gonna make for some great designs..." But it stayed in my head for quite a while and as I let go of the doubts, the ideas began to emerge. I ended up having a lot of fun making these deadly beauties and they took a LONG time to make. I rather like 'em and hope you do, too!

Burn It Up!

2008-02-22T06:03:00.005-06:00

Today's focus is tyvek. Tyvek is an amazing art material. I just love it! You can buy it by the yard now, but I have a bunch of it from a hundred years ago. If you're not familiar with it, the Postal Service envelopes are made out of it. Not the paper ones, but the ones that feel like an extremely lightweight fabric and are impossible to rip.

The fun thing about tyvek is that it takes color very well, and you know I love color! So far, I like the Dye-Na-Flows the best, as they turn out so crisp and vivid. But I've also used acrylic paint, markers, and Neocolors all with great success.

Yeah, coloring and painting are fun, but here's the best part: tyvek hates heat. It shrivels, curls, and eventually, if you heat it long enough, it disintegrates. FABulous news for surface texturists! I've used it in a lotta different ways, and I'm sure I haven't exhausted the possibilities by any means. I'm currently in the middle of two projects that incorporate tyvek and I hope to get those posted later today. My heat gun finally bit the dust at the end of the mailbox thing, and I'm (IM!)patiently waiting for my hubby to dig up his industrial-strength one for me.

In the meantime, here are a coupla pix to show you what it can do

These above are ATCs. I colored a piece of tyvek, then stitched it to a piece of fabric, timtex and cardstock. I then blasted it with the heat gun. Below is a post card made with rectangles of heat-blasted tyvek (the same process as above, then I just cut it apart and attached to a post card). I added brads and copper wire.

Sorry for the weird photographic angles in these pix. I ripped the lightbox down, as we're shifting rooms around here, and I snapped these off quickly. They are truly sqaure, er, I mean rectangle. ;o)

I wish you a creative day full of ideas and fun!! Ciao! ~debmarie :oP

Getcha Some!

2008-02-21T07:45:00.003-06:00

Man, oh MAN, it's chilly here today!! Yike-a-ROOnies! Well, the shrimps are on ze bus and I'm kinda scarin' myself with posting 3 days in a row.

Quote of the day: All Limitations are Self-Imposed

Now, if you follow my blog, I know you've seen this before. But have you really thought about it? It's so true. There is nothing, nothing, NOTHING you cannot do if you reeeeeally wanna!! We all have so much power within ourselves, yet we don't even begin to scratch the surface of our potential. And why is that? I firmly believe it's because we are not taught this concept from birth. We are not shown, by example, nor are we told repeatedly, that all things are possible AND that we can literally do ANYthing we want to do. I'm a prime example. Ya know what I was told? To sit down and shut up. And how many of you were told the same thing? Maybe you were brought up in a loving, safe environment, and that's great! :o) But were you taught to make things happen for yourself? No? Then we're pretty much starting on the same plane.

Those of you who know me, may find the above hard to believe. Mainly because I am very outspoken (in a fun, kind way) and I hope I give the vibe that I enjoy life. I love to make people smile - and if I make 'em laugh, then my day is great! I'm slowly learning to tap into myself and it's amazing what talents I've had locked inside me. I'm no brilliant artist, don't get me wrong. But I have been pushing myself outta my comfort zone, with pleeeeenty of doubts chanting inside my head, believe me, and am astounded at what I'm learning and creating.

I honestly believe that even with this sudden realization of my skills and abilities, that I haven't made too much of a dent in what I am truly capable of, but I'm trying. THAT'S the key: TRY. How will you know unless you give it a go? Ya WON'T! Wouldn't you rather try and fail a thousand times rather than sit safely in your comfort zone, just wishing and hoping and waiting your life away? Cuz I guaran-freakin-TEE it that if you try and fail a thousand times, you're GONNA learn something! Now go and turn your muse loose - set 'er free and see what ya come up with. Ignore the boundaries and test your inquisitiveness.

Here are some Valentine's Day cards I made for our trade on Fiber Art Traders. I wish you could see what the camera doesn't pick up. Or.... is it my photography skills?? lol! The fabric is a dark, vivid pink and has gold veins running across it. It's just gorgeous all by itself! I topped it with a splotchy purple heart, then a rectangle piece of handpainted fabric I made and sliced & diced, then a piece of transparency with LOVE printed on it. Machine stitched (freemotion) at several stages in gold. Enjoy, my friends! Enjoy today and enjoy yourSELF! Love, debmarie

You've Got Mail!

2008-02-20T08:57:00.004-06:00

Mornin', fellow blog freaks! ;o)

I'm kinda on a roll this morning, as I'm working on some new pieces of art. I'm loving what's happening, so I thought I'd take a little break, grab a pear, and share with you a recent project. Yeah, this is a rerun for those of you who are Fiber Art Traders. So sorry, fiber fanatics!

One day my son, who's 5 11/12, came home and announced that he had to make and bring to school a box to hold the valentines he would receive from his classmates. I admit that I groaned inside because Denny is pretty particular and I just dreaded coming up with one rejected idea after another. The first thing I thought of was a mailbox. Ok, maybe this is because we've been having some mailbox problems lately. But I'll get to that later. Aaaaaanyway, Denny didn't seem too jazzed about it until I mentioned Thomas (the tank engine and friends - Denny LOOOOVES trains, especially T-man and his useful friends!). Percy is actually the engine who delivers the mail, and that's what saved me. Oooooooh, he loved the idea then! LOL!

So, we set to work on his new mailbox (which is constructed from various weights of chipboard, masking tape, red paint, velcro closure, and stickers) and we had SUCH a great time together!! It took us all day, but was so rewarding for both of us. He did make one change, and that was changing from Percy (who's green) over to James, who's red. His thinking weas that it was, after all, for love day, and love day is all about red, not green. Fine with me! The look on his face as we loomed closer and closer to completion was awesome. He was so pleased with it at the end that he could hardly sleep. He "tested" it several hundred times before going to bed. You know, just to make sure it would work. He was SO cute! The absolute BEST thing, though, was when he flung his arms around me and told me I was the BEST MAMA IN THE WHOLE WORLD! THAT'S what I live for! :o)

Here's the final product (just so ya know what makes a plain, ol' woman of the midwest turn into the BMITWW! LOL!). Make it a GREAT day!! Get those creative juices flowing!! Hugs, debmarie

Hold me back and tie me down!

2008-02-19T15:19:00.008-06:00

This satellite internet is the best idea since, well, it's just great. I feel like someone else sitting at someone else's computer! W-O-W!

Since I'm feeling so extra spunky, I figured I'd post a couple more pieces. Ready? In our Fiber Art Traders group, we just finished up an ATC Book trade. Here is the one I made and sent off. The first pic is the cover, which is made from fabric, thread, copper sheeting, sticks, raffia, copper wire, amber seed beads and amber-dyed mother of pearl shells.

Enjoy! Make it a great day! Do something nice for YOU!! ~debmarie

Long Time, No Post

2008-02-19T13:14:00.004-06:00

Hi, Friends!

Well, I'm back after way too long, I know. I've had a LOT of irons in the fire that needed to be put to bed. AND, it is with exTREME excitement that I announce my break-up with dial-up! WaHOOOOOOO (she screams, tossing the ripped-out phone lines over the bridge)!!

SO... today I am starting over (again!) and will try, try, TRY to be MUCH better at keeping my blog current. I can't promise a daily addition, but I am shooting for a few times a week.

At least I've been learning a lot since I last posted. I've been working with a lot of materials and techniques that are new to me, as well as some old ones I love. Here are some projects...post cards, of course!

The first one is a post card I made for the Poetic Post Cards trade I hosted on Fiber Art Traders. It was SO fun to both write the poem and to make the card!

The one below is one I made for artsnthemail's Coffee or Tea trade. Yummy for both your eyes AND tummy! ;o)

And, finally, another for artsnthemail, this time sticking with the birdhouse trade theme.

Do It Well

2008-01-02T08:14:00.004-06:00

Here are a few more postal pretties. These are NOT covered with anything. Rather, I cut a window out of the fab and added the poem (on transparency) in there. I like how these came out and may make one for the art room. Have a great day - be good to yourself! ~debmarie

Perfect

2008-01-02T07:52:00.001-06:00

Gooood morning! I hope this 2nd day of our brand new year is finding you jacked to be alive!

I'm feeling extra-productive today, as I really got a lot done yesterday and it makes me feel great. It's funny how it can snowball and pretty soon you're "in the zone", don't cha think?

Today I would like to share a few more post cards with you that I made for the Poetic Post Card trade for which I'm the Trade Mistress. I sure wish I could get the camera to take shots that do them justice. In a way, I suppose this will be a nice surprise for the recipients, eh? :o)

First is the poem I wrote for the pink one, which is called "Perfect". Oh wait. Here is how I did it:

I took a piece of background fabric, cut a heart stencil out of cardstock, then painted hearts in pink, white and silver (no yellowish as it looks). Fast-dried the paint with a heat gun. Free-motion stitched around them in a pink geranium thread and then more stitching in pink in between the hearts. Topped it off with the transparency with the poem on it as well as another clear transparency to protect the words (I haven't yet figured out how to print the words backwards and I'm getting pretty frustrated about it!). Stitched a bit more and voila. Enjoy! Make it a wonderful day!

A summers eve in August, feels like it was yesterday;
The moon so bright, the air so hot, my will was giving way.
The sweetened honeysuckle nectar gave my senses wings,
As I fell into your eyes and thought so many lustful things.
Your lips, so soft and hungry, how they stole my heart right then.
And I never felt that way before and I haven’t e’er again.
As we both were taken over, as our bodies became one,
I snapped awake and cried because the perfect dream was gone.

Make 2008 Your Year to Create!

2008-01-01T08:34:00.001-06:00

WELCOME to a brand new year!! I have chosen a motto for myself and I hope it inspires some little fire within you.

I will make this year one to remember. I promise to be more giving, for one. I will use my blog as one of the vehicles for this new journey. In addition to the projects I post, I will include instructions. Some basic and some detailed. If you have any questions, just shoot me an email, cuz I know I'm not the best with directions! :o)

And awaaay we go! This first project is a post card. I'm hosting a Poetic Post Card trade on F.A.T. (waves to any F.A.T.T.I.E.S. who are checking this out!) and this is one of my entries. I know you can't tell, but this card totally sparkles! The top layer is vinyl, which is one of my favorite materials to use. It's kind of a pain in the rump to sew on, as your machine's foot does not want to budge a BIT on it. But I simply put some magic transparent tape on the bottom and it glides like my tongue on a Dove bar! (sorry - I'm trying to eat healthier and it seems to already be causing some problems...)

From top layer to the bottom, here is the lineup (pix to come later):
1. clear vinyl
2. star charm, words printed on paper, a shave cream marbled tag I chopped up, a couple pieces of shimmery fabric I trimmed off another post-card-in-progress, and the pièce de résistance is this beautiful "glitter" I got at Michael's. It looks blue in the shaker, but it looks all kinds of iridescent on here. I LOVE this stuff! Even the cat looks better with this stuff on him! (just kidding...) Aaaaanyway, this glitter is more like tiny pieces of cut-up cellophane. It works like a dream with the vinyl because it's all static-y and sticks in place whilst you're happily sewing along. Love stuff that's easy peasy. ;o)
3. and 4. fabric that's been fused to fusible interfacing (heavy weight)
5. card stock (I'll add a final piece of cardstock later when I know to whom I'm sending this post card. I'll prepare it for mailing on the computer, print it out, then add it to this piece, stitching all around the edge, and pop it in the mail.

To assemble, fuse the fabric to the interfacing (cut it to 4" x 6", the size of a post card). Place that on top of a piece of card stock and sew around the edge, with a long stitch length, just to secure it.

Add your embellies: (metal star was fusible, so I simply touched it with the tip of the iron and it stays for life) charms, words, glitter, beads, whatever. For the words, I glue-sticked them down with a dab in the middle. Just enough to hold in place until all is stiched. Lay your piece of vinyl on top. Oh wait - SIGN YOUR PIECE FIRST!! THEN add the vinyl.

You may want to stitch all around the edge once with the vinyl on there. You really need to grip that sucker tight, as the vinyl loves to shift! What I do is to cut the vinyl bigger than I need it. Lay it on top of my post card and stitch it to the card around the outer edge real quick. (NOTE: you're following the edge fo the CARD, not the edge of the vinyl!) Now trim the vinyl to the card. This prevents coming up short on any edge. Don't ask me how I know this.

Now for the fun part. Decoratively (or not so - whatever you'd like) stitch (I used clear thread, but you do yo' thang!) around the different objects. Why? Because if you don't, they will happily shift and run amok the second it's outta your hands and in the mail. Objects love to play with you like this. Don't give them the room OR the opportunity! ;o)

Zat's eet! I hope you do, indeed, make 2008 YOUR year to create!! Thanks for stoppin' in! B'bye! ~debmarie

New Santa Doll

2007-12-17T13:33:00.001-06:00

You're looking at a St. Nick doll I completed last week. I'm pleased with how he turned out. Especially since he is shipping outta here today to a fellow FAT member. Gail of North Carolina won one of the games I presented at our Holiday FAT Tea Party. I hope she likes him! Enjoy, Gail!! Hugs...debmarie

Winged Art

2007-12-17T13:17:00.001-06:00

Goooood morning! My camera is alive once again! Thought I'd share my first ATCs with ya this bright morning. Ok, so it's afternoon. But I've been THINKing about it all morning. We had an Angel ATC Trade over at FAT, so it was my opportunity to finally give 'em a go. Only had to make 5, but I made more. I had a lot of fun "rusting" them up. (whispering...) I think I found a new obsession... Enjoy! ~debmarie :0)

An Angel Named Tim

2007-12-16T07:15:00.001-06:00

I'm sure you're all familiar with Tim Holtz. You know - the King of stamp/scrap techniques. Well, he had the most awesome gift for us all and he called it the 12 Tags of Christmas. In case you missed it, here's the scoop.

Each day he would post a tag that he made, complete with crisp photos and easy-to-follow step-by-step instruction. As if THAT wasn't enough, he also gave everyone who tuned in, the opportunity to post a comment on his blog. From these comments, a winner was chosen, at random, to receive that day's prize package. Yeah, I know - AWESOME!!

I didn't arrive on the scene until after the first tag, and I left a comment every day. Oh, except for tag #11, because of some technical difficulties on my end (of COURSE!).

I left my comments in poem form. This might sound strange and NO, Iwasn't stalking him! I like to write poems for fun and this seemed like a good opportunity to share it. I mean, Tim put SO much into these daily postings and I thought it would be nice if I put some work behind my comments to let him know how we all appreciated what he was sharing with us. I'll post my poems in upcoming posts. But not this one.

This one is for Mr. Tim Holtz, one of the most generous people I've never met. And Mario, his assistant is equally wonderful! They are one great team. Oh, Ialmost forgot - in the middle of the 12 Tags of Christmas, Tim and his crew put on what sounds like was an inCREEEEEDIBLE Hideaway Holiday weekend for a small group of lucky attendants. You MUST visit Tim's blog and read the taste of the weekend (in the comments). Sigh....

http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Well, to make a short post long, it is with a smile and a Snoopy Dance that I announce I won the Day 12 prize package! Yeah, can you believe it?! ME! The one with the Adams Family cloud over her head all the time! I am SOOOOOOOO jacked!! The kids and I really DID so the Snoopy Dance when I read that! :o) LOL! I sure hope I can make more than a mess out of these generous gifts!

I'll close with the lead-in and the actual poem I wrote and posted on the 12th day:

Grungy, grungy, little star;
I left no rhyme, but I wasn’t far.
Yesterday I could not get through
Once I wrote my rhyme for you.

I was so sad, but so you know…
That I would never ever go;
I’ve learned so much here, thanks to you!
Now my Christmas List’s long as my leg is, too!

Grungy, grungy, generous star,
Hard to believe how giving you are!
I hope u like the following rhyme,
A twist, oh yes! So until next time…

TIM’Z 12 TAGZ o’ CHRISTMAS
(by Cap’n Coldblood - one angry pirate!)

Arrrrrgh, the 12 tagz of Christmas.
So what! And who carez?!
Ye won’t catch me ‘eartiez
Distressin’ some squarez!

For we’re too busy pillagin’
‘N diggin’ fer treazure!
Ye won’t find ‘em paintin’
‘N stampin’ for pleazure!

We’re lookin’ for booty
In all forms and sizez;
‘N we don’t need no packagez
Fulla surprizez!

We’re here to wreak havoc!
Aye, ‘n boast our pirateness!
There’z no time for glitterin’,
Girly politeness!

Yo ho ho! Walk, now!
Gitta move on that plank!
‘R yew’ll hang from the gallowz
‘N you’ll have YOU t’ thank!

It’s high time that I gather
Me ‘eartiez around
And set sail for the land where
Gold treazurez be found!

Ahoy! let’s go, Tiny!
Arrrrgh, where iz it ye be?
Put DOWN those damned scissorz –
Yer comin’ with me!

It’s time t’ git goin’ –
Arrrgh! What the ‘ell’z THAT?!
Th’ whole crew’z gone loco!
Yer all makin’ TAGZS?!

Ol’ Long John’z got fragmentz –
‘N grungeboard ‘n glue!
Set sail, now, me matez!
There’z plunderin’ to do!

The ol’ Jolly Roger
Is callin’ t’ us!
We’ve no time for ribbonz
‘R makin’ a fuss!

Gangway, Jack & David!
Avast! ‘R ye addled??
Belay all that stampin’!
Yer brainz ‘R all rattled!

Red Beard’z got inkerz!
Arrrrrgh! ‘N Morgan’z got toolz!
Lay down all that bilge, now!
Yer lookin’ like foolz!

No, I DON’T wanna paint!
‘R emboss ‘R delight!
Come on! Grab yer scabbardz!
Git ready t’ fight!

What about wenchez? Arrrrrgh!
And shinin’ dubloonz?!
Blimey! What about treazure
‘Round the next blue lagoon?!

What ‘ave ye DONE, Tim?
Me ‘sea dogs don’t ‘ear!
What ye got in that chest, boy?
Aaaaargh! Hand it up here!

Splice up the mainbrace!
Arrrrrgh! Git me my rum!
Hand over the loot, boy!
Lemme try some…

Well, shiver me timbers!
What’r YOU lookin’ at?!
This stampin’s more fun
Than a bagfull o’ catz!

Gimme those inkerz!
Aaaargh! Gimme th’ bowz!
Put it ALL on th’ ship!
Weigh anchor! Let’s goooo!

Arrrrgh! Fair windz, me landlubberz!
I’m a changin’ me quest!
Ye best be on th’ lookout!
For Cap’n Distress!

Fuzzman's Gonna Make It!!

2007-12-16T07:03:00.001-06:00

What a DAY I had on Friday!! Got the news that Fuzzman does NOT have leukemia or anything else horrible!! As the vet says, "He was hiding a simple bacterial infection". You pet-lovers KNOW how elated I was at that news! Talk about having to tie me down before I bounced away!!! No more crying. No more syringe force-feeding him 4 times a day. Merry Christmas to us....Indeed!

Fuzzman

2007-12-09T02:44:00.001-06:00

Christmas is really coming up fast. I've gotten a lot done behind the scenes, just haven't been here to update. My heart's just not been in it.

My Fuzzy Buddy is sick and it's been making me sick. I'm trying to do things to take my mind off things, but I'm not so good at that. I found Fuzzman in the foothills of Montana, in October, 1997. A pretty good snowstorm had just left and it was COLD. We found him in the middle of this HUGE bush and rushed him into the vet. Vet strongly suggested I not get attached to this 2-week old kitten, as there was a very slim chance he'd make it. I fed him kitty formula every 2-3 hours each day and carried him around in a basket I made. Wherever I went, he went.

Well, he made it alright, and has been the coolest cat on the planet! He has a lot of dog-type traits and he yowls when he's feeling frisky. Fuzzman likes to try to trip me as I walk around the house in the morning, making coffee and getting the day started. He just rocks! And he's so cool looking, too. Many people tell me he could be a Ragdoll. I've wondered about a million times how such a beautiful creature got to that bush in the cold. Especially since the nearest farmhouse was about 2 miles away. I don't know if his mom was moving her kittens and got caught by the storm or a wild animal or if he was the runt (hard to believe by is size) and she was moving only him. Whatever the case, he's been incredibly awesome and a part of my heart will forever sob if he doesn't pull through this. Here he is...

The Dollies are coming! The Dollies are coming!

2007-11-29T08:51:00.001-06:00

Well, folks, it appears I may have a mild form of obsession disorder. I was a bit worried about it, as once I get an idea in my little brain, I simply cannot function until it's out. I have since learned that I am not alone. Many artists are this same way. For instance, did you know that VanGogh slammed out 200 finished paintings in a mere 444 days?! Whew! We may all be nuts, but at least it's not just ME! lol

Here are some new art dolls I completed. They're actually pretty tame as compared to the other ideas I have. The faces are fun to work on, but my favorite part is the hair. It's always about the hair, isn't it? Maybe it's because I have about 12 hairs myself. But I love working with the hand-dyed/painted/spun fibers I've got in my stash. I'm not a knitter or anything of the sort. But I love the gorgeous colors the various artists have produced. And the TEXTURE! I hope they spark some creativity in you! More to come...

PSDD - Plus-Size Dotee Doll

2007-11-26T10:10:00.001-06:00

Here is my first Dotee Doll. We have a trade going on FAT and pix are due tamale. As usual, the deadline is sneaking up on me! :o) This gal won't be leaving the nest, but other, more appropriately-sized versions will. I'm a bit camera-challenged, as I can never get the true colors to burst forth. I'm in a rusty stage, and she is very rust-colored. Nothing as shiny as the photo depicts. Oh - and the face was made by my 4YO!! I hope she doesn't remember she made i and I stole it! I painted it up to match the look I was going for. I was kind of nervous about creating her, as she looks nothing like the others (yeah, I know, big shock that I find myself goin' against the grain once again!). But in person, she is quite beautiful and reminds me of an aborigine. Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your day!! :o) ~debmarie

In a Stranger's Drawers

2007-11-24T18:39:00.001-06:00

I met up with a fellow artist, "Diane from Madison", on Wednesday for the first time. We met through one of the fabulous groups listed on the right side. We had SUCH a great time digging around in a junk shop not very far from me and these photos are a product of that day. They're from the bottom of a drawer of a metal dresser that sat outside. It was love at first site when I opened it!

Juan Valdez

2007-11-24T16:56:00.002-06:00

I hope you all had a safe and fun-filled family day! As usual, I have much to catch up on. I am LOVING the new Yahoo group just formed! It's called The Artists Circle and membership is rising quickly. It was set up to teach techniques. Our first project is making a tag book. So far, we've been given steps 1 and 2. I have no idea what these books will end up looking like. All I know is that in Step 1, we had to apply coffee to those large, manilla shipping tags. Well, this didn't sound particularly interesting to me, and I didn't have any tags. Instead, I thought I'd give it a go with some metal-ring tags I had. Holy cow - it's really FUN! I now have a handful of project tags and what you see here are some of my examples. Step 2 is simply to add watercolors to a few of them. Step 3 should be announced any time now. Enjoy!

Piece of the Pie

2007-11-14T16:45:00.001-06:00

Well, I have some more eye candy for ya in my favorite form, of course - post card! Woo hoo!

This is the same trade I wrote about earlier in Hillbilly Pie. Iwas completely flabbergasted when this card arrived! Yeah, we post pictures in the albums and all for everyone to oogle, but they just don't do the creations justice. At ALL!! And when the swap partners are listed, I TRY to only look at the addresses to whom I'm sending pieces so that it'll be a surprise when they arrive.

This is from Jay in Texas - isn't it GREAT?! I cannot believe all the work she put into this! If her pie is HALF as good as her imagination and creativity, I do believe we're in for a treat! I have three pix because I wanted you to see the details. Yes, that's the pie cooling on the windowsill! I LOVE it!! Great job, Jay! Thank you so much for a lovely card - I can hardly wait to complete the fabric recipe box in which I'll forever keep this!!

Chicken Hawk

2007-11-14T11:52:00.001-06:00

I know, I know… I’ve been VERY remiss in my blog! I’m catching up now and I’d like to start out this beautiful, crisp, Fall day with something I JUST finished for my gorgeous sis-in-law. I’ll ship it this Friday (don’t worry, she has no idea I have a blog, so she’ll never see it prematurely), along with a box full of "stuff" we've been collecting for them.

First you will see a photo of Corbin, their first, and no doubt only, little bubba in his first Fright Night Getup. The second I saw the pic, I got an idea to make the following piece of wall adornment for aforementioned SIL. It’s my first larger-than-a-post-card mixed media project and I must say, I’m loving the freedom!! I sure hope she likes it…. Anyway, it says "The Cutest Chicken Hawk in the Whole Punkin Patch".

It's made from fabric that's been run through my printer, painted, ripped, stitched, tied, sprayed and embellished. The back is fab, as well. The two middle layers are (what else?!) Timtex. It's nice and stiff and was such a dream to work on. I attached some found sticks (my secret will soon be out, I guess. I am a stick-a-holic!) with raffia. ENJOY!! And thanx for poppin' in! Hugs...deb

Mail, Beautiful Mail!

2007-11-08T21:56:00.001-06:00

I already told you all about the Abstract Post Card Challenge & Swap. Well, I received my first post card it today's mail and it... is... BEAUTIMOUS! The handwork on this beauty is pretty amazing! My hubby was impressed, as well. :o) Everything is stitched by hand and I do mean everything. Each bead has been handsewn and what's even more unbelievable is the fact that they're all there - not a one of them appears to be broken or even loosened. A million thanks to Andrea in Texas - I am in awe and will forever treasure this piece! THANK YOU!!

November 14 update: I received another card and it is from Elizabeth in New Mexico. Just like Andrea's, this one won't disappoint you! Are you starting to see how one can become absolutely flooded with ideas for these?! I kinda feel like a great, big chicken now because both Andrea and Elizabeth mailed their's to me. You know - like a real post card. I had no idea they would hold up so well, so I put mine into envelopes prior to shipping. As you can see, Elizabeth didn't even stitch some of her pieces down. I thought for sure they would get mangled off if I did that. Now I'm gonna throw caution to the wind next time and treat them like the pieces of mail they are!! lol

Thanks to you both for your beautiful trades. I hope this is just the start of post card trading for me and I hope I get to swap with you again! ~deb

Courage

2007-11-07T08:07:00.002-06:00

I like quotes. Many times, my entire life seems to be able to be summed up in only a few quotes. Isn't it interesting how so many of us can relate to the same quote. Kinda like that theory that we're all closer to one another than we realize.

The quote I'm groovin' on today is by Georgia O'Keeffe and it goes like this:

"To create one's own world in any of the arts takes courage"

Boy, ain't THAT the truth. Many people are comfy with blogging. As much as I am a bigmouth, I'm actually not quite in my comfort zone yet. I think it does take courage to write things down for all to see, let alone create a piece of art and share it. It's tough for many of us to share, knowing how people judge. But I'm finding it's making me stronger by sharing my blog and art. I'm learning to create for myself and not for others. It's harder than you think, especially after owning a business where you're constantly trying to appease your customers. I was always asking myself the same questions: Do I use this fragrance or that one. How about color? New products? Keep old ones? Phase them out? What will they buy? It was so draining. Now, with my art, I create what my heart tells me. And I'm happier for it.

Try it. Create for YOU. Without worry of judgment. Make something you like. Then share it with us. Betcha we love it!

I was going to close without a photo, but I just can't do it. lol. I'm too visual. So, I'll cling to Halloween one last time and I'll share one of my kids' costumes. If you know Thomas the Tank Engine, you'll recognize ol' Dennis the Diesel. My favorite part was making the McGyver-like harness out of duct tape. Brilliant! Don't you think? :o)

Enjoy today - it won't be back!

Hugs...deb :o)

Loooves me some Timtex!

2007-11-06T15:04:00.001-06:00

Yes, I know. Halloween is over. But I just love the designs of Halloween. Monsters and bats, ghosts and black cats - I love 'em! Here are some works in progress. That's right - more postcard-sized pieces. I told you before I couldn't stop making them! lol.

I use Timtex as the "meat & cheese" part of the sandwich that makes these little creations. For those of you who love Timtex as much as I do, it may interest you to know that the manufacturer has closed the doors without notice. Yikes! The company is looking for a new manufacturer, but as of right now, when the current Timtex stock is gone, well, it's GONE. I stocked up today because I love working with this stuff. I've been using it for many things and really don't think anything else comes close to the thickness. I love it!

Ok. Back to the artsy fartsy stuff. The first one is, of course, my rendition of Frankenstein. Not nearly done, but you can see where I'm going with it.

Next is one of my favorite abstract ones. I love the holographic threads! My favorite is copper, but my machine doesn't like the copper for some reason. It must be different than the gold and silver. Figures. So I went with gold on this piece. And actually, I think it worked out perhaps better than the copper would have.

The third one I copied from another artist. Hope I don't get sued. lol. It's from a picture my 5-year-old brought home from school last week. They made these cute Halloween books that were filled with pumpkins, bats, owls, etc. The second I saw the pumpkins, I had to sit down and make one! I'll load the original, too, as soon as I find it. I can lose something within two minutes of it being in my hands, I swear! It's no doubt on one of my workbenches. I'll find it...

Abstract Fiber Post Card Challenge

2007-11-05T12:26:00.001-06:00

This was the beginning of my fiber card obsession I currently find myself smack in the middle of. I joined this swap, as well as the fiber recipe card one below, and I cannot stop making them! They are incredibly fun! They're great for experimenting with a new technique, before you potentially waste too much in supplies by working larger. I'm finding so many ways to use these little puppies that I don't see myself stopping anytime soon.

I entered these 4 in the Abstract Fiber Post Card Challenge on TLTMMA. Wish me luuuuck!

UPDATE, November 14, 2007 - Guess what?! I won 3rd place in the post card challenge! And the prize is to http://www.inkastamps.com/ which is the prize I was hoping to win, if I won anything at all! Snooooopy dance!! Thanks for a wonderful challenge, Elizabeth, and for a generous prize, Inka!!

Have a wonderful day!!

Hugs...deb :o)

Hill Billy Pie!

2007-11-05T12:11:00.001-06:00

Well, wouldn't ya know it! Just as I finally get a blog going, we catch some mighty hearty germs. Fall is my favorite time of year, too. Just hate the bugs the kiddos bring home...

I've been working on an awful lot of projects and will be posting them now. Some are complete, and some are WIP. I hope they inspire you in some way. Enjoy!

My first one is what I made for the "Piece of the Pie" fiber recipe card swap on FAT. I started other ideas and changed my mind 2 or 3 times, and finally settled on this one. It was a big challenge, as I am very contemporary in my style choice. But I know I need to challenge myself if I am to grow, so Hill Billy Pie it IS!

Case of the Mondays

2007-10-08T10:54:00.001-05:00

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. ~Aristotle

I like the above quote because it inspires me to get off my rump when I'm feeling uninspired and lazy. It's a lovely fall morning here in southern Wisconsin and I'm off to my art room. Before I go, I'll share some plates I backed with some of my favorite fabrics. We use them for everything: to hold loose change or jewelry on our dressers & tables to eating off of. I have some more curing, but I'm not particularly inspired by Thomas the Tank Engine or the Disney Babes, er, I mean Princesses, so I'll not post those! lol

Have a fanTAStic day that's both inspiring and productive!

~deb :o)

Simplification

2007-10-08T00:24:00.001-05:00

I did some cleaning out today. Mostly on the computer. Of course, I always get sidetracked. Today, it was the tons and tons of "camera art" pix I've taken. Nothing incredibly award-winning, mind you. But here are a few of my favorites. I hope you enjoy color as much as I do!

Ciao! ~deb

IFS - a FUN group!

2007-10-06T09:00:00.003-05:00

Hard to believe it's October 6th and it's over 80 degrees outside! Wisconsin shouldn't be this hot in October. Utah, yes. Wisconsin, no.

As I eagerly await the cooler fall weather, I've been working on some Halloween cards for the October Challenge on IFS. We need to make a card using green, orange, black and purple. I've made one and have two almost complete. So I'll post the new ones when they're done. Here is the one I've done and a shot of the focus of another. Yes, I LOVE glitter! Not on everything, mind you. But Halloween just howls for glitter, don't you think? Well, I do!

Here is my first submission. Enjoy! Oh, and don't let the warm weather fool you - be working on those Halloween costume ideas - it'll be here before you can say "trick or treat"!!

~deb

All limitations are self-imposed

Transitions

2007-10-05T15:24:00.001-05:00

Welcome and thanks for stopping in!

My name's DebMarie and this is my first day. I've read so many good blogs and seen so much wonderful artistic inspirations, I thought I'd give it a go. Yeah, I know. I'm probably one of the last 6 people to actually have a blog. That's me! I'm not sure how interesting I'll be at this, but I hope to get better as time goes on. I plan on using this as a vehicle for posting photos of my work as well as everyday life.

I'm an artist. Been one all my life. I remember back to when I was a child and how I loved the smell of crayons and play dough. It was always exciting when my mother would bring home paper or any other art supply for us to use. Now I bring home art supplies for my own children, and they snatch them up, running to the art room, chattering over one another about what they're "gonna make".

I recently joined some yahoo groups and have been very inspired by the creations posted. Please see "My fave linx" for the links. Here are some things I've been working on. They're made from hot glue, stamps and paint. Enjoy!

~deb :o)
All Limitations are Self-Imposed