Think Spring!

I belong to a group of artists who meet at Handcraft House in Madison, Virginia. Our challenge for this month was "pastels". We could use actual oil pastels, pastel colors, or anything else that came to mind associated with the word pastel.We've had a few unseasonably warm days and that is all it took to make me think spring.

I've been reading Kelly Rae Roberts' book "Taking Flight" and decided that there had to be a female form in the collage. Then I remembered that I can't draw faces -- no way, no how. So I decided to work around that by using a color copy of an old letter that I had.

I also knew that I wanted to use this fabric for the skirt. It was on sale at the fabric store, with a two-yard minimum, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the other yard and three quarters!

The background is some green tissue that I had. I put the circles down first, and then did an overlay with another layer of tissue.

While you're online, check out the great giveaway at http://www.elizabethcreates.blogspot.com/. She is another artist from the 'burg. I haven't met her yet, but we seem to be kindred spirits, so I'm hoping we can hook up one of these days for a play day.

Reach!

I've been so busy creating, that I haven't taken the time to post in a while. I was reading Pamela Jane's blog where she talked about the idea of having a word for the year. After some deliberation, I decided that mine is "reach". I chose this word because to me it implies moving in a forward or upward direction. I feel like I spend a lot of time meandering, and that a map of the direction I've taken in the last few years would look like the cartoon of "Where Little Billy Went" from the old Family Circus cartoons.

So, I thought that showing some of my altered hands would be a good visual to go along with my theme. My friend Jolie has acquired a huge stash of these amazing porcelain glove forms, left from a factory that used to produce latex gloves. We have had a wonderful time altering them. Lately, I've been adding a plate or dish to the bottom, for stability, and also to hold earrings, paper clips, etc. to make the piece more functional as well.

Shown are two beach-themed hands, and one that is covered in images from an old copy of Gray's Anatomy. Let me know if you need some of your own, and I can put you in touch with Jolie. We'll also be selling them at Vendor Night at Art & Soul Hampton this year.

Happy New Year and Hobby Dooby!

When my son was little, he couldn't prounounce Happy Birthday, so he would yell Hobby Dooby instead. This is my birthday week, and between the new year and my birthday I usually try to make a few resolutions, get back on track, and finish up any projects that are leftover from the previous year. So, after a fun and relaxing holiday with friends and family, I'm trying to get organized, which isn't something that comes naturally to me!

I thought I'd take today to show you the project that my daughter and I made for club littlehouse. We had a great time working on it, and the littles we received in exchange were amazing. I'll post those soon.

In the meantime, here are some photos of our miniature "hobby dooby" in a box.

Altered Snow Family

I saw Sue Pelletier's altered snowmen on the cover of the December issue of Cloth Paper Scissors magazine and knew I had to do some of my own. This is one of the few projects that I didn't need to do any shopping for -- I had lots of ephemera, including vintage Christmas items and jewelry that were in need of a new lease on life.

These snow people have been delivered to the post office and are making their way to friends and family. I hated to break up the group. They seemed so happy in my front hallway. Maybe I'll get around to making a set for myself next year!

Sweater Babies

This is Potter B. Noodles. She is one of the first Sweater Babies that I made and was named by my 4-year-old nephew who always has the most adorable names for his stuffed animals (and his imaginary friends!)Here is the whole gang, posing in front of our little tree. I started making these creatures this fall, after reading the book, "Sweater Surgery". Each one is made from the sleeve of a recycled sweater. I turn the sleeve inside out, and form the ears. Then, I turn it right-side-out and add the eyes. That's when their personality starts to come out. After that I stuff them and add a flat bottom. Finally, I add the ribbon, jewelry and other embellishments, which is my favorite part.

I've become so addicted to making these little creatures that I have promised myself I won't work on them before 9 pm so I can get everything else crossed off my to do list! I've made lots of them for Christmas gifts this year.

This is Minerva. Doesn't she look divine in her leopard-print stole?

I have a stash of pastel sweaters that are ready for spring. Look for recycled Sweater Bunnies, chicks and lambs this spring at Chicks Picks by Hillary.

Tiny Tears

Last year at Art and Soul, I had the pleasure of taking the "Who's Your Dada" class with Linda and Opie O'Brien. There is a photo of my doll on their blog. (Mine is the second one, on the right.)


I showed my completed project to my friend Marty, she asked me to do something with Tiny Tears, a favorite doll from her childhood.

I made her body out of some old building blocks that I think were a pre-cursor to today's tinker toys. Then I added lots of little bits, including a little bird nesting in her tummy. Her right arm is a typewriter case handle that has the word TINY spelled on it in scrabble tiles. Her left arm is holding a crystal teardrop. And of course, every girl has to have some vintage jewelry!


Marty was pleased with the final product. I was a little sad to see Tiny Tears return home! Here are some more photos of her:

Leslie

Painted Violin Auction

This Sunday is the auction of the violins that were painted and altered to benefit the Rappahannock Youth Symphony. This is a very dedicated group of music students, and it was great fun to help them out. Twelve artists were selected to take a violin that was no longer playable, and turn it into an art piece. I am amazed at the variety and quality of the violins that came out of this group. If you'd like to see all of them, follow this link:

http://www.rysymphony.com/PaintedViolin2007/index.html

Here is my violin. My theme was Tea and Symphony. The youth symphony holds a tea-themed fundraiser each year and I thought it would be fun to highlight that. The most fun part of this violin was cutting into it with the dremel too. Then I had that uh-oh moment when I realized that I had to put something wonderful inside the hole that I had made.

Many thanks to my friend Janet Moss who was able to make the vinyl cutout on the back for me with her pazzle machine. I found the silhouette at an auction and thought it would be perfect for the piece.

Hope you like it!

This is my first post on my first blog, so comments and suggestions are welcome.

Leslie