Happy Birthday, Mom!

Last Tuesday the Virginia Artists Group met at Handcraft House to try our hand at zipper flowers. We'd seen them on the blogs of Trina and Patty and decided to give it a try.

None of us could make one that looked like Trina's or Patty's, but we all ended up with something that looked very much like a flower. We discovered that adding leaves was a big help.

I'd gotten my mom this coconut candy earlier in the day at Yoder's Country Market, and decided that the two belonged together for a birthday treat. I am going to add pin backs so that they can be worn. I'm thinking these might be great package toppers for a Victorian Christmas theme. Hmmm... maybe if I start now I can make it happen!

Rocket Baby at Liberty Town

Meet Rocket Baby. He's my newest assemblage piece. He was made for the Discarded Potential Show at LibertyTown here in Fredericksburg, Virginia. (http://www.libertytownarts.com/).

The show requirements were that the pieces submitted had to be primarily made from discarded materials. Rocket Baby's car is almost entirely made from cast-off items. The only new elements used were epoxy clay to bind some of the heavier elements together, and acrylic paint to blend the transitions. Even the wire that binds many of the parts together is made from a discarded craft kit. Of course, Rocket Baby himself had been discarded as well.

Some of the items used in Rocket Baby's car are: a typewriter hood, clock gears, broken model car parts, four vintage pencil sharpeners, metal game pieces and a hair curler.

I was thrilled when I got to LibertyTown's opening the other night to discover that Rocket Baby had won first place at the show!

Art & Soul Hampton Part 2 - Lisa Kaus' "Gridlocked" class

Here's another project that came out of the Art and Soul Retreat in Hampton, Virginia.

I spent the early part of the week soldering, drilling and hammering. I was in full tomboy mode when I got to Lisa Kaus' "Gridlocked" class on Sunday morning. I pulled out a big, rusty patent lock that I'd brought with me to use as the focal point of my piece. I measure it's size and started drawing my grid to accomodate it.

Lisa did a great painting demo, and showed us how to use transparent acrylics to get wonderful depth. And then she started talking about "telling your story" with the piece. And it made so much sense. And we had a grid to work with. And clear, bright colors. Gradually, I felt myself relaxing and enjoying something new.

Then something wonderful happened.

Lisa suggested that I take some of the big pieces off of my board while I did my painting. I took a quick reference photo before I moved them so I wouldn't forget what I was doing. This is how the piece looked.

Then, when I picked up a towel to dry my brush, two old penny dolls rolled out. I'd forgotten that I'd even packed them. I looked at their colors and they matched the backgrounds I'd been painting. I looked at their size, and they fit perfectly in the square I'd drawn for the patent lock.

And suddenly, I was telling my story, and the story was a really girly, happy story. And that was exactly how I felt.

Before I knew it, the entire day had passed. I left Art and Soul that day, with a hug from Lisa and a peaceful feeling that I still can't quite describe. But the words I chose to affix to my piece when I got home were "happy" and "play".

I wish that I had taken photos of the other pieces done in the class. Every single one was amazing, and every one had a story to tell.

Back from Art & Soul Hampton Part 1

I can't believe it's been a month since I was at Art & Soul. I had such a great time, and learned so much in each of my classes. It was really fun to be with a group of people who really "get" what I do!

Vendor night was terrific as well. Thanks to all of you who bought my collage sheets and porcelain glove forms. I promise to have both on my etsy site soon.

In the meantime, here is the project that I created in Michael deMeng's Demented Toys class. If you haven't taken a class from him, I highly recommend it. He is as entertaining as he is knowledgeable. I also learn so much from the critiques that he takes the time to do at the end of each class. Here he is doing a critique under the watchful eye of the woman in the painting.

I was going for a steampunk kind of feel with my piece. She is constructed from an old roller skate, an articulated toy dinosaur tail, tiny bones, a china doll head, a christmas ornament and a vintage toy-camera pencil sharpener.
The main compartment is an old bob-bet bait box (Just half a turn and there's your worm!),
If you open the side of the bait box, there is a bone-y little surpise inside; the inner workings of the machine.

I was amazed at the variety and creativity in all of the pieces that came out of that class. It was such a fun day!

A Very Happy Mother's Day

I am having the most wonderful Mother's Day. My family knows me so well. It started with my favorite breakfast in bed -- an egg mcmuffin and a coke!

Then, I received the most wonderful gift. Here's the story: About a month ago I saw a little soldier doll in a thrift shop. He was in terrible shape. His clothes were torn, his paint was peeling, and he was missing an arm and a leg. But there was something about him that I loved.

He was ridiculously overpriced, but the owner wouldn't bargain with me at all, even though she admitted that "this little soldier looks like he's been through a couple of wars." Once we got out to the car I whined that he really should be mine -- after all who else but me could love a little doll like that?

I didn't forget about him, but I hadn't mentioned him again, either. As it turns out, my husband went back to the store several times to try to get a better price, to no avail. Yesterday, he and my daughter made the trip to Orange, Virginia to get him for me anyway. You cannot imagine how surpised I was to see him! I'm anxious to clean him up a little, but for the most part I'm going to love him just as he is.

Isn't my family wonderful?

And She's Off!

Hi Everyone,
I am heading to Hampton, VA tomorrow for Art and Soul and I'll be there through Sunday. I'm very excited! I'll be taking classes with Sally Jean Alexander, Jane Wynn, Michael de Meng, Claudine Hellmuth and Lisa Kaus. It just doesn't get any better than that!

I'll also be selling at Vendor Night this Saturday evening. We'll have plenty the porcelain glove form hands that sold out so quickly last year, cigar boxes, scrabble tiles, vintage cake decorations, sewing pattern paper, ephemera jars and bottles and bottles of buttons. And, I have designed four brand new collage sheets as well. It's all packed up and ready to go! And I promise as soon as I get home I'll get those items up on etsy as well.

In the meantime, I've joined a group of artists called The Mixed Media Experience and we're having our first gallery show as a group. The opening is this Friday night at Studio a in Fredericksburg, and the show will remain until the end of May. If you're local, I hope you get a chance to come by and see it.

If you are in Northern Virginia, my Crystal Cupcakes line of jewelry is available at the Chick's Picks event this weekend. For more information go to: http://www.chickspicksbyhillary.com/.

I'm off!

Crazy Busy and Loving It!

This time next week I'll be enjoying my classes at Art and Soul in Hampton. I'm taking classes and vending on vendor night, so I am crazy busy trying to get things priced, packed, and organized. I also need to make sure that my graphic design clients are taken care of before I leave. That way I can really relax and concentrate on my art.

Unfortunately, this means I'll have to miss the annual Friends of Wilderness Battlefield Dinner and Silent Auction. Last year FoWB auctioned off a History Mystery Dinner. The dinner , hosted by Zann Miner, was absolutely amazing. The History Mystery package is being offered at auction again this year. The lucky winners are in for such a treat!

I got to design the table decoration and it was so much fun. Here is a look at the place settings before the guests arrived.

The annual dinner this year will have a similar theme for its tables, but on a grander scale. We've had a dedicated group working on the decor for this year. I'm sure someone will take photos for me, so I can share them with you.

I'm hoping my next post will be all about the goodies that I'm offering at Art and Soul. Finger crossed that I can fit everything in!