Newest Robot Assemblages

By Leslie Brier, Brier Design Studio.

 

This is Elephant Joke, one of my newest robots. His body is made from a vintage wasp trap.

His eyes reflect how I feel lately. An appliance malfunction flooded part of our house, and the resulting damage was a little overwhelming!

Samovar the owl is made from a Russian tea samovar that is more than 100 years old. He carries a rusy pistol adorned with rabbit bones.

 This is The Jacobean. He's a very proper fellow. Possibly a distant cousin of C3P0.

 

 Hygenica is a little old-fashioned. She  never goes out without her Franco-American Standard Complexion Powder, and a nice red lipstick. She was purchased from the PonShop (www.ponshopstudio.com) by actress Sally Struthers.

Flash has also gone to a new home via the PonShop as well. When I drilled into the magicubes that make up Flash's legs, the flash actually went off!

Little Things from the Big Flea

This past weekend was the Big Flea at the Fredericksburg Expo Center. Friends Suzanne and Janet and I got there right when it opened and worked our way through the entire show.
I noticed a few trends. Linens are huge - vintage printed table cloths, hand crocheted doilies and embroidered anything are all the rage. Luckily, I have a nice stash at home because the prices were, well, pricey.

Ceramic dog figurines are also hot, as well as vintage books. I didn't see a lot of furniture moving out. Maybe we got there too early, or maybe people are shifting toward smalls. I know I am.

This was my haul from Saturday.

The piece in the back is a cup holder made of an old spool and spoon handles. I think I'll use it to display bracelets. I made a classic rookie mistake, though. Always buy heavy things at the end of the day so you don't have to haul them through the entire show.

I couldn't resist this sweet little bride and groom, or the cute little boy in the aviator suit. Buttons are another one of my weaknesses, but I was very frugal. I managed to get a nice handful of them for just $3.

Paper Mosaic Necklaces in GreenCraft Magazine

by Leslie Brier, Brier Design Studio

 

The February 2013 Issue of GreenCraft Magazine will be in stores February 1. My paper mosaic necklaces are one of the projects featured  (page 64).

The project features recycled milk caps, lace, and magazine pages.

The paisley piece, below, is the first one that I did. I wanted to create the look of a vintage micro-mosaic piece. I have a small collection of micromosaic pins, but I don't often wear pins, so I was looking for a modern alternative.

In other news, the office cleanup and organization continues. I'm very happy with the progress I've made so far, but I want to get it finished, so I can go back to spending time creating!

Getting real in the new year.

I resolved in 2013 to get my housework, calendar, paperwork and antique booth back on track before going back to full-time creating. I am sticking with my resolution, but have discovered that everything takes about three times longer than I think it does. Or maybe it just feels that way!

th; text-align: center;"> I moved into a shiny new booth of my own. I was sharing the last space and we all had found so many wonderful treasures, that we just didn't have enough room for everything. I still have a lot more to price and bring in, including large pieces, but I'm very happy with the process. My parents and husband have been a big help every step of the way.

Because I've been so busy "being good" I am more excited than ever to teach some classes!

Kids can join me on Sunday Januray 13 and January 20 at the PonShop to make Recycled Robots.

Shown are some examples from the class that I taught this summer.

On Thursday, January17 I'll be teaching a resin class at Artistic Artifacts Annex in Alexandria, Virginia. We'll be repurposing costume jewelry into beautiful resin pendants. This class is a wonderful opportunity to turn an unwearable piece of jewelry into  a new, wearable piece.

Thr little bug on this piece was a broken pin. Now it is a new, wearable necklace.

I'll be posting more about classes soon. I hope you can join me!

 

 

Second Half of the Twelve Days of Christmas Swap

I just took my little tree down, and enjoyed every one of these all over again. Here is a peek at the days you haven't seen yet.

Day 6 was this sweet fabric ornament by Martha Brown. It has lots of white-on-white layers. The photo doesn't do it justice!

Day 7 was this wonderful Jello Jane created by Janet Moss.Her neck is a bobbin with thread on it, and her skirt is a vintage jello mold. I love those vintage molds!

 

Terry Pitzel created this mixed media ornament. Lots and lots of layers of paper plus fibers and buttons and it all goes together seamlessly. You can see more of Terry's artwork at: http://theravenswhim.blogspot.com/

 

This gorgeous poinsettia ornament was created by Melissa Terlizzi.

There is so much detail in the veining of the leaves, and the leaves are as thin and delicate as an actual poinsettia. So beautiful. She is an Artful Dimensions artist. Hop on over and see the new, wonderful, big-haired ladies she has created!

 

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Linda Morgan's work. Once again this year, her piece blew me away. I just love the way everything comes together in this piece. You can see more of her work here: http://purplecatcards.blogspot.com/

This ornament came from our group coordinator, Elizabeth Woodford. This ornament is created on a tiny canvas.

I had to show you the back, too. It's wonderful every way you look at it. Elizabeth is an Artful Dimensions artist and has a blog as well. Her blog is: elizabethcreates.blogspot.com.

Sadly all good things must come to an end. This swap has a happy ending, though! This delightful box was created by Fredericksburg painter Nancy Williams. She has a unique style of brushwork, and I'm so happy to own one of her pieces.  My little tree of handmade ornaments was so lovely this year. I can't wait to see what next year brings!

 

 

Published! Amy Powers' Inspired Ideas Christmas Issue 2012

by Leslie Brier, Brier Design Studio

Amy Powers has done it again. She puts together a gorgeous magazine, with lots and lots of projects that are so appealing, I can't wait to try them.

http://www.amy-powers.com/mag/subscribechristmas2012.html

Here are the opening pages of my two articles:

This article has instructions for my ICE Resin Christmas Ornaments.

 

 

This is my New Year Fairy project.

 

This issue is packed full of projects, and it's only $3.99. You can click on the link below the photo above, or go to the sidebar. And Amy's blog is one of my favorites: http://www.inspireco.blogspot.com/ hop on over for some amazing eye candy!

Twelve Days of Christmas Swap Part 1

by Leslie Brier, Brier Design Studio

One of my favorite parts of Christmas last year was the Twelve Days of Christmas Ornament Swap. I was delighted to get to participate again this year. Each morning, there is a fun surpise waiting for me underneath my little silver tree. This is a fantastic way to start the day, especially the hectic days before Christmas! Here are the first of the treasures that I have received:

Day 1 - Alice Early aka The Amazing Alice

This sweet little bird is sitting on a nest rimmed with vintage buttons. It's so sweet. I think it will have to stay out all year.

Day 2 Barbara Posey of Artful Dimensions

I've long admired Barbara's felted creations, and it is wonderful to have one of my own!

Day 3 Christine Lush Rodriguez of Artful Dimensions

This gorgeous snowflake came from Christine. The colorson this piece are absolutely stunning. I just love everything about it.

Day 4 Patti Gramza, http://pattis-creations.blogspot.com/

This is a fiber piece that just makes me swoon. It has a little velvet milinery leaf and flower, and netting around the edges. Under the little girl it says "enjoy the journey" and the snowflake dangling from it says "believe". 

Day 5 Leslie Brier, Brier Design

That's me! Here are my packages before they were shipped:

And this was what was inside:

I created the labels in Adobe Illustrator, then cut them out, put plastic in the window and wrapped them around the inside of a match box.  In this photo you can see how small the ornament is:

Tiny, right?