I am in this Issue!

I am thrilled to announce that I have an article published in the latest issue of Bell Armoire Jewelry which is due out on the stands today. My article entitled, Inspired by Monet: Antique Tin Box Necklaces, discusses the creative process behind one of my latest obsessions, creating jewelry from antique tin boxes. Want to make one of your own? Check out the article...it lists the step by step directions on how to complete this pretty necklace!

Jewelry for a Good Cause

A dear friend from work asked me if I would design an original piece of jewelry to donate to a silent auction she was organizing in order to raise money for a dance group. I was happy to oblige and here is the result.

An Evening by the Lake

My sister, who is an extremely talented knitter, wanted my daughter to model her latest creation; a gorgeous shawl. It flows beautifully as you can see. The yarn is made from (of all materials) bamboo! So off we went to the lake to take the photos. I had the chance to use my new Canon, which I love! I also got some shots of a few old buildings in the quaint town of Ackworth.

I love the way the wind is blowing her dress.

Auntie and niece. Look at the details in the shawl.

Rusty things.

Monet is in Town!

I can't wait to check out the Monet's Water Lillies collection now on exhibit at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. Going on "art" trips is an excellent way to keep your own creative juices flowing. Today I took a break from writing and worked on some wonderful jewelry pieces. I was very happy with my hand-wired clasps. I did not realize how much fun they could be to make. I love the idea of using totally original clasps in my designs!

Little tiny paintings.

Old books- fun to collect as well as use in mixed media art work.

Oil pastels

There is nothing more beautiful than the blue of apatite beads! They look so...french!

Sneak Peek- something new coming soon!

Fun with watercolor and pastels...

Blue,blue,blue...I can never get enough.

Book Review- Book and Art

What have I been reading lately?
Anyone who loves book binding, art journaling, mixed media or photography will absolutely love Dorothy Krause's new book entitled, Book and Art- Handcrafting Artists' Books. I can't seem to put it down. This wonderful book covers my favorite things like how to age paper (I'm always aging something), working with images, gelatin monoprints (this is extremely cool), transferring text and how to create scrolls!! It is packed full of information (extremely comprehensive) and if I ever find some time I am going to sit down and craft a few books of my own. I encourage you to check it out.

Remembering

I finally learned how to make a collage with the free Picasa editing tools. It's downright fun. Reading Book and Art inspired me to pull out some old photos and books. My dad past away quite some time ago and I thought creating a collage would be such a nice reminder of him.





How many of you save your art inserts from your Somerset magazines? I have been guilty of leaving mine inside the book so one day I decided to pull all my favorites and now I have a ton of images for future collage work.



More Mixed Media Elements

Update on my book

This past week has been a blast! I mentioned many moons ago that my book proposal on jewelry design was accepted by North Light Books (that in and of itself is amazing). Last week, for the first time, I had the opportunity to meet face to face with my editor, Tonia Davenport, who is just wonderful. I also worked very closely with Christine Polomsky, the photographer, who is so patient and made what I thought would be a terrifying experience so much fun. How does she do that?

I was awestruck by the design photographs and the potential cover. They are so beautiful…definitely a personal surreal moment. Could this really be true? Am I dreaming? The official title for my book is…drum roll please…A String of Expression- Techniques for Transforming Life and Art into Jewelry. I just love it! I look forward to sharing more information about this adventure very soon. Here are some pics of the photo shoot.

I carried 33 lbs. of art supplies with me to the shoot.

Weather Talk and Shopping

Can you believe a week later and it is 70 degrees! The weather in Georgia is always unpredictable. There is talk of another cold front coming in but I will deal with that later (the weather people here are usually wrong). Spring comes early to this part of the country and along with it a cache of allergy issues, sneezing, sinus headaches and burning eyes. Enough about the weather, I am beginning to sound a lot like my mother. Which brings me to my next point... isn't it insane, how as we grow older we hear ourselves beginning to sound a bit like our parents? Over the years I have often thought that if I had one more conversation about the weather from my mother I might have to slit my throat. Well, I think a plethora of weather stories are in my poor daughter’s future and already I feel sorry for her. Who knew?

Even though it was snowing we went shopping anyway and found some interesting stores in the Virginia Highlands section of Atlanta. My new favorite store is Paper Source. It is filled with gorgeous designer papers, a mix media artist's virtual play land. I spent more money than I care to mention in that store. Next we slushed our way over to Knitch, a knitting store that is to die for! Even if you don't knit (which I don't) you will love this place, as the collection of fibers and colors will inspire artists who work in any medium. We ended our day with a fabulous dinner at Twist, a tapas restaurant located at Phipps Plaza (I had a delicious golden beet salad with goat cheese, yummy candied pecans and citrus vinegrette dressing). Such a great snow day!

Fun with Photo Editing

Have you seen the commercial with the cute little 4 year old who uploads her photos and “makes them better” with the click of the mouse? Well I have been having an equal amount of fun and success with the latest version of Picasa 3 (Goggle’s free photo editing program). I love the simplicity of this program and with the click of the mouse I can make my photos better as well!

Some of my favorite effects include: sepia, focal black and white, film grain (see above photo), soft focus, glow and filtered black and white. I can also create photo collages and make a movie of my selected photos.

I know many of you photo experts out there are thinking…how lame; however, I do plan on graduating from the Picasa school soon enough. My next step is to load my (still in its brand new box) Paint Shop Pro by Corel (similar to Photo Shop Elements) and become even more creative. Maybe I will begin layering stuff on top of each other (shut up!) and sooo much more…stay tuned!

I love the way the slash of color fades to black and white...this is one of my favorite tools!

From my desk

Birthdays make me a little sentimental

It was very cold the day I was born. My mother told me that when she announced to my father and her mother that she thought it was time to go to the hospital… all parties immediately scrambled out of the house, tumbled into the car and promptly left her behind. It’s kind of nice to know how excited everyone was about my impending entry into the world. Mom said I was a beautiful baby and the attending nurses carried me around so much that she had to insist they bring me to her. Apparently I was quite popular (that all ended in junior high school).

I was crazy about my mother when I was a little girl. I constantly kept my eye on her. She had a way of making me feel safe. I thought she was beautiful. Her hair was always perfect and she wore just the right amount of make-up. We walked everywhere together…to the playground, movies, library, school, and friend’s homes. Walking was a huge part of our lives.

I remember school lunches with sandwiches wrapped in wax paper and cupcakes or cookies packed neatly in my lunchbox. I remember freshly pressed dresses, white socks and polished shoes. I remember the Cat in the Hat, and “read it again please.” I remember her calling me on my fake princess telephone. I remember hot tomato soup and saltine crackers on cold rainy days. I remember how much she believed in me and that she would have defend me to the ends of the earth …all of this I remember about my mother who I still, to this day, call "Mommy". Birthdays make me a little sentimental.

Human life is fleeting…temporary…short. I think if I were to die today it would be a surprise but I believe I would be cool with it. I have some regrets, things I can’t change but over all I have had a good life…loving parents, a very close sister, a dear daughter, a funny ex-husband and other close friends and extended family members. The purpose of my life is ever evolving as I attempt to create more inner space for something divine…something beyond words.

Studio Pics

Several new magazines have been featuring places where woman do their "creating". Some of these rooms are quite beautiful, while others are very organized. I peer longingly into some spaces that are just over the top! My little room doesn't quite fit into any of these categories but I still love it anyway. The deep orange color wasn't quite what I was going for initially, but I must say it has grown on me, besides the thought of repainting makes my stomach turn. ;-)