Artisan Mama

A break to say goodbye

2011-04-12T12:00:00.001-05:00

On March 30 I received a phone call that made me refocus on the truly important things in life. My mother, who has been suffering from Alzheimer's, had been declining steadily for several weeks. On that Wednesday her hospice nurse informed my brother that it was time for those who wanted to say goodbye to come to their home. So I flew to Utah and was able to spend three days with my Mom and say goodbye.

Although we were prepared for her loss, it has still been a difficult time. But I have received comfort from my knowledge that because of my Savior Jesus Christ and God's great plan of happiness we will all live again. And that because of His restored gospel and the blessings of the temple, our family can be together throughout the eternities.

So although I'll miss her dearly, I look forward to the day when I will once again feel her embrace and be able to tell her I love her.

Hopefully I'll get back into posting on a regular basis soon, but until then remember--life is short. Hug your family, tell them that you love them and spend as much time with them as possible.

Recycled Art

2011-03-25T12:00:00.003-05:00

In a post a couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I had volunteered to teach a class on recycled art. Since them I have been scouring the internet looking for the perfect project to do in my class. It had to be easy, quick and stir your creative juices so that the ladies that attend will want to go home and look for other ways to create beautiful things out of materials they would normally throw away. Not too much to ask, right? But I discovered rather quickly that although there are a lot of great projects you can create with recycled materials, finding one that you could complete in 30 minutes was very, very difficult.

That all changed late last night as I was once again online searching for the perfect project. I stumbled upon this great project at homemade mamas, which was inspired by Growing Up Creative's post about making wall art using paper towel rolls. Don't you love how the internet allows so many people to share creativity? I was very, very intrigued by both of these posts. Unfortunately, I was also very, very tired. So I bookmarked the site and went to bed.

This morning I got up and decided to give this project a try before I did anything else.

I got my materials...

and went to work.

This project is so easy. You just flatten the paper tube (I'm using toilet paper rolls here), measure and mark your cutting lines...

and cut the tube apart.

Put the cut strips between your thumb and finger, and gently press down to reshape the circles...

and then go to work creating designs...

Before beginning this project, I decided to create some art for this wall of photos.

I love the mix of family pictures on this wall, but have always been a little bugged by these two gaps...

So today I decided to try to create something to hang in those gaps. My goal is to use the toilet paper rolls to create pieces that look like wrought iron.

After playing with several designs, I settled on this one:

The next step was to pull out my glue gun and start gluing

I was happy with the first one I created, so I cut a few more strips and made another.

I then moved the project outside. I put my pieces into a box...

And painted them with this paint:

I purchased this paint earlier this month for another faux wrought iron project I have in the works. I haven't even started that one yet, but was thankful I had this paint. It is a Indoor Satin Metallic paint that I hoped would give my cardboard a metal look.

I sprayed both sides of the pieces. The paint only takes about 10 minutes to dry, so this process was pretty quick.

I did have some trouble getting all the edges covered completely. But I solved that problem by using the over spray and a cheap craft sponge brush to make touch ups. And when I was done, I had these:

At this point in the project my husband came outside to see what I was doing. I showed the two pieces I had just completed. He asked me where I got them, and was quite surprised when I told him I made them. He asked me what I made them out of and was amazed when I told him toilet paper rolls. Standing at a distance he seriously thought they were metal. I guess that means this project is a success!

So for the cost of some spray paint and a glue stick, I was able to use a recycled toilet paper roll to take my wall from this...

to this...

What do you think? Can you tell what they are made of?

And not only do I have some new art on my walls, I have some new inspiration. I plan to spend the next day or two seeing what else I can make out of these paper tubes. Then I'll finalize my plans for my recycled art class. It feels good to finally be narrowing in on a plan!

My art discoveries in Puerto Rico

2011-03-21T12:30:00.002-05:00

Last week my husband and I traveled to Puerto Rico with his parents. I absolutely love to travel. I love visiting new places and experiencing new cultures. Puerto Rico was green and beautiful and we had a wonderful trip.

Whenever we travel, I aways want to spend lots of time in museums. Because the main purpose of the trip was to accompany my in-laws as they revisited the sites where they served their LDS Mission 20 years ago, I wasn't sure there would be a lot of time to wonder around museums. However, while researching the trip I discovered that one of my favorite paintings is hanging in a museum in Ponce, so I gave a slight nudge to have it added to our itinerary.

On our last day in Puerto Rico, we drove around the western side of the island and ended up in Ponce. Our first stop was at the Parque de Bombas, the most colorful fire station you'll ever see--inside and out.

Next we made it over to the Museo de Arte de Ponce, and headed straight to the object of our visit:

Flaming June by Fredrick Lord Leighton

She was big and vivid and beautiful.

She did not disappoint my high expectations!

In the same room was another great painting by one of my favorite artists, William Bouguereau. (I wrote about one of his other paintings, The Elder Sister, last year.) Here's the one we saw in Ponce:

Far From Home

I also fell in love with this painting:

Judgment of Solomon by Baron Gustaaf Wappers

The colors in this painting were amazing. And I love the emotions of the two women's faces--it is so obvious who is the true mother of the living child.

Another favorite was this etching:

Witches, by Puerto Rican artist Marcos Irizarry

The faces in this piece are wonderful!

It was a great end to a wonderful week of R & R.

Now it's back to real life. Hopefully I'll have a new project to share by the end of the week.

It was a good week because I survived it!

2011-03-11T10:30:00.014-06:00

And I thought last week was busy! This week was so much more I haven't even been able to think about posting. I really don't have time to do it this morning, but since my goal is to post every week--here I am.

The projects I worked on this week all involved the Pioneer Trek two of my kids are going on next week. They will drive out to the hill country and pull handcarts for four days. My husband and I were suppose to go with them, but due to a mix up on the dates of another event we had previous committed to we had to back out. I'm still a little bummed about that, as I would have loved to share this experience with my son and youngest daughter.

We've know about this trek for quite a long time, which should mean that all of our preparations were done several weeks ago. Those of you that know me well can stop laughing long enough to hear me admit that that statement is so false. However, that doesn't mean I haven't been working on this project for quite some time.

One of the things that has kept me running back and forth to the mall are these buckets:

The Trek participants must fit all of their belongings for the trip into a 5 gallon bucket. We decided making padded seats on the buckets would be a good YW activity, and I set out trying to find a source for free buckets. The Great American Cookie Company at the mall came through for us, and agreed to save their frosting buckets for our group. Each week I went to the mall once or twice to pick up their empties. Most times I got one or 2. Once time I scored and got 4. Several times I was disappointed to find they had thrown them all out. One time I was told that "someone had already picked them up" and were given all three. Ugh! But in the end we were able to get the 19 buckets we needed. And I only had to make two of the seats on my own.

And now my kids, and all our ward's participants, will have a soft place to rest their hineys at the end of the day.

The last project we tackled was my daughter's clothes. She had decided she wanted to have dresses and not skirts and shirts. And she wanted to help make them. So we bought the supplies over a month ago and kept trying to find a block of time we could work together. Well, guess what? That never happened. Shocking, I know. So this week I had to get to work doing it on my own.

I started with this:

Notice the finished bonnet? A wonderful woman in our ward made these for all the women. Today I am so very grateful for her!

Oh, and please disregard the laundry basket that snuck into this photo. My house is currently in serious disarray and it's hard to take any photos that don't include clutter. But I digress....as usual...I'll try to get back on topic now.

The original plan was to make two dresses and one apron. In the end I made one dress...

and two aprons...

(which btw I am especially proud of since I made them without a pattern.)

For her other outfit, my daughter is using a skirt that was found at goodwill by a friend and a shirt from the back of my closet...

Once again, I am so grateful!

So that is how I spent my week.

And this is how excited my daughter is to have this project done.

My smile is even bigger!

I am taking next week off to enjoy beautiful places and things and will hopefully have a wonderful post about that sometime after the 20th.

And hopefully in the near future I can show you what we have decided to do with this cute fabric which did not become a pioneer dress.

Have a great week!

A 10 minute project

2011-03-03T10:00:00.003-06:00

If you asked me to describe my week, I could do it in three words: busy, busy, busy. But since I am determined to post here on a regular basis, this morning requires a short break to show you my latest project.

First I have to tell you how I discovered this project. I volunteered to teach a class on Recycled Art at my church next month. Since I finished my most current YW activity last night (a Minute to Win It activity that was too fun), I decided I better get online this morning to get ideas for a project that can be made in 30 minutes or less (which is how long my class will last). I must admit that I love to google, and could spend all day looking at the amazing things people make. But since my schedule is still packed with things I have to get done before my upcoming vacation, I had to force myself to get an early start and limit my browsing.

Lucky for me I found a great project pretty quick. It is a ten minute Recycled T-Shirt Bag that I found on the do stuff! blog. This project caught my eye for a couple of reasons. It claimed to only take 10 minutes to make, required no sewing and only needed three 3 things to make: a t-shirt, a pair of scissors and a safety pin. How could I not try that?

So I grabbed a t-shirt from our donation pile and took it from this:

to this:

in about 10 minutes!

Isn't it cute? I think this would make a perfect beach or pool bag. I'm not sure it qualifies as Recycled Art, but I still love this project!

Friday Foodie: Cooking rice in the oven

2011-02-25T16:00:00.010-06:00

Posting a little late today, but didn't want to miss sharing what I recently learned about making rice. I don't own a rice cooker, but instead always make our rice in the microwave. Last weekend I was asked to make a very large amount of rice when the party we were going to had a last menu minute change. 30 cups of cooked rice to be exact. Since I have never cooked such a large quantity at once and I had no desire to be cooking rice all day, I turned to google and made a wonderful discovery.

You can bake rice in your oven. And not just a normal amount of rice, like 2 or 3 cups--really large quantities like 15 cups. It is super easy and the rice comes out perfect. Here's all you do:

Ingredients: 2 cups of water per 1 cup of rice.

Bring water to a boil. You can add some oil and salt to the water if you'd like. (I put a little oil in mine, but no salt.)

Place rice into the pan you will be baking in. Pour boiling water on top. Stir. Place lid on pan. Put pan into preheated 350° oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Fluff with fork.

As I said before, this is super easy and turns out perfect rice. So if you are ever asked to make 30 cups of rice the only challenge will be to find a big enough pan.

Oh, and as a bonus foodie tip--check out this new website I discovered last week: TasteSpotting It's a great online resource for new recipes. Check it out.

Young Women Survival Kit

2011-02-23T10:50:00.017-06:00

Although I've sat in this chair from almost as long as I can stand today, I really wanted to share something my daughter put together for our New Beginnings program on Sunday.

During New Beginnings we spotlight the girls who will be turning 12 and entering our Young Women organization this year. As part of that spotlight, my Laurels wanted to include some little gifts. My daughter volunteered to take care of the gifts and put together a survival kit for the new girls. Each box contained several items along with a description of why they were included. Check it out and let me know if you think they are as cute and creative as I do:

Welcome to Young Women!

To help you adjust, we thought we’d give you a Young Women Survival Kit!

Inside this kit you will find:

PLAYDOUGH- Because the things you learn while in the Young Women Program will mold your character!

GLOW STICKS- Because the Young Women values will light the path to the temple!

HAND SANITIZING WIPES- Because the habits you develop through the Personal Progress Program keep you morally clean!

BUBBLES- Because you will be bubbling over with knowledge each Sunday you attend Young Women!

JOURNAL/PEN- Because it’s important to record the spiritual promptings you receive during Young Women lessons!

TISSUES- Because the spirit is always strong during Young Women lessons, and you may shed a tear or two!

SOCK MONKEY- Because we’re going bananas waiting for you to become a Beehive!

CANDY- Because we think you’re sweet!

We can’t wait for you to turn 12 and join us!

Love, The Young Women!

Easing back into things

2011-02-23T10:17:00.000-06:00

It's now been a week since my little fall down the stairs. I wish I could say I am totally back to normal, but unfortunately I cannot. My back is still sore, and simple things like sitting in a chair, standing over a table and reaching for things have it complaining in the most unpleasant way. But since I can't just sit around all day, I am slowly getting a few projects done.

Before I start catching you up on what I managed to do the last week, I want to write a little about my change is focus this year. In earlier posts I told you that I was taking the second semester of my Arts Metals class. You may have noticed that I haven't said a word about the class since the end of January and my posting about Lost Wax Casting. This is due to an interesting chain of events that has totally changed my focus this semester.

Right after that last post about my class, I was contacted by Continental Airlines about interviewing for a job with their food services. I was laid off from Continental in July of 2009, and have missed my flight benefits so much I have been trying for months to figure out a way to get back into the company. Back in September I applied for the position of Transporation Agent. Since I never heard back from them, I assumed that I didn't make the cut. However, it appears they were just a little slow in getting through the hiring process.

When I was first contacted about the interview, I had alarms going off in my head about whether the position would work with my class and church volunteer schedules as well as an upcoming trip I have planned with my in-laws. But I decided I needed to go check it out.

As I sat in the room and listened to the description of the job and the inflexibility of schedule that would be required for the first six months, the alarms I heard earlier started going off again. At the end of the discussion, the HR rep told us that if we could not make our schedule meet with those requirements we could bow out of the interview and reapply at a better time. I sat in my chair and debated whether or not I should drop out of the process, but in the end I decided to stick with it because I wasn't going to lose anything by continuing.

The next step in the process was a tour of the facility. They broke us up into groups according to the position we applied for. To be totally honest, when I got the invitation to be interviewed I had to look at my application history to see which job I had applied for--how funny is that? Once they started dividing us into groups, I was no longer sure which job I was being considered for.   But since I didn't want to look stupid, I picked the one I thought was right and went along with that group. They took us into the refridgerated warehouse and we watched different groups do their assigned jobs. Most employees worked alone in an area doing assembly line type work.

As I was led from area to area, an interesting thing happened.  I was struck by the fact that there was absolutely no interaction with customers, and there seemed to be very little interaction with other employees. This realization made me start to feel a little sad. I also had one thought that kept popping into my head--"There is absolutely no way I can work in here 40 hours a week".   So at the end of the tour when the HR rep asked if anyone had changed their mind about continuing, I raised my hand, signed out and left the facility--before I even had an interview.

The day seemed like a total bust, however I learned a couple of interesting things. I learned that the interaction with customers was a huge part of what I loved about my job with Continental.   I learned that I will not do ANY job just to have flight benefits. (I'm still not sure if I would have been willing to suffer through this job if it had been part time instead of full time, but since all of their positions are full time that is totally a moot point).

The other interesting thing I learned was that I wasn't that upset about the thought that I might have to drop my arts metals class. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I decided it might be a good thing to do.   This semester was all about learning how to cast, which would have been very cool. However it is a skill that I would not be able to do at home without a serious investment in equipment. And to be perfectly honest, I didn't see that ever happening.

I also started thinking about other things I wanted to do this year, which would be hampered by my being in school twice a week. And I kept feeling like it would be better for me to be more flexible with my schedule this sememster. I'm not sure what that feeling is all about, but I do know that the more I thought about it, the more it felt right to withdraw from class. So that is what I did.

In the end my interview with Continental did not get me my flight benefits back. But I listened to the promptings that came from the experience and gained a new perspective on what I should be focusing on right now. I still feel like there is something coming that makes the decision to be more flexible a good one for me. Maybe that something was just the tumble I took last week, or maybe it's something still to come.  But that really doesn't matter to me. What matters is that I really feel good about the decision I made and I am totally loving not going to school twice a week. Instead I am using my time to focus on other things, including working on art projects of my choosing.

I'll continue to share those projects and what I am doing with my free time here.

Paint and Pain

2011-02-16T09:00:00.142-06:00

This week I continue to play with texture on canvas. For this project I picked up some 6 x 8 panels. I applied the texture:

And then some paint:

Then I took some sandpaper to the finish to add a little distressed contrasting to the canvas:

I really like this look.

Then I tried several things that totally failed, which I did not take photos of. In order to try to salvage the project, used more paint and sandpaper to get back to my project base:

And then I was stuck. I looked at these canvases and had absolutely no idea what to do with them. Just when I was about to put them into my unfinished project box, I found these:

And a light bulb went off.

You'll have to wait for another day to see what that light bulb was. Partially because my day is filled with several appointments that will limit my craftiness. And partially because of this little fellow:

This is Phil, my dog's new chew toy.

Dakota likes to shred stuffed animals. She doesn't steal them and shred them, but when we give her one she spends quite a while ripping their faces off and then pulling the stuffing bit by bit out of the toy. I know that sounds kind of gruesome, but really its just pretty messy. And if the stuff animal is a cheap one, it will only entertain her for a few minutes. The ones that really last are the Build a Bear animals. We discovered this because she used to steal animals and once got a hold of a BB bear. It gave her many, many hours of enjoyment.

Since I don't want to give her BB toys to shred, I am always on the look out of durable doggie toys. Last week we found this guy at PetCo. They claimed it was extremely durable, and although it was way more than I ever dreamed I'd spend on a dog toy, I bought it--hoping it would last longer than a stuffed animal. And guess what? It does! Dakota loves Phil, and he is so durable she hasn't even managed to put a hole in him yet--even after several hours of play.

Now you may be wondering what Phil has to do with me finishing a craft project. You see, Dakota loves to play with Phil on the stairs.

This morning when I went upstairs to wake up my baby, I saw that Dakota had left Phil there.

For an instant I thought about picking him up, but I dismissed it. You see, I was tired. Usually I call my daughter to wake her up, but she hadn't felt well last night so I thought I should go check on her and see if she was feeling good enough to go to school. I'm sure you know what is coming next.  I walked past this little guy on my way up, only to step on him on my way back down. My foot slipped and down I went. Major OUCH! And now my back is sore and I'm moving slowly, and getting through just my scheduled events may be all I can manage today.

But even with the pain I am excited about the idea I have for at least one of these canvases.  I'll let you know when I make some more progress.

I am also keeping my eyes open for Phil.  After our morning encounter I put him on top of Dakota's kennel, just so I'd know where he was. I just walked by there, and he is gone. Apparently he was still within Dakota's reach.

Like I said, she loves Phil.

Valentine's Love from my oven

2011-02-14T17:30:00.003-06:00

What else would the breakfast of champions be followed up with?

Valentine's Breakfast of Champions

2011-02-14T11:00:00.003-06:00

Here's what was served at my house for Valentine's Day breakfast.

Yum!

Here's the recipe in case you want to make some.

Crepes

Ingredients:

2 beaten eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup all- purpose flour

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1/4 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a bowl and beat until combined. Heat a lightly greased 6 - in skillet; remove from hear. Spoon in 2 tablespoons batter; lift and tilt skillet to spread batter. Return to heat; brown on 1 side only. (Or cook in crepe maker following manufacturer's directions.) Invert over paper towels; remove crepe. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing skillet occasionally.

My adaptations:

I mixed my batter in a blender-pulsing until combined.

I used a 10 in cast iron skillet, which I placed a little butter before adding batter. I also increased batter to about 4 tablespoons.

You can tell when the crepe is done because the sides start to pull away from the pan. I use a wooden spatula to pull up crepe and check for a lightly browned crepe.

Serve with your favorite fruit or jam. This morning we used Nutella and bananas. Strawberries and whip cream are also yummy.

Crafting with the Stars Final Project

2011-02-14T10:23:00.002-06:00

Update: Jonie placed 2nd in the finals. Congrats to one talented lady!

The final projects are up at Crafting with the Stars. With my love of mosiacs, you won't be surprised that I loved Jonie's Mosaic Bean Art and Belt Chair. Too, too cute and a project anyone could do.

Do me a favor and VOTE for her now!

Random Sunday Topic

2011-02-13T09:00:00.004-06:00

Since I mentioned and provided links to several other blogs this week, I've decided today's post will be a random topic instead of a random blog. Since tomorrow is Valentines day, I thought Love would be appropriate. Here is what I learned about love searching online:

Love is the emotion of strong affection and personal attachment.

There is a love calculator that can calculate the chance of a successful relationship between two people. FYI, it projects a 42% chance for me and my husband of 25 years.

Love is a chemical state of mind.

But the best information about love comes from a video which tells us "Love is what matters most".

So spend some time with those you love today! Enjoy your Sunday.

Bonus Post: Friday Foods

2011-02-11T10:00:00.002-06:00

It is cold here in Houston, and I'm in the mood for something yummy. So as long as I'm baking, I decided to start a new feature on my blog--Friday Foods. I'm hoping that by committing to posting a recipe once a week will keep me motivated to try new recipes and share some of my family's favorites.

I'm starting off with one of our new favorite holiday recipes. My husband asked me to make for him this week. I resisted at first, because pumpkin bread is only eaten in November and December. Am I right? But in the end I made it for him. That's just the kind of wife I am. And guess what? Turns out it's just as good in January as it was in December.

You should make some. Trust me, it is delicious!

Pumpkin Gingerbread

Adapted from a recipe found at allrecipes.com

Ingredients

2cups sugar
1 cup chunky applesauce
4 eggs
2/3 cup water
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Chocolate chips - optional to some, but not to me
(I never measure chocolate chips. Just throw a handful or two in until it looks like there is enough. How's that for exact measurements?)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.

In a large mixing, combine sugar, applesauce and eggs; beat until smooth. Add water and beat until well blended. Stir in pumpkin, ginger, allspice cinnamon, and clove.

In medium bowl, combine flour, soda, salt, and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and blend just until all ingredients are mixed. Add chocolate chips and mix.

Divide batter between prepared pans.

Bake in preheated oven until toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour.

Creating our YW Values

2011-02-11T09:00:00.171-06:00

Yesterday I showed you my first attempt at creating textured canvas art and told you that I would be making similar projects with the young women I work with at my church. Today I'm going to show you their creations.

The idea for this project came about as our Laurel class planned for our New Beginnings which will be later this month. The girls has requested another activity where we painted, and I decided the perfect way to address both activities would be for us to paint the Young Women Values, which are:Faith, Divine Nature, Knowledge, Choice and Accountability, Good Works, Integrity and Virtue.

Before our activity I made the canvas for Virtue:

Each value has an assigned color. Virtue's is gold.

I followed the same process for texturing and painting this canvas as I did for my Mia Maid project from yesterday:

But instead of using a ink jet transfer for the image, I had my friend Stephanie cut out letters with her Cricut, because I am not lucky enough to own one and she is. Santa, you might want to start taking notes! The letters were decoupaged onto the canvas after the molding paste and paint were dry.

At the beginning of our activity, I showed the girls my Virtue and Mia Maid pieces. I did this not to influence their work, but to give them an idea of different ways to approach the texturing. I then had each girl choose a value and go to work. Unfortunately I forgot my camera (add forgetfulness to the list of personality traits I started yesterday), so I don't have any pictures of the girls creating their projects. But I do have pictures of their completed work.

Here are our Young Women Values and a close up of the textures each artist created:

Artist: Me

Artist: Brittany

Artist: Bridget

Artist: Erin

Artist: Jeanette

Artist: Edie

Artist: Gabby

Artist: Me

The girls really enjoyed this project. I love how their individual creativity shines through in each one!

Oh and a funny side story on our activity. Because we needed to finish our projects during our hour and a half activity, we had to blow dry all of the canvases. I asked each girl to bring a blow dryer with them, and we ended up with 4 at the church. As I was explaining the process to the girls, my oldest, and apparently wisest, Laurel, asked if we were going to blow a fuse by running so many blow dryers. I told her I had no idea and told her I guess we'd see. Well, guess what? At one point we had three blow dryers going at once, and we blew a fuse. I thought it was hilarious. So we spread out to other plugs in different rooms and I got my husband to find the breaker box and restore our power. It's good to have a handy husband!

Playing with texture and photo transfer

2011-02-10T10:30:00.000-06:00

I'm a bit behind on posting this week. It has been a busy week, but part of what has slowed me down was my discovering some new blogs that have fascinated and inspired me. Translation: I have spent more time reading other blogs than posting on my. But in the end it is all good because I am still on target for my goal of completing one project a week.

This week I wanted to try out texturing a canvas with Molding Paste. I was inspired by one of my new blog obsessions, Design Mom. The thing that really drew me into this blog was that this mother of 6 has recently moved her family to France for a year. She and her husband both work from home and have always wanted to live abroad, so they decided to just do it. I so wish we could have lived abroad with our kids, so I anxiously await each new post to learn about their experience. But let's get back to the focus of this post. While reading Design Mom's blog, I found this Abstract Art for Kids project, which was written by Dani Henriksen who writes one of my other new blog obsessions, Pineapple Paintbrush.

This project totally inspired me and I immediately ran out and bought some molding paste and canvases. And this week I put them to use making projects for an upcoming activity with the young women at our church.

Here are my supplies:

Since it was my first time using molding paste and I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy it, I ended up buying the cheaper store brand.

Don't be shocked by the price tag on this molding paste. I try to always use a coupon for my art supplies, and used a Hobby Lobby 40% off one for this jar of paste. I bought the large jar because I knew I would be using it a youth activity and wanted to make sure I had enough to play with it on my own and then with my young women.

For this project I decided I wanted a flat canvas instead of a wrapped one. So I bought packages of these:

Because I get multiple Sunday papers, I was able to use the same 40% off coupon for these. I just had to stand in line 4 times that day. Luckily there were 5 different cashiers working up front and none of them seemed to notice or care that I kept coming back.

Yesterday I pulled out my supplies and went to work.

I started spreading the paste with a pallet knife I found in an old art kit I bought.

I knew that kit would come in handy one day!

Once the canvas was completely covered, I used some old beads and a cookie cutter to create the texture.

I really liked how the texture turned out.

The Abstract Art article at Pineapple Paintbrush said to let the molding paste dry overnight. I, however, have a serious problem with both procrastination and patience, so I just couldn't wait. I pulled out my blow dryer to help speed up the process. Then I moved on to painting the canvas with metallic gold paint.

Once again, I loved the result.

While the paint was drying, I got back on my computer to prepare the next step of my project. I wanted to make an ink jet transfer to put on the canvas. I had read about this process at More Than Photography.

The first step in this process is to print out a mirror copy of the image you want to transfer. Our young women are divided into three age groups--12-13, 14 -15, and 16 - 18. I plan to make a picture for each age group that contains the name of the group and their class symbol. These will then be used in our New Beginnings Program later in the month where we will be highlighting our youth program to all the girls who will turn 12 this year.

Here is the image that I am working with:

I got a JPEG copy of the Rose--the class symbol the Mia Maids (our 14 and 15 year old girls)--from Jenny Smith. I then pasted it into a word document and flipped the image horizontally. The text was created as Word Art and also flipped horizontally. I then printed the document in the BEST mode, and allowed it to dry for a couple of minutes.

The next step is to apply Mod Podge, or any other decoupage medium, to the printed side of the image.

This is what was in my craft box, so this is what I used.

The image is then placed onto the canvas, and rubbed to make sure it adheres completely. I used my fingers and also a rolling pin. The texture on my project made this a little tricky. My first attempt at this process probably should been done on a non-textured background, but apparently I don't like to do anything the easy way.

Once you are satisfied that the contact is as good as you're going to get, you should walk away and let it dry. The above article says drying time should be at least 20 minutes but for best results you should let it dry overnight. Hmmm....guess which time frame I decided to follow?

After about 20 minutes, I started to remove the paper. This is done by wetting the paper and then using your fingers or a damp sponge to rub the backing off of the mod podge image.

I started to rub with a wet sponge...

Because I chose to start rubbing right at the minimum wait time, this ended up being a drawn out process. Turns out it wasn't dry enough to remove properly and parts of my image came up with my paper. Of course it could have also been the fact that I didn't follow directions exactly. Instead of spraying the paper down, I just used a wet sponge.

So let's review--today you've learned that I am an impatient procrastinator who is bad at following written instructions. Add that to other personality traits this blog has highlighted and I am probably the only impatient procrastinating ADD instruction ignoring hording crafter you know. So glad this is recorded for my posterity!

But getting back to the problems I had removing the paper from my image. Take a close look at the center of the flower and you'll see what my above personality traits caused--a spot where the image completely came up:

When this happened I waited a couple of more minutes, then used a blow dryer to hurry things up a bit (because even when I mess up, I still can't be patient!) and then started rubbing again.

Here is my finished project:

I don't love it, but I did learn a lot that will hopefully make the next two more successful. I plan to do them at night and then leave them alone until morning. I will then actually follow the directions and see what happens. How smoothly that goes will determine if I keep this one or redo it. Either way, I'll post the results.

Well, I am out of blogging time this morning. Tomorrow I'll show you the projects my young women completed last night.

Crafting with the Stars

2011-02-07T08:00:00.004-06:00

UPDATE: Jonie placed 2nd in this round of Crafting with the Stars and has moved on to the finals!

Last week on Facebook, I discovered that the daughter of one of my best friends from college is competing in Crafting with the Stars at Sew Dang Cute Crafts. I hadn't even heard of Sew Dang Cute or Crafting with the Stars before, but I love the idea and I love that I actually know someone who is competing. OK, so I knew her when she was 3, but still.

Anyway, Jonie is very talented and I would love to see her win. Contestants aren't allowed to let you know which project is theirs until voting has closed, but you can check out Jonie's blog, Just Between Friends and see what her style is. Then you can make an educated guess as to which project is hers. Or you can just go to the LATEST PROJECTS latest projects and pick your three favorites. Hopefully Jonie will be one of them.

You have until 8 pm MST to vote.

Random Sunday Blog

2011-02-06T23:55:00.003-06:00

I was going to take the day off and not make my usual Sunday post. But because the effects of a little too much Superbowl food is keeping me awake, I've been online doing a little research. And wouldn't you know it, I came across a wonderful craft blog that I knew I had to share. And since it's not quite midnight, it qualifies as my Random Sunday Blog for the week.

Then She Made... is written by a "work-at-home project administrator" who I'm guessing from her profile picture is a mother of three. She was once named one of the nation's top 25 scrapbookers and very rarely keeps anything she makes.

Here's a peak at some of her projects:

When you have a free minute, you should definitely check out her blog!

Finished business on a Houston Snow Day

2011-02-04T15:30:00.003-06:00

Today was an official snow day in Houston. Yesterday businesses closed early and announcements were made canceling school for today. The weatherman said it was going to be bitter cold, and promised us 3 -5 inches of snow. But everyone knows you can't trust a weatherman and although it was pretty cold, we totally got jipped in the snow department. When I got up and looked outside, all I saw was this:

Just a little ice, ice baby. Boo!

But all was not lost. because of the ice, highways have been closed until tomorrow and we have been told to avoid going out unless it is absolutely necessary. So I stayed home today, and finished some unfinished business.

And this is how I spent my ice day:

So even though the weather was a bust, this snow day turned out to be a pretty good day. My project is completed and framed. Now I only have two decisions to make:

Do I keep this or give it away?

What do I make next?

I'll let you know next week what I decide.

Happy Snow Day!

Remember Alex Brown

2011-02-03T09:00:00.003-06:00

This week I watched Extreme Makeover Home Edition for the first time in forever. We watched this particular episode for two reasons. First off, I had received an email Sunday morning telling me that the episode was about a family who had lost their daughter in an accident that was caused by her texting while driving, and that they were trying to increase education about how dangerous that was. I must admit I am guilty of texting while driving. I know it is stupid and I felt like watching the show might impact me enough that I would never do it again.

Although I had made a mental note that morning to try and watch the show, by that evening I had forgotten all about it. Luckily I was sitting down to stitch about the same time that the program started. That, combined with the fact that my youngest daughter was flipping channels when they showed a clip from the episode with Justin Bieber. My girl has Bieber fever, so of course we had to watch.

And I'm really glad I did. The story of Alex Brown was heartbreaking. She was a beautiful, loving girl with who whole life in front of her. And the decision to text while driving cost her her life. Her Dad made the comment that he knew that Alex would change the world. Now Alex's family is making sure that she does that even after her death.

I'm going to take the The Pledge never to text while operating a motor vehicle. I hope you will too.

Unfinished business, part 2

2011-02-02T09:00:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I told you how ink disappearing too quickly left me with this unfinished project:

Although I had packed it away, apparently the project was still filed towards the top of my memory. In December I saw light box that was on sale at a local art supply store. Finally I had a work in progress that screamed for a light box. And since up to that point I hadn't been able to come up with anything that I wanted for Christmas, I decided to let Santa bring me one. And Santa was happy to obliged. OK, to be perfectly honest I took Santa to the art store and he stood by me while I bought it. But what really matters is that I got this for Christmas:

Because we were going to spend Christmas with family, Santa dropped my present off a little early. But I was a good girl and didn't open it before Christmas. In fact, you could probably say I was a little naughty because I didn't open it until this week. But it's open now, and already been put to use.

I pulled it out,

and started tracing,

and turned my project from this...

to this:

And after a couple of hours of stitching

and watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition my project had become this:

I love the progress so far. The light box, combined with the fact that the disappearing ink seems to stick around a lot longer than before, made getting to this point so much easier.

Next step--the painting, which I'm hoping to have done by the end of the week.

I love cupcakes!

2011-02-01T21:00:00.000-06:00

One of my friends taught a class on cupcake decorating tonight. It was the best kind of class--the kind where you are handed a cupcake and told to decorate it. Here are my creations:

They did not last long at my house.

Unfinished business, part 1

2011-02-01T16:00:00.002-06:00

A couple of weeks ago while writing about my bedroom cleaning project , I mentioned discovering a some unfinished projects I had totally forgotten about. This week I decided I needed to get at least one of them done. This one to be exact:

I picked this stitchery project up over a year ago on a quilting shop hop with my sister in law. I used to do a lot of cross stitching, and I loved how this kit incorporated stitching and painting.

I decided to make the larger of the two projects:

Guess I should have known better and started smaller, but I just loved the full range of people and animals that are in this one.

I went and bought my supplies, which included this disappearing ink pen.

I then traced the pattern onto the material. This was kind of a pain because I have never been able to let myself spend the money on a light box. I have really wanted one a couple of times, but have alway wondered if I would actually use it enough to justify the expense. So for this project I waited for a sunny day and then taped the pattern and material on a window. This turned out to be a bigger project than I had expected.

There's a lot of lines in this project! But I pushed on, got the pattern traced and started to stitch.

Then I learned something unexpected about my disappearing ink pen. It disappears faster than I can stitch. I had spent all that time tracing, only to lose half of my markings before I was finished.

I was so bummed. Since it was no longer sunny outside, I decided it was time to take a break from my project. I sat it on my craft table, and unfortunately didn't pick it up again until I was packing up some craft supplies. So in the box it went, and I didn't really think about it until on time last month.

I'm out of time for today, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to tell you more.

Random Sunday Blog

2011-01-30T09:00:00.013-06:00

Today's Random Sunday Blog is not so random. Instead of finding it by clicking the Next Blog button, I was lead to it by another blog I was visiting while researching a future project. I won't go into details about that now, except to say I showed it to my youngest daughter and she was amazed. Hope to sift through my ADD enough to do one next week. I'll let you know if I succeed.

But back on topic. Today's Not So Random Sunday Blog is The Decorative Paintbrush. This is a wonderful site written by Mary Mollica, who along with her partner paints beautiful furniture. Mary says they "love giving used/vintage furniture a funky facelift!" Their work is colorful and whimsical. I absolutely love it. You should check it out!

Wednesday Night Arts and Crafts

2011-01-29T09:00:00.169-06:00

Back in July I wrote a quick post about these bowls and frames made of recycled magazines.

In August, my middle daughter and I made some of these frames. We use old National Geographic magazines because of their colorful pictures.

We pulled out pages and sorted them into color schemes we wanted to use. The pages were then cut in half:

We then made the pages into tubes using a wooden skewer and glue sticks.

The tubes were then cut and glued onto the frame.

I did not take a picture of my daughter's completed frame, and it has since moved to college. And to be perfectly honest, my frame is still unfinished:

I really did enjoy the project, I just had to move onto other things like making dinner and never got back to it. Story of my life. But it will be cute when it's finished. Some day.

Anyway...a day later one of my favorite teenagers called me because she was home alone and bored to death. She came over and I showed her what we had been doing I then handed her a frame and told her to make one. And she did.

This past week the two of us decided that we needed to make these frames at our youth activity on Wednesday night. I know it's a dangerous thing to do an activity that I have never been successful at completing. But I just decided I would prep frames and lend a hand so the girls could finish theirs instead of making one myself.

Or at least that was the plan. Instead I made an interesting discovery--it turns out this project isn't appealing to everyone. Although they thought the frames were cute, 3 out of 4 teenage girls decided they were just too tedious to make. And at the end of the night there were only two frames that were finished. Care to guess who they belonged to? Yep, the two of us that planned the activity. Of course I forgot to take pictures during our activity. But here is the frame I made:

Notice anything about this frame?

Its actually finished!

Oh and FYI, this started out as my youngest daughter's frame. Part way through our activity she went to wash her hands and didn't come back. She had wandered into the room where the other group of girls were meeting and found their project much more to her liking. I would have been annoyed at her abandoning us, except she ended up making these:

And since I know that different art appeals to different people, it's hard to get mad at my girl for realizing what she is more drawn to.

I'm just thrilled that we went home with two completely finished projects!

Lost Wax Casting

2011-01-28T21:00:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it is Friday. This week kind of got away from me, but I didn't want it to end without writing another entry or two. So here's a quick rewind:

We got our first assignment in Arts Metals on Monday. We'll be casting multiple rings.

Step one is to play with the wax to learn what it can do. We heated up and molded and shaped it. Here is what I made.

We'll eventually use the wax to create molds that the rings will be made from. I won't be casting any of these, but it was fun playing with the wax.

I missed class on Wednesday, and I am really looking forward to this coming Monday so I can learn about this process.

Quote of the day

2011-01-24T09:00:00.014-06:00

Here is a quote from my favorite Apostle that is totally perfect for my life and my blog:

"What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don’t let fear of failure discourage you." ~Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Random Sunday Blog

2011-01-23T09:00:00.004-06:00

It's that time again. The time when I browse using the NEXT BLOG button at the top of the page. The site that caught my eye today is one-eared pig beads. This site is written by Melissa Mesara who is "addicted to quotes, glass, and books".

The first thing that caught my eyes was her short, concise posts. I love people who blog on a regular basis with posts that are quick and fun to read. But what won her the spot on Random Sunday Blog was her post from October 26th about her studio space. It is only two sentences long, but includes this photo of her workspace.

Since it's Sunday, I will do my best not to covet. But I have to admit, I want a space just like this to do my metal crafts!

I miss snow!

2011-01-22T09:00:00.028-06:00

We are closing in on 20 years here in Houston. And although I love that I can wear shorts year round here, I have to admit that this year I am missing winter a little more than usual. Not the super cold temps, but the fluffy white stuff. I don't want to drive in it, but I do want to look out my window and see scenes like this:

I know what you are thinking. "You could never look out your window and see a scene like that". True, but I maybe I could see something like this:

And if not, I could drive up a canyon and put on some of these...

or these...

and do something like this:

And that would be amazing! But for now I live in Houston and instead I have to settle for looking at beautiful pictures like this:

All of the outdoor scenery pictures in this post were taken by an amazing photographer, Wille Holdman. You can check out more of his work on his facebook page and his website, Holman Gallery.

Hoarding update

2011-01-21T09:20:00.002-06:00

Here is an update of this morning's post--just in case you were worried about me being a hoarder.

I just googled ADD and hoarding and found this great article on hoarding. Here is what it says:

Is it OCD? Or ADD?

Many psychologists believe that hoarding is a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), while others argue that it may be a variant of attention deficit disorder (ADD), which leaves people having difficulty with decision making, procrastination, and staying on task long enough to organize their surroundings. "Try to give hoarders an assignment to throw something out, and they won't do it," says Stephen C. Josephson, PhD, clinical psychologist in New York City, and clinical associate professor of psychology in psychiatry at Cornell Medical School. "I see the clutter more often in people with ADD than OCD."

This is good news! While this article does lead me to believe I really am ADD, yesterday's project has reinforced that I can definitely throw things way. So as of today I can honestly say I am not a hoarder. Yea! And to make sure it stays that way I will throw things away on a regular basis! Maybe I'll start with all those unfinished projects. :D

The danger of piles

2011-01-21T09:00:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I spent the afternoon attacking the piles that were on the verge of taking over my bedroom. I have always been a piler and secretly fear that this tendency will one day turn into actual hoarding. This fear is so real, that I did not take a picture for a before/after post of my room simply because I did not want it to end up in a google search under "images for hoarders". Ok, that's not really true--but how scary is that thought? Have you looked at those pictures? I am sure none of those people thought they were hoarders when their piles were small. The whole thing just creeps me out. A lot!

Anyway, I spent the day sorting my piles and could not believe the number of unfinished projects I came across. I swear, I am slightly ADD and am constantly moving onto the next project before the last one is finished. I wonder if being ADD is typical of hoarders? May have to google that one later. But once again I am getting distracted from my story. As I sorted through the craft supplies, I discovered a project I started almost a year ago as thank you gifts for some ladies at church. I cannot believe I didn't finished them, and am now struggling with which is more embarrassing: never formally thanking these women or finishing the projects and pointing out to them that it took me a year to formally thank them. Almost makes me wish I had left that particular pile alone! At least then I'd be unaware of my goof up. Instead I am left with this dilemma as I contemplate my future as a procrastinating ADD hoarder.

Paper Mache and Concrete

2011-01-20T09:00:00.003-06:00

This past week I have found myself slightly obsessed with paper mache and concrete. So much so, that I have spent several hours researching both topics and have all kinds of project ideas floating through my head.

The paper mache mode started while I was sketching ideas for some Tree of Life projects. I had the idea of making a tree out of paper mache and then attaching it to canvas, but I had absolutely no idea if that would work. So I did what I always do when I don't know something--I Googled it. (How did we ever survive without the internet?) My google search lead me to ultimatepapermache.com. This amazing blog has a recipe for paper mache clay that I knew I had to try.

So I wrote down the items I needed to get to make the clay, and headed to Lowe's. Then I got slightly distracted. As I walked into the front doors of Lowe's, this book caught my eye.

Because I have been also thinking about what to do next with my cement mixer, this book screamed at me to buy it. It a great book, but I resisted the impulse because of it's $22 price tag. I was so proud of myself for walking away without buying it before checking to see if the library had a copy or if I could get it cheaper on Amazon. (The library didn't have it, so I did end up buying it on Amazon for $15. Once again, how did we survive before the internet?)

In the end, my trip to Lowe's was kind of a bust. We didn't find a cook top on clearance (mine is 30 years old and HAS to be replaced SOON!) and I did not buy any of the supplies for my paper mache clay. But I guess it wasn't a totally bust. Because I resisted the impulse purchase my cement book, I discovered several other books that intrigued me. I am now patiently awaiting the following to arrive at my library:

Can't wait to see this one.

These pots look amazing.

I think paper mache is about to take on a whole new meaning for me.

And I only thought paper mache was for making pinatas!

So instead of trying out a new media this week, I have simply increased the number of new projects I want to try. Hopefully I'll get organized enough to actually make something in the next couple of days.

Arts Metals 1 recap

2011-01-19T09:00:00.121-06:00

Since my Arts Metals 2 class starts today I thought I better recap my semester of Arts Metals 1 which will include projects I've already written about as well as two new ones I did at the end of the semester.

Here are all of my projects:

Project 1--Layered metals design construction

Constructed a design from 3 different types of 3"x3" metal sheets. Metal was pierced, drilled, riveted, filed and sanded to create design.

Project 2 -- Silver Soldering Exercise

Demonstrate successful butt joint, lap joint, T joint and On lay/tinning

Project 3 -- Soldered Design Composition

Design and construct by soldering a piece using varied colors of metal and controlled use of finishing and soldering.

Project 4 -- Box Ring

Design and construct a ring using a box type construction. Ring must be sized for a specific wearer and use controlled processes and techniques.

My inspiration for this piece was Edvard Munch's The Scream.

Here is my Scream ring right after I finished soldering the bottom metal onto my box:

After cutting away the excess metal:

After a lot of filing, sanding and buffing:

Project 5 -- Open Project

Design and create a project of your choice to show what you have learned during the semester

For my final project I decided to make a pendant.

I used materials that I had previously textured and solder and riveted them together into this:

It didn't turn out quite as I expect, but it really helped me understand the what I have learned and where I need more practice.

I loved this past semester of Arts Metals and am looking forward to class starting again today.

My new toy

2011-01-18T09:00:00.051-06:00

I got the coolest gift for Mother's Day last year. It is something that I asked for in 2009 and didn't get. And to be completely honest, I didn't actually receive it for about a month after Mother's day. This was mostly my fault, because although I really, really wanted one I wasn't sure I should actually spend the money to have one. But I saw it go on sale and finally gave in.

I was so excited when it was unloaded and put in the garage. I didn't have time to assemble it that day, but promised myself I would do it on the upcoming weekend. But wouldn't you know it, I got busy and never got around to pulling it out of it's box. But the first weekend in November we pulled it out, put it together and used it to complete some unfinished projects. And it was wonderful!

Curious about what this gift is? Here are a few clues:

It came in a big box

It had lots of parts

It is one of my favorite colors

(Hook 'em!)

My hubby put it together for me, which is a good thing since I had a hard time following some of the instructions.

Can you tell what it is?

That's right, I got a cement mixer for Mother's day!

I put it right to work by adding cement...

and water.

And finished these two stones:

It was wonderful not having to mix the cement by hand, and for the first time created stones that did not contain any of my sweat. Oh, and just in case you are wondering they do contain a little of my blood. I have yet to find gloves that protect my fingers from the glass while allowing me to handle the glass easily. So I always end up cutting myself at least once with every stone.

I know most women would not consider a cement mixer a very good Mother's day present.

But I love it!

And although I haven't used my mixer since that weekend in November, I am looking forward to using it a lot in 2011!

2010 Student Art Show

2011-01-17T09:00:00.067-06:00

Finishing up the semester while trying to get ready for the holidays was not conducive to keeping up on my blog. So before I move forward writing about my new ideas and creations, I want to recap what happened the last few weeks of my class.

The biggest news is that I entered my first art show in November. I submitted two pieces:

"Gotcha"

and "Dragonfly"

I was so excited when both of my pieces were selected for the competition. And then, Dragonfly was awarded 2nd place in the 3-D art category! Not too shabby for my first juried show!

There were some amazing pieces in the show. Here are some of my favorites:

And if you're interested, you can see all of the award winners HERE.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-16T14:00:00.078-06:00

It may be a bit late to be wishing anyone a Happy New Year. After all January, 2011 is already half over. I am not sure how that happened. Seriously, how did that happen? But since I can't change how quickly time seems to move these days, I will try to focus on getting back to creating art and blogging about it.

I've spent the last two weeks trying to get more organized and planning some things I want to create. I have a few things I still need to write about--like the last couple of projects in my Arts Metals class. Plus I have several sketches for mixed media projects I want to create and I start my Arts Metals 2 class next Wednesday. Hopefully that means I will have lots to share in the next few weeks.

But until then, here is my first Random Sunday blog for 2011: doe-c-doe

This great blog is written by Gina, a graphic designer who collects vintage material and buttons. Her entry on Thursday, Jan 13, really caught my eye and has my creative juices flowing. I absolutely love the button display hoop she created and am thinking I may have to try my hand at a similar project. She's asked that people not use her photos without permission, so I won't share them here. But click on one of the above links and you see what I'm talking about.

Random Sunday Blog

2010-11-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

This morning's Random Sunday Blog is Antique_Spinning_Wheels, a wonderful site written by Grace Hatton of Lords Vally Pennsylvania. It is a great little site that I found after only one click on the Next Blog button.

Grace with her husband Fred live on a farm that has been in their family since 1859. On it they raise Finnsheep

These cuties aren't just pets, they are suppliers of gorgeous wool, both on the hoof

and off

Grace washes and dyes the wool before sending it off for processing. She even spins some of that wool into yarn on the antique spinning wheels they collect and restore.

Grace also gardens,

weaves,

knits,

and paints.

Her blog is a fascinating and colorful view into the life of a modern day shepherd. I highly recommend checking it out!

THE BEST BIRTHDAY GIFTS: love, technology and inspiration.

2010-11-16T09:00:00.001-06:00

Although I didn't write about it yesterday, I had a great birthday. My husband made me dinner and my youngest daughter made me a lava cake.

Yum!

I got a beautiful new scarf from a dear friend. It is soft and warm, and makes me wish for cold weather so I can wear it.

I also got a cool new toy:

I've been wanted one for a while and apparently my wonderful husband caught one of many times I mentioned it. :) I love it! Right now I am mainly reading the books you can download for free. But Barnes and Noble knows what they are doing.

They gave me a free download of the first six chapters of this book:

Pride and Prejudice is one of my all time favorite books, and this twist really intrigued me. So I started reading, and started laughing, and was really quite annoyed when I reached the end of the free promo. But luckily the rest of the book was just a click away. And now I am enjoying the rest of the story.

The only downside is that buying that book was almost too easy. I am going to have to be careful or my book budget will be busted every month--especially since I really don't have a book budget. :D

And yesterday the mailman became my favorite person by stretching out my birthday one more day. On my doorstep I found a package that contained this:

It was sent by one of my dearest friends. Elena is an artistic soul and has always been my muse. Many of my craft projects were tried as a gift for her. She has another artistic friend that makes these great pieces of art. She collects trinkets and makes fun shapes and sayings out of sculpty clay and then assembles them into frames.

Elena has several of these in her house, and I study them every time I am there. I'm sure it's no shock that I really want to make one and have since the first time I saw one. And although I haven't gotten around to it yet, I do have a frame already set aside for the project. I just need to take the time to collect things to put in it. But until then, I now have one of my own to look at and inspire me.

Getting older isn't so bad after all!

Cutest recycling project ever!

2010-11-15T09:00:00.002-06:00

Hi, my name is Rover!

I was rescued near a recycling plant and am now looking for a permanent "woof" over my head. "Sit" is my favorite trick and I am a great listener; I'll always be there to greet you when you get home! And I promise I won't chew up your couch.

While cleaning out my camera's memory card last week I came across this cute guy. I saw Rover in the Museum of Fine Arts Houston gift shop and wish I would have written about him sooner. Partly because he is so cute, but mostly because I can't remember what material he was made from. But I can tell you I thought he was adorable and if I could have justified the $125 adoption fee (which, by the way, included shots and neutering) I would have brought him home. But instead I had to be content with ignoring the rules of museum photography etiquette AGAIN and sneaking out my camera to take this picture. Although I do still think he would look great sitting on my hearth.

Wonder what Dakota would have thought of that?

Relax Dakota. I'm sure he wouldn't have tried to steal your bone!

Hello 45

2010-11-14T09:00:00.021-06:00

Today is my birthday.

My 45th birthday.

No longer can I deny being old because let's face it I'm staring mid-life right in the face.

But I'm not going to complain.

After all, it's better to turn 45 than not to turn 45.

So Happy Birthday to me...

Now let me eat cake!

Hippo birdie two ewe!

2010-11-13T09:00:00.000-06:00

I got this card in the mail this week.

I absolutely love it!

Thanks Brett, Tonia, Sam and Cobe.

The look says it all...

2010-11-12T09:00:00.016-06:00

This morning I woke up in kind of a funk. Don't know if it is that big, impending 45 I see just over my shoulder whenever I look in the mirror, or if it is just something in the air today. Either way, the day is weighing down on me.

And apparently my dog is feeling it too.

Here's what she looked like this morning:

My feelings exactly Dakota!

Here's hoping we can snap out of it and actually accomplish more than laying on the floor with a bone.

10 cow women, part 2

2010-11-11T09:00:00.061-06:00

Yesterday I wrote about the 10 Cow Woman activity. What I didn't mention was that in addition to talking about our true value as women, I had a special treat planned for the girls. After all, what is a young women's activity with out a good dose of sugar?

I started by buying these:

I love cookie cutters, and think this

farm set is too cute.

I can't wait for an excuse to create Old McDonald cookies. But for this activity I only needed this guy:

I used him and my favorite sugar cookie recipe to make the this tasty herd:

After we had finished our discussion of our divine qualities and what we need to do to develop them, we pulled out the cookies and frosting and created our very own 10 cows.

It was a pretty sweet ending to a fun evening.

I am a 10 cow woman!

2010-11-10T09:00:00.043-06:00

Tonight we are having a Johnny Lingo activity with the 16-18 year old girls at our church. We are focusing on Individual Worth this month, and even though she knew nothing about this classic LDS movie our Laurel class president agreed to trust her leaders when we suggested watching it.

I love Johnny Lingo. Although it was filmed 40 years ago, I think it still delivers an essential message--that our true worth is not determined by how others view and treat us.

Johnny Lingo is a story about a island trader who agrees to pay a record number of cows in order to marry the woman he loves. Mahana grew up being treated poorly by her father and those that lived in her village and came to believe she was ugly and because of that treatment. But Johnny Lingo saw her true value, and paid more for her than any other husband had paid for his wife. He did this so she would know she was worth more to him than any one else. This gesture of love gave Mahana the inner confidence needed to allow her true beauty to shine through.

Although the main message of this film appears to be focused on physical beauty, I believe it really goes much deeper. The fact that her husband paid a record number of cows for her didn't change how Mahana looked, it simply changed how she felt about herself. And once she felt that she had value, she was able to get past that negative image that had been instilled in her throughout her live and become a happy woman who could fulfill her full potential.

What a great reminder to all of us to stop listening to the harsh criticisms that come from the world. We are all children of God and our divine potential is not determined by the world. I can't wait to share it with our girls, and hope they will all come away with a belief that they too are 10 cow women!

Quotes of the day

2010-11-09T09:00:00.004-06:00

One day I will organize all of my photos. The pre-digital ones that sit in a box under my craft table, as well as the digital ones that sit in folders on multiple hard drives. But until that day, I must admit that I do enjoy randomly browsing through my digital collection of memories.

Last night I opened a file titled "Iowa 2009" it is full of photos that were taken in July of 2009, when my daughters and I visited some good friends who had moved there the year before. On that trip we visited the Amana Colonies, a quaint little village that had wonderful antique shops and German restaurants. I had forgotten about the great arts and crafts we saw while we were there. Some of my favorites were wonderful sayings on plaques and signs. I didn't end up buying any, but took several pictures of the sayings that I liked.

Here are some of my favorites:

Parlez-vous français?

2010-11-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

Back in September I wrote a post about Expanding my field of study where I talked about my plan to teach myself to speak French. Since half of the three month period my plan was focused on is now gone, I thought it only appropriate to ask this question:

Parlez-vous français?

And the answer?

Non!

When life got busy, I discovered my French lessons were the first things overlooked and ignored.

Now with my goal to write a novel during the month of November, this goal seems even harder than before. Guess that means it is time for a new plan. I'll let you know when I figure one out. :)

Kind of a Random Sunday Blog

2010-11-07T08:00:00.014-06:00

When I started my Random Sunday Blog, I thought it would be a fun way to write a short post each Sunday while highlighting fun sites I discovered by clicking on the Next Blog button on the blogspot toolbar. But what I quickly discovered was that when I clicked on this link at the top of my blog, I ended up being sent to the same type of blogs each time. I saw blogs about knitting, scrapbooking, quilting, photography--all of which I enjoy. But I quickly discovered a couple of problems with just picking the first one that interested me. First, I never wanted to use a blog that was very active--so a lot of the really fun ones were eliminated because they are written by real people with real lives which caused there to be months between posts. The second problem I faced was my inner voice telling me that there was a more interesting site just a click or two away. So my fun quick Sunday post ended up taking a lot longer than expected.

Even though it didn't go as first planned, I still really like the thought of highlighting a fun blog I've come across. So now I'm working on a new plan for selecting which blog I'll highlight. This week I've decided to showcase a website that I am actively visiting this month. It is the website for National Novel Writing Month.

My daughter showed me this website and asked me to sign up with her for this challenge. And since I don't have enough to keep me busy, I agreed and am currently in the process of writing my first novel. Now before you declare me totally crazy, understand that this program is about quantity of writing, not quality. The goal is to write 50,000 words that aren't a best seller, but simply don't make anyone vomit. How's that for a goal?

So if you are feeling brave, sign up and join us. We can even become writing buddies so we can track our progress and give each other encouragement. You'll have to write a few more words a day since you'd be starting a week late. But since you know how I well I stay on top of my blogging, I suspect we won't be too far behind each other. :)

Do it! Do it now!

Arts Metals--Project 3

2010-11-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Our next Arts Metals project was an assignment to use our newly learned soldering skills to create a piece that exhibited design, craftsmanship, and metal forming.

Almost immediately I focused in on wanting to make a hair comb. I sketched out my ideas:

And ended up focusing in on a dragonfly design.

This project was extremely challenging for me and a lot of my classmates. My professor attributed a lot of the challenge being created by too ambitious projects. Guilty.

Once again I made several mistakes, like soldering my textured metal on the wrong direction so that it wouldn't end up showing once it was twisted. I also struggled with getting pieces to solder, and in the end had to come up with different solutions.

I ended up wiring the dragonfly's body to a piece of brass and then riveting the piece of brass to the dragonfly wings.

I also decided in the end that the piece was just to big and heavy to be a hair comb. So I discarded my comb and put legs on my dragonfly instead.

This project pushed me to limits, but once again taught me. I learned how to texture metal using a press. That was really cool. And I learned a lot about the importance of the steps to construction and soldering.

And I really like my end project--although once again I turned it in less polished than I wanted it to be. I also have gotten over my fear of critiques. This time I volunteered to go first and wasn't nervous at all about. Hurray for overcoming fears!

Next project: Box Rings. My goal is to create a simple enough design that I can finish it before the only detail I care about is actually finishing it and turning it in.

Arts Metals--Project 2

2010-11-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

Our second project for Arts Metals was not an artistic one. We learned how to solder and were told to make 4 different types--a Butt joint, a Lap joint, a T joint and On Lay/Tinning. Our joints would be tested by having our work being dropped from a high height. If the joints held, we passed. It they broke, we failed.

It sounded relatively easy, and our instructor made it look relatively easy. But I quickly learned that my professor has much greater skill than I. It was a struggle. Several times I thought I had a proper solder, only to have it come apart in the pickle (a chemical cleaning solution) or when I test dropped it. But in the end I was able to complete my project successfully.

Gotta love a relatively easy A. :)

Arts Metals update--Project 1

2010-11-04T12:00:00.001-05:00

Since my semester is more than half over, I feel like my first catch up post should be about my Arts Metals class. Let me start off by saying I absolutely love this class. Except for the times when it really frustrates me, which I am discovering happens about a week before a project is due. In fact, I have gotten so annoyed by a project that I just want to throw it across the room and I really question why I even signed up for this torture in the first place. But the rest of the time I really love it.

In my last about my class, entitled "In the works" I shared an overview of what I was doing and pictures of the beginnings of my project. Today I'll finally show you how it turned out.

I started with this:

And created this:

I was pretty pleased with the end result, although it came after several mistakes. I ended up making two webs because I really disliked the first one. I had to remake the spider body when I drilled the eye holes too close to the edge. And I had to remove the eye rivets after I discovered that I had put the body on with the textured side down. In the end I turned it in a little less polished than I would have liked, simply because I was DONE with it.

The class critique made me nervous, but once again I survived it. Although I at times I found this project very challenging, it was a great introduction to sawing and riveting.

Next topic: soldering.

I'm back...I think :P

2010-11-04T11:07:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it has been a month since I've visited my blog. I got busy then sick, busy then sick and busy then sick again. I'm sitting here in my pj's at the tail end of what I hope to be the last of being sick for a very long time with a renewed belief that flu shots do work. Three out of the four members of my family living in our house today got the flu this past week. Guess how many had a flu shot? Correct, it was the one obnoxious child who reminded me at least 10 times that I should have gotten one with her. Maybe she seemed so obnoxious because I knew she was right. Or maybe I just don't beat my children enough for them to be afraid of bugging their mama when she is not feeling well.

Anyway, I am feeling better than yesterday, and way, way better than the day before. But since I am still not feeling well enough to clean my house, I thought I should spend some time posting a few things on my blog. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to sit here and blog, or how well the rest of the week will go for me. So I'll be totally upfront and honest. I plan to spend the rest of this week reviewing what I have been up to this past month. These entries will most likely be short, but hopefully an enjoyable, or at least informative read. After the review, I'll let you know about my current big project and what excitement awaits my artistic endeavors next semester. And hopefully that will get me back in the habit of writing and this will once again become a regular part of my weekly activities.

Thanks for reading. If anyone actually is reading. :)

Sunday Random Blog

2010-10-03T22:34:00.000-05:00

Better late than never! Here's today's random blog:

Captured Photon is a great photo blog by a scientist named Ali, who lives in Chicago.

He doesn't say much,

but since a picture is worth a thousand words

he actually says a lot!

Check out his blog. I think it's great.

Art at the science museum

2010-09-27T08:00:00.002-05:00

Last week I went with my youngest to the Houston Museum of Natural Science and visited the Hall of the Americas. We went so my baby could earn extra credit for her AP History class. And not only did we learn a bit about history, we got to see some wonderful art.

Here are some of my favorites:

This a panel made of feathers. It looked like a painting, and this picture does not convey how cool it really was.

We saw great pottery.

I love the dragon flies on this piece:

and the shape and frogs on this bowl:

And the face on this one:

We also saw some great sculptures.

I love this bronze--although the lighting in the room prevented a very good picture.

And this Aztec one -- it was just so creepy:

I absolutely love it when my kids' schoolwork requires museum days! It was a great afternoon.

Sunday Random Blog

2010-09-26T16:00:00.002-05:00

Last week was a busy one, and I didn't make it to my blog once. But what better way to get back on track than my Sunday Random Blog?

This week's blog is Anna Mora. I don't understand any of Anna's writing as it is in Spanish (I think). But her photographs just grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go.

They make me want to travel to far away places,

slow down and enjoy the beauty of nature,

stop and smell the flowers,

and spend days taking lots of pictures.

Check them out for yourself. It really is a beautiful site!

Sunday Random Blog

2010-09-19T16:00:00.071-05:00

Today's random blog is Schooling from the heart.

It is written by a woman named Sara, a homeschooling mom who lives in the Swiss countryside.

My attention was captured immediately by this:

Wir schreiben Deutsch!

The first couple of entries about German lessons really intrigued me. I was hoping to find some tips that would help me learn French, and this is what I found:

I love these lesson books Sara makes with her kids.

Not sure if they'll help me learn faster, but I know I'm going to really enjoy making my own.

Sara's other entries are also great.
I love her wonderful chalk drawings,

And the fact that she took her family on a

Homeschooling field trip to Italy.

And I love that this is the picture in the entry entitled, "Meet the family".

Reading Sara's blog made me wish I lived in Europe,

that I had small kids I could homeschool, and that

I made up cool aliases for my family on my blog

(read about those HERE ).

Check out her site and let me know

The Elder Sister

2010-09-18T08:00:00.006-05:00

While at the MFAH on Thursday, I once again got to see one of my favorite paintings.

The Elder Sister by William Bouguereau

I love this painting. And kids love it too.
Don't believe me? Take a look at these:

And just in case you are wondering, this child is right

--the girl in the painting looks at you no matter where you stand in the room.

Art Muesum Day!

2010-09-16T16:00:00.004-05:00

Today I visited the Museum of Fine Arts Houston to see
"A Variation of Impressionism" German Impressionist Landscape Painting.

I saw beautiful paintings, actual black and white film of each of the three featured artists painting, and learned about a new etching technique called DRYPOINT.

Such a great day. Of course any day I can I spend in a museum is a good one! :)

In the works

2010-09-15T08:00:00.015-05:00

On Monday I actually had to decide what to make for my first project in Arts Metals. I felt so indecisive, but finally went with my first idea of a spider.

I then had to decide exactly how I wanted to proceed--which items would be cut out of which metal. We were given three pieces of metal and told if we messed them up we'd have to go buy more ourselves. Kind of harsh, but I guess I'll deal with it.

Once I made the decision to do the spider web design, I sketched out exactly how I wanted the project to be:

I decided the background would be the web, and I would make it on the piece of aluminum.

Originally I was going to scratch my spider web onto the metal. But then my professor suggested I pierce and cut it instead. You pierce the metal by drilling a small hole in it. Then you feed your saw blade through the hole so that you can cut the metal. Here is one of my practice tries.

I'm either going to have to get a smaller drill bit, or cut the slit larger so their isn't a big whole at the end of each piece of the web. But we'll just have to see what happens. I'm really excited to try it.

Next, I decided what would be cut out of brass,

And what would be cut out of copper.

And then I cut.

I had a problem with my saw blade being too loose, but once that was fixed it went pretty smoothly. Except for the time I broke my blade, and then put the new one in upside down. Yeah, that made it difficult to saw.

Anyway, by the time I finished cutting out my bug pieces, class was over. Yhe pieces are still very rough, but I like they way they look on top of each other.

Today in class I'll start piercing and cutting the
design elements--both on the insects and the web.

Then there will be filing, texturing,

riveting and polishing.

It was great to actually begin working with the metals.

I'm excited to see what the finished project looks like.

Expanding my field of study

2010-09-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have been wanted to learn a second language for quite a while now. I even signed up for Spanish class a few years ago hoping to achieve that goal. It was, however, now a successful experience. I also started taking private French lessons from one of my friends for a brief period. But life got hectic and I didn't study, so I quit. And once again I pushed aside one of my goals.

My daughter Melissa is currently serving a full time mission for our church in France. Isn't she beautiful?

When she left, I thought to myself that I should learn French so that we can speak to each other when she returns. Well, she has now been out almost a year, and I am no closer to speaking French than I was when she left. Boo! :(

Since I wasn't sure I wanted to sign up for another college course, I decided to try an experiment to see if I can teach myself. So I went online and bought these materials:

I am going to attempt to learn the basics on my own. I have two goals for this experiment. I want to be able to speak a little with Melissa when she comes home, and I want to be able to test out of the French 1 college courses. That way I will be able to skip right to the 2nd year of language requirements next fall when I plan to transfer to a four year university.

I'm starting today. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Doggy guilt

2010-09-13T08:00:00.021-05:00

This is the look I get from Dakota every morning.

See those eyes? Notice the tail?

She comes and stands by me, wags her tail and looks me directly in the eye. Sometimes she even adds a little whine. What does she want? To go for a walk.

Every morning she does this. It is good to have a buddy to exercise with. But today is Monday. And I have class. And I'm running late. So I tell her no.

So she plops herself down on the floor like this:

Man, she is good at making me feel guilty.

Later Dakota, I promise!

Sunday Random Blog

2010-09-12T16:00:00.006-05:00

I like to read blogs. And although I do enjoy reading blogs that are written by my friends, one of my favorite pastimes is reading random blogs that I find on blogger.com. After posting something on my blog I often click the NEXT BLOG button on the top of the screen and I am taken to another art/craft blog. They are fun, interesting and sometimes amazing.

So I've decided to make a visit to these random blogs part of my regular posts. Each Sunday I'll click on the NEXT BLOG button until I find a blog that peaks my interest enough to read the profile of the blogger and several of their older posts. Then I'll share their site here with you. Hopefully you'll find this as interesting a I do.

Today's Sunday Random Blog is Dyed and Gone to Heaven Inspirations by Lisa Walton.

Lisa is a textile artist, dyer and teacher in Sydney Australia that creates beautiful work like this:

And this:

She also gives workshops around the world. I really want grab my sister-in-law Michelle, fly to Italy and attend her Textured Treasures Italy Inspired workshop. If only! But I guess I'll just have to settle for trying to find her at the International Quilt Festival here in Houston in October. Lisa was awarded the Jewel Pearce Patterson International Quilt Teacher Scholarship, Houston, USA for 2010. This means that she will attending all of the events at the Quilt Market and Show this year, and will have a exhibition of her work displayed at the quilt show next year.

See how cool random can be!

Remembering 9 -11

2010-09-11T14:00:00.002-05:00

Nine years ago our country was attacked by terrorists and nearly 3,000 Americans were killed.

I remember being overwhelmed by this tragedy and thinking that life would never be the same. But as time goes on and memories fade, things do get back to normal. We often forget the strong emotions we felt during tragedies. And we set aside our renewed commitments to be more grateful for every moment we have here on earth and to live better and stronger lives.

But I hope as we remember this awful event in our history, that we will strive to recommit to these things. I hope we never forget those that were lost and the bravery that was shown that day.

I hope we never forget what it felt like to live through this tragedy.

I hope we never forget who we turned to for comfort.

And I hope we never experience another tragedy like this again on our soil.

God bless America!

A peak at what is to come

2010-09-10T14:00:00.000-05:00

Due to Labor Day, we only had our Arts Metals class once this past week. Although I love holidays that allow all of my family to be here at home (or at least the ones that live in here in Houston), I really did not like only having class once.

I've already written about how I had to show my project sketches on Wednesday. What I didn't tell you was that most of the class time was spent on demonstrations. Our professor showed us different ways to rivet two pieces together. Here are some examples:

He also talk a little about how to texture metal. The easiest way is with a press, which the studio doesn't have. He does plan to bring his into class, but until there he showed us two simple examples of of what you can do with a hammer.

He took a piece of metal from this:

to this:

Next we talked about polishing and buffing our projects. This process allows you to go from the original textured finished to a more polished finish like this:

and then to a buffed finish like this:

Cool, huh?

We also got a small peak at what we will be doing in the next project when we learn about soldering.

I'm very excited and starting to think this metal art is going to become addictive. I'm also wishing we had class 3 times a week instead of 2. Oh, and I never want a week where we only meet once again!