Category Archives: Passions

Stop & Smell the Vibrancy



Stop & Smell the Vibrancy, originally uploaded by Charger’s Mommy.

My word for the year is Vibrancy.

Here is a Self-portrait in fabric for the EBSQ show this month and Jen’s challenge. It is scanned in sections, will get full photo in good daylight.

started and finished today!

First Art of the Year

I started with this photo taken a couple of years ago.

DSC06138

Then I played with some filters in photoshop…
sidewayscutout    sidewayscutoutfindedges

Then I layered some sheer white fabric over some printed white, along with some other sheer colored fabrics in places. I began the free-motion sewing to thread paint the lines.

img023

This is what I have so far and I am not totally happy with it yet, so I will continue to play with it until I feel like it is done. Then add a border and backing.

It will also include my focus word of the year, which is ~drumroll please~

Vibrancy!

But for now, my doggie is upset that I have been in the studio for so long, so I must tend to him.

HAppy New Year!

EBSQ and my Artsy Year in Review

In December 2007, I made the goal to: create at least one NEW artwork (in any medium of my choice as is fitting for the theme) per month to enter into EBSQ Shows.

The shows that I planned to enter vs the art that I actually completed: 

sheba three

  • March: I did not end up creating for the Childhood Show instead put in a couple of OLD pieces in Vice. Drama Queen and Foot Fetish. In fact, it appears that I did a whole bunch of nothing during March. But in reality, I had some major family issues happening, I attended and presented at a professional conference and I was participating actively in Flickr Photo Scavenger Hunts.

Floor Cloth

  • May: The Unmentionables Show was in the plan, but still recuperating from the intensity of Artfest, I wasn’t making very much art. However, I did find the energy to participate in another of Jen’s Challenges. I also started getting heavily into my triathlon training, so days of swimming, running and cycling took a bit out of art time.

 Experiment #2 fabric weaving

  • June: I did not enter the Creation Myths, but instead entered a photograph in Art of the Fan. It was a great month for experimenting in fabric  for a return to Jen’s Challenges.
  • August:  My Triathlon was this month, so all my focus was on fitness, but I did start thinking about the Beaded Journal Project. All plans of participating in shows were put on hold.

BJP_prototype with pages side by side and open

  • October: Why did I plan to enter the Bat Show? I guess because I do like Halloween. Although I did not manage that, I did make a lot of new art for ArtSoMoFo. I also worked on the next month of BJP.
  • November: Another show planned and another show missed… although the election was a top priority on my mind, it did not inspire any art for On the Trail. I celebrated my doggie’s birthday and created my BJP in his honor. The school year is in full swing and the rainy season has begun, so art and fitness seems to have fallen a bit by the wayside. I will need to think of how I can improve being creative during these busy months.

blue fairy

  • December: I made tons of ornaments in past years so it made sense to enter Ornamental. But nothing new was made to enter the show, so I entered a couple of my old cute doggie ornaments. The year ended with a lot of SNOW and fun. I spent most of my creative energy making fun doll clothes for my nieces.

 I love looking back to see what I planned and what I accomplished. It does help me see the cycles and patterns to my creative life. Now on to better planning my 2009 show entries.

What’s in a Word?

As I reflect over the past year and make my goals for the next year, I have discovered a few people summing up their year in a single word. This seems like such a great way to focus on my goals, to have one over-arching word of significance to guide my actions. I always include text into my artwork already, but to have a given word to almost become a signature for the year sounds so freeing and exciting.

“A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything.”

Many of my online artist friends have been declaring their words. Dale Anne selected Explore for her word, so I decided to explore  more about choosing a word for myself. Christine Kane describes the process in “Resolution Revolution“. In fact, I remember reading this post last year, and I looked into some words, but for whatever reason I didn’t pick a word. (Although I did set some art goals.) Now she has a month of posts about people that selected a word and had a year of success focused on that word. It is exciting to read about people that picked their words from deep emotional places like transition, or ones that pick their word with humor, like chicken. Courageseems to be a popular word, and in this world, it seems we all need a little courage just to get through the day. Another blogger, Ali, not only has a list of word suggestions, she also has a little contest/giveaway for those setting words as a focus.

So far I am looking at the following words:

  • Action: the process or state of acting or of being active
  • Immersion: concentrating on one course of instruction, subject, or project to the exclusion of all others for several days or weeks; intensive, state of being deeply engaged or involved; absorption
  • Journey: a traveling from one place to another, passage or progress from one stage to another
  • Vibrancy: pulsating with life, vigor, or activity; exciting; stimulating; lively

The words on the longer list included challenge, energy, achieve, active, accomplish, strive, release, discipline, but most of them felt to final or had a negative feeling to me. I know that this year will not be the end of my projects and goals, nor are they the beginning. It is important that my word encompasses my fitness goals as well as my art, relationship and professional goals.

 

I am leaning towards Vibrancy… but I am going to let it sit today and see how it looks in the morning. Then I will print out the one I will focus on and put it in my studio and my home gym so I won’t forget!

 

what word do you think I should pick?

the blue christmas fairy



blue fairy, originally uploaded by Charger’s Mommy.

We are still snowed in, the streets surrounding our house are 6″ of slush over packed snow and ice in layers. Making for a very messy mixture. Now that it is dark the top slush layer will be freezing again. No plows or sand trucks have been anywhere near our house.

So I managed to make another outfit for my neice. This is a Blue Fairy (which one of my neices was for halloween) American Doll Fariy dress with wings. The dress is a pattern but the sleeves and wings are my own design. I also have some cool fiber that would make for a good blue hair piece if I can figure out how to make it attachable with a nice barret or something.

Now to do a twin version in another color for the other neice.

Free Tutorials

snow day #2 2008

Surfing around a lot while snowbound here in the Pacific Northwest. We have more snow right now than in 30 years!

Two Creative Studios  is one site that I found today that has a bunch of cool free tutorials in addition to some great looking online classes. I am so inspired that I am heading up to the studio to work on some fun fabric stuff! (probably more doll clothes, but I also have a quilt to finish for Christmas gifts.)

Are you trapped in the snow? What are you up to for the holidays?

Dolly Dress Form

Based on some instructions for making a duct tape dress form, I used Enchy’s doll to make a mini doll dress form.

American Girl doll duct tape dress form

Here’s how I made it.

  1. First, I wrapped the naked doll in plastic wrap.
  2. Then I covered it with a piece of fabric. This was to represent the t-shirt that is used in the sample instructions.
  3. Next using masking tape I did one layer of tape around the fabric. Mostly I used this type of tape because I knew I would not have enough duct tape and because I thought it would be more flexible for this small dress form. Next was a couple layers of duct tape, I added some partial sleeves at this point.
  4. Now I had to carefully cut the tape off the doll without damaging the doll. I cut up the front and up one sleeve. The other sleeve came off without cutting once I had enough give to pull it off.
  5. I taped the cut lines closed.
  6. I had some old candle sticks that I never use that I realized were the perfect size to be a stand. yippiee! I cleaned off the wax and dust, clipped off the leaves and put it up the middle of the duct tape form.
  7. I stuffed the form with recycled stuffing that I get from Charger’s destroyed toys.
  8. I taped up the bottom and I am done!

I was thinking about covering it with some nice fabric, but that will add more bulk, which will make the dress fitting less accurate. At this size mere fractions of inches will throw off all the measurments. The layers of tape and fabric already make the fitting a little different from the actual doll. It doesn’t need to be pretty… Perhaps when the girls don’t need doll clothes made for them anymore I will cover it and make it an artsy dress form sculpture that is not meant for the fitting function.

American Girl outfits by me

Doll clothes made for my neices for this Christmas Purple outfit for the little one. Jacket with embellishments and dress. Jacket is made from “antique” fabric from my Late Great Aunt.

Doll is Enchy’s that she sent me for fitting purposes. Thanks Enchy! They look SO good on the doll I am really pleased. I am going to make a dress form from the doll, while I have it and then make Enchy some clothes too before she goes back.

I am having such a good time making these little doll clothes. a fun change from my other fabric projects.

Beading Finished~November BJP

I have decided that my November page is done and I am getting started on my December Page now.

November is the month that we got our dog, 5 years ago, from the shelter. It was a LIFE changing thing for me since I had previously been a cat person. but Charger does not take NO for an answer and demands your love in the best possible way. So this is a little tribute to him.

Now that I have 3 months done I am ready to finish the backing and get them put together.

Now on to December’s page