Copper Necklace

My husband called from work this morning and said that we were invited to go to his sister's house tonight for her birthday. He said,"Make something artsy for her." I had just gotten through looking at a blogsite for a lady who makes unique jewelry. I was inspired to make something from hammered wire. This is the necklace that I came up with. It is copper electrical wire, copper tubing, my own lampworked beads, and a couple of copper beads on a rubber cord.
Maybe I'll make myself one too.

Spring at Stillwaters Farm

The weather has been so beautiful that I haven't gotten to do as much art as I would like. It's hard to stay indoors. The garden is calling. This is a montage of photos that I took on Saturday. I would love to take you on a wildflower walk through our woods. They are a colorful carpet for spring. Each one, an old friend that I haven't seen in a year. I looked to see if there were any morel mushrooms, but it has been too dry for them. Maybe with a little rain we will find them before the deer do.

I just finished a necklace made from found objects. My inspiration was a couple of websites. art -e-zine from the UK and the art of Ro Bruhn from Australia. The objects are ( from left to right):
pop top and turquoise
oxygen tubing with newspaper and beads
glass fuse with copper foil and wire
earring pendant with beads
mussel shell from our pond with beads
tubing with paper words and beads
Hebrew word for life ( I think) with beads
watch part and beads
NYC subway token with beads
shrink art with digital image
tubing with transparency and beads
key and beads
heart charm with beads
22 caliber shell with beads
yardstick part with button, text, and map pin
faucet screen with beads
mussel shell and beads
tubing, newspaper, and beads
tassel made from fabric and a green tea can
all strung on tiger tail with various random commercial beads,
Whew!
I love busy artwork. The more stuff, the better. Sometimes simple is good, but most of the time, give me lot's of stuff to keep the eye interested.
I will wear it tonight to a St. Patty's party. Erin go Braugh!

Kitty Castle

I just finished a project that I've been wanting to do for a long time. My cats have been using a cardboard box on our deck, for a home for the winter, like poor little homeless kitties. It was also pretty unsightly. I've been saving scrap lumber and tile from our building projects and decided that it was time to build them a house. I drafted my DH to help with the heavy stuff and technical support. I don't think he was aware of how elaborate it was going to be. I tiled on it for two afternoons and my daughter-in-law helped do one side. Today I grouted it and now I need to make them a cushion for the inside. When the guys get home tonight, I'll have them move it to the deck and goodbye cardboard box. Also here is a picture of Bella and Tilly watching me make their house. It was a fun project. Next, maybe I'll do houses for my dogs. It will have to be a really big one for a Great Pyrenees

Digital Doodling

I have always been intrigued by advertisements by the Paper Whimsy company.
They are beautiful, soft images created from very old photos of children, digitally enhanced and collaged with other whimsical elements. I wanted to try to duplicate that style so I took one of the old photos that I got from my aunt and digitally cut a little far distant, long lost cousin from the picture. I added a moon background and some faint color and a few other effects an came up with an image that I am rather pleased with. As you can see in the original, one side of her is covered by her mother's head, so I had to construct another side for her. Here you can see the before and after. She will wind up in several of my collages, I am sure.

Ancestors

I have been sorting through a lot of old family photos lately. I got them from my Aunt Marguerite's apartment when we were cleaning it out. She died yesterday afternoon at the age of 84. It is sad to know that she is gone, but I am glad that she is out of pain. She was, as my husband says, "the keeper of the pictures." I guess that is what I am too. I love to find out the story behind the faded images. This photo is my great grandparents, and great aunt and uncle. I love the look in my great grandmother's eyes. There is a flicker of a smile in there even though it is not on her lips. I wonder what book my great grandfather was holding and about the flashy dress that my Aunt Hattie was wearing when everyone else is dressed in somber tones.
It sounds like the next few days will be filled with family, funeral, and food. In the south, there is always lots of food before and after a funeral. There will be a potluck lunch at the church, by the cemetery, and all of my relatives will be there. Maybe I will take some of the pictures with me and see if anyone can tell me the stories.