"That Fourth Of July...
...When I Was Learning Chinese..."
...When I Was Learning Chinese..."
...One Of My Favorite Things To Do
...And How I Hate Snobbery and Hypocrisy
...Time For A Swim!
And How I Try To Avoid Them...
...My "Question" For Saturday Surprise
...A Secret!
...But It's Worth The Effort
...But For This Page, I Concentrated On My Strengths...
. . ."How I Spent My Summer Vacation"...
Sending Good Luck and Happiness
Nearly a year ago, I participated in a challenge to use broken or cracked glass in a piece of artwork. When I asked, "Why cracked/broken glass?", I found out that it supposedly brings good luck! Break a glass after a toast, crack a bottle of champagne to Christen a ship--traditions like these have been around for ages. If you break a mirror there's seven years of bad luck attached, but if you crack a glass while washing dishes, then pleasant surprises are on their way.
I used German glass glitter in my first "cracked glass" piece, but another artist in the challenge used mica, and ever since, I've wanted to use cracked sheets of mica in a piece of artwork. This little hanging quilt was made for an art group swap. The piece was required to be 6" X 6", and it was suggested that we mix other media with fabric.
I use a lot of Tsukineko fabric inks, and there is always just a bit left over when I'm finished. Instead of throwing away the surplus ink, I find a piece of un-dyed silk or muslin and put it in a bath of the left over ink. I retrieved one of these pieces of hand-dyed muslin from my stash for this piece, then stamped it with the faces. Two are stamped on the main piece, and a third was cut and placed. The wings are pieces of black German scrap which I lightly gessoed to remove the shine. I rummaged through my stash for the other pieces I would use, and when I came up with the basics, I pieced it together, hand-stitched it, and added the French Laundry hanger. I hope it brings good luck and bright fortune to the recipient!
Here's a map of the rest of my day:
A class with Kelly Kilmer
A ballet with both of my kids performing
And hopefully, a nap!
Have a great day, Everyone!
But Fortunately, Love Reigns!
Today was rather stormy. Outside it was sunny and in the high 90's, but life just rained on my parade! It It felt like everything I tried to accomplish took detours, and usually understanding friends were unreasonable and on edge.
Fortunately, the weather is fickle. Just as clouds will surely come again outside, life will once again be sunny, also. But today was a pain! Thank God it's almost tomorrow!
It was kismet that this journal page fell through the cracks last week and didn't get posted to my blog on the day it was done, since it deals with life and weather. Madame Climate rules from a silver goblet. Her cup, overflowing on a bed of white roses, is impossible to predict. You can read nothing in her eyes which are indecipherable black pits, so you just have to guess. The background is red hot, golden, sky blue, grey and black--all the colors are there for Madame to choose from, and for us to guess. Only one thing is certain here: The raining hearts, which symbolize the invincible power of love.
Reigning hearts. They have found their way into lots of my artwork over the years, and each time they were placed on canvas, paper, fabric, it was done before I consciously realized that they were the perfect fit--with one exception. About a year and a half ago, I did a piece with raining hearts titled, "Love Reigns". If you're interested, you can see it by clicking HERE.
I am convinced that when all else is gone, when all else fails, love prevails. Even in pits as deep, as dark, and as full of despair as Madame Climate's eyes, love is there, waiting to pull you out when you need to reach for it, and even when you can't.
So here's a toast to today, with all it's ups and downs (were there any ups?), it was another day of life, and in just a few minutes, it too shall have passed. Now I'm off to:
Pour that glass of wine I will toast
Put away the remnants of today
Prepare for a beautiful tomorrow
Kiss my family good-night
And read myself to sleep.
Have a great day, Everyone!
A Peek At What I Sometimes Do When I'm Not Journaling...
This is "Violette". She was finished today and is one of many entirely hand-sewn dolls I have made over the years. One of these days I'm sure she'll end up in my Etsy. But for now, I'm enjoying her company.
Violette is my first doll with a crocheted dress and beret. I usually sew the clothes from tiny calico prints and sometimes crochet an accessory or two with thread. This time I crocheted the complete ensemble, and I'm really pleased with it!
Why crochet? Why now? Well, I just discovered two new websites with communities of crocheters and knitters: Crochet Soiree, and Ravelry, and the eye candy and the enthusiasm at both places is contagious! Hand stitching and crochet are two great pleasures in my life. I use them to unwind and relax and don't take them nearly as seriously as my other artwork, but they are both very serious life-long pursuits in their own rights!
Now I'm off to make Violette an accessory or two, and maybe a couple of friends. I have a some journal pages ready to post, along with a couple of finished projects. I just need to get them blogged! In the meantime, I am:
Listening to the sounds of silence...real silence, not the Simon and Garfunkel song
Craving coca-cola--which usually means I'm getting sick....No I'm NOT!
Reading "The Sugar Queen" by Sarah Addison Allen
Getting ready for another Kelly Kilmer class this weekend
and
Looking forward to ballet performances on Saturday and Sunday...both of my kids are dancing!
Have a great day, Everyone!