Hope Springs Eternal Interative Art Piece

A while back I created a kinetic sculpture/moving meditation art piece called "Hope Springs Eternal Like a Slinky Going Down an Up Escalator".  It's decorated with buttons and beads.  You can turn it easily as you contemplate the saying.
You can make it with any saying with meaning to you and it could be any color or design that pleases you using this super easy tutorial. 
Check out all the wonderful projects on this week's Creative Every Day blog.
 

It's onyavenue, Hon!

Please allow me to translate: It's on the Avenue, Hon.  The Avenue in Baltimore is a neighborhood (Hampden) that is retro chic.  It's known for some of the chicest boutiques like Ma Petit Shoe which sells designer shoes AND designer chocolate.  Don't you just love it?

On the Avenue there's a cafe that is the epitome of retro chic - Cafe Hon.  Their egg salad on cheese toast is the bomb!  The spirit of Cafe Hon is so celebrated that the cafe's owner started HonFest, a weekend of 60's Hampdon culture.  There are huge beehive and super flip hairdos, 60's music, leopard skin, pink flamingos and horn-rimmed glasses.  This is the culture John Waters wrote Hairspray about.

Though I moved to Utah, I still get a post card for my birthday.  It's good and bad for me, because I though I LOVE seeing their fabulous fashions smiles and , there's a coupon for a free entree on the back and  I miss terribly!  Plus July is the perfect time to go downyoshun, Hon!

The harmony Crown

This is one of my favorite crowns!  It's the Harmony Crown.  It took just over 50 hours to complete.  It's filled with bits and pieces of Great Grandma's buttons, Grandma's jewelry, beads given to me from friends.  There are several of my hand made beads - the bird on the front, cookies, skulls, doughnuts,  all my favorite things!  The construction is electrical wire and the base is wrapped with sherpa fleece.

Do you make crowns?  I would love to see!

Creative Me Blog Party

New on the Bone Tree

Heaven and Earth Earrings

In my Etsy shop

Did I mention that I love asymmetry?  These are recycle earrings in that the polymer clay strips were leftover from another project.  In fact, they are leftovers from the leftovers.  

Craft foil on polymer clay is spectacular!  I love to foil both sides of a piece of black clay,  I cut out tiny shapes and make one or two holes so they can be used for anything you would use a bead for.  Some pieces may come out with only one foiled side. I use those for tiles in my mixed media work.

When I'm out of room to use the cutters, I cut up the leftovers and press them together showing as much foil as possible.  Then I use a cutter that will use most of the pile.  These make great pendants.

First Leftovers Pendant

Then I take what's left of that pile, push it together and run it though the pasta roller on the widest setting.  The shapes are organic and really fun!  Of course they are asymmetrical!  Yea! 

What do you do with your leftovers?

Soul Collage

I am the one who may or may not be following the rules today

Have you heard of SoulCollage?
"Originated by Seena Frost, SoulCollage^® is a process for accessing your intuition and creating an incredible deck of cards with deep personal meaning that will help you with life's questions and transitions."

My dear friend Beth Latture is a facilitator and introduced me to the process.  It's really a wonderful inner journey.  Each card is a collage of images and no text.  Why no text?  As I understand it, you want to be able to connect to the energetic expression of that card. What do I recognize as part of me in the images?  Each card has a name that begins: I am the one...

 

I am the one who honors artistic inspirations. 

So, for instance, if I were to have a question and drew the card above I would look at the images of my clay work and know that, even when following an artistic inspiration until that part of my journey intersects with another and the old falls away - It's about me, but it's not ME.    I made those hand built clay boxes for several years.  I did lots of art sales, and, though folks admired them, I sold very few.  In my view they were not successful to anyone but me, but I followed it all the way, loving every moment of creating.

What does that mean?  I would allow the images to speak to my question.   And they will.  It might not have anything to do with making art, but it will have to do with honoring inspirations.

I am the one who understands attachment

Creating the cards is a natural high - pulling image after image from piles of them - acting on pure instinct and the results are stunning, when you see what you've put together and understand how it plugs in.

I am the one who grieves

This one is a digital collage from a series that I called "Going Home"  It combined whimsy with things that represent comfort and a cemetery background.  It may seem odd, but this card is my view of the death of the physical body. Whimsy is my life line, when I let it be.

Have a wonderful, whimsy filled weekend!

Welcome Wednesday - Cakeronauts

Yes, these are dogs from outer space.  I imagine a planet of cupcakes and puppies!  It would be delightful and delicious!

Wordless Wednesday