Christmas Cards

Here are some of the belated photos of the hanging cards I made for Friends. Naturally they haven't received them yet (leaning toward a "Christmas Month-kinda like "Birthday Month"). Good news or bad, not sure, but these three girls aren't blog followers, so posting them is a OK! I went to a yard sale several years ago and bought this great plywood boxes, they sold the whole group to me. I think there were 25 or 30 in all. The boxes had lids and sometimes my boxes don't need lids and naturally I couldn't just throw them out. So I made these little hanging plaques-I actually like them. There are vintage buttons, old lace pieces, velvet ribbon remnants, pieces from vintage cards, old sheet music and lots of gold and silver paint! Funny enough, I thought that a two dimensional piece would be easier or should I say faster to make. Silly me, I still had to find parts....LOL! Have a Creative Day!! S

Inner Diva

Here is a little 4 X 4. I finally completed it over the weekend. The little swirls are black sequins that I painstakingly cut off of an elastic trim, that I seem to have just oodles of. I had been looking for the perfect thing, and there is was right in the trim box...the trim is something my grandmother got from somewhere, I have two bolts. OK, really; I don't need to two perfect bolts of 1970's, one inch, stretchy, black sequin trim. I have had it for at least ten years and have used it only on two projects, I used the trim in its original state. I finally decided to tear a piece of trim up, four sequins across, so it only took about six inches and I have sequins to spare. I love them on the swirly things-they are just the detail I was searching for. The background is acrylic paint. I adhered a piece of a sewing pattern over the paint with gloss gel medium. My Diva is from a magazine advertisement that I clipped sometime over the summer-I love the big, dark sunglasses, and the giant hat. The feather is a real feather attached with gloss gel medium, the feather is from an old beat up Mardi Gras mask, found at a yard sale. I kept the thing only for the feathers, you know they are getting harder and harder to come by.

On another note, I was a good girl and went to my Pilate's class this morning....I met another artist. Cynthia Watson. She was also being a very good girl. I had heard of her, but I had never met her, so that was big fun. She makes lovely pendants from used coffee filters-how cool is that? Not to mention the pendants she had with her were absolutely gorgeous. I am looking forward to getting to know her better!

Hot Flash!

I have been working on this box since before Christmas. I just hate it when I have an idea and it has to come to a complete and utter stand still because I am missing parts! The box itself I have been saving since it was opened on New Year's Eve 1999-the bottle was emptied by my cousins and me. It was the start of a very good year. I picked up the paper, just because; horded said paper until this box idea. The paper doll I found in a game box, misplaced I am sure by the original owner. Yes, the matches really are covered in ruby red glitter. I couldn't pass up the opportunity for glitter! I am really needing something to indicate heat, something(s) really small and relatively inexpensive, I need a lot of whatever it is. I just know, I will know it when I see it-however I would prefer sooner rather than later. If you think of something I can use, please don't hesitate to share, I am starting to go a little crazy. Have a terrific Day!!!

December's PJ Strike Is Over!

I have borrowed heavily from my blogging friend "Josh" of original "PJ Strike" fame. I spent the entire month of December in a work related stupor. I didn't stay in Malibu Feathers the whole month, but my favorite flannel PJ's were involved about 90% of the time.

My catatonic frame of mind in regards to my perceived "real job" is finally at a standstill if not a permanent outage. I have been noodling for the last six months or so about what I do for a living. I love the job. The people I have to surround myself with; not so much. The stress in unbelievable and available for pick up 24/7. Stress follows me home, clouds my relationships and sucks the creative life right out of me.

I have spent a whole lot of time talking myself out of taking any "next step". manamoon-studios.blogspot-Sharon Henry has more than once commented that you have to start, and little by little making art will be all you do.

The creative people I have connected with on line, has made the "talking myself out of (anything)" much more difficult to do (thank goodness).

At the end of the day, the little steps made everyday will now be my new focus. I'm a bull in a china cabinet so small steps aren't so easy for me to adhere to. Suffice it to say that I have finally talked myself out of talking myself out of making art for a living. Lucky, Lucky ME!!!!

Thanks to all of the blogger's out there who are helping me along on this journey-you know who you are!

Many blessings in 2009-Scarlet

Happy Friday!!

Shoe Fetish Series. This is a close up shot of the interior of this little box. Yes, that is gold leaf that I painstakingly applied with a soft Japanese brush. I think it is the perfect background for these little Mary Jane's. The interior of the shoes were pretty worn, so I applied glitter to the inserts, time consuming but well worth it. I used feathers like wings, because we all know that a good pair of girlie shoes will make us feel like we can fly!

I saved this little Kewpie doll from being run down in the road, she fell off a box, that was in the back of a truck. I very seldom use the entire doll, but in this case I wondered...do dolls secretly envy one another, do little pudgy Kewpie dolls really long to be tall, tan and blond; Malibu Barbie? Maybe Barbie threw her from the back of the truck for trying to borrow her shoes? So-this is Malibu Kewpie wishing to be Malibu Barbie.

Here is the winner for "Hot Flash 2008". Her box is almost ready. I decided to use a champagne box from 1993-Dom no less. I lined it with flocked red damask paper. I am doing a gorgeous crown of matchsticks, tipped in red glitter. There are some burgundy feathers needing a home and this could be it. Edging the box with mirrors this afternoon and when she is finished she will be box number 6 out of 52. Sounds a bit daunting on this end of the numbers, maybe I should say 46 to go-LOL

Have a CREATIVE weekend!!