CHA Winter show 2012 part 2
As I noted in my last post this year’s winter Craft and Hobby Association show was awesome! My last post was mostly about Globecraft Memories and my first time doing demos at the CHA. This post will be about some of the new products, designs and workshops at CHA!
First I would like to talk about the DCWV booth which had some of the most beautiful paper and bead booth decor at the Winter CHA. DCWV Inc. is known for their very popular scrapbooking papers, cards, brads, stickers, albums, and embellishments. In 2010, the Blue Moon Beads brand was acquired by DCWV, so the booth was showing a wonderful fusion of these companies. I have used both DCWV and Blue Moon Beads products before, mostly for artwork at small shows. I must say though after seeing their booth decor and product samples I just had to get wholesale catalogs to use their products for classes.
The blue color tone tree was one of my favorites. It looked right out of a fairy tale. I keep trying to think how in the world I could make a tree of my own and where to put it.! LOL
The green beads on this tree are just gorgeous, and the photo does not do it justice.
I ended up wandering around, several isles over, and once again to stopping at a booth just because of how stunning booth decor was. In this case a glittering, full size gown made from crystal beads, paper and chain. I had to stop to see what this booth was about!
As I ended up finding out this beautiful piece of art was part of Connie’s Crystal booth. They carry genuine, high quality crystal beads and focal pieces in a stunning array of colors.
A close up of the bodice of the wonderful booth display at Connie’s Crystals.
I wandered by their booth on the last day and noticed they were selling out the booth crystals, so of course I had to buy some. Sadly I did not get there early enough to get all of the colors I wanted but I did buy some beauties. The reflection of light with their sun-catcher line is amazing. If you do bead work, mixed media or even just want lovely sun-catchers go to their website and request a catalog!
While I normally do not have time to attend many workshops at CHA, when I heard about Makin’s Clay Explore the Possibilities class I had to take it! Makin’s Clay produces a no-bake polymer clay providing an alternative modeling medium to oven-bake type polymer clays, environmentally safe, biodegradable and user friendly. The workshop, which was instructed by designer Ann Butler, explored the applications of Makin’s Clay and helped those who attended gain hands-on experience using Makin’s Brand products.
Each workshop participant received this seriously awesome complimentary Makin’s Clay gift bag just stuffed with goodies! I even ended up winning a Makin’s Professional Clay Tools set in class as well!
While I have not used Makin’s Clay polymer clay line in the past I do use their tool line a lot and I can say it is some of the best on the market. After trying out their clay and finding out they make some rather nice new color lines I will be using their clay with projects in the future. 🙂
Until next time, safe travels!
Decor Christi Craft Fair
This past Saturday I had the pleasure of being a vendor at the Mt. Carmel in the Desert Decor Christi Craft Fair. This is the first year for this event, and the Sisters at Mt. Carmel hope to have more events like this that encourage the arts in the Antelope Valley while assisting in raising funds for Mount Carmel’s Child Care Center and Retreat Center. They are also raising money for an additional Daycare program for underprivileged families who cannot pay for daycare.
The event featured painting, sculpture, jewelry, stained glass, needlework, woodworking, greeting cards, sewing, quilting, crochet and knitting. A requirement for this show was all work displayed and for sale shall be handmade. It was a wonderful event with some great networking opportunities and the crowd was friendly. Several of my very talented friends and fellow artists were also vending at the show: Paula De Grace, Jamie Bostjancic, Debra Wilson (of Kittyloaf Designs) and Dee Hodge. The Sisters were are gracious as ever, had some rather tasty lunches for sale and even had a booth with jewelry. The Sisters hope the show will get bigger each year and will get more of the community involved. They are some of the sweetest and kindest women I have ever met and I try to help them as much as I can.
Setting up my booth before the craft fair opened.
Some of my jewelry display.
Paula De Grace and Jamie Bostjancic at their jewelry booth with all of their lovely work.
Debra and her awesome mother at the Kittyloaf booth. I think you can see on the far right the bracelet I just had to get.
Sister Benedicta trying the choose beads for a new rosary; she is a very talented jewelry maker. Her specialties are wire wrapped bracelets & rosaries.
The Sisters talking to a volunteer offering to help, as the weather outside was making a turn for the worse.
Sister Benedicta showing off her “Cheshire” smile. She is such a great lady, hard working, always laughing and making the best of any situation.
Jami visiting Brian (Dee’s talented son, who is a musician, substitute teacher and puppeteer) at Dee Hodge’s lovely booth. Jami was asking about commissioning some work.
The weather made a turn for the worst at the Retreat around 2pm. Heavy rain turned into hail and we got flash flooding.
More rain…
Thanks the heavens it was an indoor event. The weather was crazy, with flash flooding, hail the size of quarters, high winds, lighting, thunder and rain. The ever gracious Sisters of Mt. Carmel made sure we made it home when the roads flooded out.
Trees and the garden got shredded by the hail, the front yard looks like it was put through a wood chipper and the back is a lake. Jami says the wood pile submerged by water makes it look like we have beavers nesting. 😛
The up side is the parched desert got some much needed water and the night sky always looks so clear after a heavy rain. After the weather calmed down the wildlife was out and about searching the moist ground for food left by the storm.
Until next time Safe Travels!
Work, wildlife and polymer clay!
Lately, my art workload has been insane, along with our weather. The week of the 4th of July we had flash flooding, which dramatically changed the placement of dirt on our property but made a lot of the local flora and fauna very happy. I got to stay inside, relax and watch the rain while trying out some new projects (nothing like the sound of rain to sooth the soul!). For the 4th I tried making a flag cane.
It turned out to be more fun than I expected. The only issue I find is some slight distortion with the stars when you start to reduce the cane. The next time I will chill the cane to prevent that.
Taking time to let the clay rest, as well as having a very clean and sharp blade, prevents any smearing. The slices can be easily made into lapel pins.
After the rains we had an invasion of dragonflies in our house and I had to keep shepherding them outside.
Bit of a blurry photo but they move like mad. 🙂
Then in the process of cleaning the yard we found a rather dazed Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus uniformis) attached to the side of my truck tires. We gave it some water and tried to let it go but it seemed to want to stay.
I tried to nudge it off and it just hugged me tighter.
Carefully I peeled her off and she just sat there staring at us. You can tell it is female because it had no blue underbelly marking and the head was a faint orange.
Finally she slowly walked off and went right under the parked truck. She stayed there most of the day eating ants. 🙂
After seeing and getting a chance to work with all of these and many more creatures I felt inspired to try some new textures and themes. I always say nature and its wonders are the best of inspiration.
Here is some of my gold/green polymer clay mixes with reptile, fossils and texture themes with their final gloss coat.
Here are some of my cane slices and jewelry pieces after their final gloss coat. The flag slices will have clay flowers and ribbons added to them. Stringing and designing the layout for the other beads and pendents will be the fun part.What wonderful interactions with nature might you have that can inspire you? 🙂
Until next time safe travels!
Recycled mixed media artwork….
I love doing mixed media artwork. I often feel confined if stuck using one form of media. Art like nature, in my mind, should be flowing, entrancing, organic in thought and in form. The inclusion of recycled elements in art not only helps the environment but gives a second life to pieces once forgotten. In my travels I am constantly looking for things to use in my artwork, such as dried plants, sticks, metal, stones, anything that might catch my fancy.
One of my favorite ancient Egyptian myths was how those long past and forgotten would live again if people would repeat their name and talk of their life. When I make recycled art I try to pick ancient ideas and stories to replay with modern recycled goods. I feel I am giving people glimpses of stories and worlds long forgotten, whispering ideas of times past using the tools of unwanted items of today.
The Recycled Princess:
In her former life this was a rather badly damaged Barbie doll. The toy had a major amount of gouges, scratches and was apparently chewed on. While I know many other people have done mummy dolls before I often find them grotesque and not well made. I wanted this one to be as realistic as possible, just in miniature format. Her wrappings are muslin scraps dyed with used tea leaves. Her jewelry is made from old earrings and all her pendants and amulets are made from polymer clay. All of the acrylic pant is from old paint bottles I found at a yard sale; they were somewhat on the “chunky” side but when layered on the plastic of the Barbie it looked like mummified skin. Her hair was also dyed with the old acrylic paints. To bend the arms into new positions I put them in a boiling water bath to re-shape.
Now this once forgotten toy tells a story of a ancient princess, carefully mummified, silently resting throughout eternity.
Beautiful Crone Maiden:
Found poplar tree sticks laying on the ground in a circular pattern was my inspiration for this piece. I collected those sticks and tried to arrange them as I had found them, using old hemp twine. The addition of beads and shells from broken old necklaces, dried weeds and found raven feathers all helped to give meaning. It took me tinkering around with polymer scrap clay to create the center piece. I gave her a headdress of rabbit fur salvaged from a rotting fur coat. I only use old recycled leather and fur in my pieces.
A story of a medicine woman, ever seeing but sightless, dreaming of visions of the future build on the past.
What wonderful stories might you create out of found objects and scraps?
Until next time, safe travels!
Scraps and leftovers…
Due to the change in weather, I wanted to set up a nice garden this year of veggies and native drought hardy plants, which I did to the detriment of my blog postings. LOL
I have however also been making all types of jewelry out of leftover projects. I like to try to use up as much as possible of old supplies and pieces before I make any new orders or get new supplies. In this case leftover polymer clay, which seems to run rampant in my projects, I keep every poly clay scrap I possibly can. Sadly they often sit in a box for months, “glaring” at me when I go through my scrap box for something to make. Wanting to make a new order of supplies but knowing I had to do something with some of my left over stuff, off I went to my poly clay scrap and my jewelry finding junk box. I collected some slices off a cane, which I was able to cut into small pieces and arrange on a bed of scrap black poly clay, smooth the edges, carve little texture lines and add 3 horseshoe hoops for hanging findings.
Add a few findings, beads for contrast and silver chain, and there you have it: a quick and classy necklace. 🙂
After a few more necklaces made from scraps I realized I was honestly low on supplies so merrily I went ahead and made an order to Fire Mountain Gems. Though this time along with the needed supplies, on a whim I ordered a Boss’ Bead Bag. Basically a grab bag of all types of findings, beads, cabs, frames, anything and everything they carry might end up in one of these bags. I was more than pleasantly surprised when I opened my order.
Here is the Boss’ Bead Bag separated by size of beads and metal findings. There was sterling silver beads, semi precious stones, wood beads, adorable plastic animal beads, glass beads of all sorts, frames and filigree findings! Which of course got my squirrely little mind a whirl with the idea of making necklaces just from the supplies found in the Boss’ Bead Bag.
I wanted to try making the first one as classy as possible, just to see how un-grab bag like I could make it. I ended up with this lovely mix of butterflies and purple/pink hues, everything was from the Boss’ Bag except for a few added jump rings, eye pins and nail pins, which was also from this order to Fire Mountain Gems. I still have loads of stuff left over from the bag to make more necklaces and even some miniature work (there was some very tiny pendants and beads perfect for a doll house).I highly suggest anyone into jewelry making but also likes interesting surprises to order a Boss’ Bead Bag.
Till next time Safe Travels! 🙂
Ancient and Contemporary Inspired Artistry