Four Little Ladies

And now for Colette Copeland. This was my last Silver Bella project to finish. I have mentioned many times that I did not finish one project during the event. Look, I am a college Zoology professor. We have labs. I have taken lots of labs. You get busy, put your head down and finish the project in lab. This makes sense to me.  It seems to not wotk that way with art projects and thus my Incomplete Projects List has grown until I feel I cannot enroll in anything else. It adds buzz to the bee hive that is my brain. Completing a project is so satisfying as is marking all of Silver Bella off my list.

Colette Copeland is the sweetest most precious thing. I wish I had been more aware of her during class but the rush to work and listen and complain was all too much. Her A Bird in the Hand posts are just little sweet kisses. This project is three wee dresses hanging on a line. I used a picture of my mother circa 1933, me, very 70s and my little sweetie in the 90s. Mother was embellished with lace, a treasured button and these little celluloid bangles from the Tinsel Trading booth at Creative Connection.

On my picture I opened the beloved Mrs. Bird bottle for the first time and used some buttons from Miss Colette to surround my picture. I thought that was so appropriate. I love this bowhead picture of myself in the yard.

My little girlie in front of her white and yellow playhouse. I hand stitched a fresh green vine encircling her. Boy how I try to be that vine to enclose, but not encase her. She is a teenager and will leave for college in under two years. I can't take my eyes off of little girls right now. I find such sweet sadness so often these days.

I put my dresses on a linen background and made tabs for hanging. And then I thought it would be great to have some kind of commercial drapery hanger for it. Went to eBay and found one. Look how perfectly it fits. I love this about being alive right now.

Three little girls at the start of different lives with profound impact on each other. I really love all the symbolism here.

The Colette pages in my Junque Journal...

Capturing Colette...

Little Colette Copeland is so sweet and my Project Runway quilt channels her spirit.

Love Birds and Post 200 Winner

We had snow, thunder snow. Yes thunder, sleet and snow. Blizzard winds at 58 mph here in Oklahoma City. Yes the wind does come sweeping down the snowy plain. I used our snow days as an opportunity to work from the Incomplete Projects List and accomplished this Love Birds Wreath by Heidi Wallingford. I received it one year ago. It is nearly vintage now. I rarely work with hot glue. No matter how much I know it is hot I always burn my fingers and yell "this glue is so HOT!" I don't like it. But it works so well...

Heidi does a really nice kit.

Looky! It only took one year...

The view as I walk in from the garage.

Thanks so much for all the love in celebration of my 200th post. You are my love birds, yes?

I will be sending this ephemera package to Alisa!!! Please contact me. How cool, you were number 24 by the number generator! Alisa has one of my very favorite blogs! Congratulations girl!

 I will be doing more give-aways this year! Thank you guys so much.

Little Angry Fairy

This month I completed all my projects from Silver Bella in November. I was not able to finish one thing while there. User error. Class times too short for unknown reasons. And me saying "this class time isn't long enough" didn't help anyone. Not anyone. I see that now...

This is the Caged Fairy class sample by Kerry Lynn Yeary.

My version. I thought I would be a genius at folding wire. Seriously. I thought I would. I was wrong...

The angry little fairy is my daughter. First day of preschool. She was so mad that I wanted a stop and take a picture. So big and bad with her little rabbit and grimace. That rabbit is like 4 inches long. She was so tiny. And angry. Lawdy, I love her so much.

The Junque Journal entry for the class.

Next and final installment is CoCo's class...

Have You Seen My Whipples?

Well, let me tell you all about them! Artist Lynn Whipple came to Silver Bella 5 and, other than Kaari Meng and the attendees themselves, I signed up because of Ms. Whipple.

She is the most delightful, energetic, positive person. But not annoying. Seriously how does she do that? It's because she is sincere in her joy to share. She was so very generous with her techniques and her praise. Lynn's work above and below.

Recently Heather Ales announced she would take on the challenge of not buying any new supplies for the year of 2011. I really love the idea of this challenge. She does allow buying products she will use within two weeks for a specific project. I have been thinking about this quite a lot. I find I am able to say 'no' to new things by never entering the shop in the first place. I have definitely walked around Michaels with my coupon just looking for something to buy. I mean, I have a Crop-a-dile for god's sake. I don't even really know what to do with it, but I have one.  While I am not going to stop buying supplies, it has made me think about organizing and using what I have to accomplish these unfinished projects.


Lynn at work. Why is so so awesome?

One thing I need to do is stop enrolling in classes while I have so many incomplete projects. I made a list, a long list, of projects that still need to be done. I believe there were about 15 things on it! Last year, I bought three online courses I never did use.  Because classes have offered so much growth and inspiration to me, it is hard to say no.

I did sign on for the Brave Girls Soul Restoration Workshop. Its a 6 week commitment and I intend to take it seriously. It started this week. I am a little scared about it.  The Soul Restoration Workshop says you will print out over 100 pages. And just in time! My printer stops working. Since I also start teaching again, I sucked it up and replaced my dinosaur of a computer. That was a task. I still have to learn how to use everything. However, it feels so peaceful to start the year out feeling good, replacing broken things and getting organized.

So...all this about Heather and the Brave Girls project really is about my Whipples. I decided to just start working through that Incomplete Projects List. Whipple projects were first. I am very delighted with these ladies, 'found aunties' from old photos.

Mama always said pretty is as pretty does...

Just bloom...I cannot take my eyes off this gal.

Fly Girl...Soar...

Once I finished the projects I made a page in my Junque Journal being assembled from the Silver Bella swap of the same name.

This journal is to be a collection of things from Silver Bella and the Gilded Nest as well as other events from the year.

Below is my first art journal, from a Donna Layton class in my last post. In class we mostly talked about the making of a journal. She brought books full of inspiration as well as her own remarkable journal. I did these final pages in the Whipple style. 'Kindergarten,'  my school photos from K through 5th. I will have to show you the rest of the journal sooooon. 

When you can say yes to a class, how do you say no? I got so much inspiration from meeting Lynne Whipple. I could actually hear her encouraging voice in my head while working on these projects.

Oh sure, find a balance between learning, and creating. Sigh. I want to do it all. All the stuff, all the classes and all the time. My mother used to say 'keep chunkin' hard.' Just keep at it. I will keep working on balance. Saying yes. Saying no. The trick is to find the stillness to enjoy it.