Sidetracked

I was picking up and tidying my workspace so I can start working on some Christmas stuff.  I got sidetracked when I came across a set of shrinky-dinks that I had submitted to a magazine but they got returned and rejected.


Originally I though I put a lot of creative energy in these.  They weren't just baked plastic, I crocheted a very delicate lace around them.  But seeing them now, months later, I see they weren't finished.  Surely, the lace made them unique, but they were still plain.  They needed much more to get the attention they deserve.
Their need for attention trapped me, and instead of making Christmas ornaments I found myself stitching.
I had this idea that the shrinkies should be a part of a pouch, a little tiny pocket, in which you could 'hide' a secret note, a spell, a lucky penny.....thus on the top I added a button and a button hole.  You can open it and put in whatever little secret you want to hide.  :-)

After few hours of stitching, this is what became out of the original shrinkies. 



I also got to use the hand-dyed seam binding I bought from a local artist a few weeks ago.  It made for a perfect necklace cord.

Somerset Studio Gallery

Ahhhh, my mail lady has been delivering exciting mail to me.  Last week I got a complimentary copy of the Sew Somerset, where my fabric pins appeared.  And this week she brought me Somerset Studio Gallery where my stitch hearts are spread over two pages.

What is really, really cool is that an artist who I admire, also had her work in both of these magazines.  Her work is actually on the cover of Somerset Studio Gallery you see below.

Her name is Colette Copeland.  I visit her blog all the time.

PS.  If you are interested in the 'evolution' of these hearts, see my post here.

Red scarf project

A couple of weeks ago we went to downtown Mesa, they had a street fair with steampunk theme.  We stumbled upon a yarn shop that I had no idea was there.  I had to check it out.  After all I learned to crochet before I learned any other crafty techniques.  It is how it all started really, with crochet.
The yarn store was like a candy store, with caddies of colorful soft yarn.  They also had several looms and yarn spinners (I think that's what they are called).  But most important of all there was a table of knitters, knitting red scarfs.
'Are you all knitters?' I asked.
'Are you a knitter?' one of them asked me back.
'No, I am a hooker.'
These yarn enthusiasts got my joke.  See there is other types of hookers, the ones like myself who use crochet hooks.  I asked about the red scarfs they were making.  It is all part of a project called 'Red Scarf Project'.  It is supported by Foster Care to Success, a group who sends care packages to kids who are no longer in foster care, but are now out on their own to college.
I volunteered to make a scarf and finished it on Thanksgiving.  I now have to drop it off at the yarn store.  The red scarf will be part of the care packages the group will send to former foster kids for Valentine's Day. 

I like making things and gifts and giving them away.  Maybe part of it is out of some sort of 'guilt' I can't explain; that I am well and fortunate to have kids, a husband, parents that are alive, a brother, a niece and a nephew, sister in laws, and many other family and friends who I keep in touch with.  Knowing that there are people out there who don't have all that I have....it makes me sad.  I know I can't fix sad things in this world, but perhaps occasionally I can make a little difference to someone.  Because in this big, loud world, it is the small things that count the most.

The night before Phoenix Craft Rave

In preparation for Phoenix Craft Rave 2012 I thought it would only be appropriate that I make me a special craft apron for the occasion. 
I almost never start garments from scratch anymore.  I rather alter something that was destined for Goodwill or the clothing recycling place.  This apron is half of a skirt.  I used old jeans pockets that I made 'pretty' prior to attaching them on the apron.

I added all kinds of little embellishments: lace, I stamped fabric and made appliques with a face of a woman and a love quote, I added some charms and an old key Patrick found at the playground and gave it to me.

I added something even super special (to me at least).  I added a little gypsy bell I bought some time ago at the Bead Museum in Glendale, AZ.  I wanted a bell to remind me that life is good and precious and it's meant to be enjoyed.  I needed this reminder at times of frustrations at life difficulties.  During those times I find myself crafting anyways, it was the perfect time to have a chiming bell. 


I just packed all of the crafting supplies for the Craft Rave tomorrow: fabric, shrink plastic, stamps, inks, fabric markers, spray sealer and an oven.  With these I will teach other crafty people how to make rings out of fabric and out of shrinky dink plastic.  I am looking forward to have a lot of fun.
On a side note, look what came in the mail a few days ago:

And look what's on page 118.  My work.

The magazine will be on newsstands on Dec.1.
 

Doll

Maggie found her doll I made for her on her first birthday.  Pretty primitve, now that I am closely examining it.  It almost looks like a voo-doo doll.  Her hair was falling apart and Maggie asked me to fix it.



 

Good news

I wished there was a bell that could ring when I am having some kind of misadventure in life and remind me that it's not all that bad and good things are on the way.  But because there isn't such a bell, I am writing this to remind myself that good things are coming, even though bad things may be coming too.  So keep your chin up, keep on doing what you are doing, be true, be kind, be enough, talk to your heart, dare greatly and remember that when you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it (I borrowed these advices from various people: Brene Brown, Alan Moore, Mr. E, Paulo Coelho, E.F. Schumacher and also some fictional characters)

Do you remember a year or so ago when I had my wearable Valentine Day art work published in Belle Armoire magazine?  Well that encouraged me to submit more of my work.  So in the next month I will have some of my work in Sew Somerset and Somerset Studio Gallery (both available Dec.1 at Barnes & Nobles, JoAnn's Fabric and other craft stores).  And today I found out that another work that I submitted to GreenCraft magazine was also selected and it will be in their next issue that comes out in February.  So see....good things are coming (even though I just had a streak of misfortunes in the last three weeks, but they are now behind: car broke again, water heater exploded and flooded my house, my husband lost his job).

Craft, dance and making friends

I think I just had the most 'social' weekend I've had since I became a mom.  A bit unusual and very busy.
On Friday morning I went to a zumba class for the first time in my life.  My friend Susan invited me, she was the instructor.  It was held at the Sunset Library only a few miles from our house.  And it was free, which is exactly the type of activity I need after my husband lost his job last week.  I must say the class was actually fun, in an odd way, because the only time I feel comfortable dancing with a bunch of other people in the same room is when I go folk dancing. 
Ahhh folk dancing, I got quite a bit of that too this weekend.  There was a Serbian festival at St. Sava Orthodox Church and my friend JoAnna invited me.  I took Maggie with me too.  Aside from dancing 'kolo' which usually at a Serbian festival is hours and hours of variation of a dance step called 'u shest', we also got to see some dance performance by kids as young as 3. 



In between all the dancing I did this weekend, there was time for art too.  On Friday night we went to 'First Fridays' - a monthly art walk the city of Phoenix holds downtown.  It's a big street party, with art galleries staying open late, srteet vendors, local musicians and everything else in between.  It can get crowded, which as I am getting older is starting to bother me in a way I am not sure how to explain at the moment.  But considering we only go a couple of times a year, it's all right.
I also went to a stamp show the city of Mesa had this weekend and got some new stamps to work with.  In order to have my money go a long way I purchased unmounted stamps, and I just finished mounting them myself on a foam I purchased. 




And I made a new friend at the stamp show, a friendly local lady named Karen who aside from being mixed media artst herself, she had wonderful trinkets that were exactly the type of items I would use in my projects.   So I got some old keys, a hand died seam binding, a small porcelan doll head (to go on the headless angel I found in San Francisco a couple of years ago), a brass bracelet that I need to embelish myself and.....I can't remember what else.  I am sure I will see her again.  She actually has a booth at the antique store a few miles from my house.

I also had a visit from a new friend Pavna, who I met at a craft meetup last month.  Pavna is from India and I think next weekend we are going to go to an Indian festival.  So until I can travel the world with my kids, they will be getting a lot of ethnic experiences by going to local cultural festivals with me.

There is a crack in everything

That's how the light gets in (or out).

Maggie's monsters

When Maggie and I craft together this is what she makes.  These are her Halloween monsters.

Getting closer to Halloween

Around our house and front porch.

Vacation - possibly next spring

At this point in my life I have lived in the US a little over half my life and longer than the country I was born and raised (Macedonia).  Every year for the past 17 years I've made some un-official plan to go back 'home' and see the place where I grew up, see the peope I grew up with.  And every year I find myself re-shifting priorities so that my trip gets on the bottom of my list. 
I hope this time is different, so I signed up for a whole month off next March/April.  It wasn't the ideal time I wanted off, but it was the only time I could get 4 consecutive weeks off.   My husband can't go, it will be just me and the kids.
My mom already tried to change my mind: 'it's going to be cold during that time.  Why don't you go in the summer?'
My uncle Pavel (who originally planned to go with me if I went in July/August): 'why don't we go to Hawaii or Mexico together.  You'd spend much less money than going back home.'

I value and respect their suggestions, but this is not about them.  I don't not want to find myself one day thinking: 'I should have, could have, would have if I wasn't listening to ______'.
17 years is a long time, it's more than half my life.  I am going 'home'.

Ouch!!!

I was getting ready to send some Halloween mail out and wasn't sure what kind of envelopes to use.  Most of the time I use the yellow cushy ones, especially when I am sending something too big for a regular envelope.  But they seemed boring and I decided to try to make my own using brown packaging paper, stamps, bubble wrap and my sewing machine.

Everything was going well until I added the contents to be mailed inside my hand-made mailer and then decided to also use my sewing machine to close it shut.  It was too bulky and I had to keep on trying to move the envelope along.   This is when my finger (the middle finger of all things) on my left hand came too close to the rapidly moving needle, and the needle went down through my skin and came out of the other side of my finger.   Ouch!! 
I moved away only to find out that the needle broke and it was now stuck, a mere millimetar to the side of my nail from the top of my finger, coming out through the bottom of my finger.
I guess I won't be sewing-shut the envelopes.  Some clear tape works much better.

Maggie

Just Maggie, my daughter.

A surprise for me

When I came home from work the kids greeted me with their cheery voices: mama, mama we have a surprise for you.
What could it be? I wondered.  After all they were away for almost a week driving across the country from Omaha back home to Phoenix with their dad.  Maybe they picked up a lonely rock from a rest stop somewhere in the middle of the country and they now want to give it to me as a surprise.  Maybe it's a piece of candy they thought to save and share it with me. 
I ran upstairs where the surprise was supposed to be and they leaded me into my bedroom.
My jaw dropped, in awe, or shock or.....I am not sure, but I had no clue how to react and was speechless.
The surprise:
The two walls on each side of my bed covered in drawing some with washable, some with permanent markers.  A mural 7 feet wide and as tall as their hands could reach. Drawings of us: Maggie, Patrick, David, me, our house, angry birds......
My cell phone camera is unable to capture it in one image, and these pictures can't really show how big these drawings are. 

1. Our house.  To give you an idea the house in this image is about 2 feet tall.

2. David and Patrick.  The big figure is David, the small one is Patrick. 

3. Maggie's drawing of herself and me holding hands.  And then there is a tiney-tiny figure on the other side of me that she called my baby.  Hmmm, no I am not pregnant, although I occasionally secretly wish I have another baby.

4. This is the best I could do to capture it all in one photo from the side to help you imagine how big this is.  7ft my friends, 7 feet......

So I sat on my bed marveling it all, trying to figure out how to respond.  At first I wanted to think: 'my walls, oh my walls they need to be repainted'.  Should I be angry?  But I wasn't angry at all.  I couldn't help but think how excited they were that they wanted to surprise me with their handy work.
So when Patrick said to me: 'what ya thinking mom?' I said: I LOVE IT.
And they both went on explaining what everything is in their artwork.

Craft Rave in my own city

It's official! I will participate in Phoenix Craft Rave on Nov. 17, 2pm till 12 midnight.
What's Craft Rave you ask? Well I've never been to one even as an attendee, much less as a crafter teaching a craft. The idea is that you teach a quick craft for people to make and take home. I met one of the organizers some weeks ago, a lovely and talented artist Cyndi Coon. She and our local famous crafter CraftyChica are behind the event. Cyndi talked me into participating, or rather she encouraged me. Now that it's official, I am feeling nervous. I am not sure what it is. I probably just need to get some sleep and I will get over it. It's gonna be all right, and more important it's gonna be fun to be amongst 'my own kind'.

So I will be teaching two crafts, both how to make rings using different techniques:
1. Fabric Rings - making rings out of fabric. You get to decorate your own fabric using stamps.

2. Shrinky Dink Rings - use shrink plastic to make rings. You also use stamps for this technique to decorate your plastic, then bake it to shrink.

Quick trip to LA

A 3 day weekend and home alone (no kids and husband)....it wasn't a dream.  It actually did happen.  I was afraid I wouldn't know what to do with myself.   Not being needed, not being interrupted.....should I:

a. Have a crafting marathon by myself.

b. Clean my house.

c. Catch up on some sleep.

d. Go on a road trip.

I went on a road trip.  

It's been a long time since I've spent quality time with my uncle Pavel in Palm Springs, and I haven't seen my old college friend Isabel in over 10 years.  She lives in LA.

I was a little bit worried about my ride to California.  I couldn't take my car, it's not reliable.  And the locks on my husband's car don't work right.  If you lock the car, the lock is broken and you won't be able to unlock it from the outside.  I had to be extra careful where I leave the car, since it would have to stay unlocked.  I also had to be very careful to not accidentally lock the car, because then I would have to crawl through the trunk.  It turned out all right, no one stole my car, and I only locked myself out once at a rest stop and crawled through the trunk.  I think the person parked next to me gave me a strange look, but I must have not been suspicious enough since no cops chased me afterwards.

I spent Friday night at my uncle's house, and drove to LA early Saturday morning to meet Isabel for breakfast at Urth's Cafe downtown LA.  It was a smooth ride until I came close to my destination and hit traffic.  How do people live and commute for work in LA?  I'd go insane.

Isabel and I had  a great time catching up.
Spending time with my uncle was equally good.  His stories told in half English-half Macedonian and a heavy accent in both always make me laugh.  Before I was married I used to visit him all the time and we'd go on trips together.   We can talk forever and tell stories, or be just as comfortable to sit in silence and not say a word to eachother.
We spent Saturday night downtown Palm Springs, eating frozen yogurt, sitting by a pedestrian crosswalk, talking and watching people walk by.  Some walked by several times:

• couples holding hands

• families with kids

• people in wheelchairs

• bicycles

• people smoking and the smoke choking me

• cross-dressers looking so well made up you wouldn't know they were a guy in a dress if they didn't feel compelled to return my 'hello' and their deep voice giving away their identity.  

It was nice to feel completely relaxed, to notice time passing by very slowly, to have nothing to do or no place to be. 

Before it got dark I took this picture of uncle Pavel by the new Merilyn Monroe statue they have in town.



I drove back this morning (Sunday).  Got up early and was on the road by 7am.  I wanted to get home early to squeeze in half a day of crafting.  My room is now covered in fabric, string, papers, glue, stamps and even shrinky dinks.  And tomorrow I am back to work.