Saturday, February 27, 2010

HOW TO FEED OUR DEER......

I had to go out this afternoon and shovel a pathway through two-foot deep snow to put the corn out for our deer. It was kinda refreshing!
And, it was good that I did. Within about 30 minutes the first deer arrived. I stood inside at the back door and we looked intently at each other, but she seemed content to eat and was not afraid. Hopefully they are getting used to us! Isn't she beautiful? I think this is a "she". Heck, I don't know! She has beautiful long eye lashes.

A "SNOWED IN" PROJECT....

The most recent Wearable Art pieces sold have been jackets. No wonder ,as it generally stays below freezing here. So I have three more jackets to embellish. This one was a simple plain gray velveteen that needed some embellishment. Using some lace pieces, silk flower petals, vintage buttons, purple yarn and pearl- like beads I have transformed it into something unique, and hopefully fun to wear.
I removed all of the labels and replaced them with my own. I stamped a piece of silk with my signature stamp and hand-stitched it in place. It is now ready to put in the boutique next week. That would assume that we will be able to get out our driveway ,as it is right now, quite impassable.
POSTSCRIPT: Last evening we had eight deer show up for dinner. This is a new record! I think it might have been two separate families because two of the larger deer confronted each other while standing on their back legs. One of those alpha male moments I am guessing.

Friday, February 26, 2010

EROSION BUNDLE PROJECT 2010 UPDATE...DAY 56

This is the Erosion Bundle Project 2010 on day one, hanging nicely under the pergola and waiting for nature to make a difference in the contents. And now, 56 days later, the wire hanger has broken and the Project is resting on the table outside. In the past 24 hours it has accumulated some snow! I am wondering what is happening with the contents.........

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

A READER REQUEST...

Amy asked for a photograph of the label I use in my wearable art items. I am using a very old and worn (and soft) t-shirt, dyed a light brown. I stamp it with my favorite stamp using a permanent black ink. Beneath it I sew my own custom label. ( in this photograph it is just lying underneath the image) I stitch it into the neckline of the garment in a casual or rough way, leaving raw edges all around. As an additional note, I always remove all manufacturers tags, including care instructions as well as size information. I add my own care label, depending on how I have altered the garment. We all know sizes are unreliable and I want my customers to try things on, without a previous knowledge that it might not fit due to the size label. Also, if you do much altering of the garment the size would not really be accurate anyway! So there ya go! Go make your very own special label!

WHAT TO DO WHILE WAITING FOR PAINT TO DRY.....

Easy answer! Cookies! These might even be a little bit good for us. It is a basic oatmeal raisin recipe with some revisions: chocolate chips instead of raisins and the addition of ground flax seed. They are soooooo good!

NEMO'S BRITCHES......A WORK IN PROGRESS

Sunday, February 21, 2010

THERE IS NOTHING SWEETER.....

. . . than my two children, grown, making their own ways and enjoying each other's company on the slopes at Sandia Peak. They are best friends. I love you both!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

OUR DEER FAMILY EATS WELL.....

We have a family of deer that lives in our woods and comes by our home on a daily basis. There are seven of them; a buck, three does, and three young ones. And, they are always hungry! In this photograph you can see the cookie sheet of shelled corn on the right and see that it is just a few feet from our back porch off the kitchen. Every morning I put out about 8 cups of the corn and sometimes a piece of fruit that is past its prime. They seem to like those squishy apples just fine. We buy the corn in 50 pound sacks at the local farmer's co-op for about $6.00 a bag. They appear from the woods, in this pathway, in snow that is about a foot deep right now. They mill about, moving softly and quietly and stirring up the crusty snow. You can get an idea of how deep the snow is in this photograph. Every morning this is what that cookie sheet looks like, not a single piece of shelled corn remains. Since they appear at dusk, we are able to watch them but getting a good photo opportunity is difficult. Aren't they just beautiful.....

Friday, February 19, 2010

MY BODY DOUBLE....

I don't know why it took me so long to come up with the solution. I have NEVER been able to wear clothing off the rack. Nothing ever fit. Now, I have a body double to help me construct perfectly fitting clothes! You don't really want to see my double do you? No, really, you don't. But, to continue the family tradition, her name is "Betsy" and she has simplified my life. Here are photographs of the two tops I made as a result of that wonderful trip to Joann Fabrics. The blue/brown brocade shimmery one is a long tunic that I will be adding trim to on the front. The paisley one is complete. I am looking forward to buying more fabric. and, of course, using one or more of those fabulous coupons to do so! Stay tuned!

Monday, February 15, 2010

JOANN FABRICS ROCKS!

Those of us who sew, and paint stuff, and play with all things fabric know about the wonders of those coupons at Joann Fabrics, right? Well, the wonder is really wonderful! This weekend Joann offered Simplicity Patterns, five for $5. Seriously, a dollar apiece! To save time, and assuming there might be lots of shoppers pouring over pattern books, I went to the Simplicity web site and selected five patterns I liked. We went to the the store with my list and got the five patterns and I selected two pieces of fabric to make two tops. Here is that totally amazing part! The patterns I selected ranged in price from $10.95 to $16.95. So, with a coupon for 50% off one of the pieces of fabric and $5 for all five patterns, my bill was $25.80. I saved $89.66. I remember sewing when patterns were about $5.00 each. When did they get so outrageous? When the tops are finished I will share photographs. Of course this morning I have taken the time to finally adjust my dress form to approximate my shape, odd that it is. It should make for a more successful garment in the end, right?

Monday, February 8, 2010

A STUDY IN FOUR SKYLIGHTS. OR, CONTEMPORARY ART ON THE ROOF . . .

I watch our skylights and every day they show me something different. It is an art gallery and I look forward to the beauty. Even when we have a big snowfall, and all of them are totally covered over, I see four pieces of soft pale gray, and I feel like I am living in a snow cave. It is lovely...

Sunday, February 7, 2010

"LAVENDER BLUE" JEANS . . .

I like how these look and so resisted the urge to climb the ladder. Maybe the next pair will have giant splotches of paint!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

"SPLATTERED HEARTS" JEANS . . .

I had a lot of fun working on these jeans! I wanted to try a splattering technique on them. So, I put a large piece of plastic out on the floor and laid the jeans on it. I thinned out some antique white acrylic and put it in a small container. Then, using a plastic spoon, I climbed up on a chair and started dripping the paint over where the jeans were. This was the result and I love it! I think the next time I will try standing on the ladder! I am guessing the higher I am the more the splatter. Stay tuned!

Friday, February 5, 2010

TIC-TAC-TOE JEANS...

Painted black jeans that will be put in the boutique today. The design is on the outside of the right leg only. Size 11 Junior; target market, students at two local colleges. Let's see if this works!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

THE "VANESSA COLLECTION" CONTINUES......

These little ladies are lapel pins, about 4 inches tall with molded faces and pin fasteners on the back. They are the little sisters of the "Vanessa Collection".

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

BLACK. BLEACH. PAINTS. THOSE THNGS MAKE ME VERY HAPPY!

Left side of black denim jeans.
Right side of the same pair. Back of a black linen jacket.
Front of the same jacket.