Sunday, Feb. 12...

So far, this has not been a normal year for me at all.  Usually, January gets me going with a selection of my "focus" word, and I also get involved in all the new projects floating around blogsville and fb.  Not so this year.  I have just been ho hum about doing things.  If it happens it happens, and if not, well so what?  I am still purging my studio rooms...the next one is the sewing room...dragging my feet on that!  I just love all the fabrics.  But, I don't really ever do much with them.  I pull out a storage tubful and think I will only keep pieces I love, but the problem is that I love most of it.  Oh, the polyesters go easily but I hardly ever really "collect" polyesters so there is not that much of it.  I don't make quilts so can't use up pieces that way.  I am going to up grade the TV room sofa pillows soon.  But for now, I have to find a new home for the fabrics.  I think they will probably go to some quilters who do humanitarian work.  I would feel okay with that.
Yesterday, I got rid of some papercloth that I know I will never use.  I went through all the journals I have been working on, and found I have about five that will go to JFGs soon to sell.  Yep, I am making headway.
Here are a couple of pieces of art I worked on this week.  Not, much really but does keep me "arting!"

A newsman on TV...his eyebrows have fascinated me for awhile so I decided to do a portrait...lol.  I did not get the mouth right.  Doing a portrait from quick shots on the TV is rather hard...not enough time to actually study the shapes of things...in this case facial features.

And a quick journal page...the missing word on the bottom says wellness...

Art Moments

I have been so distracted since the first of the year with health, and then the blackening of my studio by HRH's heater fiasco.  But, once in a while some small art success has popped up.  Here are a couple I haven't shown you yet:

HRH's GrandDad...this arrived in the mail from one of his cousins.  I love this photo.  IF you look closely you can see a bronc rider in the background.  HRH thinks this may have been taken in NM or maybe in TX.  Interesting place to have his gun hung, don't you think?

I decided to make an effort of making art, no matter how small so I did this zen doodle one evening.  It felt good to make some art!

I needed some new business cards for a community fashion show that will be happening around here the first of March,  so I printed my information on some card stock and then collaged at random, knowing I was going to cut it up, I didn't really try to plan a composition...just adding things I as I found them sorting through my papers in the garage,  sticking the things on at random knowing I was going to cut it up into ATC sized cards.  This is the result, and I really love it so I made a copy to hang in my studio.  I am amazed that something this cool came from thoughtless randomness!

If I used this like a soul collage prompt card...it might make an interesting essay, don't you think?  Something like "I am the old crow that wants to improve her wardrobe...or update her look."  Something like that, lol...

Super Bowl 46

I worked all week trying to clear out all my stashes after washing the walls in my garage studio so I and the car girls would have a place to do our annual super bowl sunday activities:
Arts and crafts of course!

I will let the pictures speak for how successful I have been with this.

After washing all the cupboards down the North wall and along the West wall... many things ended up onto my work island.

The West wall all cleaned and organized-looking through the door into the sewing room.

The North wall cabinets are actually white again!  

I worked until sunset a day or two...the beauty of the sunsets are a boost to a tired studio cleaner, lol.

On SBS...the car girls and I always design valentine boxes...litttlest's car girl made a square one.

The middle car girl made a cylinder shaped box.

The biggest car girl no longer wants to make valentine boxes, so she made a T-shirt scarf for herself and their dog, beamer.

She was happy with a purple scarf!

Once in a while as I sorted my stashes, I had to stop and do a bit of something...in this case I cut apart two tins so I could stack the tin up in the new tin area... lol.

I a found a whole stack of overhead sheets of acrylic and wondered what they might be good for?  I decided they might make fun signs for my vision board.  I  also found some metal corner brackets-thinking  "great stencil materials" so I cut an oval, put the brackets on the corners and spray painted the acrylic sheet.  I will put a word or something behind the clear oval on my vision board... 

After rearranging many things, I am almost back down to the island work area again!

This stash of acrylic paints went to JFGs since I had not opened one of them in more than a year or two.  They will make good use of it I think.

And today...for our super bowl party...

HRH made potato salad, fresh veggies and dipS, BBQ chicken, deviled eggs, stuffed mushrooms, stuffed celery, little smokies, italian sausage, chips and dips, and he bought some super bowel decorated cup cakes, lots of candy for the car girls, so now we are really partying! 

 Yoo Hoo!

Repurposed 1986 Day Planner

I love repurposing old day planners.  This one I found at a yard sale on one of our travels several years ago.  I keep books like this on a shelf right behind my art desk, and when I have extra paint I use it up on one of the pages.  Then, sometimes, when I am not into doing a project, or just don't feel like doing much, I will pull them out and paste random things into them or if I have the stamps and pads out, I do some random stamping.  Eventually, the book will be ready to use again for an art journal.  These are really great for random thoughts and poetry writing.  I thought today I would share some parts of one that is almost finished.  There are still pages that need some treatments but possibly by summer it will be ready for a new home...

This is a page that tells birthstones and other infomation so I left it...thought it might be handy to refer to.

I added a informational page from a visit to the museum, and some of my carved stamps to this page.

This is a foam stamp I found at a local thrift shop...rather like the mandala look to it.

The front I covered with squares of clothpaper experiments.

Bits and pieces pasted and some heat made stamps...the angel is so cool.

I stamped with a little circle stamp randomly...then added left over pieces of paper from a sticker page.  Then I decided they looked like cats, so, inspired by Carla's doodling methods, I added a bit of drawing.

Some pages might have textiles.

Of course...I collect swallow images.

And I collect stencils and this was a new one so the book is a good place to try out new things.

I use up old book pages and random sayings.

This planner has a perpetual calendar in it and I kept it usuable...might be handy?

I printed out some labyrinth designs when I was making my labyrinth so why not add them to this?

The bottom is stencils gone bad...but I am sure something could be done with it...

Your ephemera...things you collect but never got around to using...add them to a note book, a repurposed book, found books that are the perfect size as you work on other projects.  Eventually you will have a wonderful, repurposed book, with lots of eye candy to enjoy.

Coming to Terms With Purging...

Since the day after Christmas my plan has been to downsize my studio supplies.  Okay!  My hoards!

So, for most days since then, I have slowly meandered out to one of my rooms thinking " I will get rid of at least one thing today."  It has not been happening.  I look at something and that little devil voice in the back of my head whispers to me "you know if you throw that away, I am going to make an idea pop into your head that uses that very thing, and you will not have it available!"  I like having things available here, not having to shop for something, because, as you know, shopping is almost null and void around my neck of the boonies.

 And then there is the fact that I have been not feeling well, and well, you know what kinds of pitsy decisions you make when you don't feel well.  So really, not much has happened with  my purge.   I did throw away some bin lids that I tried to throw away last year when I got into this "something has to go" mode,  but HRH thought I should hang onto them, just in case.  I stored them over the book case, and there they have been for a year.  So, I tossed them into the garbage bins.  He asked me if I fully intended to throw them away and I said in a very definite voice "Yes, you talked me out of it last year but that is not going to happen this year."  They have since been hauled away to trash heaven, thank goodness.  So, once I got passed that hurdle, (HRH and I have a tendency to talk each other out of throwing things away, lol), yesterday was easier.

 I decided before I went to the garage that my target was to empty the wallpaper storage bin.  I never use wall paper anymore...a couple of years back I used some of it but, now I know I don't LIKE it...so into the trash bins it went, along with some colored cellophane rolls, some cash register rolls, and other papers I never use.

 Deep breathe here, some of that paper is hard to part with!  But now that it is in the trash bins, for almost 24 hours, I am actually thinking relief, lol.

 I am hoping to be able to target more hoards of things that I DO NOT LIKE TO USE and get rid of it.  I think this year is the year I am really going to be able to purge...

Rolls of wall papers and adding machine rolls...GONE!

Rolls of cellophone and sheets of craft foam...GONE

Left overs from the "witches" project from last fall...GONE!

Boxes of ephemera... well, we will see...seriously-I use this stuff but not all!

Boxes of assemblage parts...maybe...

Books...definitely needs to be down sized...

This grouping of paint...maybe...sometimes I make a project where I try to use as much of this stuff as possible but dang, this stuff goes a very long way unless it is one you really love...it is always almost empty, you know?  I find that yellow and blue is hard to find in this group...does that say something?

Rubber stamps...most of them will go...I am keeping my hand carved ones...and a couple of others...

Ribbons...or yeah, most them need to go...um, starting with these two boxes...

Craft sticks and such...ummmmm???

Files and files and files...yep, most of these need to go...

Book covers... well, this is getting into a gray area...

All kinds of papers and card stock...okay...I hardly ever use a plain colored piece of paper or card stock but dang, it hard to put them into a trash bin...

Okay, maybe most of this, but definitely NOT the book binding tools, lol

This, that, and other sundries...do I really need my diplomas on the wall still?

Too much thread...

Stacks of fabric... I am so going to only keep pieces I love love love!

Only fabrics that are artsy looking...

Now these are my untouchables... markers, pens, pencils, chalks, drawing supplies...

Shoe box sized greeting card storage... hmmm, I don't really use them that much...

Well, I am proud of myself for at least getting over the first hurdle with the wallpaper rolls...

Related to PURGE

Synonyms: cleanse, purify, sanctify

Related Words: amend, improve, refine; heal,regenerate, restore; elevate, ennoble, uplift; absolve,acquit, clear, exonerate, vindicate

Near Antonyms: corrupt, debase, debauch, defile,degrade, demean, deprave, pervert, stain, warp; poison,profane, prostitute; sully, tarnish

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I am thinking that the related words to Purge might help...I like IMPROVE, REFINE, CLEAR..

This started out as a "since I don't feel like creating, I might as well get a jump on some spring cleaning" activity.  

And I have no idea where it will end... but, for now I am enjoying much less crowded paper rolls bin...

And for those of you who are saying...I should give this stuff to someone who could use them...you have to realize...I LIVE in the boonies and there is not many available places...so I am not going to try to hang onto the stuff hoping to find a good home for it... nope...if I am truly to let it go...it has to go the easiest route...the reason it is still here is because of that "share the gold" mentality.  I have found not too many people like what I like out here in the high desert place I live.

Dyeing Experiment For a Yoolie!

Remember last fall...when Rice started a Yoolie sensation, I ran out to the thrift shop and found several tops I though I could alter into Yoolies.  I made the first one out of the ugliest top, it was one of my fave colors tho, so I do like it and have worn it several times...and it is so comfortable.  Then I made another...same color but from a cotton knit sweater.  I have worn it too and like it but it still needs some tweaking...namely the neck is now about three times as big as when it started out, even though I did machine stitch around it and then hand stitched around it.  I am trying to work out a solution for that.  The sweater knit was much harder to alter than the sweat shirt fabric.  But, today, I wanted to show you the newest finished Yoolie.  When I was shopping for the shirts, I found four 100% cotton sweatshirts in white.  After my experiences with the first two Yoolies...I realized I wanted a bit of a different design for this one.  The first Yoolie, although I like it, is too short-I prefer a longer looking top... and the second is too big necked, (lol).  So, since I had a kind of knit cape top that I like, I used that as inspiration for this Yoolie.  I cut up 3 of the four sweatshirts, and sewed the parts together to make a cape.  Cut the shape, and then I got to play with my newly purchased fabric dye.   I tied the shirt with string in several stages, hung it from a hook in the ceiling, and lowered it into the dye at intervals.  I had no idea what it would look like after this process!  But, here are the photos:

I cut one sweatshirt up the sides and opened the sleeves.

Then using pieces cut from two other sweatshirts I filled in the notch between the sides and the 

sleeves.  After that I cut the cape bottom rounding the corners.

After the dyeing experience...I ended up with a mottled blue Yoolie, which I like.

Then I stitched around the raw edges without turning them using a darker blue.  Isn't this just a yummy yummy blue!

My next step was to find a "patch" to put on it.  I found a piece of fabric I had stained a year or two ago that was greenish with some blue in it, and then I found some buttons from my button bin in blues and greens...

The patch and the buttons give it the "artsy" look I wanted...

And now I will be happy to wear this when I go out to the village next time!

Just so you know, I have been working on this since last November or December!  I have not had a lot of energy to use towards projects.  OMG, I hope that changes soon!

And now, I have to search for another one of my "Yoolie possiblilities" and start another one!