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Hi, folks.

I’ve signed up for something really big. I have an account over on Patreon. Follow link to my page. A long time ago, wealthy individuals and families would support artists to paint, sculpt, and create works of them and for them. Patreon has brought that generosity into the 21st century. You, as a supporter, would give monthly to a creator of your choice and know that you are helping someone live their dream. That could be me. Hop on over there and check it out. It’s pretty cool!

Sharky's close up
Sharky’s close up

 

beads, oilcloth, thread
beads, oilcloth, thread

 

Ocean Shores

The coast is a special place to me. I grew up in high altitude where the plains meet the Rocky Mountains. There wasn’t a lot of standing water there. The ocean was this amazing, mysterious place that I saw maybe a few times when I was a child. It was vast and blue. Moving to Washington has been so great since I see water almost every day.

Here’s a link to one of the pieces I made of Ocean Shores, Washington. What did you do when you first saw Sharky’s? I think I hollered, “Whoa!!”

https://villaparkhearts.com/product/sharkys-ocean-shores-series/

Making the Reversible Margaret

THIS…is what I am talking about:The Buddha Called.

A custom order flew in from the ethers when I sported my Sacred Heart Margaret last month. Here are some pics during the process this weekend. Thank God for 3 days off! There are four pieces to this purse; 8 total with inside lining. The matte board is for the bottom reinforcement.

Patterns made of cardboard. This is vintage paisley fabric from the 1970’s.
Pieces cut. The white oilcloth is underneath.
My chicle pattern square. I came up with this a long time ago, just playing around with scrap oilcloth.
Buddha. He does have a happy smile on his face. I decided to add a lotus shape behind his head.
Buddha, pre-batting.
Looking good!
Signed and finished.
Next?!

Little, Homemade Books

My dad is still recovering from a horrendous spinal infection he unfortunately contracted in 2008. We thought he was going to die when he spent two weeks in the ICU. He remained a quadrepaligic for almost 6 months. I made him a sweet little book to help him smile while he was in rehab.
This project is fairly easy and takes a little time to sew together. I checked out a book from the library about making handmade books and fell in love with this design. It looks like a “star” when open.
The materials you will need are:
Pictures of your choice    Ruler    Card stock paper    Cardboard
Decorative Paper for the Back and Cover    Ribbon    Grommets
Glitter    Glue   Scissors    Sewing Machine    Thread


She Came Out of the Closet

Early Century Dos Chicas circa 2007–Little sweet purse made an appearance out in the world today for the first time in god-knows-when. She was warmly receipted.

A custom order came out of the venture! Huzzah! or however you spell it… 🙂

Shoulder purse with Sacred Heart
’cause that Catholic stuff is still in me. 

Close-up
The Hamms will love her Buddha. What am I talking about??

Olympia Loves XVI

Yet another reason I love this goofy town; Theater. Collaboration. Diva-free zones.

Come see Bunnicula running through October 16. It is super-fun!

Front Row: Amaya Eckel, Andy Gordon, Sam Cori
Second Row: Shelle Riehl, Ted Ryle, Bunnicula, Angela Yoder, Steven Wells
Directed by Pete Kappler

Kindergarten Art

Inspired by thoughts of Spring I thought I’d share this idea. Sorry the pics aren’t the best. My digital camera is dead so my phone camera is all I have right now. After weeks of heavy winter sub-freezing temps and snow like Olympia hasn’t seen…ever, I think, I remembered this fun activity and made a friend a birthday present. It was one of my all-time favorite art projects in school. Did you do this in kindergarten, too? 😉

Materials needed for making this project:
scissors
sheet of regular or craft paper, any color
wrapping paper with an image you like or
draw one of your own 😉
Mod Podge or Elmer’s Glue
Unsharpened Pencil, Chopstick, or Pen
2 inch x 2 inch tissue paper squares (or other lightweight paper) 

Ability rating: Super Easy. Hey, I made my first masterpiece at age 6! *grin* Here’s how I did it:

My mom sent me a Valentine’s Day gift all wrapped up in pretty paper with hearts and daisys. I cut the squares apart and used a purple daisy as my “base”. I glued it to a piece of journal paper and let it dry.

Then I took a tissue square and put my pen in the center of it. I wrapped the tissue around the pen so it looked like this…

Then I dipped a little glue on the flat bottom of the tissue and placed it on my pattern. I held it in place for a few seconds to help it set, like this…



It’s best to start in the middle and work your way out and around. Place the tissue as close together as you like. You can even change the dimensions of your squares if you want. Some of my squares were cut bigger than others so the surface is uneven, but I kind of liked the look of that. Here’s a photo of the pattern before I started gluing and the finished product….

Pretty, huh? As you can see I took artistic license and used green, orange, and red ’cause I felt like it. I tore out the journal paper that I had glued my pattern on and then cut around the square. I gave it to my friend that way, but you could try using something to hang it up. She really liked it and she’s a kindergarten teacher so this was the perfect gift for her! 

One thing to mention is that your pen, chopstick, or pencil will start to get glue on it since the tissue is so fine. I just rub the glue off with my fingers or a rag. If you happen to do a project inspired from this, share it! Or if you come up with a great display idea, share that too. I would love to hear from you.

 Spring’s a comin’. Hang in there and make something beautiful for someone…everyone you know needs it more now than ever.