Wintertime is over!!

Introducing "Winter Tree" - A new necklace (just in time for spring!) I took the photograph in Forest Park a couple of winters ago. I love the leafless, seemingly lifeless tree, but I like flowers and springtime even more.

Moose & Monet in the Garden at Giverny

Now Presenting...
Moose & Monet in the Garden at Giverny in Winter!

I took most of the flower photos at Shaw's Garden here in St. Louis. Monet, well, I downloaded him from the internet; and Moose is my very special (and I really mean special!) orange tabby cat. I painted the canvas a pretty green that I mixed myself, and I adhered all the photos and snowflake embellishments onto the canvas board with archival scrapbooking sticky tabs. It's the first collage I've ever made with my own photos; actually it's the first collage I've created since high school. I started it five or six months ago, and it's completion is a part of one of my 2010 goals: to finish things I start!

Lisa Pavelka's Magic-Glos

Right now, at this very moment, I'm experimenting with Lisa Pavelka's Magic-Glos. It's a one-part, non-toxic resin that cures with UV light in less than 15 minutes. I printed out one of my New Mexico flower photos (see above), and sealed it with packing tape; then I put it into a bezel and placed the bezel under a UV lamp, and now I'm waiting for the magic to work. I'll let you know how it goes!

"Cheer Up" is a Favorite!

My "Cheer Up" pendant has just been featured on the local website StLHandmade.com! What a great way to end a really tough week! It's a blessing for sure! (P.S. Unfortunately, as of March 2010, the StLHandmade.com website no longer exists, so I added a photo of the pendant above for you to check out.)

More Saturday Art Adventures

Tomorrow I'm going with Heather to Yucandu, a drop-in arts & crafts studio with hundreds of projects that “you can do”. Yucandu has projects for people of all ages to mosaic, collage, glitter and paint. After much discussion with my good friend, Sarah, at work, I've decided I'm going to create a photo mosaic with my often-used and much-loved photograph, "Queen Anne's Lace". I think it'll look really cool with the pretty blues and whites showing through the clear glass tiles and round glass gems. I'll post soon and let the world know how my new masterpiece turns out. And remember, if I can do it, Yucandu it, too!!

My First Ever Workshop!

Last Saturday, my friend Heather and I took an "Altered Charms" workshop at Red Lead. We used brass blanks, mica, and our own images to make pendants. (See photos above and below.) I really like the results! ... And, of course, I enjoyed the process too. This was the first jewelry/art workshop I've ever taken, and it was well worth it! Sign me up for more!