Diamonds on the soles of her Shoes

I HEART Shoes! Old ones, New ones, Tall ones, Flat ones. Baby shoes and tap shoes, ballet shoes, dolls shoes, pumps, sandals, slippers, house shoes, fried shrimp, shrimp kabob, heh, heh. There are even very famous shoes like the Ruby Slippers, Cinderella's glass shoes and the Wicked Witch of the West's shoes all curled up under a house! I read somewhere once that the average American woman owns at least 30 pairs of shoes. That means I'm waayye past my limit! I found this wire shoe at a thrift store and thought it a perfect base to decorate. I've always liked that line from the Paul Simon song, "She has diamonds on the soles of her Shoes" don't really know what it means but it's a Feast for my imagination. So with some old glass lamp parts, millinery feathers and flowers, a torn robins egg blue cocktail dress and a bit of thread and glue, all assembled together to create my version of the magic slipper. I have a very large collection of my embellished shoes and will post them from time to time. Meanwhile you can check out this book which I participated in, A Closet Full of Shoes (see sidebar), it is a very unique kind of craft book, giving many fantastic ideas in which to embellish what else but SHOES!

And the WINNER is!

This has been BIG BUNCHES of much FUN!
Your positive energy and excitement is something so WONDERFUL to be able to share in!
Now as I brush off the DUST BUNNIES! I had to chase that little stinker Juliette, she ran right under the bed with the winning ticket and promptly started to chew it up, I didn't count on that! It was still legible though, and the WINNER is LOLA ENCHANTED!
Stop by and visit her ENCHANTING blog!
Thank you ladies for all your kindness, your thoughtful words have inspired ME in return! I wanted a novel way to announce the winner of my little raffle, something very special for all of you ARTSY SOULS!
So here it is!
Congrats and THANKS AGAIN!

An Egglette's Anniversary!

Ok, here we go! This is my ONE month anniversary! And in pure appreciation of all you wonderful ladies out there, I would like to give you a very personal glimpse into my wacky little world, and raffle away one of my funny little creatures I call Egglettes! I know silly name, a cross between Omlette and Eggo! Any who, I've been fascinated with all things Humpty Dumpty my whole life, and as you now know when I can't find something I want, I just whip up a few of my own! Then one turned into two and 2 into 3, and well, you know how that goes! I now have quite the motley little crew, Suzette, wearing a giant cotton candy pink bow, Coquette, sits in a crackled English saucer with a silver spoon by her side, and then theres Omlette, in his tin measuring cup cap and his pal Rocquette, in his cookie cutter chapeau... I know, sounds nuts, BUT there's more! Baby Babette rides along in a tiny green wicker carriage, while Alouette scoots by on an old iron tricycle. And Hamlette, with his long curly lambs wool locks and blue velvet tricorner, perches atop a burned out wood pipe throne, and last but not least, Bumpy! Again, I KNOW, don't ask?! (now there actually are a couple more, but who can keep track)?!
They are painted wooden eggs with porcelain arms and legs. Some one of a kind (mine) and some one of a few (yours).
And BUMPY, which we will raffle off, has a TALL burlap ice cream cone hat with pink felt dots and sits upon a yellow and black stripped wooden box.
Everyone who leaves a comment will be entered to win, I'll write each name on a bit of paper, fold them up, toss them into the air and the first one my little puppy Juliette picks up and runs off with (and she will) is the WINNER!! Be sure I have contact info for you. We'll pick the winner on Monday. GOOD LUCK to you all, ( I Love this part)! and thanks for stopping by!

I've got a SURPRISE for you!

I just adore all the wonderful, exciting giveaways you girls do! Makes me feel like such a kid! I love the "picking the winner" photos! Thrills me to pieces! So in keeping with that notion, I'd like to join in all the fun! Stay tuned for a little egg shaped character to make an appearance very soon!

An Homage
I cannot accurately express in words the absolute thrill I get when I see the wonderful art you ladies create and I'm especially honored to see all the different interpretations you have come up with incorporating my elements! I am truly living my dream, thanks in large part to you. And so without further adieu, here are a couple of those unique interpretations...from my Aug. 7th post
Journal cover by Mary at Across the Pond

Paper doll by Lilla Le Vine who lives in Hawaii
Thanks so much for sharing these with me!

A Round Peg in a Square Hole

In order to be artistic the oh so precious quality of extreme sensitivity is at once a curse and a blessing. For you cannot possess one without the other. They simply go hand in hand. Therefore at those inevitable times when that mischievous little muse has departed and negative thoughts or depression drift your way, be secure and take solace in the fact that just on the other side of an artistic dry spell awaits a Big Red Flush of Creativity( herein referred to as BRF). Once again, the two go hand in hand! Now, you know it's true! It's happened to me and it's happened to you!
In April 2005 my first book Fanciful Paper Projects had just been released, truly exhausted from the whole process leading up to that event, I fell into a bit of a dry spell. When my BRF came it came big! I filled an entire sketch book in just a few short weeks! This paper dress was one of those ideas. Created for Somerset Wedding Vol. 2, all I can say is "Thank goodness for those little spells"!

Oh So RoHo!

Get'em while they're HOT! The new issue of Romantic Homes is on the newstands now! And the cover shot just blows me away, I want that antique cameo bracelet, picture it with a chic little black dress. So beautiful! Be sure to pick up a copy so you don't miss out on the included FREE art! You can also purchase back issues of the magazine. There are more free elements sheets and fun projects to go with them, royal queens for pillow transfer art (May 07 issue), Marie Antoinette style illustrations for a la mode wall prints (April 07), an english transferware pattern for a Valentine box (Feb 07), City Slicker journal cover (Sept. 06), sweet Mothers Day memory box papers (May 06),and more. Now, go forth and CREATE! Visit Romantic Homes

My Romance with Pop Art

Let me preface this post with a statement. "My artistic style is ALL OVER THE PLACE". That being said, I just love ALL styles of artistic expression. I'm a girlie girl to the core but yet there's a hard edge that's undeniable. My tastes in decorating are just as diverse, I simply adore fine laces and vintage tapestries paired with a hot pink patent leather chair! A few months back I decided our decor needed to be livened up and thought some pop art would do the trick. Now being a big fan of Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollack ( just to name a few) and not willing to spend a small fortune, I thought I would try to create my own. First a crisp, clean, black and white piece to hang above the frolicing french cupids.

Then for my husbands office, his favorite comic book hero CAPTAIN AMERICA.

( I liked the red, white and blue color scheme).
And lastly for our bedroom, I wanted something very special, vibrant and colorful but not quite sure I could produce the desired effect. Then it came to me! First I will show you my two most highly prized possessions.


And now I will introduce to you the "ARTEEST", the one, the only, ROMEO!!

I painted the background colors, poured out a few puddles of paint and let him go to town, he was mildly interested for a while,the paint on his feet, the making of a MESS, he enjoyed that part, then bored with it all, just strolled off, leaving me to clean up the mess. I especially like the little scratch marks his nails made!
Disclaimer: No kitties were harmed in the making of this post.

OOOhhh,

It's coming, it's coming, it's coming...pointed toes and little black crows,
trix and treats and good to eats!
And did I mention I love HALLOWEEN?!
Art by Sandy Wood

G L A M O R O U S ...spells glamorous!

One of the main reasons I wanted to start a blog was that it gives me the opportunity to really personally share my art with you. I wish that I could respond to all of your wonderful comments, just know that I do appreciate them so very much! And this FREE ART is my way of saying MERCI!! My FREE ART will be an on going series, so stay tuned and HAVE FUN!
The design of this piece came out of sheer necessity. A while back I was trolling one of my favorite antique shops, let me back up a moment by saying at the previous shop (yes, it was one of those days) I had just spent a bundle and was really "just looking". Any way, there in a glass case stood what I thought was an unusual paper doll dressed in a dreamy, delicate vintage confection of a handkerchief. The shop attendant told me it was actually an old store display piece from the 1920's. A certain manufacturer created these cheeky little stand ups to show off their line of hankies. GENIUS! So let me just say I REALLY wanted it but decided to think about it a bit, BIG MISTAKE, you guessed it, a few hours later (when I came to my senses), it was GONE! My new motto, Buy it when you see it, like the sign says! I decided to create my own version, and here she is sultry, slinky and a bit on the naughty side! A gift I'd like to share with you. Simply download the image, decoupage to heavy cardstock, cut out and fold the right corner of the base back to create the stand. Embellish by gluing on fabrics, feathers and trims. Tell all your friends, and I'd love to see what you come up with, so please send me photos so I can do another post featuring a bevy of beauties!
*Permission is granted to use design for personal use only any other use is prohibited.

Treasures of the Future

From Somerset Workshop 2 (for details check out Stampington)

Everytime I browse the web (which is not nearly as often as I'd like) I am struck by the incredible amount of AMAZING art and artists that are out there. Everything from paper arts, to fabrics, photography and pottery, doll artists and illustrators, digital arts, decorators and designers, painters and WHEW! I could go on and on... How wonderful it all is to see! It feels like the air is simply exploding with creative energy, so invigorating and exciting! We are truly experiencing a second Renaissance - A FLOWERING OF THE ARTS! I know as I stand here today, that the pieces you all are making now will become the "found treasures" of the future, just as we are so elated when we discover a delicate crepe paper Easter basket that has been tenderly preserved, or a Christmas ornament that was put together with so much love, as we gingerly tote them home, dust them off, arrange and enshrine them under sparkling glass bell domes. I am so thrilled to be alive and in the midst of all of you! And lastly (a word from my flowers book) Thanks to those sensitive people in the past who had the forethought to save all the magical ephemera and passementerie we use to create our designs today!

SUPERCALIFRAGILLISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS !!!

Today is a special day at our house, one year ago today, Puppy was born! Juliette the blue eyed chihuahua is 1 year old! No longer puppy, now doggie. She is our TINY DANCER, she loves to perform and show off! Such a little ham! When people come to visit she spends all her time dancing around and generally being cute, she's happy as long as she is the center of attention! If you sit still in one spot for too long your lap will be covered in toys and doggie bones, she will bring you EVERYTHING out of her toy box. So Happy Birthday you little pumpkin head!




Disclaimer: No puppies were harmed in the making of this post!

A page from my Sketch Book

I thought it might be interesting to show a design go from a scratchy scribble in my sketch book to the actual finished piece, ready for the production line. I have a good size collection of antique books filled with engravings and ever so delicate watercolor painted scenes, which serves as an endless supply of clip art. Once I get an idea, I start searching though stacks of books to find just the right bits of images I want to use. This is the most time consuming part for me! My husband ALWAYS says jokingly "What are you looking for?" when he knows good and well I won't know it till I see it! You know how that goes? Sometimes I'm thinking " I need this piece or that shape" and only this piece will do, when I suddenly find a funny little face, or silly bent smile, or a pair of roguish eyes and it just speaks to me! And sure enough that was the one to perfectly or better yet not so perfectly complete it. My images have a way of taking on a life all their own, they dictate to me how they shall look, I know that might sound funny, but at 3:00 am all things are possible.

Sketch Book Scribblings

The Color Collage

The Actual Rubber Stamp Image, "Chancellor"