Ramblings of a Crazy Diva

Monday, September 27, 2010

Monday's Mood

Today has been a lost day. I worked this weekend on night shift, so for the last three days I have averaged about 4-5 hours of sleep. Today was no different and I am so tired. I did get some reading done and I managed to take care of the dogs, but I really don't have the energy today to do anything else.

Tomorrow, I hope to paint. I want to start my art journal and I really an excited about it. I also read a tutorial about making paper mache birds that I really want to try. But, that will have to wait until tomorrow because tonight I am just worn out.

I hope your Monday has been more productive and enjoyable. Keep doing art!

Friday, September 24, 2010

Videos for a lazy Friday!

Since I am having so much trouble getting started, I think I will go back to basics. Art journaling is a great way to get your mind free and loose. Here are some videos from a few of my favorite artists online. I hope you enjoy!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Artist Block -- Who me?

In case you haven't noticed, I went on vacation and apparently never returned. I am having trouble getting myself back into the swing of things. I haven't been keeping up my blogs, I haven't been doing any art, I haven't been reading good books or watching any good movies. I just seem to go through my days in some sort of fog, performing necessary activities only. I work, I pay bills, I walk the dogs, etc. The only thing I find any time for is to sit in front of this computer. I look at everything, it really doesn't matter the subject matter. The computer is a treasure trove for trivia driven information and the computer can eat up large blocks of time.

They say that acknowledging the problem is the first step, so here goes. I am forcing myself to update all of my blogs today. I am committing to keeping them updated at least twice a week. I will spend no more than 2 hours a day just "playing" on the computer -- mostly I like to read about setting up websites and such.

I am going to make myself set aside a specific block of time each week to work on my art projects. If I still cannot get going, then I will make myself sit there at my craft desk for the allotted time. I want to paint, I just cannot get myself to start doing it, so maybe that will help.

So, with all of this in mind, I received an email today that resonated with me. I am posting some of it here in case you are struggling with any of these issues. I hope you find it helpful.

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14 Days of Art Prompts

1. Be inspired by your breakfast: Use the
colors from your cereal box to start your next piece.

2. Use a mirror: Place a mirror on your work
surface and make a painting by looking into the mirror.

3. Draw without looking: Draw a still life in a
journal with your eyes closed.

4. Make a book: Google book binding and try
a new binding technique.

5. Add glitter to something: Try German glitter
glass or cut-glass glitter for a vintage look.

6. Create a Packing Tape Transfer: Place a piece
of packing tape over a photocopy image and rub
off the paper backing with a wet sponge.

7. Use old supplies: Use a supply in your studio
that you haven’t used in at least 6 months.

8. Make a stencil: Take a picture of your
favorite pet (or person) in profile and make
a silhouette stencil.

9. Tear it up: Grab an old book and tear it up.
See what you can build/cover/create with the
pieces.

10. Fold it up: Try a piece of origami, search
online for directions. Try it with vintage sheet
music or even fabric paper.

11. Go opposite: Use the colors on the opposite
side of the color wheel from your go-to palette.

12. Work big: Grab a piece of paper at least twice
as big as you usually work on, and stretch yourself.

13. Work small: Sharpen your pencils, and grab your
.005 Pigma® Micron pens and magnifying glass, and
work small.

14. Carve it out: Take a moment to make your own
artist stamp by carving an eraser with a craft knife.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Watch Gritty Jane as she paints--amazing!

You can follow her on YouTube at GrittyArts; you can follow her blog at grittyjane.com ; you can join her on her Ning site Cloth and Clay Dolls where you can enroll in online classes.

She is one of my all time favorite artists and I hope you enjoy watching her, too.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Here's a quick video on how to make a papermache art doll!

Find more videos like this on Milliande Art Community for Women

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Sorry for the long dry spell....

I was off on vacation with my baby daughter. We went to San Francisco and had so much fun. We actually tried to eat our way across town, but had to give up mid-way. I have never eaten so much good food. My daughter, Carly, is hilarious and we laughed quite a bit. We also walked and walked and walked and then we walked some more. My legs, hips and feet are still sore! Here are just a couple of pictures from our time in San Francisco.

You can't tell from the pics, but it was really crowded on the streets. People push and shove you and will run you down in a second. We must have taken these pictures either very early or very late. It was so cold there. I left Austin at 102 degrees and arrived in San Fran at 54 degrees. It did get up to a whopping 74 degrees while we were there, but then I got off the airplane to a chilly 104 degrees. I am so confused!!

To add insult to injury, I now have a sore throat from the extreme temp changes and being on airplanes with so many strangers. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I had a really lovely time and enjoyed spending the time with my baby girl.

Next year, I hope to plan a vacation with my other daughter and my grandsons. I want us to all go to see the Grand Canyon. That's on my bucket list and I'd love to do this visit with my daughter and grandsons.

Just wanted to let you know why I have been silent for a while. Hopefully, I'll get back to art and posting now. Until next time, have a wonderful time and enjoy each and every day!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Tuesday Tutorial -- brenna’s paper capiz shell chandelier

This is in the catagory of "Oh my God!" This is just too beautiful to believe. I hope someone has a place they can hang such a beautiful chandelier and they make this because I am dying to know if it turns out just as beautiful as this picture. Maybe when I move to a new house, I will get to try this. I certainly hope so.

This is from Design Sponge and there are many other wonderful DIY items also.
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i love wax paper for packing lunches; i wrap sandwiches in a piece of wax paper and tie it like a present with a little cotton string. it’s so much better looking than a
plastic bag. wax paper comes in handy for more things than i realized, like rolling it up to use for a funnel, or how about rubbing a piece of wax paper on the top of your
shower curtain rod to cut down on that terrible screeching in the morning…problem solved. but who knew that if you iron layers of wax paper together it looks remarkably similar to a capiz shell? this discovery brought me to today’s project: the faux capiz chandelier. hung over your dining table, or outside at an outdoor dinner party, it is an easy solution to a dramatic light fixture and will look phenomenal in either setting. i hope you enjoy making your own as much i did! -brenna

Materials:
- hanging planter basket
- white spray paint
- ribbon
- scissors
- 1-2 rolls wax paper
- 2 big pieces of parchment paper
- iron
- hot glue gun & glue sticks
- circle cutter (i didn’t have any luck with a “punch”)
- cutting mat
Instructions:
1. spray paint your planter basket. let dry.

2. start making the capiz shells. lay out the two pieces of parchment paper on your ironing board or on a clean dish towel on the floor or table. (if you use your floor or
table, just make sure it wont be damaged by the heat of the iron)
3. cut three pieces of wax paper about the same length. mine were about 18”. sandwich the three pieces of wax paper between the parchment paper. the parchment paper allows the wax to stay within the layers of paper, helps it stick together, and gives the wax paper a smooth finished surface.
4. iron the paper sandwich on a low setting. remove the layered wax paper from between the parchment, and repeat.
5. set the circle cutter to cut 2 ½ inch circles. with the circle cutter, cut circles from the layered wax paper on your cutting mat. it helps to tape the wax paper down to
the mat.

6. cut ribbon pieces and attach the ribbon to the planter basket. the length of the ribbon will depend on the method of attachment to the basket… (single or double strand). my lengths were between 7 (single) and 16 inches (doubled). you can attach them to the basket either by hot gluing the end of a single strand to the basket wire, or by folding the ribbon in half, and creating a knot over the wire. start at the bottom, and work your way up.

7. once you finish one tier of ribbon, attach the capiz shells to the ribbon with a tiny dot of hot glue near the top of each shell. i alternated two and three shells on each ribbon and only attached shells to every other ribbon. overlap the shells by about ¼”. finish an entire lower tier, then move on to the next higher tier.

8. once you cover the hanging basket you are done! you can attach a simple bulb of you want this to be a source of light. hang in your desired location, stand back and
admire.