Joining Michele Ward's Crusade #31

Okay..lets see if i can do this correctly...

i joined michelle ward's crusade #31,,,"making your art, your own"..

we all know what that's about, eh?!

well, i think this was one of the first times i realized this...

and this was my last art doll of many...

it all began...i wanted to make my own doll creation to hang on my daughter's wall for her birthday...so i hunted everywhere for patterns etc...i got answers like, oh, nobody does that stuff anymore, we don't carry things like THAT in our establishment, oh, puffft (blowing the dust) this pattern is all i could find in the cellar..her dress is made from quilts..blah blah blah...sooo

i took off creating on my own (not knowing there were a million people out there, making art dolls)

the story is wonderful if you care to read...i made about 12 creations, went up to a high rent district, got up my nerve to walk into a store and ask if the owner would be interested...the woman proprietor ran out to the back of my car and said..."how much", then, "i'll take them all". i almost fainted!

well folks i was passionate, and my dolls took off when word got out, but...

i started getting commissions and commissions and commissions...well, that took the love and creativity right outta' my heart and soul. this one was the last one, "Mer" for my sister, Candy who craves and loves body surfing as much as i.

Alas..i moved on to mixed media and fiber arts.

the part that is "making them my own", was...when i saw all the doll makers on the internet, i wondered if mine were good enough...oh please...take me down a notch...people payed me big buckaroos that burned me out entirely, from ever making another...maybe someday, again...hmmm.

Some more from "The Land of Lost Luggage"

I took 3 pics of the same painting, it was difficult capturing all the things that are going on in them. I had a plan (which i hope to bring to fruition) on the fourth or fifth layer...then check out the outline of the bird peering at the top of this page...'twas an accident i'll use with a painting in the center-ish. i'm in love with you and your class, julie!

New Views From Start to Finish

This is the 3rd lesson with julie prichard, the land of the lost luggage. it was really difficult to get good pics on these...but man, this was fun and i loved the outcome in every single phase and layer.

julie is a really good teacher, i feel like she's right there along with us!

Layer Love

I am taking lessons from Julie Pritchard on The Land of Lost Luggage

This isn't much of a posting but i am learning soooo much and loving it!

Thank you Julie!

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

The post below this....

I shouldn't post at night. the "sp" post is all backwards...ah well, that's how humorously it's been going lately.

SP with Misty Mawn on Wednesdays

MY TOES

My toes knows where they want to goes.

They flex, they bend, they even pose.

My toes know when I'm tuckered out.

Blame my toes,

they're the ones that goes!

by wanda marie

Dressed in flip flops ready for work...

They are great for chasing children...honest!

Getting ready to leave the chair

Walking out the door to go to work...yep...in flip flops!

They're good for chasing children, honest!

Who Sees

Just finished this collage. i never am quite sure how much to say...if don't say anything, Carolyn gets after me, telling me inquiring minds want to know :). and jane, you always let me know you appreciate that too...so here goes...

i started with plain old piece of thin but sturdy cardboard

matte medium on a photograph (rt. hand corner) and various other pictures and words

sketched "la lady's" head, never have i put crowns on heads, but this partial flower fit

fabric paper (my favorite medium) is her body in twigs, same on the rt. side and bottom

and right hand top corner

and various ephemera to finish and pull together

From Start to Finish

The colors i used...including interference gold that shows thru on her face! (the beauty in making our own art!)

Ta Da!

Self Portrait Day

There i am in the middle with my other 3 parts...my darlin' sisters. The other 4 parts were somewhere else, (the brothers).

And now get this, there's Carolyn, Cookie and Candy...how'd i end up with Wanda...geeze!?

Dj' Pettit's class / Altered Photo Journals

Original Photo that is altered below.

This is the altered photo.

I did most of it in dj's class, then finished it here at home.

What a magical class this was!

The foundation is canvas cloth she gave us.

Altered photo next: clear gesso,

modeling paste,

acrylic paints.

Then some sewing.

Heat pressed to make it pliable for a journal ( i'm not doing that, going to make it a hanging)

The foundation edges are:

hand dyed cheese cloth

hand dyed doily

strips of various fabrics

stamped tea bags

sewn on oak twig with a minature oak gall on one end

These were all either sewn on or matte medium applied.

And if you enlarge the photo, you will see "caw caw" in the bottom corner.

What magic, what fun. Dj can also help you fix anything you don't like or are unhappy about. She has an amazing amount of tricks up her sleeve and CREATIVENESS outside of the box!!!

Happy Mother's Day, Janet

For a good Friend

Informal Class photo shoot with DJ Pettit

carolyn and i went off the beaten path, away from our group and found this..

hmm...what's in there?

ooh..closer...

almost in...

wow...glad we came in here!

stepping along...

see it

feel it

austere

look up

peer down

what a great tree! what's that flying in and out? bees? and a honeycomb!!!

Back from DJ Pettit's Artful Journey

My self portrait..following Misty is.....

Picture a Huge smile inside and out...

but very very tuckered out!

More good stuff later!

Wondrous, sweet woman, DJ, on our photo shoot!

Cindy O'Leary's Reflextion in the window...other wondrous woman that took care of every need. And look! She has a price tag on her neck!?

Pet Duck in a flower Shop / How Cute!

Class with DJ Pettit !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My sister and I are heading to Los Gatos, California, tomorrow morning. We are taking a class with dj petitt! We are so excited, duh. This was a first for me to put together a trade with classmates and i found it such fun! It was really hard to stay on task and not start making something else while gathering all the ephemera. Kinda hard too, wondering, will someone like this?...of course they will...just like i will love seeing what i get and asking lots of questions, yeh!

These are my 24 trades with the other students!!

All my trades packed in one Large Bag...so excited!

Two Friends / Work in Progress