THE busy bee MONTH of MAY!

 Practice in my journal...challenge; pencil and one watercoler and just be free...

 i needed some creative tags to put on my 'FOR SALE bags...j.jill always pins these little envelopes

on their garments with an extra button inside...they are so cute...

 i took each one and added some collage text, painted and inked 'em up! and voila? some yarn and they are ready to hang on the purses...very fun indeed!

 i constantly need little button push pins that i sell along with the cardboard paintings, so i went to town one morning painting THEM up! theraputic fun i'd say...

 almost ready for their paintings :))

 we have a little girl, chloe in my afterschool care. i've shown some of her paintings here lately. this little first grader is so creative and imaginative, i can't wait to see what she'll come up with, each and every day.

so here's a little story:

one night, while locking up, i glanced out on the field and saw so many uniform sweatshirts, i ran out and started gathering them.

then, under the monkey bars i noticed a paper plate half buried in the bark, "what the heck is this" i said right out loud to myself...lifted it up and started chuckling!

i looked inside for the tag and a name...yep...CHLOE. oh chloe, what must have gone on out here and wanda didn't even see.

and for all our enjoyment and pleasure...i am forever drying flower boquets and couldn't believe how gorgeous these daffodils dried...continuing SPRING!!

HAPPY SPRING WEEKEND MY FRIENDS!

XOXO

EXTREME GRATITUDE TO ALL

from OPEN STUDIO WORKSHOP with misty mawn...Galia Alena from Queensland, put together an exquisite book for misty, in thanks and gratitude from those able to respond. we all painted and collaged something from our class and from within ourselves in awesome gratitude to misty for all that she had and has given us. much deeper than any class taken on line or in person, she had me pulling out all the stops, finding my inner artist and my inner human strengths...she is something else, that misty mawn. you would never regret taking any of HER classes, she gives it her ALL and then MORE!

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE PIECES OF THIS BOOK, it is on face book. misty posted it on all our pages this morning. my page is open to anyone, no blocks, always, on face book.

This post is with deep gratitude to ALL the other artists and followers in my life. All the words, encouragement, affirmations and cheerings. i THANK EACH ONE OF YOU, ALWAYS!

XOXO WANDA

TRANSFORMATIONS!!!

 don't ya' just love when you finish some oldies that you've left behind for all kinds of reasons? then you put her on the drawing board and VOILE..the magic happens for you and her! ahhh, finally and THANK YOU to the painting gods! :))

i added a few more stiches, some itty bitty wings, a dab of color here and there and WHEW, matted and ready for a frame!

 ...yes, she was transformed

(and i am seeing the eye dr. on wednesday...as i look at these first two photos, they appear dim and not as bright as i thought, hmm)

 these are some more excercises from alisa burke's abstract class...

can't you just see potential for something terrific beginning here???!

 ...and then, HERE, i see a darling figurative emerging from the page along with a possible little mouse?!!

 ...and then, one never knows what this might bring later on...with more layers and fun???!

 i KNOW you can see the figurative emerging here! and i can't wait to see what happens to her later on, surprises on board, eh?!!

and last but not least...mary hunt sold one of my bags a couple of weeks ago and said there might be a call for 8" X 8" sizes. this is a start for one and i promise to show the finished product, as BRILLIANT IDEAS float around my head, heh heh heh.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WORK WEEK ahead my friends...and if you are retired or a stay at "homer" and happily creating, well then...HAPPY CREATING WEEK!

XOXOXO

OLD DOGS can LEARN NEW TRICKS!!!

I AM TAKING ALISA BURKES new class, THE ART OF ABSTRACTION! and loving it!
Our Nana used to say, "an old dog can learn new tricks" 'and here i go'! i am happy to have had such a great role model to mentor after...

 kinda WILD eh? i can't divulge the excercises, as this is a class, but if you are interested, it's an awful lot of fun...great for warming up for any project, and much can be applied to your current work!

 even a heart showed itself...

 YOU LOVE

 HEARTS

 ALL LEFT HANDED, extremely fun and interesting excercise!!!

 Newest painting collage

 lots of texture, paints, paper and...

 of course...

CHEESE CLOTH! :))

WISHING ALL MY FRIENDS A WONDERFUL SPRING WEEK AHEAD!!!

SOMERSET HAUTE HANDBAGS

 IMAGINE my surprise...somerset sent back my bags a year and more ago (i thought)...and said, "sorry wanda, but just keep sending us your work"...well, i came home one night and saw a wrapped up mag, that said CONGRATULATIONS, wanda miller, you've been published...WHAT???

I RIPPED open the package and there it was...

this top photo is the front of the bag...

 this is the back of the bag, embroidered silk and an attachment made for the front closure :))

and...always there is humor...my daughter and i tried to get this printed on my side bar...it is the online, PERSPECTIVEs Magazine. i wanted to print it out for anyone interested in tidbits about me. i had an interview with a gentleman and this is what he came up with. this was so sweet, i was once again PLEASANTLY surprised by his write-up, not even guessing how he would put it together :)

if ANY perusing knitters or seamstresses want any info on instructions for the bag, i would be more than happy to help :))

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING ME ALWAYS!!!

HAPPY EASTER

I HOPE YOU ALL FIND AN EGG, OR A FLOWER OR LOVED ONE ON THIS SPECIAL DAY!

XOXO

WANDA

COURAGE and CHANGE

 COURAGEOUS...

 forever traveling down new avenues...

it feels so good!

an easter hanger for a little pee wee in my afterschool program :)

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE!!!

COVER GIRL ARRIVES!!!

www.placerarts.org

"our little sisters"... some more cardboard art...

turned into a hanger!

if you'd like to read the short article about little ol' me, press the address at the beginning of this post, scroll down to the right hand corner, pressing on my little painting, then as you turn the pages of the online magazine ;(...you can enlarge the cover artist write up...which i thought quite lovely after a man interviewed me from Placer Arts! i am ever so GRATEFUL and only a teensy, eensy bit pleased as pie!

HAVE A GRAND WEEKEND MY FRIENDS, whether the weather is whatever it is! :))

HAPPY PAINTINGS!!!

 i matted and started to frame this...but for now, i thought i'd leave it as is, awaiting it's frame...i really liked the black, which always surprises me as black is last with me

 a couple of up close shots...on intuitive paintings...

 up in the very left hand corner, (in that first photo in it's entirety) i am still mulling over whether or not to put-- JOE'S DINER in NEON BLUE ??? :))

 this is a playful intuitive painting, but it no longer looks like this, AT ALL:)

it's looking like a landscape at the moment :)

 and these last 2 shots, i couldn't resist, to give us all a friday chuckle...

darn...my afterschool kids needed new markers!!! uh huh, how fun!!!

HAPPY WEEKEND TO YOU ALL!!!

LITTLE PEOPLE'S VOICES

 Every day at my job (afterschool director)

i listen...

 often times, it's all one needs to do...close mouth, open ears!

 they have so very much to say...more than just words...

 to be understood, to clarify meanings, to matter, to belong...

 above all the busy, noise and clatter, simply...

TO BE TRULY HEARD!

(she went into my etsy today)

Hoping your Thursday is a great prelude to Friday!

XOXO