Vinegar and Glitter

Catching Up- Handmade Christmas Gifts

2012-02-09T13:44:00.000-05:00

"Race car" play mat made using "Sewing for Boys"- a wonderful book that will keep me in sewing projects for a long time!! All patterns are included: no need to enlarge, but you will need to trace them, often taping pieces of tracing paper together so it's big enough. This came together fairly quickly since I used all felt. The felt is wool or wool blend, so it has a nice feel. The colored pieces came from A Child's Dream Come True.

The wooden cars are from this Etsy shop.

Thomas back pack made with fabric from JoAnn.com and pattern/instructions from "Oliver + S Little Things to Sew". This book is Adorable!!! This project in particular was fairly long and detailed, but well worth it.

A puppet theater made from instructions in "Bend the Rules Sewing". All the fabric came from JoAnn's.

This cute airplane puppet (and a royal family, doggie included plus pirate) were bought at Handmade Arcade. The lady has an Etsy store, but after looking through 37 pages of puppets, I couldn't find the store. :( But, they are adorable, so hopefully I'll find her card.

We are on to making Valentine's day cards and I've yet to show you what we made for DH's b-day. Angelo's birthday projects are also underway.

Have a great weekend and Valentine's Day!!

Native American Heritage

2012-02-02T15:43:00.000-05:00

My Great Grandmother, Clara, was half Shawnee and half Irish. My Great Grandfather, George, was full Cherokee. Only recently have I seen a picture of George and a second picture of Clara. In the images below, I seek and find connection to them, and therefore myself.

These are all Artist Trading Cards, made in the period of time mentioned in the last ATC post. The images are all from the same collage sheet. Unfortunately, I can't remember from where I bought it.

Alice in Stripes

2012-01-27T01:22:00.000-05:00

Alice in Stripes- I finished my second challenge for the Altered Alice blog monthly challenge... on time! :) DS says it looks fairy-like. :)

The process for this tag went like this: cut striped scrap paper in the shape of the shipping tag and glued to tag; stamped paper with purple Staz On ink; colored Alice image with Prisma Color colored pencils and inked torn edges with purple ink; adhere Alice image; applied chipboard circle; cut a mask to cover Alice's face and arms and sprayed with iridescent mica ink spray; edged tag with black marker; adhered mica ink sprayed cheesecloth; adhered assembled circle/flower/staple/Stickled/doodled embellishment; cut novelty yarn and ribbon and looped through hole at top. (Add in breaks for working on projects for DH's b-day with DS. ;)

Horsin' Around

2012-01-25T22:44:00.000-05:00

Couldn't resist the cheesy title. :)

Before diving into the Vision Board full time, Artist Trading Cards were occupying my studio time quite a bit. Creative play time is high on the docket now and listening to "what I felt like doing most" ended up being small, easy to focus on ATC's. Only this one is scanned so far, but what it is composed of follows: a bit of Somerset Studio Artist paper, a couple Art Chix images (my precious pet and inchies world?), an Art Chix transparency and "Back in Black" bit, a fabric scrap, some staples and a pencil outlining the images.

More ATC's to follow, and the birthday projects A and I are working on for DH's celebration coming up soon. The 2nd Vision Board is underway as well as a sewing project.

Looking forward to teaching my belly dance class tomorrow at the Cultural Trust Educational Center!!

Let's Get It Started!

2012-01-19T23:14:00.000-05:00

Greets me as I turn at the top of the stairs to my beloved attic art space. Marker of one sort or another.

Oh, ironing beautiful fabric... what a way to spend time!

Beginnings (maybe middle of) a vision board.

Getting things started before Mars goes into retrograde on January 23rd. Also have some more sewing projects to start before then, because you know if things aren't started before then, your energy for them is nil. Just saying'. Take the weekend to get all those New Year's projects started!!!

Performing in Coraopolis next weekend (Jan. 21st)!!

2012-01-12T21:39:00.000-05:00

Malia, "the Diamond of Hawaii" is coming to Pittsburgh! Workshops Saturday and Sunday (Jan. 21st and 22nd) and a Gala show Saturday night! Ishtar is playing the show and I'm so excited to be performing with them!! Doors open at 7 and the show starts at 8:00pm! Only $12!

Here is the Facebook event. Here is the website where you can buy tickets for the show and register for the workshops.

Also, tonight was the first night of my new belly dance class series!! Wow, I am really happy to be teaching again! Feeling very grateful that the Cultural Trust contacted me about being an instructor at their education center- a great place to be!! If you need the website for more information or to register, it is here.

Art for Sale, Art for Play, and Art that Moves

2012-01-11T20:24:00.001-05:00

There's a new album on my Facebook profile. Some of the items I have for sale are posted and I will list them on Etsy for you if you would like to buy. All items will go into a listing made specifically for you and your actual shipping cost (vs. an estimate) will also be listed. Enjoy! :)

This is but one of the Artist Trading Cards I've enjoyed making as of late. Such a nice, no pressure way to enjoy playing with my supplies. More to be posted soon.

Monday's Open House at the Cultural Trust was a great success! Lots of people and a great response for my class... it's very very exciting!

You (and your friends who are interested) can register here for the weekly class starting tomorrow at 7:00pm: http://trustarts.culturaldistrict.org/event/3287/belly-dance-class

Focus for the New Year

2012-01-03T12:57:00.000-05:00

This canvas is hung at the top of the stairs going into my attic studio, so now I see it every time I walk in there. (The colors are a bit weird- the walls are more lavender, not the strange pink here.) When I meditated and asked "What do I want?" these words appeared... not all at once, but over several sessions. This reminder is one way I'm focusing for the new year.

Wishing you peace, joy and freedom too!

Free Belly Dance Class and New Class Series

2011-12-31T20:44:00.000-05:00

- When
  Monday, January 9, 2012
- Time
  6:00pm until 9:00pm
Where
TRUST ARTS EDUCATION CENTER, , 805/807 Liberty Avenue, Downtown, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Description

WINTER DANCE CLASS KICK OFF
ART OF DANCE OPEN HOUSE
January 9th
6-9pm

6-7pm STILETTO FIT (formerly Club Dance), beginners
with Instructor, Jame Elis

7-8pm STILETTO (formerly Club Dance), intermediate/advanced
with Instructor Jame Elis

8-9pm BELLY DANCE all levels
with Instructor Narah Kimberley Arrington Minardi
Join us for an evening of free classes, refreshments, and fun. R.S.V.P. required. Enjoy a free Soul Ice to cool you off after class.
REGISTER AT TRUSTARTS.ORG/EDUCATON OR 412-471-6079

WINTER CLASSES SCHEDULE

Art of Dance Classes for Adults, ages 18-up

STILETTO FIT/Pump Pulse (formerly called Club Dance Workout)
Instructor-Jame ElisMondays:
6p-7p beginners
7:15p-8:15p inter/advanced6 weeks for $50 or $10 for drop-ins.

For the every woman looking for a sizzling hot dance class. Dance to the hottest music while sculpting and toning your entire body. Excellent lower body workout, non-stop calorie burning strength class. Great stretching component, and high energy dance session. Heels preferred, not mandatory (comfortable shoes allowed). This is closest to being Beyonce that you will ever get!

BELLY DANCE
Instructor-Narah Kimberly Arrington Minardi
Thursdays 7:00-8:00pm.
6 weeks for $50 or $10 for drop-ins.

Learn the ancient art of belly dance! A dance of pure joy and celebration that will tone your whole body and increase flexibility and endurance. This transformative dance builds confidence and body awareness. All the while, you are having so much fun, you will think you are "cheating"!

This class, suitable for beginners as well as those with experience belly dancing will begin with a yoga warm up, move into belly dance technique, continue with combinations or a mini-choreography and end with a cool down.

If you'd like to join us, let us know on the Facebook event! See you then!

Happy New Year!!

Christmas Ornaments Handmade and Sentimental

2011-12-23T13:07:00.000-05:00

A and I made several new ornaments for the tree this year. This one I made with a 1 1/2" hole punch, a round inchie image (from Digitalcollagesheets.com maybe?), a vintage letter, vintage buttons and Distress Stickles.

This one was cut from the Art Chix card stock holiday tags. A cut some of them and I cut some. He glitter glued some and so did I. A hole punch, a hook and it's done.

A loves his engines, and so they must adorn the tree! :)

This one is from the Animal Rescue Site. A great place to buy since proceeds go to helping feed animals in shelters or global programs.

Another from the Animal Rescue Site. Love me, Love my Dog! :)

And another. I customized it to look even more like Dana. :)

Enjoy your holidays! Be safe and relax!

Almost Winter Solstice

2011-12-20T11:15:00.001-05:00

That post about holiday countdown calendars got me excited to make our own. Here's how you can make one like ours (I'll reference this next year so you can count down for more than 4 days if you like, but don't let the short time stop you. :) )
1. Lightly sand 24 playing cards (optional)
2. Punch 24 small, 24 medium and 24 large circles out of patterned scrap paper using paper punches. Alternately, cut them out. You can use lids as templates or free-hand.
3. Ink the edges to distress (optional) and draw about 2 circles around the edges. Mine are messy are artsy, just the way I like it. I used a sharpie fine-tipped pen. I also used it to hand write the numbers.
4. Glue the stacked circles together and then staple to the sanded cards.
5. Sew across the top of the sanded cards.
6. Stack the sanded cards on top of 24 other cards and sew on 3 sides to make pockets for tags.
7. Cut tags (smaller than your sewn area) using an electric cutter (I used my Cricut). You can also use a paper punch or cut by hand and punch a small hole or staple the string/cord.
8. Use jute to string the tags.
9. Write special activities or special treats on the tags. We wrote "popcorn and a movie", "go see Christmas Trees at Museum", "Read a big stack of books" (really big- Mommy and Daddy took turns with each book), (and others below).
10. Wrap jute around a batting and velvet covered (stapled) board and clip cards onto jute with mini clothes pins.

My rock drill he'd really been wanting to use.

The 2 thin shells we managed to drill through.

Paper snowflakes have continued to be a huge hit. The Trader Joe's sales flyer made some great ones.

Now, I'm back to sewing (set up a temporary kitchen station for more progress) and the rest of the day.

Happy almost Winter Solstice!!!

Holiday Hafla Tonight!

2011-12-17T15:33:00.000-05:00

Enta Omri, probably my favorite song Ishtar plays, is my song for tonight!! And a little bit of sparkle in my costume for the festive holiday theme. If you are in the area, come join us! It's a lovely way to celebrate!

Some Art Links for Kids and Grown Ups

2011-12-12T13:31:00.003-05:00

This one uses a CD to make a cool looking mosaic tiled frame. Also from the Art for Kids blog- a bit about the Strathmore ATC's for Kids kit. The blog author, Kathy Barbro wrote the projects for the kit!

Traci Bautista is teaching a free online workshop starting January 1st! I've posted about Traci's book, "Collage Unleashed", and a couple of her videos here. She has a new book, "Doodles Unleashed", coming out February 1st. Today on her blog, she has some great recycled materials holiday projects!

oh, and I put another ornament up on Etsy.

Some Really Inspiring Links

2011-12-07T23:21:00.000-05:00

White Hot Truth Danielle LaPorte Just too many posts I've read today to tell you what I found enlightening. Just start with the "most popular" ones listed to the right and get sucked into all the related posts.

Christine Kane Vision boards! Yes!!!

Kelly Rae Roberts on letting something go that's really good to make room for something better.

Links for Holiday Countdown Calendar and Mercury in Retrograde

2011-12-05T15:27:00.002-05:00

Free Victorian clipart found here.

DH and I decided there was no need to buy for each other for Christmas again this year. But, if we hadn't, I might suggest this course by Misty Mawn for myself. Her work is very inspiring and so is her book, Unfurling. Perhaps there is an artist on your list? Perhaps you should add yourself to your list? :)

If you want to make an advent/holiday countdown calendar, there are a couple posts out there I found interesting:

Maya*Made has one here. And here. She also has an adorable house version that could be made into an ornament as well. Threaded Basil wrote about her Maya*Made advent calendar here. Her idea of cleaning up the playroom before diving into the treat is excellent!

Amy Karol, a.k.a. Angry Chicken has a post on one she made here.

If you want to make this, but are fretting because we are already 5 days into December, might I suggest being an "anti-perfectionist" and doing it anyway? You could start tomorrow or even 5 days from now and it would still be exciting and fun. A 20 or 15 day countdown is still a long countdown, don't you think? A has been asking if it is Christmas (our tree is up), so maybe we will add this to our project list. It would be a great lesson in DIY, re-using, counting forward and backwards, creative expression and valuing time together. I adore Maya's idea of using "time tickets" in the pockets ... things like "hot cocoa date with Mommy" or "ice skating date with Daddy".

In other news, if you have also been experiencing miscommunications, wrong thinking, past issues resurfacing, and faulty information (via people or with phones, computers, cars, trains, etc.) it is due to Mercury being in retrograde. A LOT of people I am in contact with have been complaining about just these things and with good reason. This one's a doozy! Why do I know? I looked it up for my own sake. Woah. Glad I re-ordered my Hyland's Nerve tonic before now. Looks like things should settle down on January 1st.

Maybe A and I will get on that countdown calendar today. Making stuff is always good for the soul. :)

The Yule Goat and an Honorable Mention

2011-11-29T12:32:00.001-05:00

Did you know that the Yule Goat preceded Santa Claus in the lore of yesteryear? Apparently, he used to go around demanding gifts. Maybe someone thought that wasn't very nice and then the story changed to the Goat giving out gifts for Yule. Then, the Goat morphed into Santa Claus. Above, you can see Father Christmas riding the Yule Goat. Hmm... interesting. A way to transition the old with the new or is it like Durga riding the Tiger? If you would like to read more about the Yule Goat, go to Wikipedia's link here.

As of late, it has come to my attention that while the mass consumption which supports large corporations is a sad mess, the idea of a magical guy who brings joy to children is something that appeals to me. Angelo knows that Santa is a "game of make believe that grown ups like to play too", but still gets excited seeing images of Santa Claus. He knows Mommy and Daddy bring him presents, so it isn't the gifts that make Mr. Claus magical to him. It warms the cockles of my heart. :)

If you are into Santa Claus and other vintage Christmas imagery, you can check out my ornaments section in my Etsy shop. Or, if you're in the area Dec. 11th, you can come to the Local Artiste Market at Sterling Yoga. I'll have magnets, journals, cards, jewelry, etc.

A new camera is mine! So, I won't say there will never be another iPhoto pic here, there will be lots more photos in a better-than-they-were way. :) Plenty of sewing projects on the docket ('tis one of the sewing seasons), so hopefully I'll be able to get some pictures of those to share with you soon.

Oh, the Honorable Mention? My Alice Girly over at the Altered Alice! :D

Shop Handmade on my Etsy shop!

2011-11-25T19:01:00.000-05:00

There are some Black Friday/Cyber Monday price reductions in my Etsy shop!! Journals, original collage art and more. There's a swap/sell gathering I'm going to tomorrow and I'm vending at the Sterling Yoga Artiste Market Dec. 8th 2pm-8pm. Send me good selling vibes! :) (thanks in advance).

Oh, and there's the Decorative Papers workshop at Sterling Yoga December 2nd! Super fun!! Join us!

Altered Alice Fall Colors Challenge

2011-11-23T15:50:00.000-05:00

This time, I'm gonna make the deadline!! Whoo Hoo! Drew this Alice Girly for the Altered Alice Fall Colors Challenge. Colored her with Prisma pencils, chalks and acrylic paint (a la Suzi Blu's La La La coloring methods, with my own interpretation). The background is acrylic paint, sponged ink and a stamped Tim Holtz tree. I punched the leaves from some index cards I painted. Distress Stickles are around the border.

Maybe we should have a Mad Tea Party instead of Thanksgiving dinner...

On Gratitude

2011-11-22T17:13:00.001-05:00

I do not have a picture to share to go along with this video, and I didn't see a way to embed it, but I am very Grateful to have found it. It is quite inspiring. It brings Giving Thanks to a whole new level.

"Live every day as if it were your first and your last."

Enjoy this 10 minute talk by Louis Swartzburg. (Warning, there is a naked rear in there, in case you care about that sort of thing. ;0)

Card for Baby J

2011-11-18T23:30:00.001-05:00

copyright 2011 Narah Kimberly A. Minardi All Rights Reserved

This is a card I made for my college roomie who's having a baby soon. I seem to make Love the central idea in baby cards because I've not known greater love than for my babies and am happy for my friends and other loved ones who are about to experience the same. (P.S. A decided I should add the string and I think it's a wonderful addition. :)

Make Decorative Holiday Papers!

2011-11-15T13:24:00.001-05:00

I have another workshop coming up on Dec. 2nd. It is 7-9:30 pm at Sterling Yoga in Dormont, PA (2889 Glenmore Ave.) I'll be covering several new paint and ink techniques you can use on paper to use in gift wrap, gift tags, ornaments, holiday cards and collage! You can even "re-claim" the gift wrap if you see it heading to the recycling bin to use in projects later. Or, encourage the recipient to do so. :) It's going to be lots of fun! There will even be wine and chocolate to get your creative juices flowing.

$40 includes wine, chocolate, instruction and all supplies. You'll be able to use these techniques for years to come, so you can always have a creative, personal touch to your holidays and beyond.

I hope you'll join us! If you do, please register so I'll have enough supplies on hand: 412-260-0533 or sterling yoga@verizon.net

Check out this holiday collage I made with examples I created for the workshop:

Beautiful Digital Art

2011-11-07T18:09:00.000-05:00

Keeping track of another link here. Some beautiful digital art, website templates, etc. Check out: http://avalonrosedesign.blogspot.com/

Handmade Halloween Costumes

2011-11-04T13:41:00.001-04:00

You'll recognize the mask DH is wearing as the one A painted. A's costume is made of wool felt from a pattern I drafted. Dana's "ghost" costume is just material tucked into her collar.

Here, A shows off his spider legs. The black widow marking was my husband's idea and handiwork. It is automotive reflective tape- decorative and a nice safety feature for an all black costume. It consists of a pair of pants, and oversized long-sleeved shirt with a casing/elastic at the bottom and a separate hood (though, I did tack it down after he had it on. No sticking him with the needle, believe it or not.) The legs are stuffed with poly-fill and tied off for the segments. the ends are all connected with quilters' thread.

My ghost costume was inspired by this one. (I opted out of the fishnets and heels.) It's the one I ironed the material, drafted the pattern for, cut and sewed in about 3 or so hours (lots of anti-perfectionist methods in play). Now, deciding on a design... well, that took quite a bit longer. There are no finished seams or hems, but there was a lot of snipping and ripping. If you'd like to know more, please contact me.

Out collecting Treats. You can see the Trick-or-Treat bag a little better here. The outside and lining are both quilter's cotton for cuteness and strength.

Hope your Halloween was awesome!!!!!

Unrelated, I found a site that lists sheet music images from the Library of Congress. It is massive and though I'm not sure I'll ever get through it all, I'll have fun looking!

Also, check out www.VinegarandGlitter.com for the Altered Book Workshop flyer. Today is the last day to register!!

Mad Hatter Gone Batty and More Halloween Fun

2011-10-31T15:07:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween!!! It's the BEST day of the year!!!!!!

We already have been celebrating with lots of creative activities around here, and Trick-or-Treat will be a great topper tonight. For us, it isn't even about the candy, but a way to face and celebrate the shadow side of life. Plus, all those trick-or-treaters are pretty darn cute! Even before we had Angelo, we have always loved Trick-or-Treat. It's a great way to be a part of community if only for a short bit of time. Our plans for the candy (since we eat such low sugar food and candy is so rare in this house) is to let Angelo have a few pieces tonight and give him the option to trade the rest for a super special toy. Yes, it is bribery, and it's not a regular feature here, but today is an extraordinary day!

This was for the Altered Alice challenge- the Mad Hatter at his tea party with Twinkles. So, Twinkle Twinkle little bat it is! The background (on a plain index card) is a couple of stamps plus some sprayed mica ink (twinkly). The image is colored with colored pencils and the polka dots have added Stickles (twinkly). The bats are punched from a book page I sprayed with Tulip fabric paint/dye over cheese cloth. The border and outlines are made with a Sharpie micro tip pen.

I didn't actually finish this in time to enter the challenge with all the other projects I had going on, especially sewing our costumes. That's OK, though, since I really like doing challenges for the "challenge" aspect. Sure, winning is great, but going by someone else's guidelines while still having artistic freedom is a great way to stretch your creative wings. :)

Here are a few more projects I've worked on lately. I'll keep the descriptions short. :)

A with Sparky the Fire Dog at the Halloween parade, wearing the spider costume, but not the cute Trick-or-Treat bag. Oops!

One of A's Halloween decorations. He cut out this, the skeleton and wolf man (because those are the only ones that actually link) from *Kaboose. He stapled them together- easy and fun! They're hanging in the living room. :) He's currently working on some of these coloring pages. *Warning, the video ads are very annoying!

A having fun cleaning out the pumpkin.

A carved one of the eyes and drew the nose on this 1st one.

I absolutely LOVE this one!! A carved it with only the teeniest bit of help from Mama (holding the pumpkin and encouraging). Love how children have such natural creativity and it looks extra creepy cool!

A Haunted house I painted, stamped and glued images to. House form from Art Chix.

A Halloween bunting made from material I bought a few years ago. It dons our entry-way.

I need to take a moment and mention my self-control. In past years, I bought every Halloween magazine I saw, OD'd on Halloween art supplies, over-stocked on costume material and generally went nuts buying Halloween stuff. This year, not a single magazine or decoration was bought, only material and art supplies in our stash were used, with this exception: I only bought a few paintable forms for A and I to use (and some styrofoam balls for an art doll witch). And we actually used them (except for the styrofoam... by the time I was into the sewing mode it was costume time. But, we are a few steps closer to having her done.)! BTW, the total for all the new purchases was about $15 or less. See below:

Couldn't resist this paper mache witch hat- I'd _just_ been looking in Bethany Lowe's Folk Art Halloween book and the supply list included "paper mache witch hat". I thought, "yeah, right. Because all stores carry that sort of thing." I guess in the Bethel Park, PA Michael's they do!! Also couldn't resist the antique photo finish here. :)

A picked out all of these himself and chose when and what colors to paint them.

I know this was a long post! (Aren't you glad I didn't add the "how to make a ghost costume in about 3 hours" tutorial?) Hope it adds festiveness to your Halloween mood!!!

A Witch Link

2011-10-29T00:53:00.000-04:00

Thought I'd try using a "Not Martha" method and keep track of some favorite links here on the blog. Funnily, it is a "Martha" link. :)

This is for making a Witch/Wizard hat: http://www.marthastewart.com/268139/wizard-and-witch-costumes-witches-hats?czone=holiday/halloween-center/halloween-center-costumes

Angelo's costume is made and I hope to get some pictures/video at tomorrow's Halloween parade. Right now it is pouring, so I'm crossing my fingers for at least a break for the parade. His trick-or-treat bag is also made- if only everything I made were that simple and satisfying. Pictures to follow.

The material for my costume is mostly ironed. Apparently, I shouldn't run the space heater and iron at the same time in the attic. DH has switched the breaker back on (I avoid the basement if at all possible due to a mold allergy... it's really pretty under control, but just in case), but I took it as a sign to get back downstairs and get things set up for the morning, including print flyers for the next Mixed Media Collage workshop I'm teaching at Sterling Yoga: Altered books.

So, those are printed and now I should get some sleep. 'Night!

Dia de Los Muertos

2011-10-25T20:16:00.000-04:00

This is a collage I made for the Art Chix Day of the Dead challenge. The skull I was able to draw here and there in my large spiral art journal pad. The multiple purples on the canvas I painted many years ago and wasn't sure where to go next. Figured it out, though. Some orange splattered paint, mica ink spray, paper and "silk" flowers (also mica ink sprayed) and my cut-out skull were added. The color was added with oil pencil on the skull. An additional layer of mica ink spray was added to make the skull more cohesive with the rest of the piece.

Please "Like" my picture on FaceBook and help me win! :)

3 Witches for the Price of 1

2011-10-24T20:09:00.001-04:00

Maybe I'm obsessed. Here are more witches for your Halloween count down. Have I mentioned my digital camera bit it? Yep, so all these and other recent photos have been taken with my iPhone. You can click on the pics to get a better look.

Those of you in Pittsburgh come to the Mt. Lebanon Halloween parade on Saturday!! The family, some friends and I are going to be in it! Just decided today, so gotta get on making a banner and such.

In other seemingly unrelated news, Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts is a book that I really enjoyed. She's really taken flight herself and it's very inspiring to this gal who's getting more into this art biz thing. Her post, Telling the Truth, helped me remember that trying new things can make you feel a bit ungrounded, but that "ice water running through your body" feeling is really pretty normal. She has a ton of posts, so enjoy them! :)

Cupie Witch

2011-10-23T21:51:00.000-04:00

Hmm... let's see. How was this little Cupie Witch made? A coat of paint on a paper box lid, scratched with a needle tool, glued on some collage images and punched shapes, a coat of beeswax (added with a quilting iron, inspired by Suzi Blu's La La La class), and some copper Shiva paint stik rubbed into the scratches, the excess rubbed away.

It's getting clooooooooooserrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

How is your Halloween prep going?

Things With Wings

2011-10-17T00:06:00.001-04:00

This is for a Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge that I found _today_!!! The challenge is Things With Wings. So, bat and spiderweb wings it is!! You can click on the pictures to get a better look at what's going on in there.

I coated a cigar box with black gesso, added sewing patterns to the inside while it was wet, used punches for all the wings, inked to distress and added skulls/skeletons/creepy doll heads with armless bodies to them. The background for the center rectangle is a phone book page inked with orange and purple ink, stamped with a pumpkin stamp and covered with fabric paint sprayed cheesecloth. Tea dyed cheese cloth covers the outside and Spanish Moss is glued to the bottom. Latte Aderondak alcohol ink dyed the skeletons.

Can you find the third skeleton?

Colored Pencil Witch

2011-10-15T18:03:00.000-04:00

This is a collage I did just because, and to practice what I've learned in Suzi Blu's La La La class. The witch, moon and bat were drawn and colored with colored pencils by me. Drew and cut the witch's dress, hat and wand from decorative paper and inked it up for a distressed look (Stickles on the wand). Stamped pumpkins on the back side of some decorative paper and cut out for nicely shaped pumpkins. Inked up the background paper and used my tea dyed cheesecloth as an embellishment.

Polymer Clay Image Transfer

2011-10-13T19:25:00.000-04:00

Another entry for the ArtChix owl challenge. Though I thought it may be complicated, the polymer clay image transfer was really simple. Clean hands with hand sanitizer (gets everything off and prevents lint and hair from getting on the clay), roll out Sculpy clay to about 1/4" thick, gently burnish your toner based image (from a laser printer or toner copier) onto the clay, use an X-acto knife to cut the excess clay away (if desired; also if desired, trim your image), bake according to directions on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil, remove paper when baked. Easy! I even used the paper image in another project because not a lot of the toner transferred. I didn't try it because I didn't want to over-bake the clay, but my Image Transfer Workshop book said that if the image didn't transfer, you can re-burnish and bake longer. However, the picture in the book also had a pretty clear paper image and a not-so-crisp transfer. That's kind of the thing about transfers, though. They aren't supposed to be super crisp, but will have a somewhat ghostly look.

The stars on this project are made of paper clay and Angelo gave me some help making those with a little star cutter. The background papers are ArtChix's Halloween backgrounds.

I'm getting so excited about the upcoming Haunted Collage workshop!! I'll have some more Halloween art up here soon. Thanks for looking!!

Hand Drawn Owls and Moon

2011-10-06T15:44:00.002-04:00

This is a piece I did for Art Chix latest challenge- owls. I hand drew the owls and moon on heavy drawing paper, colored them with chalks and colored pencils, cut them out and adhered with matte medium. The background and houses are corrugated cardboard. The papers on the houses are antique spelling primer pages, vintage letter and envelope and old graph paper. The paints I mixed with soft gel medium for a glaze. The circles were made with a marker lid.

Hope you enjoy! More to come at the Haunted collage workshop! :)

Haunted Collage Workshop October 23rd at Sterling Yoga!

2011-10-02T13:58:00.002-04:00

October 23 3:30-6:00pm -Haunted Collage!

Fall brings an abundance of creative energy as we respond to our DNA’s call to prepare for winter. Humans are born to create and happy hands make a happy heart.

As we approach the night the dead can walk the earth, there is excitement in the air! We face our fears of the other side, celebrate, and embrace the Celtic New Year (Samhain) with collage! Join us as we use materials destine for the recycling bin to make Halloween art sure to become a favorite piece! Simple methods and readily available materials ensure this workshop will be a Treat!

No drawing, painting or any other art experience required! Art veterans will enjoy exploring Narah’s approach to collage as well!

$35 includes a collage sheet and supplies to use at the workshop!

Save the dates for more collage fun- November 13th?

December 2^nd 7-9:30pm

January 21st time TBA

Artist Trading Card Workshop at Sterling Yoga!!

2011-09-28T13:15:00.000-04:00

I'm very excited about this Friday's Artist Trading Card Workshop at Sterling Yoga!! (Check out the Facebook event for full description and details.) These are a few of the ATC's I've made and thought you may like to see them. :) There are a bunch more here on Flickr.

The local coffee shops, a fabric store, The Good Life Market, Khun's Grocery store and my naturopath all have flyers for the workshop up. Anyone in Pittsburgh know some good places to put up flyers or otherwise let know about art workshops (I have more coming up)? Specifically the Dormont/Mt. Lebanon area?

The naturopath's office and fabric store have flyers specifically for those clients- letting people know how healthy art-making is and how you can use up fabric scraps respectively. I've tried to convey that you do not need to know how to draw or paint to do this form of collage, so that those who haven't realized they are already artists feel welcome.

Anyone have other advice for promoting local art workshops? I'd really appreciate the help! :)

Also at Sterling Yoga this weekend (Saturday evening) is a hafla! I'm performing!!! Come and see us! :)

Studio Location: 2889 Glenmore Ave, Dormont, PA 15216

* From West Liberty to Potomac - 1st Right onto Gleamer

* From Banksville to Potomac -across the"T" tracks - 2nd Left onto Glenmore

Yoga Studio sits immediately back to the Right - across the street from the Dor-Stop Rest. -

there a few parking spots to the Left & in front of the studio.

Email: sterlingyoga@verizon.net

412.260.0533

Wine, Chocolate and Artist Trading Cards Sept. 30th!

2011-09-23T18:00:00.000-04:00

Just a quick reminder that my workshop on mixed media collage artist trading cards is just a week away!!! check out the Facebook event!

Taking another blog break

2011-09-22T05:00:00.000-04:00

Taking a little break. I'll be back soon.

Beginning the Belly Dance teaching adventure again!

2011-09-21T05:52:00.001-04:00

I'm going to be available for private lessons in my home studio in a couple of weeks. (We are in Mt. Lebanon, and there's a bus stop on either side of my house. Two buses go there, Mt. Lebanon and Bower Hill rd. I think 40 and 42, but don't quote me on that.)

I've been feeling the pull to teach again and am inspired to answer that call!

I have a Master's degree in Occupational Therapy, a certification in Yoga for the Special Child, about 14 or so years of yoga experience, have been belly dancing since 1993 and teaching belly dance since 1997. In recent years, I've added mixed media collage artist to my creative repertoire and it has opened my whole life up to creative possibilities. I've danced in troupes, lead student troupes and danced solo; studied Turkish, Egyptian Cabaret, American Cabaret, American Tribal, Tribal Fusion, and a good dose of various world folk dances. My students appreciate my precise breakdown as well as my ability to get to the heart and soul of the dance.

I can teach 1-5 people in the home studio, a haven of creativity, as it is housed with my other artistic pursuits.

A one hour session for one person is $60, and for 2-5 people, it is $45/person per hour.

Topics include technique, history, costuming design, sewing, achieving dance goals, getting the most from your dance, stretching, strengthening, centering, emotional expression, creative vision and bringing that vision to fruition, and more!

I don't have this info up on my website just yet, but you can check out videos, costuming info, historical papers I've written and more atwww.tribalbellydance.net

Email me or give me a call at 304-276-DANCE (still using the WV #, even though we are in Mt. Lebanon now.

Thanks and have a great day!
~Narah
www.VinegarandGlitter.com
www.facebook.com/narah.arrington.minardi
http://twitter.com/#!/VinegarnGlitter

I made a baby

2011-09-20T04:58:00.006-04:00

This one is made of cloth. I think I made this for Angelo for the Christmas of 2010. I think I wasn't happy with the pictures, so I didn't post about it. Or, maybe it just got away from me. ;0)

Pattern pieces for the clothing.

Pre-sewn muslin doll I tea-dyed, stuffed and embroidered.

Felt diaper with velcro tabs

Made from the back of a front stained baby tee shirt.

I wanted him to be able to diaper and dress the baby for fine motor skills and encourage nurturing.

He was much more interested in trains and blocks when I gave it to him, but now he hugs and gives baby a ride in the stroller.

A Boy And His Drum

2011-09-19T05:02:00.000-04:00

We have a variety of drums in the living room and he loves them all. He's also excited that he now has his very own little drum (metal, synthetic head so it can withstand a 4-year-old). We went to a hafla at Zafira Studios recently and drummed most of the time. We also chatted with and he got lots of tickles from friends. :) Next time, we may even take his mini-zills!

Meditation

2011-09-16T05:09:00.000-04:00

Meditate, focus on gratitude, journal, and work it out.

Attachment Parenting

2011-09-15T05:08:00.000-04:00

Why babies want to be held most of the time... we are born to attach.

One reason I enjoyed co-sleeping, a common attachment parenting practice.

Sensuous Femininity

2011-09-14T05:00:00.000-04:00

Imperfection

2011-09-13T05:06:00.000-04:00

Belly Dance Collages part 4

2011-09-12T05:00:00.001-04:00

If you've read any of last week's post, you know where these are from. This is the last of the collages I have finished in the Belly Dance altered book. Tomorrow's post will be something of a different nature. :)

Image from Lunagirl.com

A tag I made a while ago added to a new background. Image is from Art Chix, I believe. "My Gypsy Heart" collage sheet.

If you haven't checked it out already, I've added an Upcoming Events page. Right now, it has information on my Artist Trading Card workshop at Sterling Yoga on September 30th. There will be wine and chocolate too! Fun!

Belly Dance Collages part 3

2011-09-09T08:35:00.000-04:00

I believe all of these ladies came from Luna girl's Near East collage sheets.

Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekend! :)

Belly Dance "and Related" collages

2011-09-08T08:23:00.000-04:00

More collages from the "Belly Dance" altered book.

In the pocket.

Out of the pocket. Mata Hari hanging ATC. Image from here.

Heart Song. A collage I made last year and added to a new background. Images found here.

You know I couldn't resist these guys when I found them at an antique show. :)

Have I told you about my Flickr photostream? I finally uploaded some pictures (artwork, sewing, vintage finds). They are fairly organized. Hooray!

Belly Dance-y Collages

2011-09-07T08:59:00.001-04:00

These collages are from an altered address book I made. The paisley cover (and the $0.75 thrift store price) made me pick it up right away. Also right away, I knew what I would do with it. It is a 3 ring binder, so it made removing the address pages and the dividers to collage on easy.

I started some of the collages in the book years ago and then abandoned them, not knowing where else to go. Some I started in March for my altered book workshop and most I started/finished in the last week or so. I think all the Pennsic posts had me inspired. :) I still have some work to do before it is "complete", but the bulk of it is complete for now.

Here are a couple of the collages from my Belly Dance "and related" altered book.

The stamp of Fahima, 1910, is from Stampfransico.

This dancer stamp, I got when I first started using rubber stamps (and the image I stamped back then too. The initial paper layering was done then too.) I don't remember the manufacturer of the stamp, but I got it at Artemis Imports.

Fertility Goddess Pendant

2011-09-06T08:24:00.001-04:00

A pendant I made for my sister, who is due with her first baby any day now. She gave me something similar when I was pregnant with Angelo, so when I saw this stamp from Enchanted Gallery, I knew I would make her a paper clay pendant. The purple is eco-friendly, non-toxic paint and the pearly white is pigment ink.

Vampires

2011-09-05T09:13:00.000-04:00

"Stewart and Jonathan" Vampires
copyright 2010 Narah Kimberly A. Minardi. All rights reserved.

"Charles" Vampire
copyright 2010 Narah Kimberly A. Minardi. All rights reserved.

This spread is from one of my altered books, which is full of mish mash. There are several Halloween themed pages in a row. I was happy that the backgrounds worked for Halloween, even though when I did the backgrounds, they were totally random (I painted at least one color throughout the book all at once.) There are those who say that altered books "should" never be finished. None of mine are because I still find things to add to each one, including this first one. For instance, this card was one I made and didn't send out, so it became a tip-in:

I altered Stewart, Jonathan and Charles in photoshop and they are available on my Halloween Collage Sheet. :)

Art

2011-09-02T08:33:00.000-04:00

I found this inspiring video on Glitterbug's blog.

A Couple More Creepy Relatives

2011-09-01T09:01:00.000-04:00

Inventing Creepy Relatives was so much fun, I made a couple more. Both images are from my vintage/antique photo collection. "Barry and Sophia" are available on my Altered Halloween Collage Sheet.

Creepy Relatives 2

2011-08-31T08:53:00.000-04:00

My second piece for the Creepy Relatives swap. This one was fairly straightforward also: another background using artists' paper from Somerset Studio (an Alice in Wonderland theme, forget the exact name), distressed, a vintage photo print, handmade collage paper, computer generated text and staples on card stock cut to 6" X 4".

Creepy Relatives

2011-08-30T08:35:00.000-04:00

Another swap group I joined- Everything But ATC's, had a "Creepy Relatives" swap and this is one of the pieces I created for it. Halloween is at the top of my obsessions list, especially right now, so a creepy swap was right up my ally. Of course, I also appreciated that we were supposed to add some funny text too. :)

I kept it pretty simple for this one: some artist paper from Somerset Studio (New York Banker) which I distressed, a photo print from my antique collection, computer generated text and some metal beads.

Hope you enjoy!

Anyone else moving into Halloween high gear? :)

Hybrid ATC's

2011-08-29T16:11:00.000-04:00

I was invited to join a swap group, ATC's from the Darkside and jumped right in! Halloween is my favorite holiday and I enjoy it and other "shadow side" elements all year. These are the Artist Trading Cards I just sent out for the Hybrids swap:

The lady's head is from my vintage photo collection and the birds are from Paperscraps's Flickr photo stream. The background's first layer was some image transfers of book pages, though with the subsequent layers, that's almost impossible to see. Most of the background stamps are by Tim Holtz.

Pennsic Merchants

2011-08-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

The Market Place at Pennsic is one of the busiest places on the whole site. I've already shared some of the magic that Midnight Madness holds due to the increased number of musicians playing.

Father Dunn's booth, where I've collected most of my belly dance jewelry over the years. FD fills me in on what's happened at all the festivals I used to go to; it's nice since I don't travel to them anymore.

Hmm... I didn't even get a view of the inside, where lots of loveliness lies.

My only Pennsic purchase, though I planned on buying nothing. How could I not come home with this portable Green Tara shrine? A special find indeed. <3

Our good friends Mike and Sherry Spivey of Renaissance Arts. Most awesome tee shirts at Pennsic!! I stop here regularly for conversations with fellow dog and art loving friends and a little doggie fix (they bring their service dog Brava, a spunky German Shepard). :)

Ocean (right) of Marrakech. I've gotten a lot of mileage from the costuming his wife Elizabeth makes (and he sells), and some wonderful memories from his Midnight Madness parties. If the conversations weren't louder than the music (from the phone's point of view anyways), I'd share the beautiful, mesmerizing sounds of Michael the Sitar player from this year's party. Or if there was a way to do justice to the magical stories shared between new friends hours after the party ended, I would. Let it suffice to say that it was worth the minuscule amount of sleep I got before all the fighters got up and rattled their armor. And Ocean is of course a great host and so nice to chat with. As you can see on this Thursday afternoon shot, musicians gather there at all hours. <3

Hmm... this may be the last of the Pennsic shots here. Not a lot for the 6 days we were there, but more than I usually remember to take. It was a good balance of fun and taking it easy this year. And I have to say I'm really grateful to be living in a "grown up" camp. Everyone pitches in, there is a commons tent where people gather, chat, and laugh (mostly while sitting on thrift store couches- not Medieval/Renaissance, but comfy and a source of amusement for most, as is the disco ball and velvet Elvis). Someone cooks breakfast every morning and dinner every evening (with my dietary restrictions, I usually don't get to join them, but I appreciate it all the same). We have a mostly heated camp shower, with a real shower curtain. Not what you think of when you think camping, yes? Not everyone's camp is this organized, and not everyone feels like camp at Pennsic is a family reunion, but I do and that's a big part of why I go through the crazy, manic preparations, and deal with the too-long unpacking/laundry process.

Quack Quack Quack

2011-08-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

To better know our new city, and to take Angelo on a little adventure, we took a Duck Boat tour through Pittsburgh last week. We learned a lot (like at one point, this was as far west you could come by land and then you could have your covered wagon converted to a boat!), saw some of the evidence of the filming of the new Batman movie (did you know Pittsburgh used to be what Hollywood is today for the film industry?) and made a lot of people smile by quacking at them from the Duck boat. It was required. Pretty sure we'd have been kicked off if we didn't, but it was nice seeing people looking grumpy and then smiling uncontrollably. :)

Do it Anyway

2011-08-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

*Caution* Long post with run-on sentences.

This post falls under the category "I don't claim to be an expert, but someone asked, so here's my answer." :)

This what I came up with when someone asked me "how I found the time" to do what I do. Though not completely comprehensive, it's a beginning and enough people wonder how to do all they want to that I thought it was worth sharing. I remember reading that Mothering Magazine article featuring my favorite blog authors and wondering the same thing. A lot of how I changed what I did revolved around Angelo and hearing how someone else applied all of those anti-perfectionism, time management strategies I'd read about helped me to make the most of my time.

I've worked it all in over the years rather than all at once and one of my

secrets is taking advantage of the "5 minute step". Through lots of reading, I
realized that I'm a perfectionist by nature and I was avoiding doing a lot of
things because I couldn't do it "perfectly" because I didn't have a big enough
space of time or the right place to do something. So, I fight that urge and
just do it anyway. Maybe I only have time to clear the dining room table or
pull out some supplies and then have to move on, but I'm that much closer to
getting something that's really important to me done. Though I have a
dedicated space for my creative pursuits, it is in the attic, and most of our
day is spent 2 floors down, so it is sometimes easier to have 1 or 2 steps
pulled out downstairs for art stuff... and then it becomes part of
homeschooling. :) When Angelo was younger, I'd have one or two steps pulled out and on top of the washer and dryer, where he couldn't reach.

Also, I have decided that what fills my time is what's important to me, so if
there's some time where my son is playing and my husband is watching TV, I'll
write a blog post, list things on Etsy or edit photos, etc. If I miss a yoga or
belly dance class, then my body tells me that was not a good move. If I have an
art project I want to make, it drives me crazy until I get to, so I have to
listen to myself or I get cranky. I figure that's not good for my family, so I
make sure it gets done. I usually only have one show a season that I care about
watching and record it so I can watch when I'm ready and I spend very little
time watching random videos or reading random stuff on the internet. I'm also
working hard to use what we have here, so I spend less time shopping (including
on-line shopping).

My house is only totally clean when we invite people
over, so a super clean house is not a priority all the time. ;) I ask my
husband and son to help out, and once I ask, then it's not my job anymore. Though sometimes I end up doing something anyway, it helps me to feel less pressure about it getting done. If it gets bad, then I just take it one step at a time and other stuff gets put on

hold. But, even housecleaning can suffer from perfectionism. sometimes I just
sweep the dirt and stuff from under the edges of the cabinets/furniture into a
pile to be dealt with later or clean the bathroom sink with a wet washcloth and
call it good for now.

Part of why I wanted to homeschool is so we can follow our own rhythms and a
schedule that works for us. There's no homework or tests to prepare for and for
now, no soccer practice, etc. We go to museums or the park or zoo when it's good
for us. Now that Angelo is 4, and even a good deal before now, he plays on his own a sufficient amount of time for me to get a thing or two done throughout the day (sometimes that thing is vacuuming or dusting, but he loves to help with that stuff too). I've found some activities for him in my studio and he asks to go up to the attic. There he's made necklaces, played with piles of vintage buttons, put pins in the pin cushion, put thumbtacks into cardboard, drawn at his easel, set up pieces in patterns on a chessboard, arranged dominos, colored, stamped (with washable ink), dusted the gears in my sewing machine, sat and spun on a lazy suzan (which apparently will not be used for storing supplies anytime soon), and more all while chatting with me. I feel creativity and DIY skills are important for everyone and by modeling for my son and giving him the opportunity to be creative and get comfortable around the supplies and activities, I feel it helps him build important skill sets that will allow him to problem solve, be more self-sufficient, process emotions, heal himself, build self-esteem, and express his true self (along with building fine-motor skills and hand-eye coordination). That's another reason it is "easier" for me to work in what I do, because I truly see the importance in doing these things.

Another thing that works for us (except for the punitive time-outs) are many of the methods in "Happiest Toddler on the Block". Things like "filling his cup first", "making sure he knows he is heard in language he understands", etc. For example, I've written this post in at least 7 different bursts to take swinging and "Tickle Monster" breaks. Being Mom is my #1 job, and doing things that keep me healthy and happy help me do that job. For example, Yoga keeps me flexible in body and mind and the more I do, the more I can adjust to life as it changes, as it always does. When I can accept changes and adapt, I spend less energy agonizing and more time doing.

I started sewing and belly dancing in high school and doing yoga shortly after,
so I'm not learning that from the ground up, which takes more time than when

you're adding to your skill set, I think. This makes me think of something I heard on Oprah once, "You can have it all, just not all at once". So, what I'm saying is that if you're interested in adding more x, y, and z to your life, start with x. :)

Focus on tiny, manageable steps, one at a time. And focus on getting done, not making something perfect. Procrastination is a form of perfectionism.

Something I hear a lot when people say they don't have the time to do something, it's because they are tired after work or because of sleepless nights (or afternoons) with a little one or because they are putting a ton of energy into things that don't give back, like someone else's drama or a volunteer position that requires more energy than they have. So, first, take 5 minutes to meditate to re-set your brain and mental energy. Keep doing that every day. If 5 minutes is too much, try 30 seconds. I know you have that! :) This habit will also allow you to put life a little more into focus.

Where are you putting your time and energy? Is it where it is most important to you or is it where you think others expect you to put it? Are you doing what you are doing because you've been told that's what you "should" do or because it truly makes a difference in the quality of your life. I don't have those answers for you, but you do, so listen for them. Write them down. Write a few lines in a journal (or on a napkin and tape them into a journal); write a few more. You can change your life by shifting your focus. It can be gradual. One day you'll wake up and say, "yes, this is what I wanted". Something that led me to how I live my life today is something Jill Parker said to me at her intensive in D.C.- "become crystal clear about what you want." Turns out that what I thought I wanted, wasn't what I truly wanted or needed for my path.

Not that I am never fatigued- that is not the case at all. But, now I am better able to focus the energy I have where I want it rather than sending it out to places that don't return that energy. For the times I am fatigued and can't really think that well, I have some things to do that are "mindless", but still get me closer to whatever goals I have: cutting apart collage images, throwing in one load of laundry with no intentions of folding or putting it away anytime in the foreseeable future, painting or inking one color of a background, folding/smoothing and putting away the recycling that will work for art supplies (you see where my priorities lie), putting supplies away in my clearly marked, organized studio (crucial for those quick one-step in and out visits), printing collage images, embroidering while on my nice comfy couch while I watch my show or a goofy movie, etc.

You may say to yourself, "but I have a full time job, and she works from home, I can't possibly do this." First, I maintain that TV/lost in internet world/couch time can be spent "doing what you want" (more yoga, dance, other creative pursuits) and that the "5 minute step" gets you closer to completion every time. (Maybe you could take a tiny step of an art project to work and spend 5 minutes of your lunch break on it, for example.)

Through lots of soul searching, worrying about money, etc. I've gone through the following to help our family's income: from a full time OT and 1 class/week belly dance teacher, to part-time OT and full time belly dancer to full time belly dancer and studio owner (primary teacher in many subjects) to Mom and belly dancer to Mom, visual artist, and belly dancer to Mom, visual artist and "mindful spender"/DIY'er (and thinking of maybe possibly teaching a belly dance class soon).

It was never an easy decision to change from one role to another, but each change was preceded by a calling inside me that said "it's time". This subject, especially working less to spend less money (that may sound wrong, but in reality if you spend a lot of time working, then you spend a lot of money for convenience items and child care) and more time with family, making what you need if you can (or acquiring those skills), and using what you have is covered in depth in Radical Homemakers. Part of why I make things is so we don't have to buy them. And I get the satisfaction of making them. If I spend less money, I spend less time shopping and time having to promote my business. Another reason I home school is so I don't have to pay for private tuition (I've posted before why public school is not for us). Even by making gifts for people, I not only get to show appreciation for them through my effort and heart, I don't spend as much money. Personally, I'd rather receive something from someone's heart and hands than a commercially made item. *Note to husband: please do not try to make me a really fancy digital camera so I can post prettier pictures here... *ahem* (yep, I still think about it) ;)

So, to sum up: get more time by cutting out things that don't contribute to what you really want to do; do what you want to do (that you thought you didn't have time for) even if you're tired, you feel guilty, you don't have the perfect set up or amount of time, or you think someone expects you to do something else.

This became a blog post because someone asked me a question on an art swap group I just joined. That's another way I "multi-task". If
someone asks me a question, I use my answer as a post. :) I've wanted to do a
post like this anyway and I will add the books below that have helped me:

A Quilt Block for My Nephew

2011-08-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

This is the quilt block I embroidered for my nephew Harlan's friendship quilt. My siblings and Mom and I made one for Angelo too- I'll have to get a really good picture of it so you can see it too. OK, so we did our individual blocks and my Mom actually _made_ the quilt. :)

As you can see, the quilt will be a Jungle Book theme. I liked that I got a dancing picture. (A dancing bear? Didn't I just talk about a circus theme running through my life?) :) Initially, I was going to do some fabric paint and some embroidery like I did for Angelo's quilt block. But, I got nervous, thinking that if I made a mistake that I'd have to find this picture that my brother-in-law transferred/traced and get it onto a new piece of muslin. I stressed this way over Angelo's block also, but somehow I felt that if I re-transferred what I'd already done, it wasn't as big of a deal. Anyway, I ended up embroidering the whole thing since it was more forgiving with mistakes. Lots of chain stitching, some split stitching and a little running stitching went into this project. All for a very sweet and cute little boy whom I hope to get down to see again soon!! :)

Cirque

2011-08-22T08:01:00.000-04:00

This is a piece I entered in Art Chix's latest challenge, "a trip to the circus". The stamped images are from stamps by Stampfrancisco, the clown on the right is an Art Chix image from their "My Halloween Costume" sheet, now discontinued, I believe; the figures in the foreground are from Tiny Things Are Cute. The background paper I stamped with gold pigment ink and used my sewing machine for some free-form stitches. I painted the cigar box to coordinate with the orange-y red and used a gold Shiva paint stick to edge the front.

Interestingly, I finished this Monday night and in class on Tuesday night, I found out about Lifesize Mouse Trap at the Carnegie Science Center and the Circus Apocolypse Reunion on Wednesday.

Wonderful Work by Ann Wood

2011-08-21T10:26:00.000-04:00

A pirate ship, an owl and some bats. Maybe you can see why these would appeal to me? Even if you can't guess, I'm sure you'll enjoy this lady's work. :) Ann Wood has a blog too!

chillingworth

“A striking evidence of man’s faculty of transforming himself into a devil, if he will only, for a reasonable space of time, undertake a devil’s office.”

bats

A woman drew her long black hair out tight And fiddled whisper music on those strings And bats with baby faces in the violet light Whistled, and beat their wings - T.S.Eliot

Hula Hoops

2011-08-20T13:52:00.000-04:00

elizabeth mitchell - how to make a hoola hoop from You Are My Flower on Vimeo.

Originally, I found this cute video over at Soule Mama. Angelo and I have a couple lightweight drug-store variety hoops and have had some fun with them, but if we decide to get a little more elaborate, and want ones that work better, this is the way to go. I know at least that much from my one hooping workshop. And that, despite being a belly dancer, and lots of people thinking it should be otherwise, that keeping the hoop up on my hips is what I have the most difficulty with. ;)

Pennsic Camp Fun

2011-08-18T10:41:00.000-04:00

Two days of our Pennsic vacation this year were waaaaay too hot, two were a mix of rain (which cut the heat and made a muddy marsh in our tent) and heat and two days were just about perfect. Low humidity, bright blue skies. These are pictures in our camp one of those days. Yes, you do see couches in our common pavilion (the Big Top). Those, the disco ball, and the velvet Elvis painting are our camp signatures... at least what most people remember. Part of what we call "ruining your Medieval experience." ;)

See some fun Angelo dance videos here and here. In the second video, he noted that the disco ball wasn't working. How can a boy dance with no disco ball action?! Somehow, he mustered inspiration from elsewhere. :) The water gun was a well-intentioned gift from a camp mate... not something I'd have chosen myself, but I never set any rules with camp mates (having not expected gifts), so I appreciate the sentiment. ;)

Brizeus Medieval Music

2011-08-17T10:31:00.000-04:00

Some video I shot in the Pennsic Market Place. There have been various configurations of Medieval musicians playing around Pennsic in recent years. Nice running into them on an afternoon. I like the new Market Place stage.

Beautiful Antique Ladies Digital Collage Sheet

2011-08-15T15:37:00.000-04:00

This one is newly listed in the Etsy shop. I've had the collage sheet made for a long time, but had some editing to do so I could list it. Finally, that's done! Some beautiful antique images of elegant ladies for your mixed media/altered art: Click Here

I also re-listed the babies and Mother/Child collage sheets.

Enjoy! :)

A Little Taste of Pennsic

2011-08-12T12:36:00.000-04:00

Some fantastic musicians at Pennsic's Midnight Madness (a night where the merchants stay open until midnight, usually having sales. Music and dance are (again) a regular part of the atmosphere, just like a historical market place). I had a wonderful time dancing to the music these musicians created. One of the many beautiful moments I had that night.

More Pennsic posts to follow...

Pirates RRRRRR Cool

2011-07-26T08:09:00.000-04:00

[Glitterfy.com - *Glitter Photos*]

Clicked this pic before Yoga class on Friday. Thought it was fun and appropriate to Glitterfy it for the blog here. :)

Pennsic is coming up, so I won't be posting every day as I sew and pack. Not sure how many days I'll be there, but I know we're going to be back and forth a bit to save Dana doggie from being without us (ok, ok, me without her) for too long. :)

I should be posting regularly again by mid August, but we will see how long it takes me to recuperate. ;)

If there's anything in particular you'd like to hear about, leave a comment below or send me a message. Or, if you'd like to share anything with me (artwork, homemade tea recipes, doggie pics, etc.), I'd love to hear from you!

Altered Book Beginnings Part 2

2011-07-25T11:47:00.000-04:00

Thought a video would be a nice simple way to show you some more on our altered books. Not planned out, and hopefully quick enough. :)

Altered Book Beginnings

2011-07-24T09:07:00.000-04:00

I thought it would be fun to teach Angelo how to make altered books. He listened carefully while I explained that we only do this to books Mommy says it's ok to alter and repeated it back. :) He was very interested in putting on the coat of white paint after I removed the excess pages. But, I think I had too much of a plan. He wasn't all that interested in doing the crayon resist. Mine is shown with crayon doodles and a water color wash over top. We did do some more work on the book this week, though, and I'm happy about having one place to keep some of his artwork.

Speaking of kids and art, I was excited to find out about BIG magazine (saw this post here first) and Create With Me. I'll have to check them out. Has anyone else out there seen these? What do you think?

I'm also excited about some kid/parent art classes over at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts! Ceramics, jewelry making, finger knitting. I'm considering some classes for myself too. Looks like we'll have plenty to do in the Fall! :)

Bank on It

2011-07-23T08:38:00.000-04:00

Angelo was developing a lot of interest in putting small things through slots, so I pulled this paper mache house out of my supplies for bank making. I cut a small rectangle out for the money slot, put the painters' tape around the top of the bottom piece and helped a tiny bit with putting on the coat of Folk Art's Wicker White (non-toxic). He did the rest of the painting with his washable (non-toxic) paints, and as you can see, he took it a bit further, using himself as a canvas. This is not unusual, so we were prepared. He also stamped on top of his, IMO, wonderful color combinations with his Melissa and Doug dinosaur stamps. Fun and easy project! Now he can have a place to put the change he finds, learn about money values, and develop fine motor skills without losing things down the vent. ;)

Life Belongs to the Living

2011-07-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

"Life belongs to the LIVING, and he who lives MUST be prepared for CHANGES."

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~

I ran across this quote/photo combo on FaceBook, originally posted by LifeSuccess Un-ltd. The photo is by LS Lee and on TrekEarth.com.

Plant Trees

2011-07-21T13:23:00.000-04:00

Photo by Narah Kimberly A. Minardi

“The true meaning of life

is to plant trees, under whose

shade you do not expect to sit.”

Nelson Henderson

The Sight of the Stars Makes Me Dream

2011-07-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

Otherwise known as Sparkle Princess, this piece was made for a challenge over at Retro Cafe Art Gallery. The challenge was to use their masonite accessories... which I can't find online anymore? Anyway, the crown is what I used in this one. I also used their Hello Dolly Green collage sheet. It is all set into a painted cigar box. Mica with embossed stamped flowers gives the look of lace under her. The silver stars are stenciled using heavy bodied acrylic. The pink doggie in his house was a free gift with my order from Tiny Things are Cute. I wrapped rayon thread around the miniature wooden spools. The diminutive phone book, which I got at Big Lots for $0.10, is by Jolee's for You.

So, I had this all ready, except for a spelling error on the text. Since it was so close to being done and the deadline was a bit away, I left fixing it until the 17th-the challenge dead line... only the deadline was actually the 15th. *Slaps forehead* Doh!

At least I get to share it with you! :)

Remember to leave a comment on Monday's post to enter for a chance to win the collaged cards. Today is the last day for comments. They are blank cards inside so you can include your own message to send to friends and family or frame to keep for yourself.

Our Neighborhood Park Parts 2 and 3

2011-07-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

Making friends at the playground. He especially had fun helping the baby walk and get on equipment. :)

Climbing way up!

These were from trips to the playground portion of our park back when it started getting hot.

Independence Day petting zoo! There were also bounce house style "rides" (really large inflatable places to climb, slide and jump), and had we been there longer, definitely would have taken advantage of it. Getting out of the house into the car is getting a little easier, but it is still a challenge...

Cautiously checking out the turkey. It was very calm. Guess this is its day job.

Playing with a kid. :) Oh my, the baby goats were killing me they were so cute!!!

I'm feeling very grateful that this park is so close and has so much going on. We've been more active and out and about here, which is something I'd hoped for with the move.

Don't forget to comment on yesterday's post to enter to win a set of my collaged cards! You have until Wednesday. :)

Collaged Cards Give Away!!

2011-07-18T09:08:00.000-04:00

The cards have it! :) Vinegar and Glitter is celebrating over 5,000 page views and we're having a give-away! The hand collaged original mixed media art cards (blank greeting cards) are pictured below:

Keep these original, hand-collaged cards for yourself- you can even frame them- or send it along to a loved one. Either way, enjoy the inspiration that comes along with it.

The card measures approximately 5 ¼ ‘ x 6” and is blank inside so you can include your own message. Each card and envelope come in a plastic sleeve and will be packed with care to insure it arrives safely.

To enter to win, simply leave a comment below (Face Book comments do not count, must be here on the blog.) I'll randomly pick a winner and announce later in the week. You have until Tuesday evening to comment. Tell your friends! :)

Good luck!

Healing Mudras

2011-07-17T07:52:00.000-04:00

About 5 years ago, I found my copy of this book in a used book store. I leafed through it quite a bit over the years and was always impressed with the possibilities; healing yourself by reciting mantras and holding your hands in different positions. Probably every time, I said to myself, "I've got to start using this". Not sure why I waited...

Now that I've begun, I'm feeling really good about taking care of myself in this way. Angelo even meditated and chanted with me today! We repeated the mantra many times and he was very engaged, despite being tired (why we were meditating in the first place... no more nap time here since he's stopped staying in bed.)

It really is a well-laid-out book. None of the hand positions are really complicated and not even all the mudras have a corresponding mantra, so if that part is intimidating, you can just start with the hand positions and deep breaths for a few minutes.

3-6 minutes a day sounds like an attainable goal to me. :)

A Place to Run To

2011-07-16T10:18:00.000-04:00

Monday, I was here, drinking an iced decaf non-fat latte and writing blog posts. Having been at home for obviously too long, this was a good place to "run away" to. Initially, I was on my way to Barnes and Noble, but then I remembered how I had trouble finding their art/craft section and there was that guy who kept asking me where I lived and if I was at the store often (he didn't work there, but my constant references to my husband, son, dog, etc. didn't deter him).

Running to Barnes and Noble when I need a quick break was an old habit I had in WV. I'm glad I remembered on the way that this was "just around the corner" (again). Local places are so much better! :)

Baby in a Book

2011-07-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

This little cutie is from my collection of antique/vintage photos. The book is one I started for my Altered Book Workshop in Charleston. The card with the baby and quote I started at the first Mixed Media Collage workshop- a phone book page, pigment ink, stenciled background.

You can find the antique/vintage image on my Babies Collage Sheet in my Etsy Store, along with 7 other darlings! :)

Have a great weekend! :)

Glitter Witch

2011-07-14T10:32:00.000-04:00

[Glitterfy.com - *Glitter Photos*]

This is a vintage photo I altered. Glitter effect by above link.

Happy Thursday!!

Our Pirate Adventure

2011-07-13T09:12:00.000-04:00

We went to the Dora's Pirate Adventures show at the Pittsburgh Children's Museum.

First, the play area was open with dress up and pirate hat making... no picture of the hat, but he's worn it on other occasions.

We found some "booty" on the side of the road. Really cool old trunks. Not sure where they're going to go, but couldn't pass them up. As the sign says, the price was right.

Waiting for the show with a proper hat. Went back to walk the doggie in between play time and show time. (First show was sold out.)

We've read the Magic Tree House Pirates Past Noon and the research guide, an informative pop-up "I wish I could be a Pirate" book, this Pirates book (at least a good bit of it. It's long.) and The Night Pirates(which we just adore! Thank you, Joanna and Bella!) We also have several dress up pirate options at home. So, going to this show was a natural following. :)

Apron number 2

2011-07-12T08:38:00.000-04:00

Amy Karol has an apron blog, Tie One On. She suggests themes for aprons, people make them and she posts the pictures in her Flickr group. This is the first time I've made the deadline (since she extended it and she's on the West coast. ha ha!) and the 2nd apron I've actually made with my hands. There are a few designs in my head from other themes she's presented.

This theme was Story book aprons. This one above is from a book called "Go Away, Stay Away" about villagers who join together to rid themselves of demons and goblins and such that cause their misfortunes. Kali actually gave me the book for altering purposes- thank you, Kali!! :)

What is it about aprons? I like them. How about you?

Painting Small Cuties

2011-07-11T16:06:00.000-04:00

Just signed up for this workshop with Suzi Blu and I am sooooooo excited!!!! What fun!! Stay tuned for Angelo and Dana paintings!! :)

Oh, and in other news, I am now over 5,000 page views on this blog!! Yes, really!! How exciting!! Do you think it's time for a give-away to celebrate? If you do, comment below and tell me if it should be a belly dance DVD or a set of collaged cards.

Have a great day!! :)

Our Neighborhood Park Part 1

2011-07-10T11:05:00.000-04:00

These photos are from the Earth Day celebration in April at the park a few turns from here. It was really nice to be able to go to this family friendly event with our whole family for free and that the focus was right up our alley. Angelo enjoyed crafting with the Girl Scouts, and I was especially proud when, after painting with the paint they'd provided, he asked if they had any water colors. That's my little mixed-media artist! :)

(I found that picture CD! Catch up post 1 complete! :)

Fun Collage Project

2011-07-09T11:00:00.000-04:00

This looks like such a fun project! Traci's book, Collage Unleashed, was one of the first books I got when I decided to look further into visual arts, and found it so exciting! The crayon cupcakes mentioned here, the corrosponding wax abstracts, and some monoprints in my stash were inspired by her book and so was the above dyed paper towel. Maybe they'll end up on a journal cover! :) (My Naturopath Dr. recommended journaling, as did a medium I saw in August. Something I did a lot more of in the past and obviously should do now...)

Please let me know if you try this project! You can comment below or email me. (I'm tricking those darn bots and directing you to my website for my email address. Much less spam that way. :)

Have a great weekend!

Visits to the Naturopath

2011-07-08T13:56:00.000-04:00

I went to the Naturopath here in our neighborhood. Before the first visit, it took about 2 hours to fill out the paperwork. The process was actually really cathartic- like a therapy session that allowed me to tell my entire story regarding my physical, emotional and spiritual self.

After the free 30 minute consultation, I was feeling hopeful that some of my current issues would be resolved more thoroughly than I anticipated and at the same time a little concerned that I would have to radically change my diet again and only be able to eat rice. (Not the case regarding the second, fortunately.)

It was one of those "block out 3 hours for the evaluation" and it took 4 things. That's not a bad thing, though. IMO, a much better approach than checking in with someone who has allotted 3 minutes for you and rushes to prescribe a pill or surgery.

After the seemingly magical evaluation that involved a computer, an electric probe, and accupressure points on my hand, I was surprised to find out some of the things I was sensitive and reacting to- cats, formaldehyde (hello anatomy and neurology lab- you were more than just creepy!), carragean. At the same time, I was not really surprised since many of the things I already knew I reacted to and avoided-mold/dust, gluten. Or things I cut out just because I knew they were "bad"- msg, aspartame. Now I know they are specifically "bad" for me.

After a chiropractic evaluation and adjustment, some manual accupressure point checks, lots of questions regarding my whole self, he came up with a plan that I can really get on board with. One thing I was really impressed with was the homeopathic remedy he prescribed. The profile described me to a T. Very interesting, a little spooky and very confidence-building.

Though kind of overwhelming, I'm glad this route addresses the root cause of the issues and not just the symptoms or a disease. And that the solutions don't come with a list of crazy side-effects.

Hmm... and I thought I was going in for a detoxifying foot bath...

Has anyone else had experience seeing a Naturopath? I'd be really interested in hearing about your process.

Paper Cloth

2011-07-07T13:17:00.000-04:00

This is paper cloth. Kelli Perkins, author of "Stitch Alchemy" developed this method of gluing tissue paper, bits of paper to fabric; adding paint, ink and stitch to cloth. The end product can then be stitched up into a bag or pillow or hopefully a tiny dress. That's the plan I have for at least some of this paper cloth I made. After eyeing it for years, finally this book made it into my collection thanks to a damaged book sale. Wow, is it inspiring! Kelli's method of explaining is totally meshing with how I'm operating right now; not so many recipes and explicit directions, but plenty of examples and suggestions. If you are brand new to mixed media and don't know how some of the materials work or where to get them and want more concrete directions, this may not be the book to start with, but definitely add it to your list for later on. If you know some basics and want major inspiration, I highly recommend it right now!

(BTW, the "ingredients" in my paper cloth are: muslin, watered down tacky glue, pattern tissue, antique book pages, other book pages, Eco paint [tomato red= pink and pumpkin] mixed with gel medium, scraped Ranger Rainbow ink, sprayed mica ink, gesso stamped with a plastic bottle cap and machine stitching. So fun to play with!!!)

We Are Fish in a Sea of Spirit

2011-07-06T14:26:00.000-04:00

Hoping you find these images inspiring! I know I'm not the only one who loves Mermaids and Fairies, so I hope you enjoy these! :)

Listed here in my Etsy store.

Listed here in my Etsy store.

You can *heart* my store and favorite your favorites on Etsy. So, if you like them, please do! :)

Once I find the right picture CD, I have some catch up posts to do. Used my Cannon film camera for a while since my digital camera card was broken.

Hope you had a Happy Independence Day!

Zombie Shrine

2011-07-01T13:48:00.000-04:00

My camera really didn't want to take pictures of this art I created this morning. Perhaps it was scared. ;)
So, I took some video on my phone. This way you get to see some of the angles that would be hard to get with a still picture too. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but I had fun!! :)

The ATC shrine is from Retro Cafe. Oh, the number of alterables on my wish list from there!
The mini zombies are from Tiny Things Are Cute. So much fun stuff in miniature! Who knew?! :)

This was just for fun, though the zombie sisters are on my altered Halloween collage sheet. :)

Do you love Halloween as much as I do? Do you have any projects in mind for the impending Hallow-day? :)

More items Up in the Etsy Store!

2011-06-29T23:40:00.000-04:00

Not even a year ago I got to 9 listings in my shop and stopped because so much was going on. Now, I have twice as many, and even though that's not a lot compared to most Etsy shops, I'm definitely doing the happy dance. :) Here are all my current listings if you'd like to take a look, and I hope you do! :D

More Fairy Children and Inspirational quotes:
(all images copyright 2011 Narah Kimberly Minardi. All rights reserved.)

And Green Tara journals to inspire you. It was wonderful spending some time with this wonderful Goddess. :)

With luck, I'll get some hand collaged cards listed. :)

Antique Fairy Toddler Journal 1

2011-06-28T14:12:00.000-04:00

Whee!!! I'm so excited!! Officially, my first piece of original art (except for my altered digital images) is listed on Etsy!!

It was so good for me to focus on making a volume of work with a deadline. Not only does working with my hands keep me sane, now I have a respectable amount of items to put in my long neglected Etsy shop.

This little one is just so adorable, I had to save the image for just the right time. Another exciting thing about making these journals (more to come), is that I got to use my new Eco friendly paint. Having a little guy around means that I eliminated a lot of paint because it did not specifically say "non-toxic". These Eco-green acrylic paints have to be shaken well and are a little less viscose than I expected, but are so nice to work with. The colors are a bit different than expected, but with the whole differences in computer screens and there only being a "drawing" of the paint pictured, that's ok with me. And just because they are different than expected doesn't mean I didn't really love working with them. This persimmon and copper combo was just wonderful to experience. The fairy wings are made with a computer print out from a digitally altered scanned piece of wax paper I sprayed with ink.

Anyway, thanks for looking! I'll be back soon. That first listing took a long time, but hopefully the rest will go more quickly. :)

Art Selling Experience

2011-06-27T15:18:00.000-04:00

Not a suburb picture, but I wanted to share my table with you from the Spirit Fair at Sterling Yoga. Lots of thinking and planning went into this little table. A couple of Angels even came by the night before and helped me finish up the trimming, tagging, sleeving and set up run-through. Really, if my new friends (I'll explain in a minute) Michael and *Michaela had not come to my rescue, I would have been selling my art for the first time on only a few hours of sleep... and me on a few hours of sleep can mean seriously bad things.

A friend of ours came to visit on Saturday- Bill. Bill has many friends and went to see some at an SCA event on Saturday. Michael and Michaela, who are book binders, joined us back at the house. Yes, that's right; two people who had never been to our house, one of whom I'd never met, and who know paper and truly understand the artistic process (including selling said art), paid a visit the night I was working every possible minute to get my wares ready for my first art vending experience. They generously helped me finish so I could go to bed hours earlier than I would have been able to doing it all by myself. Plus, we got to talk about art!! I have to give a big THANK YOU to the Universe for that!!

BTW, I just love what *Michaela does with her photography- specializing in celebrating and honoring the beauty in all people, regardless of whether they fit the "standard" model of beauty.

My collage sheets are re-listed in my Etsy shop. Once I get the rest of the cards, journals and jewelry scanned/photoed, they will be up there too. There are some fairies (both elegant and adorable), beautiful mermaids and inspiring Deities just waiting for you. Only a few of our belly dance instructional DVD's are left, but several of the performance DVD's are still in stock. Does anyone know if I would be allowed to list those on Etsy since I did all the pre-production work, some of the filming and assisted in editing? My husband did the rest of the technical work and he's not listed on my store... not sure if I can add him now. My sister is also featured in two videos and my students in the other.

Also, you may have noticed that the blog has a new name: Vinegar and Glitter!! I'm super excited about the personalization, and have a new website, which is far from finished, that will help people find me on my major websites.

Happy Monday!

Spirit Fair This Sunday!!!

2011-06-24T00:41:00.000-04:00

So looking forward to this!! I'll be vending hand made original mixed media art cards and journals, jewelry and belly dance DVD's. Come see me!! Get a reading, some Reiki and some Inspirational Goodies to take with you!! See you Sunday!!!

Be Back Soon!

2011-06-21T12:26:00.000-04:00

I need to take a little blog break. The Spirit Faire at Sterling Yoga is this Sunday and I'm working very hard to get everything done in time. :) Come see me in Dormont!!

Also, the laptop has been cranky and sluggish, so is off to 'ospital. Hopefully she'll be back soon. I'll definitely post again by Monday, June 27th. See you then! :)

North African Beauty

2011-06-18T10:50:00.000-04:00

This picture was taken in August of 2010 in our Pennsic tent. It was for my friend Asim's birthday, and I was hoping to give it to him there, but either we missed each other (I left early because of the intense heat) or he was not there. Then there was the beach vacation, house-selling, art retreat and moving chaos. The card finally re-surfaced and made it into the mail. Hopefully, he has already opened it and doesn't happen to look here first. ;)

I just love the image of this beautiful lady and find her so inspiring. Stamped hand made collage paper and other decorative paper, ink, stamped image from Stampfrancisco, small dictionary definitions: beautiful, beauty, etc; fabric scrap, fiber, metal beads, and sanded edges on a pre-made card all went into this piece.

Hope you are having a lovely weekend!

This Bird Has a Song

2011-06-16T22:00:00.000-04:00

This little canvas was originally for an Art Chix challenge, but I chose to enter other pieces instead. Then, it was going to be a present for my Mom, but she already has so many things I've given her to hang or sit around, I went with something practical for her- altered clothespins. Then, it persuaded me to stay here and now it lives on our shelf in the kitchen. :)

Acrylic paint, gold pigment ink, laser printed transparancy, collage image by Alpha Stamps, copper ribbon, re-used bottle cap, circle inchie by Digital Collage Sheets, Distress ink, computer generated text outlined in long vine charcoal and antique lace make up this piece's materials.

Somewhere, I read that birds symbolize the soul; nests, the home and security; and eggs fertility and nurturance. My husband wondered "what's with all the birds"? When he saw the many birds showing up in a particular series of my work. At first, all I could think was, "it's just calling to me." Then, I remembered that thing I read. Feels right. :)

What is your song? What is calling you? I would love to hear from you- comment below or drop me a line on Face Book.

Make Your Own Laundry Soap

2011-06-15T13:32:00.000-04:00

After running out of our last bottle of 7th Generation laundry detergent and using our Citrus Magic Fine Wash for a couple of loads, I decided to finally try making my own laundry soap. "Make Your Place" and Soule Mama both use the same ingredients, but I used Soule Mama's proportions since she had 4 children at the time of the post (5 now) and the MYP proportions suggested it would wash 3 loads. The Kirk's soap acts a bit differently than Dr. Bronner's, so I'm hoping that it will still wash well. Though all that grating made my hand a bit tired, it was exciting to make this "on my own". Angelo is always available to stir and pour, as long as he's awake, of course. It took a bit of convincing to keep Salty and Thomas the trains out of the mix, though. ;) A load is spinning now, and probably for the first time ever, I'm wishing I had more laundry to test this out on. That alone worth making my own laundry soap!

Where I got what:

Baking Soda - Mountain People's Co-op

Washing Soda/Soda Ash- Dharma Trading Company (left over from some dying projects... I believe Amazon also sells it if you can't find it locally)

Borax- Rose Mountain Herbs (Angry Chicken, who is awesome about sharing all kinds of information has a link here. If you buy something, go through the link and pass on the love. :)

Castile Soap ihealthtree (haven't found any local non fish children's DHA, so went ahead and ordered this for efficiency, but most health food stores will carry castile bar soap...)

BTW, SM mentions using 1/8 cup per load. That's about 2 TBS. I have an extra TBS measuring spoon, and it seemed to be useful in getting the powder out of the jar. Also, before mixing all this up, I looked up whether it was safe for high efficiency machines and because it is low-sudsing, it is safe.

If you have already made your own laundry soap/powder or try this out on your own, please let me know what your results are. I'll keep you posted on our results here.

Happy laundry day!

Six Mermaids

2011-06-13T23:55:00.001-04:00

These are for the latest Art Chix ATC swap. Oil pencil, water colors and Twinkling H2O's make up the background. Art Chix's Classic Nudes are the subjects with my own drawn in/cut out mermaid tails. Shells are from a vintage educational book. Netting is mica sprayed cheese cloth. Other supplies: Stickles, pigment ink, computer generated text, colored pencil.

New Art Contest

2011-06-11T23:14:00.000-04:00

So, this looks fun! Found their site via Gerri Herbst's blog, It's all Treasure. I'm very excited to get my accessories and get started!

Assemblage Art

2011-06-10T19:23:00.000-04:00

Here she is! This is the shrine mentioned in this post. Collage and Assemblage Art go hand-in-hand when I picture pieces that I'll make, though that is not the case with everyone. Almost all forms of Mixed Media Art and Altered Art appeal to me, however they go together. Because I got to use these "smalls" (term I picked up from "American Pickers"; LOVE that show!!) and their quantity outweighed the collage elements, I am categorizing this as Assemblage Art. In truth, these forms all flow together for me. Over at Craftcast, I listened to a great podcast featuring assemblage artist Keith Lo Bue. He got to see an installation by Joseph Cornell, a pioneer in the form. I really related to how inspired he got by found objects, antiques, etc.

My apologies for the craptacular framing of these pictures. When I got a chance to take some pictures in good light, it was also during my afternoon fog and after a while, I lost patience. I've been trying to get to know my camera better so I can take better pictures, but I can't help longing for an uber digital camera ... a gal can dream. ;)

Quick run down of how this went together: started with a cigar box and removed the lid and inside paper. Added a layer of white gesso on the outside, thicker in some places than others, letting some of the paper show through. Glued a torn piece of sheet music to the inside of the box. Painted the inside with heavy bodied acrylic and the outside with water soluble oil pastels (blended with a damp brush). The inner frame, I cut foam board to size and coated with matte medium, and let it dry (helps prevent warping) then covered with rice paper, painted with the same blue water soluble oil pastels and damp brush, sponged/streaked dye based ink (Ranger Rainbow ink) over that because the effect just wasn't as nice on the rice paper; then glued together with tacky glue. Used an antique gold Shiva paint stik around the edges of the box and the frame. Glued most objects in with E6000, but used tacky glue on the magic wand (stick and wooden star ["Distress" inked and added a layer of Shiva antique gold] ... I knew that tiny stick would come in handy). Blocks were sanded and inked. Paper behind the dolly is from a 1910? pharmacy booklet. For the bunting at the top, I drew triangles on sheet music and cut out, poked holes with a needle tool and threaded a string from a tea bag.

Making the inner frame was a new technique for me. So, a few days went by between the familiar painting and gluing stage and the final stage of the frame. I was most intimidated by covering the foam board with rice paper because I imaged it a more precise process than it actually was. It was also incredibly satisfying ... how can I describe the feeling of tacky glue grabbing the rice paper and becoming one? Hmmm... you'll just have to try it yourself. I'm sure you'll be glad you did. :)

Let me know what you think of the shrine- I'd love some feedback!!

Also, if you aren't already officially following the blog, please click the "Follow" button to the right. If you don't already have a Google account, you'll need to create one, but it is quick and painless. Any (valid) email address will do.

Have a great weekend!!

In the Backyard

2011-06-08T11:00:00.001-04:00

There have been some bright beautiful days outside lately. Someone else planted the flowers, but the I'm responsible for the tomato? plants and the boy. :)

Hope you are enjoying your surroundings as well! Happy Wednesday!!

Mermaid in Blue

2011-06-06T19:00:00.000-04:00

I entered this work in progress in the Art Chix Blue challenge. It usually lives in my kitchen, even though I still want to add to it and frame it out somehow. Maybe I'll glue it to a painted canvas or block of wood... I'll let you know. :)

Currently working on items for the Spirit Faire at Sterling Yoga and an "Alter to Healing" inspired by the card I picked from the "Intention Deck" Sherri Gaynor's Book. My muse kept telling me to make a shrine anyway. Surely, she helped me pick that card as well. :)

In the Craftcast episode I mentioned last time, this TED talk was mentioned. Having already watched/listened to this a few months ago, and already read the book, I was particularly excited hearing about it again. Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love talks about nurturing creativity, the creative process and how everyone has a "genius" rather than people being geniuses. It is incredibly inspiring and I hope you'll take a look/listen. Totally worth the time and then some!! Please let me know what you think of it, also! I appreciate comments here on the blog so much!

Thanks for reading!