Pirates RRRRRR Cool

[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

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

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

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

"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

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

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

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!!

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

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

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

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

[Glitterfy.com - *Glitter Photos*]

Altered Photo copyright 2010 Narah Kimberly Minardi. All Rights Reserved.

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

Happy Thursday!! 

:)

Our Pirate Adventure

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

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

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

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

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

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

 Image Copyright 2011 Narah Kimberly A. Minardi All Rights Reserved

 Image Copyright 2011 Narah Kimberly A. Minardi All Rights Reserved

 Image Copyright 2011 Narah Kimberly A. Minardi All Rights Reserved

Image Copyright 2011 Narah Kimberly A. Minardi All Rights Reserved

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!!!)