Nigel's Mom is Closing

I have reached the end of my blogging road. I have been busy with Pinterest and Polyvore which are more appropriately suited to my particular tastes. My one reader may follow me there to discover what I am pinning. One day soon after I export what I have here, I will delete this blog. It was fun but time to move on. Life does not stand still, does it?

I may take Christy's class beginning in June which is designed to help one find their inner artistic self. I say 'may' only because I will be away that month so not sure how that will play out but it could be possible. I am not planning on taking computer with me though to where I am going. Christy is the one that helped me discover so much fun with "she art". I recommend her classes. She is very sweet.

So long and happy blogging! See you around cyberspace.

Gambian Rat?



Source

Did you see where there is a problem with these rats in the Florida Keys? Supposedly, they are 'cat sized' which got me to thinking. (I hear you mumbling "Oh no!" under your breath.) Wonder what one of my boys would do if he encountered one of these giant rats? I think it would be something like the encounter of horror when the opossum tried and succeeded in eating their cat food. 'Possums look somewhat like rats, right? Then, there was that other confrontation with a miffed raccoon that threw a cat food dish at me because he found it empty. His anger was personally directed at me though and not at my boys since I was the one falling down on the job by not generously supplying all wildlife in the area with plated up food. Regardless of the reaction, I am hoping those rats do not travel this far west. While I respect and value all life, that does not mean I want to live in close proximity to it all. ;)

She Delighted in the Twilight

I just finished my 4th she art piece. This one is done in purple and yellow. It is for my sister. She delights in twilight. Well, we both do. I will be making more. I have discovered it takes me about a week to complete one from start to finish. I will continue to make more until I run out of ideas. I still have a few ideas left to explore. I enjoy making them so much. When I no longer enjoy making them, I will stop. Isn't that how it is supposed to work?

Tulle Fantasies

I have been doing a lot of dress making lately...of various kinds.

First of all, do you just wig out when you find something that you completely, totally, fabulously love? I do. When I love something, I can just wallow in it, roll around in it, slather it on, sink into it, and anything else I can think of to do with it. I suppose I am somewhat hedonistic that way. I so love the fabric tulle. Tulle is angel's breath for me. I can feel kind of blue, blah, hohum, whatever then see tulle and the sun blindingly shines! I love myself some tulle! Well, I had myself my first tulle sewing experience. Needless to say, I was in some kind of tulle induced fantasy all during the while of it. I am not going to include any pictures here but I will in oh, say, about a month. In a month, we are having a big party of sorts and tulle will flow! Yay for tulle!

Then, there are these other wee, paper dresses. I have been working on another background all week. This one is big, 18 x 24. Now, it is beginning to look small. What is wrong with me? Am I trying to take over the world with these she art things? This is kind of rare for me. Well, not really come to think of it. I suppose I have always been a bit rabid about stuff I like. (ie. cats, for example and uh, what was I just saying about tulle?)

Okay, tonight I declared the background complete enough to start putting a girl into the scene. She had to be big. Problem. What to cut her out of? A tarp? A bed sheet? She would not fit on a 16 x 16 piece of paper but I got most of her on it. I feel kind of like Dr. Frankenstein making a girl out of parts. Here I am working my Frankenstein skills.

Then, here I am continuing with my Dr. Frankenstein internship.

She is turning into a real girl or at least, a reasonable fascimile of one. Now, time to try her out in her new environment. Will she fit or is she the 90 foot woman?

Looks like she will fit well! She has to stay there in a state of undress until later. Making those wee dresses is complicated, time consuming and I just was not up to the task tonight. Plus, I have not quite decided what her dress will look like. Hello! What about some tulle??? I did have another thought too...a hat on one of these girls could be superb! But not this girl. This girl is not the hat type. This girl is definitely the hair type...she will rock some hair! Wonder what her words will say? This is so much fun for me. It is a perfect fit for me which is extremely rare. I have always been the proverbial square peg but not this time.

Random

Today, I was stopped at a long, red light and got a picture through my windshield of this office building/condominium modern flat iron building. I really love the architecture of it. I would love to live in a building like that one although it would be more than slightly out of my price range. Still, I can appreciate it, right?

Then, last night I was going home from a class that I attend on Tuesday nights when I spontaneously decided to locate this beautiful church that I always see from high atop the highest bridge on the freeway. It really is beautiful and very old plus quite large. I have worked within two miles of it for the past 25 years but this was the first time I have driven over to see it.

Purple and ....

Someone's favorite color combination is purple and gold. Those are regal colors. Add some green and you have a little Mardi Gras happening. This has kind of a Mardi Gras appearance now. Do you think I have enough layers on here yet? I do not think I do. Yeah, it definitely needs more paint.

Purple is Popular

I recently started another background. I took a little poll of women's favorite color combinations. Thank you to everyone who replied. Purple seems to be the overwhelmingly favored color of most women I know. Odd thing is that not one woman had the same preference for an accent color to compliment/contrast it. That is the fun part. Although I may make many purple backgrounds, not one will have the same She Art dress color. Can you tell from the picture that the canvases are getting bigger? I am having too much fun with this. This is the barest background that I am just awaiting to dry so I can layer on some more 'stuff'. It needs lots more 'stuff'.

She Art Secret

Would you like to know the real secret to my she art designs? Would you like to know how I come up with my ideas to make them just so 'je ne sais quoi'?

Well, here is the secret. My little moon and stars whispers the words to me to make them just so. I could not make them without him. I could not do anything without him.

And yes, he is lying on the kitchen table.

Rome is Open!

Well, my most recent she art piece has been declared complete and I am already off onto another one. I am truly addicted to these things. I find their creation to be therapeutic. While I am making them, I find myself thinking about the person that I am making them for which is either myself or someone I love. My mind takes me to all kinds of places and times. I think of that person and what makes them unique. What words will I use to describe them? It is so much fun for me because I grew up in a house full of female complexity. I have a deep appreciation for all things feminine.

Then, I got to thinking this morning...wonder what 'he art' would be like? Should I give it a try? Is there such a thing already? I googled it but only 'heart' stuff returned since it is the same letters, naturally. I do not see this type of art piece appealing to every man but it definitely would appeal to the type men I am apt to befriend. I may give it a try.

And here is my latest piece for my niece, Andrea. Is it a worthy depiction of the girl that means the world to me? I hope it is. I know the picture of it is not worthy but I hope it is adequate enough that you get the general idea.

Rome Wasn't Built In a Day Nor Was She Art

This new craft I have found is right up my alley for a couple of reasons. I have a love for paper dolls that goes back to the beginning. Paper dolls were my niche. I have gotten so many hours of fun out of paper dolls; all kinds of them too from home made to punch out to Barbie to any other kind imaginable. They had lots of fun traits. I liked the portableness of them. I could have a doll hidden on me almost anywhere that I might be able to sneak out and get some play out of it. Plus, they allowed my imagination to run wild especially the home made ones. I could make her be anything I wanted her to be; make her look like anyone I wanted her to look like. Yes, it was tons of fun.

Guess what? It still is tons of fun. I am doing the same thing now that I did then in that I am building these little girls from scratch. They start out naked then, I make them a wardrobe finally ending up in an environment that I created. Loads of fun, really. Plus, the second reason this new craft is right up my alley is because I have been able to incorporate the loads of stencils I own from way back when I was stenciling anything that would be still. My house still bears the scars of some of my stenciling craze.

Even though this is loads of fun, it is not as easy as it might look. Well, it might be easy for you but I am not that crafty myself. I struggle but I have fun struggling. Making one of these she art girl's dresses is just like sewing a dress with a pattern that you design yourself. I am getting another one closer to the finished product but I still have several steps remaining. Here are the tasks I worked on tonight.

Assembling my girl's dress
 but it is not ready for her yet.

My poor girl is naked but she has her shoes on!
 Plus, she doesn't have a good head on her shoulders.
 Notice she doesn't tan where she doesn't have to. ;)



Filing through some stencils.
Yay, I can use them again!

 Maybe in the next post, my girl will have her head on straight and be dressed properly.

Waiting to Dry

I am working on a background. This glue is taking longer to dry than it normally takes. Therefore, I am in wait mode. This background is not even near to being finished and I have not even started on the girl yet. This one is going to be uber pretty. Who would have ever thought London in green and gold would have made a great combination? Are you looking forward to seeing the 'she art' girl? I am looking forward to creating her.

Too Much Play

This is what happens when you have been playing too much ball. Sheer exhaustion. What a pitiful little kitten.