what's in a name?

i've been visiting hundreds of blogs since the start of owoh

and have noticed many people wondering about

how their blog got it's name

most of my regular bloggers are friends ,

so they know the answer or i've never asked

my website is all pulped out

i've always loved paper and started making

papier mache in the early '90's

i was making a lot of home decor items and

was enjoying it very much

i made my own pulp, sculpted each item, added wire ,

painted or decoupage

by '96 i was attending a huge craft show

and needed to make a ton

so i invited all my girlfriends to my house for a "margarita" party

and asked them each to bring a blender

well before you knew it, drinks and pulp where flying everywhere

at the end of the nite i was taking a break

and one of my friends said

"hey, get back to work" and i replied "i'm all pulped out"

and she said "that's it! that's your name!"

since then my art has evolved , working on collage,

mixed media ,assemblage and jewelry

i've taken many classes, here in toronto, at

art and soul , and art unraveled

so when i started my blog i called it

the evolution of nancy

lately i've been concentrating on my digital work and encaustic

i promised on my owoh giveaway that i would make 150 art cards

and something special for all my followers

well, out came the paper and i started to collage again

i'm so happy to be knee deep in paper and covered with glue!

the above is one of a series called "countries roads"

finding my muse

i need to find my creative muse, agnes

she usually shows up around the full moon

but i can't wait that long

i need to make 150 cards to send out

to my owoh blogger friends

the gypsy caravan list is up over 680

i wish i could make that many cards

i've spent a lot of time

surfing through all their blogs

and now need to quite my mind, find agnes

and get to work on some cards

i'm glad its snowing

now i have no excuses

above is a photo that

takes me to a peaceful place

it's the lonely cyprus tree

on the number one hwy

just south of carmel, ca

encaustic class

i worked on several projects today

trying to learn some patience!

above is a background done mostly by

my teacher mona, as a demo

showing me how to create a multi colored

textured background using hot and cold wax

i will try to add a photo transfer to this one

we're not sure if it will work out

due to the chemicals in the cold wax

but that's what the class is for

experimenting

another one of my projects
not sure if it is done
but don't know what it needs?
the background is a map then
a photo transfer and some black wax
to fill in the rest
i'll work on it some more
when i find out what it's missing

tomorrows class

last week was my first day back to school

i'm taking the same encaustic class as last year

12 weeks, three hour classes

i just felt i need more time with the medium before

moving on to something else

that's what i usually do

i have to know how something is done

but the more i researched the more i realize

i've just touched the surface of what can be done with wax

looking through my "texture" file

gave me some great ideas for

some experiments in class tomorrow

not sure how it will work out but i'd like to try

the one above is from a picture of a metal door

i found on queen st. west

played a little in ps

and added one of my photos on top

i have three projects to finish from last week

so i hoping to at least start working on this

i'll let you know tomorrow what i've done

another day

one goal i set for 2009

was to spend more time on the computer

since the start of owoh

i've done just that

hours spent looking at so many wonderful blogs

getting lost in "links"

learning about so many people, foreign lands,

seeing some fabulous art, discovering new things,

new music and lots and lots of widgets!

i hope i have a chance to get to all the participants

above is another project in ps

the background is a picture of my hot plate

that i use in my encaustic class

i enhanced the b/c and warped it alittle

i thought it make a cool sky

so i added my beach trees on top

tried a million things to it but liked it just this simple

decompressing

i'm still overwhelmed with all the responses

from everyone participating in owoh

so to clear my head

i went for a walk on the beach

yes , i know it's -12c

but it cleared my mind

i got a good dose of vitium d

and the sound of the waves, soothed me

and i managed to get some great tree photos

when i got home i played in ps

i used a texture, a film strip frame,

some text and one of my tree photos

layered and played with the blending modes

so to clear so when i gotwhen whenwhei got h texture, my photo

and a film strip frame

one world, big heart!

yesterday i posted for owoh

went out all day

came home and checked my blog

and i had over 60 comments

WOW

that was the first day

it took me all night to go through every one!

then visit their blogs and i haven't

been to owoh links list yet!

everyone has been so kind with their comments

i will be blessed with some wonderful friends

i'd better get to work

i promised everyone at least an art card!

(i decided to add a limit of 150 only after i did the math)

(i my have to enlist the help of my friends)
thank goodness i have 3 weeks

it will help get me through this crazy winter!

one world one heart

well today is the day
where bloggers get to meet new friends
so to all my new friends
thanks for stopping by
and i hope you enjoy
please add a comment below
with your link so i can visit you

this is the prize to drawn on feb.12th
i think everyone deserves a prize
so i'm working on some hand made art cards
as a thank-you to all (limit 150 cards to be made)
also, anyone who adds to my "followers"
will be added to my links list
thanks again, nancy

link back to my main page

link to my photograpy

some of my art

my jewelry

waiting for spring

during this deep freeze

i've been dreaming of my garden

because i work from home

i really don't have to go outside

i don't mind hibernating

i get a lot done in the house

cleaning and purging

organizing and re-organizing

my taxes are ready to go

i even have time to take up sketching again

only 62 more days 'til spring!

urban art

another found collage

so simple but effective

with just a click of a button and a

a simple group of posters becomes

and eerie image

and an added ttv

found collage

while wondering the streets yesterday after class

against the white backdrop of the piles of snow

i noticed a lot of "urban decay"

it seems that no surface is sacred

above is a shot from a utility box

several layers of posters and flyer's

faded and torn

it was the image of the woman that caught my eye

after playing around in ps

adding several of my own layers

of texture, grid and stamp

i'm happy with the results

one world one heart

just a "heads up"

next monday is the start of owoh

and event started a few years ago in the blog world

by lisa swifka

and was featured in artful blogger

it a great way to meet other bloggers and

there are prizes!

i will have a great giveaway posted on the 19th

all you will have to do is leave a comment to enter the draw

and the winner will be drawn on feb. 12th

so stay tuned................

getting organized

for the past few days i've been combing

through all my photos

now i have more folders than before

but it was necessary
i mean, i have a good memory and can usually find
what i'm looking for........eventually!
but now i have it fresh in my mind and
have found some "long forgotten" ones
i started a "texture" file and now have over
700 photos and i'm sure to find more
i've posted some of my favorite ones on flickr
above is one of my favorite angel photos
and the background is from an old truck
the door(seen below) was just covered with rust
i played with the hue/saturation in ps

steel and stone

my first jewelry class was at art unraveled

back in the summer of 06

steel and stone was the name of the class

taught by richard salley

a wonderful man and a great teacher

he has just started a blog

if you ever get a chance to take one of his classes, do,

you will never regret it

when i got home from arizona i was charged

i made a ton of jewelry

i would love to take another one of his classes

good question?

i think i will enlarge this picture

and keep it hanging so i can see everyday!

i took this picture in the fall while

wondering the streets of nyc

i have so many photos that i've always

wanted to take the time and organize them

so today is the "when"

i have many "cool and interesting" photos

of signs, grunge and urban decay, the sky, trees

found objects and small details

i know this will take some time

i have 47 folders with 93 sub folders

to go through

since making the switch from film to digital

my inventory has grown immensely

it will be fun to find some "long forgotten"

photos that i can play with in ps

oohhhh there's a new folder!

if i get lost in the files,

will someone find me?!!!

morning walk

"one kind word can

warm three winter months"

japanese proverb

this makes winter bearable!

a view of lake ontario at

the bottom of silverbirch ave.

try and try again

after yesterdays post

i was wondering "how did i do that?"

it's been 2 years since i created that one

i've learned a lot since then

one thing is to save every stage!

so i figured since i did it once i could do it again

first step, find the pictures i used

one was from alcatraz ( a great source for decay)

and the second from a light house near pacifica

just outside san francisco

second step , which i always do

play with the hue/saturation

the brightness/contrast

and shadows/highlights

plus i aways have to see what a picture looks like in b/w

step 3 is adding color

just for fun and to give some contrast

step 4 layer one on top of the other and

use the "multiply" blending mode

find the right positioning and crop and save

then the fun begins

i love to try on every mode

just to see what happens

below are just a few alternatives from the original

you never know what will happen after playing in ps

been there, done that

i've seen this list several times

it was interesting to see how many i've done(in bold)

things i would like to do(italicize)

and things i haven't done, don't want to do or just can't

understand why they were put on the list( regular font)

1. started your own blog ( so glad i did)

2. slept under the stars (several times in the b.c. rockies)

3. played in a band

4. visited Hawaii

5. watched a meteor shower

6. given more than you can afford to charity

7. been to a Disney theme park

8. climbed a mountain (one of my favorite memories)

9. held a praying mantis(i was a tomboy and held many insects)

10. sang a solo

11. bungee jumped

12. visited Paris(would love to visit again)

13. watched a lightning storm at sea

14. taught yourself an art from scratch

15. adopted a child

16. had food poisoning(hopefully never again)

17. walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. grown your own vegetables

19. seen the Mona Lisa

20. slept on an overnight train(from paris to barcelona)

21. had a pillow fight

22. hitch hiked(many times and lived to tell about)

23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. built a snow fort

25. held a lamb

26. gone skinny dipping

27. run a marathon

28. ridden a gondola in Venice

29. seen a total eclipse of the sun

30. watched a sunrise or sunset(as often as i can)

31. hit a home run(only once)

32. been on a cruise

33. been to Niagara Falls

34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors(ireland and scotland)

35. seen an Amish community

36. taught yourself a new language

37. had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. seen the leaning tower of Pisa

39. gone rock climbing

40. seen Michelangelo's David

41. sung karaoke(and apologize)

42. seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant

44. visited Africa

45. walked on a beach by moonlight(my favorite)

46. been transported in an ambulance

47. had your portrait painted(actually sketched)

48. gone deep sea fishing

49. seen the Sistine Chapel(when it was half way cleaned)

50. been to the top of the Eiffel Tower

51. gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. kissed in the rain

53. played in the mud(again the tomboy thing)

54. gone to a drive-in theatre

55. been in a movie
56. visited the great wall of China

57. started a business(several)

58. taken a martial arts class

59. visited Russia

60. served at a soup kitchen

61. sold Girl Scout cookies(not as a girl scout or guide)

62. gone whale watching

63. gotten flowers for no reason

64. donated blood

65. gone sky diving

66. visited a concentration camp

67. bounced a check

68. flown in a helicopter

69. saved a favorite childhood toy

70. visited the Lincoln memorial

71. eaten caviar

72. pieced a quilt

73. stood in Times Square

74. toured the Everglades

75. been fired from a job

76. seen the changing of the guard in London

77. broken a bone

78.been on a speeding motorcycle(driven)

79. seen the Grand Canyon(twice, loved it)

80. published a book

81. visited the Vatican(drank wine on the steps,

seen the pieta`, cried)
82. bought a brand new car

83. walked in Jerusalem

84. had your picture in the newspaper

85. read the entire bible
86. visited the White House

87. killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. had chickenpox

89. saved someone’s life

90. sat on a jury

91. met someone famous

92. joined a book club

93. lost a loved one(too many)

94. had a baby

95. seen the Alamo in person

96. swum in the great Salt Lake

97. been involved in a law suit

98. owned a cell phone(not by choice)

99. been stung by a bee