merry christmas

may the spirit of christmas bring you peace

 the gladness of christmas give you hope

 the warmth of christmas grant you love

 unknown

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wishing everyone

a very merry christmas

and all the best for 2013

 nancy

encaustic class

i love creating texture

practicing techniques and learning new ones

sometimes by accident

sometimes i have an idea and other time it just happens

and it always makes me happy when someone loves what i do

this time i made something just for me

above, the start of my canvas and details of the sky and ground

this symbol is from a book that was given to me from a shaman in new orleans

i am beginning to understand and it has inspired me to create this painting

not sure where i will hang, somewhere special for sure

instant glam part 2

i just couldn't wait to get this all put together

(see previous posting)

yesterday  carmi posted some wonderful creations

on the john bead blog

it's amazing to see that everyone started with the same elements

and created such different and unique pieces

more will be posted today so go and check them out

instant glam challenge ........ you decide

my friend carmi mailed me this wonderful set of instant glam by fernando

with a challenge, what would you do with these?!

of course the wheels have been turning ever since and i could have come up

with at least 10 different ideas ( i could really go off the rails with this)

but since it is "glam" i thought i should keep to that theme

 i narrowed it down to 2

but before i get out my drill and start the assemblage process

i though i would see which one you liked

of course i got out the wire and started twisting

the first one is very symmetrical and looks like a lotus to me

it might even look good with a photo of a painting inside

and then layered with resin??

the second, i got a little carried away and then scaled it back a bit

there is something i like about an asymmetrical design

let me know what you think

i will finish it off later this week and post the finished design

free form crochet

since discovering free form crochet earlier this year

i've been on a roll

using up all of my leftover yarn and then looking for more interesting yarns

also learning new patterns

pinterest is a great resource for finding tons of information, websites

patterns and like minded people

i've joined an online yahoo group just for free form crochet

i love making these purses

i had a hard time finding handles and the ones i did

where the wrong color, too big or just plain ugly

so i figured a way to make my own

out of piping cord and yarn

problem solved!!

i also found these wonderful magnetic snaps

i usually start with a color palette 

then the fun begins

making tons of shapes until i have enough  to start sewing together 

some day i will make something bigger

perhaps a coat!!!

more tree pins

i couldn't resist

i had to try a few color variations

o christmas tree, o christmas tree

i said it

you heard me
(for some the dreaded "c" word)

only 34 days til christmas

what are you doing to get ready??

i designed this tree pin for a class i taught yesterday

at john bead

i was like a kid in a candy store picking out all the elements

( oh, what i could do if i where locked up in this place........

like one of santa's elves, i would get so much work done)

a little wire, a mix of swarovoski and crystal beads,

and a pin to finish it off

the possibilities are endless

i think i will make one in every color

shape wire into a tree, add beads and pin

easy peasy

another alternative

since i had a few metal complex items on hand

and a wonderful letter set given to me from carmi

sunset glory

just when you think it can't get any better!!!

stop and look again

it always amazes me just how quickly the sky can change in just a few minutes

i just wish it could last a little longer

it always makes my day

is it just me or does this look like a scene from "gone with the wind" ??

playing with fire

being  inspired by patricia baldwin seggebruch  new book 

and since i already have a blow torch

i decided to try her wood glue burn technique

who new glue could look so wonderful after a few minute

(above, wood board and painter tape covered with glue, remove tape then torch

until glue bubbles and wood burns- details of the experiment)

i love the texture it created!!

and once i ran out of glue i switched back to shellac

(below, top left-metal powders mixed with shellac over wax

top right-shellac over wax, wax rolled rose and paper

bottom left - metal inks on wood first , wax and then shellac burn

bottom right-metal power mixed with shellac on wax)

encaustic class

this weekend i had the change to wear my teachers hat

at busy b's

(above my class project)

it was a wonderful group of women

and  fun to see everyone get excited about working with this medium

everyone had they own take and did lovely work

i think i've created a few wax addicts!!

(above some of the students work)

a special thanks to barb for hosting this class

candy coma

in the past , i've only had a few trick or treaters

but this years was sadies (my goddaughter) first real year

i wanted to do something special and saw these great grab bags using latex gloves

so a trip to the candy store later i was busy making and eating

and of course beanie was around to help

i only got 6 visitors and now i have to get rid of all this candy

(i really can't eat anymore ,the candy hangover is bad this morning)

photos taken i my iphone

picture perfect

i can take photos all day long and find a few that i'm happy with

last sunday the conditions where wonderful

a stormy sky, fall colors. and soft lighting

as i drove back home along hwy 7 i came around a soft bend in the road

and there it was the "perfect setting|"

for a second i thought "damn i should stop......no time, i've been out all day

next time......no , when will there be a next time, and will it be this good??

i quickly did a U turn and got this shot

and glad i took the extra time to enjoy the scenery

liquid gold

in case you were wondering this is what 32 pounds of bees wax looks like

i'm teaching encaustic classes at busy b's this month

when i ran out i called my connection  only to find out that this hasn't been a

good year for bees and a small harvest

i drove to peterborough to get 10 pounds and ended up with a lot more!!

(because you will never know when you may run out!!)

photos from my demo and last class

everyone got their hands "wet"

and now they are ready to take it to the next level

i look forward to this sunday's class

scenes of fall

scenes from the farm in port perry

more on my flickr page here

encaustic class

sometimes when you just don't know where to start

it is best to go back to the basics

today's class was an experiment in layering photos and multiple photo transfers

the simplicity of the black and white made it easy concentrate on the photos

which eventually lead me to creating some texture

and keeping with the b/w theme

i created some fun combinations

creative festival

this years creative festival for me was all about fiber arts

last year as i wondered the show i discover gio gaudet

and his wonderful felted coats

so this year when he was offering a class

i was excited to sign up

his work is amazing and now i appreciate just

how much work goes into one piece

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my second class was creating texture and dimension

with christine alexiou

this is something i can do while watching tv

hopefully i will finish my sample before christmas!!

clearing my head

with a hundred things on my mind

classes to take (at the creative festival) and

teach  (encaustic at busy b's and christmas tree pin at john bead),

 which also includes lesson plans, kits and samples

crocheting, putting the garden to bed and

all my regular chores and work

i needed a little break

and nothing works better than a walk on the beach

the water always sooths my soul

above a photo taken on my iphone of the luety lifeguard station

using the "hefe" action in instagram

i really don't know clouds..................

when i first arrived in the parking lot for dinner

i thought cool clouds and took this picture

i stopped and wondered, how does this happen

they all seemed to be moving into  the setting sun

as i pondered i thought when i get home i will google and find out

by the time i got to the end of the parking lot i turned to look again

things had changed, dramatically

what a difference 4 minutes will make

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when i got home i googled and found out that

i really don't know clouds at all

back to school-encaustic class

where did the summer go??

i can't believe it was time to get back in the groove

but at the same time it seems like a long time since i've done any painting

it was nice to get out the brushes and wax out again !!!

today's class was all about texture

 inspired by all the pottery i found while visiting antique/flea markets this summer

i was forced to work with color combinations that i would never consider

and some colors i never use

lots of layers , scrapping and the mini blow torch gave this piece an interesting effect