Secrets, secrets

I can't show ANY of the items I have been working on recently. Most of my "things" are for swaps or are gifts!

Lots of work without the ability to share. *sigh*

I did silk screen a baby shirt the other day, so I can show you that.

I actually made the screen to be used on dish towels, but I had some onesies and thought,

"Why not?"

This is what the mushrooms look like.

Weird, huh?

My daughter wonders who on earth will put their baby in a mushroom onesie, but I am a big nature fan and I would have done so!

I think it is quirky-fun-different.

(Heck, most people I know would say that I am "different", so maybe that is why I like it.)

Until next time, I can't WAIT to show you what I am REALLY working on!

Happy baby stepping into Fall! The leaves are dropping and the orb spiders are already spinning over here!

Theresa

So... Where's the Art?

Well, in my defense, I WAS on vacation.

In beautiful Ouray, CO, to be exact.

You try to work when your eyes are distracted by skies like these.

Very difficult.

I was blessed to be able to see views like these daily. I came home feeling invigorated and ready to work.

It was the having to come home part that was so sad.


Now, as for the art? My daughter, an artist in her own right, and I happened to be very lucky on this trip and it was the 50th year of the Ouray art show.

In honor of this occasion, local artists from the surrounding communities came in to share their knowledge re: technique.

We decided to attend a few workshops, including colored pencil and encaustic.

Did I just hear you shriek out loud?

Be nice! This was my first attempt at encaustic.

I layered, carved, embedded....a bit of everything.

Not my shiniest moment, but it was fun. It is liberating to try new things. Scary, but liberating.

This one may end up on BarterSauce, if they would take it!

Until next time, happy battery recharging!

Theresa

Frida Almost Done

but not quite.

This Frida Kahlo doll was made from spun cotton over wire. She has a muslin face, a mohair wig, antique milliners flowers in her hair, and hand sewn clothes.

She still needs her spun cotton heart attached to the outside of her body so she can hold it.

She still needs some work to clean up loose threads and to tidy up/finish her shawl.

She still needs some refining of her basic features.

I just posted her now because I was afraid that, if I didn't, I would not post her at all.

She was a bit outside of my normal comfort zone.

A little anxiety can be a good thing, right? RIGHT??

Until next time, here's to trying new things and being brave enough to post them!

Theresa

Yudu? I don't!

I bought the Yudu as a birthday gift for myself last year because I love to make silly/quirky things and I always have these great ideas for t-shirt logos...usually while driving.

I digress.

At any rate, I watched the informercials, double checked the early reviews and thought I had a winner on my hands. When the $50 off coupon at Michaels came up, I pounced.

Well....the Yudu isn't as easy to use (in my humble opinion) as they would have you believe. In fact, tenacious though I may be, I am about ready to quit. I broke down today and took a peek at non brand products that may be easier to use.

The main problem I have had is with the emulsion sheets. They don't cover well or easily and they take forever to dry. They aren't cheap, either! If you goof them up, which apparently I am not alone at doing as this is the major complaint I see on the sites, you can put yourself into the poor house.

I broke down and purchased a hack kit with a different kind of emulsifier for the screen that is supposed to be compatible. The reviews from real crafters seem to suggest that this is an easier way to go.

I sure hope so! I am tired of all of my wicked-cool t-shirt ideas just bouncing around inside my head.

Until next time, here's wishing you good products!

Theresa

Angel Guinea Pigs?

The answer to the age old question: Do Guinea Pigs go to heaven?


Well, of course they do!

Until next time, enjoy those pets!

Theresa

The Curse of the Sea Monkeys

Little did I realize what I was getting into with this one.

Many of you know that I recently became the proud boarder of a dog. I would say owner, but actually it is my daughter's dog. I get the dubious honor of paying for her medical bills, food, and training, but I don't get to claim the dog as my own.

In truth, I enjoy dogs, so this "hardship" is a bit tongue in cheek. She is turning into a good girl and I am glad to accommodate her. Truly.

But the Sea Monkeys? What was I thinking?

My youngest received a gift card for Target and, having the impulse control of a five year old, he was practically salivating to use it. There was a toy he had been wanting to purchase for quite a long time and now he had enough money to do so. Huzzah!

No problem. I needed to pick up some vacuum cleaner bags anyway, so we could kill two birds with one stone and both walk away happy. How often does THAT happen?

We walked into Target and I generously let him go to his section first. He found the proper aisle, pulled the toy off of the shelf and declared that it wasn't as cool as he had thought it would be. The commercial had made it look wonderful. In reality, it was a plastic fist in box.

Decidedly un-thrilling.

I was a bit proud that he was discerning enough to notice and change his mind.

Unfortunately, his discernment led to the portion of the day that we call the "glazed-eyes-toy- wander". Not quite the Trail of Tears, but painful nonetheless.

We hit each aisle. He weighed the pros and cons of each potential purchase like an investor in a down market. He studied. He hemmed and hawed. There was pacing and I may have heard the gnashing of teeth. Meanwhile, my 10 minute trip to the store was s-l-o-w-l-y stretching into 45 minutes. And I still didn't have my vacuum cleaner bags.

He decided on a small Nerf gun (cool because he could clip it to his belt loop and be stealthy) and the Sea Monkeys.

"They really aren't that interesting. They're just brine shrimp, not monkeys," I shared.

"BRINE SHRIMP???? COOOOOL!"

Ummm...that one backfired. Bad mommy moment.

At that point I just wanted to get my bags, get home and catch up with work.

"How long can brine shrimp last?", I thought.

Wellll...................

It has been several weeks and they are doing just fine, thank you very much. In fact, they may be colonizing and I can swear there are a few new babies in there.

At this rate I will have to find a monkey sitter to watch them when we go on vacation this summer. Or I suppose I could board them.

Does Pet Smart do Sea Monkey daycare?

And by the way....Target doesn't carry my vacuum cleaner bags.

Thanks for popping in!

Until next time, happy parenting...errors and all.

Theresa

Still Alive...

Just really, really busy.

Busy with Graduating Girls...

busy finishing up a fierce T-ball season....

busy helping in the school and having silly (and not very flattering) pictures taken of me while doing so.

I am also tidying up an article for an upcoming ezine article. Wish me luck!

Once the kids are done with school, I get to finish all of my "half-done-ers". I have partially completed dolls and fiber art projects waiting patiently in boxes and bins. Can't wait to dig in!

Happy thoughts to all!

Thanks for popping by! Until next time, happy real life-ing!

Theresa