Harper Valley

Red, White & Blue from Bajalia

 

...from Bajalia Trading Company

Dress up this 4th of July with some of their beautiful red, white and blue items. Celebrate by wearing America's colors while supporting those without the same freedoms and luxuries that we are graced with here in the United States.

RED

This Scalloped Red Brooch is handmade by the women in the West Indian delta region, which has been famous for lace-making for more than 100 years. These women use their crochet skills to improve their lives and provide food and care for their families.  Price: $10.00

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WHITE

 

Bajalia tries to preserve the purity and dignity of the ethnic crafts by supporting the handicraft techniques that have been handed down from generation to generation. These are key to each artisan's individual heritage.

Warli painting is one such technique. Spark conversation with this ancient Indian form of art. Made by artisans struggling to survive. Each vase is hand crafted and painted and combines simple geometric designs and ethnic art. Use as part of your centerpiece or set in a special place. Every whimsical set of 3 will make you and your guests smile.   Price: $30.00

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BLUE

 
These turquoise hoop earrings add a simple splash of color to any outfit. Made by incredibly brave women fighting for a new life. Each set of these earrings are created by those who were lured into the sex industry by deceit and then held there by shame. Bajalia partners with groups throughout Asia to help provide shelters, medical care and avenues of escape to these women trapped in this spiral of abuse.  Price: $14.00

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Help those around the world who aren't as lucky as you and I this 4th. Wear your red, white and blue and share the stories of those behind them.  If you haven't had a chance already, check out Bajalia's website and the beautiful new products that have been added.  www.bajalia.com

Craft Corps

Guess what?  I'm famous!!!  OK, so kinda not really.  BUT....I am a member of the brand spankin'  new Craft Corps website. 

Craft Corps is the brain child of Vickie Howell, knitting extraordinaire. Vickie's original plan was to create Craft Corps: The Book ...which is still happening and debuts in May 2010.  The book features some of our nation's fave and most interesting crafters.  Some of the featured artisans are in the public eye --think Carol Duvall (Carol Duvall Show), Jay McCarroll (Project Runway), Kathy Cano-Murillo (Crafty Chica).  Some are behind-the-scenes folks just doing what they do best..making stuff!

The book applicant response was overwhelming, so Vickie rounded up the extra troops (AKA the ones of us who didn't make the cut...AKA me) and gave us an online community home.  I feel grateful that she found a way to include us!  And a little bonus to being on the website ---> a new member will be featured on the home page and the newsletter each week.  Check out my profile here.  From anywhere else on the site, I'm in the Paper Arts section on the right sidebar.   How groovy!

p.s. I appear a little younger on the site because I turned in the app a while back.  That was my age at the time, so I guess I'll be 34 forever.  Yahoo!!!

Creative Journey Day

There's nothing I love more than making art, eating scrumptious food, and drinking wine...and doing it with friends makes it even sweeter.  Enjoy these shots below of my Creative Journey group's latest endeavor. 

~Becky brought wooden crosses that we enhanced with collage, papers, paint, beads, stamps, broken tile pieces, and other found objects.

  

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~Lori used Claudine Hellmuth's Sticky-Back Canvas for the blooms on her cross.

 

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~Our completed masterpieces!  Can you guess which one is mine?

 

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~Denise did something a little different -- mini tags to represent her favorite quotes from the book, Captivating.

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~Debbie & Brian knocked it out of the park with gourmet pizzas on the grill.  Our topping choices included fresh roasted red peppers, onions, grilled portobello mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes, six different primo cheeses, marinated artichoke hearts, spicy chicken sausage, roasted garlic cloves, and prosciutto.  As an alternative to regular tomato sauce, they also made olive tapenade, garlic/lemon/olive oil sauce, ricotta/fresh herb spread, and arugula/basil/pinenut pesto.  These were the best pizzas I've ever eaten...in my life....EVER. 

 

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~After pizza, we indulged in Becky's decadent mini cheesecakes.  They were stupid good!

Junkin' Journey, Part Two

 

Last night, my friend Tara e-mailed me about a Saturday junkin' trip to Mt. Dora's Renninger's Antique & Farmer's Market.    Do you know I've lived within a 40-mile radius of Renninger's for30+ years and never been???  So naturally, I jumped at the chance, being the junk lover I am. 

Renninger's has lots of stuff for everyone:  quality antiques, plants, fresh produce, funnel cakes, and true blue flea market trash.  It was a tad overwhelming, but I went with just a few needs in mind, so I stayed right on target. 

I almost didn't go because I wanted some "me time."  But I'm so glad I did!  I reconnected with Tara and got to know her a little better.  The weather was perfect.  The conversation was meaningful.  The purchases were affordable and purposeful.  And the pizza hit the spot.  Lovely day trip, indeed!

 

Office Makeover

It's finished!  It's complete!!  The office makeover is a wrap and it's looking mighty fine.  When we moved into the new space, our only decorative possessions were some sad artwork, four chairs, and a ficus tree.   But with a little imagination and a moderate budget, we now work in a whimsical, nature-inspired environment.  Aaaaah, how refreshing.  =)

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The Lobby:  Framed art from Z-Gallerie.  Lamp from Target with wood beaded embellishments from Joann.  Throw pillows from Home Goods.  Glass bowl from IKEA.

  

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The Lobby:  Custom logo decal from Dezign with a Z.  Console table from Walmart.com.  Lamps, copper tray, and cigar boxes from local yard sales.  Plant from Pier One.  Vase from Marshalls.

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Lobby View from Hall:  Floral grass wall decals from Dezign with a Z.

 

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Coffee Stations:  Coffee mug wall decals from Single Stone Studios.  Frame from old office artwork spray painted black (glass and prints removed).

 

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Printer Lounge Area:  Framed art from Marshalls.  Plants and pots from IKEA.

  

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Conference Room and Hallway:  Wall decals from Dezign with a Z.  Frames and mats from old artwork spray painted black (glass and prints removed). 

 

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The Hallway outside of Conference Room:  Wire leaf wall hangings from Pier One.  They're made to be hung vertically, but I propped them up on nails in a horizontal position.

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The Kitchen: Clock and plants above cabinets from Wal-Mart (plant pots spray painted black).  Bar stools from IKEA.

 

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More Kitchen

 

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 The Kitchen:  Square posters and glass frames from IKEA.

 

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The Kitchen:  Plates from Pier One.  Bottles from World Market.  Bottle fillers from Publix (red kidney beans, Piccolini wheel pasta, and split pea soup mix).

  

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The Kitchen:  Glass bowls from local yard sale.  Silk flowers from Joann.  Acrylic water from Wal-Mart.

 

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The Kitchen: Plates from Pier One.  Plate holder from our former kitchen, spray painted black (previously bronze).

 

Stone Shrooms

 

Check out this stone mushroom collection that I scored for $4 at an estate sale.  They're teeny...ranging in size from one to three inches.  I can't figure out what kind of stone they are.  Sedimentary?  Igneous?  Faux?  Whatever they're made of, I'm in love with my new fungi chotchkies.

Fresh Wall DeZigns

 

Aaaaah...I'm back!  Did you think I abandoned my blog?  Kinda feels like it, huh?  My life's been pretty ordinary and downright boring lately, so there's been little about which to write.  Although, there is one cool thing going on ---> I've taken on the mission of decorating our new office space at work, so that's kept me on my toes.  It's been a fun project, and challenging as well.  I'll post some before/after shots in a few weeks when everything is finished. 

For now..check out this wall art above.  It's a vinyl wall decal from Dezign with a Z.  As you know, I'm decorating the office, but only the common areas (kitchen, lobby, halls, etc).  When we're not in the kitchen or lobby or halls, we're working in team offices (2-6 people each), so each team is responsible for decorating their own office...or not.  Anyhoo, we have a huge wall in our team office, so I thought it would be fun to try a wall decal.  Waddayathink?  Pretty fresh! 

If you try these, I strongly encourage you to keep the white paper backing on the decal while you position it on the wall with painter's tape.  The directions say to remove the white paper backing first, and to then position the decal on the wall.  Major problem with this tactic: You're left with a giant sticker that starts sticking to itself and to the wall in all the wrong places.  This happened to me and I had a damn near meltdown.  Heart palpitations and sweat were abundant.  I finally got the stinkin' thing up and it's quite less than perfect.  Tomorrow, I'll perform surgery on my precious wall decal and hope that helps.  You can't see what I'm talking about in the picture, but trust me..it needs an intervention. 

That's all I got for now.  I'm off to have a glass of wine and watch some soul performances on my fave new cable addition, the Gospel Music Channel.  Until next time....  

p.s. If you buy a large wall decal like this, call or write me for coaching.  I can give you several very helpful tips!

Self-Portrait Party

     

A few weeks ago, I hung out with my art posse for a Self-Portrait Party.  We spent the afternoon creating self-portraits of ourselves.  Here's mine above.  Last Summer, I made some colored papers using this shaving cream background technique.  I loved how they looked, but couldn't quite figure out what to do with the swirly buggers.  So I broke them out of the archives, tore them into pieces, and used them on my self-portrait.  I created four small mosaic canvases to be displayed together as one larger piece.  Waddayathink?

After a day of creation, we enjoyed a delicious dinner cooked by Chefs Debbie & Brian...our gracious hosts.  The hit of our dinner was ----> homemade ketchup.  Whoa.  I can never squirt Heinz on my burger again after eating that savory concoction.  It was just fabulous!  Then we wrapped up the evening with Becky's homemade butter creme cake, moist and light..topped with fresh strawberries.  The day was refreshing and full of laughs, just what the doctor ordered. 

Our finished products...

 

The buttercremalicious cake...

 

The whole gang.  Clockwise, from left: Becky, Brian, Debbie, Me, Lori.  And Denise is behind the camera!

Creative Every Day Challenge 2009

   

Alrighty....who's ready to stir things up this month?  I'm joining a group called Creative Every Day 2009, by Leah Piken Kolidas.  Would anyone like to do it with me?  If so...click here to learn more and join the fun.  The best part is - you don't need a blog to participate!  You can join the CED Flickr group to post pictures of what you're doing and/or you can leave comments on Leah's blog with updates.

A few words from Leah....

"Creativity is meant in the broadest sense, so it doesn't have to be something art related. Your creative acts could be in cooking, taking pictures, knitting, doodling, writing, dancing, decorating, singing, playing with your kids, brainstorming ideas, gardening, or making art in the form of collage, paint, or clay...or whatever!

You do not have to post every day! I know for myself that having to post every day for a year would be too much. You can post about your creativity in whatever form you like, whether that be once a day, a few times a week, once a week, or once a month. Do what works for you! 

This is a low pressure challenge, with the idea of bringing more creativity into our lives. I will not be the creativity police. I hope that we can all find ways, simple and grand to express our creative selves. Have fun with it!"

February's theme is: Words.  So my next post will be my first CED Word Challenge.  Leah gives you kewl ideas of how to be creative with words.  Check them out here!  Plus, you can draw inspiration from what other CED participants are doing.  I hope you'll come along with me.  =) 

Words are alive; cut them and they bleed. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Coffee & Coloring

 

When was the last time you colored?  Probably a long long time ago, right?  Most of us think of coloring as child's play...but grownups can do it too!  This afternoon, I spent some time enjoying a Christmas gift from my sister, Jill....a meditative coloring book.  I've been super sick this week and forced myself to relax today instead of the usual errands and chores. 

Many times, my relaxing turns into all-day couch potato-ing. So today I turned off the idiot box, broke out my most fave grownup drink (can of Starbucks Iced Coffee), turned on some Mozart, and dug up my colored pencils.  Coloring is a great way to unwind.  It's pretty mindless and there's little artistic talent required.  It can be tedious at times.  But oddly enough, the tediousness seems to be what relaxes me.  I get so into what I'm doing that I don't think about anything else..just what's in front of me. 

Try doing this when you need to ~chillax~ ...or when you'd like to spend time with the favorite children in your life.  They can color Dora while you color an intricate butterfly.  Even older children like it.  I used coloring as an art therapy project with the women we visited in China.  Most of them were late teens/early 20s, and I was amazed at how much they loved it.  You can use markers, crayons, colored pencils, or whatever you have around.  

Ruth Heller makes some great books!   She has a wide selection on Amazon.  Once you're on the website, you can also type in "adult coloring books"...you'll be surprised what you find. 

p.s. While coloring, you may find yourself being critical of your work or over analyzing your color choices.  When this happens, bring your mind back to what's in front of you, and remember...you're not selling this to the MoMA.  It's just coloring.  =)

 

 

 

The Scrapbooker's Creativity Kit!

Lookie what I got in the mail this week ---> Claudine Hellmuth's latest creation: The Scrapbooker's Creativity Kit!  This kit is complete with a book of unique design ideas -and- two card decks for prompts.  One deck is full of colors.  The other deck is full of words.  The idea is to draw one card from each deck.  Or you might choose to draw an additional color card as Claudine did in the example below.  She drew Food + Pink + Red.  From there, she created a project that included these three elements.  Of course, they need not be literal interpretations of the words...they're just ideas to get your brain warmed up.  

Claudine says this word prompt technique is tried and true.  And she knows her stuff because she is famous.  Hahaha!  OK, it's not because she's famous (although she IS famous)....it's because she is a truly talented artist.  I know this for sure because I took one of her collage workshops, which was WAY wonderful.  One look at her art and I think you'll concur.   

If you're not a scrapbooker, you could still use this kit to spark ideas for collages, greeting cards, mixed media projects, paper crafting, paintings, or whatever.  Let your creative juices persuade you!  They always know the way.

After I posted this, Claudine mentioned me..mentioning her..on her blog.  Check it out here.  Now I'm famous too!! 

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Word and color prompt cards

 

Claudine's collage = Food + Pink + Red

 

Layout examples by contributing artists.  The book is full of sample layouts using additional word and color combos.  This one is Change + Blue-Green + Celery Green.

Random Acts of Everyday Creativity

A few months ago, I shared some fun and free ideas that you could try to get your creative juices flowin!  To my original blog readers....did you try any of them?  If so, I'd love to hear about your experiments. To my new blog readers...see my "Creative Juices" post from 9/7.  I'd love to hear from you too!

I promised you more simple and interesting ideas** that you can do by yourself, with friends, with children, with your macho man..or your lovely lady!  You don't have to paint or draw to live life more creatively.  Check these out:

Project 16 - Make the perfect margarita.  Then drink one, two, three, or more.  Oh yes, lots of tests must be done.  Second, third and fourth opinions will be necessary, so invite over your crew.  There are many recipe variations for the perfect margarita, so diligent research and taste-testing is required.

Project 31 - Place new photographs in all of your picture frames.

Project 25 - Wake up.  Take a personal day.  Use the day to do that thing you've been meaning to do.  Saturdays are for laundry, errands, get-togethers, shows, all-day events.  Sundays are for waking up late, going to church, eating brunch, picnics, long-distance phone calls.  And of course weekdays are usually for work.  Personal days are yours to take, yours to make.  Use them wisely.

Project 18 - The next time you get some bad news, or you wife/husband/girlfriend/boyfriend/best friend gets some bad news, pop open a bottle of champagne.  Drink it.

Project 17 - Wake up at 5am.  Usually, it's about catching a plane.  But do it just to take advantage of the quiet, early morning hours.  Take a walk.  Go for a run.  Read the paper, leisurely.  Work on your novel.  Read a novel.  Write a note to a friend.  Write a long, long, entry in your journal.  Make a huge breakfast.  Just sit there, drink coffee, and watch the sun come up.

Project 21 - Take one picture every day for a month.  Either take a picture of the same scene every day at the same time for 30 days, or just god about your day and make sure to take one picture each for a month.  You could also take a picture of yourself, or someone you are close to for 30 days straight. At the end of the  month, get the film developed, put the picture in chronological order in an album.  Make a poster out of them, put them in a special box, or post them on a bulletin board.

**Ideas are adapted from the book 52 Projects: Random Acts of Everyday Creativity.  This book is full of "offbeat, exploratory, artistic projects: memory inducing and life-affirming writing exercises; photographic assignments that capture the essence of fleeting moments and times that you wish could last forever; exploration of the arts - from the culinary to the literary; ideas for gifts from the heart...ideas to document and preserve the little details that make up the life you are living..."

I Got Mail!

Don't you LOVE getting stuff in the mail???  I sure do.  I usually get online shopping amnesia and totally forget what I buy.  So when I get a package, it's a lovely surprise.  I recently bought a few things on my most fave online store, Etsy.  If you've never been there..check it out some time.  Etsy is full of handmade goodies, materials to make your handmade goodies, and various vintage items.  It's a great resource for scrapbookers, artists, or just people who love cool, original stuff. 

The pendant above was made by my friend Amanda, who has an Etsy store (seller username: espressivo).  The tree is painted onto a piece of scripture and soldered into a microscope slide.  How clever is that?

The tray below is a vintage Florida Lazy Susan that I also bought on Etsy.  The seller knows I collect Florida stuff, so she threw in a few vintage KSC tickets for me.  That's why I love shopping Etsy!!

   

Creative Juices

Most of you know that I'm happiest when I'm creating something or learning about creating.  This weekend, I had some time to work on my scrapbook, so that was wonderful.  But sometimes I get too busy to do creative things...or I'm too lazy to gather the supplies...or I just don't feel any creative juices a-flowin'.  This probably happens to you as well.  Life just takes over, doesn't it?

Or maybe you're one of those people who says "There are no creative juices flowing through my body!"  Well I'm here to tell you that YOU do have creativity flowing inside you.  "Who me?"  Yes, you. 

Living a creative lifestyle does not mean you have to paint on canvas or create sculptures.  Creative projects come in all shapes, sizes, price points and levels of difficulty. For all you self-proclaimed, non-creative types, consider the following.... How about exploring a new part of town and journaling about your adventure?  How about trying a new recipe and photographing the results?  How about making a video letter for a long lost friend or grandparent you rarely visit?  How about taking pictures of flowers and trees?  How about taking your kids on a nature walk and examining your treasures?  How about an archaeological dig through some of your junk drawers full of buried treasures and memories?

A few weeks ago, I picked up a little book called 52 Projects: Random Acts of Everyday Creativity.  This book is full of "offbeat, exploratory, artistic projects: memory inducing and life-affirming writing exercises; photographic assignments that capture the essence of fleeting moments and times that you wish could last forever; exploration of the arts - from the culinary to the literary; ideas for gifts from the heart...ideas to document and preserve the little details that make up the life you are living..."

The projects in this book are fantastic!  And they're all very inexpensive or FREE. I'm going to post these project ideas over the coming months, so you can try them out with me!   Here's one I recently completed:  "Project 26 - Take a picture of yourself first thing when you wake up Monday morning.  Take another picture just before you leave for work, and another just after you sit down at your desk.  Take pictures of yourself throughout the day at specific times.  Be sure to take one just before you leave work for the day.  Repeat the picture-taking for each day of the week, Monday -Friday.  After you get them developed, organize them in sequence, and then flip through the pictures.  What do you see?"

Sure, my first picture below is hideous (ya..this is what my future Prince Charming has to look forward to every morning).  But this was a fun, free project that I really enjoyed!  It was also a great visual for me to see how stressed out I get at work and how much staring at a computer screen all day zaps the joy and energy right out of me.   

Ah, if only days like this were the exception, not the rule!