Curious Bird

Not much time for words today, but I can show a new(ish) shadowbox and some gratuitous cat photos.

A Good Hiding Place
Mixed Media Shadowbox
6x9
*hand drawn and printed birch tree fabric background.

Snowcat likes to give kisses. It melts my heart.

More soon,
L.

p.s. Thanks so much for all the juicer advice. You guys are a big help. The quest continues...

birds on my mind

These are a couple of the new shadowboxes I've been creating lately. Birds. Imagine that.  The top one is 5x7 and the bottom one is 9x9, both were equally hard to photograph. I have big plans to get these and a couple of other ones put in my shop sometime soon, but first I have to deal with Jury Duty. Yes, today is the day I go and sit around all day waiting to be picked or not picked. I'm not looking forward to it. I have my new book, a few magazines, and several snacks packed for what is probably going to be an all day affair. Wish me luck.
Have a good day.

More soon,
Leya

if you're happy and you know it, clap your hands

Here's a new shadowbox I finally completed for my friend Aimee. She requested it for a friend's wedding gift and she even supplied me with paper the bride and groom used for invitations and favors -- beautiful paper, I might add.  After months of waiting (my own wedding sorta got in the way) the box is complete and out the door. Thanks for being so patient, lady! I hope they like it.

The weekend is almost here. It's a good thing because I have some projects I'm ready to tackle. Hanging a new shelf over my new piece of furniture (to be discussed later) is just the tip of the iceberg. I've got a half-completed jumper that needs some serious attention. To tell the truth, I was very close to completing it before discovering it was too small. During the whole fiasco, D got stuck with a pin (drawing blood) when trying to help me remedy the problem. Not good. Anyway, it's the kind of project that's in need of some serious attention -- weekend attention.

In addition to all my various projects, I'm looking forward to seeing this sometime too. Speaking of, we finally saw the Darjeeling Limited last weekend. It was such a great film. Wes Anderson has this way of creating such beautiful films, all with a tinge of sadness. Each of his movies has this combination and it's something he does very well. Seeing the Darjeeling Limited definitely made me/us want to go back to India...Jaipur and Jodhpur, specifically.  If only that Bewitched nose-twitch thing really worked...

Have a lovely weekend,
L.

bits of my week

once again, I spent numerous hours making a mess in my studio. six shadow boxes down...not sure how many to go...

I'm not even bothering to clean up between finishing one project and starting another. {I commonly clean up at least a little, you know, to get a fresh start...not this time. I'm trying a new approach}

I also spent some quality time with my sweetie in the park. He let me take reflection shots in his mirrored sunglasses, which I always want to do. He's a sport like that.

more soon.
have a nice weekend,
leya

::::::::

(photo is a scanned copy of an Agnes Montgomery Opening announcement)

I've been meaning to mention artist Agnes Montgomery's wonderful collage work for a while now. I saw a show of hers last fall here in Philadelphia and it blew me away. If only my finances were in better shape...I would be a proud owner of one of her pieces.
Upon wandering into a record store the other day, I was reminded how much I love her work when I saw one of my most favorite collages on the new Panda Bear album cover. Brilliant.

Off to brave the rain that happens to be coming down in buckets right now...

l.

a day well spent.

Hello there,
Another week...it's moving very quickly {yet again}.  I'm recovering quite well from a terrific birthday weekend -- thanks for all the lovely thirty-onederful birthday wishes. So far, so good...I'm finding that left-over cheesecake is a big help when it comes to easing the transition from one year to the next.

In crafty news, today I spent several hours working {and making a huge mess} in my studio. It was so nice to find some time to get started on various ideas I've been thinking about. It was also pretty exciting to be productive again after taking a much needed break from mixed media projects after the Imago Series. 
I'll post some photos of finished pieces soon. For now, photos of my messy work table...

cheers!
l.

the imago series

Here are a few shots of a new shadowbox series I completed over the weekend. {Actually I'm going to be adding another four pieces or maybe more to it, but round one is done at least.}
After taking time last week away from blogging AND flickr (it can be addictive, you know),  I think I may start doing one week a month of photo-only posts -- I seem to get a lot more accomplished when I take a break from the time-warping computer. 

I hope your weekend was fun. I certainly had a good one. It was not only filled with crafting, but a smashing dinner party with the best shiitaki mushrooms ever, sunday brunch with the lovely Sue and her boy and several hours spent watching episodes of Lost on dvd.  A good weekend indeed.

more soon,
l.

I keep three wishes ready

Hello there friends,

I've been working on several mixed media pieces lately -- some for an order and some for the shop {it'll be a while before any are added}. I finished this one, titled: I keep three wishes ready yesterday after working on two other shadowboxes side by side. I usually don't work on more than one piece at a time, but it was kinda fun to experiment with starting a few pieces and discovering which one I finished first. Of course, the brightest and most colorful piece grabbed my attention and ended up being completed before the others. Not that my other mixed media pieces aren't colorful, they are, I promise.
By now, you have probably figured out I have a thing for working with lots of color, in fabric as well as other mediums. The three dimensional piece above could most definitely be called bright and colorful...I painted the box with red high gloss paint, so it pretty much glows.

**side note -- my hands are literally freezing while I type this. Come on heat, you can do it. I know I've said this before, but living in an old building, although it does have its perks, keeping me and my paws warm is definitely not one of them!

I'll be around a little less this week due to a self-imposed deadline. You could say I have owl pillows multiplying around here. The poor boyfriend, oh geez, I mean fiancé has to put up with such an art and craft tornado. it has definitely overflowed out of my studio in to other parts of the apartment. (sorry, d)

In the meantime, here are a few of my recent flickr favorites.
once more
nest
sweet cherry

Have a great week,
l.

Hello Art Star...

Mixed Media Collage 4x6

After a ton of posts about Art Star, the day has finally arrived for me and my sweet sidekick to load up the wagon and have a little craft bazaar roadtripin' fun.  The two mixed media pieces above will be there along with others and lots of stuffed owls, patchwork pouches, log cabin pillows, tons of bags made from snazzy vintage fabric and my newest endeavor, hand-printed cards.

I'm really looking forward to meeting those of you who will be there (both selling and shopping) so please drop by my 10x10 space and say hello. You can find me all day Saturday and Sunday
-- just look for owls, lots of color, a tall guy with a beard, and you're sure to find me.

I'll be back with lots of photos and a complete play by play next week. 
Until then...

bon weekend,
L.

for the love of orange and brown

Another Friday is here already? Geesh. I suppose I notice when Friday comes around more than any other day. I wonder why that is?
I wanted to thank  all of you that  commented such sweet things about yesterdays post. The kisslock pouches seem to be a big hit. I hope Art Star peeps love them as much as you guys do. Once again, your kindness and support is amazing. Merci.

Before I make a run for my errands today, I wanted to show a shadowbox collage I recently completed and sent on it's way. It was as a special order from a bride to her maid of honor. The maid of honor is apparently very fond of "burnt orange, brown, and vintage fabrics", so I went nuts.  It was actually quite a lot of fun see what materialized when creating within someone else's perimeters parameters. I usually sit down with an idea in my head or a sketch and go to town with whatever colors I want.  I do love oranges and browns quite a lot --I tend to wear them more than create with them. Perhaps that is about to change.

Mixed Media Collage 9x9

And since I sorta miss Friday's with Motown, here's a little sneak peek at the snuggle/lovefest that often goes on between my Motown and D. Motown is pretty needy and can be downright annoying with his desire to be in your "space" (he's very vocal about this, too) , but tell me, who could resist a snuggle like this? What, with him gazing into your eyes and all...


Happy Friday, my blogging friends! Have yourself a splendid holiday weekend.