"Tempis Fugit" - mixed media collage

100% hunted and gathered materials. Too bad you can't read the text--it says "Time is given wings".

DO. NOT. DO. THIS.

A friend sent me this nifty photo last night (now how could she evah have been reminded of little ol' me?) It beautifully illustrates the time-honored wisdom of "You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose--but there are just some crafty ideas you should definitely not pick up on!"

CBL was MIA

I've been icky-sicky-poo and definitely not up to crafting or blogging. However, I'm much better now, thanks very much! Let the games resume!

Kindred Spirits: SCAVENGING makes credit card jewelry!

I'm so excited to find another amazing blog, Scavenging--now here are people most definitely cut out of the same recycled and upcycled cloth as the Crafty Bag Lady! I absolutely loved their ideas on transforming credit cards into a funky, fun jewelry. Click here for the tutorial on making the bracelet shown above. As soon as I can get hold of a drill, I'm so making these!

Really now, is there a good excuse for just tossing stuff out???

Mixed Media Doll: Magda

I may have found my art niche! In my last Slash Sale Bonanza, I scored a Petaloo paper doll form for 25 cents. I took it apart and used it as a template for Magda, my first mixed media doll. She's dressed in junk and other old mail, along with scraps on hand. I sure did have fun making her and can't wait to explore more in this category!

(Note: After this weekend things will slow down for a while--I hope--so I can spend more time doing what I enjoy so much. Lately it's been all grandkids, almost all the time, while their mother has been occupied with all the festivities of a wedding she is in.)

Sock puppet electronics cozy tutorial (pic heavy)

Another motto of mine: NEED FEEDS. My hubby, whom I fondly call Irish, just bought the cutiest-patootiest mini-notebook ever! He's not much of a touch pad guy, though, so he also got a wireless mouse. Because the mouse is about 1/5 the size of the computer, it will hardly fit in the case; and since he daily transports all his study accouterments in his leather backpack, he didn't want the mouse just banging around in there. But the CBL, buy a mouse cover? You jest--of course you do!

I thought of a fast fix which not only enables the mouse/phone/camera/iPod/whatever protection program, but also provides another use for those ubiquitous odd socks.

Start with a sock. A hefty, thick one like this is best for padding.


Put it on like a puppet.



Squeeze the "puppet's" head together.



Turn inside out while holding the squeezed part tightly inside.


Keep going till the former inside is now outside.


Carefully remove your hand and pat the inside (which used to be the outside) into a pocket shape. There will be a double padding now which is great for your electronics.



Stitch the bottom (which used to be the elasticized top of the sock) closed. I happen to dig the blanket stitch.




Sew on a button and ribbon closure and VIOLA! (Yes, VIOLA!)



I liked this one so I pinched it for my cell and am doing another for my digital camera. Irish is using the original prototype which hasn't been sewn together yet. The elastic in that is so good that it holds the mouse in without any further help. I do plan to finish his when I can get it back!

Slash sale BONANZA!

I heart art materials. I also hoard them. What I can't do is buy them at full price. This past week my local craft store had a clearance sale on old scrapbooking and other such items. I waited a few days, and found the markdown had gone right to my comfort zone: Everything originally over $5 was now $1, and everything originally under that was down to 25 cents. So here's my haul for that day:



I know it's hard to tell from here just how much stuff I got, but it's a lot. That's a big basket in the photo, and the cache covered my dining table. I added up my total if I had bought everything at full price (yeah, like that would've ever happened!): $187.59! Ready for my grand total? $22.00 even! Yeah, baby! Now that's what I call a sale. Nope, that's what I call a windfall! I can't wait to start in on it. Especially the art dolls!

P.S. I don't always hoard for hoarding's sake. Sometime soon I will be cleaning out a bunch of stuff, bagging it up, and sharing with my arty companions...maybe you! Stay tuned!

MSCE May: Mona's Memories

I made this card as an ATC but am still unsure if it will stay such. It just may end up as part of a larger piece. That's been happening lately as I see my fledgling artwork evolve as do many of my poems, becoming something quite different from what I had in mind when I began.

The lady's face intrigues me. Who is she and why is she holding a hunting rifle? Why is she looking down? I find a Mona Lisa-like mystery in her. Not sure why I tagged this with the word Memories...it just seemed right at the time. Memories of someone I never knew and a time I never lived: "Mona" looks so contemporary, yet the photo is from the 20's or 30's. Wish I could've hung out with her.

Used: All on hand: Recycled cereal box cardboard and junk mail; scrap fabric; salvaged raffia; slash-sale brads. Cost, including the picture found at an antique store, about a buck.

MSCE April: Wrapup

I put that pic up just because it's one of my all-time favorites. It represents how I feel about making art in life.

Bubbly, glittery, craftadelic thanks to Dot at Dabbled for starting up the MSCE April idea, and to Heather at Dollar Store Crafts and Craft Fail for telling me about it! Some days all I could do was write blog posts or read other people's, but every day I strove to have that Something Cool attitude going. I found out that I really enjoy blogging my goofy efforts. I'm so not concerned with being an Artiste or Author or whatever...it's finding and making art in the life all around me that's important. Also, I met some very cool folks and have been greatly enriched by them already. Win-win-WIN, ding-ding-DING!

Now on to May and every other day!