my quirky valentine no. 2

second annual quirky valentine collection.  here's the first from last year.

heart ... man eater ... bite me ... i love to ... eff love ...ok so i love you

don't get me wrong - i love, love but this stuff is just so much fun - and don't they look so pretty together?

happy valentine's day sweethearts!

collections

i need to practice my non-existent photography skills so i thought i would take out my button collection and play.

the last photo reminds me of these amazing paintings by briana taylor

briana taylor

briana taylor

briana taylor

aren't they stunning? love the light and shadows.

twice in one day

i just found out that i was featured in a treasury on etsy's front page, a little like the holy grail of goodness for a lot of etsy shop owners, so i had to share it here.  i'm so excited!

mine's the mixed media piece called currents, middle row, left.

thanks so much to kathleen at laurel and lime for curating a front page worthy treasury.  yay!

a few of the things i've been loving from laurel and lime

not a wallflower today!

oh what a happy surprise to find one of my moleskine notebooks and a mixed media piece featured over at mercantile muse!  pam has a link party every 2 weeks and you should be there, or as they say, be square.  and yes, i did just say that.

here's one of my favorites at pam's etsy shop batesmercantileco

another big smile

i've been working like crazy trying to get my book done for the sketchbook project which is due in six days.  yes, six days lisa.  yikes.  so what a happy surprise and needed distraction to wake up this morning to find that i've been featured in another treasury that made the etsy front page!  i'm thrilled, excited, re-energized.  many thanks to joana at trincaruvas for creating another lovely treasury.  she makes brooches and pendants that may remind you of a game you played with as a kid.  i love her color combinations, some subtle and some graphic and vibrant.  i've been following her blog for awhile now and i was first drawn in by this poem, that resonated for me in that moment. then there are her photos... lovely. 

here is some of her work

mini breastplate necklace

spirography necklace

wrap around bracelet

and here is the treasury with my little sticks and stones shadow box

sticks and stones

could this possibly mean that some of my photos are getting better?  somehow i can't believe that.  taking photos still feels like a complete and utter crap shoot to me.  whatever it means, i'm happy!

thanks joana!

a table is born

after much conversation with myself because of this, i decided that i still had to have these vintage porcelain casters from altered archeology. jessica has some very cool items in her shop, a great mix of unusual vintage items, assemblage and art jewelry. gorgeous stuff. so i bought the casters, deciding to treat myself.  because i deserve it. so there.

do you treat yourself by buying vintage porcelain casters, i wonder?

they were lovingly added to my collection (they sat hidden away in a box with other casters and door knobs) until in a very happy and serendipitous way, my old printer broke.  some mght ask why that would be a happy occurence.  to them i say, keep reading, it gets better. so.  this meant that... we had to buy a new printer, new one doesn't fit where old one did.  we need table for said new printer. lightbulb moment!  let's make one using that old door cabinet that has been sitting outside all winter (snow, rain, ice, wind) getting perfectly weathered,  find legs for it and, you guessed it, use the casters!  i felt vindicated!

casters from altered archeology







this is how happy i am with the finished table!

special thanks go to middle son for all the work!


something new

Just added this to my shop. I have these vintage maps that are like works of art themselves that I just love using in my work.  Some are hanging on the walls of my studio and the rest are torn and faded - perfect for collage!  This piece uses just a bit of them.

from FreakyPeas

from tsifcaonline

And here are two treasuries I was included in by FreakyPeas and tsifcaonline.  Some very talented people in Etsyland. 

sales just in time for mom's day

One of my pieces was included in another treasury, this one with a sale theme.  The curator, EarthMotherMosaics is having a sale herself and she is donating 25% to relief efforts in Japan through the Red Cross.
    

She has beautiful mosaics, I bet your mom would love one.
       

                                                                                       

This is one of my favorites at EarthMotherMosaics

whoopie pies and treasuries

I was lucky enough to have my mixed media collage, silver lining, featured in a treasury, by Chris Galli at Spoonful of Sugar Bake Shop.  I happened to find her while searching on Etsy for gluten free bakeries.  She makes Italian cookies, gluten free, dairy free and low protein cookies.  All of her creations are beautiful and I can say, having had a few of her gluten free items, that they are delicious too.  Chris knows her stuff and I felt confident ordering gf from her for my son who has celiac disease.  Her whoopie pies and truffle cakes are so good, I mean so good we ate them straight out of the box after our mail man delivered them.  They were so good that the gluten eaters in my house fought for them too.  I can't wait to try her rainbow cookies and chocolate torte. 

Go over there and just look at those pinkalicious cookies and tell me you don't want them...I dare you.