My mom made these really cute Flower Vase Bags. But they could also be repurposed as a lunch bag or a small diaper bag… The interior is lined with a standard size storage ziplock bag and can be replaced. There are two buttons on the interior of the bag and once you cut a small button hole in the ziplock bag the bag will stay in place.
The portrait was done from separate photos of each cat in the bed so naturally it’s meant to hang in my bedroom as tribute to the cats in the house. I hope they notice <– crazy cat lady. This painting isn’t for sale because they are MY cats!
Contact me if you’d like a portrait done of your animals.
At the end of July 2009 my husband and I and two of our very close friends rented a cabin on the Ellijay river in Georgia. It was a very relaxing time where we mostly sat on the back porch overlooking the river building these miniature clay pieces as inspired by nature. You can find some of these items in my shop!
Meeting of the Owl, Tiki & Skull minds…
Jerry reached into his fine art side and created these… :”storybook”… Dolphin & Owl.
Janel’s work is most inspired by natural forms.
I had a great time making these Cupcake Potholders - added a few of my own touches to make them my own, like hand-sewing with embroidery thread and yo-yo button flowers. You can buy the pattern From etsy seller Whosiesandwhatnots or buy the ones I made at my shop Artreverie.
The garden is finally taking off… I’ve been able to pick peppers, eggplant and okra… Waiting those tomatoes to ripen. The fig tree has grown some, but still a baby; can’t wait til it reaches full potential. I’ve had to fertilize the garden ever so often to encourage growth over early summer till now, as plants come out, more compost goes in. Next year will be better but all in all it’s been a fair kitchen garden so far.
Red Cherry Peppers
Baby Water Melon - Whenever we get a hard rain, i’ll find a watermelon split open. Only one has been growing very large… still not ready though
Eggplants have been happy and mostly pest free - I will definitely plant these again!
Small harvest of root veggies - some beets were large others not so much - I will plant beets again, but carrots? Maybe not.
Here’s a pic of the main square foot garden. I really love this format - not much weeding to be done. The small fence keeps all the kitties out.
I put in a Brown Turkey Fig Tree; planted it real early in February and finally it’s showing some signs of life!
Oh jeez - so many of them my skin is crawling with the thought of it. I found a serious army of aphids on my rose bushes; glad I found them before I put out my veggie transplants this year! I am going to have to buy some more ladybugs. I was just telling my mom proudly yesterday that after I bought thousands of ladybugs online a few years ago I hadn’t seen an aphid since - UNTIL TODAY!!! Maybe it’s too early in the spring for the lady bugs to be out? I’m gonna buy some more ladybugs, put a net over my rose bushes and release the ladies!!! Here is a recipe I found for a homemade insecticide:
5 cloves crushed garlic
2 teaspoons dish soap
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
I cup hot water
Steep overnight
Filter out garlic and flakes into 32 ounce spray bottle and top off with water.
You can put the leftover garlic and flakes at the base of the plant
& Spray underside of leaves and on bugs directly, all over the plant.
If it is really hot out or no sight of rain for a few days you may want to rinse off the plant an hour after application to avoid
burning leaves. It also might be a good idea to test an area first to be sure the plant doesn’t’ react badly to this recipe.
This picture only shows a small portion of them I had to get the hose quick!
April 1st, 2009 - Update: Spraying the roses with the hose probably reduced the number of Aphids by half, then the next day I used my mellowed concoction insecticide mentioned above thinking it would be their utter demise - nope - same amount of Aphids there the next day… Today I’ve added castille soap (Dr. Bronners) to the recipe and I’ve just sprayed them again - lets see if that works… I plan on going back out in an hour to rinse off the roses so as not to dry out the plant from the soap. I’ll report back - also I noted that I’m seeing more beneficial bugs around the aphids than I noticed yesterday - need to put in the daisy seeds too to attract more. I need to get this straight before bringing my veggie seedlings into the picture - got to make it work.
I took the Gro Good Pledge! The Atlanta Community Food Bank is my local food bank to make donations to; find out where yours is by clicking here.
I’ve been working hard on the garden, just got done turning the compost pile for the first time. We’ve got the raised beds built and of course i’ve rewritten the actual map of veggies 3x over. I’ve got many many seedlings indoors waiting for it to warm up out there. My tomato seedlings look a little sad; I hope they make it cause you can’t buy those varieties from Lowes. Everything else looks great. I can’t believe the size of green bean seedlings in comparison to the others; you’d think that something that produces such a small veggie would be small in comparison.
Here are some shots of my seedlings:
See how BIG those green bean seedlings are up front?!!
See my tomato seedlings have yellow leaves - they are purple underneath and falling off.
Those are chives to the right and oregano to the left.
Here are the pepper plants - nothing’s gonna stop those babies - Thanks Janel 
Rhubarb is bottom left and eggplant top left.
Here is the new plan:
Here is all the lovely dirt I bought - 100 bucks for 4 cu yards.
I’m gonna grow my green beans and asparagus beans up these chicken wire trellis’
here are the square foot method raised beds! The 4×4 will be for greens - I plan on starting seeds there this weekend.
The 4×8 are for my transplants and I’ll transplant those April 24th.
I have been spending the winter planning out my garden and it looks like I will finally be able to start some seeds indoors. From what I can tell I need to start all the “early spring” vegetables and it will take 6-8 weeks for them to be ready to plant into the garden. I plan on building 3 4×4 beds for veggies and also utilizing a 30ft rope trellis along the fence for herbs, tomatoes and green beans. I will have some old tires to turn into planters in the yard too that I plan to have some fun with.
I’m going to sow green beans, beets, Leeks and Potatoes directly into the ground.
I will start Tomatoes, Spinach, Swiss Chard, lettuce, strawberries & herbs indoors.
The Squash and peppers will be the “late spring” round of seedlings for the garden.
I should also be able to replant the beets, leeks and potato plot for a second harvest.
We also plan on visiting Ty Ty Nursury to get some fruit trees and berry bushes.
Here is all the stuff i’ve been working on lately. I have been busy over the holidaze, making presents for my husband’s family - spooky trees and owls mostly & mom got a red plate of ceramic cupcakes, two market bags and a painted window for the kitchen. My sister’s carved lizella pot exploded in the kiln and took out some customer orders, that was fun, I still need to make her something to replace it.
Happy news, the pottery studio is now back in one piece and it’s been nice to not have to work amongst the rubble. We just need to finish putting back the gallery and the place will look great. While amongst the rubble, I had the idea that I’d create some portrait head vases of women whom have had their heads cut off by guillotine. Not sure what attracted me to such romantic gore… winter gloom and the need to be product ready for Valentines Day. I really enjoyed working Marie Antoinette, and Ann Boleyn. Next I’ll make Mary Queen of Scots. It took a month before the heads were finished, lots of pushing and pulling, and carving and painting but I am happy with the results. Marie sold yesterday and If I want Mary done before VDay then I best get busy.
2009 Class Schedule
Beginning Wheel Throwing – $200.00
January 26th, 2008
Monday 7:15pm – 9:15pm
8 sessions
Instructor: Devanie Schlipp 678-778-7082
Learn basic throwing techniques and make functional pottery shapes on the wheel; everything from centering to glazing. No experience necessary only determination. Most beginners leave with 5 or more pieces. We make mugs, bowls, and plates. Also learn to attach handles. *25lbs of clay and tools included in the price of class extra bag of clay is $16.00
Beginning Fused Glass Class - $220.00
January 31st, 2008
Saturday 10am - Noon
8 sessions
Instructor: Devanie Schlipp 678-778-7082
Learn all the skills needed to complete 4 projects: embossed breeze chimes, votive candleholders, 5″x7″ picture frame, and a 10″ square plate. Some tools and supplies will need to be purchased outside of class (approx cost $60.00 depending on types of glass you choose); a complete supply list will be given at the first class. Glass for your first project and some supplies are provided. Class size is limited to the first 7 registrants.
*Refund Policy: We reserve the right to postpone or cancel any class if the minimum number of students is not reached, then full tuition will be returned to each student. 100% refund will be given if student cancellation is made 30 days in advance of class start date. Missed classes will not be refunded. If class falls on a holiday, rescheduling that class will be discussed with students and rescheduled date agreed upon collectively.
I love these gnomes. Jeanette Zeis, my studio mate and Atlanta potter, designed them and me and Devanie Pfitzinger Schilpp, my other studio mate and Atlanta potter and glass artisan, poured the molds, fired them and painted them. I really enjoyed painting them and you can paint one too if you want. For $65 dollars you get all the studio time you need (usually 1.5 to 3 hrs depending on how fast u paint) & we will fire the gnome for you and call you when it’s ready (about a week). You can paint them to look like yourself or someone you know or put funny clothes on them and get caught up in all the details that’s best for your garden. December is the only time of year you can come and paint these gnomes and you’ll need to contact me for a reservation time. Gnomes make great holiday gifts for everyone and it’s also fun to paint them with friends. We also are offering ornament painting that ranges from 8 - 16 dollars depending on the size you choose. To contact me to reseve a spot, email: Heather @ Artreverie .com We are located next to Stone Soup Kitchen off 1-20 Atlanta Zoo Boulevard exit. Gnome painting season starts Dec 1st! You may be able to find Gnomes for sale on my etsy page or at the Cabbagetown Market.
I had this Boucle Wool Sweater that I shrunk in the wash, it’s soo warm and soft I decided to recycle it into some leg warmers & I even had a little extra fabric to make a silly hat to match. Here is a quick tutorial from Thread Banger on how to do it.
Mmmmmm… my house smells like spicy pumpkin pie chili My jackolantern sacrificed his top half for my chili. I’m going to enter this recipe at Chomp N Stomp one day (prolly 2009) - Chomp N Stomp is a local neighborhood chili cook off and blue grass festival a couple blocks from my house in Cabbagetown ATL. My pottery studio will be set up selling our wares too. Looking forward to it, usually turns out to be one of the few days of the year I get drunk :)~ But this pumpkin chili I made today is delish, I’m going to share it at my Boozer Doodle meeting tonight. I love fall.
I bought a magazine called “Clean Eating” that has really cool low fat all natural recipes
Here is the recipe for the apple pie that is lowfat & reduced sugar!
Vanilla Bean-Spiked Autumn Apple Pie (serves 12)
Crust:
1cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup ground oatmeal
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp ice water
1/2 cup do it yourself olive butter spread
(process 1/4 c. olive oil w/ 1/4 c. unsalted butter until smooth)
Filling:
8 cups peeled and thinly sliced apples (6-8 apples)
3 tbsp apple butter
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/8 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp honey
1 vanilla bean, cut open length-wise and seeds scraped out
crust:
Stir the flour, oatmeal and sea salt together in a med bowl
in small bowl whisk together the vinegar and water.
use a pastry blender to cut the olive butter spread into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Drizzle in the vinegar mixture and toss with a fork until the dough is evenly moist. Stir until a dough forms. Divide into 2 piece, 1 slightly larger in diameter than the other.
Press each into a 6 - inch disk and wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
Rolling dough: between two sheets of plastic, roll the larger disk of dough into a 12 in circle. Remove the top piece of plastic, lift the bottom piece from the diagonal corners and invert it over a 9 in pie dish. Press the dough into the pan and peel off the plastic. roll the second piece of dough in the same way, slide it onto a sheet plan and refrigerate for later use as the pie’s top crust.
Filling & Assembly:
Preheat 450
put apple slices in a big bowl, sprinkle with the flour and toss. in a small bowl stir together the apple butter, lemon juice, sea salt, honey and vanilla bean. Stir into the apples. Spoon the apples into the crust and press them down gently.
Grab the second piece of dough from the fridge and slide it over the filled pie. Press the dough into place firmly. Trim, seal and crimp the edges. Use a paring knife to cut 4 slits in the top of the pie.
Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temp to 350 & bake for an additional 45 min, until brown and bubbly. let cool 1 hour before slicing.
Everyday is a Holiday for Jenny Heid from the NJ Shore, I guess that is what drew her to my cupcakes. I was very pleased to work for Jenny because she is a great advocate of living life beautifully in general; surrounding herself in all the things she loves and that proves her love for life and art. Jenny has been very supportive of my cupcakes too so I wanted to let you know about her art. Very colorful, very beautiful and absolutly sweet. Check out her work on etsy! Jenny is just as sweet as her work portrays. ~ Thanks Jenny!
I am very excited to be setting up at the Georgia Apple Festival! I have been working hard this month to get some seasonal works done for the show. I’ll be bringing along these fun fabric pumpkins and some goofy folk art face pots, not to mention that I’ll be making 100 gourmet candied apples this Friday for the show. Please come up to the festival, there are over 300 vendors with hand-crafted items and demonstrations, and even some puppet shows for the kiddies. It makes for a lovely afternoon. Come find me in booth #87!
You are looking at the new Promotion Director for Boozer Doodle! For those artists living in Atlanta, this is the hottest event that’s happened for fine artists in a long time. Boozer Doodle is essentially, burlesque dancers modeling for artists and and a bar to boot! Located at Midtown Vortex’s Laughing Skull Lounge the first Tuesday of every month at 8pm. I’m currently working with volunteers on new artwork and getting the word out to artists.
My advice to artists: Get there early to get a seat before they sell out or purchase tickets online. There are only 50 seats in the theater and 5 tables up front to reserve. This is the most entertaining life drawing session you’ll go to.
I’ll be managing a new blog site too www.boozerdoodle.org which is currently under construction.
LIKE TO DRAW?
Have you ever been drawing and thought “Gee whiz, this sure would be more fun if I was drunk!”? Do you enjoy scantly clad super-foxy burlesque dancers? More importantly, do you like tator tots? If you answered “NO” to any of these questions, you’re a damned communist. However, if you appreciate the female form, enjoy drawing and drinking, and just can’t get enough deep-fried potato products, you’ll love this figure drawing event held monthly in the Laughing Skull Lounge at The Vortex-Midtown.
NEXT BOOZER DOODLE
Tuesday, October 7th, 2008
Doors open at 7:30 pm, doodlin’ starts at 8:00 pm
MODEL OF THE MONTH
Syka & Kate
I worked up at Mom’s house this labor day weekend working on some sewing projects. I have been wanting to make a coupon organizer for production because, well, everyone is broke these days and I think more and more are clipping coupons. I couldn’t find a good coupon organizer for myself so I thought I should try and make some. I have a couple things to work through with the pattern, but I’m very close, thanks to mom’s expertise. First coupon finatic to comment on my coupon prototype gets one of them free! (FYI - they aren’t perfect but they are functional)
We also made a really cute ruffled flower bag that was a lot of work - the ruffle flower taking up the majority of the time - but was also a great skill to learn - I think i’ll transpose the ruffle flower idea onto some pillows. Be looking for these types of products at my etsy store!
Come help your favorite local artists make room in the studio for new wares!
Saturday Aug 16th & Sunday Aug 17th
9am to 6pm
Located next to Stone Soup Kitchen
588 Woodward Ave, Atlanta Ga 30312
I’ve just learned how to use the wheel! Click here to check out my new bowls and pots on Flickr.
Contact me to sign up for my upcoming Pottery Hand Building Class! My class offering is for 8 sessions, meeting once a week on Friday nights. Class is located at Cabbagetown Clay and Glass Works, 588 Woodward Ave. Atlanta, Ga 30312. Start date TBD.
You’ll learn the basics of Pottery Hand Building that includes the following methods: pinch pots, coiling method and slab construction. There are infinite possibilities of what you can make in my class, some examples include: mugs, plates, tiles, boxes, pendants, vases and sculptural works just to name a few.
Click here to check out all my hand built works!
A brief history: Prior to the coming of Europeans, the peoples of both the North and South American continents had a wide variety of pottery traditions. However, there is no evidence that a Native American potter ever invented the potter’s wheel. Because of this, all known Pre-Columbian American pottery was made entirely by hand, using a number of traditional techniques. These include sculptural modeling, press molding, coiling, and paddling. Functional pottery objects were produced by many cultures, as were figurines, masks, and ritual items. ~ wiki
Beginning Hand Building - $200.00
Start Date TBD
Friday 7:30pm – 9:30pm (Studio closes 10pm)
8 sessions
Instructor: Heather Cunningham
Learn techniques of hand building; pinch pots, coiling and slab construction. We will hand build pottery pieces using each technique and then create a final project with techniques combined. *25lbs of clay and tools included in the price of class extra bag of clay is $16.00
Please email with questions and/or interest: Heather@artreverie.com
I had a wonderful time with my niece Courtney this summer. She had been staying with us for the last 3 weeks and is 9 years old. She is my husband’s sister’s kid and we got to do all kinds of things together. We went to the pottery studio, the neighborhood pool, watched lots of movies and took her up to the mountains where we saw deer & bear and got to spend lots of time hiking and at the lake’s beach. Courtney also got to go to Zoo Camp in Atlanta, which she loved. Here are some pics of her from when we got to do some paintings on the front porch. She also helped me paint a mural on my porch floor, it says, “Happy Heart, Happy Home”. There were some challenges as with all kids I suppose, but we got through it.
I handmade these cool Punk Rock birdhouses … Located for purchase at the Urban Gardener in East Atlanta. Also see my etsy site.
The front door is 1-1/2″ check out this chart
| Bird Species | Diameter of Hole | Height above Ground |
| (inches) | (feet) | |
| Bluebird | 1-1/2″ | 5-10 |
| Chickadee | 1-1/8″ | 6-15 |
| Titmouse | 1-1/4″ | 6-15 |
| Nuthatch | 1″ - 1-1/4″ | 6-10 |
| Bewick’s Wren | 1-1/4″ | 6-10 |
| Carolina Wren | 1-1/2″ | 6-10 |
| Swallow | 1-1/2″ | 10-15 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 1-1/4″ | 6-20 |
| Hairy Woodpecker | 1-1/2″ | 12- |
A custom cupcake order come through the door from Suzanne of Silver Tree Art. Not only is she a great artisan, she also reaches people through her art to promote healing. Suzanne runs a bereavement support group to demonstrate how art therapy can work with someone who has suffered the loss of a loved one. One of the women in her support group has lost her child and is mourning. Suzanne knew how important it was for this young mother to have a way to preserve this child’s memory and to celebrate his life. I’m glad my cupcakes can bring a little light to cast out sadness, to commemorate the memory of a precious life and bring some happy memories abound. You can check out Suzanne’s blog here.
Have you seen these? OMG they are sickening cute I think I made them for some girlfriends to paint but we kept rescheduling, so I painted them up with my leftover Baby cakes Bakery underglazes and Voila! Soooo Cuuute! Don’t worry girls we’ll have more paint your own pottery fun with other mugs later.
Here are some paintings for Samantha’s playroom. Had a great time painting them.
Here are two ceramic figurative sculpture artists that I’m very excited about going to see at Atlanta’s Young Blood Gallery opening July 5 - 27th - Don’t miss it! They are two very talented artists that I’ve seen in Juxtapoz Magazine before; Derek Weisberg & Crystal Morey. They are collaborating on this show and you can see they’re works in progress for this show here. I’ve studied the figure since I was 15 years old and this type of work is very inspiring to me, can’t wait till I’m up to par on being able to produce this caliber of work in clay. This will be a great opening & I hope to see you there!
One of my studio mates has created a really cool cake stand & it looks very nice with my cupcakes on it. I like it when we make things that go hand and hand. Jeanette Zeis is the artist and she has really been cranking out super great work since i’ve met her. I’m continually impressed with her product lines, each is unique from the other yet they all seem to stay true to her own style. I’m glad we work together. She’s got great web pressence Check out her blog site here; her 2 etsy sites; Vessels and Wares & Vegan Dish, and her other website here. Also my studio’s site is revamped; see Cabbagetown Clay and Glassworks here.
Got an email today from a wonderful artist who is making the cutest celebration candle holders! I hope to be making her some ceramic cupcakes for her to use as display at her art shows. Cupcakes Unite! Be sure to check out her other products too - it’s all too cute. I’m also really impressed with the number of stores The Small Object works with - I hope to have as many or more one day Thanks for the inspiration Sarah!
and here is one of the display cupcakes I created for The Small Object
I’ve finished a group of 7 reversible tote bags over the weekend and uploaded to my etsy site! The fabrics were fun, there was a good mix of japanese prints, 1930’s reproduction fabrics (feedsack) and some cute stripes and polka dots in red, chartreuse, green, peach, yellow and blue. These bags are perfect for the grocery store, now that paper and plastic is finally being phased out. I went to the market with two of them, spent 80 dollars and still had some room left. They are reversible and can also work as any type of tote bag, for books, shopping, school, knitting, etc. Prices are dependent on the cost of the fabric. Thanks for looking!
This porcelain branch vessel by german artist Ted Muehling is absolutely beautiful.
I’ve been waiting on my begonias to get a little bigger for me to post these pots I made. I’ll update this when they flower later.
A few potters at my studio are working on dinnerware, including me, I’ve been looking for different ways to paint them. stencils, dipping, dripping, quick drawings, silk screening and transfers are all of interest. I like these.. dishes, diamonds, & love… “Lovesick” by Pop Ink. You can find them at French Paper online.
I was commissioned to make 2 dz ceramic cupcakes for a very cool cupcake bakery in NYC, Babycakes. All their cupcakes are vegan, gluten free and free of refined sugar! I was asked to make these ceramic cupcakes look just like their real cupcakes at their bakery. It has been a treat to work with them, I love their style and am thrilled to have my cupcakes on display in their merchant window!
I like Lorena Barezueta’s work here and the concept of what was disposable is now a treasure and reusable.
I love the extreme conditions in Corey Arnold’s work environment & how it affects his artwork. What a great idea to put such a talent aboard a crab fishing boat. Corey’s photography amplifies the brute strength of nature with a beautiful color palette and painterly composition. I like his sense of humor and the perfect poses of bold colors that would make really fantastic paintings. He wrote this great article on fecal face, “How to be an Alaskan Fisherman” that introduced me to his work & listen to an NPR “Fishtales” here. I found a painter who has done some paintings after Corey’s photography, Laura Heather Carol, she was as much inspired by Corey’s compositions as I am.
Corey Arnold
Food is art too, it evokes feelings and stuff. Here is a dish that you can get creative with! When I stayed with a friend in Italy several years ago he made this salad called panzanella - It was the most fresh and refreshing salad and is perfect for a spring dinner. It’s also perfect for using that day old french bread that’s too hard to do anything else with and if you’ve got leftover veggies from the night before you can use those too. Panzanella salad is more about the idea of combining veggies and bread with oil and vinegar than specific ingredients. So be creative and use up the leftovers to make this delicious salad.
Prepare the bread: - combine these ingredients, toss with S&P and toast under the broiler. Set aside and let cool.
The vinegerette - combine with a whisk in a bowl.
Veggies - 4 cups of any of your favorite legumes & veggies… click here for inspiration.
I’m fairly new to the Etsy Mud Team and when I was perusing all the Etsy Mud Team member’s stores, all I could think was “wow”! - we’ve got a bunch of very talented people in here. Read the rest to see some of my favorites.
Hey all you Atlanta locals - I’ll be assistant teaching a pottery hand building class with Devanie Schlipp at Cabbagtown Clay and Glassworks beginning in May! Hand building is a great technique for beginning potters to understand how to design and execute their clay projects by pinching, coiling, and constructing with strips and slabs. Class begins on May 7th.
Read the rest of this entry for all CCGW classes & contact info.
I think the retro feel of this pottery team’s work is fantastic! I have a lot of friends who would gravitate towards this vintage style and I love it too. Circa Ceramics screens overglazes onto decal paper and transfers that to their ware. When firing, the overglaze image melts into the glazed object and it cannot be washed off. Andy of Circa Ceramics warns to beware of decal papers that require using a spray fixative to adhere the image onto the surface of the object, as it will wash off. Good to know! ~ Thanks Andy.
Alex Gross is currently showing in his first NY exhibition solo show, “Mysteries and Manners” at the Johnathan Levine Gallery. Alex has a beautifully refined creative ability and it is good to see him in NYC showing it off. The show opened just two days ago and is already almost sold out - lovely - can’t wait to be him. Juxtapoz interviewed him about the show and for someone who has such a master’s style he seems such a regular person.
So I’m learning how to knit and I have a couple great books that I bought, in San Francisco last year. I thought they had the best diagrams and instructions in them. Learn to Knit by Sue Whiting and Stitch’ N Bitch, The Knitters Handbook by Debbie Stoller. The Learn to Knit is very straight forward and the Stitch’ N Bitch book is quirky and humor lends well to learning how to knit, cause if you don’t get it at first it can be frustrating. After all we are dealing with two small sticks and a string, I mean how hard can it be?!
I needed new needles and so I went to a great little knitting store in Virginia Highlands, called Knitch, and got some #8 bamboo needles with ends, a good beginner set. Knitch was a little tricky to find because it is located in the back alley, behind that little row of stores on St. Charles Ave. Very nice location once you find it, has a nice garden patio and is quiet and peaceful like a knitting store should be. Once I get this knitting down, I may join that group of ladies in the store just knitting away and chatting about every day things - charming. If I still have trouble I may take one of their classes.
So last night I got my books out and needles and yarn and began trying to “cast on” the needle - I became frustrated, I was doing it wrong, the stitches were too tight, etc etc. After an hour of knotting (not knitting) my husband had a brilliant idea - I should get online and check out You Tube! So I did and it was awesome. I was able to watch someone else (better than those diagrams in the book) and could stop and start and rewind their actions until I got it right, I was knitting in 10 minutes. Just knitting rows, mind you, I’ve yet to understand a pattern. Not only that but I discovered some really cool crafters, Threadbanger, using You Tube as a weekly programming event, definitely worth checking out. It was this Threadbanger video that I used to learn from.
The Atlanta Dogwood Festival has changed its location due to the drought. It’s now located at Lenox Square in Buckhead - will be easy to take Marta to N7 Buckhead station.
Spring always seems the shortest season and the most enjoyable (unless you have allergies). I created this painting in honor of spring and my desperation to hold onto to it for as long as I can or am allowed to. This is my first painting in a very ,very, long time and I feel a bit rusty - I know it will only get better from here. Also, this is the smallest canvas I’ve ever painted on, 12×16, it was a challenge for me to constrain the composition to that size and I think the poor girls legs suffered for it. I may go back in and remove the black lines, might look too “coloring book”. What do you think?
I painted this old window and installed it over my kitchen window. The light coming through acts like stained glass & is better to look at than my neighbor’s air conditioner.
Go see a great indie art and craft show this Sunday in Atlanta put on by ICE’s organizers. It will be from noon to 4pm at Manuel’s Tavern. The ING Georgia Marathon route travels right by Manuel’s (on North Ave and Freedom Parkway) so go cheer on some runners and then come have a beer and peruse the goods! Manuel’s Tavern * 602 N. Highland Ave Atlanta, GA 30307 * Sunday, March 30 - noon to 4 p.m.
I came across two inspiring artists this week and when I was perusing their works I immediately decided to commit to going to the Apache this week to draw & to get some of my figures down in paint asap. These two different…
Spring is here and birdhouses are in order for our city dwelling birdies. I’m selling my birdhouses at the Urban Gardener in East Atlanta. Go check em out!
I was watching Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmerman when he was at a NYC delicatessen, Carnegie Deli, eating some traditional kosher foods that my grandmother used to make. I thought it was funny that some of these foods that I was brought up on made it on Andrew’s show.
Sketchbooks are great for safekeeping your ideas, I recommend having one nearby at all times. Can’t tell you how many ideas I’ve lost to not documenting. Here are some cool sketchbooks I’ve found, so that later when I’m ready to order I’ve got those links nearby for you and me.
1. Dot Grid Book 2. Bear and Sea Captain Journal 3. Recycled Album Cover Sketchbooks 4. Artist Engraved Sketchbooks
I am in love with and inspired by innovative craft thinking with fine art touches! This new trend of craft meets art has become a really exciting emerging art market for me. Check out Melanie Moore’s mixed media work comprised of sewing, painting and silkscreen accentuated by vintage materials that she uses in the fabric and framing. Really pretty stuff. Melanie doesn’t seem to have her own website but is selling these pieces on Think Space Gallery (you can view her work on the bottom of page 2 and top of page 3.)
I Love this line of dishes by JD Wolfe Pottery. They are so alive with personality and are as fresh as spring! One day I’ll have a set to call my own.
I’m crazy about making these ceramic cupcakes - they are hours of entertainment.
I’ve studied figure drawing since I was 15 yrs old, it’s what got me interested in art aside from my father drawing with me at the kitchen table when I was a kid. Two of my drawing spots; Every Monday is art night at the Apache it’s a great place to drink, smoke and draw the model, also there is Boozer-Doodle, which is held the first Tuesday of the month. Happy Sketching!
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Sketches intended for an etching plate.
