New item in the Shop!
Standard Movement Glass Bubble Magnets
Each set includes 3 large glass bubble magnets that include a portion of a mixed media artwork print of my Standard Movement series.
Last Thursday on Alberta
When my husband & I visited Portland for the first time, we checked out all of it's awesome neighborhoods, including Alberta. I fell in love with it's telephone poles covered in show posters, it's street art, and it's quaint art store Collage.
A street art find on my first visit to Portland, back in Fall of 2007.
A few months after moving here we learned about and checked out Alberta's monthly event, Last Thursday. It was so awesome to see such a lively event for blocks and blocks. Food, unique art, live & obscure music are definite staples of the experience.
My wish to participate and sell my handmade goods and art is going to be a reality! I will be joining 2 other artisans, Little Bear and Camp Smartypants this Thursday evening (which happens to be tomorrow). So if you are in the area, definitely stop by and make an appearance. I love meeting fresh faces. Also, if you have a minute do check out Little Bear and Camp Smartypants' Etsy shops.
Greeting Cards
Standard Movement Series Pendants
It's Friday and you know what that means... new arrivals in the ATeaLeaf Etsy shop! And I have a special surprise for you all. You can now choose the artworks you would like for your wearable. It gets a little bit sweeter too: not just one side, but two!
Standard Movement Series Pendants
Choose your favorite front and back and I will personally custom make your new necklace!
Head on over to my Etsy shop and get the ball rollin'. Hope you all have a long and lazy weekend lovelies!
00016 - Western White Clematis
Introducing my 16th piece of my series, Standard Movement.
00016 - Western White Clematis – Click here or image above to purchase a print
To begin with, the oval frame. My thoughtful Godparents found it at an antique store. They are so sweet. As many of you know, I love bubbled glass. Who doesn't? I love how it enhances my imaginative 2-D world. Next, something new this time around. I usually use vintage paper for the main background, in this case I used fresh, crisp ledger paper. I wanted this work to be much simpler than the last, so I left a lot of white space and added fewer textile pieces which represent orbs. I incorporated a white flowering plant that I discovered on a walk to Portland's striking St. Johns bridge. The plant caught my eye with it's showy seedheads.
I searched high and low. Alas I found the name of the white flowering plant, it's called Western White Clematis. I read that it is a perennial vine and a member of the Buttercup family. It also goes by names such as Virgin’s Bower, Traveler’s Joy, and Leather flower. It sounds like a terrible idea to get in contact with, its oils are extremely irritating to the skin. It can also cause internal bleeding of the digestive tract if digested in large amounts. Eek! However, Native Americans would use it for headaches and nervous disorders, in small doses, of course.
If you would like to purchase a print of this original artwork of mine, they are available in my online shop, here. The prints are a limited edition of 30, printed on a heavy cardstock paper, backed with matboard, and slipped into a cellophane envelope. Whew! Did you get all that? I will also sign each print and ship them in a bendproof mailer. Live near Portland and wanna save on shipping? I will also be selling these guys at Crafty Wonderland and Skating with Scissors Craft Bazaar. I'm so jazzed to participate in my first two craft shows!
New Work: 00015 - False Lily of the Valley
It's Saturday and I'm still trying to get caught up with posting last weekend's creations. Whew.May I present to you... 00015 of Standard Movement Series.
00015 of Standard Movement – 5" x 7" – purchase print
I even think it's the best piece I've made thus far.
Within this mint green frame are a variety of items, including pages from a vintage accountant workbook and pocket dictionary, an elementary report card dated 1953, a black & white class photograph. Something new this time around... I incorporated a lace tablecloth, cutting it into honeycomb shapes. I've been meaning to incorporate textiles for the longest time, and alas it finally has been done.
Within coffee rings, I drew a plant, False Lily of the Valley that I discovered while hiking near Indian Beach. Scientific name: Maianthemum dilatatum is an aggressive groundcover for moist shade, which was very apparent... I saw heart-shaped leaves & berries in the shadows everywhere on the hike. I read up a little bit on the berries... "they can be used as food, although they are not especially tasty. Other aboriginal uses of the plant include the treatment of cuts, sore eyes, internal injuries and sterility."
In a future work I would like to illustrate the blooming stage of the star shaped flowers, pictured above. The stamens remind me of snails' tentacles.
I have 00015 prints available in my Etsy shop for 16 dollars each. http://www.atealeaf.etsy.com Each print will be signed, numbered (in a limited edition of 30), and shipped in a sturdy bendproof mailer.
Hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend!
Mother's Day pendants
Since I've heard that both my mom and my mother-in-law, have received their Mother's Day surprise packages, I can now share them with you!
Nurture thy Mind No.8 Pendant Necklace - Mother's Day - Jade
For my mother-in-law's pendant, I incorporated my favorite coastal plant to draw... jade. I also included my signature globes, orbs, honeycomb and those cute lil' spiderweb-like stitchings. The week before Mother's Day, her and I were chit-chatting on the phone. She was telling me how she is so appreciative of all the artwork I have done for her in the years past. I am so grateful to have such a supportive mother-in-law. The topic of my art was brought up because she was rearranging her sitting room. She had gathered all my artworks and decorated the room with them. So when this petite artwork showed up in her mailbox, you can imagine her reaction. And discovering that it was just not art... but also jewelry!
And get a glimpse of the back!
I incorporated a vintage map of my "born n' raised" state, Nebraska and scattered some doodles. Off to the left you can see a snippet of the term family and it's definition from an antique pocket-sized dictionary.
Nurture thy Mind No.9 Pendant Necklace - Mother's Day - Pine
For my mom's pendant, I incorporated some sort of pine that I discovered on a trail on Germantown Road. I have yet to research it! I also included orbs, honeycomb and those cute lil' spiderweb-like stitchings too. Discovering this tree connected thoughts in my head of memories playing around the pine trees that my parents have in their backyard. When they planted them I was seven years old they were probably 4 feet or so... and now having quadrupled in size, they've long outgrown my height.
And No.9's backside...
This is ultimately my favorite back that I have ever. ever. done. To go into detail about this, would be like writing a book. This portion of Omaha has a lot of history, a lot of memories for my mom as well as for me. After using a definition in my mother-in-law's pendant, I fell in love with incorporating terms. So on my mom's pendant I incorporated a snippet of the word "together" and it's definition. I finished the back by stamping my birthdate at the very top, which happens to be tomorrow or in an hour, however you look at it. I'm very content with these two pieces. It's so tranquil that, through art, you can elaborate on these memories.