Take this here rain check

Good morning to you all! It's very early for me... 4:00am. Some silly reason I've been waking up this time early every day this week. Let me state– THIS NEVER EVER HAPPENS. I heart sleeping. Make that a gigantic heart. Ok, so I've been pretty terrible about updating this blog. Eek! Has it really been 3 weeks since my last post? I really need to kick myself in the rear. It even has been perfect blogging weather...rainy. Bleh, I am pretty tired of this stinking hard core rain we have been having in Portland. Well, I don't hate it completely. I love having my apartment windows open. Hearing the pitter-patter is nice. And so is the smell. Mmmm. But I am yearning for a little Vitamin D and bicycling that doesn't involve soggy skinny jeans.

For some odd reason the rain has gotten me thinking of "David the Gnome". If you were a child in the mid to late-80's like me & you had cable... you probably were a big Nickelodeon fan. I'm curious how many of you out there liked the TV show "David the Gnome"? I had a flash back of being around the age of 5, all curled up on the couch with my mom, watching the show that would eventually be subdued by an afternoon nap. All while it was raining, of course. I wonder what I would think of it, if I watched it today. My mom sure loved it. And I'm pretty sure today I'm the same age as she was then.

Very soon I will be making my first roadtrip of the season out to the coast. And absolutely NO Mr. Rain! You are sooo not invited. Sun? absolutely!

Speaking of roadtrips, remember when I posted on here about my drive out to Mount St Helens? Oh... back in the Spring of last year? Well here's the post if you would like to read it. With all this H20 jibber-jabber, here are some earrings that I crafted. With Clearwater Lake on the brain, I named them...

"That time my toes met the shoreline"

:: View in Etsy Shop ::

I adore these faceted glass beads. They're awesome! See how their colors, teal & amber, blend together? It's especially cool how they hit the light. I really wish I had more of them. Yes, unfortunately I only will be able to make a few more. I guess you can say they are limited edition. He he.

Well you nice folks have an excellent weekend! I will leave you with a sketchbook drawing from yesterday. Enjoy!

Maybe see ya on Monday!

It's a new year... Let's get excited & make things.

Poster created by Matt Jones of London.

Yes, that's right. 2010. Let's make things. Let's do things.

In fact, my '10 resolution is related to this inspiring poster. As I sit here sipping my chai latte, I'm getting excited for a brand new year. I want to share my art with the Portland community, be it in a coffee shop, a boutique, or a gallery. I have decided on another way that I will be giving back to Portland as well. For the year 2010 I will be donating 5% of my Etsy sales to the Portland Rescue Mission. Almost everyday I see homelessness around Portland. I really want to help give hope to those men, women, and children.

Year two in Portland has been life changing. I met lots of peachy creatives, either crafty, design, or technical. I submerged myself into the Portland creative community.  With these new friends of mine, we planned a few graphic design meet-ups. We did happy hours. We had crafting afternoons & evenings. We went to coffee shops and doodled in our sketchbooks. We geeked out over art supplies at art stores. We also did street fairs. We did craft shows. I did my very first Crafty Wonderland craft show... and a second one, the very last monthly Crafty Wonderland in November. And even the monstrous Crafty Wonderland Colossal Holiday Sale. 2009 was the year I started this blog, February 14th. In 2009 I also started making necklaces, earrings, Herb drawings, and lest we not forget the monthly documentary video shorts.

I hope everyone has found the Holiday Season enchanting. I hope you were able to create memorable moments with close friends and family even if you were snowed in and unable to be with them in person. I am personally thankful for Skype & webcams. I do hope this blog post finds you well.

I will leave you with this mosaic. The first mosaic I have ever made. It's filled with photos from 2009 of the things that inspired me.

Passing along some 2009 inspiration bliss, enjoy!

Click on mosaic to view more details.

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!