New Jewelry

I have had so much fun playing with polymer clay on my vases, I have started making pendants for my jewelry. The nice thing about this clay is I can make funky, chunky styles I love, but it is still super lightweight. Finished with a super shiny clearcoat, this butterfly necklace really draws attention!

I am also trying out a different store site to sell my stuff, so this piece, and a few others, is in my new etsy store. To buy now, CLICK HERE. All my other jewelry is still available HERE!

xoxo

The diorama queen does it again!

We are studying Rainforests in this unit for History/ Geography in Sierra's homeschooling, and she had so much fun making the first diorama she HAD to make another one! So, one can of play-doh, one box of air dry clay, and a bunch of paper and paint later, her masterpiece was revealed:
If we weren't already running out of boxes as it is, I would make one myself. I am actually pretty jealous I couldn't! My favorite thing is hard to see here, but she has a cool little lake full of fish surrounded by real rocks! You can see the line of rocks that makes up the front of the lake. Nothing went unnoticed, and there is a ton of detail up close. The research for this went way beyond Rainforest Cafe, thank you very much. Hey, in this house, learning is fun!

I have had such a good time teaching Sierra lately, that I went ahead and added on to my long list of services: art classes!! For the less than the price of your typical park district art class, I now teach privately in my studio!! How can you beat that?

there goes plan B...

It's the darndest thing. I live in a town of 350 people. we have 4 restaurants open to the public nearby- Patti's 1880's Settlement, Iron Kettle (part of Patti's, technically), The Pelican, and The Cumberland House. In less than one week, two of the four went up in smoke. Weird, huh?

So I guess I really have more time to work on my art now!! If you haven't checked out all I have to offer, why wait? I'm just sitting here, watching the town burn down, painting away...

Fires and Shout Outs

My week started a little rough but things are looking up! You may or may not know that while I enjoy my life of leisure and creativity in the off season, when the tourists are here in our beautiful town cruising the lakes , I work as a bartender. It's an incredibly fun job that I look forward to getting back to all winter. I love the fast paced social-ness of it, the art of mixology, the pride in knowing I make the best martini and manhattan this side of the Mississippi, the different people I meet and the stories they tell. The place I work at, The Cumberland House, was slated to open back up soon, and after meeting with the owners last Thursday, I was going to start my cleanup this Tuesday (yesterday). I had just gotten to my hotel in Chicago when I got the call my bar was on fire. For hours. I spent all weekend worrying after finding out the owner was airlifted to Evansville, and my job didn't seem so important anymore. Dan and Deloris, the couple that own the place, are the nicest people, and thank God, Dan is ok. It was iffy for a day or so, but he is out of the Trauma unit and has only minor burns. He is already talking about reopening, although it may be awhile before I am back to work. Good thing I am creative!! More time to work on my art!

Speaking of my art, I got a shout out today from one of my online blogging friends on her blog! Go check it out, and her beautiful jewelry:

Annette Piper Jewelry http://annettepiperjewellery.blogspot.com/2008/04/autumn-great-art-grid-and-quiz-for.html

Artist of the Week-Lola Akinmade

Lola Akinmade originally attracted my attention with this 100X100 pixel entry for The Grid:

This delightful woman takes earthy, emotional, and stunningly beautiful photography from her travels around the globe. Her website is as down to earth and beautiful as she is. The muted, earth colors, and simple design are an immediate tell of her style in general. See?

After all my attention and focus lately on international travel, and exchange students, this site really appeals to me, and her photojournalism hits home. Her photography makes the everyday life of her subjects convey a beauty and story well beyond the image that is captured in the moment. Each subject has a story, an emotion, that shines through and captures the hearts of the viewer. Here is a small sample, from her trip to Nigeria in 2007:

I can't help but love this artist and her work!! Go check it out for yourself!

Lola Akinmade http://www.lemurworks.com/lola/

xoxo

Host an exchange student!!

I am exhausted. I spent all weekend in Chicago for a training/ meeting for my new job, and now I am on standby at O'Hare, really hoping I will have a ride when I get to Nashville. But I learned alot abouut this new job, and I am totally stoked! For those of you who don't know, I recently got a job for a non-profit exchange student agency called the Center for Cultural Interchange. The agency has been in the business of helping exchange students find host families both here and abroad since 1985, and has slowly grown to be on of the largest, and most certainly the best, exchange student agency since then. I learned a ton, and am ready to help people open their hearts, families, and lives to an exchange student, and really, a whole new culture! Doesn't that sound fun?

Learn more at CCI's website: http://www.cci-exchange.com/, or email me at daydreamartist76@yahoo.com

xoxo

New Jewelry

Have you checked out my jewelry yet? I have many super summery bracelets that liven things up! MMMM...I'm thinking warm, sunshiney thoughts already, hoping these 30 degree nights we've had are about to end, and I can start enjoying beautiful Kentucky summers on the beach again. Even Cosmo named the jetty here in our little town between the lakes one of the most romantic places! Can you feel the love?