In the current issue of Somerset Studio you’ll see two seasonal looking star projects of mine in the “With One Stamp” department (the instructions are included).

One in red.

And one in black.

And this pointy tree on a 3″ x 3″ canvas isn’t in the magazine, but I felt like it belonged here in this post since the tree shape is like the single point of a star.  To make it more tree-like, I applied a light wash of green watercolor paint onto a text printed page.

The soft bed of snow was made from a piece of torn paper towel.

The number “2” has been on my mind a lot lately…

…and bright, shiny stars have been too…how about you?

Let your inner light shine…let it light up the world.

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Last month I received some wonderful wooden pieces from Helga at Artchix Studio.  She likes to use green materials in her artwork…just like me.  And she was so generous to send over this pile of birds and branches made from sustainable wood.  They’re great as is, but I thought I’d jazz them up a bit for the holidays.

Here’s a look at a couple of things that I made using 2″ x 2″ canvases as a base.

The birdie below is dressed up in a coating of blue glass glitter (left to dry completely), and then topped with a sprinkling of mica (I used craft glue to adhere both shimmers to the wood).

And this birdie received just one coat of silver glass glitter.  I think this bright flash of silver will look lovely on our Christmas tree.

If jewelry happens to be your thing, here’s a necklace that I made using the wooden branch shape as is.

Also, as a side note, Helga sent me a bunch of other shapes as well…which I plan to play with over the next month or so in between getting things ready for Christmas and the New Year.  For me, taking time out to create is essential during the holidays…it keeps me calm and centered, happy and peaceful.

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Firstly, a big thank you to those of you who participated in my giveaway.  Reading about your thankful thoughts was such a treat for me…I loved learning that we share a common, and deeply grateful feeling for our family and friends.  Also, thank you for the kind and encouraging comments about my artwork…this good energy is very much appreciated!

The giveaway winner is Karen Hawkins.  Karen, please contact me with your mailing address so that I can send things your way.

Okay, moving on…to a few things that I made, which you’ll find in the current issue of Somerset Studio.

A birdie…

…who sits and thinks in a tree…

and is ready to “surrender”.

A tree…

…that knows not to struggle.  Instead, chooses to “Bend with the Wind”.

Feathers of hope can grow…

and “flow freely”.

If you’d like to make these trees the specific instructions are included within my article.

Happy wonderful week and I’ll be back after the Thanksgiving holiday with some sparkly projects ideas for the Christmas season.

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I recently received my vintage cookie cutter ornaments back from Stampington (these pieces are published in the current issue of Somerset Holidays and Celebrations).  Now that I have them back, I thought I’d pass them on again…this time to one of you as a gift (one person will win all three ornaments).

To enter a chance to win, please leave a comment to this post between now and next Saturday, November 17th and I’ll add your name to the hat.  I’ll be back the next morning to announce the random winner.  Oh, and if you like, with Thanksgiving coming up, I’d love to hear about your thankful thoughts.  For me, this would have to be about Bill and Brook.  They are the light of my life, and the sparkle in my everyday.  So thanks to them my everyday shines with love.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it’s all about recognizing and celebrating the things we’re grateful for, both big and small.  I’m guessing that you probably feel the same way.

May your hearts be filled with thankful joy.

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How are you all doing out there?  I hope that those of you who’ve been affected by the terrible storm are okay.  I’m so sorry that it’s been such a rough few days for so many, and I hope that life will soon get back to being more normal for those of you who were affected by Sandy.

Assuming that you’re here because you’re doing fine, I thought I’d share a light-hearted project with you. Here are a couple of canvases (3″ x 3″) with embellished mini perfume bottles.

I filled one bottle with tiny typed messages of “love”.

And I filled the heart shaped bottle with regular table sugar.  Adding this little dose of sweetness gives it some simple charm.

Here are both canvases together side-by-side…with love as the focus.

With a light and loving heart, there is sweetness in the everyday.

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I created this collage (3″ x 3″) awhile ago, and I’ve been keeping it on my studio desk so that I could look at it from time to time.  Seeing it reminds me to appreciate those I trust…including myself.  So much begins with trusting yourself.

The heart shape is cut from a piece of parchment paper, which I layered on top of a portion of a postcard (from Ruth, who’s like a mother to me).  I like how the semi-transparent quality of the parchment paper allows you to still see the blue ink handwriting underneath.

For some sparkle I added a couple of beads and a tiny golden heart (attached to the end of an antique key).

And I placed “trust” on the center of the key to be the focal point.

Trust unlocks the heart and allows the love to flow.

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My mother in-law, Carole, recently sent me a link to a Ted Talk video.  And I was so inspired by it that I thought I’d share it with you as well.  This 6 minute presentation from Candy Chang got me thinking more in-depth about the things that really matter to me…big or small, funny or serious. Watching this video opened up something big in me that I did not expect to share – watch the video first and then please read on.

http://ted.com/talks/candy_chang_before_i_die_i_want_to.html

My answer to the question “Before I die I want to…” is:  I’d very much like to see my biological mother again.  She lives in Thailand and I last saw her about 15 years ago during my honeymoon. She doesn’t speak English (we both speak a little Chinese so this helped us to get by) and we never connected online so I’m unsure how I’ll be able to find her.  Prior to my honeymoon, I had only seen her once since I was adopted and moved to the U.S. when I was 4 years old.  My mother had given me up for adoption because our family had fallen apart (my biological father had an affair and went off to start a new family).  And she felt that it was better for me to move to America to live with a missionary family, where there would be more opportunities for everyday necessities like food and shelter as well as a decent education.

Back then (and probably still today), girls in Thailand did not have much to look forward to in regards to their futures.  Basically, you would start work at a young age (school life was not a priority) and then simply be married off…and very frequently you would not be the only wife.  In Thailand, men often marry more than one wife (it’s technically illegal but a widely accepted norm), and the most you could hope for would be to be the first one to marry your husband (then you’d be considered the “head wife”)…which is not very much to hope for if you ask me.  Anyway, my mother didn’t want this life for me, so she made the most difficult decision…she let me go, hoping that I would have better opportunities in America.  It’s important to me to find my mother so that I can thank her for making this ultimate sacrifice.  I know it wasn’t easy because she loved me very much (I know this because when I first met her at the age of 16, she held on to me for what seemed like hours and deeply cried…I think they were happy tears).  I want my mother to know that I’m doing very well these days, and that her sacrifice was not for nothing.  I want her to be at peace.  And I want to let her know that her little girl is at peace.

Originally, I didn’t mean to get so involved with this post but as I wrote I felt I should…to better explain my answer to the question from the video.  I think I’m at a stage with my blog that I’m ready to open up more – I know this will (and has already) trickled into my artwork.  I’m not sure where any of this will lead me, and this uncertainty makes me feel scared.  However, maybe facing these fears head on is exactly what I need. Who knew that answering one question could lead to something so raw?  I guess you never know where the heart will lead you.

And you, how would you answer the question “Before I die I want to…”.  Please, do feel free to tell me something about yourself…big or small, funny or serious.

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Kerenza, who’s like a sister to me recently had her first baby…what happiness!  To honor brand new Mama and baby Owen I created a little 4″ x 4″ canvas for them.

The bond of mother and child…

…is strong and steady…

…yet soft and gentle.

And shimmers with love.

Tomorrow, Bill, Brook and I will be heading to the nearby Hudson Valley area to visit some of the people who are closest to me.  The subject of family has been on my mind a lot recently, and I have a feeling that this will be showing up in my artwork going forward.

For our short trip to New York I’m planning on bringing a big ball of cozy blue yarn so that I can knit myself a scarf.  I love sitting around with the people I love, simply talking and knitting, listening and sharing.  And you, what things will you be enjoying this weekend?

Wishing you a happy loving weekend with you and yours!

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Do you all know the beautiful and fabulously talented Susan Tuttle?  And have you heard of her blog feature, Tap-In?  Basically, Tap-In is where Susan presents inspiring interviews with creative types from across the art world.  As she puts it:

When highly creative types openly share thoughts and ideas about their creativity and ways of life (and readers “tap-in” to that collective creative flow), it helps to nurture similar talents/callings/passions in others.

If you stop over there (starting today) you’ll see my interview.

Before I end this post I thought I’d share another one of my altered tin projects with you.  I made this piece a few months ago for Mindy (to thank her for sending me a supply of empty Altoids tins to alter), and am now just getting around to making some more.

I love using layers of scrap paper to create a composition.

And adding a dose of sparkle always seems to lend a magical feel.

A message to “soar” is accented with one single stitch detail…again on top of layered scrap paper.

Rolling up a note into a tiny scroll reminds me of child’s play (somehow the scroll amplifies the feeling of a secret message, implying a feeling of intimacy).  And the pearl accent is just for beauty, while the white fluffy feather is for hope, on the inside…

…as well as the outside.  The more hope the better.

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Fall is here and I am ready…real, real ready.  I’m ready for the scenery to come alive, in toasty-warm colors as the temperature cools.  This change feels good.

Below are several snapshots (taken last year) of my favorite fall sights from a trip to Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  Portsmouth is just about an hour’s drive from our home in Massachusetts, but every time I go there it feels like I have traveled thousands of miles away, and maybe even through time to get there…because it’s THAT special.  And it’s a town that fully appreciates things from the past, which is evident in the architecture.

And as always…there is sky.

Before I end this post I should mention the winner of my window necklaces (from my previous post).

Wendy, please contact me with your mailing address so that I can send things your way.  And thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway…I very much appreciate hearing from you.

Happy Fall Frolicking!

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