Wizard of Oz Birthday

My mom knows how much I love the Wizard of Oz so she made me these pillows for my birthday. Thanks mom for all of your hard work on these. They are so cool and I love them. Dash seems to love the one with the tassels too so I had to put the one in my craft room for now.

My Dear Friend Angela

I thought it only fitting to put a post on my blog for my dear creative friend Angela who so often commented on my blog posts. Angela passed away unexpectedly on Friday. She was a mentor, colleague, friend, confidante and huge supporter. I first met Angela at UNLV where she was a faculty member in the Hotel College. I went into her class to do a guest lecture and our friendship began. Angela saw a passion in me for teaching so the next thing I knew she had recommended me to the Hotel College for a part time teaching position. We started going to lunches and also realized that both of us had a creativity streak running through us. She introduced me to altered books and my creativity was sparked. She told me about ArtUnraveled and Las Vegas Art Stamps. My first "art" workshop Angela invited me to. It was the weekend with Julianna Coles. We also started an informal altered book group of our very own. Angela meant the world to me as so many of my friends do. I will miss her smile, her creative energy, warmth and love. May you find peace and comfort dear friend knowing that you will be missed and loved from afar.

Vegas Charm Exchange Baby!

Jackie was the "charm leader" for this exchange which had a vegas theme. The charms all came out very unique and cool. Great job ladies! I thought the pendant that Tanya made for all of us deserved a picture of its own since it was so cool. She took a vintage showgirl image from the Stardust and placed it in a vintage earring with resin. You rock girl! Next up Halloween charm exchange with nothing cutesy. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.

Ouch

Right Thumb

Left Thumb

So...one of the disadvantages of working with sheet metal and glass enamel is what it does to your thumbs. I really don't want to wear gloves because I can't feel through them but when I showed Mandy my thumbs she told me about these cute little thumb covers that you can get in leather. You don't realize how much you really use your thumbs until you injure them. They hurt but it was worth it. There is no better feeling than your arms being sore from working your hammer and jeweler's saw!

Exploration of Enameling with Susan Lenart Kazmer

The ring

The back of the piece

The front of the piece

This piece was created in the enameling class with Susan. This was a wonderful class. We were responsible for cutting our pieces, filing and shaping them into whatever we wanted. I created a pendant and a ring in this class. Both pieces were fired in the kiln multiple times. This was the first time that I have ever tried enameling. I just love green and enameling! What I learned most from this class and the one yesterday is how much I really just love metal. Hammering, shaping and cutting are so much fun!

Resin with Susan Lenart Kazmer

Time for Art Unraveled!!!!! This piece was made with resin and brass. I made a mold of a rock that Susan had for us to use and cast this piece using a mold with resin. I then colored the piece to make it look more organic. The backing for the piece was hand cut with a jeweler's saw, sanded like crazy. I made everything on this piece including the clasp and attachments for the piece.

Trip To England

Brighton Beachfront

The Royal Pavilion in Brighton

Stonehenge

Bath

Rutland Waters

Recently I had the pleasure of visiting my friend Ann in England. It was great fun and I really enjoyed my visit. I had been to London before but was only there for a few days. This time around I felt like I really saw the beautiful country that England is. I also got to know a couple of locals who are friends of Ann. It was really fun getting to know the culture and a few of the local phrases and sayings. I must admit that I don't see how my friend Ann has done it! It took me two days to flush the toilet on the first try at Ann's house because the plumbing was so different. I also couldn't operate the washing machine. Even though they speak somewhat the same language things are really quite different. I really enjoyed myself and am posting a few pictures of the trip for you to enjoy!