Glued Ego

Religion: illusion

Nationality: illusion

Tools striving for earthly godliness

Painting credos of tangible unreality

Scarred innocents

Chopped from divinity

Innocents gutted by obscene crossfire

War loses for us

Antique Necklace and Fire Pit

necklace circa 1930s

Mary Louise Rueff necklace my mother-in-law saved for my daughter

Based upon research, it seems many ball tassels may be missing

unsigned piece, is reminiscent of Miriam Haskell; clasp is not reminiscent of designer's work

nice patina going on the brass

Cliff's project fire pit, taking repurposing to an all new level

New Gothic Bracelets Complete

This custom order was so fun.  I love trying out new ideas.  I especially appreciate that my client gave me the freedom with creativity.  The order was for a custom bracelet with direction including bats, skulls, raven, bees....no real rules.  So I started with polymer bats and birds and squarish beads with painted little honey bees and flowers.  When I began constructing the bracelet, the raven cracked on the hand dyed hemp.  WTH!  Ok, well it just chipped...sanded and glazed to fix.  Then I added the bat.  The bat just didn't look right.  This bracelet was made for an adult and the rest of the materials I was using were pretty sophisticated.  The bat was just awkward.  Plus since the crow cracked (this black clay I was using seems to be somewhat brittle), I didn't really trust bat wings on a bracelet that gets more hazardous wear and tear than a necklace.  So I busted the bat off the piece.  So I went from using all the suggested elements to eliminating 2 of them.

Earlier last week, I finished painting some Mexican sugar skulls while watching Frank Zappa's The Torture Never Stops with my husband.

Sugar Skulls polymer clay and acrylic paint

bats and birds and bees in background

Roses on the back of their heads

Well, I originally planned on stitching the honey bee beads to the macrame hemp bracelet, but I just had too many elements; they just didn't fit.  So, plan B was to just make another bracelet.  Below are the results.

Hand dyed hemp macrame bracelet

Velveteen flower made from Eileen's upcycled jeggings floss and beads

Blue gothic bracelet

Bohemian charm

very cool all the way around

So since I couldn't figure out how to keep the flow together and uncluttered, I made a second bracelet.  Here is the 2nd additional bracelet:

silver wire wrapped tigerwire bracelet with moonstones

hand painted little bee beads

iridescent seed beed with labradorite, rainbow flourite, and amethyst chips

Bohemian elegance

star and colors add a touch of gothic romance

Gothic Bracelet Commission W.I.P~~Honey Bees, Birds, and Bats

Here is a work in progress for a commission:

Little hand painted polymer beads

Honey bees and flowers in progress

Beaded velveteen flowers for clasp made from my daughter's upcycled  pants

Hand dyed hemp rope, beaded flowers, polymer clay finished crows and blue bee beads

These are for 2 bracelets, one a commission and one to list in my Etsy shop.  I will post the finished project when I am done....almost there.  I am in process of painting sugar skull beads and glazing bats, both made from polymer clay.

Enjoy!

Choi~

Wendi

Happiness is Greater Than Words

photo taken by Jay Toole, friend.  Owensboro, KY BBQ Festival 5/17/12

Breast Cancer Survivor Gifts Awaiting Shipment

I've finally finished this project.  All the items are ready to ship home tomorrow.  I really enjoyed making everything.  I had a few minor set backs with  polymer clay, but what is life without a few bumps?  


Here are two sister dolls.  They are constructed out of 100% natural cotton from a pattern I drew.  They are lightly filled with poly/cotton quilt batting and bits of scraps from the body fabric and batting.  I needle worked their faces using high quality embroidery floss.  I've delicately sewed their hair, which is soft acrylic blend yarn my mother-in-law had cut to make tassels, to their heads under their little scarves.  Their scarves and matching shift dresses are made from 100% cotton rose printed fabric embellished with pink rick rack and lace.  Each sister also wears matching lace girdle shorts. 

Here are all the gifts together.  They are photoed on a small quilt I made a couple years ago.  The quilt is not part of the care package.  In this photo are sets of rag dolls, watercolor painted journals, prayer boxes, necklaces, bracelets, earrings.

God boxes have the Serenity Prayer scripted running along the sides of the boxes.  The box is constructed out of cereal boxes, covered in recycled school homework paper, acrylic paint, watercolor paper painted butterfly appliques, and mod podge.

Watercolor painted journals made from watercolor paper that has been cut to size, wash painted, and sewn together with pink embroidery floss.  The cover has been embellished with pink foiled seed beads and decoupaged butterflies and sealed with mod podge.

These are the necklaces.  Butterflies are constructed from cereal box cardboard, acrylic paint, lace, and mod podge with watercolor painted butterfly appliques decoupaged to the top surfaces.  Butterflies are connected with copper jump rings.  The rest of the necklace I made by stringing composition groupings of rose quartz round beads, amethyst chip beads, turquoise colored seed beads, and hand painted clay robin egg squared beads on nylon coated stainless bead wire.  Beads are floating on the wire and held in place with silver crimps.  The necklaces close with hand made copper hook clasps and jump rings. 

Here is the rose quartz, amethyst, and butterfly jewelry set grouped together.

Bracelets made from rose quartz, handmade clay beads, turquoise color seed beads, rose wood flower beads, and amethyst chips strung on stretch string. 

I assembled these earrings from the same beads used in the other jewelry pieces.  The beads are strung on handmade copper ball head pins, dangling from copper ear hooks and jump rings.  I purchased these copper findings from Rocki's Metalwork, found on Etsy.

Closer look at sweet face embroidery.

My Daughter Made These in 3rd Grade

My daughter made these adorable sculptures in 3rd grade for a school art show.  I think they are pretty amazing.  That was 2 years ago.

These were a birthday gift for me:

From Tambrea's Custom Sewing

Yesterday I mentioned how my friend Tambrea Egan helped me hone sewing skills, use my machine, prep fabric, all those important technical tidbits.  Here is the link to read that blog for a preview: http://wendibrandon.blogspot.com/2012/03/purse-in-progress-getting-stuff-done.html.

Today I am going to post some examples of her work:

Here is her favorite example from commission for Housing Authority

Here is an example of one of my favorite cushions!

Here is Tambrea standing with her client, Dot, who is enjoying her newly slip covered chair!

Franklin, TN

Please visit Tambrea's Custom Sewing (https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Tambreas-Custom-Sewing/325803460794978) to see more of my friend's amazing work.   Here you will see how fun it would be to commission your very own custom sewing creation!

Thank you for visiting!
Peace and love NOW!

Purse in Progress: Getting Stuff Done-and Ode to Memories of a Basement in Franklin, TN

Here is just a quick snippet of a piece almost finished.  One more session of beading, then I can shoot it to post with pricing and info.

My friend Tambrea Egan taught me how to use my sewing machine.  Well, I pretty much can figure that stuff out, but she made it much nicer, by showing me how to use it correctly.  She taught me lots about fabric, something about selvage, and other terms I can't find in the brain at the moment.  You know the technical stuff that is important to know if you want to make something that isn't going to fall apart, like if you glue end wood to end wood.  I am forever grateful for the fun tutorials and honing up on our Spanglish.  Bonus is that we had so much fun in the studio.  I miss Franklin, Tennesse.  I love all my people there.

I love my people everywhere, don't think that I don't!  There is a basement room in the bottom of the church that ate Franklin where a bunch of crazy folk meet to talk about life and higher power and how good life can be.   Kind of like a there is a town in North Ontario...that's how it goes...

Anyway,  here are a few photos of my work in progress:

Please visit Tambrea's Custom Sewing (https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Tambreas-Custom-Sewing/325803460794978) to see my friend's amazing work.  While I both love and possess the dexterity and skill to wield needle and thread as a tool in my creative process, my friend has the formal training and professional skills necessary for this sewing business.

Some Turn to Warm Macaroni and Cheese, Others Buy Cheap Tacky Nailpaint

I'm not really a foodie, so after a long hiatus, I decided it was time for some really tacky nail paint.

I saw this twenty-one year old beauty with these short neat nails painted awful green with a chip here and there.  Her name is Mary and she is adorable and passionate and perfectly unperfect.  So, it touched a nerve.  For whatever reason, maybe it's the moon or the barometer, who knows why, I'm sensitive these days. Since I've been working on destroying my teeth and shredding my cuticles while driving to work, I decided I could go on the hunt for that awful green.  Well, I didn't find the exact Notre Dame Irish color Mary sported, but I found a hideous shimmery green-blue hue and a deathly purple-almost black paint-$.49 each.  I wasn't really searching; truly, I was looking for cat food.

I feel a little better.  For about a week, now, I've been able to quit maiming myself.  It takes what it takes, and we are where we are right now.  If you believe in something bigger than you, breathe a little deeper and smile.  The world is a moving sphere at your fingertips.

Namaste~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~be the good life~~~~~~~~~

Recycling the "Trash" Piled on My Desk

Earring tag blanks...jewelry boxes, small and xtra small...in progress.  Finished one featuring Pet of the Week from Daviess County Animal Shelter in the middle of the mess washed in neon purple.

Sure was nice to cut those boxes down and clear the clutter off my desk.