Rosebud, watercolor

Today I felt like painting something for Valentine's day or love, that sort of thing.  I love painting and drawing roses and I think this one turned out pretty nice.  India ink and watercolors on watercolor paper.  Measures 5 by 7. 

Back to basics

I have really needed something to get my creative juices going again.  I feel like I have been going in too many directions.  In the beginning of my creativity I make drawings and paintings.  I have gone way off course into more crafts then I would like.  So for now I think I will try to focus on drawing, painting and my glass work. 

All good things must end...

as my internship finally comes to a close, I find myself having to do the whole job search process all over again.  Yawn!  In the mean time I will be getting back to my crafts and lampworking.  SO!!!! what this means is stay tuned for new goodies and treasures showing up on Etsy, and more new blog posts (finally)... I have missed my blogging.  Two weeks of internship left and then heavy crafting time.  What has everyone been up to on the weekends?  Me and mine have been fishing (catch and release) and exploring all the little towns around that we didn't know were nearby.  Enjoy the beginning of your Autumn and more blogs soon, I promise!!!

New book, steampunk style!

I've been working a lot lately at my internship so I can finish up my Associates degree in Business Management at MTC.  After work I have been winding down with a new book series by Cherie Priest.  The first book is called Boneshaker, the second one (I'm currently reading this one) is called Dreadnought.  So far this is a really great series done in the Steampunk universe that seems to be becoming so popular.  Next up on my reading list are The Falling Machine by Andrew Mayer, and Dead Iron by Devon Monk.  I do have to say that I am not normally a fan of male writers.  Men just seem to have a different feeling to their books, so I am hoping I will like these next male written books.  More soon...

Is Artist or Crafter a real job?

     Not everyone has the creative gene.  Those of us who are gifted by creativity know that I'm talking about.  They see creativity as a process, as ability.  Creativity leads to your output of an art or craft creation.
     This missing gene seems to cause a blockage in most other people.  They end up, seeing creativity as something they don't understand.  Why worry about it's existence.  This idea usually is accompanied by the feeling that creative output such as arts and crafts are a waste of time.  They see this creation process and end products as a hobby, not a real job.
     An example of this is when asked what I do for a living, my reply of Artist is met with confusion.  This usually followed up with the question of what is my "real" job.
     Get real people!!!  From the dawn of time, Artisans have been creating items like the clothes you wear or the jewelry you adorn your body with.  If you think that this is so easy as to not be considered a job then I give you this challenge:
Want a sweater?  Go out and catch yourself a smelly, dirty sheep.  Sheer the sheep, wash the wool, dye it, card it, spin it into yarn, and then knit your sweater.  Now if you're lucky, you got all the grease and grass out of the wool while washing.  If you're lucky you didn't over wash your wool causing a huge clump of felted mess.  If you're lucky you didn't over cook the wool in the dyeing process, also causing a felted mess.  If you're lucky someone taught you how to card, spin and knit your wool  Now after hours that you've put into this hopefully finished and wearable sweater, tell me it wasn't work, or a job.  Someone is making a living at this, because they enjoy it, just so you can wear that pretty cabled knit pullover you saw in that boutique window. 
     Please think of all the hours of work involved before you off-handed sneer at their "creative" job.  Do a little research and find out what went into that sweater you bought. You may be surprised.

Decisions, decisions... mixed media madness!

     The worse thing about being a mixed-media or multimedia artist/crafter is that you can often be unsure which media you want to work with.  It can be overwhelming seeing the shelves of supplies and materials all equally enticing.  Being a Libra, I already have a problem making myself make choices, so these varieties of choices can actually cause a tidal wave of clutter as I drag out too many things to work with.  Of course this then leads to a loss of focus as I get overwhelmed and sort of wander off to look through magazines or on the Internet. 
     If you ask me I think this whole thing can actually cause a form of ADHD, a crafter's form of ADHD.  Just my opinion.

Book review today

My new favorite author and book is Feed, by Mira Grant  Most books follow a zombie apocalypse from before the point of infection or accidental uprising, until everyone starts dying, leaving you wondering how the characters are going to live tomorrow.  Feed takes place 20+ years later, when zombies are a way-of-life for the average person.  What a fun book!  To read more about this book, click on the amazon links to the side or visit Grant's site at:  http://www.thefeedbook.com
BTW, I just started book 2 this morning and I am already 150 pages in, yummy!

I'm Back!

Sorry I have been absent for so long, but I needed to focus on the rest of school.  I am finally done and graduated with my Associates in Business Management yesterday.  I still have to finish my internship for the paperwork to be done, but I am now homework free!  Which means I can finally start creating again.  There were so many times I wanted to make something, but just couldn't find the time to give anything the justice it deserved to finish a project.  Hopefully I will start finding more creative time now that my nights and weekends are free.  Time to stop and breathe and get those creative juices flowing.  Hugs everyone!! Enjoy your Spring!

Walking in a winter wonderland

Things have been busy with school for me.  So with this being my winter break I can finally catch up on crafting and gift making before the holidays.  The snow has been falling finally. I was begining to wonder where it was.  Here is a picture taken from my back porch.

New Beads -- Southwestern Sunset focal and set

I haven't had much time to torch the last week as it is getting close to time for me to start my second year of school for my business degree.  But everything came to a screeching halt Sunday when I rolled my ankle.  I did a pretty good number on it as it is now black and blue.  Thank God for Ace bandages or I would still be stuck in the house.  Since my ankle slowed me down however, I was finally able to get some torch time in.  Here are my two latest sets that I will be putting up on Ebay tonight. (username Caprivat).  Also, I just finished lowering my prices on everything currently listed on Etsy, so take a look there too.  Have a great weekend!

New Beads for sale

I have several beads listed on Ebay tonight:
http://shop.ebay.com/caprivat/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p4340

Here is a picture of one set:

Mars is in the house of ..well something....

Why am I up? So my husband wakes me with "hey come see this!" what?? It's one am!!! "you gotta come see this! Mars is in the sky!" what? "Mars, it's here, and it won't be here for another 200 blah blah blah something years" grumbles ok show me... "there look!" where? "there!" That? "no that's a star" that??? "no that's another star!" well that then? "NO, that's a plane!!!" fine where is it??? "there see, right there, that little light!!!!!" What the hell, that? You woke me for that? I was more excited to see the plane! Jeeze wake me when there's coffee! grumble grumble grumble... Night everyone.....zzzzz.....

Treasure Hunting at the Thrift Store

Ok, I have to admit it.  I am a Thrift Store junkie!  I love to dig through Goodwill or the Salvation Army for gently used treasures.  I have made several fun discoveries like brand-new Ferragamo shoes for 5$, A Tommy Hilfiger dress for $4, and Eddie Bauer and Abercrombie & Fitch sweaters for $4 each (with new tags still on it).  No one would realize I didn't pay top dollar for these things unless I confessed.  I also admit to having some gorgeous pieces of Spode, Enesco and Bradford Exchange sitting on my shelves.    I have been happily surprised to find teenagers roaming the racks looking for name brands in the jeans and dresses.  Everyone is this economy should at least consider checking out their local thrift stores these days.  If you see me there, say HI don't be shy!

My Enesco Bunny

How do you find your inspiration?

I thought I would share my little pink book with everyone today.  I am always looking for inspiration in the things around me, and sometimes that just doesn't seem to help.  So one day I started my little pink book.  I took a blank journal and some old magazines and started cutting out pictures that caught my eye.  Some pages I arranged by color, some by type (like flowers).  But, mostly I just splashed things on in random order.  Later I take my book and right down a few words in the blank spaces about what each picture makes my feel or think about.  Maybe even jot down some beading ideas in the margins.  Now I find that when the artistic magic just isn't flowing, I sit down and look over my little pink book and get my spark back.
Here you will see just a couple of the pages inside:

Digital Camera Play

I decided it was time I figure out what my digital camera can actually do. You know, all those gazillion of settings that always overwhelm a person. I took a hard look at the pictures I had been taking of my beads and crafts and realized that I could really improve on the quality. After reading a lot, and messing around with settings, I realized that I actually enjoy taking pictures. I practiced and I have to say that my camera is a lot more impressive than I thought it was. Sorry little camera, guess it was pilot error after all.



On another note: This week the kids will be starting school, which means I have 2 weeks until I start my last year of college. I think I will spend the next weeks organizing my craft areas. Take alook at my glass making area, what a mess. Messy areas make for a messy mind, right? I feel overwhelmed at the prospect of cleaning, but I think I can do it. Have a great week all, enjoy the quiet house while the kids are at school everyone!

New Beads

I just listed a beautiful new bead set on ebay, username caprivat. Take a look

Organic Gardening

I spent most of the day working on my new site on Organic gardening. Still have lots to do and more pages to add, but it's a start. Here it is: http://organicgardenguru.info
I just watched a oldie VHS called The Wraith starring Charlie Sheen, anybody remember this one? Made around 1986 and still one of my all-time favorite movies. Hugs* http://christyldesigns.com

Inside the mind of an artist

Ever want to find out how an artist thinks? Sitting at my desk trying to pick bead colors this is how it goes: Black and white- too plain, Red and white -- stuck as patriotic or valentine looking, how about blue/green -- eeh too much like the ocean, turquoise/ivory -- not feeling like southwest today, red/orange -- too hot, makes me feel like sweating, still not feeling it... pink/blue--too babyish.....pink/purple --- too girlie.... getting closer though... Finally I can land in the pink zone. So here is the picture of part of my beadmaking effort. And yes this is what most artists go through everyday trying to decide on colors for projects and that's not even including styles, tools to use, techniques, don't get me started there.. Have a good day everyone!

Time to get started!

Decided to dust off my blog and start writing again. Only 2 more weeks til the kids start school, whew. I can't believe all the stuff they need this year. Only 10 and 13 and they need flashdrives and scientific calculators each, jeeze I didn't need most of these things until college. My 13 year old was actually helping me with my college algebra a little last year. Sigh! when did these kids get so smart, cause they are making me feel dumb! Anyway, polished off me website this past week and started to overhaul it. I added links, sales, and projects. I am hoping to add several lampworking tutorials in the next few weeks too. http://christyldesigns.com
Also, I am working on a new website about my daughter's adhd. http://livingwithadhdchildren.com this is a work in progress so I will be adding more content to it soon. Lastly, I start my last year of my asst degree next month. Busy busy busy. More soon, hugs* ChristyL

Playing with polymer clay

I spent the day showing my girls how to extrude clay and make ACEO's with it. I made a couple for myself here.