Before & Afters

I've loved makeovers since I was a young'un, long before they became a thing on reality t.v. and elsewhere. I love a good transformation or upgrade, and am always looking at things from houses to clothes with an eye to their potential. So I'm starting a new series on this blog called "Before & Afters" to share transformed things that I'm excited about. I'm thinking it will be a lot of my own projects, and with any luck, I'll be able to toss cool stuff transformed by other artists and companies into the mix.

So for my first official Before & Afters post, I'd like to share a piece from a series of vases I'm working on. I've been taking standard small vitamin bottles and sculpting papier mache pulp over them to create working wet vases made totally of recycled materials. Because of the plastic bottle inside, these can be used with water and flowers like a traditional vase. Here's the before:

an empty vitamin bottle

And the after:  

it's paper, but water is a-okay in it!

This is also a sneak peek for posts I'll be publishing soon, revealing my super simple papier mache pulp recipe, and the steps I took to create the vase above. Hope you're looking forward to this series and the technique posts. I am!

Almost forgot- if you wanna find out more about the vase, go here: http://shophandmade.reneezanceart.com/collections/sculpture/products/small-handmade-paper-mache-vase-green-and-orange-papier-mache-decor

One Tip Tuesday

Today, in a rare One Tip Tuesday edition (because I haven't done one of these in like, forever), I wanted to share a tip on paint economy in the studio.

Paint. Is. Expensive. Well, sometimes. I personally know how to catch a good deal and ways to stretch the paint I already have.;o) This tip is so simple it's a no brainer, and it works for artist grade acrylics, oils, and craft acrylics. Whenever I mix up a special color, I try to make more than I think I'll need, so that I don't have to go back and mix again and try to match the first batch. So there's almost always leftover. Well, since it is near sacrilegious in my studio to throw out perfectly good paint, I seal up the excess in empty plastic containers. Whenever I need to create layers, thickness, or depth on a project, the excess comes out to play. It doesn't matter that it's not the color I intend to use in the end, because it will end up covered, and I won't have used up the intended color trying to create "body" on a painting or a sculpted piece. And I've avoided waste. So winner winner... well, you know. 

The Garden of My Mind

As an artist, I spend a lot of time visualizing things I would like to create, from simple projects, to things I want to think into existence for my life.

a Chinese lantern plant

One of my personal dreams is to one day have a beautiful garden at my home. I've always possessed an inner gardener, one who loves the feel of the earth in her hands and relishes the fruit of carefully tended plots. I love flowers, succulent cactus, and edibles, and my dream garden would have all of these.

Having thumbed through seed catalogs time and again over the years, I could name off some of the magical things I would grow *ahem*, will grow when the opportunity arrives. I want beautiful colors, strange shapes, and tasty specimens. I want everything from crispy cukes, to paw paws, to edible flowers that I can dust with pretty sugars and perch on homemade cakes. I can see myself strolling, sitting, sketching, and just renewing in my perfect garden. I've grown things in the past, and enjoyed the satisfaction of creating something from seed, earth, sun, and water, but because of limited time and other resources to devote to maintenance (like keeping hungry pests away), I have temporarily given it up.

While out exploring with a friend recently, I happened onto a plant precariously tossed beside an old railroad depot. It had obviously been ditched there, because there were just branches lying on the ground. I recognized it as an elusive favorite, which I had never seen in person, and one that I had pictured for my own garden, a Chinese lantern. The petals on the "lanterns" were gorgeous shades of soft pink, green, and tan, and they reminded me of my goal, so I brought home some of the stems. I managed to extract seeds from some of the pods, and may be able to start them in a pot. Who knows, this could be the first step to that dream coming true! Before I forget, I wanted to share this awesome video, which in part, inspired this post. So I can't take credit for the "garden of your mind" idea, lol. Hope you like :o)                              p.s. I love Mr. Rogers and PBS. We go waaay back!

Update: I'm officially back at it with a slowly expanding container garden! Follow my "grow things" board on Pinterest to see what I'm cultivating!

(not so) Wordless Wednesday

Ok, so this was supposed to be a Wordless Wednesday post, but I just couldn't help myself, lol. Today being the Fourth of July/ Independance Day in the States, I've been thinking about how much I love fireworks. I'm a big kid when it comes to fireworks. Everyone I know seems to think they're no big deal, and if you've seen one show, you've seen them all. But they never seem to get old for me. I still love the colors, lights, and sounds experienced during a good pyrotechnics show. They still give me a sense of wonder. I think the only way I could get tired of them is if I were to see them constantly. But for now they remain special, something beautiful, bright, happy, and out of the ordinary. And today they will celebrate our freedom as a nation! Hope you get a chance to enjoy some :o).

Old Hats

I have become an efficiency expert for myself these days. I like to maximize my time, even when I'm having fun or relaxing. An example is that I always have a sketchbook, the kindle app on my phone, or a good old fashioned book with me to take advantage of any time I may have to spend waiting. So  yesterday I had an appointment with the eye doctor, so I grabbed my sketchbook and the junk mail to go through while I waited. As I flipped through the store flyers and sale papers, I came across this picture of a gown. The general idea ignited something - stirring up an old interest of mine. Back in my middle school days, I had a passion for clothing design. It was a strong contender for my ultimate career, and into highschool, I spent hours sketching designs. I remember drawing concepts for classmates' prom dresses. Eventually that interest gave way to other forms of expression, but I always had a fond place in my heart for wearing the designer's hat. Anyway, when I saw this gown, I thought to myself "no, no, no, that needs tweaking!" (sorry, Vogue sewing pattern people!). So I whipped out the sketchbook and started laying it out, the way I thought it should be. My version is inspired by the stunning, clever fashions of old movies that designers like the inimitable Edith Head clothed in unforgettable style. Such an inspiration. Anyway, here's my slightly "octaned" up version:

What fun to revisit an old love!

Wordless Wednesday

Flashbacks and Fuel

Hi! How's your day?

studio flashback:
papier mache prototypes

Mine's been great- lots of creative fun and being all industrious and stuff. I just wanted to share a little highlight. As I was check-
ing out my statistics for my shop on Etsy, I noticed a hit that came from a blog. Whenever I see a particular blog or website send traffic to my shop, I go check it out, to see what led the visitor to me. So when I visited the blog, I found the sweetest post, written by my very first customer on Etsy, back in 2009. I had set up shop in the fall of 2008 and my first sale (on my birthday!) was to Sharon, of Morgan Street Soap.
Anyway, after receiving her item, Sharon wrote the nicest post about her experience buying from me. That is what I found today: http://morganstreetsoap.blogspot.com/2008/11/dreaming-big.html
 Warm fuzzy feelings abound. And, as a bonus, more fuel for the drive to create more and better and share it all! Stay inspired :o)

Lightbulbs

I love it when an idea just comes to me, especially when it's the solution to something, clear as a bell. Yesterday that happened as I was attempting to get an order packed to ship and couldn't find just the right thing. I was shipping some papier mache gems, and I needed something in the same vein as the metallic finish on the gems to use as filler for the bag they were in. I like to pack pretty, so my things are fun to receive! The closest thing I had was plain brown kraft shred, and it wasn't doing it for me.

So I put that aside for a bit to go do other things. That's my way of allowing the "lightbulb" to find me, so to speak. And it did. I remembered a sad crumpled sheet of metallic gold tissue paper that I had laying around that had been used and reused, and had seen better days. It wasn't really pretty enough to use in a gift, but I hadn't had the heart to ditch it. But anyone who knows me knows I like to recycled the mess out of some things, until they just turn to dust or disintegrate from time and space. I thought of the gold tissue and this random handheld mini shredder that my awesome brother had given me years ago (more on him later). I dug up the paper, then found the shredder and before I knew it I had this:

excuse me while I make flaxen gold (ignore the fuzziness of the pic, please)

Which became this:

oh my! love this!

 Which I used for this:

 

 And that was my lightbulb. Side note: I've been busily working on lots of new things, including reorganizing some of my work areas. That's my "shipping department" in the background. It's awesome, but the lighting is not really conducive to picture-taking. Anyway, with all this making new and reworking, it could just be a huge coincidence that Etsy has set up something new called an "About" page for sellers. The moment was ripe to share a little, so that's one of the things that's been on the project list. Here's a sneek peek at my (as yet unfinished) about page, (which reveals the shipping department!): http://www.etsy.com/shop/studioRenee/about/

That is all. Have an inspired weekend!

The Summer of...

So I will confess to being a workaholic. If I'm pried away from my home office and studio for very long I admit, I get a little anxious thinking of everything I want to get done here. But lately a new pattern seems to be forming. Today my brother (love him) managed to get me away to join he and our mom to see the movie "Avengers". By the time the 20 minutes of previews and commercials was over, my anxiety about my to-do list was quieting down, and I was able to have a good time hanging with them and seeing an excellent, action-packed movie. I know the old adage about "all work and no play...", but sometimes I get so busy in my "artist with her nose to the grindstone, paying her dues" mindset, I forget to make some time to do things just for fun. But when I do, the payoff is that I return to my work refreshed and inspired, often with something new to bring to it.

Just to set the record straight, I love to have fun, and I do realize the importance of balance in one's life. And in the past few weeks, I've had the opportunity to enjoy a number of new adventures! In a series of firsts, I visited some new towns, walked some beautiful new nature trails, cooked some new dishes, went kayaking, and went to an amazing Korean sauna I'd never been to. Just reflecting on the past month or two, I'm putting it out there right now: This is gonna be an amazing, wonderful summer (more great firsts, please!). Professionally and personally, artistically and otherwise. I'm going to make that happen. What are you putting out there?

P.S. I promise I'll be posting projects I'm working on and sharing techniques as part of my amazing summer - stay tuned!

A Contagious Thing

A while back I had the pleasure of meeting and helping a beautiful elderly man. I know that sounds funny, but it is accurate because it really refers to his energy and the glow in his face. He was with a sweet lady whom I had met before and who had talked about him to me. According to her, (she was probably several years his junior) they had been long time friends and roommates, and (I suspected) that she also acted as his caretaker. Before I ever met the gentleman, she had talked about what a kind friend he had always been, and how they had been there for each other, but it was a special privilege to get to meet him myself. The first thing I noticed, of course, was his frame, stiffly curled over the walker he was using. He was practically doubled over, and had to lift his head to make eye contact. When he did, and we began to talk, I noticed a pair of stunning bright, crysophrase colored eyes dancing and opening wide with expression as he talked.

crysophrase gemstones

They made me feel that the "real" him, his youthful spirit was there inside, with the same vibrance he must have had in his youth, even though his physique did not reflect that. When he became tired, she and I helped him to her SUV. We had to go very slow, so we had time to talk more, and he told me that he was about to have his 83rd birthday. I offered my congratulations and he made a few jokes about it, then slipped into a bit of philosophy about life. He stopped to ask me how old I was, then huffed in amazement when I told him, telling me I didn't look near that old, lol. When he asked me about my work and my philosophies on life, (his mistake?) I must have gotten this faraway look in my eyes, and launched into my ideals about making the most of every single day, how thankful I was for so many things that some folks will never have or enjoy, and how much I love my work. He shook his head, telling me that what I said gave him chills, and that we all need to keep that sort of perspective on living, to get the most out of it.
It was kind of a moment, like two spirits who were polar opposites (at least externally), having a brush with understanding a little of the meaning of life, and realizing how much alike we all can be. Okay, yes, maybe a little corny, but genuine, so go with it.

Anyway, the point is that passion is totally contagious. Passion for life, passion for learning, passion for whatever makes us feel fulfilled. Any of us, when we reveal what makes our spirit sing, can inspire others to realize or just remember their own. What would the world be like if we did?

Wordless Wednesday



 



Good Vibes in Blogland

I'm thrilled and thankful to share that I was given the Liebster Award by my friend Ildi, of Ildi's Papier Mache today! Vă mulţumim, Ildi!!

The Liebster Award is given by bloggers to their fellow bloggers who inspire them and have under 200 followers. The Liebster Award takes it’s name from the German word meaning Beloved, Dearest or Favorite.

Here's my award!

The tradition includes passing the award along to 5 bloggers who have motivated and inspired you. To accept the award you must:
1. Link back to the person who gave it to you and thank them
2. Post the award to your blog
3. Give the award to 5 bloggers with less than 200 followers that you appreciate and value.
4. Leave a comment on the 5 blogs to let them know that they have been offered this award.

Here are my chosen honorees:

1. Tracy, at One Brown Crafter, who inspires me endlessly with her wonderful art and ideas. She frequently adds amazing content to her blog and facebook page!

2. Cassandra, of Creations by CC, who is a talented photographer who also shares her home, garden, and craft projects, plus yummy recipes.
3. Tisa, at Mochatographer, another super talented photographer, who shares her adventures with clients, equipment, techniques, and her inpirations.

4. Aimee, of Made in the Fold, who creates beautiful handwritten invitations, custom stamps, and more.

5. Dana, of Tumblestone Handmakery, who makes whimsical jewelry, frames, and more, and shares her inspiration in blogland.

I invite you to check out all these talented people- you will not be disappointed!

Thanks all, for your contribution to the creative universe!!!