Hello Sunshine

HELLO

Wow, what a beautiful day we are having today!  My first flowers to pop are just as sunny and bright as the weather.  What a joy to see them up and saying Hello.  We had to work yesterday and today was so pleasant that much of the day was spent outside. 

I gathered my sidewalk chalk (thanks Samantha!) and created this masterpiece.  We live on a very quiet street so I am lucky to be able to play in the road.  I like the ability to draw on a large scale and this is a great way to do it.  No planning, no prep, very little cost...perfect.  Now I just have to wait for it to rain so I can have a clean slate.

My wire work has been null this week due to a stomach bug and dentist consult turning into "We are slow today.  Why don't we just go ahead and pull those two teeth..." but I hear my Mosh Pit girl calling.  I think she needs a little attention after some yummy pizza...smells good.

Hilari

Skinny Dipper Designs on ETSY

Monday

MONDAY

Monday can feel like you are a fly trapped in a jar and one of those Mondays must have been the inspiration for this piece. With that said, I plan to have a great Monday this week.  Nothing special happening, just not going to let the rainy days or Mondays get me down.

My plans to have pictures of my newest project did not come to fruition due to the weight of the focal piece which made the book board sink in the middle.  I am going to have to use a wooden base for support and hopefully this may lead to a cleaner looking finished product.  I was advised to find a way to hide the wires underneath the book board and this may push me to find that answer.

We have been frozen here lately but today we reached 55 degrees!  I looked out the window this afternoon to see between 20 and 30 Robins (and 2 Cedar Waxwings) drinking out of our pond.  Our cat, Twyla, and I enjoyed watching them for "quiet" a while.

It is time to get dinner started.  Tonight is one of our favorites:  Ham and Potato Casserole. It is so easy to make and definitely falls into the feel good food category. 

2lb bag frozen hash browns

1 cup diced ham chunks

1/4 c melted butter

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

1/2 cup crushed potato chips, for topping

Break up frozen hash browns into 9x13 baking dish. Top with ham chunks; mix butter, soup, and 1 cup cheese together; pour over ham and potatoes; top with the rest of the cheese.  Sprinkle chips on top and bake for 50 minutes in 350 degree oven.  Yummy!

Til next time,

Hilari

Hex Bolts, Wire and Ink

 I am not sure why men have to change out their car lights to better and brighter when the originals are just fine.  With that said, I am glad that my son did that this weekend because I was able to snag the assembly and have been working away.  As I said last week, some projects just scream to be given life and this was one of them.  I should have pics to follow in the next post.

KBAG book swap 2013

Knoxville Book Arts Guild

 I have been collecting rusty metal bits and such for a while because I like the look, and the idea of giving life to something that may not be seen as useable by others.  I picked up a box of bolts, washers, pluming pieces, etc. at an estate sale, not knowing what treasures would be inside.  Lucky of me, there were some hex bolts that worked perfectly as the spine for this little industrial book. Repurposed book pages, wrapped in screen and wired to the hex bolts created the end product for our annual KBAG book swap.  

KBAG has been meeting each month for over 5 years. I feel very lucky to be in a group with individuals who are happy to share their ideas and techniques with others.  I will be teaching (use term loosely) this book in our February meeting.  It is always interesting to see the final product created by each person and how they differ from each other.  Can't wait!

I seem to be distracted by the NFL playoffs...Go Broncos!...off to a large plate of spaghetti and garlic toast.

Peace, 

Hilari

Weight of the World

As she carried the weight of the world 

on her shoulders she became

completely deflated and then simply defeated

This one came to me over the holidays...go figure.  I am sure that we have all felt this way at one time or another but as time passes the weights lifts and we become whole again.  Her weight is getting lighter as we speak so she will be back to normal any day now. Although, with tax time approaching...

 I have a new project on my work table which I have had to manhandle into submission.  At this point the wire seems to be staying in position but I have not put it through any stress tests to see how it will hold up under normal wear.  Some go smoothly while others have their own plans on how they want to be created and these can be the most annoying and even the most rewarding.

I have a wonderful husband who has a large pot of chilli simmering and a hot cup of tea for me to enjoy.

Have a peaceful night,

Hilari 

Gail Force Wind

When a gale force wind tries to blow you off course

put up your defenses and hold on tight

A new year brings on a new push to create, share and connect.  I hope the gale forces do not blow my way and I can stay on track.  I love to watch my ideas come to life through the use of wire, felt, paper, found items and rusty bits. Sometimes they are shy and want to stay in the shadows while others come out of my head in a full run and expect to be made RIGHT THEN.  When that happens I have to let the quiet ones rest and pay full attention to the demanding ones.  It is exciting when they come out and are made in a flash...relatively speaking.  I have 3 or 4 on my work table right now fighting to be next to be completed. We will see which one comes out on top.

I am sure glad that we are all tucked in on this cold, 13 degree dropping to 1 degree, evening.  Water will be dripping to keep the pipes from freezing this evening.

Stay warm!

Hilari

Hello,

It was nice to see everyone at the family reunion.  Forrest put this picture on Facebook saying that he loves his grandma.

Today I entered my first juried art exhibit.  It is for the Handmade and Bound venue in Nashville that we went to last year.  I will be notified mid-August if I get in.  This is one of the few times that others will look at my creations and say if it is worthy...not my friends and family who, thankfully, have always supported my work.

She is made with a wire body with the lower half, tail and hair formed with felt.  She even has wire mermaid boobies.  She is leaning against 2 rocks which are wired between repurposed book covers, the top one watercolored to resemble the ocean.  The word across her face reads Beauty.  12.5 by 7 by 5

Her story of why she is holding a flower in type written in her tail.  It go as follows:

She went to the sea to see what she could see.
It was to the coast she headed.
She had a shell to exchange for a beauty worth the same
and into a fisherman she ran.
She flagged him down with a wave and a smile
then explained her request.
He was happy to swap a flip for a flop
for by his side was a bouquet for his bride.
Both were in awe with the beauty they saw
and each went happily on their way.

It is time for the Olympics.  We know a very proud daddy of a swimmer, Clair Donahue, who placed 7th in the final 100m swim.  Because of her making it to the finals she has been asked to swim in the prelems of the 400m relay on Friday.  Good luck to her!

Hearts,
Hil

Hello,
Thank goodness for the rain.  It will sure help the flowers perk up and sing.  These Black Eyed Susans were at a customer's house and they were singing loudly.  They also had Purple Cone flowers which are one of my favorites.

For this one I used a thicker wire to create the heart shape and torn book pages shaded with color pencils
for the filler. The shades fall from red to pink to gray and finally spill out with black.

This picture better shows the dimension of the piece. I had to figure out how to get the paper pieces to "fall" without having the bottom layer color covered by the next layer.  I knew if I used a glue stick I would be one big blob of small torn colored pieces of paper so I used small thin double sided tape squares to form the shape.I was able to manipulate each piece and place them inside the curvature of the heart to gain the dimensional feel.


Time to get settled for the evening.
Hearts,
Hil