Lightbox...my way

I am a new but enthusiastic photog. Carrying my simple point and shoot wherever I go, I have become my biggest beef with camera folk; the impromptu, yes spontaneous, uncensored picture keeper. Kept until a use, always at my discretion, arises. A more useful and less stressful purpose is to display my art, both painted and bead and herein lies the motivation to build the simple light box you see above ..ahh..Ohhhh. Yes, it is quite functional yaall and no blood was shed in its construction.

My Studio needs a name

GODESS..Madonnart Studio,is it's name. I know that but seeing the name as I come down the stairs would make the work more real and truly art and serious focus will ensue. My goal this week is to hang my studio's name, play at a new inspiration board and finish the mural in the bedroom. Gasp!!! is that a...a...plan Madonnart?

Land of ice and snow

This was a long and scary drive, avalanches, accidents, no Starbucks and a cranky puppy. 11 hours but finally home safe and sound.

Puppy loves xmas

 

So... we had this idea to hang a collage of puppy treats and marshmallows from a tree branch ...ahhh....later straightened the tree, picked the star up from the floor...etc, etc.

Merry Christmas

 

Joyeux Noel Poker

 

Bon Jour... This is us playing poker. What you can't hear is our Freanch acceant that we play with. Really, tears streaming down our face...J'ai tres hillarious.

Office Party

 

Our first annual Christmas party was planned with our usual forethought. We chose a new Italian steak house, festively gleaming in Edmontons -38 sunshine. Lots of lights, glass, untasted fabulous food...CLOSED...???? Reassigning destination via cell to guests, we reassembled at Brewsters and began the celebration.....love these people.

Be Safe

 

Travelling from Kelowna to Edmonton can be scary in the midst of a mountain blizzard. Temps right now are in the high -30's, with blowing snow and black ice. The love of my life and our furry empty nester will be hitting the highway 2 am Friday morning. No rest for me until they arrive.

For Laurie

 

The first bracelet was gifted to laurie. Tribal silver with hand blowen amethyst glass. I have a terrible time not giving away all my jewelry. It gives me such a joyful rush to see it embellishing already beautiful loved people, far more fun then the sound of cha...king.

Sweat Shop Alberta

 
The call went out....panic call I might add. Emergency jewelry was needed within 12 hrs....6 of them before midnight. Big Boss man of number 1 jewelry slave needed 30 gifts for office girls and they wanted beaded things. We began following a carb up session and did not eat or drink until done. We call it our clip on accessory line for pimping up cell phones and bags of all kinds. What do you think?

The 3 of us

 

Really...another word need not be said. This is what xmas is all about, being with family....LOVE THEM!!!!

I'm here

SHE found me, waited,and brought me home. All is now right. I have my girl, my babes and my little blond buddy....lets shop!

2000 hrs Kelowna Airport

Kelowna International 8pm, what do you see? If you answered nothing and nobody you win. This is Kelowna, retirement central...bedtime 7:30pm....no after dark drivers, walkers, scooters....just me ....alone in the airport

Annual dinner following annual pap

 

And it came to pass that all the woman folk traumatized and violated by the annual physical shall be treated with extreme gentleness and fed the meal of their choice.

My Day

This is the setting of the annual event.....the yearly physical complete with internal exam.....yuch along with me ladies. A plethora of medical humiliations involving unattractive positions and cold inhuman instruments made by men.

Now She's Packing

 

Came into the bedroom this morning to continue with the packing and found HER with THIS, both sitting in the suitcase.So who is going to tell her she's not coming with me.

Hows your day going?

 

This little puppy will live to be 100 or at least 30. She so gets the Saturday vib. There is a fire, pizza in the oven, fresh cappicino, favorite blanket on her favorite chair, pepperoni in her treat ball.....it's heaven or would be if that damn suitcase wasn't on the bed.

Sunny Okanagan

 

Beautiful snowy day on the golf course. The winery on the hill is in a cloud and the bells that chime the hour are crystal clear in the cold air. It is sparkly pretty but the little black dog with the delicate feet of a porcelain doll says burrrr....this sucks. I say soldier on buttercup, Alberta awaits thee in 2 weeks.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Yum Sushi.....not my fav festive dinner but when you live with and love a raw foodie nothing says turkey dinner like sushi....sigh!! I will soon be in Edmonton and all will be right again.....Happy Thanksgiving ya all.

Uhh Lady....this is a Tim Hortons not a market place

When you are having coffee in Tim's do you think you are all...as in...ALLLLLL of you are having this coffee together? So that when you are having a discussion and ask a question of the person sitting with you, you are not freaked when the lady in the next isle answers you!!! and....and when she comes over to sit with you and offers to buy all of the ONE OF A KIND polymerclay bracelets you are quietly, privately showing your friend, you say WHAT?????

16 Samples of polmer clay bracelets

These are the samples of the 16 polymerclay/glass/metal bracelets made during this epic session. Many thanks to my Sweatshop bodies, Myrle, Marie, Poppe and Dave who through generous lending of time, muscle and tools did the tedious stuff. New year plan is to make bangle lost wax style bracelets etc.

A few more

These are the latest samples. What do you think?

Samples of finished bracelets

These are a few samples of the bracelets I have been toiling over. They are polymer clay, mixed with bead and metal elements. The question to you is.......Will they sell to anyone other than family and people I owe?

Tough to share

He was so sweet about passing on the Grand Slam of Dremel attachments. It wasn't easy each of the 3000 bits and pieces had a story and now they are all MINE!

Sweatshop of Horrors

Not the most attractive picture but the light was glaring...the camera is new and not yet broken in and I was sweating....and...and my Dremel is a friggin miracle. Tried lost wax technique.....very cool.

Clip it up the Madonnart way

Thanks Milli for visiting and leaving a comment. This is a pic of the jewlery attached to the gismo. I have made another using a lampshade form, the light is a bonus.

Polymer Plates

The plates are finished. Next week will be spent sanding, varnishing and assembling. Excellent week of mixing clay, using 20 packs of polymer, dozen rubber gloves, 4 exacto blades and 1 box of band aides.

Christmas card 2008, painted, copied, finished!

I call it Inuit Winter. It is the 2008 Christmas card effort and guess what? I even like it. It is a watercolor on the heaviest paper I could find. I scratched out all the white snowey, furry effect. In all quite a relaxing, somewhat purging process.

Mixing polymer color

Wait for it people.....That was not the color of the final bracelets. Now I blend, add gold or silver leaf, and sometimes irridescent powders, until it looks like this.

Polymer Bracelets

The start is always the hardest.Conditioning, rolling, mixing the clay, time consuming, messy and tiring. Always better to bring in help and when they get hungry or tired and say they "HAVE TO GO", bring in others, even if they are 94 and have a broken arm. They can turn the pasta machine I say.The clay is now ready for the fun part...designing. This I can do myself...it's the fun part...go home people and thanks.

Haloween Fairy

Whatever......she loves it....really

Time to paint, often a surprise, always fun

October 18th, time is pressing me to create the 2008 Christmas card before I get the call to head to the land of ice and snow for my favorite part of the festivities, the preparation. The shopping, baking, concerts, in depth discussions about wishes, needs, secrets, wrapping, all the best part of the season for the me. Today amidst the shouts of golfers giddy in the fall sun, I will possibly paint snowy scenes or not... I might be led somewhere unexpected and go to where the paint leads me. That's the mystery and the fun part.

Making a return....never easy

Ok...so October 5thish or 8ish or "OCTOBER", OK, I was presented with a Blog Award...right...and I wear a size 2. Whatever, it was delivered via Tangible, aka my offspring. I have been congratulating myself in reducing the Prozac, Ativan, Elavil, Lithium etc, then she sends this THING that high fives me then says send to 7, SEVEN, that's seven of my blog buds and tell again 7 interesting facts about yourself. I only know 4 Bloggers well enough to share the fact that I wear Spankz under my workout gear, she has already sent to them. Here's the deal friends, and it is depressing, {pass the drugs} apparantly I have 4 friends and I know them only through blogging. We all have fake names...pseudsomething and none of us know each others real ages, occupations or habitual abodes... it is what it is...cripes I hate that phrase...and that's fine with me/us.So darlin..No can do!

The Thanksgiving Story

Happy Thanksgiving my darlins and may you feel loved and full and blessed by all that is your life.

Happy Anniversary Baby....whats my prezy?

Wedding Anniversary - Watch today’s top amazing videos here

Another fabulous year of true, endless, forever, until the end of time, passionate, can't live a day without seeing your precious face love. No, really...Happy Anniversary to us.

My One True Love

She is always there for me and never asks me for more than I can give. Shes powerfull yet soft and sweet and always goes wherever I ask. She is my BFF.

My Studio...a love story

This morning, sitting in the warm sunlight coming through my studio window, watching the golfers joyfully trekking across the green turf, I gave a sigh of blissful thanks. Perhaps it was the great Starbucks coffee combined with the Purdeys Snowballs ingested for breakfast that gave me my joie de vie or maybe I just about have the best Studio ...EVer. I love the light, the lake and winery views. The fact that everything is within arms reach and workspace is abundant. I can see all the mediums I work with allowing creative mixing of stuff most would think could not work and some times doesn't. I love, love, love art and hope I have enough time to explore and enjoy it all...it never disappoints.

Attention Sarah..Gram has gone green!

The world is suddenly a bit brighter....the new Shoe Warehouse is now open for business with a 50% off opening sale. I so love shoes and bags and will never have too many in spite of what you might think, my love. Tonight fortified with chocolate, I will change to my beautiful olive baby and accompanying wallet and makeup bag and thank the Universe for all things green. Yes, in support of our planets ecosystem I have now gone green.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

On a positive note let's start with the Ugly...still coughing up crap, still on a 1 to 1 communication with the great white telephone, still banished to the guest room.
Here comes the bad...no decent chocolate, no salt and vinegar potato chips and going on 2 weeks since the last cup of good coffee. Finally for my optimistic friends...the Good...last night I found a new laptop on my pillow, which raises the question. Has my Obituary been forwarded to the Capital News?

So cool

Yes, yes, yes! You are going to say; "Get me whatever she's having" when you see these bracelets. They are so cool.

Alive and ....well, alive

Safely sitting on a studio chair with arms, Kleenex to the right, orange juice directly in front of me and basket of Tylenol Cold and Flu, Gravol, Benelyn for coughs and Electric C to the left makes me READY TO RUMBLE. Today will be such a productive clay day that I expect a phone call from the Feemo and Polymer people asking me to do advertising for them.
This in the history of my life and I include the Strep Throat/Scarlet Fever episode of 1978 has been the longest period of illness I have had.I blame the health freak man I live with who has scared away all those good bugs that keep your immunity up and has filled every glass container large and small with a plethora of organic foods.
My biology is constructed of the same stuff fine delicate instruments are made from. It tick tocks along harmoniously if fueled with daily amounts of milk chocolate, gluten laden carbs, processed meats and vats of glistening butter. If not tampered with, I assume I would have perfect health and a long productive life. Sadly I fear this is not to be if I am to cohabit with my one true love....ca sera, sera.

Explosion in Okanagan registers 97 on Richter Scale

My apologies to aircraft flying over, watercraft on lake, and people undergoing micro surgery but you knew it was going to happen at some point didn't you? The whole Satellite not working, down to 1 barely functioning local channel in only 1 room and on the cusp of the fall season of Reality television. Again people so sorry if I have caused you pain but relax, 14 months 10 days and 12 hours of patient waiting through crappy TV reception has come to an end and I have been served. It always is about me.

Techno Geek....NOT!

Today, I was at Staples upon store opening... ummm 8 am..ish. Day before I had popped in to talk to Charlie about my camera and the fact that the Internal Memory would not switch off when the Memory Card was installed. Charlie said; "bring her in", just like Marlboro Man might say when opening the gate to the corral to let the cattle pass. I digress....8 am and I am asking young girl child manager if I could speak to Charlie. "We have no one here named Charlie". Average height,youngish dark haired man. Description did not ring her bell. Nice fellow, understanding of camera problems....wait that's him I shriek, practically throwing her to the floor as I rush to reach Charlie. Oh she says,"that's Craig...good thing you're not having to ID someone in a police line up." Charlie...known to Staples as Craig....60ish grey hair stocky gentleman, had changed since I had last seen him...yesterday... but still was a fine help with my camera and had me out the door in 10 minutes....slight problem in not pushing Memory Card down hard enough. Techno Geek, I'm not.

September 7 Birthday

Happy Birthday to all you Virgos celebrating your special day. May you continue to be loved and love.

Hey! I've been at deaths door ya know, lighten up

Ok, Ok....what the hell month is it? Hey, I've been at deaths door ya know so lighten up. I'm not a freakin clay factory with child labour so I'm a little behind.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOOX.....deep breath....

Thankyou so much for your enthusiastic response to my polymer nude bracelets. Its so so gratifying and affirming that so many appreciate great art and the woman's delicious form. This afternoon ...well about 1 hour ago I pulled myself from my bunk, only to discover it was September my how time flies when you are comatose. I am just happy to be with ya all. A run in with an Ebola/cholera/bubonic bug laid me flat for hmmm....lets count 4 days...so nice to talk to you all again. I will be back in full studio production once I have a spare hand, presently both are busy blowing,shoving meds in or hanging on to the great white telephone calling Europe.

Side tracked

In the midst of my Polymer sweat I had an idea about polymer and watercolor. Treating the baked clay like a canvas. I mean making the canvas inside the polymer actually covering it in canvas, treat it, paint it then mold a frame around it, baking it and making the pieces into cabochons for box lids, pins, bracelets etc.

Polymer nakedness

I have been wearing a bracelet I made during a workshop at Port Townsend years ago and am always surprised at the comments this simple little bracelet receives. Men, woman of all ages and little children all seem to find something enjoyable in this piece. Women like the color...beige, coffee and black. Men the largeness of each plate and the many nude woman in all stages of movement and children just giggle. Since I have just finished an epic picking up and touching every bead I own and am horrified to disrupt, possibly disorganize any of this new order, I have decided to make a few of these bracelets and see if they sell. Today, I have dusted off the pasta machine and have begun to condition the clay....pictures to follow.

BIG BIG OOPS!

Fell against table holding every bead ever purchased and tipped table over!

Art Week....Totally

It began with the Express Post to my numero uno girlie of a jewelry survival package. Last week she had whined out a "help me please, I have nothing to adorn my luscious body with", meaning jewelry. Since I was hyper alert and still on a drug high and on day 3 of a migraine marathon, I whipped a little something up for her. Well Alla be praised it was the beginning of an art buffet I usually only dream about. I moved through the bead paraphernalia like a PMS'er with an eat free coupon at Marble Slab. Today, I finished the Back to school 2008 collection for my #2 girlie Sarah and will toss it in the mail tomorrow.

Now herein lies the message. Art for me is created best in chaos and amongst other mediums. My slightly messy style I wish to call "My Method", where anyone and anything in my near vicinity is touched by my gunk of choice has a hidden reward. You have to be patient and wait for it because it does not show itself until the very end or often later than the end. Standing back this morning for a studio look has given me my direction for this next week. My revelation...Polymer clay develops a leather look and feel when dipped in coffee; Beads glued on to beads have a very cool look; Sitting on heavy, damp watercolor paper with small beads and threads underneath will emboss the paper in a somewhat attractive way; You CAN paint carpet and my favorite surprise, Metallic ink can be used quite effectively to decorate windows. All in all a very productive and inspirational experience.

The rain in Spain lays mainly on ........

Yup, it's raining here in the desert of Western Canada and boy are we celebrating every drop. It sort of sizzles and disappears in a little cloud of steam as it hits the ground moving the humidity to 110% and lowering the air temperature to 40 C. None of us menopausal folk are complaining. Standing outside in the barest of legal clothing and catching the drops gives one such a sense of joie de vie that no yelling has been heard for at least an hour. Golfers are out on the course, beach volleyball is in full swing and barbeque's are smoking. Its a wonderful life and it's very possible I may live another day. Peace out.

Migraine, Heaven or Hell?

The migraine hit Friday 3:43 am. I awoke fully alert, feeling all the blinding pain, flashes of light, total body cleanse, hearing of Superman, charm of Kim Kardashian (am I the only one who finds her a total bitch), the dilated brain can experience. I immediately woke the devoted caring man and the dear dog who worships my every word for TLC and that was the last I saw or heard from them. They had pressing business elsewhere. Three days later, I still have the migraine but have completed a painting, made 5 Lariat necklaces, 10 pairs of earrings, a pillow calligraphed with the Chinese symbol for peace, made a batch of Nana's chicken (the sweet), a bale of nuts and bolts {the salty), a liter of home made Baileys ( the analgesic} and a batch of Congee (Chinese answer to all digestive ails} and mailed the LostnFound August Challenge ( I think I was the only participant}. Now here comes the heaven part, I lost 8 Lbs.

Pass the oxygen, there is none here

I believe that the combination of 40C + temperatures, high humidity and huge increase in tourist population has created a situation of aoxygenation. This condition will not support menopausal life forms. I am one of these organisms and am fighting for every breath today and am unable to clean, cook, do hurry-up dog duty or answer the telephone or door. Please for the love of all that is holy bring oxygen with you if you are visiting this area and stop using up mine.

NNNNEXT!!!

Ok, so we moved into this downsized home, in a retirement golf community overlooking the lake. We sit right below Mission Winery, on the 5th Tee. Sounds Idyllic, right? Maybe not so much. Days after we arrived, our delicious granddaughter tested the EMS (Emergency Measures Services) in town when she stopped breathing. The next 12 hours were spent in Emergency, amongst all the blood and gore a resort community can offer. The good news is we left without seeing the doctor as she seemed better and I was hungry. A month later the EMS guys visited next door some time before dawn. Then again weeks later, paid another visit to different lady, I liked to call her, the well, golf lady 4 doors down. We attended her funeral a week later. Two months passed and the Ambulance again stopped off to take our next door neighbour to the hospital and we sadly attended her funeral later that month. Summer arrived with the neighbour on our other side riding off in the early hours in the Ambulance and took the ride again easily 20 times over the next 2 months. She thankfully seems to be treatable and is in hospital as we speak, hopefully getting well. This morning the fit and slim woman 5 doors down took the big white ride to the hospital. Now I am not fit, not slim and if reports are accurate, may be in the throws of an early dementia and have bones of glass. I have made dutiful preparations just as I did prior to giving birth. This time without the breast pads and nursing bra. In other words I am packed and ready for any future trip in the big white Ambulance, we are the only house left. Over reaction, I think not!