New Santa Doll

You're looking at a St. Nick doll I completed last week. I'm pleased with how he turned out. Especially since he is shipping outta here today to a fellow FAT member. Gail of North Carolina won one of the games I presented at our Holiday FAT Tea Party. I hope she likes him! Enjoy, Gail!! Hugs...debmarie

Winged Art

Goooood morning! My camera is alive once again! Thought I'd share my first ATCs with ya this bright morning. Ok, so it's afternoon. But I've been THINKing about it all morning. We had an Angel ATC Trade over at FAT, so it was my opportunity to finally give 'em a go. Only had to make 5, but I made more. I had a lot of fun "rusting" them up. (whispering...) I think I found a new obsession... Enjoy! ~debmarie :0)

An Angel Named Tim

I'm sure you're all familiar with Tim Holtz. You know - the King of stamp/scrap techniques. Well, he had the most awesome gift for us all and he called it the 12 Tags of Christmas. In case you missed it, here's the scoop.

Each day he would post a tag that he made, complete with crisp photos and easy-to-follow step-by-step instruction. As if THAT wasn't enough, he also gave everyone who tuned in, the opportunity to post a comment on his blog. From these comments, a winner was chosen, at random, to receive that day's prize package. Yeah, I know - AWESOME!!

I didn't arrive on the scene until after the first tag, and I left a comment every day. Oh, except for tag #11, because of some technical difficulties on my end (of COURSE!).

I left my comments in poem form. This might sound strange and NO, Iwasn't stalking him! I like to write poems for fun and this seemed like a good opportunity to share it. I mean, Tim put SO much into these daily postings and I thought it would be nice if I put some work behind my comments to let him know how we all appreciated what he was sharing with us. I'll post my poems in upcoming posts. But not this one.

This one is for Mr. Tim Holtz, one of the most generous people I've never met. And Mario, his assistant is equally wonderful! They are one great team. Oh, Ialmost forgot - in the middle of the 12 Tags of Christmas, Tim and his crew put on what sounds like was an inCREEEEEDIBLE Hideaway Holiday weekend for a small group of lucky attendants. You MUST visit Tim's blog and read the taste of the weekend (in the comments). Sigh....

http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Well, to make a short post long, it is with a smile and a Snoopy Dance that I announce I won the Day 12 prize package! Yeah, can you believe it?! ME! The one with the Adams Family cloud over her head all the time! I am SOOOOOOOO jacked!! The kids and I really DID so the Snoopy Dance when I read that! :o) LOL! I sure hope I can make more than a mess out of these generous gifts!

I'll close with the lead-in and the actual poem I wrote and posted on the 12th day:

Grungy, grungy, little star;
I left no rhyme, but I wasn’t far.
Yesterday I could not get through
Once I wrote my rhyme for you.

I was so sad, but so you know…
That I would never ever go;
I’ve learned so much here, thanks to you!
Now my Christmas List’s long as my leg is, too!

Grungy, grungy, generous star,
Hard to believe how giving you are!
I hope u like the following rhyme,
A twist, oh yes! So until next time…


TIM’Z 12 TAGZ o’ CHRISTMAS
(by Cap’n Coldblood - one angry pirate!)

Arrrrrgh, the 12 tagz of Christmas.
So what! And who carez?!
Ye won’t catch me ‘eartiez
Distressin’ some squarez!

For we’re too busy pillagin’
‘N diggin’ fer treazure!
Ye won’t find ‘em paintin’
‘N stampin’ for pleazure!

We’re lookin’ for booty
In all forms and sizez;
‘N we don’t need no packagez
Fulla surprizez!

We’re here to wreak havoc!
Aye, ‘n boast our pirateness!
There’z no time for glitterin’,
Girly politeness!

Yo ho ho! Walk, now!
Gitta move on that plank!
‘R yew’ll hang from the gallowz
‘N you’ll have YOU t’ thank!

It’s high time that I gather
Me ‘eartiez around
And set sail for the land where
Gold treazurez be found!

Ahoy! let’s go, Tiny!
Arrrrgh, where iz it ye be?
Put DOWN those damned scissorz –
Yer comin’ with me!

It’s time t’ git goin’ –
Arrrgh! What the ‘ell’z THAT?!
Th’ whole crew’z gone loco!
Yer all makin’ TAGZS?!

Ol’ Long John’z got fragmentz –
‘N grungeboard ‘n glue!
Set sail, now, me matez!
There’z plunderin’ to do!

The ol’ Jolly Roger
Is callin’ t’ us!
We’ve no time for ribbonz
‘R makin’ a fuss!

Gangway, Jack & David!
Avast! ‘R ye addled??
Belay all that stampin’!
Yer brainz ‘R all rattled!

Red Beard’z got inkerz!
Arrrrrgh! ‘N Morgan’z got toolz!
Lay down all that bilge, now!
Yer lookin’ like foolz!

No, I DON’T wanna paint!
‘R emboss ‘R delight!
Come on! Grab yer scabbardz!
Git ready t’ fight!

What about wenchez? Arrrrrgh!
And shinin’ dubloonz?!
Blimey! What about treazure
‘Round the next blue lagoon?!

What ‘ave ye DONE, Tim?
Me ‘sea dogs don’t ‘ear!
What ye got in that chest, boy?
Aaaaargh! Hand it up here!

Splice up the mainbrace!
Arrrrrgh! Git me my rum!
Hand over the loot, boy!
Lemme try some…

Well, shiver me timbers!
What’r YOU lookin’ at?!
This stampin’s more fun
Than a bagfull o’ catz!

Gimme those inkerz!
Aaaargh! Gimme th’ bowz!
Put it ALL on th’ ship!
Weigh anchor! Let’s goooo!

Arrrrgh! Fair windz, me landlubberz!
I’m a changin’ me quest!
Ye best be on th’ lookout!
For Cap’n Distress!

Fuzzman's Gonna Make It!!

What a DAY I had on Friday!! Got the news that Fuzzman does NOT have leukemia or anything else horrible!! As the vet says, "He was hiding a simple bacterial infection". You pet-lovers KNOW how elated I was at that news! Talk about having to tie me down before I bounced away!!! No more crying. No more syringe force-feeding him 4 times a day. Merry Christmas to us....Indeed!

Fuzzman

Christmas is really coming up fast. I've gotten a lot done behind the scenes, just haven't been here to update. My heart's just not been in it.

My Fuzzy Buddy is sick and it's been making me sick. I'm trying to do things to take my mind off things, but I'm not so good at that. I found Fuzzman in the foothills of Montana, in October, 1997. A pretty good snowstorm had just left and it was COLD. We found him in the middle of this HUGE bush and rushed him into the vet. Vet strongly suggested I not get attached to this 2-week old kitten, as there was a very slim chance he'd make it. I fed him kitty formula every 2-3 hours each day and carried him around in a basket I made. Wherever I went, he went.

Well, he made it alright, and has been the coolest cat on the planet! He has a lot of dog-type traits and he yowls when he's feeling frisky. Fuzzman likes to try to trip me as I walk around the house in the morning, making coffee and getting the day started. He just rocks! And he's so cool looking, too. Many people tell me he could be a Ragdoll. I've wondered about a million times how such a beautiful creature got to that bush in the cold. Especially since the nearest farmhouse was about 2 miles away. I don't know if his mom was moving her kittens and got caught by the storm or a wild animal or if he was the runt (hard to believe by is size) and she was moving only him. Whatever the case, he's been incredibly awesome and a part of my heart will forever sob if he doesn't pull through this. Here he is...

The Dollies are coming! The Dollies are coming!

Well, folks, it appears I may have a mild form of obsession disorder. I was a bit worried about it, as once I get an idea in my little brain, I simply cannot function until it's out. I have since learned that I am not alone. Many artists are this same way. For instance, did you know that VanGogh slammed out 200 finished paintings in a mere 444 days?! Whew! We may all be nuts, but at least it's not just ME! lol

Here are some new art dolls I completed. They're actually pretty tame as compared to the other ideas I have. The faces are fun to work on, but my favorite part is the hair. It's always about the hair, isn't it? Maybe it's because I have about 12 hairs myself. But I love working with the hand-dyed/painted/spun fibers I've got in my stash. I'm not a knitter or anything of the sort. But I love the gorgeous colors the various artists have produced. And the TEXTURE! I hope they spark some creativity in you! More to come...

PSDD - Plus-Size Dotee Doll

Here is my first Dotee Doll. We have a trade going on FAT and pix are due tamale. As usual, the deadline is sneaking up on me! :o) This gal won't be leaving the nest, but other, more appropriately-sized versions will. I'm a bit camera-challenged, as I can never get the true colors to burst forth. I'm in a rusty stage, and she is very rust-colored. Nothing as shiny as the photo depicts. Oh - and the face was made by my 4YO!! I hope she doesn't remember she made i and I stole it! I painted it up to match the look I was going for. I was kind of nervous about creating her, as she looks nothing like the others (yeah, I know, big shock that I find myself goin' against the grain once again!). But in person, she is quite beautiful and reminds me of an aborigine. Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your day!! :o) ~debmarie

In a Stranger's Drawers

I met up with a fellow artist, "Diane from Madison", on Wednesday for the first time. We met through one of the fabulous groups listed on the right side. We had SUCH a great time digging around in a junk shop not very far from me and these photos are a product of that day. They're from the bottom of a drawer of a metal dresser that sat outside. It was love at first site when I opened it!

Juan Valdez

I hope you all had a safe and fun-filled family day! As usual, I have much to catch up on. I am LOVING the new Yahoo group just formed! It's called The Artists Circle and membership is rising quickly. It was set up to teach techniques. Our first project is making a tag book. So far, we've been given steps 1 and 2. I have no idea what these books will end up looking like. All I know is that in Step 1, we had to apply coffee to those large, manilla shipping tags. Well, this didn't sound particularly interesting to me, and I didn't have any tags. Instead, I thought I'd give it a go with some metal-ring tags I had. Holy cow - it's really FUN! I now have a handful of project tags and what you see here are some of my examples. Step 2 is simply to add watercolors to a few of them. Step 3 should be announced any time now. Enjoy!

Piece of the Pie

Well, I have some more eye candy for ya in my favorite form, of course - post card! Woo hoo!


This is the same trade I wrote about earlier in Hillbilly Pie. Iwas completely flabbergasted when this card arrived! Yeah, we post pictures in the albums and all for everyone to oogle, but they just don't do the creations justice. At ALL!! And when the swap partners are listed, I TRY to only look at the addresses to whom I'm sending pieces so that it'll be a surprise when they arrive.


This is from Jay in Texas - isn't it GREAT?! I cannot believe all the work she put into this! If her pie is HALF as good as her imagination and creativity, I do believe we're in for a treat! I have three pix because I wanted you to see the details. Yes, that's the pie cooling on the windowsill! I LOVE it!! Great job, Jay! Thank you so much for a lovely card - I can hardly wait to complete the fabric recipe box in which I'll forever keep this!!

Chicken Hawk

I know, I know… I’ve been VERY remiss in my blog! I’m catching up now and I’d like to start out this beautiful, crisp, Fall day with something I JUST finished for my gorgeous sis-in-law. I’ll ship it this Friday (don’t worry, she has no idea I have a blog, so she’ll never see it prematurely), along with a box full of "stuff" we've been collecting for them.

First you will see a photo of Corbin, their first, and no doubt only, little bubba in his first Fright Night Getup. The second I saw the pic, I got an idea to make the following piece of wall adornment for aforementioned SIL. It’s my first larger-than-a-post-card mixed media project and I must say, I’m loving the freedom!! I sure hope she likes it…. Anyway, it says "The Cutest Chicken Hawk in the Whole Punkin Patch".

It's made from fabric that's been run through my printer, painted, ripped, stitched, tied, sprayed and embellished. The back is fab, as well. The two middle layers are (what else?!) Timtex. It's nice and stiff and was such a dream to work on. I attached some found sticks (my secret will soon be out, I guess. I am a stick-a-holic!) with raffia. ENJOY!! And thanx for poppin' in! Hugs...deb

Mail, Beautiful Mail!

I already told you all about the Abstract Post Card Challenge & Swap. Well, I received my first post card it today's mail and it... is... BEAUTIMOUS! The handwork on this beauty is pretty amazing! My hubby was impressed, as well. :o) Everything is stitched by hand and I do mean everything. Each bead has been handsewn and what's even more unbelievable is the fact that they're all there - not a one of them appears to be broken or even loosened. A million thanks to Andrea in Texas - I am in awe and will forever treasure this piece! THANK YOU!!

November 14 update: I received another card and it is from Elizabeth in New Mexico. Just like Andrea's, this one won't disappoint you! Are you starting to see how one can become absolutely flooded with ideas for these?! I kinda feel like a great, big chicken now because both Andrea and Elizabeth mailed their's to me. You know - like a real post card. I had no idea they would hold up so well, so I put mine into envelopes prior to shipping. As you can see, Elizabeth didn't even stitch some of her pieces down. I thought for sure they would get mangled off if I did that. Now I'm gonna throw caution to the wind next time and treat them like the pieces of mail they are!! lol

Thanks to you both for your beautiful trades. I hope this is just the start of post card trading for me and I hope I get to swap with you again! ~deb

Courage

I like quotes. Many times, my entire life seems to be able to be summed up in only a few quotes. Isn't it interesting how so many of us can relate to the same quote. Kinda like that theory that we're all closer to one another than we realize.

The quote I'm groovin' on today is by Georgia O'Keeffe and it goes like this:

"To create one's own world in any of the arts takes courage"

Boy, ain't THAT the truth. Many people are comfy with blogging. As much as I am a bigmouth, I'm actually not quite in my comfort zone yet. I think it does take courage to write things down for all to see, let alone create a piece of art and share it. It's tough for many of us to share, knowing how people judge. But I'm finding it's making me stronger by sharing my blog and art. I'm learning to create for myself and not for others. It's harder than you think, especially after owning a business where you're constantly trying to appease your customers. I was always asking myself the same questions: Do I use this fragrance or that one. How about color? New products? Keep old ones? Phase them out? What will they buy? It was so draining. Now, with my art, I create what my heart tells me. And I'm happier for it.

Try it. Create for YOU. Without worry of judgment. Make something you like. Then share it with us. Betcha we love it!

I was going to close without a photo, but I just can't do it. lol. I'm too visual. So, I'll cling to Halloween one last time and I'll share one of my kids' costumes. If you know Thomas the Tank Engine, you'll recognize ol' Dennis the Diesel. My favorite part was making the McGyver-like harness out of duct tape. Brilliant! Don't you think? :o)

Enjoy today - it won't be back!

Hugs...deb :o)

Loooves me some Timtex!

Yes, I know. Halloween is over. But I just love the designs of Halloween. Monsters and bats, ghosts and black cats - I love 'em! Here are some works in progress. That's right - more postcard-sized pieces. I told you before I couldn't stop making them! lol.

I use Timtex as the "meat & cheese" part of the sandwich that makes these little creations. For those of you who love Timtex as much as I do, it may interest you to know that the manufacturer has closed the doors without notice. Yikes! The company is looking for a new manufacturer, but as of right now, when the current Timtex stock is gone, well, it's GONE. I stocked up today because I love working with this stuff. I've been using it for many things and really don't think anything else comes close to the thickness. I love it!

Ok. Back to the artsy fartsy stuff. The first one is, of course, my rendition of Frankenstein. Not nearly done, but you can see where I'm going with it.

Next is one of my favorite abstract ones. I love the holographic threads! My favorite is copper, but my machine doesn't like the copper for some reason. It must be different than the gold and silver. Figures. So I went with gold on this piece. And actually, I think it worked out perhaps better than the copper would have.

The third one I copied from another artist. Hope I don't get sued. lol. It's from a picture my 5-year-old brought home from school last week. They made these cute Halloween books that were filled with pumpkins, bats, owls, etc. The second I saw the pumpkins, I had to sit down and make one! I'll load the original, too, as soon as I find it. I can lose something within two minutes of it being in my hands, I swear! It's no doubt on one of my workbenches. I'll find it...

Abstract Fiber Post Card Challenge

This was the beginning of my fiber card obsession I currently find myself smack in the middle of. I joined this swap, as well as the fiber recipe card one below, and I cannot stop making them! They are incredibly fun! They're great for experimenting with a new technique, before you potentially waste too much in supplies by working larger. I'm finding so many ways to use these little puppies that I don't see myself stopping anytime soon.

I entered these 4 in the Abstract Fiber Post Card Challenge on TLTMMA. Wish me luuuuck!

UPDATE, November 14, 2007 - Guess what?! I won 3rd place in the post card challenge! And the prize is to http://www.inkastamps.com/ which is the prize I was hoping to win, if I won anything at all! Snooooopy dance!! Thanks for a wonderful challenge, Elizabeth, and for a generous prize, Inka!!

Have a wonderful day!!

Hugs...deb :o)

Hill Billy Pie!

Well, wouldn't ya know it! Just as I finally get a blog going, we catch some mighty hearty germs. Fall is my favorite time of year, too. Just hate the bugs the kiddos bring home...

I've been working on an awful lot of projects and will be posting them now. Some are complete, and some are WIP. I hope they inspire you in some way. Enjoy!

My first one is what I made for the "Piece of the Pie" fiber recipe card swap on FAT. I started other ideas and changed my mind 2 or 3 times, and finally settled on this one. It was a big challenge, as I am very contemporary in my style choice. But I know I need to challenge myself if I am to grow, so Hill Billy Pie it IS!

Case of the Mondays

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. ~Aristotle

I like the above quote because it inspires me to get off my rump when I'm feeling uninspired and lazy. It's a lovely fall morning here in southern Wisconsin and I'm off to my art room. Before I go, I'll share some plates I backed with some of my favorite fabrics. We use them for everything: to hold loose change or jewelry on our dressers & tables to eating off of. I have some more curing, but I'm not particularly inspired by Thomas the Tank Engine or the Disney Babes, er, I mean Princesses, so I'll not post those! lol

Have a fanTAStic day that's both inspiring and productive!

~deb :o)

Simplification

I did some cleaning out today. Mostly on the computer. Of course, I always get sidetracked. Today, it was the tons and tons of "camera art" pix I've taken. Nothing incredibly award-winning, mind you. But here are a few of my favorites. I hope you enjoy color as much as I do!

Ciao! ~deb

IFS - a FUN group!

Hard to believe it's October 6th and it's over 80 degrees outside! Wisconsin shouldn't be this hot in October. Utah, yes. Wisconsin, no.

As I eagerly await the cooler fall weather, I've been working on some Halloween cards for the October Challenge on IFS. We need to make a card using green, orange, black and purple. I've made one and have two almost complete. So I'll post the new ones when they're done. Here is the one I've done and a shot of the focus of another. Yes, I LOVE glitter! Not on everything, mind you. But Halloween just howls for glitter, don't you think? Well, I do!

Here is my first submission. Enjoy! Oh, and don't let the warm weather fool you - be working on those Halloween costume ideas - it'll be here before you can say "trick or treat"!!

~deb

All limitations are self-imposed

Transitions

Welcome and thanks for stopping in!

My name's DebMarie and this is my first day. I've read so many good blogs and seen so much wonderful artistic inspirations, I thought I'd give it a go. Yeah, I know. I'm probably one of the last 6 people to actually have a blog. That's me! I'm not sure how interesting I'll be at this, but I hope to get better as time goes on. I plan on using this as a vehicle for posting photos of my work as well as everyday life.

I'm an artist. Been one all my life. I remember back to when I was a child and how I loved the smell of crayons and play dough. It was always exciting when my mother would bring home paper or any other art supply for us to use. Now I bring home art supplies for my own children, and they snatch them up, running to the art room, chattering over one another about what they're "gonna make".

I recently joined some yahoo groups and have been very inspired by the creations posted. Please see "My fave linx" for the links. Here are some things I've been working on. They're made from hot glue, stamps and paint. Enjoy!

~deb :o)
All Limitations are Self-Imposed