DC No. 90: Bead

When I grocery shop at the local market around dinner, sometimes I treat myself to Maki-sushi. My bead is inspired by a Philadelphia roll. I formed it with Sculpey Polymer clay and created its green sushi grass out of paper for the mini bento box.

Norma, hosted this week’s playful theme BEAD.  Please visit her blog to see her beautiful bead and link to enjoy other beads in the drawing challenge “strand.” Thank you Norma for this theme, I enjoyed working 3D-mini again.

 

Old Meets New: Lavender Sachets made of Antique Doilies and Tea Towels

For years I created fragrant lavender (and balsam fir) sachets for my clothes hangers; I decided it was time to create, and sell, some new designs from my special stash of vintage dry goods. 

Last year I acquired some beautiful antique linen and cotton doilies and tea towels. The stack of coasters made me dream of elaborate and formal dinner parties from decades past. 

Pairing them with linen tape and grosgrain ribbon allows the sachet to hand from a variety of places: closet hook, hanger, bureau knob, purse handle, etc. These can tuck between sheets and clothes for a subtle and relaxing scent. Lavender is a natural and eco-friendly moth repellent, too!  

They make a thoughtful gift for your Valentine, a bride, a beloved, and your hangers...

The lavender I purchased to fill my most recent sachets was grown in upstate New York; it is of exceptional quality. This sachet was sewn from a Vintage Tea Towel from Poland. I love the pink and black linen pattern.

Available at Trail Pixie Studios.

DC No. 89: Crown

This week I was on an art-making tear and painted between classes and when I got home from teaching. Thankfully, sometimes it just flows. Stephanie's  theme for this week's Drawing Challenge, Crown, also motivated me to make several versions before choosing this one to share:

 

"Crown: thorns meet metal," acrylic with silver pen on paper

The crown shape is like an ellipse, a circle, with thorns or jewels. Both are symbolic and pairing them together made sense for content and color contrast.  I believe people should try on and live in different crowns from time-to-time... like walking in another person's shoes.

I am looking forward to seeing what the other DC artists created this week.
Thank you, Stephanie, for hosting, too.

DC No. 88: Snake

Ariene hosted the first Drawing Challenge of the year with the theme of "snake."

So far this was the most challenging theme for me to capture. I first thought of the noun, "a snake," and then the verb, "to snake," and finally the object that snakes (to clear clogged drains). I think somewhere along my color-pencil doodling I managed to subconsciously combined all three.
My memories of snakes involve getting bit by one as a little girl and having my father attempt to suck the venom from my forearm. The stone stoop was warm from the sun and I was frightened by my father's actions but also protected. Many weeks passed before I wandered through woods.

Visual recollections of snakes with a huge lump along their body also advance. These snakes had just enveloped their meal, once a rat or mouse or toad.

"A Great New Look" Visits Trail Pixie Studios

Yesterday I met Susan Kanoff, owner of A Great New Look, for some infinity scarf fun. She came by to see my scarves and pick up a few for the Merrimack Valley Magazine photo shoot. Not only is she a fashion coach for many fortunate women in the area, she works as a style editor and columnist for the Merrimack Valley Magazine, as well. (Her blog post "Scarf Attack" is posted here.)

 One of my seasonal transition scarves 

for late winter and early spring.

Last month Susan interviewed me online for an upcoming spot in the March/April 2013 issue; it was great to finally meet this lovely woman in person!

 Susan Kanoff 

wears this animal print wonderfully!

Thinking of spring (and the timing of her article) we selected four scarves for the potential inclusion for the feature.  I am eager to see what becomes of this! You will need to wait for the article to see which ones. There are some scarves posted at my Etsy Shop, Trail Pixie Studios.

 This scarf of lined with soft jersey. 

Many thanks to Taylor Simpson 

at Nest in Andover, Massachusetts, for the introduction.