Out the window

Oh, for Pete's sake.  I just erased a post and created an empty one. Maybe it was a sign that I need to edit my thoughts, because I was rather wordy.

Condensed version: I had the opportunities to see the work of Karyn Debrasky (www.karyndebrasky.com and on Facebook at Karyn Debrasky Design, LLC), a mixed media artist. Awesome and inspiring.

A lot of the materials she used look a lot like the materials I have in my studio. I had said to my daughter Mara that sometimes I felt sad that my cards probably soon ended up in someone's trash.  She asked me to create something for her that would end up framed, on her wall.

Well, seeing the work of Karyn Debrasky helped me say yes in my spirit to a new direction. Sometimes when you say "yes" to a new thing, a door opens and in walks creativity or at least the willingness to really explore a new territory.

So I say yes to Mara's request, with enthusiasm and hope!

Some assembly required

Glad to be indoors today, out of the heat and into the cool comfort of my basement studio. Just had a visit from my daughter Hannah (check out her poetry blog at thestorialist.com), who gave me a flash tutorial on basic Twitter (last logon was 133 days ago). I showed her the ladybug card, which she loved. Making those insects was an investment of time, for sure. And such close work that I was thinking longingly of a magnifying glass for crafts as a future birthday or holiday gift for myself.

However, I really do love making embellishments from different punched-out shapes, even at the expense of my neck and eyes.  I found an old catalogue describing how to make ice cream treats, and after experimenting with sizes and paper and color, came up with my first attempt. Obviously, some assembly required.