Saturday, March 28, 2009

More Shopping!!!

Seems I am always "catching up"...I meant to share these finds when I was "catching up" a week or so ago. They are from a few days cruisin' antique shops.

Stay Creative!

Lezlei

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Paperclay Update!

I just love this blog world!!! They definitely keep you honest! Regarding the multiple inquiries to the status of "My Paperclay Adventure"...


Admittedly, I have been moving back and forth between projects. But thanks to the vow I made to Julie Bouésso at Mademoiselle Julie (based on her like committment), I will be finishing my unfinished projects before I start anything new.


The first project I will finish is my "paperclay adventure". The sculpting is basically finished and I am starting to dress her. Here are a couple of pics I took with my cell. (I'll post better pictures this weekend. )

Stay Creative!

Lezlei

Monday, March 23, 2009

What Happens to a Lesson Deferred...

In my preparation for my business trip to Boston last week, I stopped at a retail clothing store to pick up a few items. You see, I have put on a few pounds since moving to Dallas, and since this was a business trip, I certainly didn't want to looked squished and or "unprofessional". [OK! It is really not that bad, but can I have a new outfit, please! And it really has little to do with this story, except to say...I was there.]
Well, while I was trying on my new outfit, one of the ladies that was also shopping, finished her selections and stepped to the cashier's counter to purchase her items. Well, as I stepped out of the dressing rooms, the cashier and the shopper took one look at each other and said "Don't I know you?". It just took them a few minutes to sort it out. Unfortunately, the cashier didn't figure it out first.

The cashier...a college student, but about 25ish.
The shopper...likely a corporate type, 50ish.

Shopper: I know who you are! Uh uh, Uh uh...I know who you are! (She let the cashier ponder a few seconds between the uh uhs...which made the cashier QUITE anxious.) Your family had a home next door my home several years ago. You are that little girl that threw raw eggs at my house and I had to knock on your door and tell your parents! Did you get in whoopin'?

Well the cashier's face confessed it all! She apologized repeatedly and said she didn't understand why she had done that as a child and that she had not thrown eggs at other houses (She probably should have kept that little tidbit to herself...it didn't make matters better.). Twenty minutes later when I finalized my purchases and the shopper was long gone, she was still embarrassed and was trying to figure out what made her do such a thing.

The moral of this story:

Stay Creative!

Lezlei

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Kreativ Blogger Award - For Me?


What a privilege to be selected for the Kreativ Blogger Award!!! But here is the REALLY COOL part...I was selected by Sue of Barton Originals, a fo'real artist! Check out Sue's recent interview on Art Dolls Only!

The requirement of the award is that you must list 7 things that you love and to pass the award onto 7 other deserving bloggers (and to notify them).

Here are the things that I love...

  1. GOD: I was headed for destruction when I found Him and learned He was there all the time waiting on me to receive Him.
  2. MY FAMILY: Clarence 29, Aaron 26; Daughter-in laws: Veronica, Amanda (respectively); Grand-daughter: Ianna; AND more...
  3. TRUE FRIENDS: I am been blessed to have a few REAL, FO'EVA, NO MATTER WHAT, THRU THICK AND THIN friends...the kind that you can depend on to tell you the truth, no matter what you would prefer to hear...and still love you.
  4. MUSIC: I played violin for several years achieving a degree of success (Kern County Junior Philharmonic Orchestra - 2nd Chair Violin). One of my favorite childhood treats was plunking on my great grand parents old player piano...I said "plunking". I played Bell Lyre (a lyre-shaped glockenspiel) in Lincoln Junior High School marching band. And was FORCED to learn marimba-think xylophone made of wood. Music MOVES Me! I recently heard Miri Ben-Ari "the hip-hop violinist"...awesome! Music scratches an itch that just can't be reached any other way!
  5. LONG, HOT, STEAMY BATHS with Crabtree and Evelyn bath products....love their "new to me" Naturals...YUM!
  6. SOLITUDE: While I absolutely LOVE "the party", for me it has to be balanced with some creative solitude...don't bother me when I am in my "art zone", I am being refreshed and renewed.
  7. YOU! I am pretty new to the "blog world". Being able to communicate and share from my somewhat sequestered situation (working from home, caring for disabled mother and grand mother) has "saved" me.
That was hard...but somehow it felt good to remember those things.

Now the really hard part...


Through the OWOH giveaway, I had an opportunity to meet so many wonderful blogger/artists. As well as Barton Originals, I drive by these sites daily. I LOVE the kreativity of these bloggers!

Stay Creative!

Lezlei

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Some Serious Catching Up - Part 4 Hoover Dam

Part 4 – Accidental Tourist – Hoover Dam
Well…while I was taking care of a “bit of business”, it happened that it took me past the Hoover Dam (which I had never been to before). My brother and I stopped and took some pictures. You might recall that I am “never leaving home without [my camera]” so it was cool that I had it with me. However…I now have a new mantra…Never leave home without charged batteries in your camera. Because I ran our of battery juice I only got to take a few pictures. They are building a new bypass bridge to divert non-tourist traffic away from the bridge…structural engineering is an awesome thing!
Stay Creative!
Lezlei

Some Serious Catching Up - Part 3 Paperclay

Part 3 – My Paper Clay Adventure

It got delayed because I couldn’t find my battery operated Black and Decker drill (sometimes the slightest things can throw off the creative juices). Well, of course it was near the whole time. I ran across it last week after work and started out on my adventure again.

I have tried my hand at sculpting using Polymer clay. I like it, but I am such a novice (I haven’t sculpted anything in YEARS), it has been challenging to get the results that I am looking for. I won’t be giving up on the Polymer clay, BUT I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE PAPER CLAY!!!!!

I have sculpted a few heads in the polymer that all looked like the “wicked witch of the east”. What was I doing wrong?

This time for the paper clay, I drew a picture first…and the sculpted head looked exactly like…the wicked witch of the east…again! For a moment I considered that the “wicked witch of the east” might be my “brand”, my “trademark”…NOT!!! So I worked with it adding a bit of clay here and there…I made eyes from paper clay also.
Shaped paper clay into balls…stuck a piece of sturdy wire in each ball and let
them dry…painted dried balls with acrylics and then glazed before adding to the
head.


As I began to add bits of clay to her face, she began speaking her name, once finished I will share the name with you. Here is where we are so far…witch me luck!

Stay Creative!

Lezlei

Some Serious Catching Up - Part 2 New Laptop

Part 2 – OWOH - HP Pavillion Laptop
Remember this blog I posted? You can follow the link to refresh your memory. Well…I was spending so much time trying to visit all the blogs participating in OWOH, I thought I should have a new laptop. So I bought myself an HP Pavillion Special Edition Notebook PC. Thanks Lisa!



Stay Creative!


Lezlei

Some Serious Catching Up - Part 1b Sherry's Birthday

Part 1b – We Had a Great Birthday, Sherry and I
Well my theme for Sherry’s birthday this year was “books”. This is the way it worked…when I gifted Sherry, I gifted myself also (that’s so horrible of me). Anyway, I love it when we have the same books and she calls and says, “Did you see the piece on page…?”








Stay Creative!




Lezlei

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Some Serious Catching Up - Part 1a SIL Love





Part 1a - I Love My Sister-In-Law!
My sister-in-law (Sherry) is so awesome! I ordered a couple of items (vintage bottles) out of her Etsy shop "GotArt" and she put it right in the mail (she is so good about that). Well! I picked up the mail and there was a BIG box...and I thought, "Those bottles must be bigger than I thought". I opened up the box and it was filled with lots of sister-in-law LOVE...look what I found! Oh Yes, the bottles were in there also...lol.




































Even a box of Valentine Hearts...YUM! Now is that a great sister-in-law or WHAT?

Stay Creative!

Lezlei