Unsellable Objects

A while back in my Jewelry category I wrote a post called Unsellablegivable objects in which I wrote about how sometimes I learn a new technique such as this beading one, and I simply can't bring myself to give or sell any of it away. Here is another example of something else I do when I'm not painting, drawing, sculpting, writing, sewing or exhibiting.

Furthermore, I'm really interested in learning about how other creatives 'focus' and limit themselves. Lately, I've been feeling as though it's futile to even try to limit myself since I get easily bored with any one technique. Even if I can manage to make twenty of something (which I do often) when the wave is over - I move on. With getting older I've settled a bit - but barely.

I just have an issue with wanting to do too much. During meetings my hands always have to be moving. I get over-whelmed yet still always have five projects going at once, all with self-induced stressed and deadlines.

My hub says I behave as though I'm going to die tomorrow and have to do everything today! I am quite honestly a doer and need to be making something always.

Is anybody else like this or is it just me?? I mean between my writing and blurring the line between fine art and craft on a daily basis, I'm all over the place as an artist. And that's ok right?? Yeah, that's the 21st century non-outsourceable mind...right??

- Ciao Amarettogirl

Ballroom Dancing and Blogging with the IPhone!

So Tony Dovolani was a no show! He cancelled at the last minute (or the day prior), which left the organizers of the event quite perturbed...but all was not lost because the ballroom dancers still performed and they were stellar! I wish I remembered their names but alas I do not, though some are current champion dancers.

To make this post even more extraordinary, it was all done with my IPhone! As if the capabilities of my phone (and the way it has deeply rooted itself into my life) weren't amazing enough as is, I can now use two pretty cool apps to blog on demand!! Photoshop's app called PS MOBILE allows me to to adjust my Iphone images taken with the phones camera (and in this case in pretty severe low light I might add) and my Squarespace website platform have now made an app called Squarespace which allows you to post while traveling without a computer. So now when I say
I'm so going to blog about that, I am, anywhere and anytime!!

Ok so I never officially found out who my secret donor was, but while I was there one of my student's parents came up and handed me a raffle ticket in the form of a diamond/crystal (they were selling them all night at $100 a pop) and with a tender squeeze of my hand told me 'Good Luck!'- I was deeply affected. I didn't win the raffle, which was for a pair of $40,000 diamond earrings, but it was one of those moments where I was reminded that the energy we give each other (even unbeknownst to us) helps us get through, and thanks to someone's generosity to my school and too me I did win the gift of the evening there.

- ciao Amarettogirl

Update on Monday, February 22, 2010 at 10:49AM by Amarettogirl

Thanks to a former student I learned the dancers pictured here are none other than, Iveta Lukosiute and Gherman Mustuc who have a wonderful website entitled Why do I dance...Why do I breathe! These two are internatioanlly reknowned and are the reigning World Professional 10-Dance Champions, which features both Latin and Standard-style dancing. They also are United States and North American Professional 10-Dance Champions! Ahh how awesome - you can see videos of them dancing on Youtube as well.

Blythe Illustrations

Seeing as my blog has now been up for TWO YEARS I've begun to update some outdated info. So my bio no longer says married for 5yrs when its been 7!

This piece was one of six that I did for a summer 2009 exhibit...I just updated my exhibit data and the gallery of exhibits page (not finished yet) so I thought I'd mention it here. The hope (as some of my art appreciators know) is to order high-quality prints of these images and eventually have the prints for sale in my etsy shop - so don't despair it will one day soon happen!

Honeyed illustration by m.diaz

OOOH SOME LIFE DRAMA! READ ALL ABOUT IT:

Tony Dovolani from Dancing With The Stars pic from ABC DWS

So here's what's happening in my life today. The school in which I work is hosting a 'Casablanca' gala black and white formal event this weekend as a fundraiser. In the 12 years that I've worked there I've never gone because tickets are very expensive (150mega-bucks, the funds go to support the school).

This week I received an email from one of the event planners that an anonymous donor paid for my ticket to attend and that I should consider honoring the gesture with an rsvp. So my hub (who also works at the same school as long as me) called to rsvp taking it for granted that everyone knows we're married and assuming he was paid for as well (its common that a donor pays for a handful of teachers)- but Yikes - the donor gift was just for me!

Luckily a ticket emerged for hubs, but I'm kind of 'weirded' out. In a crowded space I won't know who paid for me to go. Since this is tomorrow night, I had to go buy a cocktail dress and lets just say trying on stuff in ill lit fitting rooms that smack body-conscious-reality in my face is not my idea of a fun Friday night!

But it will all be worth it, since I learned Tony Dovolani from Dancing with the Stars will be there and it promises to be an affair to remember!!

Have you ever attended an event or gathering with a lurking secret donor or admirer??? Its like a game of CLUE! Come on spill, I want to hear all about it!

-Ciao Amarettogirl

Design Finds from Saugerties, NY

bird candle from Green in Saugerties NY

I bought this grey bird candle at a great shop called GREEN in Saugerties, NY. Their motto of 'recycle and reuse' is evident as you walk into their shop and see their fresh design eye through the layout of both refurnished and repurposed, new and old products a like. Their aesthetic is modern, clean and slightly eclectic as you walk down aisles of beautiful wood tables, retro chairs and antique aluminum doll houses that evoke times past with a nod towards modernity. Not to mention that their business card is one of those cool new 'green' business cards that you can plant and grow wildflowers with!

I also bought these amazing aluminum bird cabinet knobs at Green.

my new drawer pulls bought at Green designed by Te-Ma

The sweet folks at Green shared that they got these knobs from a Woodstock based studio and online shop called Te-ma, so glad to know since I want to get more for the rest of my bureau drawers!!!!

sweet dog figurines made in Japan that I bought at a Saugerties thrift shop

Here are another couple of great finds from Saugerties' Happy Paws Thrift shop. I walked in soon after a large shipment of dog figurines had just been donated to the thrift shop- the mother-load, a full table laden with figurines. I got each of these two gems made in Japan for $2. each and a whole bag of dollar figurines to play with in my crafts!

My hub and I love toys and always stop in on unique toy shops as well. We found this great toy-shop called Tinker Toys in Woodstock Ny where I fell in love with this magnetic building balance/construction toy called Equilique designed by sculptor John Perry!! If you have a chance please click on the Equilique site - its amazing and you won't be sorry since my pics don't do the toy any justice as to what it is actually capable of!

Equilique by sculptor John Perry photo by marisol diaz detail of Quili acrobat 1 photo by m. diazdetail of Quili acrobat 2 photo by m. diaz

Weekend in Saugerties, NY

The Smythe House B&B photo by Chefs David & Justine Smythe

Every now and then my hub and I like to pack up the pets, stock up the car and get lost. We're especially fond of finding North Eastern US towns that we have yet to experience. For this past Valentines day I asked for one small thing (an object) and an experience. So we invoked the 'overnight -day trip' and found a B&B in Saugerties NY (which would allow us to see Kingston and Woodstock NY in the same trip).

We chose the Barclay Heights Bed and Breakfast at Smythe House because of its pet friendly status and because it is owned by two hospitality specialists who are both graduates of the Culinary Institute of America. Needless to say the breakfast was extraordinary! It was personalized and began with a surprise kind of strawberry shortcake!

I got to hit some wonderful antique shops and thrift stores (which I love to do) and I found some fantastic design-life objets d'art which I am posting immediately after this post. So come back soon!

I also got to take some fun pics, that I thought I would share with all of you.

Esopus studio vignette photo by marisol diaz my babies by marisol diaz marie antoinette-like chair in the Esopus studio photo by marisol diaz

For anyone who knows me, you know I love all Marie Antoinette inspired things and when I saw this chair as we walked into the B&B Esopus Studio I said, 'Oh, I'm going to have to photograph that!" to the owner.

The view from our bay window in the Esopus studio photo by marisol diaz Some fake flowers in the studio photo by m. diaz The whole wall piece photo by marisol diaz another window view photo by marisol diaz winter nest photo by marisol diaz sculpture in municipal parking lot in Woodstock NY photo by marisol diaz Lucky Chocolates in Saugerties NY photo by marisol diaz dusk photo by marisol diaz Cafe Tamayo where we ate our VDay dinner by m.diaz Hub and me on Vday weekend photo by m.diaz

Ciao- Amarettogirl

Valentine's Day Apron

detail of Lizzy's Apron by marisol diaz

So after seeing all the aprons I gifted to women in my fam this past holiday on my blog, my long-distance cousin in Florida really felt forgotten....making it so that just when I thought I was done with apron's for a while, I had to sew another one.

I guess I didn't really 'have' to, but this particular cousin has a special spot in my heart.

With all the other aprons I chose fabrics and patterns based on the woman's personality. So in accord with that manner of approaching the apron design, I chose 'love' as the theme.

It was shipped last Thursday and should be arriving in Port St. Lucie Florida any day now... hopefully she gets to see it, before she sees this post!

If not well, here is the sneak peek Lizzy!

Completing Lizzy's Apron by marisol diaz detail of upper portion by marisol diaz Lizzy's Apron hanging by marisol diaz modeling the apron by marisol diazapron detail by marisol diaz

Hope you all had a wonderful and crafty Valentine's Day Weekend!

- Ciao Amarettogirl

Butterfly Magic - Paper Art Inspiration

Photo of Butterfly Project by blogger Lollychops

So for today's post I thought I would share one of my students (honestly more like my young protégé who quickly surpassed her teacher), Isabella Whitney's work. Isabella was inspired by this wonderful Butterfly Project tutorial posted by fellow crafty blogger Lollychops.

My hub and I have been using and introducing altered books as sketchbooks in our classes for the past couple of years. The local library had a stack of antiquated books they were going to discard and he hauled them over to our visual art classes to convert them into beautiful sketchbooks (wait until you see his-coming to this blog soon!)

Having made some great use of that experience, Isabella combined both Lollychop's Butterfly Project tutorial and the altered book art as inspiration. She designed and created this wonderful bookshelf surprise.

Just imagine pulling a once abandoned book off of a shelf and opening it up to discover the following!

Designer and Artist Isabella Whitney's Butterfly Project book pic1Isabella's Butterfly Book pic2 The completed piece by Isabella Whitney photo by marisol diaz

Here are some detail shots:

Click to see Isabella's Book DetailClick to see Isabella's book detail two!

To try your hand at The Butterfly project please visit fellow crafty blogger Lollychops and see her wonderful tutorial on how to compose these butterflies! -Ciao Amarettogirl

Sew, Mama, Sew! and JCasa's Something Special Vday Card tutorial!

So as I was traveling through the 'crafty' blogosphere (as I am known to do), and I encountered two delightful entities, the website Sew, Mama, Sew! and JCasa's Jennifer's handmade blog tutorial for a special kind of correspondance.

Imagine what kind of a wonderful world (or VD day...oh, uhm I meant Valentine's day) it would be to get your 'love notes' like this!!

JCasa's Something Special Handmade Card

If you go to Sew, Mama, Sew! you'll see an exceptional high quality tutorial that clearly illustrates step by step procedures to simply make both this fabric envelope and the 'love note'.

JCasa's Envelope with a sample note from tutorial Another sample of JCasa's Envelope and Card from Sew, Mama, Sew!tutorial

Better yet, as part of their February True Love Series, if you try your hand at one of JCasa's fabric envelopes and cards before February 12th and post it on the Sew, Mama, Sew! forum you can win one of these awesome prizes!!

Regardless, its just so much fun (and inspiring) to check out all the versions that have already been posted on the Forum!

I think I may have to try one!!!

After you make the basic card + envelope as a foundation piece you can then embellish, embroider, quilt, print… Do something to make it unique! Mix things up, and personalize your card to make it the perfect something for your special someone.

-CIAO! AMARETTOGIRL

A Quick Winter Illustration

cold girl

Kanzashi

Kanzashi Flowers have been all the rave on the crafty internet in recent years, but it seems I've just come around to it. Kanzashi is the Japanese art form of folding fabric the way one would fold paper in origami. Inspired by the new book Kanzashi In Bloom by Diane Gilleland I got really into exploring the medium. I thought I'd do a review of the book while I was at it, so here goes.

Kanzashi In Bloom by Diane Gilleland

PROS- The book is written in a very clear and effective manner. The history of the craft is done respectfully and eloquently. The instructions for seemingly complex folds are excellent, with photos linked to each step smoothly and very clearly. The projects in the book are attractive, feasible and open to enough interpretation to inspire unique work.

CONS- However my one gripe is the book only shows how to do three folds, and where that is good for a beginning crafter, it leaves craft junkies like me hungry for more!! I actually googled 'Kanzashi' images and saw lots of pieces made with a wonderful petal fold that was not in the book that thankfully I was able to teach myself! See the images below for what came from the book and what did not.

Kanzashi flowers I made from instructions in the book.

However the image below is of a necklace that I'm making with a Kanzashi flower fold that was not in the book.When I 'googled' images of Kanzashi flowers many were made with a unique petal fold that left one side of the fold in double layers. I sat down for a while anad played with the fabric and eventually taught it to myself!

Kanzashi necklace that I'm making detail shot click to see

So I have found that I like the silk fabric of abandoned men's neck ties for Kanzashi the best (though cotton patterned fabrics are fun too). There is something about taking a very masculine fabric (neckties) and converting them into such feminine flowers.

Kanzashi is addictive and very meditative much like crocheting or knitting. You will however need a thimble if you plan on making a bunch.

I like using both fabric covered brads (in the scrapbooking section at the craft store) or covering my own buttons with matching fabric.

Kanzashi Flowers made from one of my bosses 'vintage' neckties!!!!

I am planning on creating a tutorial for this fold here soon so stay tuned!--Amarettogirl