Pixie 15

new beginings!

2011-05-16T08:14:00.000-07:00

So after reading an article in Art Doll magazine that featured people who make traditional Czech marionettes I decided to give it a try! of course i didn't read how to assemble or make one....thought I'd just make it up as i went along. i do that, a LOT...with that being said, i didn't think about the materials that would make a good marionette so i used Sculpy Extra Light. It wasn't until after i painted her i realized wHy the traditional ones are made out of wood, sturdy-ness! hmm...guess she will have to be more of an art piece than a functioning puppet.
I'm still really happy with how cute she is! maybe she will morph into something completely different, stay tuned!!

has it reaLLy been that long???

2011-05-15T06:37:00.000-07:00

hey! if you click on the underlined part below, you get a little peek at Mr. Alastair, the Apothecary Bear :) he's almost ready for his public, he needs a few finishing touches!
So0o a dear friend left me a note yesterday telling me she directed a friend of her's to check out my blog. my BlOg??? forgot i had one, forgot how to post too lol! ok so 2 years went by and i should have a lot to talk about right? it's funny how the more time passes the harder it is to think of something that sums up where i've been and what i've been up to! As some of you may know, i have been struggling with anorexia for over a decade. It's a disorder that kills your creative soul, and turns your days into rituals and obsessions. The past 3 years have been the most difficult, the reason being is that i know so much more about eating disorders, yet i still struggle every day. I thought if I had the information, the treatments, the 'tools' to overcome the fear of recovery I could just do it. Well I'm still fighting the good fight but it does tend to put my creativity on hold for long periods of time.
so0oo blah blah blah...let's get to the fun stuff already~
To get back into the swing of things art-wise i started small...ok not really!! i decided to collage my bedroom door!! Here's the top half....
And here's the bottom!
Couldn't get one snapshot to fit the whole thing in, there's a lot more detail to it but the door's location and all...anyhoo!! Hope you enjoy!
Right now i'm really excited to be working on a bunny girl marionette!! I will update with pictures as i move through the process. It's a new thing for me!!

and he gently drapes the beautiful crystals in her hands...

2009-06-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

just cruising on Etsy this morning...how cute is this??? and she makes up the sweetest little stories to go with each one.

White flying bear with crystals in paws, mobile by ememem on Etsy

2009-06-10T08:09:00.000-07:00

She broke away from her world and fell into someone elses. by Kari Atol

Not a whole lot going on with me! Waiting for the sun to come out someday...i swear the gloom is gonna be the death of me. Still on the polyvore kick so i thought i'd share some lastest ones.

The Spirit between thunder & lightening by Kari Atol on Polyvore.com

Oh! I am teaching at Zinnia on Friday 11-4. Its going to be the Mandala class again! It's super fun and easy and you will love the results--scouts honor!! =)

2009-05-30T14:26:00.000-07:00

don't ever believe it's easy...
You are second hand smoke,
You are so fragile and thin,
Standing trial for your sins,
Holding onto yourself the best you can.

umm..still addicted

2009-05-28T17:47:00.001-07:00

Lady Marie, the Dream Initiative by Kari Atol on Polyvore.com
guess there's worse ways to waste time!

Dolls for Sale!

2009-05-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

happy Tuesday everyone! Here is a sneak peek at the dolls that will be for sale at my Etsy shop! They will be posted Wednesday at 2pm Pacific time.

This is miss Vivianne, she's a prima ballerina.

This is Mirabella, sweet as can be~*
This is Giselle, as you can see she has a bit of an attitude!
This is Fleur, she's a bit of a mystery. She loves vintage clothing & tattoos. And this is the beautiful Madeline! She adores her polkadot knee socks!

Portrait Re-do

2009-05-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

and Viola! she's all dolled up =)

Stella in Starlight by Kari Atol on Polyvore.com

2009-05-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

i know ya'll have seen these before, i'm doing a little polyvore experiment....stay tuned

Magical Mandalas!

2009-05-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

What a fun day yesterday! I taught a mixed media mandala class at Zinnia

and had such a great turn out. Everyone was so nice and so open to just enjoying the experience~ first we collaged our boards....

then added the gold leafing(personally my favorite part!)some of the student work before the paint goes on!

and VioLA!! the GorGeous end results!

Here's the gang showing off our glowing pieces of artwork! aLL in one day =)

Thank you EVeRYone for such a FantAstic FabUlous DaY!!! Check out my flickr page for all the photos! http://www.flickr.com/

AwEsome day!!

2009-05-10T13:56:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was the best day EVER!! ok maybe just the BEST DAY this YEAR!! I attended a group art show at Zinnia where I exhibited, I sold another painting that was already at the store, met Angela Cartwright from Lost in Space, AND her sister Veronica Cartwright too!!!! OMG Veronica is one of my most favorite character actors!! She was so nice and funny and she told us this hilarious story about how she kept her kids 4th grade Mission project for 15 years until she realized that rats had eaten the roof off!! We were all complaining how easy the kids have it nowadays where they can just BuY the whole kit, donkeys and all, and we had to make them from stuff like sugar cubes, Popsicle sticks, and pasta for roofs...hence why the rats were interested in it! okay here's my proof of meeting Veronica...

THEN before all this crazy happiness, I saw that my most FAVORITE ARTIST Anahata Katkin had given me a big ol' shout out on her blog! my name is there AND a collage I did! Seriously I jumped around the room like an idiot for 15 minutes...oh yeah and went back to to her blog to make sure it was still there about three or four.....hundred times! And first thing this morning to make sure I hadn't imagined it! Really, best day EVER!!!!

i made this there too...so much fun!!

2009-05-08T19:37:00.001-07:00

and her thoughts just drifted away by Kari Atol on Polyvore.com

omg...really really loving this site which is why i've been neglecting ya'll in blogland

2009-05-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

Poe Toaster by Kari Atol featuring Carmen Romero earrings

can't...stay....away....from POLYVORE!!

2009-05-04T10:36:00.000-07:00

the demise of julia by Kari Atol on Polyvore.com

2009-04-29T11:16:00.001-07:00

okay, so my SIL Tyn and I have this running joke about the boys in our family always buying too much or too large of something because "it's the better deal" We once send my hubby and FIL, Bob to Smart and Final to buy us some mayo for the coffee house we owned. "Just get the tub size" we tell them. Well those boys (that's what we call them when they've done something "boyish") did not get the tub size, no..they brought us a TEN POUND BOX of mayo. Well now, we were really curious how they packaged mayo in a cardboard box so we opened her right up to see that the mayo was in a gigantic plastic bag. Tied at the top with a twist tie. umm yeah, not only did we not know how we were going to portion that out onto little slices of bread we weren't even sure if it would fit in the fridge. If you've ever seen Fight Club and the scene where they're tossing the 'fat bags' over the fence to later make soap..you get the idea of what ten pounds of mayo in a bag will act. Now that was ten years ago but it's still funny to this day and what brought up this delightful memory was the other day when dearest hubby went to the market. I had asked him to get soy sauce and he asked me "didn't I just get some?"I answer, "yes dear but I use it almost every day" clearly forgetting the 'mayo incident' i didn't specify a size and this is what he came home with

those boys!!! i love you honey =)

Hello Dollie!

2009-04-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

Good thing I have a hubby that doesn't mind if my house work goes by the wayside for a few days. Or that I can't stick to one thing for very long. OR that I leave aLL the stuff I'm working on all piled in a corner in the living room. Here's what's been keeping me occupied..err obsessed...for the past week. Her body is made from polymer clay and her skirt is crepe paper.

Look at her cute bloomers!!

so that was so much fun that I immediately started another one!

stay tuned for the finished product~*

AF day 3

2009-04-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

Lordy, life has been in fast forward lately. So0oo many things I want to show ya'll! I'll finish up with Artfest pics of my last day of class with the aMazing Misty Mawn! She is so sweet and quiet and lovely and a fabulous teacher. I love her painting style and was so thrilled to have gotten in to this class. Her style is so different from mine, she starts her portraits by painting in all the dark areas then highlights with the light. I've never taken a formal painting class so maybe that's how portrait painting is taught? It blew me away to watch her do the class demo, she paints fast, I mean really really fast. I couldn't wait to try this new style, anyhoo here's my portrait!And here I am posing for the obligatory cheezy student/teacher pic..and my finished paintingLastly here are some pics from Show and Tell night! Almost as much fun as the classes, this is the student work that was blowin' my mind! This is metal screening, etched with spray patina.

This is a teeny little book made from various found items like this leaf between sheets of mica. I believe this is a Bee Shay class.

hmm. not sure who taught this class but I loved this piece!

Random pieces that i adored...

These are from Michael DeMeng's classes! He's going to be teaching at Zinnia!! I can't wait.

Lastly this is Halo! Isn't she AmAzing!! She's a Russian Borzoi and she was quite shy but let me get close enough(with her owner there) to snap some pics of her.

Reality Bites

2009-04-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

I was all excited last week because...wait for it...I got a new face wash!!! Yeah!!! I happily stepped into the the shower and squirted a big ol' glob onto my face cloth(yah need a LoT when you use it the first time!) and while I'm scrubbing away I have dreams of my skin magically looking like this when i get out....wow right?

But no0oooo...my dreams come to a screeching halt as I look in the mirror and see something more like this...

except I'm not wearing make-up. oh yeah and I'm not black, but I do have this pissed off look on my face & all those pimples. hmmmmm........maybe the next face wash will be THE ONE!

ps...i forgot to tell ya'll..i do this every time I shower...gahhh

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T08:10:00.000-07:00

ok so I'm skipping around a bit on the order of days at Artfest. Mostly because I've been too lazy to take pictures of the pieces I made in Judy Wise's wax class...So this is day 2 with me, Tyn and the cute as a bug Pam Garrison! She was teaching us how to make a journal by hand. Pam's journals are something to drool over for sure, mine well more like to cry about..and not in a "oh that's so beautiful it brings a tear to my eye" sort of way. Maybe later in life journaling will be something I can get into, for now I'm putting that baby in a corner.

After class Tyn and I went for a drive to the beach and a short walk on the cute little pier.

We spotted 3 cute little otters playing on the dock. This guy was checking me out until I opened my mouth and scared them all off.

After we got nice and cold we went and got ice cream(naturally!) when is it not a good time for ice cream I ask? Check out the dishes!! ReaL ice cream sunday dishes...and delicious ta boot!

Artfest..dAy one

2009-04-07T09:34:00.001-07:00

Woah....artfest year 2. I was looking forward to this for a whole year and it did not disappoint! Here's my new friend Cheryl on the ferry showing off her trades.
How friggin' cool is this??????? a Cellist playing her heart out on the ferry ride over.

House 15 pals together again(along with some new fabulous pals!!)..it was total mayhem and happiness!!!

hahaaa...i just had to post this one =)

This is Julie picking out her little surprise octy i made for everyone
Seeing everyone was so great! It was so comforting to see familiar faces(and fun to meet new ones!) after a lo0oong day of travel. Although I wasn't entirely surprised that my face was already punishing me for leaving home by having a few(like 7!) new zits show up..I'll spare you the pics ;)

Arfest time is HERE!!

2009-03-31T17:29:00.000-07:00

Adios mi amigas! i am off for 3 full days of art making merriment in Washington. I have three Fabulous teachers...Judy Wise, Pam Garrison and Misty Mawn. 3 kick ass art sisters if you ask me! While I'm away I leave you with this adorable picture of a baby aardvark, I hope his cuteness doesn't make your head explode.

Strange News

2009-03-27T08:07:00.000-07:00

I LOVE reading the strange news articles that pop up on my home page news. Today's was particularly entertaining. Every year in Britain they have a oddest book title competition and this year's winner was a 188 page turning stay up all night and read thriller titled "the 2009-2014 World Outlook for 60-milligram Containers of Fromage Frais". Fromage Frais-literally "fresh cheese"-is a dairy product that originated in France and has a consistency of sour cream. Personally that's all I really need to know about the stuff, but for an affordable price of $795 it's all yours! Horace Bent, who runs the award, said "Fromage Frais" was a worthy winner that had "turned the supermarket chiller into the petri dish of literary innovation." (who thinks of these jobs? and how do I get one?) The runner up this year was a primate study titled "Baboon Metaphysics." Other finalist included "Curbside Consultation of the Colon" and "Strip and Knit With Style." Previous winners and runner ups include these snappy titles "The 2002 Official Patients Sourcebook on Lyme Disease" and "Webster's English to Kiribati Crossword Puzzles:Level 2" (there was a level 1??) My favorites are "Bombproof Your Horse" "Living With Crazy Buttocks" and "People Who Don't Know They're Dead:How They Attach Themselves to Unsuspecting Bystanders and What to Do About It." Boy have I got some reading to catch up on!! Happy Friday Everyone!!!

i think i love you gouache...

2009-03-25T19:46:00.000-07:00

my daughter just gave me a set of gouache. i thought "what's the big deal, it's like watercolors?" umm not! it's fabulous! it's bright, it's fun and makes me really happy. I having a great time using all the pretty colors, now just to learn how to mix...i seem to always make an ugly shade of brown :( here's a tiny little circus elephant for your enjoyment with my new paints! she's only 3 1/2x 2 1/2 inches

almost time...

2009-03-24T12:54:00.000-07:00

i can't believe its been almost a year since artfest! this year I'm on the ball with trades, things to sell and little presents for my roommates. seems like the thing that keeps tripping me up is the stinkin' supply list! some of the items are quite specific(good thing) some of them not so much (bad thing) like for example "piece of ribbon"...ummm long, short, wide, skinny, decorative, plain, grosgrain,velvet, ric rac,organza, wired, non-wired, WHAT?!? or it says i could bring wallpaper instead...WHAT?!?! last year i schlept an anvil--yes an anvil, in my luggage and didn't even need it. I guess the good thing is all that ribbon/wallpaper I'm bringing because lord knows I don't want to be unprepared will be a heck of a lot lighter. I will leave ya'll with a goodie I've stitched up to hopefully sell there.

Its Friday! It's Friday! do-doo-doo do doo-doo..

2009-03-20T06:39:00.000-07:00

When Tyn and I owned the coffee house the jazz station we listen to(ok admittedly it was only Tyn that opened on Fridays and I just heard about the song) every Friday they played this silly little ditty. And lo and behold TEN years later it pops in my head just about every Friday...anyhooo now that i've added some more useless information to be stored in your brain so you forget important stuff like "where did i leave those kids?" I want to also mention that i'm teaching a class at Zinnia next Sunday the 29th. It's all about the beautiful Mandala and I will take you from start to finish and supply aLL (including gold leafing) the materials! Stop by if you can, they are really fun and such a gratifying project because you leave with a finished piece of art ready to hang in your home, and the best part? you MaDE it!! http://web.mac.com/ttolkin/zinnia/Kari_Atol.html here's the link for all the info.

whEw!

2009-03-16T17:07:00.000-07:00

Good gravy! as an old friend of mine used to say..I have been a busy little bee. I am so excited about spring time this year that I can't seem to find the space for all my projects. Lucky for me Turin is very tolerant of my craft piles =) here's what I've been up to! First I dug out the felt...

then the sewing machine and the paints...I think I'm going to try and sell her at Artfest

I have a few more sewn surprises but I have to wait until after I get back from Artfest to post 'em...shhh they're li'l presents for my housemates! I went to breakfast on Sunday morning with my bestest girl friends Tyn, Denise & Renee and had the BeSt bowl of oatmeal!!! Found an estate sale that wasn't all that great but I got a couple of these super cute plates...and on top of all that made some lemon bars...tadaaaa!!!

The Buttermilk Forest~*

2009-03-06T09:57:00.000-08:00

Fresh starts, new ideas, optimism. These are a few of the words that have been on my mind lately. I can't remember the last time I was so happy. Happy to be painting, planning adventures and my newest musings of a make-believe land where my girls and their animal friends reside-- The Buttermilk Forest. There's lots of noon time tea parties with tiny cucumber sandwiches and of course scones with lemon curd and clotted cream...don't forget your flower hat...now just to get these birdies out of my hair!
prints of this and more from the Buttermilk Forest available at my esty store =)

2009-03-04T15:46:00.000-08:00

yes, these are both from me...this first one i was experimenting with doing more body parts than just heads and shoulders. i was looking at a picture for reference and if you read my blog Liv Tyler, yes those are your hands and arms =) look for mini-prints of this and a few other pieces in my esty shop! i'm also hoping to get the nerve up to post the originals too..aack...for this little lady i was experimenting using lighter colors. i love how she turned out! and how cute is a bunny in yellow pajamas?? oh my esty shop is in the side bar titled 'fun places to visit' ..excuse how sad and empty it looks, it will look happy and cheery again so0n!!

more paintings...

2009-02-22T08:59:00.000-08:00

something i've realized...facebook is fUn!! and takes a LoT of time doing absolutely nothing haha!! i have managed to get some paintings done when i can drag myself away. I always struggled a bit with what to do about the backgrounds and I'm happy to say that all that trial and error with collage is starting to finally come together and look more like art and less like a toddler with some paper and glue. ahhh life is g00d!!

2009-01-25T15:56:00.000-08:00

Today me and the family took a little trip to Hollywood. Can you believe I've never been down the walk of fame?? Yes I've lived here aLL my life...and yes I know that's really pathetic. While we were in the area we took Ian to the Guitar Center on Sunset. He was so excited to see his hero's hand prints so here's an adorable picture of Ian with a super happy goof ball smile! btw...he says he's never washing his hands again(ok i know you're not surprised!)

nEw Work! yipee =)

2009-01-18T08:29:00.000-08:00

awww...just checked my blog today, thought no one was lookin' and what a SuRprise to see i had comments hehe!! thanks my darlings for your unwavering support! i am happier than i've been in sUch a long time, it feels aMazing and unreal at times thinking of where i was at this time last year. I have been painting like craZy and wanted to share my newest piece that i'm showing at my fav little art haunt Zinnia! The theme for the show is Brokenhearted and so here's "Emily, the truth" it says in the writings "love is luck, you broke your own heart". I also have it translated to spanish and that goes like this "Emily, la verdad. El amor es suerte, que rompio su propio corazon" enjoy!

haPPy neW YeaR!!

2009-01-03T12:17:00.000-08:00

hello to anyone that might still check this blog haha!! 'tis a brand new year and all is finALLy mostly well again. Thank you to EvERyone that sent well wishes and cards and little gifties..they honestly helped and were so much appreciated!! I'm happy to say that this is the first year in a very long time that my new years resolution wasn't to lose weight, but to be healthy and look for joy even in the smallest of things...umm like ArtFEst!! and herbal tea, cozy fires, hockey, and mostly my dear family and friends that were there for me..i love you ALL so0ooo much!!! and i leave you with a picture of my friends new little pup. A French Bulldog named Auggie!!

2008-08-16T17:06:00.000-07:00

hey everyone! and by that i mean my two readers haha!! just kiddin' well sorry for the lack of posting. I am here to let you all know i've been in a treatment facility for the last month for my eating disorder. i've been battling it for a long time now and finally gave into the fact that i couldn't do it alone. so there i am working through the muck that should have been worked on what seems like a lifetime, actually now that i think of it, it has been..... I also wanted to tell everyone that wrote me well wishes Thank You so VerY much for your support!!! i need to write ya'll individually but at the end of the day i find myself completely drained and unable to write the kind of note that is honestly from my heart. so i haven't forgotten any of the notes, i carry them with me and read them in my most darkest of despair to help me keep going....House 15!! you are all such AmAzing people and i love you all sooooo much!!! i can't wait till April when i can give ya'll a huge ol' hug of appreciation. okay gotta run! my pass is for a few short hours then back to the hospital so i'm gonna play with my son and scratch the pets while i can!! i'll post again when; either i get another pass to go home for a bit or when i'm home for good. thank you all again for all you love and support. hugs your loved ones a little tighter tonight for me, life is precious. much much love to you all oxoxox kari

2008-06-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

okay i know i'm always telling anyone who will listen that i LOVE california weather! Well this week i am nOt really loving california weather..i do however lOve my california air conditioning!! This is what i've been up to since it's too hot to do anything outside, like breathe, or touch my car's steering wheel without melting my skin to it.....hope you love my new pieces!!!

new paintings~*

2008-06-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

Here's my latest mixed media painting! I am very happy with the way it turned. it's called "Flower's for Quan Yin" you can sort of see that her top is actually torn paper glued in 3D. I would love to credit the artist who inspired this technique but she slips my mind right now....
The best part about this painting, for me anyway, is that it's big! 15"x15" that's HUGE compared to my "safer" 5" sized paintings. Happy Friday EvERyone!!!! I'm off to get my "yay it's Friday and i'm gonna get me some Pinkberry yogurt day" green tea of course =) ((hugs to all))

wedding pics!

2008-06-10T08:09:00.000-07:00

still catching up folks!! here's some pics from a super fun wedding the whole family went to on the 30th of march. it was held at a gorgeous botanical garden up in simi valley. It was really fun getting all dressed up--like make up, big girl shoes and everything!! from left to right is my daughter Jamie, Ian and moi...

Turin, Jamie and Ian

This is how Ian gets all the ladies...

....and this is how i hooked me a hubby!!

Jamie and Turin during the father/daughter dance. Aren't they adorable??

that's all the pictures i can add for now. Coming soon some actual art that I completely completed!!! YaY for finishing stuff!!

Catching Up!

2008-06-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately(I ReaLLy aM trying to be good!!) I've been off having wonderful adventures but haven't had the motivation to blog about any of it. See Pookieville's blog for some more pictures and better explanations of our out of town fun! My partner in art and i went to Ojai where she was teaching a couple of classes. I mostly snoozed up in the room while she labored away but did get out and see some pretty cool things..Like this..................

and this.............................

and this!....................it doesn't look that big in the picture but it was about five feet long, made from solid brass, pretty hilarious!

and this beautiful painting of carousel horses!!

and i have a strange obsession with things covered in shells..this was really magnificent!! Those abalone shells were a good foot across!

Later this week, probably tomorrow, i'll post some pictures from the super fun wedding we all went to this past weekend!! As well as some art stuff, yep still pluggin' away at that hahaa!! oxoxo kari

I love Post Secret....

2008-05-20T09:04:00.001-07:00

sometimes it says everything i can't.......

Some new pieces!

2008-05-13T09:54:00.000-07:00

This piece is my newest of the mandalas I've been working on. I love all the bright colors which is definitely a big change from my usual color palate. It has lots of glitter and jewels!!

This piece is inspired by an artist friend of mine, a doll that i made from a couple of years ago and a piece of vintage text that reads "An Excerpt From We Shook The Family Tree"

This last piece is the very done and finished piece from an earlier post. I've added some antiquing gel to it, just the right touch i think!
And lastly this fabulous cutie pie of mine! Sitting at breakfast this morning i hear him announce "i pulled my tooth out!" He was ReaLLy proud..i was slightly horrified until i remembered he'd been working on this one for a while!!

2008-05-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

At Artfest (yes artfest aGain or should i say still??) I met Kelly Rae Roberts a sweet lovely person and wonderful artist! and bought one of her beautiful prints. Her art really inspired me to try to use collage with my love of painting girl portraits. The first shot is the beginning of a portrait that i wasn't really happy with, something about her eyes weren't quite right. I usually really stress about painting over something I'm not happy with, thinking "what if the next try is worse?" And on top of that i used a REaL canvas, that i actually PAid For!! I usually work on wood that my DH has leftover from jobs so i doesn't seem like a big deal if i screw it up. i can just put it in the fireplace and start over. So0oo after staring at this piece for days, i just went for it. It was making me crazy and i wasn't about to put a ReaL CanVAS in the fireplace!

ThiS--is the result and I'm really really happy with this pretty girl! Later I'll post the completely finished portrait, but it's gloomy out now and since i have a hard enough time taking good pics even in the best lighting i'm gonna wait. But i wanted to share because I'm kinda proud of myself for 1.not hucking the while thing in the fire. and 2. using real canvas like a REaL ARtisT!!
These two shots are of my pups relaxing in the sun. Cute tiny Bijoux and my "big dog" Oliver, who look super sweet with his summer-do!

2008-04-27T07:06:00.000-07:00

So one day while visiting Tyn at her work she mentions to me i should peruse the Humane Society website like her and Shirley do just about every day....well I think I taught her a lesson about my willpower because less than 24 hours later I brought home this....... isn't she ADORABLE???? She's part Italian greyhound and i think wiener dog. She's brindle and weighs all of about 7 pounds. Yesterday when she was sleeping my son Ian put a piece of regular sized paper over her and it covered her whole body hehe!! Finally there's more than one girl in my house =)

2008-04-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

good lord!!! did you KNOW THIS???? This will definitely thwart any plans i might have for my future as an Anahata Katkin stalker....

2008-04-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

okay...so I'll admit it--I'm a huge dork. i did NOT bring a CAMERA to Artfest..yes it's true, i was more worried about being cold and having art supplies! but I've remedied the situation by stealing..oops i mean "borrowing" some shots from Tyn who continually, year after year, saves my butt! Thanks Girl!! so0oo here's a picture of our housing, it was so lovely and toasty warm with heat from old radiators and the amazing ladies we shared it with! The second shot is out of our bedroom window across the field where all the fun art took place as well as where we met for out meals(the tiny building in the center) and shared stories. the last shot is of me, Ruth and Tyn. isn't Ruth adorable?? she wore a crazy and different hat every day--i think this one best fit the whole spirit of Artfest. alright.....so another thing i have to admit is that i wasn't excited about going... at all...really. ..i mean really really....in fact i put off doing everything to get ready until the very last minute and pretty much poo-pooed the whole trip all the way until we landed in Seattle. i haven't' figured out if not getting excited about it made the trip better or not, i just know that i had such a life altering, amazing and soul fulfilling time i can't stop thinking about it and i can't believe i have to wait a WHOLE YEAR until the next one *sigh*....well at least i learned my lesson!

2008-04-13T10:12:00.000-07:00

here's the AmAZing Anahata Katkin working on *my* mandala at Artfest 2008!!!! you can check out her incredibly beautiful artwork at http://www.papayalicious.com and read her blog at http://anahata.typepad.com/ If you scroll down just a bit you can see where i got this pic from, directly from her blog!! and look i'm off to the left, minus my head heheee...

I'm baack! and look what I can do!!!!

2008-04-08T08:09:00.000-07:00

Wow! haven't blogged in a gazillion years...mostly because i've been having a not so creative life right as of late. Well i do believe that have changed at least for the time being!! Just got back from Artfest 2008 and had the most magical time EvaH!!! Here's the pretty mandala mixed media collage (yeah..i Collaged!!! whoop whoop) and am really excited with the result! Of course I had the most magnificent teacher Anahata Katkin!!!! I am so in love with all her work and on top of that she is very kind, patient and just a lovely soul =)
I'm so0ooo imspired to create more art not just in this genre, but to keep incorporating art more and more in my everyday living...i think it's just what this little pixie needs!!! hugs to all~*

2007-11-28T08:07:00.000-08:00

wow! who knew vending two days in a row could almost kill an ol' gal like myself?? okay not really! it was tiring but fUn!sort of like camping but without the trees and the nice hikes =) i got to hang out with my SIL Tyn, Michelle Caplan and Hannah from Hannahmade all of them super fun chikas!! Ian and I also got to meet Betty from Top Chef (season 2?) who was there serving the masses with grilled cheese sammies and tomato soup! Two more shows to go...the next one is the BesT!! Raffles, Live Music, Food! and of course amazing handmade gifts to buy =)

and for my second bit of news here's the post card for the gallery show i'm in!~~~i'm so excited one of my paintings made the cover!! she's the second one down, third from the left.
there will be lots of other cool arty folks there too! here's the etsy shop to one of the other artist in the show The Mincing Mockingbird their stuff is hilarious!!

It's a biggie!!

2007-11-18T10:05:00.000-08:00

Here's where me and my SIL (plus a WHOLE bunch more uber crafty folk!) will be next weekend. if you click on the flyer it will take you to the site where you can check out the vendor list! I hope i can get some Christmas shopping done..or maybe "me" shopping done =)

I digress....

2007-11-18T09:50:00.000-08:00

moslty because i'm not very good at writting but i wanted to show you all the vending space from the private residence show from last weekend. It was a beautiful old house, the weather was amazing and we set up around the deck by the pool. Luckily the only thing that ended up IN the pool were a few of my business cards haha.. This is a couple of shots of my set up..

this lady makes amazing bags and clutchesThese are my friend, Renee's, beautiful necklaces! and last but not least a terrible picture of Tyn's display! Her stuff is way cuter than this picture makes it out to be. Her and I will be vending together this Thanksgiving weekened!! more details in the next post...

2007-11-14T08:19:00.000-08:00

so this might be a little silly and self horn-arty-farty-tooting but it's my blog and i'll brag if i want too! Yesterday i took some of my girl paintings to Cactus Gallery for the Miniatures show that's going on there in Dec. and as i was laying all my things out on the counter the owner grabbed one right away and said she HAD to have it!!! I think i played it pretty cool that is until i got to the car and did the happiest happy dance one can do in such a confined space! I mean the OWNER of the GALLERY!! a REAL art gallery!! That's a pretty big deal for this little mama who's only taken drawing 101 at the community college =) so that's it! my first gallery show and first gallery sale all in the same day! oh here's a picture of the little painting she got. Her name is Panpukin Kokeshi--the painting, not the owners hehe!! Panpukin is japanese for pumpkin =)

not getting ready for a show is what i do best!!

2007-11-09T09:14:00.000-08:00

of course in the tradition of freaking out before a show I am doing all the things i can do to avoid the inevitable..the labeling, the pricing, the packing until the very last minute and instead spend copious amounts of time well..wasting time! so here's what i've been wasting lots of time on this morning. i REaLLy want to be able to utilize photoshop to enhance some of my sketches. this is what i came up with this morning. here's the original sketch...and here's the photoshopped image. not exactly what i had in mind but i'm pleased with the way it looks more appropriate for the time period of Steampunk.

This weekend I will be.....

2007-11-08T16:41:00.000-08:00

Here! With LoaDs of my very talented artsy pals!

OMG!!

2007-11-02T13:56:00.000-07:00

hehe, normally i hate those shortened versions of words for texting but in this case it really needs to be and OMG moment for me!! are yah ready???? i got accepted into my FIRST EVER gallery show!!!! YaY!!! It's called Tiny Treasures 2. it's a group show featuring small scale art work. It's at Cactus Gallery in Eagle Rock check out thier website if you like. i am so0oooo excited~*~
http://www.eclecticcactus.com/index.htm
well off to paint! oxox kari

sometimes a gypsy soul gets in the way...

2007-10-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

and here's why. I have applied and been accepted to 4(with one down) art markets this season. I should be sewing or making jewelry 'cause well anyone who knows me knows that those are my biggest sellers for these events. But what am i doing instead you ask?? painting....ANd something i have no business doing, applying to be in an actual art show..no jewelry, no handbags JUST ART and with other artist's no less...like REAL artists!!!

someone please bring back my common sense?? i miss it...

well in preparation that i actually get to be in this gallery show i've whipped up these lovelies. yes they are all painted by me, i know i haven't quite devoloped a "style" that says me but i'm workin' on it~*~

Barnsdall Art Market

2007-10-22T15:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first art market of the season. Of course it was like 80 sumthin' so not a lot of business until it cooled off. Here's Michelle Caplan and Tyn of Pookieville modeling my booth! here's Tyn's booth well almost all of it, there was another table off to the side with more bunnies.
Here's my pal Denise's lovely handmade pillows! they are so beautiful and soft with imported and vintage fabric. She also makes funny greeting cards. we got her to slow down long enough to get a picture of her below! Here's Hannah of Hannahmade Jewelry. Her designs are the most delicious!! her pieces drip off you~~I think this is her nervous face..let's hope so!!
here's the gang at the end of a sweaty day! from left to right, me, Tyn, Michelle and Denise. I don't know what happened to Hannah, sorry sweetie! I think we look pretty good for 6 hours of hot So. Cal sun

2007-10-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

okay i honestly have no business blogging for i have an art fair this weekend at Barnsdall Art Market but i had to show you all my little baby!! She's a baby dove and she lives in the tree in my FIL's backyard. This is her in my backyard eating with a sparrow. She's very tiny and cute. I was sort of calling her Penelope but am not sure if the name suits her. She shows up a couple times a day to peck at the ground, she's too small to eat out of the feeder because the bigger birds scare her. okay off to be maniacally crafting again. oh hey! if your in the area, the show is on Sunday from 11-4 or 5(can't quite remember) stop by if you like awesomely wicked handmade goodies!!

Geocaching for dummies??

2007-10-15T07:40:00.000-07:00

okay if you haven't heard of geocaching it's an outdoor adventure game that you play using a GPS. People set up a "cache"--it is usually a container with various trinkets in it. You download coordinates to help you locate the cache, then you follow your GPS instructions and go get it. Once you get to the cache you can leave an item and take an item! Sounds easy right?? So yesterday being another gorgeous day in So Cal. we pack up the family, leash up the dog and head to the nearest one in the Arroyo Seco. The info we have tells us there are 16 caches along the trail that is basically a 3 mile loop. 16 caches?? I was worried because hubby didn't mention there were so many, i thought we were hunting for one so i only had one trinket to leave!! well no worries!!! we didn't find a SINGLE ONE!! out of 16...yes that's right nothing, nada, zip, bupkiss...well we thought they must be reaLLY hard to find and being a newbie i wasn't too disappointed but when we got home ian looked up on the site where we got the coordinates and saw that 203 found them and only 4 didn't. And just to salt the wound a little one of the 4 was searching in the rain at five in the evening! On a happy note to the whole debacle hubby found 40 bucks!! Who knew we were "geocashing" the whole time!

2007-10-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

whew busy week! my little angel-boy turned 11. One day when we were walking across a parking lot to the car I automatically reached out for his hand and he automatically put his hand in mine. I realized that there weren't going to be many more times that this was going to happen and it made me so sad but so grateful that I didn't let this precious moment pass without recognizing it for all that it was worth. I asked him if he would still hold my hand when he was 16 and of course he said yes and I just smiled and held his hand a little tighter...

And now for the collage pieces I promised! The first piece which i call "Fifi's Glamour Shot" is image transfer onto muslin, vintage wallpaper and newer paper with a beeswax coating. The second piece has paper images. the one with the clock says "forgotten memories" and the image by the heart says" Gratitude is the hearts memory" then the lower half has a bit of map that's actually pretty close to where my old coffee house used to be! Then over that is a contact paper image transfer. It is such a cool process!! It's like magic! if you ever have a chance to take one of Tyn's from pookieville image transfer classes you won't be dissapointed. Even a collage feeb like me made something that i think is pretty neat! ps..if you click on the pics you get a close up!!!

2007-10-01T15:49:00.000-07:00

while sitting on the couch taking a wee break from sewing i thought ya'll would like to see my work space! It's particularly thrashed this week because i'm working on bags and clothing at the same time...you should see it when i decide that i need to paint but i'm not quite ready to put all the sewing accutrements away yet!! It actually goes off to the right a little bit more i just could get it all in the picture..but i think you've seen enough. Next posting i will show you guys my latest attempt at college! to hear more about my thougths on my collage techniques, read my profile.......Happy Monday Everyone!!! Don't forget to watch Weeds and Californication =)

At the fair

2007-09-25T18:13:00.000-07:00

This past Friday me and the Fam went to the County Fair! yes folks you know what that means...eat all the fried foods you can and buy something ridiculous! Lookie how happy getting a brand spankin' new uber fancy window washing gadget can make a girl! Unfortunately after eating too much fried zucchini, mushrooms, artichoke hearts & eggplant there was no room for the fried cupcakes...oh well there's always next year!!!

the end of a not so great week...

2007-09-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

okay so i have to admit, even though i got a ton on new hemp fabric(which usually gets me all inspired to create new pieces) aNd all of my purse fabric and the hardware(again which usually gets me crazy inspired to sew) i've had a rough week...sittin' on the couch just bein' a hater(mostly of myself) bUt two things today that i just HaVe to share..first this picture i saw on esty. no explanation needed...it's just dang funny!! and second if you are a fan of Pearl Jam or just Eddie V then you MUST immediately purchase the soundtrack to the movie Into the Wild...It's so amazing and fantastic and beautiful it will make your heart hurt...it's just the thing i needed

I saw this on my friend CjMetzger's blog! Check it out--it's soooo Beautiful!

2007-09-20T06:53:00.000-07:00

Check out this video: "I lived on the Moon" by Yannick Puig (june2007)

Add to My Profile | More Videos

entry #1 of a Sour Girl

2007-09-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

One Sour Girl...yup that's me! all wrapped up nicely in two small words. Take the word Sour. As an adjective is could mean bad-tasting, in a bad mood, bitter, decayed, hostile, angry, harsh. okay well yes i can be all those things. But then add the word Girl and it conjures up thoughts of lassies, cuties, baby dolls, mermaids and fairies. I'm all those things too...Most days i like to think i'm less Sour and more Girl....