Chic Chick

My Knight in Shining Armor...

2007-01-06T06:04:00.000-05:00

He fixed it! He fixed it! My darling husband...Perhaps I should make a fairy godfather pin for him? YAY!

It's good to be back fully, blogettes. I've missed you all...many times throughout the day I would think of something silly or pretty or inspiring to write about here, but then, with a huge sigh of disappointment would remember that there would be no photos to accompany my post...but he's a genius!

So, these are the fairy gomother pins I made for the fairy godmothers in my life this year for Christmas. The top three are my three older sisters and the one in the little yellow dress is a dear friend. I'm the "So Sweet" fairy with the polka dots...I had to try out one first to make sure it would work!

These are all pins on the back side, though made out of heavy cardstock I told the girls to be careful if they really did wear them out. They would look cute on a bulletin board too, or on one of those photo memory boards.

They were so much fun to make and the girls really seemed to like them! I got the idea from a Cloth, Paper Scissors magazine (I LOVE it!) and the article was created by Art Girlz, who make absolutely adorable little pewter arms, legs, boots, crowns, etc., for these tiny dolls. I nearly bought these extras, but time and money ran out before I had a chance. Next time!

Wow~I just can't believe how great it is to be back! I have so many creative inspirations to share. For instance have any of you read this book: The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron? This is my third time borrowing it from the library, so I finally decided to buy it on Amazon. I'm on Chapter 2 so far (though I admit, I've already skimmed a few of the other chapters). It is so well written and there are these great ideas of projects to do each week. It does seem a little labor intensive (something I'm not sure I have time to tackle now with a spring college course coming up) but now that I've purchased it, I'm sure I can work on it more completely later on (hopefully, because procrastination does tend to be one my worst traits!). I also just finished reading The Joy Diet by Martha Beck. This was so inspiring, and of course as I'm sure you can imagine, not at all about dieting...just about adding more happiness, laughter and fun into your life. Finally, I ordered The New Creative Artist by Nita Leland...this looks GOOD! I can't wait until it gets here.

I'm rearranging my creative space as well...I'm really, really excited about this and hope that the changes will make it more appealing to me. There is something about having a room to myself that is on a floor other than the main floor; it makes it much harder to use!

I'm Back Baby(ies)!

2007-02-02T13:52:00.000-05:00

Well, ok. I'm sorry, sorry, sorry to do this once again, but I finally had to just do away with my computer security system as I wasn't able to upload photos on a number of sites which was just driving me absolutely bonkers! I could have kept the Wordpress site, but I noticed that you are only allowed a bit of memory and when it was used up (which happens quickly with lots of photos like I have) you have to buy more.

So, here we are; safe and sound back in our little blogger site. I hope you all will forgive my fickleness and stick around...I miss you when I don't hear from you! (Deb, I especially hope you will still link to me? Even though I'm fickle and flighty? I promise not to move again?!?!)

The photo above is a view from my kitchen window. Do you like the polka-dot canisters? I picked them up last year at IKEA when we were in Montreal for our anniversary trip. It was a fun, fun, fun time. We are planning to go again at the end of this month and are staying at a beautiful Victorian B&B. I will post photos when we get back...it looks scrumptious!

I have been thinking that I need more than one blog to keep everything organized, tidy and pertinent for readers. I am going to be working on setting up another blog (or two) here on blogger, so keep checking back, ok?

Also, does anyone who has time and patience, know how to add favorite links to the sidebar? I can't seem to figure it out. One fellow blogger told me a long time ago but I couldn't understand what she meant...any ideas?

Have a wonderful, winter afternoon!

Follow Your Bliss...

2007-02-04T16:16:00.000-05:00

"Bliss:
1. supreme happiness; utter joy or contentment: wedded bliss.
2. Theology. the joy of heaven.
3. heaven; paradise: the road to eternal bliss.
4. Archaic. a cause of great joy or happiness." (Dictionary.com)

When have you last felt bliss? Did you know bliss can also be a verb (blissed out)? I felt blissed out on Friday afternoon. I was home in the early afternoon, waiting for the furnace man to come and do the yearly cleaning. I had a nice roasted veggie sandwhich and then a hot cup of eggnog coffee for dessert (I realize that it's WAY past time to be drinking eggnog flavored coffee, but I love it too much to care).

I then spent some time running up and down the stairs between my creative room and my computer in the living room in my artistic endeavors. Scan. Run back upstairs. Cut and paste. Smooth out paper. Run back downstairs. Copy. Run back upstairs..."

I stopped and thought for a moment, as I sipped my hot coffee and looked out at the snow on the tree branches, "This is bliss. There is no where I would rather be right now, no one I'd rather be with than myself, nothing I would rather be doing than working on this creative project." I was filled to the brim with joy.

Even though I don't know where I'm going on this journey that is my life, I feel so, so grateful that I've added more creativity and passion into my life. There is still so much I want to do! So much I want to learn creatively, so many things I want to try, but I just feel so grateful and sure that I'm heading in the right direction. Not knowing where I will end up is unnerving...sometimes it's downright scary. But knowing that I'm going somewhere, that makes all the difference to me.

I want so much to make my living in a creative field, but I'm completely unsure which direction to go in. Graphic Design is very interesting to me; I like working with software and spending time alone working is quite pleasant most of the time. On the other hand, there is the helping side of me (the NF in my INFP/INFJ Myers-Briggs classification) that makes me feel like no work will be completely satisfying unless I can see that I'm helping a cause, doing something to make someone else's stay here a little better, be it a person or animal.

If I could have my dream job, what would it be? I'm still not sure, even after turning 30. But I know some things it would include: Creativity (obviously!), flexibility, problem solving, helping support a cause I believe in, fairly good income, the ability to work at home at least part-time, the ability to work alone most of the time, with positive interaction with others, autonomy, beauty all around, fun, work that I feel passionate about. Roll all those things up into a career and what do you have?

I'm not sure, but I'll let you know what I find out...

Oooh...look!

2007-02-04T17:39:00.000-05:00

Pssst! Just to let you know I'm selling this marvelous lot of ephemera/mixed media/collage supplies on ebay. Room cleaning does have it's perks!

I did it!

2007-02-07T16:38:00.000-05:00

I did it! I did it! I finished my take on "Nature Preserved" for the upcoming submission deadline at Somerset Studio! Whew~what a load off my mind...my shoulders seem to have raised 3 inches since I dropped my envelope in the mail this morning.

I debated for a long time on whether or not to try to ship the whole shebang to the studio, but in the end (after all the hours of work!) decided it wasn't worth the risk. I just couldn't think of a way to package everything so it wouldn't end up in a crunched up in shambles at the bottom of the packing box.

I am calling this "Bits of Heaven" because, being a true crunchy and avid nature-lover, that is what I feel when I'm out in nature...like nature here is just a bit of a preview of what heaven will be like.

My original thought when I sketched this project out was to have each box hanging horizontally on a branch (one of the two shown in the photo) but the boxes ended up a bit larger and more flexible than I thought and I don't think the end result would have been pretty. So, I left each of the boxes seperate, but displayed them using the branches instead. I'm pretty pleased with the results!

Close Up's Please...

2007-02-08T05:54:00.000-05:00

A few close ups...

Metamorphosis...

2007-02-11T07:24:00.000-05:00

This is the project I've just completed. I'm very pleased with the end result. It's called "Metamorphosis" Can you guess what it's about? :)

I have never used hardware cloth before, but have to say that I really love it. It's a bit tricky to work with (stiff and very sharp...use gloves if you want to incorporate it into one of your projects), but it provided just the look I wanted.

A Giveaway (from me to you)...

2007-02-11T07:38:00.000-05:00

Well, I don't know if anyone here knows but I just won a beautiful surprise from Deb! I know! I'm so excited I can hardly sit still...my mother would say I have "ants in my pants"...I think it's a little too cold for ants around here these days (is it above 0 yet?) but I am very excited and grateful to Deb for my nice surprise. Thank you again!

Did you know (I had to check back, I'd completely forgotten) that I'm celebrating my one year anniversary of blogging? I began this blog last year, on January 22nd. I had every intention of doing something special on the actual day (which is rather hard to do if one doesn't keep track of that special day isn't it?). It's not too late to do something now...Especially if that something has to do with a very special giveaway?

I'm working on a little something for one of you...my loyal blogettes. I hope, hope, hope that there are still some of you out there? Even after my many moves? If not a lot, I know at least 3 of you who will be entered into the drawing....or should it be a contest of sorts? Hmmmm, my tiny wheels are turning...

I'll keep you posted (no pun intended!) and will post "The Item" as soon as it's complete.

And it Snowed, and Snowed, and Snowed....

2007-02-15T17:40:00.000-05:00

Wow~what a storm! It felt like a scene from "Storm of the Century", that creepy Stephen King movie...

Brrr...not only did it snow, and snow and snow, but it blew too! The wind was whipping this morning as we tried to clear our car and truck out for work. I miss snowdays so much, but no shutdown at work for us!

I feel so sad thinking about all the animals having to be in these elements 24/7. I felt a little better after I brushed a ton of fluffy white snow from the bird feeders...just a few minutes about 30 birds descended to gobble up some sunflower seed breakfast.

I'm grateful tonight to be snuggled in with my sweetie and furry pets and a cozy fire...

A Chic Chick Giveaway...

2007-02-16T05:26:00.000-05:00

"Our grand business in life is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand." ~Thomas Carlyle

Here it is blogettes, my very own Chic Chick anniversary giveaway. This is a piece I created using a 5x7 mat board and lots of acrylic paint. Unfortunately, the photos don't show the ribbons of silver paint throughout the piece that really make it beautiful...I added a metallic silver ribbon for hanging and covered the back in soft brown corduroy.

Now for the rules:

You must comment on this blog and you Must (with a capital "M"!) tell us what quote you find most inspiring.

I will put all the names of respondants into a pretty jar and draw the winner (no peeking, I promise!).

-Joy

PS This is not the quote I find MOST inspiring, but it is in the top 5...

Snowy Weekend and a Pretty Posie...

2007-02-19T18:31:00.000-05:00

What a snowy, snowy weekend! This is a photo I took at Jay Peak, a northernmost mountain located in the eastern part of Vermont. My husband went downhill skiing, I decided to snowshoe. Needless to say, after 20 minutes on an unbroken trail, I was a bit fatigued. I fell through the snow in many places. I don't know if you've ever been in snow so deep that when you fall through it comes completely up to your thigh but it is a bit alarming. A panicky voice in my head tried to tell me that I would be out there all night, as I seemed to be the only person on the trail, but I shushed it and dug my leg out with my frozen hands. Ahhh, winter...

Decidedly un-wintery is this lovely little felted posie I bought from Heidi. I LOVE it! It is much more beautiful in person than in my photo...and her bags? Scrumptious! Check out her etsy site and buy a little treat for yourself!

Now, I should give an update on the "big giveaway". I forgot all about a cutoff date, which we definitely need. I am going to draw the name on Wednesday evening and get the little package all ready to ship out on Thursday. IF by chance, I do not have your mailing address and you aren't able to get it to me by Thursday morning, I will probably not be able to ship until next Monday. We are away this weekend (romantic anniversary trip~yay!) so I won't be able to make it to the post office till then. Keep your fingers crossed ladies....are you holding your breath?!

Vintage Treasures...

2007-02-24T17:07:00.000-05:00

I have been cleaning, cleaning, cleaning and look at the lovely treasures I'm parting with! My loss is someone else's gain, right? Plus I am feeling lighter having de-cluttered a bit...check them out on my ebay site if you want to snap up an item or two...

We have put off our big anniversary trip until next weekend...so this weekend I'm dedicating to organizing and tidying and crossing things off the to-do list!

An Inspiring Day...

2007-02-26T20:49:00.000-05:00

Wow~how beautiful is this place? Friday I was lucky enough to get to attend the Helen Day Art Center (as seen above) for a "Futures in Art" conference that my friend Suzanne told me about. She wasn't able to make the conference (waaah!) but I contacted the woman in charge and made my arrangements. What a day! I can't believe how wonderful it was to listen to other artists, some working in the field, some aspiring...I felt so connected and just this deep "thrum" of excitement.

It was a gorgeous day and the sunlight was just perfect for taking some outdoor photos during lunch. Plus, (I'm embarrassed to admit it) I felt too shy to sit with the other conference attendees...even though it would have been a great time to network and learn even more. I had that "new kid at school" type feeling...would someone see me coming and put their books on the chair next to them? Cowardly, yes. But it was nice to get some fresh air and a little quiet time to process everything I had learned during the morning session.

Here are a few of the most important things I learned (or was reminded of):

1) Organic Education is extremely important (i.e. one doesn't necessarily need formal art education to be a great artist, but they do need to be exposed to great art/artists).

2) Having a support system of other artists is very important.

3) You must become comfortable with being uncomfortable.

4) What you put out there will come back to you.

The statements above (loosely paraphrased) were from a professor and head of art at University of Vermont who also mentioned his core beliefs which I strongly agree with. They are:

a. People are happier doing what they like-this is possible for everyone if they choose
b. We have an obligation to make the world a better place
c. Talent may not make you a success. You will still have to deal with the clumby process of finding your own way.

I AGREE! Especially with "We have an obligation to make the world a better place." I think that is one way that I can feel justified and "useful" making art...sometimes I feel that it's too frivolous, or others infer that it's not a worthwhile use of time...I beg to differ!

A Lovely Weekend...

2007-03-05T20:08:00.000-05:00

Here is a photo from our B&B in Montreal, The Victorian Heritage. It was so lovely...don't you like the green paint? It's so cheerful and chic.

Some miscellaneous photos from around the city:

Montreal Art Museums...

2007-03-05T20:15:00.000-05:00

We had a great time traipsing around the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Modern Art Museum. Here are a few photos of some of our favorite pieces of artwork:

What You Think About...

2007-03-12T19:38:00.000-05:00

Have you seen "The Secret" yet? Read the book? Watched the Oprah show(s) featuring it? An interesting concept to be sure..."What you think about, you bring about" as one of the experts says on the DVD. It's fascinating to me~based on the Law of Attraction which basically says that what we focus on and put our energy into multiplies. True? I'm doing a little test right now to see: Last week I focused on flowers. I wanted someone to give me flowers, or to find some flowers (not likely in our snow-covered state), send me a floral note card...something to do with flowers. I shared my item of concentration with my husband and instructed him to not buy me any flowers. I wanted to see where they would come from...

Today I found out we won second place in a photo contest and guess what one of the gift certificates is for? A flower shop. Are you surprised? I was, I will admit it. And thankful. It feels good to know that God cares about even the little things, like flowers.

This is an ATC I have been playing with. It's for someone special. Shhhh, I can't tell who! It's a secret...

I should be in bed...

2007-03-15T20:07:00.000-05:00

I should be in bed; it's past time for me. I just got back from an a local art forum meeting and as I'm coming to see, these art situations leave me full of inspiration and despair.

I think I've posted this photo before, but I'm too tired to go back and check. Please forgive me?

As I was saying these art events, while stimulating and interesting to observe, leave me feeling a bit...behind the 8-ball. First of all, when I introduce myself to someone I never know what to say. Artist? Aspiring artist? Creative person? Wanna be? I'm not sure so sometimes I just say my name. Then they ask me to repeat it (Perrino isn't very common in these parts). Plus, I have to tell you something. When I go to these events there are often "famous" artists present. Do you know all I can think of in these situations is how silly my art would seem to them? Then I feel horribly guilty for thinking mean thoughts about my "baby art". That is how it feels to me these days, like baby art. It's not fully grown. It's like the promise of good art...does that make any sense? But how can it be this great, breathtaking art I want it to be when I'm so impatient with it? When I feel embarassed that it's not like other people's?

Good grief~sorry for the rant. I've really been in quite a positive mood lately, not sure what happened tonight.

Regardless, here is the link to the gallery show that I'm part of. Mine is the itsy bitsy tiny piece to the very far right in the 2nd photo (I think!). There will be a reception held tomorrow night and I'm planning to stop by for a bit. Perhaps that's what all this is; nerves?

Night-night. XOXOXO

A Lovely Day Out...

2007-03-18T06:32:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday was Girl's Day Out, something my 3 sisters and I try to do every so often to stay in touch and spend some quality time together. We were trying to meet up monthly, but now we just try when we can.

This trip took us to Middlebury, Vermont where there are lots of cool little shops, artsy places, and yummy food options.

The doors above (which I LOVE!) are the entrance to Frog Hollow . I LOVE it there! There were lots of beautiful items, my favorite of which was probably this pottery which, I think, is absolutely fantastic. I LOVE all the color (of course!) and the way that it's just dripping with it. The maker is Eleanora Eden. Find her pottery online here. Gorgeous!

Artful Mail...

2007-03-20T19:22:00.000-05:00

Have you heard of Mail Art? Here's a quick definition from wikipedia: "Mail art is art which uses the postal system as a medium. The term "mail art" can refer to an individual message, the medium through which it is sent, and an art movement. Mail artists typically exchange ephemera in the form of illustrated letters; zines; rubberstamped, decorated, or illustrated envelopes; artist trading cards; postcards; artistamps; faux postage; mail-interviews; naked mail; and three-dimensional objects."

Check out this wikipedia link for more information and cool examples.

Last week in my 2-Dimensional design class our teacher (who is extremely cool and very talented) gave us a handout on mail art. I have seen examples only in Somerset Studio and Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazines, but never in real life...though as I write that, I remember my sister Aimee and I decorating our envelopes to the hilt back before there was email...she did an incredible job with her envelopes...I wonder if I still have any? So, perhaps I was an unknowning mail artist, before the title was ever created (how exciting!).

I've just come across a Mail Art collection here in Vermont and now, of course, I'm anxious to participate. I'm also really excited that I can now make my own envelopes~thanks again to my teacher, who gave us a simple pattern last week. The envelope shown here is one I made out of a 1/2 of a manila folder at work today (it was a rather slow day).

Now I'm off to finish my homework before bed. Tomorrow is another full day and class tomorrow night...I think we are creating books and binding them (!)...which reminds me, I have to find a needle and some thread to bring...

Oh, What Fun...

2007-03-23T17:33:00.000-05:00

I'm having such a blast in my 2-Dimensional Design class...and to think, I nearly wimped out! New things are cool but sometimes I get so scared/nervous/flightly ahead of time that I miss out. Other times I say "yes" to too much and then I feel like I miss out in a different way. It's hard to balance life sometimes, isn't it?

These are photos of a "Personal Map" that we did 2 weeks ago. Mine is on the Creative Process. We weren't supposed to use much text, and the images/symbols that we selected were supposed to mean something to us, not necessarily to anyone looking at the piece. I chose the eggs in the nest first, as my ideas tend to start with a little incubation period. Then I selected images of nature (the sun being the clock) because I need time/relaxation/quiet to reflect and really think things through. Next comes the bird, hatched and walking upright...then the birds are flying, but if you notice, one bird is still in a stationary position. This is because often an idea feels like it's nearly there, but not quite. There are moments of "uh-oh's" and "ooops's" throughout my creative process. The mostly all flying birds/butterfly goes through the final door (reality?) and into the creative magical place of color, fun and experimentation. I ripped up bits of my "pallette" (waxed paper) globbed with paint from where I dab off my brushes, game pieces, pinwheels, a girl's dress, pom-poms and anything else that caught my fancy and made me feel kid-like and fun. I love the shocking colorfulness of it.

My teacher is stupendous! She is so encouraging and inspiring and for being an incredible artist herself, is so down to earth, friendly and fun. I'm having a blast!

This week coming up is book making. I've got one small Chinese book complete (minus text/graphics) and two more that I will finish up this weekend. One is going to be based on a kids story I created about a little elfin girl named Rubanna Lee, the other???? Not sure yet...stay tuned and I'll post more later !

To Cut or Not to Cut...

2007-03-24T19:14:00.000-05:00

Well, I have to tell you I'm absolutely enthralled with restructured clothing. This is a GREAT site if you are interested or looking for inspiration in this area.

When we were away 2 weeks ago for Girl's Day Out, I fell in love with this beautiful little cream colored top which had a long flounce of red and white polka dotted sheer fabric along the bottom. Though it spoke to me it's price tag of $70 said "run!". I left it behind, but very sadly. My sister, Faith said it seemed easy enough to make. Above is my first attempt. My other sister, Celeste gave me a few old sweater tops she didn't want anymore. I used one of those, cut, sewed and viola! A pretty new spring top. Very easy project...I used a scarf cut into two sections so that it was already hemmed along the bottom. I like the raw edge look a lot, so I left the top raw and did a simple zig-zag stitch there.

I'm so excited~I want to try something else! Now, where can I find some more scarves???

Where Does Time Go...

2007-05-02T05:46:00.000-05:00

My goodness~the beginning of May already...time has literally been flying right off the clock for me lately. Partly I'm sure, because I have been so busy with my art class and spring cleaning. Have you started yours yet? It's WONDERFUL to see something all clean and shiny and new looking...at least for a day until something spills on it or the cat throws up on it!

Tonight is my very last 2-D design class and I'm sad and happy all at once. I'm sad because I will miss the instruction and my incredibly creative teacher's ideas...and happy because I feel like I have had very little (like, NO) time to work on my own projects lately.

The skirt above is my final project for class...I wish you could see it in real life, it's actually much better looking. It was fun and a LOT of work to put together. I took the idea from a Journal Skirt like this artist makes and made mine into an inspiration skirt. I didn't take photos of the back but I did cover that pretty well too...

A Little Spring Sale...

2007-05-08T18:30:00.000-05:00

Well, I am trying to make a little extra money and thought I would weed through some of the items left over from my little vintage shop. Thanks to the kind suggestions by one of my fellow farm girls at Mary Janes Farm Please let me know if you are interested in any of these items...email me and I will send you the mailing address, check/money order or Paypal all happily accepted!

The first item is this adorable spring-y birdhouse, painted and distressed and embellished with pretty pink cabbage roses. My husband hand made this house and I prettied it up! Although this is a sturdy little house, it would be best used indoors (plus the hanger is already secured on the back for easy display!). It measures approx. 8.5" in length and approx. 11" across. Cost is $15.00 plus shipping.

The next item is absolutely adorable! This little porcelin doll body is planted right on top of a silky pin cushion. She's approx. 7" high. She's in perfect shape and would look lovely on your sewing table or maybe on a shelf holding some antique hat pins! The cost for the pincushion is also $15.00 plus shipping.

This little seashell pink dish is absolutely beautiful! It's fully covered with tiny, delicate seashells, bits of silver glitter and measures approx. 3" x 5". The inside is painted a delicate gold. The cost of this beautiful little dish is $10.00 plus shipping. Please contact me at chicchickbiz@yahoo.com if you are interested in any of these items. Thanks!

Spring Sale (continued)...

2007-05-08T18:43:00.000-05:00

A couple more things to add...this "virtual flea market" is quite fun!

Here is a vintage-looking urn (I think it was actually new when I bought it but made to look old). I've never seen anything like it before, it's very eye-catching. It measures approx. 11" x 6" and is covered with soft velvety material on the bottom (no need to worry about scratches!) Would make a beautiful vase or place to store dry toiletries or love notes! Cost is $15.00 plus shipping.

This antique quilt was purchased at a roadside market...I fell in love with the striking combination of black and faded silk pieces. Imagine the work that went into making this? It's really lovely, but fragile. As you can see some of the material is worn and shredded from age. I have it on a hanging rod but for shipping would need to remove it (unless you wanted to pay the extra shipping for such a large package!). It measures approx. 53" in length by 43"in width. Cost for the antique quilt is $20.00 plus shipping.

A Bit of a Long Time Coming...

2007-05-31T18:17:00.000-05:00

Blogettes: First and foremost I must apologize for my lack of posts lately. Life has just been getting away from me, or at least that's how it feels lately. Class finished up (sad!) but I've started some other creative projects, not the least of which is our annual Victorian Tea which we have had for the past 2 years (this year is our 3rd) to raise money for Shared Hope International an organization which is working to end sex-trafficking worldwide.

These photos are from our tea...we had so much fun! As always it astounds me how much work is involved in something so short (2 hours) and how many hands are needed to pull something like this off, even on a small scale. Our hard work paid off though; we raised just under $300 for this incredible organization.