SUPER SECRET MISSION...

My mini-van was falling apart.

I didn't know where to start.

So, I picked up the phone,

called a shop in the zone,

& my brother said,

"I have to fart."

OK that made no sense. It's late. I really did get back from a super secret mission though! My family's auto mechanic shop totally hooked me up with, pretty much, a brand new car. The insides of my car were all yucky & had boo-boo's. (How do you like my mechanical terminology? Can you tell I have toddlers?) My mini-van needed urgent repairs & I was urgently blessed! It is the coolest thing to have a brother as a mechanic, you should try it sometime!
So, anyway, the super secret mission: My 2 daughters & I headed down, in darkness, to the mechanic shop. My youngest daughter was the "look-out". (Yeah, looking at the back of her eyelids. She fell asleep!)
With chalk in hand, my eager & excited (& way up past her bedtime) 4 year old accomplice & I found our canvases on the pavement of the friendly neighborhood mechanic parking lot & created masterpieces of gratitude in artistic expression. Zoey chalked it up with an abstract piece, while I tore up my chalk (& my knuckles) with bubble letters & a UFO-lookin' car! (I suck at cars!)
We wanted to say thank-you to Jim (my pop), Barb (mom), Andrew (bro), Matt (cool dude #1) & Shea (rad monkey #2) for working their greasey little tushies off to fix up my run-down-of-a-mini-van. No payment required. (I could cry.)
We hope the guys like it, 'cause we sure like our "new" van. After our masterpieces were finished, we took our dusty, chalk-covered, scraped up fingers home...
Oh yeah, this message will self-destruct in 5 seconds.....

Superific Fun!

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to be part of a superific fun day! I was one of the many volunteers that set up a "block party" at a local apartment complex where many underpriveleged families live, lots of them Sudanese refugees. There were balloons, hotdogs, crafts, face painting (that's me in the pic), a big bouncy castle thingie, free clothes, music, basketball & LOTS of kids!! I've helped out at this event the past few years with my church & it's been a blast!

I have always done the face painting & I always get strange requests for artwork. This year was pretty mild. A few little boys asked me to paint stick figures on them, stick figures with BIG muscles! One year I had a request for a castle. I thought: "Yeah, if your head was, like, HUGE!" Not really, I painted the castle!

My ultimate joy would be to, one day, have something organized in a really fun, orderly way--maybe at a community center or something--where I could teach kids craftiness for free! Someday...

But my point in all this is to say that if you have a gift, to not keep it to yourself.

SUNDAY'S FEATURED ARTIST...BELLA COLLE!!!

(Ok, I need to come up with a more schnazzy title. Something rhyme-y & nerdy would be fun! Any suggestions are more than welcome...)

I'd like to introduce you on this fine Sunday to a beautiful artist, with a kind soul & a sweet spirit. I call her "bella" or "bella baby", but her real name is Christine. She's a self-taught collage artist & her Etsy shop, bellacolle, is filled with wonderful collage artwork in the form of pendants, necklaces, charms, & bracelets. Her items are sweet & charming &, in a way, they take you back in time. A tiny piece of the past. Artwork with an innocence.

Bella is Italian for "beautiful" and Colle is French for "paste and glue, or collage"... And Christine believes that your life should be surrounded by beautiful things, your life should be a beautiful collage of family and friends.

And now, for the question & answer portion of our piece entitled "SUNDAY'S FEATURED ARTIST...BELLA COLLE!!!".....(applause....)

What do you find as an inspiration when creating

To tell you the truth, it's my God and my family that inspire me daily.

How long have you been crafting?I

have been crafting as long as I can remember...I have always enjoyed working with my hands, painting and sewing. If something catches my eye-like something someone has made- I get sassy and think "I can do that." Most of the time it flops or I realize it's harder than it looks, but through it all I have found a few things that really get my excited! Collage and Art charms is what I love doing now.

Share or describe your favorite piece...

Right now, it's kind of silly, but the larger collage I have listed in my etsy shop, "the remote fairy". The picture in the piece is actually of my husband when he was 10! Yes, he was the inspiration because he always loses the remotes!!

Cheerios, Froot Loops, Shredded Wheat or Lucky Charms?

The mom in me picks the Shredded Wheat, but the "gal" in me picks Lucky Charms. I love the marshmallows!

How much time do you spend on your craft/art?

I try to do at least something everyday to promote Bella Colle... I probably make a collage or charm every other day, which takes me 3 or 4 hours. Time slips by when you are doing something you love.

If you could try out a new craft/art, what would it be?

I have always wanted to take up photography! You know, develop your own film, learn special techniques for lighting..etc.

Anything you'd like your adoring fans to know about you?

I'm just your average gal, nothing exciting. But, I would like to say, I love my God and my family and my country deeply. I enjoy creating something new from something old. I want to create things that would inspire others, make them feel special and smile when they see it. I have really enjoyed all the etsy friends I have met. I hope to make many more friends. Let's have fun, let's create!

(applause!.....standing ovation!....more applause!!!)

I love bella's work & I do have a favorite piece of hers, but I don't want to share it with you because one day it will be MINE & I don't want you taking it!! But if you are quiet & don't tell anyone, it's right here. Shhh!

Bella can also create custom pieces for you to call your own. Visit bellacolle's blog, mybellacolle, where you can peek into the life of this southern born/Wisconsin residing gal, view her artwork-in-progress, & meet her HOT new assistant Rosie! The mood she creates is an informal & relaxed one. Christine says: "Like the beautiful front porches of the southern homes I grew up in... we can sit back and talk, and enjoy a nice glass of sweet tea."

So go pull up a rocker, grab a thirst-quenching beverage, & check out this artist that you'll soon call "friend". Oh, & tell Rosie I said, "Hi!"

Featured Artists Coming Soon!

I know it's not a new thing, lots of other artsy bloggers do it! But, it's new for my blog & I'm so excited to expose other artists & their craftiness!! (In a good way!) I'll be featuring a new artist every Sunday. I got the idea from fellow Etsy artist Brezomayo Designs blog.

I'm thinking of having a question/answer segment in my feature. So, what kinds of things would you want to know about an artist? I've received ideas such as...."What's your inspiration?"..."How long have you been crafting?"....."Share or describe your favorite piece."...."How much do you spend on your craft?"....."Froot Loops or Lucky Charms?".....(That last one was from me.)

I don't want it to be all staunch & serious. Fun & silly & upbeat! And watch this Sunday for my first featured artist!

A Night of Craftiness...

Tonight I had some crafty fun! I got together with a few friends from my local MOPS group & I taught them how to make the "surprise photo box". And, there were lots of paper scraps left over, so I thought, "Why not trade them, you know, like baseball cards?" I'm afraid I might have forced some otherwise unwilling participants into handing over their lovely papers! (Not really. I hope...) But, what a fun idea, huh? So, now I have loads of unique papers for cards & tags & other Etsy creations. We were talking how cool it would be to fill the photo box with all black & white pictures, or sepia toned pics. So, the picture I posted of our craftiness is in reflection of that conversation...

Let's see, who's who?.... Sinar is in the back (crafting her little heart out. No wonder you finished first!), Amy (a mom with TONS of stories, most of them including poop or puke), Tia (my giggle buddy), Jen (a HUGE Matthew McConaughey fan. You should ask her about her "body" pillow sometime...), Sierra (Tiff's daughter & an up & coming craftista!), & Tiffany (the hostess with the mostess!)

It's so fun to get together with others that share your same passions, desires, & interests...

ROCK ON CRAFTERS! AND MOMS! AND...GIGGLY PEOPLE!

I guess "I'm IT!" (I've been tagged...)

I must admit, when I read the comment in my post that said, "By the way, you're IT!" I thought that meant, "You're the stuff, you're "the bomb", etc. Guess not. What a dork I am!

The rules are that I must list 10 random things about myself & then tag someone else on their blog, & the circle continues & goes on & on & on.....

1. I once balanced a hockey stick on my nose for 8 seconds.

2. Some kid in 5th grade gave me the nickname "skinny stars". (What does that even mean?)

3. I like to stay up WAY late, & do everything--& sometimes nothing.

4. I love to sing & sometimes imagine I'm a lounge singer. In a classy joint, of course.

5. I once wanted to work at Seaworld. I think sea creatures are so neato.

6. I'm adopted.

7. When I was younger, I read on a small piece of paper hidden in my baby book that I was "caucasian". I didn't know what that meant, so for a little while I thought I was from some African tribe. (You can stop laughing now.)

8. I was once a floral designer, one of my favorite jobs.

9. If I was not allowed to be creative, I think a part of me would die.

10. I have 2 little girls, & they are the best part of me.

Button Beauties...

I gave up on the bottle cap rings, fer now. I'm taking advice from my Etsy pal, bellacolle, & putting that soldering iron out of its misery. Someday soon, I'll venture out & get a "grown-up" one. Really though, the 2-part epoxy seems to be doing the trick. Enough about that!

Check out these button beauties! Aren't they lovely? I love buttons! I bought two small bags of pink buttons at one of my local antique spots just recently. I was in shock! PINK?! FOR ME?! And, wouldn't ya know, they were on the very bottom of a very large jar full of tiny bags of buttons. I dug to the bottom of that button jar so fast to get my blushing little treasures! My arm just about got stuck, but I didn't care! They've been sitting in a small bowl on my art table staring at me for a while now. And after my ordeal with the bottle cap ring, I sought comfort in my faithful buttons...

They look like sweet little pieces of candy. They'll soon be for sale in my shop! And I'm so excited about naming them. I've seen other artists do this & I think it's such a fun idea. I'm thinking: Chocolate Raspberry, Pink Moon, Princess, & I Dream of Sherbert! What do you think?

Bottle Cap...Take 3!?

Are you sick of hearing about my struggles? I am!! Well, first of all, I tried the epoxy & it seems to be doing great! Very strong bond! For some reason I wasn't paying attention & the ring ended up not being flush with the cap, but it is still a strong adhesion!

Today I got my mom's soldering gun. Went to Ace Hardware & bought some solder & flux. Had no idea what I was doing. Got home & tried it out. I'm not sure the darn thing works! I'm so frustrated. The solder wasn't melting & flowing. I smelled stuff, saw puffs of smoke, a spark or two, but it didn't seem to get terribly hot. Now, the ring had already been adhered to the bottle cap with the epoxy, so I thought I'd give it a double-duty strength treatment with the addition of the solder. Maybe that was my problem. But honestly, I think it's the gun. I hope mom kept her receipt. It's one of those "As Seen On TV" (but bought in a catalogue) soldering guns that is cool to the touch, but heats up when you need it to. I kept having the urge to touch the tip, because the commercial SAYS it won't burn you if you touch it! I touched it. It was cool to the touch. But, it takes 4 AA batteries & you have to unscrew 2 tiny screws to take off the lid to the battery compartment. Time consuming--mostly because I searched everywhere for tiny screwdrivers for the tiny screws! I ended up using nail clippers & other tiny, sharp objects.

Right now I'm searching everywhere for my ring blanks (ugh! I have too many messes!) to try fresh & new on a clean, never-been-touched bottle cap to see if my theory is correct about the soldering gun being a dufus & not me....I'll be in touch later this evening to let you know....

A Pretty Bedtime Treat...

While dishing up some lime sherbert- (I know it doesn't have an "r" in it, but I've always spelled it that way & it feels weird to do it differently)- tonight for my 2 little princesses, I noticed how simply lovely the color was. For some reason, at that moment, I felt inspired. And, I know if I didn't tell you it was lime sheRbert, you'd think it was mashed potatoes & the color had gone wonky on my computer....

Maybe I'll have to play around with different ice creams & sheRberts & snap some photos for....a set of notecards perhaps! Ooh, that would be fun!

The color was so subtle & beautiful. It really was. And my girls & I ate it all up...

The Bottle Cap Ring: Take 2!

Update on the bottle cap ring: The E6000 didn't work. Now, it could be because it's just not the glue for the job. OR, it could be that I was too eager to wear the darn ring & continued to wear it doing dishes, bathing the kidlets...I'll never know. The ring was wiggly on the bottle cap as I twisted it a bit. It's now sitting ever so still on my kitchen counter while epoxy has its turn...Superglue next? How about soldering? I know NOTHING about soldering, but my mom just got one of those 'As Seen On TV' soldering guns that doesn't get hot to the touch, is handheld, etc. I don't know if it's professional enough....The saga continues... Check your local listings for showtimes.....

I'm Crazy For Bottle Caps!

OK. I couldn't wait until tomorrow to post this. Everyone is making these bottle cap thingies. Several months ago I jumped on the bandwagon. And now I am sooooo addicted! I started out with pendants. But today I made my first ring!!! First of all, ring blanks are hard to find! I decided to trust my instincts & had a go at ordering them from a fellow Etsy artist, cmyk, from Canada. I have been looking in my mailbox every day eagerly awaiting the arrival of my little foreign friends. And today they showed up! They looked so cute peeking from under the lid of my rusty black mailbox!

I ran upstairs right away to my art studio, grabbed a "not-so-perfect" bottle cap to test on, & had a go with my E6000. I've been wearing it all night. It seems fine. I think I'll wait until tomorrow to give it the good tug-n-pull test. I'm wondering if a 2-part epoxy would be better. Oh well, I'll find out tomorrow!

It did turn out WAY cute! It's chunky & large & funky & fun! I can't wait to get some more made & into the Etsy shop! Stay tuned....You're gonna want one....I just know it! So, tonight I'll get to designing with my nifty papers & cutouts & tiny pictures, & tomorrow I'll battle the 2-part resin. (Please be good to me resin, PLEASE!)

Mid-morning snack....

Warm buttermilk biscuits with soft butter & drizzles of honey. Mmmmmm. That's all I'm sayin'...

Have you ever googled yourself?

Sure you have! I just did! I put in a google search for "whimsylove" & found that I had been featured in 'a DIY thing' blog on April 2nd. Or rather, my fork easels were featured! Cool huh? Only 2 days after my Etsy shop was open & someone noticed. I giggled over my google. Nice...
And by the way, those little buggers (the fork easels) are pretty hot sellers I might add! I was experiencing a fork drought recently, but went on a crazy "mad-woman" type hunt & found dirty little forks hidden in the nooks & crannies of my favorite antique jaunts here in town such as The Rusty Pelican (I love their $1 box in the back of the store!), my beloved Depot Antiques, & Uptown Antiques in Richland at the Uptown Mall. Of course my Value Village didn't go unnoticed in the frenzied search. Even hit one in Yakima today---SCORE!

OH. MY. GOSH.

My Etsy shop is finally up & running--as of March 31st! Yippee! Etsy is full of soooo many lovely, nice & helpful people! I'm having fun, but it is a lot of work. I've ONLY just begun....

Keeping up my booth at Depot Antiques & doing Etsy is very challenging. I'm adjusting. S-l-o-w-l-y. I've not done many home parties, but that's OK--because I don't think I'd be prepared.

I am addicted to the "refresh" button on my computer!

OH, & I celebrated my 32nd birthday on April 7 & I got a camera! (It was an early present hence my etsy store opening on March 31st.) I've been snapping pics like crazy too! I love taking photos in the daylight outside, or in my dining room right by the big window.

Speaking of MY birthday...my mom & I took a little junking road trip to Mabton, Grandview, Prosser. Not a whole lot to see. A lot to smell though. I have never inhaled so much poop as I did on that trip! But we had so much fun! I got some interesting photos & we had some great laughs!

We'd like to do something like that once a year. We did it 2 years ago in Pendleton, OR & had the ultimate in shopping fun in all the little antique/junk shops! We also had a 10 month old with us! We like to stick with the small towns around WA/OR area. Partly because I think we're intimidated by the big city junk...