Monday, February 28, 2011

Have you tried Beadbacking yet?? WOW

Everyone that knows me....knows that I love to sit under the old Southern Ooaks tree and design my clay whimsy characters.

I also love to dance around the old tree...bringing out my gypsy, bohemian soul that resides inside me. That soul is the one that designs my jewelry pieces.
 I have been going crazy designing new corsage pins and I was getting a bit worried about how I was doing the backing. I have been using felt. Plain simple felt. I LOVE felt but it wasn't really strong enough to support the weight of the fabric roses and the clay beads I have been making to go in them. I was placing all the work on one piece of felt and then placing a piece of cardboard in between another piece of felt to give it strength and just thought..."THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER WAY...WAHHHHH". Then I remembered my dear friend, Nicole, over at Beadwright and had one of my V8 moments. Yeah..yeah..I do have them every once in awhile..hehe!!!!

Nicole is one awesome, fantastic bead artist AND she sells beading supplies. One of her items she sells is called "Beadbacking" and it is one of the best products....well..I think so!!  What is beadbacking...ya may be asking? Well....let me tell ya....it has a thickness just perfect for what I needed. Strong yet perfect for sewing my fabric roses and clay beads straight onto it. You can even glue ribbon, lace or floss onto it. It's perfect for flat bead work too....and applique'.....and gluing on cabochons....and glass beads....and stones and even my pretty little shells we find on our Sunday afternoon beach walks. OK...I think ya understand just how great this product is. I can go on if ya like...^_^  If you bead or make any kind of jewelry then you really need to add some of Nicole's BeadBacking to your supplies.
Beadbacking used on one of my fabric corsages

Nicole sells her beadbacking in 12 x 9 sheets as well as 9 x 6 sheets. So many pretty colors too. She also has the perfect sample kit you can purchase. That's what I'm using and LOVING it. It contains 15 assorted colors in assorted sizes although most of them are cut in 3 x 3 size. I'm telling you....no beading or fabric jewelry designer/artist should be without this amazing product. 

Until next time......HUGS, Regi

Disclaimer: I was in no way paid to do this post...I just simply love this product and wanted to share it with you. To me in our artist community we are "Hearts and Hands" and should always take the time to promote and share for each other. PEACE!!!

Friday, February 25, 2011

Another OWOH Gift!!! ^_^

Yesterday was another awesome mail day (doing my happy pressie dance) AND nooooo, before you ask, the mailman didn't get a hug. He was sneaky and put this one in my mailbox...LOL!!  I was so excited and wanted to post about it as soon as I opened it but as soon as I got it all set up for a photo and pushed the button to turn the camera on, my lens came out and went right back in. Can a camera be camera shy? I have the special camera batteries and they are even rechargeable. Thank goodness too because I am always having to recharge them. ALWAYS!!!! Do you think there might be someonething draining them? Could be and I know the answer BUT that's for another post. (makes ya want to come back and visit to see if I post about it huh? hehehe) After charging all day and night I got my newest goodies all laid out AGAIN and snapped a photo before ummmm the batteries could drain.
Can't you just imagine all the amazing projects I can do with these lovely goodies that Liz over at Lululiz in Lalaland sent to me. Well, let me tell you.....my muse sure is singing (holding ears-wishing she would learn to hold a tune..HAHA...OUCH) and I'm very excited to get started. Liz is just a sweetheart and a doll. If you haven't been to visit with her, you really should. Get ready for a wonderful visit...HEY...just look at the name of her blog. I mean really....ya know just by that, that she has to be a FUN gal!!! To Liz (my newest drooling pal...another story for a future post. HA...now I really have you wanting to come back again...I'm soooo baddddd.) Thank you thank you thank you for my lovely gift. I'm going to sooo enjoy it.

Until next time.........Hugs,
Regi

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

The Mailman got a HUG!!!

I use to think that my mailman thought that perhaps a very CRAZY person lived here. Umm, he wouldn't be to far off by thinking that..LOL..with the way I have gotten so excited when he has delivered some of my mail to me in the past. I usually run walk out to greet him and start talking ninety miles to nuthin about the mail he hopefully has. Today was a bit different...he brought it up to my door. Big smile on his face as he handed me my mail. He knew by the stuffed envelopes that it was something that I was waiting on. BOY OH BOY....WAS HE RIGHT!!!! This time quietly gave him a hug and went back inside and preceded to do the cha cha happy dance. Hey..I waited until he was gone..hehe!!

Talk about excitement. I received not just One (1) gift from my OWOH adventure this year but Three..3..Tres..Drei..Trois..Tri..Tre. OMGOSH...yes I said 3!!!  I am so so soooo excited about all three of them so keep that in mind as I show them to you. Just because one is posted before the other doesn't in any way mean I like it more than the one listed after it. I love them all the same. They are all amazing and fantastic gifts. I will cherish each one. I just figured you would want to know who each was from...so you can go visit with them and check them out. I know you are sitting there saying "HEY REGI...show us already.....would ya" OK OK....going to show you now
 This is what was in the first envelope I opened. An amazing set of cards. I love cards and these are probably my favorite ones. They were my gift from Susan over at Living the Dream. She is a fantastic watercolor and mixed media artist and someone that you should go and visit with. She shares her art as well as some wonderful stories of her family and life. She has a very interesting daughter, Christine, that you should go and visit too. Her blog is YUMMY and I do mean that literally. Better not go a visiting hungry..hehe!! A big HUGE Regi hug to Susan. Thank you thank you for my cards....they are awesome. Now if I can ever bring myself to use them...LOL  I may just put them in frames and hang them.

My next envelope was one that the Chazman has been patiently waiting on and he of course held true to his word and informed me as soon as I opened it that this was his...ALL HIS!!! It was the Man in the Moon scratch pad that WE won from Jaime over at Artsy Fartsy. I had told her that the Chazman was going to take it from me when it arrived and he did. She was so sweet and put one of her little magnets in the envelope with the CHAZMAN'S gift...HaHa!!! The magnet has an awesome saying on it that will inspire me each morning.
Follow your heart,
it's never wrong.
Let it lead you safely,
where you belong.
Thank you thank you Jamie. We love our gifts. The magnet will proudly go on my frig and the scratch pad I'm sure will be used for game codes ^_^.  Make sure you go and visit with Jamie...she is an awesome artist. She just made a necklace out of old spoons...now how awesome is that. A big HUGE Regi and Chazman hug to Jamie.
Now this was the last one I opened and I have to admit that I did save it for last. The envelope made me do that...really it did. It had the cutest lil baby with butterfly wings sitting on it. (didn't take a pic as it has my snail mail right next to it and the hubbikins gets so NERVOUS thinking I might show it here....silly goose) Inside was MY gift (hands off Chazman) that I won from Wendy over at Bliss Angels. She is an amazing artist dabbling in so many different medians. A kindred spirit for sure. She is a true storyteller too (Congrats on being published Wendy...atta girl ^_^) Wendy's gift in the OWOH adventure was one of her tiny tins. It is sooo detailed and soooo tiny and sooooo CUTE!!! Even her ATC card she attached to the gift was a gift. HEY...a double gift...thank you thank you Wendy. Ohhh wait...I haven't shown ya'll the inside of the tin. OMGOSH, yes it opens and look at the cuteness inside
This piece is going to sit right next to my "Regi's Studio" sign. My only problem is that I love it open and closed. I guess I will be opening and closing it a good bit...LOL!!! A big HUGE Regi hug to Wendy.

I am so happy with my gifts I received today..thank you thank you Susan, Jamie and Wendy. AND I'm so proud of myself that I didn't attack the poor mail man. It's been an amazing day!!!

Until next time........HUGS, Regi

Monday, February 21, 2011

Listen to the Ocean!!!!

FINALLY....we had some amazing weather this weekend. High in the 70's....light breeze....bright blue skies..just the perfect weekend. I even got to wear my flip flops...YEAH ME!!! I know I talk about my flip flops a good bit but I just adore them...really I do!! I do need to paint my lil piggies though but that's another story or not..hehe!!

The weekend starts on Friday after the Hubbikins gets home from work. Friday's are never to terribly exciting but we always enjoy them. Time to wind down from the week and relax. Usually it is spent watching some favorite TV shows (Supernatural being one of them....I try so hard not to "drool" in front of Hubbikins but it's really hard...so very, very hard ^_^) and eating pizza. The Chazman of course is either playing one of his games and bouncing back and forth in the family room with us to watch TV or playing with his GI Joe's at the dining room table. Sometimes I just sit and giggle to myself as Chaz and his Dad have a volume war. Chaz playing and forgetting we are sitting there and letting his men have a loud time and Dad turning up the volume to the TV. Just a relaxed night. HEY...we all need one at least once a week....ri iight???

My last post, I told ya'll about our Saturday treasure hunting so I won't bore you with all those details again..LOL!!  I did think you might like to see the conch shells that we found. My muse has gone from whispering to full out singing about using them in my next ooaks..even more so than in my last post. What do you see with them??
They are beautiful and you can really hear the ocean when you put them to your ear. The BIG.. HUGE..HUMONGOUS..ENORMOUS one is going to take some cleaning up but that's a part of finding treasure!! I'm thinking of carrying on with a mermaid sculpt I did a few years ago. You might remember it.....The "Mommie and baby". If not and would like to see it then just click HERE and you can read about them. With the new ooaks I'm thinking of making it be the mother teaching her daughter some things that every growing mermaid should know. Still in the thought process but being pushed at me pretty hard..I must say..LOL!!

Sunday was a fantastic day here. The weather again was perfect for our weekly beach walk. So many pretty shells were washed up with the tide and just laying there in the sand for whom ever wanted to rescue them. Finding full unbroken shells is wonderful and truly is a treasure found but I even love to find the broken ones...they have so many uses. Headpieces for the mermaids, tops of staffs, and necklaces. The Chazman even found two broken pieces of sand dollars that look like sharks teeth. I don't think I will be talking him out of those...for some reason he wants to keep them. Imagine that!!
Aren't there some beauties here? See the transparent looking ones....I think a mermaid must have lost some of her scales. I really love the ones where Mother Nature has already placed a hole in....perfect for turning into jewelry. If anyone ever needs a few shells for a project just let me know. I will gladly send you some...you just pay postage. I do all the hard work collecting them for you. Not a bad deal, eh? I do all the walking up and down the beach....listening to the waves hit the shore....smell the fresh salt air...listen to the seagulls hollar and pick through the shells. Ohhhh all the hard work and in such conditions. OMGOSH...I'm so bad...sorry....I just love my beach life!!! Here are a few more pics to rub it in show you our beautiful beach time.





I love the seagulls and little sand pipers. They don't seem to be bothered by the cold water AT ALL!! They weren't the only ones either. The Chazman splashed and jumped around....grabbing my hand and wanting me to get my feet wet with him. So of course, being the loving, playful mommie that I am....I walked out in the water with him. WOW....was that the biggest mistake I have made in awhile. I told him that the water was freakin freezing. He said...." Oh Mom...you will get use to it" and then I relpied with teeth chattering..."Ohhh Noooo I won't and you aren't getting use to it either...your feet as just getting NUMB". He just looked at me and giggled and waded back out into the water. The only way to get him out of the water was to let him play in the sand. So while he played (which means he preceded to bury his legs..hehe) the Hubbikins and I sat on the blanket and watched the seagulls fish for their mid morning snack. Flying over the water and then gracefully diving in...coming up with a fish. This was the beginning of the race though...for as they dove in to catch the fish and flew back up into the sky their buddies were patiently waiting and hollaring "MINE MINE MINE" as they tried to take the fish from them. Never saw the fisherman lose one but I'm sure there have been times.

A wonderful weekend...I hope you had one too. Thank you for visiting with me. I love when you do, so please leave a comment...I love those too.

Until next time...............Hugs, Regi

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Wonderful Surprise!!!

Most that know me, know that Saturday is the day when the Hubbikins, the Chazman and I go on our treasure hunts. Today was the perfect day to hunt too....beautiful blue skies and temps that reached the high 70's. OMGOSH.....the flip flops came out of the closet and placed upon my feet....owwww weeee they felt so good. Ohh yessss they did!!! Of course, most know that my "treasure hunts" are actually when we go to yard sales and estate sales. The saying is true "One man's junk is another man's treasure" and today proved it. We found two conch shells (ohh yes..the muse starting singing LOUDLY.....her sweet mermaid song) One of them medium size and one of them is HUGE....HUMONGOUS....ENORMOUS....ok ok I think ya get the picture. ^_^  Actually with the HUGE...HUMONGOUS....ENORMOUS (I like how those words rolllll off my tongue..hehe) one, I see several mermaids. We also found two bags stuffed full of yarns....I mean really nice bags...not the paper or plastic ones...the bags alone were a very nice find and the yarns were awesome too.

My greatest treasure today though.....was discovered in my mailbox. While we were out and about the mailman delivered a package and I imagine that he was very "thankful" that I was not inside the house. If you follow my posts then you know that I get "VERY EXCITED" and I do mean VERY excited when I see him pulling up to our box. My treasure was the lovely gift I received from one of my visits in the OWOH journey. (again...thank you thank you thank you Lisa for the amazing adventure this year) It was from Marsha over at Sassy Mini Dolls. I won two of her beautiful Lavender sachets. They smell delightful...really...they do!!! The Chazman keeps picking them up and holding them to his nose and taking a deep breath and saying "AHHH".
She sent them wrapped in a beautiful tissue paper that I will of course be using too....it's just to pretty not to find a use for it. (My muse is gently whispering ideas already) A very "French" thank you note was placed atop the tissue wrapped gifts tied off with a silk black ribbon. (my muse has ideas for that too ^_^) I love my gifts and to Marsha I have to say a HUGE..HUMONGOUS...ENORMOUS....MERCI!!!
I hope that you will go and visit with Marsha. She is an amazing artist and her blog is such fun to wander through. I know that I will be going to visit with her. I'm so thankful that the OWOH journey lead me to her and her work. AND it's not winning the gift that makes me say that...it's the fact that she is someone that makes you feel as though you are friends right from the start and that is a gift that will keep on giving!!!

Until next time......
.HUGE..HUMONGOUS...ENORMOUS...HUGS, Regi

Thursday, February 17, 2011

What a great OWOH journey!!!

Big thanks to Lisa Swifka at A Whimsical Bohemian for another amazing adventure this year in her OWOH event. Thank you Thank you THANK YOU (clapping hands for Lisa) I know that I myself appreciate all the hard work and all the time that she spends on making something this amazing work for all of us.You should take the time to go visit her as she made a HUGE announcement on her main page and I think everyone is really going to love her new adventure she is planning.  I know I am way past excited about it...next year just won't get here fast enough!!! I sadly didn't get to everyone that participated this year...I know..I know...I'm slow and have to look at all the pretty pictures...HaHa...but I do plan on visiting even with the event over. I know even now that there are still  gifts to be discovered.....a new friendship or kindred spirit.

Now that it's over, it's time to pull two lucky numbers out of the Chazman's glass bowl. During the event I did a small doodle of him (patiently waiting to be able to draw the numbers) and had his glass bowl sitting underneath it. Every night we would print off the numbers for how many comments we had (First comment was #1 second was #2 and so on) and placed them in the bowl.
The Chazman will be home from school at 12.30 today and then he will draw the winners. Didn't that just work out perfect...a half day of school. Do you think someone at the school was participating in the event and wanted to see if they would win? LOL Nahhhhhh....it happens to be a teachers in service afternoon but it still worked out perfectly!!! As soon as the numbers are drawn and matched up to the appropriate comment then I will notify the winners by email. Remember...you have three days to respond. I need those snail mail addys to get your gift to you. If I haven't heard within the three days (that would be by midnight on Feb 20th) then of course the Chazman will draw another number and that person will be notified.

I so enjoyed everyone that did come to visit with me during this AMAZING even and I hope that you will come back again and again. I just LOVE my visitors...the ones that come once....ones that come once in awhile and especially the ones that become "friends". 

Best of luck to all in the Chazman drawing...until next time......BIG HUGS,


Regi (and the Chazman)

NOTE:  The Chazman drew the two numbers and (DRUM ROLLLLLLLL PLEASE) the winners are:

Susan from Living the Dream

Both winners have been notified by email. Again, thank EVERYONE who came to visit during the OWOH event. I do hope that you will come back to visit again. You are always welcome.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Rose Faerie....Keeper of the Rose

If you are looking for my OWOH post then please click HERE

Rose is a keeper of beautiful gardens....rose gardens. Each garden she lovingly tends to so that all the colors  will be displayed with great pride. Her favorite roses are the passion pinks and the brilliant burgundies. She knows her roses are thriving when they release the tiny pearl seeds for her to use in planning her gardens for the next season. Butterflies adore her gardens and help her keep them safe. Safe from whom you may be asking....well...the pixies of course. They never tend to gardens...the little buggers...they just try and overrun the ones they happen upon. Searching for food...the tiny insects that every garden provides a home to. The pixies love to eat insects and will pull up a plant just to get to them. Rose and her butterflies keep the garden safe....Rose yielding her heart sword and the butterflies chasing the pixies off with the pounding of their wings.
You see pixies are very tiny creatures and the wind from the pounding wings will send them hurdling towards the ground.  This puts them in a place that they fear....for down on the ground puts them in the reach of their greatest enemy....THE CAT!!! Cats just LOVE pixies....a very tasty morsel indeed.

Rose is one of my gently poseable ooaks. Her face/torso, hands and feet were hand sculpted out of clay and then highlighted with acrylic paints. She has a strong wire armature covered in fluffy yarn. Her eyes are hand sculpted and painted a beautiful bright green. Her hair is sheared lambswool. Her outfit is hand sewn using  vintage shear material that has a rose print. Her wings are made from the same vintage fabric and then embellished with vintage pearls. The pearls are from a vintage wedding headdress....I love to reuse items that have seen their better days from what was the original purpose. The neckline of her dress is made from the vintage pearls as well. Her necklace has two tiny pearls and a Swarvoski crystal. She is holding her heart sword in her left hand which was hand sculpted out of clay and then washed in acrylic paints. It is topped with two tiny pearls and a Swarvoski crystal. In her right hand she is holding a tiny bouquet of roses with vintage pearls hanging down. She is standing on a base sculpted from clay and the adorned with some of my hand twisted fabric roses and vintage pearls. She stands at 8".


Balancing on her toe is one of my paper butterflies. It has a coating of German glass on it's wings. It can be removed and her leg gently let down. She is permanently attached to her base.

Rose will be going into my Etsy shoppe. Thank you for stopping by today and I hope that you will return again soon.

Until then....Hugs, Regi



Thursday, February 10, 2011

I'm sooooo EXCITED!!!

If you are looking for my OWOH post...please click HERE.


I am so excited..I just can't hide it...OH OH OH OH OHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!  Ok I'm not much of a typing singer but I am still soooo excited. Want to know why? Ohhh come on....ask me why....PLEASE ask why? Oh YEAH ME.... someone asked....it's because in the mail today I received my copy of the Feb/Mar 2011 issue of "Doll Collector" magazine.

  
Now I'm sure you are scratching your noggin and asking yourself "Why is that so important?"  GO ahead ask...it's a good question. OMGOSH.....it's so important and exciting because on page 47...right there in print...right there in color...right there in the bottom left hand corner....right there with information about...oh let me show you......(I'm getting so excited I can't type..hehe)

Do you see them? Do you ...Do you? It's Charme and Sebastin and Henry and Sammie....two of my ooaks from my Faerie Race series. Talk about being so excited beyond belief. I am so proud and so so honored that Doll Collector chose these to be in their "Fantasy" section for this publication. This is my first time being published and my heart is racing and I'm just......well...... I feel like maybe I really am an artist after all. Thank you Doll Collector...thank you thank you thank you!!!

Until next time......Hugs, Regi  (please be patient with me...it may take awhile to come down off of cloud nine for awhile ^_^)