NO SUGAR-NO FLOUR

I've joined the ranks who have decided to get healthy and stay healthy. I have started the "no white flour-no white sugar" elimination program, although I'm doing it with no real program. How much of one do I really need? It's no white sugar, no white flour. I think I get the concept. Since I am eliminating bad things from my life, including debt (hopefully), I also decided the other day to eliminate all the clutter from my work space. Now my table actually has a place for me to work without having to move 17 things aside to make space. It feels so good to purge. I am really hoping this change in diet will aid in better digestion and help me lose about 30 pounds. I am so tired of having back problems, which I never had when I was thin. I don't mind getting older as it beats the alternative, but I don't want to do it in pain and over weight.

I also cut this matte the other day:

I really needed a way to display my new lily pad pics that I took at the monastery. I loved the fact that the flower was bent under the water, not quite ready to rise to meet the sky.

Anyone out there try the no white sugar, no white flour elimination? I have heard you drop a lot of weight because it eliminates those things that turn directly into fat. If you've tried it, let me know what you thought of it. I'm anxious to hear some one's take on it.

Second Thrift Store Transformation

Okay, technically this is an altered book cover, but I did get the book from that last trip to the thrift store. I really enjoyed taking this forest green book and cutting out the center of the cover and painting it white. I usually take light colored books and darken them and add a leather-like finish, but I wanted to see how it would look if I lightened a book for once. You can't really see all the texture in this picture, but the white looks great over the top of it and the texture shows through just fine. I don't know why, but I seem to find more creative expression with thrift store finds. Maybe it's because they come from other places and were used forother things. They had lives of their own before I found them and changed their destiny. They lived with other people and were created in other areas of the world. When I bring them home, it's kind of like, if I listen to them, they tell me what they want to be turned into. I'm sure this sounds really wacky, but that so totally me--wacky!! I feel the same way about books that I alter. Imagine how many people, especially with old library books, have read them, laid them on different surfaces, put various things in between their pages to mark their spot, taken them to how many homes and offices and restaurants and cafes to be read. There are almost unphathomable possibilities in each scenario. This book used to be a library book in our local library and it came from the larger county library, which probably obtained it from a supplier of sorts who got it from a publishing house who bought the rights from the author. Never mind where it went in between all of those places. It's just so cool. Anyway, this book spoke to me as wanting to be light in color and pampered. I am going to save it for a future round robin--one where the theme is of a gentle nature. She is yearning to be a high society book.

1st THRIFT STORE TRANSFORMATION

I spent part of the weekend working on this key holder. This wooden frame, which, by the way the back was rigged, used to house a mirror, was a pretty awesome find from my previous posting of items I found at the thrift store. I stared at it for hours, off and on, and decided it needed to live in the kitchen as a vintage key holder, and then we could eliminate the sad little white hook which hung half-in and half-out of the wall from the pressure of too many keys. I used wire to suspend the woman. She reminds me of one of those 1930's flapper women with the brightest red lipstick on the face of the planet. I dove into my vintage bottle collection and found two bottles that were just right for the freshly collaged shelf. Now, when I enter the kitchen, she's the first thing I see. My mom came over the other day and noticed her right off. She seemed to like her. I love thrift store findings and was ecstatic about this one.

STIFLED TALENT

Can you believe I drew this picture of Barbra Streisand, about 20 years ago. I was so excited when I found it in the pit of my closet, the scary one that swallows things, never to be seen again--well, at least not for 20 years or so. I think I drew it from a record album cover where she had this black scarf draped over her head. I haven't picked up a pencil in years to try to draw again. I guess I never thought I was very good at it, but looking at this picture now, I think I had some self-esteem issues. It's not bad. At least I could tell who it was supposed to be *grin*.

I'm somehow hoping that stumbling upon this picture was a sign, like telling me that since I've recently opened the flood gates of artistic verve in myself, that it's now okay to try to draw again. I sure hope it would all come back to me if I did decide to give it a try. I still have my watercolor pencils and I'm sure I can scrape up a number 2 pencil somewhere in the house, for the general sketch.

I'm kind of excited now. I think when I get home from work tonight, I'm going to go pencil hunting. Years ago, when my friend Dawn moved away from AZ, she willed to me one of her old sketch pads. I still have that pad and now I have a way to put it to use. Viva La Sketching!!!!

Stay tuned. I may post my first, newly sketched item after 20 years, if I get a good one.

THRIFT STORE FRENZY

I had such a good afternoon. I got to go and buy things in the thrift store--and I didn't have to pay for them. I used the gift card my mom got me for my birthday. Look at all I found, for under $14.00.
And look at the fabulous old "Kodak Library" album I found for .25. It is still full of the original, old, black photo corners. I plan to use it as a place to display photos of all of the things I make. A sort of a portfolio - vintage style.

Plus, I got a great computer case for 1.00, which is durable and I can use as a tote to take back and forth to work. I'm always carrying things for my book writing process, like files and pictures, etc., and I've gone through 3 book bags already.
The wooden key holder used to have a mirror inside, but I have big plans for that, which will be posted at a later date. Gotta go - so many ideas, so little time.

NEW JOURNAL CREATIONS

I got busy last weekend and made a bunch of journals to add to the stock pile. Some are hard back journals and some are wire-bound. I just can't stop making any and all types of books. I'm even altering the heck out of the ones from the thrift store. I've decided that if I am going to be a person with an addictive personality, something I've struggled with my whole life, then I am going to let myself addict to creating things. Not only will this keep me out of the online shopping malls, but it will be the kind of addiction one can freely enjoy without fear of intervention. The wire-bound books are made from mattes which I have cut and used pictures I took, mostly from this year's garden. But some are shots I took awhile back that I just like.

SILLY MUSINGS

For many years I have written poetry. Some silly, some serious, and some, well, just out there. I decided to share an occasional poem, so here goes. This one probably classifies as both silly and out there:

I STEPPED ON A BUG

I stepped on a bug and killed it dead;

Why did I do it? Where was my head?

I was walking along, not checking to see;

That my feet would be clear, of the wee families;

Maybe this bug had a family to raise;

But with one careless step, I have ended his days;

I will live with this guilt, wherever I roam;

That I orphaned his children, right out of their home;

So please heed my words, as you walk down the street;

There’s a whole other world, living under your feet.

© 2007 – Kimberly Miller

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DRAWING WINNERS

Congratulations Crazydaisy, Lizbethm, and Gypsymermaid. You are the three winners in the happy birthday drawing. Tiffany, I have your address, but Lizbeth and Sarah, please email your mailing addresses to kimzson@powerc.net so I can get your goodies in the mail. Thank you all for playing.

WHAT A WEEKEND

I am going through a seasonal thing right now, and I don't seem to have much energy on any given day. But, I still managed to create some things this weekend. I made the three, long spiral bound "Things to Do" notebooks above, and:
I also made these. They are Post-It Note purse pads with pencils on board. I used matte board and cut out mattes to fit the picture I took of a vase full of orchids.
They are small enough to fit right into your purse

and they have a pencil right there so you don't have to go digging for one. I was going to use a pen, but considering the small size of the pad, it was easier to chop down a pencil. I did make sure it was one with an eraser, though.

My son and I went for a two mile walk this morning in the heat and now all my muscles are killing me and we are both stiff and tired. I hope this seasonal thing goes away soon, but in the meantime, I'm still pushing forth with my crafting. So many ideas, so little energy - OY!

I'M "BINDING IT ALL" THE TIME LATELY

Since acquiring my Bind It All machine, I've been binding up a storm. In fact, no matter where I see an idea for a project, I seem to incorporate it so that I can use the bind it all with it.

This piece was fun because the one thing I seem to find myself without when I have my journals and am out and about, is a pen, or a pen that works. I decided it was time to create a journal that I could use to also house the pen.

I also recently acquired a Crop A Dile and have been punching holes into all kinds of things and applying snaps and eyelets like crazy. I'm out of control!!!!! But loving it.
This was a fun idea because I cut and laced a couple of pieces together for the front cover and it sort of folds back if you just need to peek, or it opens all the way.

I have to say, I am so glad that I found my art again. I don't think I could have ever found a better therapy for stress relief and a way to keep this AAA personality, a bit calmer. These cursed mentalpausal years are playing hell on my nerves, but this art release, though it keeps me in a creative frenzy, helps me to not only calm my nerves, but I end up with a product in the end. It also helps me financially, as I have little to no money these days, and I find I at least have gifts of love to spread around that don't require any money.

I just acquired a CriCut Die Cutting machine, but I haven't had a chance to get real up close and personal with that one yet. I'm sure you'll be seeing it's results on here soon, though.

PRETTY AS A ROSE

This weekend I took my mom and my son on our annual pilgrimage to the St. David Monastery's craft fair. The grounds there are so beautiful that I always make sure to bring my camera. Last year I got the best shot of a blooming lily on the pond. This year the flowers were in bloom all over the grounds. I was particularly interested in the wide variety of roses they grow. I liked the picture above so much, that I double matted it and did a bit of rubber stamping on the matte. Now I just have to build a frame to that size, and I have a new hallway picture. It's a shame the scan doesn't pick up how glossy the paper is, or how crisp the image itself is.

SUMMER SLUDGE

Am I the only one who goes through this? Or are there others out there who suffer from Summer Sludge. I call it sludge, because it's the only way I can describe how I feel when the hot weather comes around. Lately, as the sun has been recently intensifying its heat upon our poor planet, it seems I don't have the energy God gave a gnat. I get up in the morning, reluctantly, try to force my eyes open all day during work, while moving at a snails pace (so not my normal pace), and can't wait to get to sleep when I get home. At first I thought, this is just my usual bout of allergies, but then I realized that I go through this every year at this time, no matter how my allergies are behaving. I LOVE the amount of daylight we get this time of year. That is my favorite part about the Spring and Summer months, but I don't know how to beat the sludge. I've tried ginseng tea, vitamin B complex, exercise, a product called Emergen-C, etc. You name it, I'm sure I've researched it or tried it.

Does anyone else suffer from this? Maybe it's indigenous to living in Arizona, I don't know. If you have any thoughts, or know of things that work for you, please pass them on. I need to wake up, and fast *lol*.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DRAWING

I just recently had my birthday (May 1st), and I won't reveal my age, but I will tell you I was born during a time when Elvis was still hot and the price of gas was $.30 a gallon. Oy, I'm aging fast, but gracefully *wink*. In honor of birthdays everywhere, I'm holding a drawing, because let's face it, every birth is special:

Post a comment to this link with the date of your birth(You don't have to put the year), your email address, your name and blog (if any), and state your favorite thing about your birthday. I will be drawing 3 names on May 19th. The prize will either be something I made that is posted on my blog, or art supplies, ephemera, or a combination of all of the above. It will definitely be a surprise.

STILL MATTING

It's official--I'm completely hooked on cutting mattes. The possibilities are endless. I recently obtained a new, hand-held matte cutter, but what made the difference for me is that it is one that you pull instead of push. When my friend, Andy, taught me the basics, I realized that the pulling motion is much easier to see and control than the pushing motion. I also realized that you can't beat a really sharp blade. previously I was using an old hand-held cutter my father had used, but it is the push type and I think the blade must've been about 20 years old.

I even managed to get these cut with very few over cut lines in the corners, and considering all the cutting in the top picture, that was no small feat.


I am incorporating paper with the mattes, mostly because at this point my matting supply and foam core board supply is very limited and I don't want to waste them, but I found I can get color and shapes into small areas with paper and it is much easier than cutting an entire under matte. My poor house is going to be full of pictures now, and of course I don't have the room. I am also using the mattes for making covers for the spiral bound notebooks and day planners I am making with my new Bind-It-All, and incorporating those with my Crop-A-Dile and CriCut machines. If you don't hear from me for awhile, it's because I've had myself committed to Matte Cutter's Anonymous (MCA), for a long treatment. *giggle*. ART ROCKS!!!!

ALTERED BOOK LAYOUT

I finally finished the altered book 2-page spread I've been working on. It took awhile because I had to hollow out part of the middle, paint, everything to effectuate a leather look, paint and straighten the wire that straddles the hole and then glue on all of the diamond-like studs. You can't really tell from the pictures, but the whole layout sparkles at every angle. You also can't really see that the woman is suspended over the whole on top of four crossed wires. I really like how it turned out.

BACKGROUND PAPER DILEMMA

Lately I've encountered the problem doing project that require background papers, but I have little money these days and can't always afford to get art supplies when I need them. This has forced me to think "outside" the box. Yesterday I was wearing a shirt with the pattern above. I thought, "cool pattern, that would make a nice background." Then I thought that if I just took pictures of different items of clothing with patterns that I really like, and then print them out on plain paper, viola, instant background paper. It also makes great paper for journal covers. One thing I can do with this method, that I can't do with store bought paper, is lighten or darken the image. I can alter them in any way, shape or form to suit the need of whatever project I'm working on at the time. I love how unlimited the possibilities are here.