Busy Playing!

For a variety of reasons,I've been even more bogged down than usual this week. Lots of stuff has gone by the wayside including art & blogging. 1 project I am determined to finish soon is the ongoing reorganizing of my studio/home office. I've decided to post some embarrassing "before" shots in the hope I will shame myself into creating the "after" shots soon.

Studio is 1/2 torn apart (still in the destructo phase of reorganizing).
I'm also cramming to finish my piece for the 1st Melange Team challenge (due tomorrow). I've been sitting on it for weeks, but only just found the materials while cleaning yesterday - oops!

Melange is a new Etsy Team for Mixed Media artists. If you like to play with all your toys on one canvas, new members are welcome. Here's the team profile on etsy. Here's the team blog. And here is some of our art for sale

The 1st challenge is from Glenda (see her etsy shop here). She sent out identical packages filled with a wild assortment of items. I had a pic to post but seem to have accidentally deleted it (Dang. Just 1 of those weeks). There's colored tissue paper, an old bingo card, a b&w jester paper doll template, metal ring, fraying fibers, what looks like colored bingo chips & other bits & pieces. The challenge is to create something using all the items,leaving out any 2 if desired. We can provide our own substrate & add 1 extra item. Mine's been done in my head since I 1st opened the envelope. Man, glue sure dries a lot slower in real time!! Been a lot of fun though

I'll post the final piece sometime tomorrow or Sat with links to the other entries once I have 'em. Remembered to shoot WIPs too so if anyone is curious I'll stick those up this weekend too

Before I forget: thank you, thank you,Everyone. Your kind comments and encouragement really keep me going. Especially on the days when all the art stays in my head & I run out of time to create by days end. A few of those & my mood turns sour. I was truly overwhelmed by the quantity & quality of responses to last Friday's post! I've visited some of you but life got in the way again. Your comments are much appreciated

TOOT TOOT TOOT!!

Yep, tootin' my own horn (again). Just so darn thrilled I have to share! Hopped over to ZNE in the wee hours to see what was new & found my latest experiment on the front page. I finally joined the book club there. We are reading Michael De Meng's book Secrets Of Rusty Things. Group members discuss chapters & create their own projects based upon each chapter. This funky flower vase is my interpretation of project# 1 ("Ameratsu - letting daylight out")To find out more about this piece and other ZNE book club projects click here .

ZNE is a gather place for "mixed media & indie artists". It's an amazing community of supportive creative people. There are so many different things going on: ATC swaps, photo challenges, book club, collaborative poetry (finished poems are here ), technique/art supply sharing, a convention , and much more.

Although it sounds corny, ZNE is more to me than a great place to hang out. It was the support of the talented artists I met there that lifted me out of a 5 year art-rut: In 2003 I stopped creating. Last February I joined the group & I started making Art Trading Cards to swap. I started small but now I've got more works in progress around me than I can count! I'm painting & drawing again and trying my hand at something new - jewelry. Through my involvement with ZNE, I've had a piece published in the art book Never Forgotten and participated in my 1st group show in 5 years. I found the confidence to open an Etsy shop & start blogging ( big deals for me as I am not computer savvy or comfortable putting myself "out there").

And I have made some great friends!

If you've read this far, thanks for your patience. I guess, I just want to say THANK YOU! to ZNE founder Chelise Stroud Hery & all of the wonderful people I have met at ZNE. Their patience & encouragement has turned my creative energies right around! Now I just have to find to time to do it all :)