Just Glue Some Gears On It (& Call It Steampunk)

hahaha - my new favorite song! It was "Inspired by the category 'things that are not Steampunk' on Regretsy.com...."

Merry Musical Monday

Are you ready for "the silly season"? 

 Me.... not so much.... but ready-or-not here it comes! 

Xmas Dolly is pushing the holiday tunes today. If you are looking for some jolly cheer & jingle bells, pop on over to her site and join in the meme madness.

Think your neighbor puts up some wacky lights? Check out this house rocking out to Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Wizards in Winter. Unfortunately you have to click through as the video can't be embeded.

Also, here is a pretty good cover of the Kink's Father Christmas by Ok Go:

On other fronts, I finally found a use for these fused glass pieces. Earlier this year Holly over at Ebeads.com dropped a box of millefiori glass. Rather than toss the broken bits she thought it might be fun to make funky mosaics, so we did.

While fun to make, they've been sitting around here waiting patiently to become something. The last week or so, I've been turning them into bizarre Christmas ornaments.

Kind of out there, I know. But a lot of fun to play with. On the flipside there is a mirror.

Well, I've got to run before the day gets away from me. Be sure to visit Xmas Dolly for some Holiday tunes & add your own if you have a favorite to share. Hope you have a creative day!

We Have Winners!

A quick & dirty post today - I am so far behind schedule it is absurd. Sorry this has been such a dead space this past month. Life has been keeping me overwhelmed. Honestly I am glad to see the backside of November.

But onto better things! The 2 winners of my print giveaway have been drawn using random.org

And they are (drum roll........)

Ginnie Marie from LemonDropPie

& 

Denise from DeniseIsRunDMT

Congratulations to the winners!! Pick your favorite piece of my art from my blog, Etsy shop (including sold items), or DeviantArt Gallery. Then let me know what it is and I will ship it to you.

Thanks to everyone who left comments & entered. I'll have a new giveaway starting soon and will be posting more regularly this month.

Best wishes for a wonder-filled December!

Over The River & Through The Woods

Red's winter walk

For the CreativeSouls self portrait challenge #7 "winter/Christmas". Click image to enlarge

Over the river, and through the wood,

No matter for winds that blow,

Or if we get the sleigh upset

Into a bank of snow

-from song by Lydia Maria Child

If you are a creative-type and not yet a member of CreativeSouls.ning.com I recommend you check it out. There are all types of imaginative folks over there. Plus oodles of fun activities, promotion opportunities, and artistic challenges to get your juices flowing. CS describes itself as "A diverse gathering of creative souls, a place to help promote each other. Discover new & interesting people. ~ALL creative people welcome~"  

On other fronts, all is fine here. A family member's health scare & visit to the emergency room led to surgery, complications, and a hospital stay. But he's out of the woods now and at home recovering. This year we have lots to be thankful for!

close up of "Stay" ACEO

Etsy Wise - I'm having a 20% off sale on everything at ArtSnark.etsy.com. Just enter coupon code  BLACKFRIDAY when you check out. Sale is in effect until Monday night. Many items, including all $4 ACEOs and some canvases, also ship for free worldwide.

I've also created a new section of the shop $5 Specials.  I'm trying to make some more elbow room around here so it seemed a good way to move older pieces. I will be adding new items to this section every few days. The 20% Sale Code can also be applied to $5 special pieces.

The November Random Drawing is still on! To enter simply comment on this blog before 1 a.m. (EST) on Dec. 1st. (Since the blog has been on hold, entries are light, making your odds even better.)  

 To sweeten things a bit, 2 random winners will be selected! Each will receive a print of their favorite piece of my art from my Etsy Shop, Blog, or DeviantArt Gallery. For details click here.

On Hiatus

Have lots of fun artsy stuff to share soon. Recently went to 2 fun art fairs + took lots of pictures. Plus some new interviews & giveaways in the pipeline.

However we're coping with a sudden illness in the family, so it will a little while before I return - hopefully before the month is out. Best wishes to everyone

My 1st solder & glass ornament

Meet Darla. Darla is a wonder-woman!

She teaches creative classes at my local Michaels store, everything from cake decorating to scrapbooking to jewelry making. Today she kindly showed me how to make glass & solder ornaments. I've had most of the supplies for ages and have watched a few YouTube videos.... But It has been 25 years since I've picked up a soldering iron and I needed an extra push to get started.

 

Ready to rock & roll

This starter-kit from Bead Landing is great if you are new to soldering.

photo borrowed from Michaels website

Other than flux, this kit has all the basic supplies to make ornaments or pendants. The kit states that you don't need to use flux. I tried working both with & without today; it seemed like the solder went down smoother with. Darla said she purchased the flux paste for around $2 at Home Depot.

The glass pieces come with the kit. The craft knife and K&C Company papers did not. Eventually I'd love to try this with some original art. Today these brightly colored papers were perfect for experimenting!

The oval has only the copper tape. The square piece has solder on top of the tape. Not too ugly for my 1st try .... yet....

Oops now it gets ugly. I made a bit of a mess while attaching the handle.

Okay. More than a bit. I gobbed too much solder on my iron. It oozed under the wire and started dripping before hardening. On the plus side, I was able to scrape most of it off with the hot iron.

Then added a jump ring . I could add more solder or smooth what is there by reheating but decided to call it good enough for a 1st try. A bit of a polish and we have -

 Front

 

& Back

I am looking forward to making some more of these! Each year I like to come up with new ornaments for the Christmas tree. I think some festive mini collages would be a great way to practice my soldering. Maybe then I will be ready to make some jewelry using this fun technique.

Thanks for coming along for the ride! If you are looking to try your hand at a new activity, check out your local craft store. I bet they have something interesting going on. Then pop back here & share what you have made. I'd love to see your creations!

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Please note: Any comments left before 1 a.m. (EST) on 12/1/11 will enter you into my latest random drawing. Two lucky winners will take home a print of their choosing based on my art (found on this blog, my DeviantArt Gallery or the ArtSnark etsy shop).

Mixed Media (Musical) Monday

Mixed Media Monday Etsy collection curated by HallowedHill 

I'm starting my Monday with lots of espresso and this eclectic Etsy Treasury which features a handful of members from the always entertaining Mixed Media Team. Click Here to visit this fun collection & from there you can tap through to the individual pieces.

Listening to TMBG this morning. Video by Chessage. For more about expressionist painter James Ensor check out this online museum.

Looking for more music? Head on over to The New Xmas Dolly & have a listen. While you are there - why not post your earworm to her blog hop today? 

Before you go, leave a comment here to enter my latest random drawing. On 12/1 two lucky winners will receive their fave print from my Etsy Shop, DeviantART Gallery or this blog. Good luck!