Finished I think

Well, I'm not really sure if I'm happy with this or not. I know I am going to have to do something to the background. I like the layout. And the things on it. But I'm just not sure.
The dragonfly sticks up about 1/4 inch or a little more at the highest point. Which is the body and where the wings connect. I built up under the wings by the body with modeling paste and then tapered them down to lay flat on the board. The top trim is lace. The flowers are dried from our woods. The long grasses are twisted tissue paper.
There are tiny dried leaves along the bottom. They show up better in person. In fact the whole piece is better in person.
So I think I'll live with it awhile and see if it needs something more or not.

Peace

Making a Mermaid

Yay I can put up pics today! So here's how this piece came to be born. I garage saled the round piece of wood about 10 years ago. Just one of those weird things that you see and think 'I need to have that'. It was from something someone cut a whole in and my husband couldn't believe I paid a dollar for it. Then last year I was looking thru a mag and I saw an ad with this woman in it. It stretched across 2 pages, she was sitting in a desert. I really liked her hair so I cut it out and put it in one of my many files. Then a couple of months ago I was poking around looking for inspiration and I saw her again. And I thought 'Mermaid' which made me thing air bubble which made me think round which made me think piece of wood and there ya go.
So I painted the background and used sand and modeling paste for the seabed. Then i glued on the shells and coral.I put pearls in her hair because I thought she needed them and gave her a seed bead neckpiece to sort of hide her boobs. Then I gave her a wand because who wouldn't want a wand!

Her tail is made from large sequins cut into quarters and placed one at a time to overlap like fishscales. Her fins are fabric and netting.

I wanted to have some kind of seaweed or something, but I wanted it to be light and sort of 3-d. So I took floral wire and wound it up and covered some of it with ribbon and there she is!
So that's how a Mermaid was born!

Peace

A Mermaid and an Etsy Store

I feel like I haven't posted in a long time. I've been down with a sinus infection/cold all week. So I've been feeling a little uncommunicative. But I used the time to open an Etsy Store! Yup, I really did it! I wouldn't have ever gotten the nerve up without the support and encouragment of my online art sisters. Thank you all. Here is the link (I hope):
http://www.greenwomancreating.etsy.com
If not it is called Green Woman Creating and you can look in Etsy for it by name.
I wanted to put up a pic of a Mermaid piece I did, but for some reason blogger isn't letting me do pics today. But I did put it in the store.
So thank you all again, I never thought I would find such a wonderful community online.
Peace

Playing Tag In Bloglandia

I got tagged by Moonwillow http://moonwillowblogspot.com/ .Yay, what fun! Here's how it works, you get tagged and you list 6 things about yourself, unimportant, random,habits and quirks. Then you tag 6 people and link them at the end of your post. Then you inform them they've been tagged and on it goes.
So here's my 6:
1. If my husband didn't object so strongly I would cut my hair in a shaggy spike and put purple streaks in it.
2.I used to teach Disco.
3.If I had to choose between art supplies and books to be on a deserted island with me I would pick books.
I haven't had any artistic training or ever attended a workshop.
4.I was in the Our Lady Of Angels fire in Chicago.
5.I watch a lot of reality TV.
6.I wish I could draw and paint.
So now I am tagging:
http://www.alteredrose.com/
http://artrix-playtime.blogspot.com/
http://cynthiapowell.blogspot.com/
http://erzsabetart.blogspot.com/
http://www.maigirlz.typepad.com/
http://www.serenitynowcris.blogspot.com/
Tag Girls, you're it!!
Peace

More Affirmations

Here are some more Affirmation Goddess' I just made. I really enjoy creating them. I never know who they are going to turn into.
Here is Warrior my favorite. This one turned out to be standing sort of hip-shot. Maybe a little cocky. Here is Grow. A wish for spring to come so I can plant some flowers and see some color when I look outside.
And Peace.Because it's what I wish for us all.
So that's what I've been doing. And the dragonfly textured piece should be done this week along with the Winter Goddess.
And I spent several hours taking pics of some things for the etsy store that I hope to open soon.

Peace

To Etsy Or Not To Etsy, That Is The Question

And for me it's a big one. For some reason this is a scary thing. I guess the feeling is like 'what if I give a party and no one comes.'
But I have been doing a lot of looking around and I am going to do it. I have to I think. I am reaching the point where I don't have room for all I create. If I don't sell, I will end up with a houseful of stuff that my kids will have to clear out when I'm gone.
So now the big question is what about tax. Do I charge it, do I claim it,do I have to have a tax number or something. All questions for my accountant. But until tax crunch time is over I don't want to bother her.
How do you all handle that part of it?

Peace

Arte Y Pico Award

I got this nice surprise today. Jillian from Elinors Closet ( http://elinorscloset.blogspot.com/) gave it to me. The way I understand it, it is an award for creativity, design, interesting material and contribution to the blogging community.
Now I am supposed to put a link about the award but I couldn't figure out how. And when i went to the link in Jillians blog it was in Spanish. So even if I linked it I wonder if you would be able to understand it.
But that being said, you can go to Jillians blog and get the info. So now I give the award to 5 friends and they give it to 5 friends and so on and so on.
This is the hard part. There are so many friends that I admire and only 5 awards.
All these artists can be seen on my links.

Dawn-Gold Betty Boop. For being one of the kindest people I have met in Bloglandia, and for the amazing amount of work she turns out and for how great it all is.

Kelsey-KO...OK? For having a blog that teaches so many new techniques with easy to understand words and beautiful examples.

Christie-Serenity Now. For having one of the most interesting blogs I have ever been to. You never know what you will see.

Rose-Altered Rose. For being my lifeline online and for the colorful and exciting work that you do. I'm so glad you're my friend.

Maija-Maigirlz Madness. For sheer happy eye candy, ya gotta love Maigirlz. A truly happy blog to visit.

So I know I didn't do this exactly right, but I did it.
Peace

More Works In Progress

I decided to see if I could do another textured piece using a real dragonfly. So I did some of the crumpled tissue paper on the background. Then I made some grasses from it too. Some real pressed leaves and dried flowers and the dragonfly. All gel mediumed. I really took my time coating the wings 'cause they are so delicate. Then wait for it to dry. Being as how it's been so humid this took a lot of time. Oh and a strip of lace across the top just because. Since I took this pic I have gessoed the whole thing. Next I will be adding modeling paste texture to the leaves. I think this piece will be in greens. This is a piece I am doing for an upcoming art show. I textured the background with modeling paste. After I glopped it on I combed thru it with a piece of cardboard I ripped. I made eyebrows and eyelids with paper clay. The last couple of faces I have done have been a little wierd looking because they didn't have eyelids.
Then the whole face was gessoed and painted with white metallic craft paint.Then I made a mask like piece out of white velvet and glued it to the face. I had cut inserts in each side. I filled the inserts with seed beads and teeny pearls. Then I went around the edges with pearls and more seed beads.
The bottom is more pearls. The top of the face will have a white fox head-fur which I trimmed with micro beads. It will fit her like a headdress. The outside edges of the canvas will be trimmed out with white velvet ribbon. The fur will stick up a little above the top edge. I am considering making small antlers from branches painted white.
The whole piece is in whites as she is the Goddess Of Winter.

Peace

Masks and the Ren Faire

This is the time of year when we would start planning our trip to the Ren Faire. But since we moved so far from it, we can't go anymore. I miss it very much. We never got to take vacations so this was like a day-trip vacation. So I made some masks to remind me. The masks are the plastic ones you can get at Hobby Lobby or most anywhere. I gessoed them first. Then I painted them with regular metallic craft paint.
Then it was just a matter of gluing, feathers and fake leaves and bits and bobs of this and that.
I glued fabric to this one. And some scrunched up blue tissue paper. Then around the eye on the blue side I used some flower petals I had pressed and painted tiny designs on them.

If you ever get a chance to go to a Ren Faire, don't miss it.

Peace