SuzeBlogz

here's lookin' at you

Looks like a happy face, huh?  2 eyes, smiley mouth.

Okay.......so here's how it goes....I am afraid of heights.
Not the airplane kind....fortunatey.

When I was little and we lived in an apartment building in Brooklyn. We were only on the 2nd floor and I was already crazed by that....and let me assure you...that was nothing.
A piece of cake. It wasn't even high up.

Bridges...Whoooooa.
I actually used to think that the Verrazano Bridge (connecting Brooklyn to Staten Island) was made of rubber bands and they'd snap & break. Now mind you...... I was 21 at the time.....does that give you a clue ??!!


The degree of irrationality varies.....so....even watching a movie that involves height (remember 'Cliffhanger' with Sylvester Stallone ?)....well....that would rate a triple WHOA.....
I lose ALL feeling in my legs....my kids think it's hysterical because these are just movies - not reality - and I'm hyperventilating ...doesn't matter....mom is weirded out again with that Acrophobia thing.


amusement park rollercoasters........happened once......never happening again.
the Stratosphere in Las Vegas...got talked into once...biggest mistake of my life. Thought I'd die.

Needless to say....high places, even ones with big railings, are for the brave of heart...that would NOT be me ! There's no way to minimize this.

So...what would prompt me to go OUT onto the observation deck of a building at the nature preserve...damned if I know ! And, you'll note...the deck isn't even that high up. It's relatively small potatoes.
 

I believe it was cause I wanted pictures of the Eastern Bluebird....or...perhaps because I am a mental case...either way...ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER........it took me half an hour to slowly proceed from the elevator door to the railing.....then, hold it tightly, lift the camera to my eye and...BINGO......nothing !
The birdies were just not in plain sight today.
Big sigh.
I went home. Never looked down.
But I felt proud and decided...

NOPE...not doing that again ! I'll look at their pictures in a book.

Yes...the view straight out was stunning...you could see the Pine Barrens for miles & miles.
Been there, done that.
Moving On.............

I'll stick with the chipmunks in my roof drains. At least they're on the ground.


Aside from all that.......I took a little shopping jaunt this morning into the college town of Princeton (yes..right past the splendid University)..which is about 1/2 an hr from me.
I wandered into a bead store.....yes, there I am just w-a-n-d-e-r-i-n-g and I happened upon THIS...


IT'S MINE NOW AND IT'S FABULOUS AND IT'S OLD.
No..I do not have a clue what I'll make with it but I won't alcohol ink it...that's for sure.!

Ready for ANOTHER IDEA FROM MY 'WRECK THIS' JOURNAL ? I'd skip the barf part !


and...here's an interesting link I happened upon today...Creativity Portal.
then, watch Gina do a Polished Stone Bleach technique on her video. We carry the waterbrush she uses.


ART ALERT :.....if you live anywere near my office (Tinton Falls, NJ) reserve October 18th cause The Impatient Beader, Margot Potter is coming to teach for us. She'll do 1/2 a day and I'll do 1/2 a day. Too soon for all the details...we haven't gotten that far yet....just keep watching.

New Possibilities

Alcohol inks look beautiful on glass. They also look way cool on clear UTEE which mimics glass.

Using AI's on UTEE is something I did a while ago but haven't done again for some time...so....It seemed time to do it again.

I melted some clear UTEE & added a drop of FLEX.
I poured the clear UTEE onto my craft sheet & let it harden. Then I lifted it off and cut it to a workable size. Easy to cut once it's hard but still warm & flexible.

I applied some AI's to the ink applicator and tapped it on the backside of the UTEE...the side that had been on the craft sheet.
Cool effects.

Then I stamped on it with Ranger Adirondack Pigment ink (I used Black) and added Ranger's Holographic embossing powder to the image. I quickly embossed as you don't want to remelt the UTEE.

It looks great from either the frontside or the backside









I'm thinking...Slip it into a Memory Frame...neat.

Then I tried tapping some of the inks onto the craft sheet and pouring the clear UTEE over it.
I got some cool effects that way too...because when I lifted off the hardened UTEE it lifted the color right off the craft sheet.


Then I made a mold (from Mold n Pour) of some wings. Poured clear UTEE into the mold.
This first set  I applied AI's to the back of the wings.









The 2nd time I applied it to the front.
I like both effects.
It can be done either way..depending on what YOU prefer.
I think the trick is not to overdo the AIs or use too many colors.











Applied to the front




Next project was beeswax. I covered a small piece of wood with a piece of white cardstock. This was an experiment in using only clear beeswax over a white background & adding only the Pan Pastels (which as I've mentioned in previous posts I L-O-V-E  !! ) for color.

Brush on wax, fuse with a heat source, brush again, fuse...repeat several times.
then flick on some of the pastels, fuse, layer, fuse and so on....

just repeated layers of wax, fusing, pastels, fusing, wax, fusing and so on...

I built up a lot of wax on this  white (non glossy) cardstock. What makes it so interesting is how smooth the wax is and yet you see right down into every layer of wax where you added colors at varying points.

Now...on to one of my silly shopping sprees....Where the Lenster did his best Justin Timberlake impersonation (note: the hat)  and I laughed...

BUT....
we found this really great journal at one of those semi weird teenage clothing stores that I insisted we go into (always cool jewelry & funky purses in those stores)...


BOUGHT IT...of course.














































and, the cool thing about this journal is, that, on every page is asks you to do something different as an exploration of yourself....
like

















so...I will try to give you a new page whenever I blog to try the experiments for yourself in your own journals. See if you can begin with this one....

NOW....here are some links to enjoy when you have some time:

go to see Elizabeth Goldens beautiful digital work on her blog.
and my friend Susan Williamson whose digital/photoshop knowledge blows me away every time.
Hit up Dime Store Daze...great jewelry stuff.
and jewelry workshops from the fabulous Sharilyn Miller
Cre8ItArtBlog - full of inspiration
A Cool Technique Video with funky music from stamper Ann Clemmer
and always beautiful work from Michelle Zindorf

I know......I know

Bad me....
I haven't blogged in days
so not like me....

so...what's been up....
well....
LOTS & LOTS OF RAIN...nonstop...25+ days of it...now it's obnoxious.
Mushrooms are growing everywhere, even in The Lensters tomato plants...yuck.

Last Friday night we went to Shabbat services "Under The Stars", a monthly summer event where Sabbath Services are held outdoors in various settings. This time it was going to be in the Rabbi's big backyard under tents (look toward the back of the picture to see tents) ....fabulous....spiritual....UNTIL....the skies opened up, the thunder boomed & the lightening came within inches of us and we all dashed, drenched,  into his house.


Well...what a treat that turned out to be...who knew the Rabbi was a collector of fabulous art and old antiques. Remember these?

and these look like lighters but are actually used to hold matches. Called Matchsafes.

and his house was filled with funky art...like this piece made all of wood

and this amazing hand painted room divider. This is not a flat painted piece. Many parts of it are dimensional, especially around the pants.


and he had lots of antique furniture pieces


and dishes


next day I saw a rainbow....now what does that tell you....somebodys watching over us.



and since last Fri.....The Lenster and I went on "Kruise Night" in hopping downtown Freehold where they have Fabulous 50's night, lots of motorcycles, great food, old cars and tons of people come out of hiding to party !

and, of course I am still loving my new 300mm lens where I find plenty to catch in my own backyard




I'll save the art stuff for tomorrow....been playing with alcohol inks and UTEE.
and...more beeswax trial and errors....

Now...take my advice.....go and see the movie "UP"....it's absolutely wonderful.

 

now, don't forget the plastic

Now, there's no point in being dishonest.
In MY house the Lenster does the cooking.
I am kitchen impaired.
Cooking is the dirty "C" word to me.
As I've explained before....I only have a kitchen because it came with the house and improves the resale value.

So, when The Lenster called from work tonight to 'ask a favor", he began with "Now don't panic....but I need you to.........."

My immediate reaction was...."Will I know where to find said items" he assured me I would...one was in a large pot in the fridge still in the plastic, the other item was beneath the stove.
I asked him to stay on the phone while I made sure I'd found everything as I am completely unfamiliar with that area of the house. He goes on to explain what he needs me to do.
OK....things are progressing....I have found said items.

First, he says,  take the pot out of the fridge holding said dinner . King Crab claws.
Ooooh Yummy


NOTE: Normally the Lenster would be Bar-B-Q-ing regardless of snow, cold or humidity, but once again the skies have opened up and that makes it kind of ridiculous. Standing in the rain for a crab claw....nah..I dont think so.



Now he instructs me on how to find an item that "opens up like a flower". Telling me its a strainer or a steamer or something like that. ..These terms means zip to me. I find it. I'm thinking WOW.....what a great thing to spray paint through.


Now he explains I need to lift up the bag with the claws, put them aside, fill the large pot with some water, put the steamer thingie in the pot, add the claws & put them on the stove on a small light.
BUT FIRST HE REMINDS ME I HAVE TO TAKE THE CLAWS OUT OF THE PLASTIC....
well..good thing..what do I know
and, why is he laughing so hard. He's practically hysterical.
He knows me.



small flame and they'll be ready when he comes home...


YEA !!!!


I'm so proud of myself.
I found the kitchen
I COOKED THE DINNER !!!!!



Oh..and BTW...if you like my tile wall behind the stove..I made it out of UTEE !

ART STUFF.....

now...don't forget...there's a FREE DOWNLOAD on the website.
It's called Hide & Seek.
also... I posted a neat video on YouTube showing my friend Lindas' Wine Glass Collage Project
and
here's what I finally did with yesterdays little bitz



I think I may be a Goddess !

19 out of 23

Should we begin with
IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY DAY.....

Oh...that's been done...

but that's how many days (19) we've had rain and dark clouds in one form or another this month...but...not to despair....it clears up very now and then........enough to get some good backyard pictures of the happy little creatures that live in my woods.....



But..okay.....enough with the nature pictures

ART PICTURES coming up....

You know we have these way cool new ALUMACHIPS. 1" lightweight aluminum pieces that I love. They fit so great on the Amate flat ring (we have plenty of flat rings in stock ) and look fantastic when you coat them with alcohol inks.

Well, I've  just run across stainless steel pieces as well, so we've added these to the stash of fantastic embellishments. We have a limited supply.
These are much thinner, a little rougher & a bit heavier than the ALUMACHIPS. We're offering them in an assortment of pieces called
BUNCH OF LITTLE BITZ


Some come with holes, some don't. Some are teeny tiny, some are bigger. Some are round, some are rectangle.

Ya get what we gives ya in a bag....approx 25 pcs !

Here's what I did with them today....

1. Ink the chip with alcohol ink, let it dry.
2. Use the 1" Amate bezel (we have plenty) and a collage image with a very small face

3. Glue image into bezel

4. Glue chip over picture (I used Glossy Accents)
5. Add an additional "little bitz"


I also took the Amate deep welled ring and placed some of the stainless steel "little bitz" in it. No glue..just lay them in.

melt Clear UTEE. It's okay if you allow the UTEE to get a little yellowish by heating it longer once its melted.

pour it into the ring

Everything under the UTEE looks magnified and the ring looks REALLY artsy!
Here are a bunch of little bitz that I've alcohol inked


Now...think of the possibilities of stacking these over the Alumachips (which are thicker) and building up a metal collage like on the ring below.

C'mon...break all the rules.....Give yourself permission.
If you've ever thought about selling your handmade work...this is a great place to start

Celebrating all Fathers

Just a  quick post as it's almost bedtime and I'm wiped out from a full day of celebrating....it was a wonderful fathers day. Daughter Jennifer (l), 13 yr old Michael, 11 year old Alyssa, 13 year old Cole, The Lenster, moi, family friend Patti and our oldest son Marc....lunch at a marvelous Italian restaurant where we spent hours laughing and telling stories to the grandkids about what their parents were like when THEY were little... they couldn't get enough... Blackmail !
 
Videoing the fun on my little FLIP camera and sharing it with 6 year old Jared
It was a terrific day and at night The Lenster and I went for sushi.
Missing the festivities was son Lee & family in Florida, but we all got to speak with him.

Now it's crash time.

Anybody got a bottle ?

Today was another of our monthly girl get togethers.
We formed a little group (about 10 of us) and dubbed ourselves the "Tiara Chronicles" and once a month we meet to make a project.
Today we met at our friend Linda Haholas fabulous farmhouse and the project for the day was  bottle dolls guided by that darling of all faerie creatures Lisa Kettell.

Lisa had us pick a clean, empty bottle and showed us the process of adorning it. She also showed us how to make & paint the kewpie faces (which she hand makes & sells by the way  - so contact her for pricing, etc)


Our gal Michelle has the MOST incredible eye for these things and we all oooh and aaahed over how hers came together and how she painstakingly painted hers with Claudines Studio Paints.

 We all brought gems & jewels to contribute to a pile of stuff to choose from. Her choice of "spare parts" was amazing. Her doll was really beautiful.

I'm not sure what I'd call mine.....I redid her a few times because this was soooooo out of my comfort zone.

Here are some closeups....


The one on the left below is Pattis...she was the only one to paint the whole head gold.
Patti is extremely clever...a visit to her blog will also show you her latest Fiskars video showing a 3d Photo Collage.
On the right is Linda's 'nature girl'....shame you can't see all the detail in the skirt which was covered with moss.

And Joan giggled and laughed her whole way through making her doll especially after she goofed up the lips !!!


and then we have Lisas....the star of it all.

what a great day....it's too bad the full group couldn't make it today, but those of us that did had such a great time.
(from l-r) Patti, Joan, Lisa, Linda, Moi and Michelle.

We hope to "chronicle again" after the summer.


Not to be outdone....our gal Teresa Natividad from Ranger has a really way cool project on what to do with Frosted Memory Glass.
These gals are super...busy promoting techniques all the time.

There's a Woolf at my Door

But not just ANY wolf.....my friend Daniella Woolf from California. Daniella is the other third of Wendy and Judy, owners of WaxWorksWest. She's in town for a visit to New York and stopping overnight to see me....this has to be my luckiest week...first Wendy & Judy and now Daniella.

The timing is so amazing and completely coincidental. It is what I've explained before as 'B'Sheret'.....Hebrew for fated and meant to be.....Lucky me !
Unfortunately the weather is not very cooperative....we've had rain steadily for almost 2 weeks...but, honestly, at least its cool outside and everything is in full bloom & I get to see friends who live far away.


and, speaking of wax......when Wendy & Judy were here we found some paper mache masks hiding in my office and they suggested I see how Beeswax would hold up on it.

I brushed on a layer, fused it and repeated that about 4 times building layers.

I know..it looks a little scary, it's a weird little mask, but it was still a good thing to experiment on.
I brushed on some of those Pan Pastels I'm coming to love more and more.

You must fuse with each step, so, after I brushed on the colors I fused, added more wax, fused, added a different color pastel (see below) , fused and waxed again. Every time you fuse something into a layer something of the subsequent layers show...it' s a fascinating process.


On the last go around I brushed on Perfect Pearls & fused


Then I found a little UTEE piece I had lying around (I keep a lot of 'spare parts') and glued it on. The mask shape really IS a little weird, creepy almost (LOL) but I really love the look of the finished piece. Just the way all those colors meld into each other.
It's really just all about the wax. I love wax.

Well.....now that I've expounded  - again - on all things waxy, I'm off to hang with Daniella and talk about it some more !

Share The Road

Yup.......it's all about sharing.

I try to share my money with my local bird food store.
 Then I sit quietly in the backyard and wait for those beautiful birdies to come and eat the food I bought for them. Oh, sometimes it's the squirrels and chipmunks...but it's fine with me cause they need to eat too. I feel like I'm replenishing the feeders daily cause now we're getting a LOT of feathered friends.

This is one that I saw today.  Woodpecker?
Now,  here I was thinking that I was the only cute redhead !


then he was joined by a little friend


and, since you already met Sterling (the 17 year old fluffball) the other day now you should also meet Mollie, our 7 year old overweight, neurotic rescue that is so happy she got US as parents. She and Sterling....not such great camaraderie.


On the creative front...
 I bought this pendant at the ETSY show a few weeks back.

Seems that acrylic beads are making a big presence this year. I've seen them in lots of boutique shops and magazines....so today I made a necklace with some of the acrylic beads I'd bought recently and added the pendant as the focal point.

By using those lobster clays to attach the pendant I can actually change out the centerpiece whenever I feel like it....I gave myself a star for that one !

I'm still excited over the Alumachips...I have alcohol inked them just to have them ready for something in the future.

and I stamped some as well with Rangers Black Pigment Ink & heat set them.

and, while I had out the inks I patted some on to some clear acrylic beads...

not the whole bead, just a portion....now I can't wait to make something to wear to see how the light reflects on these. Well...tomorrow's another day. They probably need a little drying time anyway.

OPEN WIDE

3 hours at the dentist this morning....
long story...v--e--r--y loooooong story
need 7 caps..all top teeth...
had a not so happy reaction to the numbing stuff....
heart went pitta-pat....all that epinephrine running through my little gums
I was NOT the worlds happiest camper..
let's NOT go there.
BUT
I am okie dokie now.....save for a sore mouth & a dull headache

Oh Yes....and then...the bloodwork from yesterday came back......well...happy to report all's well there EXCEPT for the not so small detail about the bad Triglycerides......but..I WILL get it taken care of. I know it means I have to give up those nightly ice cream cones...damn....isn't there SOME way around that part????
Isn't it the ice cream that makes the teeth part feel better (I'm rationalizing you realize !



Seems Sterling (our 17 year old fluffball) has some 'Open Wide' on her mind too

I am still flipping out that I managed to click that shutter just when she 'licked her lips"' ! It's the picture every photographer hopes to get.
Do you think she was eyeing this little creature (below) ....?
I feel like Alvin here is saying "Are You Lookin' at Me..?" It's a standoff !
 


Moving ON.....
I LOVE photography.
Every month I try to compose a new collage from photos I've taken, plus, if needed,  some online art. I'm just a beginner with Photoshop but I find it relaxing trying to make compositions that aren't like someone elses.
This month is called Hide & Seek. It's Free. It's high Rez. It's a click on the Home Page.

The one before this "Buddah with Purple Flower" is now available for $1.99 on our website along with all the others that I did before it. There's a bunch.

anyway....I'm worn out from todays ordeal...so much drilling...so..I think some mouthwash and an early night to bed is somehow in the cards...!!!