Creative Condundrum

 Lately I have had too many creative ideas, and the result is I haven't worked on any of them.  Maybe I just need to write them all down.

Lady Gardenton - I saw this idea on Damask Love.  I have the perfect outfit for a garden photo shoot.

Make Postcards - We don't have an Artesia postcard.  There is one of the mural in the library. At $5 a postcard not realistic to send out for postcrossing. I would like to have some of my own city card options.  I also have some ideas for slightly inappropriate postcards. I even made of list of ideas.  That is kind of progress

Welcome to Artesia Mural

Start working on my Valentine's designs.  I know Valentine's is a long way off.  I have ideas but I haven't discovered if the concept works.

Keep Junk Journaling

Combo of Junk Journal and Potential Inappropriate Postcard

Recycled Art Show Entry

recycled art entry

Trash Fish

 I once again entered the Artesia Clean and Beautiful Recycled Art Show at the library. I have been saving bread clips for a year but was uncertain to do with them.  I finally decided to make a fish after finding a gear and screw on the street during our evening walk.  I looked through our treasures collected from the street and found the large metal ring.  I had the perfect eye.  I went through several protypes before I landed on what my fish to look like.

I consider it elevated Preschool Art. I enjoyed testing my creativity even if it included asking questions like, "Does this fish need lips?".

Weekly Roll

 

postcard from the Netherlands I received this week

Linky Love

Will Shuster's Lost Paintings of Carlsbad Caverns - The Carlsbad Museum is looking for the lost paintings in time for Carlsbad Caverns centennial in 2030.

Animal Lovers Race to Save Eagles Nesting Grounds 

Inappropriate Thoughts

I spent a lot of time this week working on my recycled art project for the upcoming recycled art show at the local library. 

I have been saving bread clips for about a year.  It makes me think of my friend Dawn who passed who had a bread clip collection she lined up on her window seal. My husband fashioned them into a fish. I did make a fish, but it isn't quite like the one above.  I also spent way too much time trying to figure out if my fish needed lips. That is the kind of person I am.

Weekly Roll

 

Large Paper Beads made with wrapping paper

Are you ready for Christmas?  I don't know here.  This is a season that always makes me feel behind. 

Linky Love

Missing Person - Jonathan Hoang - Crime Stoppers has increased the reward. Jonathan is missing from Western Washington. I think this is solvable. I have shared this before.

Damask Love Epic Cookie Gifting Box - confession I have yet to make any cookies for the season.

World's Best Cookies - this is my favorite to make 

Inappropriate Thoughts

We have been walking our dogs after dinner.  We got them rechargeable lighted collars. They strobe. We are calling them the doggo police. We only walked once with the strobe. It is hard on the eyes.

Deep Thoughts

A friend told me she was playing this every morning lately. It is hard to shut out the noise of the season.

Ghost Junk/Art Journaling Era

 Yes, I made another ghost page.  I haven't gotten over my security envelope era either. I cut up security envelopes into ghost shapes. The idea came from this Instagram.

Collage/Junk Journal Ghosts

 

I guess this is a mixed media art page.  I am not an expert. I cut out ghosts of magazines, outlined in white crayon, then watercolored the background.   It just was a fun project to get the creative juices going.

A bit Janky Halloween Craft

 

This 3-D Ghost is a good craft. I just didn't really execute it like it should. It is fun but not fine art. I decided it needed something more, so I added cobwebs.

Idea from karleegailbowman - hers is executed perfectly

Recycled Art Show - My Bird Era

 

Artesia Clean and Beautiful hosted an art show at the library. I of course contributed the bird art above called Priority Mail. I swear I have reached the end of my security envelope birds. Below are some of the art entries.

Valentine Card 2025

 

Well making this Valentine was a journey. This is a hand cut bird out of envelopes and specifically the security envelopes. I started by making full size birds.  

Then I shrunk the design.  I wasn't happy with the envelope in the bird mouth.  I had made a lot of them before I realized. I should change it.

This project has evolved since about June.  Yes, I have been working on these for quite a bit.  These birds are really addicting for me to make. I will probably make some more.  I have amassed quite the collection of envelopes. 

Each of these are unique.  Dear friends if you sent me a letter in an envelope, I probably recycled it into art. 

Adult Arts and Crafts - Clouds Watercolor

 I was back at the watercolor again. Not completely happy with the final result but it really does distress me. The idea was from Andrea Nelson Art via Instagram. I liked my second attempt better- below

Happy 50th

 

Sent a 50th Sucks bouquet to my sister.  Happy 50th Birthday.  These are always fun to make.

Operation Fun - Recycled Art

Sometimes I get a wild idea. The library and Artesia Clean and Beautiful were having a recycled art show. I decided to give recycled art a go. I don't consider myself an artist. I am a crafter. The top photo is called Artesia Sunrise and made of cardboard, newspaper, and magazines.

The art above is called ThRASHer.  It was made with trash we collected at the skate park. I won't lie this piece kinda smelled alcoholic. You know how movies have easter eggs little nods or hidden things.

My oldest gave himself a nickname in like elementary school. He wrote Ace was here.  

Stuff We Love was a happy accident in the Artesia Sunrise piece.

I call this process art.  This was fun for me.  I did it only to have fun and stretch myself. Mission accomplished.

Adult Arts and Crafts - Santa's Misfit Reindeer

 

Yes, this another Andrea Nelson Art project. This is reindeer blobs. I am calling mine Santa's Misfit Reindeer

These were fun and relaxing.

Adult Arts and Crafts - Watercolor Blob Trees

 

This was fun and relaxing. These trees make me happy. This is another Andrea Nelson Art Project.

Adult Arts and Crafts - Watercolor Fall Scene

 

This is another Andrea Nelson Art Project. I treated myself to a #8 round watercolor brush.  It was a big splurge at 4.99 from Hobby Lobby.  It makes a difference though. I did two paintings. It is a good creative exercise. 

Adult Arts and Crafts - Watercolor Frank's and Pumpkins

 

This is another Andrea Nelson Art project. The Frankenstein's are basically watercolor blobs enhanced with pen. This is the same for the pumpkins below.

Adult Arts and Crafts - Watercolor Dots

 

This project was relaxing.  The project was from rebelunicorncrafts.  I enjoyed this project.

Adult Arts and Crafts- Scrape Ghosts

 

I started with this ghost scrape project and then Andrea Nelson upped the project. Similar to the cat scrape project

I loved the finished product.  

Pallet Pumpkin Lanterns

I was inspired by the cedar fence post pumpkin lanterns.  I am more of a do with what you have kind of gal.  My husband actually did all the work.  I am the idea person.  Ha Ha That is a skill that I am amazing at.

He took a pallet apart.  He used a planer to mill the wood to the same size.  He has been borrowing a laser cutter, so he used it to cut out the face.

This all the stuff the average crafter does not have.  We did not purchase any wood or materials for this project. I linked below some more average crafting pumpkin lanterns made with cedar fencing.

scrollsaw village

box jack o lanterns

I asked him to make them to be able to nest for storage purposes. The stems have magnets so they can be removed for storage purposes. He countersunk the magnets.