My art this week.

I worked on creating funky folks

and practiced drawing eyes.

We spent the week in the little quirky art town of Bisbee, Arizona. If ever you have the chance I would highly encourage you to do so. It is an old hippie town rich with artists and musicians.  Plenty of resale and consignment shops makes it a mecca for repurpose and assemblage artists. 

We have been on the road most of this past week. While HR was behind the wheel, I got out my coloring book (a Christmas gift) and colored pencils.

I practiced a little on drawing faces.

She looks quite scary! Not exactly what I am looking for!

Still haven't got it right, but learning what doesn't work.

I haven't explored PSE 14 much as the tutorials are online and we have not had good internet connections. No, this is not an excuse. (But I did finish a Sentence of Marriage by Shayne Parkinson.)

Curious as to where I am, head over to our Living Richly in Retirement blog.

Off to feed my soul!

The Wanderer is packed and we are ready to take off to a warmer climate. One of the most frequent questions I get is, do I miss my studio when traveling. The answer is yes, but I manage to get my crafting fix.  I have a craft space instead of a studio.

The last time out I misjudged how much time I would have for crafting ( I was also reading a Civil War historical fiction series) and took too many supplies. I didn't accomplish much because I hopped back and forth between projects (and was reluctant to put the books down.) For this trip, I have decided to focus on the following four crafts. Focus? Really that is not something that is often associated with me!

Here is my plan:

I received a Photoshop Elements 14 update for Christmas. My previous version was PSE 10, so I have a lot of new features to explore. I hope to do some digital art that I can use when I return to the studio.

I will have my pens with which to tangle and have hopes of creating some funky tangled characters. I am taking Jane Davenport’s Beautiful Faces for inspiration in drawing faces for my funky folks.                 

Of course my travel easel and charcoal is on board.

I am also taking my recently acquired 1953 Singer Featherweight as well as my Silhouette Portrait. We will be spending the month of March in Florida near the granddaughters. I think they are making a list of all the things we can make while we are there.

In addition to crafting, my other passion is reading (bet you didn't see that coming,) especially historical novels. I can get so caught up in a story I can easily ignore chores and can read all night. So, due to my lack of discipline, I do not allow myself to read at home. However when on the road, well why not.

So, how can I put down my books and focus on my crafting? I am going to make a commitment to post on this blog at the end of each week showing my projects for that week. (We will see how well this plays out!)

Keeping to my word of the year, I am off to feed my soul!

Feeding my Soul

This week, my friend Kathy joined me in The Underground. She wants to adopt our Tipsy Tuesday tradition and needed a flag. We used the Silhouette Portrait to cut a stencil from freezer paper which we ironed to a burlap flag.

Craft paint was used for the stenciling.

HR agreed to come down to take some photos while we were working. He waited a good 30-40 minutes so we would be in the thick of things. Guess what, we had been so busy talking, we hadn’t even started! Nothing feeds my soul more than spending time with the ones I love!

What, you may ask, is Tipsy Tuesday? Head on over to our Living Richly in Retirement blog to find out.

You can see more of my stencil projects on a previous post here.

For more information on making freezer paper stencil, check out Silhouette School blog.

Soul, my 2016 Word of the Year

As HR and I embrace our retirement years, we realize we are entering the finale. We are determined to make the most of our golden years. With that in mind, I chose soul as my 2016 word of the year. This year I want to do more of the things that feed my soul and less of the should do's, always have done, things others expect me to do, etc.

What feeds my soul?

Traveling around this great country of ours with my best friend and soul mate, definitely. It does take me out of The Underground for extended periods of time, but I do have a spot on The Wanderer to keep art and craft supplies, a drawing kit and my sweet little Featherweight sewing machine.

Spending time with our daughter-in-law and granddaughters, especially when we are crafting. If all goes as planned, we will spend the month of March in a RV park near their home. I believe they have begun a list of things we can make.

Time spent with friends, sipping wine on the porch, riding bikes, caravanning in the R V or doing whatever comes our way. Now that the upgrade is completed, I hope to spend more time is in my studio with my crafty friends.

We have reached the stage in our lives where we have more time than money, some of our financial contributions will need to be replaced with our sweat and talents. We are in discussion about how we can give back while feeding our souls. Not yet a plan, we do have a couple of exciting ideas.

I have hung this sign with my previous word of the year signs in the entrance to the studio as a reminder to do those things that feed my soul.

If you have a word for 2016, please share in the comments.

To see how I make my signs, click here. 

La Villita

New Years found us in San Antonio where I had the pleasure of poking around in the Historic La Villita Art Village. Located on the River Walk, it was one of the first neighborhoods in San Antonio dating back to the 18th century. Now it is home to around 30 art and craft studios, galleries and shops. Since my visit was on New Year's Eve, some of the shops were closed. Still there were enough open to keep me entertained for a couple of hours.

 

I especially enjoyed visiting with Marisol Deluna, a New York designer working with artisans in Texas. In addition to designing fashion, the Texas native has a foundation that supports "the education and mentoring of students and professionals in the fashion and design arts in Texas."

You can see her fashion designs at www.marisoldeluna.com, be 

sure to click on "Meet Marisol" tab to learn more about this fascinating young lady. To learn more about the Marisol Deluna Foundation, visit www.marisoldelunafoundation.org.

Oh, by the way, I came away with this pretty little bracelet! 

Another great find was The Copper Galley; understandably they do not allow photographs. You will just have to take my word for it, the craftsmanship is outstanding.

I had a lovely visit with Ann and Gilbert at Besarte. With a focus on mixed media, the boutique carries an array of art and crafts created by Texans. Having recently played with resin and registered to take a class with Susan Lenart Kazmer next month, I was particularly drawn to the resin jewelry. Besarte is a wonderful place to pick up gifts to carry home.

While I stopped at several other shops and galleries, these are the ones that especially spoke to my interests. Certainly artists and crafters visiting San Antonio will want to explore LaVillita Art Village.