Tuesday, October 5, 2010

JOY

So  I  had  to  give  equal  time  to  the Snowmen--I  can't  get  over  how  popular  snowmen  are,  especially  at  this  festival.   They're  everywhere  at  this  show,  and  they're  always  a  big  draw  if  you  have  them  in  your  booth. 

When  I'm  making  Christmas  holiday  pieces,  I  always  get  very  nostalgic.  Like  on  my  Santa  piece,  I  used  my  favorite  childhood  book,   and  for   my  snowman  piece,  I  used  Christmas  cards--I  think that  they're   from  the  60's--the  time  I  grew  up  in.



I'm  not  really sure  what  era  these  are  from,  but  they  remind  me  of  the  cards  that we  would  receive  when  I  was young,  and  my  mother  always  had  them  displayed  all  around  the house.  I  loved  looking  at  them.  Christmas  cards  were  and  still  are  such  a  great  tradition.  You  just  want  to  send  out  the  holiday  love  to  everyone  you  know.  And  I  liked  using  the  molding  paste  so  much  on  my  Santa--well  my  snowman  needed  some  too!



And  here's  another  very  popular  item  for  me,  and  also  a  very  fun  idea--


These  old  crates--you  probably  call  them  soda  crates,  but  around  here  we  don't  call  it  soda,  we  call  it  pop--so  we  call   these  pop  crates.   I  don't  let  anything  go  to  waste--don't  throw  anything  out--send  it  to  me!

Also--here'a  a  work  in  progress--


I'll  show  you  the  rest  next  week.  Right  now  I   am  a  working  machine--seriously--I  have  no  life  except  making  art.   The  house  is  a   mess,  I  haven't  gone  anywhere  (good  thing,  because  the  weather  has  been  miserable  for  over  a  week  now),  and  I'm  tired.   BUT  I'm  not  complaining--I  do  enjoy  this as  long  as  it's  only  for  a  couple  of  weeks.  This  festival  coming  up  is BIG, and it's  not  for  one  weekend--it's  for  two!  I  found,  though,  that  I  work  well  under  pressure.

And  speaking  of  the  weather,  Fall   here  is  usually  very  nice,  and  it's  my  favorite  season.  The  only  thing  about  Summer  that   I'll   miss  is  going  out  on  my  weekend  outings  to  garage  sales.  I  was  able  to  get  out  a  little  on  Sat.  morning  because  I  knew  that  this  would  be  the  last  time  for  sales  for  me  : (    And  at   the  very  last  sale  I  went  to,  I  found  all  of  these--


 I   was  happy  as  a  clam  to  find  all  of  these  goodies--I  have  no  idea  what  I'm  going  to  do  with  all  of  these  buttons.....but  they  were  calling  my  name!

33 comments:

Lavennz Ooi said...

Hi Diane, thanks for your sweet comment in my blog. And your art pieces are great, i especially like the texture of your snowman!

Micki Wilde said...

Loving all the texture on the snowman, sounds like you will be super busy with all the fairs!!

Here in the uk (my area anyway) the fairs have been terrible, so much so that I decided to do none at all this year, I will be visiting a few though to see if I was right in my decision to pull out.

Hugs
Micki x

Micki Wilde said...

I just read back my comment and realized it sounded none to cheerful lol ;)

Wishing you all the luck in the world with your fairs sweetie, i'm sure you will do fabulously :)

Micki x

Cathy Bueti said...

Diane these are great! Love how you used the molding paste!

Excited for you for your upcoming fairs! :)

Buffy said...

That "POP" crate is gorgeous. I call them soda but alot of people call them pop. Love the texture on the snowmen and those cards. I loke old christmas cards too. I think you're gonna do great at the show.

Unknown said...

Love that crate!

ShabbyChicShaz said...

Loving your santa! Your post has really reminded me that it's not long till Christmas! Alot of hard work, hard crafting to do, which is not that hard at all. Love this season and the anticipation. Wonder what you'll do with those buttons.....

Jeanne Nelson said...

What a cheerful snowman; love his texture and all the vintage cards! Oh my, all those buttons! I'm wanting to open the little books and see what's inside them, ;); I'm imagining beautifully handwritten journals, perhaps? And that sneak peak of your next project is calling me ~~ could it be another gorgeous piece of your handpainted furniture??? The colors are beautiful. You are such a productive artist, Diane; wishing you all the best at your upcoming show!

Isabel said...

Love the crate:O)Love the snowman and the texture,good luck at the show:O)

Joji said...

Diane you are a creating wiz. I like to create under pressure too. Otherwise I'm a day dreamer for sure. I love this piece with the old christmas cards..so nostolgic. Your show is sure to be a success.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

OMG, all those buttons, keys, and rulers! I could build a super assemblage with those. And those little books look like they have some wonderful pages in them. Did I mention the BUTTONS?

I live in the same "pop" locale. Kansans also call it pop, not soda that we get at the grocery store, never the market!

Your snow people are adorable. I can see why you added the molding paste. Great looking texture. I'm really rooting for your two weekend fair outings.

Did I mention how much I love those BUTTONS (grin)?

Brigitte aka Scrappassie said...

Beautiful work, I feel a bit of Christmas spirit itching ;-) You are so busy and still have fun creating all your work, I wish you lots of luck for the coming fairs !

Tina said...

Love the snowman art. So cute and I'm sure you'll be inspired by those buttons and finds as soon as you dig into them. Blessings to you on all you are doing.
Thanks so much for sharing and inspiring us all
T

Unknown said...

Diane these are wonderful, especially love the turquoise heart! I always find myself thinking, "Wow, she made all this!" It's inspiring. :)
Great score on the buttons.
♥Jenny

Dorthe said...

Hi dear Diane,-
I love the snow-folks, they are so sweet, and yes reminds me ,too, how little time there is to create, to christmas!!!
When m all well again, I have to do like you--work,work-
You was lucky ,with all the buttons, I`m sure you will find beautifull creations, to put them on :)
Hugs,Dorthe

kluless said...

Love your use of the old cards. Those were the days for sure! Even until my mother passed away I still looked forward to reading all the cards SHE received at Christmas time and catching up with all the people we only heard from once a year.
Those jars of buttons make my fingers itchy to poke through them - LOL!

sharon said...

I love coming to visit here and love seeing all the great colors and details! That snowman is super Diane, love the whole piece....very nostalgic!

Kelly Berkey said...

once again, you must not sleep! i love all the color and texture and of course i'm in love with faries!
can't wait to see what you come up with for all those buttons!
muah!

Tammie Lee said...

you are wonderfully inspiring, working towards the holidays and your art is lovely as can be. Congrats on the treasures you found.

Theresa MacNaughton said...

Oh, how I LOVE snowmen! I actually have quite the collection of them - they comprise most of my holiday decor. Your art piece and the pop box are both amazing! I don't often like to think of winter goodies until after Halloween, but these frosty cuties made me smile. :) Theresa

Say It In Color said...

OMG....I LOVE the snowmen!!! and the nostalgic feel.....these are beautiful!!!!

Gaby Bee said...

Your creations are amazing as always. Love how you used the molding paste! Great idea, Diane!

Šolanje na domu-Waldorf said...

Snowmen look awesome! Love everything! And since you wanted to know, I love Wyanne's class. :)

Healing Woman said...

Your snowman brings back memories to me too..you captured the look of the 50-s and 60-s in this one.

Yes, I will miss my trips to the flea market too. They have inside booths but it's not the same as scrounging through the outdoor tables.

Anna Rosa Designs said...

Hi Diane,
Gosh, you are a busy little bee!
Great to see you've got stuck into art and producing some great pieces.
Have fun at the fair!
Hugs,
Anna

Theresa Plas said...

Hi D! Keep on making lots of your beautiful art! You definitely have the creative juices flowing! Loving the Snowmen and Santas - great textures! Bet you'll be using buttons on your next project;)

*jean* said...

o your sweet xmas things are just so fun and make me smile! i am lucky to have all the cards my mother saved from the the 50s thru the 70s and i love looking at them...i saw cute, stacked button magnets that seem like something you would make...stack 3 or 4 buttons and add a button magnet on back...

Unknown said...

Your snowman is so amazing.... Love what you are doing...and those treasures...I'm sure you will find something awesome!

Emelie said...

That style of snowman reallyis apealing, and it is for all the same reasons you mentioned. It is amazing that snowmen and santas have a style and a look as well as people. Yet when I think of it new generations come along and see things differently and go with the look that they see.

Your an amazing artist that can go in so many directions, I am sure your feeling like that right now getting ready for your two weekend show. Ihad an enjoyable visit looking at your santas and your snowmen, you move the spirit.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Hey there Diane. To answer your rust question: for rusting nails or ANY METAL (all my metal I used in my previous posts were already rusty), find a container that will hold your pieces. Be sure nails or metal is NOT galvanized. It will rust, but it will take a LONG time to do so, unless you sand it first. To avoid that, just get metal that has not been plated or galvanized.

Back to the recipe: get that NON metal container (grin) and place your pieces in it, then, using FRESH vinegar (yep, vinegar gets "old" when it comes to rusting), pour it over the metal. Make sure your metal is completely covered, then add a tablespoon of salt to every cup of vinegar. This is not an exact science, so a bit more or less salt won't hurt a thing. Sir, put a cover on your container, and wait a few days. This is not instant like rusting paper and fabric when you start with rusty pieces. Give it a good week, anyway. Hope that helps.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

That should have read "STIR," not SIR. I must learn to proof read before I hit send.

HeARTworks said...

Hi Dianne, I know what you mean about the cards- I wonder why we can recognize the era? It's so distinctive! Patsy #39 from
HeARTworks

rachel awes said...

your snowmen
roll up the
balls of joy
in my heart
& give me
carrot-nose
singing!
(love them!!).
xox

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