A Creativity Journal with Heart

God bless Barnes and Noble. They always have a table of deeply discounted stuff. It’s usually strange stuff that hasn’t sold, like mango scented massage kits and books of copyright free designs missing the CD… But on my last visit, they had a journal with black designs and a cool heart (see below) that I couldn’t resist. I love journals and blank art books but I’ve been good this year and haven’t bought every one I’ve seen since I really haven’t been journaling. But this one caught my eye and at half price, I gifted it to myself.

It sat near my work table for a few days, lookin’ pretty but empty. I hadn’t quite decided what I was going to dedicate it to. But a few nights ago, I was reading an article in Cloth Paper Scissors about beginning. So I got up and painted a frame I bought for a piece of artwork from Artsyville meant to inspire me (see below) that had sat white and boring for far too long.

Once I’d painted the bright colors, I got out the journal, plunked myself on the floor and started writing about wanting to be more creative. And I gave myself a couple of assignments for the next day. And every night since then, I’ve come home, had dinner and completed the previous days assignments, before deciding on the next night’s assignments.



I’m feeling pretty positive about this assignment thing. I’m not giving myself huge things to do. I’m coming up with small, manageable, doable things to be done in an evening. Well, really, less than an evening. A girl needs time to read, too! And say Hi to Facebook friends and play with kitties and The Husband. But I’ve really begun to miss dabbling with paints and sticky things and glitter. And I’m happy to have found a method to get me artsy again without unpleasant pressure that would keep me at a standstill, which is where I‘ve been for a long time with the art stuff. I opened Bearchickart on Etsy and promptly focused on jewelry again after a dry spell with that… Go figure.

Then tonight, on the way home from work, I stopped at Borders. Oh, baby, they had plenty of calendars and journals on sale and resistance was futile! I mean, cats, colors and pink paper! So, here are two more, one for Bear Chick/business and one for keeping me on track with dispensing of the clutter in my life. There’s so much I want to accomplish and hopefully, this new assignment method will help…

So, anyway, here’s to a 2010 filled with creativity, art on many levels and fun with sticky, glittery, colorful stuff!

Do What You Love!

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www.bearchickart.etsy.com
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How Bear Chick “Sees” Things

No, it's not the Attack of the Killer Craft Monster! It's just me, with my 4 power lenses over 1.5 power lenses that I can't use for reading anymore...


I don't work with these on all the time, only when I've completed a project and want to go over it with glasses that let me see every last detail. I like to clean up the jump rings, make sure they're as tight and aligned as I can get them. And with these, I can see anything else that might not be "finished".

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. For those of you that got money gifts that are burning a hole in your pocket, Bear Chick is shipping all handmade jewelry for $1 to the US and CA and is also having an earring sale from now till New Year’s Eve! Come see if there’s something special for YOU!

Do What You Love!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

Christmas Gifts Revealed

Now that the presents are open, I can show you what I made The Mom and my BFF, Zan.

I saw these wonderful copper pendants in October and knew they’d make great gifts, adding my own copper chains.

Here’s The Mom’s, with a foxtail chain:

And Zan’s, with a combination of two in two and flower patterns:

I think it’s really interesting in that Twilight Zone kinda way that Zan’s gift to me also involved stars:

This picture was taken with the new Canon camera The Mom sent us for Christmas. I couldn’t be happier with it and plan to use it for all things business and pleasure! Thanks, Mom!

Merry Christmas to all!!

Do What You Love!

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www.bearchick.artfire.com

Bright Lights, Big Neighborhood!

The last few years, our Christmas tradition has been to walk through an outrageously decorated neighborhood in Brea, CA. Tonight we feasted on teriyaki bowls at Panda Express, then grabbed hot chocolate (me) and hot vanilla (The Husband) and headed for the Neighborhood with The Lights.

We are not the only people to discover this area and so as we amble amidst the decorated houses among other excited folks on foot (we actually saw a dad pushing a stroller decorated with electric lights), we carefully dodge cars driven by parents more concerned with gawking than pedestrians. But I digress…

Because The Husband was so busy this month getting his melodrama show, Christmas Calamity, ready for last Saturday, we had our walk a little late in the season and missed the live nativity scene, complete with baby goats and other assorted animals. But all the lights were still aglow and this year there were at least three bands set up on street corners. It’s a great place for young folks to play a little music for an amenable crowd.

I only got a few publishable pictures and this first one is pretty much a pure Out West kinda Christmas sight. Where else do you see tumbleweed snowmen?

This house is famous for the music played and the absolute coverage of every space and surface of the yard and foliage. And this photo only shows half the yard!

Last but not least, I had to have a picture of Eeyore. I’ve been an Eeyore fan since I discovered Pooh late in life, as a high schooler.

We must have walked at least a mile and thankfully, it was in the high 50’s, so the hot chocolate and the constant movement was enough to keep us warm for the hour or so we were there. This is a neighborhood of cul de sac’s that border other cul de sac’s, separated by pretty walkways and greenswards, so it’s easy to get around the various areas and you get to see more and converse with doggies and listen to music as long as you want. Much better than trying to enjoy the lights while driving and dodging those pesky pedestrians!

Hope you get your hearts desire this holiday season!

Do What You Love!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

PS-Forgot one. I like this picture because you can't really see the outline of the house or the trees that are striped with lights, so it's sort of lights suspended in air:

Treasures of Napoleon

Ever think about a certain subject and suddenly, something comes up out of the blue regarding that subject? I was thinking about Napoleon a few weeks ago. There must have been a mention about him on tv or something. Then, I caught a Tweet about a Napoleon exhibit in my own back yard. Do I hear the Twilight Zone theme in the background??

Muzeo is a relatively new museum complex that opened about 2 years ago in Anaheim. It’s been on my list of things to do for a long time but when I found out that they were featuring Napoleon artifacts, I took that as a sign that it was time to go! I drove there this afternoon and parked in a two hour free parking structure across the street (Center St. Promenade) from the museum.


When I walked into the exhibit, it looked really small but the rooms meander around behind the entrance and it turned out to be quite a stretch of the legs. Lots of paintings, maps and illustrations adorn the walls. I didn’t realize that Napoleon’s foray into Egypt, with scientists, writers and artists, was the beginning of Europe’s fascination with all things Egyptian. Just to name a few of my favorite artifacts included in the exhibit: a monogram ring surrounded by diamonds, a piece of the draped fabric hanging in Notre Dame during his coronation (he’s responsible for returning the church back to its religious roots after years as a food storage facility), one of his hats (a summer version--he wore his hats with the points aligned with his shoulders so he could be distinguished from his officers, who wore their hats “fore and aft”). There were a lot of gilded leather folio’s, signed letters and even one of the last shirts he wore on St. Helena’s Island. A piece of his first coffin is one of the last things you’ll see. He was eventually reburied in Les Invalides in Paris.


I’m sorry I couldn’t take any pictures in the exhibit. I tried but the lighting was very subdued and I didn’t want to use the flash. But Museo also has another building of permanent exhibits, with an entire room dedicated to the history of Anaheim. There are also rooms with lovely sculpture and other fine arts. I loved this painting, called The Chariot of Swallows (this is an image from the net):




And I hope you don’t think this is too naughty but it kinda cracked me up. It’s part of a display of antique match boxes from the mid-1800’s. One had two topless women fencing but I thought that was a little too racy for this blog…

So, I had a lovely few hours immersing myself into the lore of Napoleon. He’s pretty fascinating and I’d like to read more about him. He’d been raised from the age of 9 as a military man and I think he didn’t know how to just be happy with what he had. Fighting and conquering was all he knew. Although he did make great contributions to the French by encouraging arts and industry, thereby strengthening the French economy. And one of his ancestors is the creator of what we now know as the FBI. I really do need to read up on him, as you can see.

If you’re in SoCal and can get to Muzeo before January 8, 2010, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

All the Names I Answer To Necklace

The Bead Society of Orange County announced a Name Tag contest for our Christmas meeting way back in the summer. I brainstormed a bunch of ideas and even played with a few but in the end, I decided to pull out my dusty soldering iron and try out the techniques I’d learned in August with Katie Casey. What I learned is that I may have learned this technique but practice, practice, practice is what it’s going to take to really master it (or at least not be embarrassed by the results…). So don’t look too closely at these pictures!

So, these are the names I answer to: Mary, my nickname Mare and Bear Chick, which my husband used to call me.

Once I finished the pendants (I wasn’t happy with the first attempt at placing the soldered rings, so I put them aside for a week and tried again…), I linked them with aluminum jump rings and hung a few fire polished glass beads, since it was for the BEAD society.

I was happy just to get it completed. You know how you want to do something but you just can’t find the time or inspiration? Well, I really wanted to participate and I just made it a priority and got it done (last night, tee hee!).

Everyone who created a name tag got to pick out a string or group of beads from a basket-I picked out pretty green cathedral beads that will combine really well with some shamrock beads I already have, among other things.

Purple, green and gold are the Bear Chick colors and though I wouldn’t wear this necklace out and about, I might wear it when I do shows. It certainly got attention this morning at the meeting. No one else had three names, for sure!

Hope your holidays are relaxing and fun. If you’re still looking for stocking stuffers or other gifts, my Stocking Stuffer sale ($5 earrings, $9 bracelets and $20 necklaces) is still running. And I’m planning on raising my shipping prices just a bit in 2010, so now is the perfect time to get that piece you may have had your eye on!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
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More Yard Sale Booty!

What's better than a community wide yard sale? TWO community wide yard sales! It was a good morning, folks! Let's see what I plundered this time:




Here's the whole kit and caboodle: a cool chain, earrings, a pin, pendants and charm bracelet



Won't that little flower pendant in the lower corner look great with a silver and maybe green flower pattern chain. The other flower, too. And those gold earrings with the awesome shapes~they're destined to be multiple pairs! The different chains within that one necklace have much potential. And I couldn't resist the colors on that enameled pin.

The pretty round connectors of that chain will be so much fun to design a new chain around. The gold heart has some yellow rhinestones, which are cool and will make a great necklace. The stylized cross is, I believe, sterling.

The earrings in the lower right are missing some components but I have black Swarovski bi-cones that will look even better. The charms on the bracelet I couldn't have bought at a bead store for what I paid for the entire bracelet. The other little earrings I'm going to add more components to create a whole different look.

I'm not usually into keys but, ahem, keys with serious bling is a different matter!

Simply charming!

Hope everyone's having fun this year, getting ready for your holidays. I have one more package to get sent to the east coast, my cards went out this morning and I'm checking my calendar to see when The Husband and I get our hot chocolate (me) and hot vanilla (him) and walk through an outrageously decked out neighborhood to see the Christmas lights.

And if you still need some stocking stuffers or little gifts, my $5 Earring, $9 Bracelet and $20 Necklace sale is still on at http://www.bearchick.etsy.com. C'mon by and get some last minute gifts that will be appreciated all year long!

www.bearchick.etsy.com
www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com

Stocking Stuffer Sale on Etsy!

In the spirit of the holidays, or maybe it was the drugs I was on after a root canal, I've lowered the price of some of my earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Isn't it nice to get a bargain, especially this time of year! I've created special sections, so you can go right to the bargains on Etsy but don't forget to look at all the other goodies in my shop that would make great gifts. Or treats for yourself!

Here’s a preview of what’s on sale:



Movie Star earrings for your favorite film buff





Flowers Got the Blues Memory Wire Bracelet for the gardener in the family



Oh Christmas Tree Charm N Bead Necklace for you to wear to all the Holiday Parties

Happy Shopping!

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www.bearchickart.etsy.com
www.bearchick.artfire.com