michelle my belle

handmade ornament galore!

not totally sure if it was the smartest thing ever,
committing to an ornament swap that is.
but, i just couldn't help myself.

after being at Janne's and messing with DAS
i decided that this was going to be my medium for this year's ornament.
here is the one i did last year.

first i made little armatures out of tin foil.
i probably didn't have to do the arms and legs but it made it easier in the long run.
making the armatures also cuts down on the amount of DAS you have to use and makes the drying time much quicker.

i used my hands and a sharpened pencil for the shaping.
i think some simple carving tools would have made things go quicker and easier.
next time!

they'll naturally air dry in a few days.
i was running out of time so on the second day i popped them in the oven with the door open at 200º for about 20 minutes.

i squeal with delight at how each one inherently ends up with their own personalities.

sorry i didn't take more pictures of the process. :(
for paint i used acrylic's. slightly watered down and layered.
instead of glitter i opted for a bit of Golden's Interference Gold which gave them a nice subdued shimmer.

i've always hated having to use shiny metal in my art.
a few years ago i learned about this awesome product that takes that away.
just make sure that your metal items aren't coated or galvanized and it'll work beautifully.

my mom made the cute hangers for me.
probably cause it was midnight and she wanted me out of her house! ha!

using a hot glue gun i warmed their necks with felt scarves.

and if you're making ornaments, don't forget to put your name and the year.
the recipients will appreciate it as forgetfulness sets in over the years.
(speaking from experience!)

all wrapped and ready to send out in cute gnome bags from ikea.

i'll post the other ornaments from the exchange as soon as i receive the rest of them.

xoxo,
michelle

handmade ornaments

today was yet another long day.
woke up. which was feat in and of itself.
coffee and a few emails.
ran 7 miles with my friend stacey.
checked out my local antiquey junk shop. got a killer deal on a pot rack!
took my employees to a new restaurant in town for rachel's birthday.
picked up my daughter from school. chatted with her and her friend.
studio paperwork and more emails.
grabbed some paints and DAS (which fyi they have at Michaels) from the studio and brought it down to the house.(it's cold and lonely up there!)
more emails and too much thinking.
really wanted to veg and watch tv but just can't justify it.
a little blog hopping for distraction.
finally at about 10:00pm i became creative.
and these are the little varmints that evolved.
edited and uploaded some pictures to costco.
now off to bed.
and hopefully i'll be applying paint to these guys in the morning.
maybe even begin a little christmas decorating.

Studio Sale Weekend One Recap

we decked the halls.
spent days setting up and making things pretty.
tried some new things like advertising on facebook and craigslist.
neither of which worked...that i know of.

this year we wanted to try a Charity Night. our thought was: to raise a little money for a couple of charities and at the same time try to lessen the massive rush we usually get on the opening morning.
oops...
i guess we didn't charge enough ($5). it was utter chaos!




don't judge me by my wrinkled tablecloths! some things have to give.
it was still really fun and we were able to raise a couple hundred $$ for Laundry Love and Open House Ministries. super cool.


jess painted this snowman while staying over at my mom's a few weeks ago.
i'm still in awe! she is quite the entrepreneur. begging us to make prints and magnets for her and scouring my drawers for blank cards that she can make her own.
my heart swells with joy at her enthusiasm.

one weekend down. and one more to go.
first though. Thanksgiving!

today i'm thankful for my amazing employees that bust a move when i need them to.
for friends and family that come beside me in my crazy life.
and i'm thankful and deeply moved by people who like what i do-enough to want it in their homes.
God is good to me.

Reach for the Moon

original painting
frantically trying to get a few things finished up around here.
a much needed container of clocks arrived yesterday.
our Allen Designs annual studio sale starts tomorrow night.

i'm tired.
so many things to do.
maybe i've been Reaching for the Moon a bit too much!
looking forward to Thanksgiving and some rest.


we had went on a mission trip with our church's youth group a few weeks ago.
this was on the drive up. Yakima Valley area.
these things are massive.
they were like beautiful birds.


they made me smile.

clever clocks

Love Bird Pendulum Clock

getting ready for the holiday season,
we've just added a few more items to our blogstore.

Monkey Boy Pendulum Clock


are you a Veteran? if so, THANK YOU!!
thank you for making all the freedoms that we enjoy possible.
-the freedoms that we so often take for granted. :(

Playing with new Art Supplies

while i was in Norway a few weeks ago, Janne and i messed around with some sculpty material called DAS. it was SO FUN. and easy to work with.

initially we made a very rough shape with tin foil.
then we just worked the clay over and worked it with our hands and a few simple tools.
let it dry 24 hours.
and then painted with mostly watered down acrylics.
slowly layering the colors.

this little guy was supposed to be a mouse but i'm thinking he looks a bit more like a bear.

i don't know if you can tell, we added a high gloss finish just to the eyes.
i think it made them come alive.


this was janne's piece.
here is another darling piece she created after i left.

it was refreshing to step out of my "normal" way of creating.
honestly i never would have thought that i was capable of sculpting.
it's a lot easier than it looks.
you should try it :)

Homeward Bound

headin' home.
sitting in the Hong Kong airport
anxiously awaiting the sweet comforts of home.

a peep of what i've been working on.
i'm dying to show you more.
thanks to mean people who copy, i'll have to wait :(

better grab another quick cup of coffee so i can thoroughly annoy the people next to me. (i'm in a window seat-better for sleeping)

Brown Cheese, Blue Seas and Arting

more "Arting".
watered down acrylic on plaster.
unfinished.


ever heard of Brown Cheese?
slightly sweet and soft.
ummmm. yum!
traditional breakfast spread every morning:
bread. salted thin cut meat. spreads. jams. white and brown cheese.
i like this.
a lot.



Janne's pappa, Odd
(seriously. that's his name. and his wife's name is Gunn!)
took us out to sea on his boat today.


as far as i can remember
i've never been out on the sea before.
wasn't quite sure if i was going to get sick or not?
here i am
hoping NOT!


lot's of darling boat houses.


once out past all the cute islands.
and into the 6.5 feet waves.
i surprised myself.
and became a nervous nelly.



the view out Janne's front window


i survived.
no sea sickness.
thankful for yet another adventure.

Plaster Painting and Viking Soup

My pictures don't do justice to just how beautiful it is here.

I'm relishing this time with my friend snapping pictures and dreaming.


The colors of her house are inspiring enough to feed an army of artists.
She's traveled a lot so it's filled with fun treasures from all over the world.


Hard at ARTING! Our new official word.


We visited a gallery on the other side of the island and were inspired by some work done by another artist. So we came back, pulled out the plaster and started playing.


I'm working on getting rid of the Norwegian flag. Just didn't look quite right.
I really like how the plaster soaks in heavier in some areas than others. And very easy to work with.


Janne's girl. Quite daring isn't she. A girl with major attitude.



We also visited the oldest church in Norway, Moster Church.
Lots of pretty important Norwegian history has taken place here.


Viking Stew, based on what they believe the Vikings ate way back when.
Salted Lamb, veggies and beans of some sort. Pretty tasty actually.

And don't worry about me eating enough...
one word.


BROWNiES!

Pig Knuckle, Creating and Lots of Water

Janne and I have been busy.
We've been spending about half of each day sight seeing and the other half doing something creative. Using our surroundings to inspire.

Bomlo, Norway is home to over 1000 islands. Water is everywhere!


In this picture you can see two neighboring islands. Each with it's own unique quaint mercantile. We visited them both. One specializes in yummy fresh cinnamon buns.The other stinking to high heaven thanks to the pile of dried fish lying on the floor beside the register.


Traditionally Thursdays are Komle (potato dumpling) day.
Our dinner included pig knuckle, bacon, sausage, (healthy so far ha!) Komle, potato and Swedish turnip (aka: mashed swedes).


Something else very interesting, and I'm sure controversial, about Norway is that every year they make the income and wealth of every Norwegian taxpayer PUBLIC! Can you imagine? And, for your added convenience, supposedly there's a widget that allows you to link Facebook to these records so that you can see what all your friends make. How nice is that! hehe!

xoxo. m