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So... I have had a hard time thinking about how to write this post... as I don't want people to think I am completely nuts... but then... anyone who knows me... already knows that I am nuts... so here it goes.

I have a "visualization/wish board" hanging in my house. Basically... I've taken the side of my fridge.. and I post pics of things I would like to get... or like to achieve... or aspire to become... that sort of thing.
Poems... text... snippets of things... photos... magazine cut-outs... all are hanging there by magnets or slips of tape.
I started it about a year and a half ago... and so far... I have been really blessed.

One of the items I posted on there... was a photo of my dream vehicle. I had a fairly new SmartCar.. and I liked it alot... but it just wasn't serving my needs at the time. I needed a vehicle that I could take my parents fishing in on back roads in PA (my dad was terminally ill at the time... and loved fishing). I really loved the Jeep Liberty... but it was too expensive... and I was still paying on the Smart. It seemed impossible. And yet... Last summer I spontaneously went in to my local Ford dealer to look at the used vehicles... and he had a Jeep Liberty with only 30,000 miles on it. Long story short... it was silver (what I wanted) with grey interior (what I wanted)... lots of chrome (a bonus)... AND most importantly... when all was said and done... I ended up owing just a little more than on the Smart... with my payments being about the same as well. Why my FORD dealer had a Jeep... I will never know. But I am grateful.

Also on my wish board... was to get my studio in working order. This was finally accomplished this summer as well... in part... due to help from a friend that was staying with us at the time. She was a great motivator.. and was very encouraging while I was going thru the stuff.

Bu the latest miracle... happened this weekend.
I had posted on my wish board, a photo of a storage system/ cabinet... with 60 drawers to organize my beads and findings. I had little hope of getting it... as it was severely out of my price range. But. Knowing the success in the past with my board items... I just started plugging away... and saving everything I could from Etsy sales. On a lark... my daughter saw an ad on Craigslist for the very cabinet I wanted. I followed thru... and after several emails and phone calls.. the cabinet was mine. Amazingly... I had saved enough money to pay for it.... and even more amazingly... it fit in my Jeep!
As an even more incredible thing... I soon found out that the seller intended on gifting me with ALL the beads in the cabinet... as well as pliers, wire, findings... so much stuff that was completely extra. I am floored. And excited. And amazed. And grateful.
(Any extras I intend to offer for cheap in my Etsy store... to share in the bounty... so stay tuned for some awesome deals in my shop... and some cool projects to come).

The moral of this story is this: Keep dreaming. Don't give up. Nothing is impossible. Know what you want... know that it can happen.... and keep plugging towards it.

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...sometimes you just have to sit down with a hot cup of tea and reflect on things...

(photo by Elaine A. Russell)

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In today's busy, busy times... I found that I was beginning to fixate on the comments that were left on my blog... and it occurred to me... that I started this blog not to receive compliments per se... but so that people can have the opportunity to step --- a little bit anyway--- in to my world. To see things from my point of view. To see my photography... my art... my day. To perhaps inspire you... the reader... to go out there in the world and ENJOY it. Photograph it. Draw it. Embellish it. Make something. Live. Life. Fully.

And so. Please... read! ... enjoy!... spread the word! And don't feel bogged down by having to comment. Take what you love... and pass it on. Of course... be aware that my email address is still posted on the sidebar to the left.. and you can always contact me there if you want to share something :)

The photo for today's post is of the locust tree in my driveway. When we first moved into this house SO many years ago... it was just a struggling little branch in some pretty poor soil. I have tried to nurture it over the years.. .and it has blessed us in return with thousands of bees buzzing all summer long; nibbling on the pollen drenched blooms.... cicadas at night.... hundreds of little finches waiting for me to put out some seed... and more. I love it.

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Continuing on our theme of affordable crafts and such... and crochet in particular...

Today I would like to talk about crochet edges.
Crocheted edges can be applied to so many items... but the one I think of first off, is to add them to pillowcases. What a luxurious thing!

Basically... there are 2 ways to do this.
Either you make little holes on the edge of whatever it is you want to embellish... and then you crochet directly onto the item...
OR...
You make the edging... and then sew it onto the edge of whatever you want to add it too.
Does that make sense?

Anyway... I did a quick google search for edgings... and found a virtual plethora of cool edgings!
(see HERE)... then I found this wonderful link to all kinds of patterns that you can get on-line for free (see HERE) ... But I hit the jack-pot with this great blog tutorial... HERE.

Go forth and crochet!!!

( the samples I used in the photos for this post... were primarily done by my grandmother )...


*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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It is Veteran’s Day here in the United States. 
Let us all stand in support and remembrance for the soldiers that sacrificed their lives, in part or in whole, to serve in the military. Men and Women.... today... and in the past... let us remember them all... with pride and with love.

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(photo is from downtown Albuquerque)


While we are on the subject of yarn... let's take a moment to talk about YARNBOMBING.
Yes, you read that right.

"Yarn bombing, yarnbombing, yarnstorming, guerrilla knitting, or graffiti knitting is a type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted cloth. Examples have been recorded as early as May 2004 in Den Helder, Netherlands. In the U.S., in 2005 Texas knitters used their leftover and unfinished knitting projects, but it has since spread worldwide.[1][3][2] The start of this movement has been attributed to Magda Sayeg, 37, from Houston, who says she first got the idea in 2005 when she covered the door handle of her boutique with a custom made cozy." --- from Wiki

While it's considered vandalous to do this type of art... it has really gained alot of respect worldwide as an artistic expression ... sort of an "uprising of the common people"... Which I truly LOVE.

So... get your yarnbombing on!

...the following STELLAR examples are courtesy of GoogleImages... and show yarnbombing art pieces from around the world...
Read more about this craft at this cool blog I found: YarnBombing ...




(click on images above to see them bigger)

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Last week I spoke about affordable crafts and such you can do with paper... this week I'd like to focus on yarn. Yarn (like paper)... can be fairly affordable... with skeins at local craft stores and such starting at around $4. Of course... they can get more pricey pretty quickly... but there are other alternatives.

Thrift stores generally have a "craft" sort of section... and lots of items can be re-purposed and salvaged... for mere pennies. Some good deals can also be found on Craigslist.com..
Another source... can be Freecycle.org.  Freecycle is a wonderful on-line connection that hooks up people with extra stuff... with people who can use it... and everything is FREE.

I started crocheting a long time ago. I only know about 5 stitches to be honest... but that is enough to make alot of things. Several years ago when my sister lost her hair due to chemotherapy... I made her a grazillion hats. Not being able to read a pattern very well... I winged it. But ... they did (for the most part) turn out pretty cool... if I do say so myself. But mostly... I have made really simple baby blankets.... or scarves.
My mom and my paternal grandmother made tons of lovely crochet items... and I was always inspired by their creativity. A quick search on Etsy. com will prove however, that this is not a craft of the past... but definitely one of the here and now... so go grab some yarn and see what you can do!


*photos and crafts by Elaine A. Russell

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...well... the Dia de los Muertos parade and celebration was this weekend... always a good opportunity to bask in the Mexican culture... as well as a chance to take some cool photos. So... I was anxious to go... but alas... when the time came... I couldn't do it. I have somehow gotten my sleep schedule completely messed up again... and although the festivities were calling... the calls of my bed were louder and stronger.

In light of that ... I don't have any photos from the parade to show you...  but I do have a couple shots of my own offrendas of sorts... in dedication of loved ones who have passed. The photo at the top of this post is of my paternal grandmother... taken when she was about 2yrs old. The other shot is of an altar in my living room... in celebration of fall and all it's bounty.

...blessings to you and yours... those here... and those who have passed...

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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And ...now for one of my favorite applications for recycling paper... JEWELRY!

From the use of Washi paper in Chinese jewelry in the First Century... to today's newest and boldest fashion trends...  Paper has played an important part in jewelry design.
Alot of people only think of paper in terms of photos... and once they've placed their loved one in that golden locket... they're done.
But there are so many other applications.


Medals with pictures of the Saints... charms and remembrance jewelry... Sorta simple... but still lovely.
Then there came Scrabble tile pendants, which became hugely popular several years ago; and it was a great jumping off place for the arts to go crazy. The past several years have seen an explosion in Resin Jewelry... applying paper to all kinds of backgrounds and either setting them in resin... or adding several coats of resin on for a super shiny sealer.


Then there is soldering. Placing all kinds of paper ephemera under glass and soldering around the edges.

Or... (one of my favs)... was the release of the wildly popular line by Susan Lenart Kazmer. All kinds of recycled and re-purposed items set into little charms to add to chains, bracelets... or your own unique jewelry items. She featured little journals... music sheets under Ice Resin... all kinds of cool objects that inspired thousands.


 
And of course... paper beads themselves... like these ones by Jessica Mattingly on Etsy.
Simply cut paper into elongated triangles... wrap around a small wire or tool... glue ... and seal!



*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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Several years ago... I was gifted with a bunch of quilting magazines.
I read them... enjoyed them... and was ready to gift them to someone else..  but nobody wanted them.
I offered to donate them to several charities.. and they didn't want them.
I even tried to take them to the recycling center... and they couldn't take them because of the sheen on the paper.
So. I decided to use them for collage and for envelopes.

Over the years... I have made envelopes out of all kinds of magazines that would otherwise end up in a landfill. I have also used book pages from badly damaged books... calendar pages... and more. Recycling papers of all kinds into envelopes not only saves the environment... but recycles them into a useful item.
Plus... they're kinda cool :)


*photos and envelopes by Elaine A. Russell

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I absolutely LOVE the paper cutting arts.
Cultures all around the world have their versions... from Scherenschnitte... to Mexican Paper Cutting (papel picado)... to Japanese Kirigami... There are SO many wonderful examples of art out there.

But I didn't have to look far for some cool pieces to feature for today's post. I have done some interesting stuff... but nothing like what my daughter makes. And so... the photos for today's post are all done by her.
The one in the top photo is SO small... it actually swims in the ultra small tiny gumball toy lid (not the bigger ones.... but the really small ones). Entitled... "In his own Little World"... it really speaks volumes.

See more about papercutting on Wiki here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papercutting






photos by Elaine A. Russell
***Artwork by Kristin M. Russell

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Today's post is on Iris Paper Folding... which is a craft that I did several years ago. The photo above... is a card I made using this technique. Unfortunately... I don't have a whole lot of examples of things I actually made... so I garnered a couple extra shots from the internet.



The examples above (from Google Images)... show a variety of cards made with Iris Paper Folding. Basically... ANY outer shape (apple, bird, etc)... can be modified for IPF. The "tricky" part... is in the design of the folding pattern itself. Fortunately... there are lots of books out there that give patterns for this... anywhere from tunnel type effects... to circles ... to fancy framing... and more.

The interesting piece about IPF for me... is that there are other applications to this. I envision teeny tiny pieces for jewelry... topped in resin. I see... using alternative materials... perhaps pieces of old tin cans... or fabric... or even wallpaper. Or even... making a sculpture or something 3D.
 The limits are only set by your imagination.

Here's a YouTube video on it:

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And tonight I made soup...


Pumpkin Soup
-------------------

Take a whole pumpkin, cut off the top and save for later. Place the gutted pumpkin in the oven... and bake at 350 for about 40 minutes.
I then took the flesh of another pumpkin (which had been steamed until soft)... and pureed it with a container of soy milk in the blender. 
On the stove top.. .I gently boiled small fingerling potatoes, celery, an onion, a bit of garlic, a small package of corn, about 10 mushrooms all cut up and some fresh herbs from the garden.
Strain the veggies. Add them to the puree .. .and place it all on the stove top to simmer while your pumpkin is baking.
 Add seasoning to taste. ( I used salt, pepper, cumin, curry and turmeric).

When done... spoon soup back into the baked pumpkin shell... add some fresh mint.

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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The applications for working with paper are endless.
Yesterday I mentioned that I used to make alot of cards as a kid. Actually... I still make cards.
It's just fun... and it's also one of the most affordable crafts there is.

Of course... paper crafts in general... are really affordable to make... especially if you use recycled materials.
The photo collage above shows some examples of things you can make... from stuff I've done (except for the paper cutting which my daughter did) over the past few years. They include... drawing... collage... ATC (art trading cards)... mixed media projects... iris paper folding... paper cutting (Scherenschnitte)... monotype printing...
But the possibilities are endless. You can make paper lanterns... anything origami...  window screens...
the list goes on.

Lately... I have been exploring the applications of paper in jewelry.
Paper beads... collage and mixed media pieces... and more.
As always... more to come :)



*photos by Elaine A. Russell