The Potbelly Pixie

Merry late Christmas to me

Look what arrived for me today!  The very same, unbelievably gorgeous, wire and gemstone earrings I had been ogling just a week or so ago, in my blog.

I still want to learn how to do this amazing wire wrapping thing; I'm sure it takes a forever of practice to approach being this good.

In the meantime, though, how lucky am I?, that I get to wear these gloriously pretty dangles.  And how fitting is it that they'll make their debut on New Year's Eve?

Honestly, I have the best husband on earth, that he noticed how much I like these pretty trifles among my ramblings here, there, and everywhere, and that he thought to make them mine.  I love you, Tim.  :)

Shameless invitation

If you're ATCrazed like me, or if you'd like to try your hand at Artist Trading Cards and are interested in swapping high quality, original, mini mail art with me privately, I collect the following themes and would be interested in a trade.  You don't have to be an "artist" and I collect all kinds of ATC's:  hand-drawn, digital, and collage work, among others.  So long as it's original and well finished and it's your very best work, I'm happy.

Please email me at info AT potbellyarts DOT com and let's set up a swap to ring in the new year! 

ATC THEMES I COLLECT
Finished work must be 2.5" x 3.5"

• Cupcakes
• Alice in Wonderland (traditional or otherwise)
• Mermaids
• Geisha / Asian
• Evil Cute Things
• Goth (cute or scary)
• Zetti
• Naughty women
• Cassandra Barney & Scott Radke repros/interpretations
• Scrolls, swirls, checks, & polka dot motifs

CHUNKY BOOK THEMES I COLLECT
Finished work must be 4" x 4" on heavyweight, rigid stock

• 18th Century France, with lots of pink & gold
• Zetti

Santa was kind

I am most blessed.  Santa was SOOOOO kind to me this year, and to those I love.  If I ran down the exhaustive list of the bobbles and trinkets that landed in my lap this past Christmas morn it might even sound exorbitant or greedy, so instead I'll touch on just a few particularly relevant highlights that readers of my blog might find of interest.

First... let me just state publicly that I love, love, LOVE my husband Tim with all my heart!!  (Even when he's NOT buying me gifts, by the way.)  This year, he spoiled me positively rotten with the most amazing array of beautiful and special goodies, including one that's right up my artistic alley -- a pen & tablet, the BAMBOO FUN by Wacom.  I can't wait to get it installed and start playing around with digital illustration.  Whee!!

Second, enormous thanks to my wonderful family -- my sister, parents, and sons -- who equally spoiled me with so many personal and thoughtful gifts.  I especially love the digital frame my boys gave me; when they're out of town visiting their dad, I'll be able to watch a beautiful, ever-changing array of pictures of them and their sweet, smiling faces.  What a special gift.

Last, since I wrote about them previously and posted pictures of everything wrapped, I want to share what the fab folks at www.illustratedATCs.com sent my way via the Secret Santa mail service.  WOWZA, pretty much sums up my reaction to every last thing I received.

Kristi (merricat) sent me a gorgeous bunch of the most wonderful stuff, much of it done in a favorite style of mine -- that of Cassandra Barney, who features slender, stylized women in serene, natural settings.  So pretty, feminine, and romantic!  I was so incredibly lucky to get:

• the most unbelievably beautiful art quilt -- my first ever! -- embroidered and stitched and featuring such intricate detail, with gorgeous embellishments, ribbons, and findings.  I can't wait to find a place for it on my walls; I'm not even sure my house can do it justice, it's that lovely.  And I really don't have words to explain what a precious gift of time and talent and energy this is; I feel incredibly blessed to have received it.  "Thanks, Krist" just doesn't say enough.
  
• a pretty, pretty painting (I think I recognize it as a Barney repro) in a beautiful style, in acrylics, on a square canvas the same size as one that OY sent me (see below)
• a heaping pile of wonderful tea bags, and several squares of sumptuous chocolate.  Yum to eat!
• a popcorn gel pen.  Yum to smell!
• a pretty scarf pin made with pearly, girly buttons.  Very me!

Thanks so, so, soooo much to Kristi for these wonderful, personalized, thoughtful, and beautifully made gifts.  I'm just at a loss for words; I'm that grateful.  Here's what Kristi sent:

Sarah (Original Youth) sent me a heaping gob of incredibly fun, artistic, and beautiful goodies.  First was the Tip Top doll which I actually bought from her as a gift to myself; it's so funky and wonderful; I encourage you all to get one for yourselves!  The face is just outstanding and so depthful, with gloriously pretty eyes and really imaginative detail!  Also, I was such a lucky bugger to receive a second Tip Top -- an ornament (so cute) -- and a wonderful painting on square canvas (the same size as Kristi's -- they're a pair!), also in Cassandra Barney style.  Pretty!  OY also sent me three fantastic ATC's in that same style, framed in matte black and free-standing; they make a great display.  Really, I love them to death, girly.  I got a pedi set; edible tattoos (was that a gift for me, or for Tim???); and some paper bits and Tip Top stickers, which are darling.  Lucky me!!!  And lest we forget, Sarah is also the person who sent me theat fun & funky art doll I posted earlier.  Thanks so much to Sarah for a beautiful hug of gifts on Christmas day.

Last but not least... Robyn (chronata) sent me a RAK (Random Act of Kindness) for being the "address keeper" at iATCs.  Even though she wasn't officially a Secret Santa partner of mine, I can't feel good without posting huge public thanks for the incredible gifts she sent me.  If this is what happens when you become addy keeper at iATCs, maybe I should take on more jobs there! :)

Robyn sent:

• coffee, Life Savers, and chocolate kisses -- delish!
• a bar of handmade soap which appears to have been created by Chronata herself.  It smells scrumptious!
• a heart punch, which I'll use to death
• the cutest little felted bunny rabbit, and a special one at that -- the second feltie she ever made, she wrote.  I know how much work goes into making those so the heart behind this gift really shined through.  I love him!  And his name is Chauncey, a special name for me, because one of my pieces named Chauncey -- a skunk -- won me a huge bear industry prize a few years back.  A wonderful gift!
• a gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous framed ATC featuring a masked harlequin figure.  Beautiful!

Huge thanks to chronata for an out-of-the-blue, wonderful gift.

Did I have a gloriously gift-filled, inspired holiday, or what?!?

Hope yours was just as bountiful...!

It's true

The best things in life ARE free.

I'm channeling ginormous, grateful THANKS to Kirsty, who sent me the most lovely note and an absolutely beautiful fantasy ATC enclosed in her gorgeous, hand-painted) holiday card. 

I'm incredibly touched.

Every day is Christmas

My friend Sarah, who sent me the green & red wrapped goodies, has been noodging me really hard to open one of her gifts in particular -- the one she marked with a tag reading, "Remember, it's the THOUGHT that counts!"  I was getting the idea she was feeling a bit anxious about how I'd receive her prezzie.  So I strayed from my steel resolve to wait, and opened just... this... one... giftie.

And I've gotta admit, I think Sarah is a total nutjob.  It's an art doll, and it's so funky and handmade and entirely cute and cool!  I love the fabric she chose and the details and the way she stitched the hair on bit by bit. I can tell she worked forever on it and it just screams out "made with care and attention."  Even if I hated it, I'd love it, for that reason.  But the bonus is, I love it for that reason, but also because it's rockin' cool artsy stuff.  I feel incredibly lucky and spoilt, which are always two good things to feel at Christmas time.

Thanks to Sarah for being the first person to ever give me an art doll, and for being the first art doll in my collection.  And for clearly caring for me, that she'd work this hard, and even stress a little about my reaction, on such a thoughtful, just-for-me, handmade gift.  To quote my Aussie bear friends, "I'm chuffed!"

Ornament swap

I made this little felted teddy bear head -- my first ever felted bear (I'm very proud) -- for an ornament swap at www.teddytalk.com.  There's 20 gauge wire running through the finished head that connects it to a matte goldtone jingle bell dangling beneath, and I've tied a bunch of fun, colorful ribbon at the neck. Hope my partner likes it!

I received a really pretty icy blue and silvery white mini bear ornament from artist Kathy Taylor.  It's hanging on my tree in a very special spot.  So cute!

It's all about me, me, me!!!

Some more goodies arrived for me yesterday, from the AWESOME folks at illustratedATCs.  I got a huge box of stuff from my friend Sarah, from whom I bought a TipTop doll -- and who also turned out to be my second Secret Santa!  So that was a fun surprise.  I'm practically chewing my arms off, trying soooo hard to keep from tearing into my hand made gifts from people whose work I really, truly admire.  She wrapped my goodies festively in greens and reds.  Pretty!

I also received a package from Robyn; she RAK'd me.  (A RAK is a Random Act of Kindness.)  I feel a little like Sally Field accepting her Oscar all those years ago; I'm so thrilled they actually LIKE me!!   :)

Tulip Fairy

An original art card, long overdue to fabulous bear artist and friend Deborah Burnham.

Clearly, I'm taking the day off

What is this, maybe my fourth post today?!?  Apparently, I am incapable of getting away from my computer this fine December morning.  Or afternoon.  One things melts into another. 

I took a break for lunch and while munching on some seriously yum leftovers, browsed the January IN STYLE magazine (which I subscribed to in a fund-raising magazine drive at my son's high school.)  I found out the magazine website has a "Hollywood Hair Virtual Makeover" where you can even upload your own photo!  I have spent precisely 3.7 minutes in my almost 42 years of life liking my hair, so this sounded right up my alley!  I went there, and of course, the stupid thing didn't work; I got an "unexpected error" message.  However, given that I am a bit savvy with the ol' Photoshop software, I simply did some screen caps of styles I liked and loaded them into Photoshop, and then manipulated them in my image editor.

Using a picture of myself that seemed kinda "average" because that's pretty much how I look every day, here's what I came up with:  a fun little exercise in pretending to be someone else... nine times! 

I often get bored with my hair and cut it when I need a change in my life, only to regret the decision.  So this was also an EXCELLENT reminder to myself that I should never wear short or straight bangs. Or really, really short hair.  Ever... again.  Yikes.

I think I might grow my hair a bit in back, and shorten it in front, to become the next Ashley Olsen -- follicularly, at least.  Wouldn't mind her bank account either.

If anyone reading this wants to try the IN STYLE hair makeover (maybe you'll have better luck; it crashed for me) you can find it here.

And if that doesn't work for you, but you're DYING to see yourself in one of the styles, let me know and I'll see if I can fit YOUR hair makeover into my schedule. :)

Oh, and for the curious who might care ... my current hair style is closest to Katie Holmes (like in my profile picture), and my natural hair texture (I straighten and blow dry the crap out of it every morning) is most like Sarah Jessica Parker.

New obsession

I've been admiring intricate wire-wrapped jewelry for a long time now, and as long as a year ago began collecting materials, tutorials, and even a book by Eni Oken.  It's gorgeous stuff.  My personal preferences run toward the more classically styled, sophisticated, gemstone-encrusted, royalty/renaissance looking, vintage-harkening stuff, rather than the funkier, more modern pieces -- although those are ravishing and impressive, too.  It's only time pressures -- namely, a lack of having any! -- that's kept me from experimenting in this incredibly intricate, pretty art jewelry technique. 

Eni Oken

More recently, on Etsy (my daily inspirational eye candy source,) I stumbled across a few new artists who've also mastered this gorgeous artform.  Check out Magdalena's Atelier and Julida Designs next time you're there.

Magdalena's Atelier

Julida Designs

While browsing Magdalena's blog, I discovered  Iza Malczyk -- don't you just love the internet, how it connects dots so quickly and easily? -- whose work is astoundingly pretty and almost unreal in the amount of unbelievably tiny and perfect detail she somehow includes.

I smell a fun (and no doubt, frustrating -- they always are) 2008 project  in the works... !