8 Days of Art

Today's porcelain class awakened my need for clay time!
I've two darted bowls & another Life is Good tile.
In serious need of a full day of underglaze painting.
Today someone said, "How nice, if you have the time." I realized I don't have the time to indulge my depression on the goddamned sofa & yet there I've been for too many Februaries past. This year, I'm making time to bring myself to a place where depression is less likely to sneak in & set up. A place of life and possibilities ...

Seventh Day of Art Challenge

An entire day at the Studio.
When not at the sewing machine, I was thinking about Being at the sewing machine!
First item on agenda: complete Polkadot Cherry Dress. Zipper installed sans zipper foot *proud mo*
Leave studio for dinner (art class in m'space!) only to find myself at Goodwill (in less expensive neighboring town) scouring fabrics & patterns. Scored Harry Potter fabric & cute sporty bottoms pattern for me <5$ :)
While considering design changes to skirt (non stretchy material = add zipper), I deconstructed Daisy Dress. Then reconstructed Daisy Dress. Few more fixes + zipper = wearable.
Harry Potter skirt is cut out & ready for assembly at 1pm Wednesday :)

Art Challenge, Day Six

Day off! Strange not to use the studio for an entire day.
I have one chicken tile sketch to show for myself. For future installation on the chicken coop

5th Day of Art Challenge

Polka-dot Cherry Dress Day!
I'm much more precise this time, knowing do-over time is long. The wonky strap spot can have a red band added easily ;)
There is inch-wide red trim, zig-zag topstitched, between cherry & dot panels on the skirt.
When I assemble the dress, there'll be a red band between skirt & bodice. Tomorrow. *squee*
Do I dare say it? Proud. So proud.

Art Challenge, day four

Studio has wonky weekend hours & I arrived too late for two disciplines. Tiles cried to me!
I've now finished the 4th tile in my Yellow Submarine series:

And my very first labyrinth

Good day!

Art Challenge, day III

Sewing class at the studio tonight.
Sally brought in her new patternbook: Shape Shape. How to sew to cutest layerable clothes.  Looked it up online, I found 8 Simple Projects (wrap shirt, dress, skirt). Basic skills ---> awesome clothes!
Now armed with the Joanne's coupon.... linen tablecloth into dress dreams for me tonight!

Edit: Cut all pieces for cherry dot Dress!

Art Challenge, day two

Another amazing day in the studio.  I was able to finish three of my Yellow Submarine tiles :) They'll be bisqued as soon as they're dry & I'm still planning a giant LOVE hand.

I had much slab awaiting me, perfectly cured for some carving...
Amy Steinberg's design for this years LiG tee shirts.

And lookee this guy!

Happy Mama Today!

February Art Challenge, day i

February is the perfect month to challenge myself with Art <3
I already feel the soulful benefits of regular creation experience, I'm now courageous enough to document my labors of love, loss, healing & learning for posterity.
Today I arrived at the studio and set up camp with Faith, my favorite Singer machine. I pinned my first dress pieces. While listening to The Help.
I broke from manic sewing to attend my Celebrating Surfaces class. Aunt Flo thwarted full creative flow, so I gathered ideas & let them swirl their way to a future fruition.
I promptly returned to Faith & my Daisy Dress, truly returning to the amazingness of my audiobook, to assemble much of the dress. 
As soon as I recognized I'd been pushing it, both listening & creating, I stopped. 7 hours was a great day of creativity!

Oh the Things I Learn

I can almost, almost, giggle at recently receiving TWO blood-relative communications addressed to the wrong name.
It's not a misspelling to call me Diane. It's not my name. My mama loved me enough to put that extra syllable there, I'd appreciate you using it.
Funny, if you've known me more than 3.5 minutes you'd probably know that by paying attention. What does that say for those who've known my name more than 40 years?
It says more than anyone on this planet could ever imagine. (this may be why I'm a theist)
My blog was discovered during a google search for a dead relative.
Now I'll be the first to say I'm sorry my blog contains the only story on the internet about said relative. Not even an obituary comes up. My memories of the guy are just plain unpleasant. I don't have details, I don't have the Big Picture of Him Story. I don't need them either.  The point of writing about his death, was to document and examine my incredibly odd reaction & the way it was completely ignored and not discussed with me by ANYONE.
At this point in my life, I have enough experience with Death to know I've evolved not so far from the girl who was joyous for peace. I've now become joyous to know this hard-to-understand grownup in my crazy childhood found his very own peace through his death. For that understanding, for that Gift to Me, I will be forever indebted to his experience. Painful & confusing as it was for me as a child.
In wanting to respond to an all-caps heart-felt outpouring of concern for my mental health and ability to function within the family unit, I found this:

Our job is unconditional love. 

The job of everyone else in our life is to 

push our buttons. -Byron Katie

So thank you, Dear Concerned Cousin. I love you. I appreciate the examination opportunity brought to me by your pushing of my buttons.  May my pushing of your buttons bring about great joy and love for you and yours.
May you always remember:

"The truth will set you free. 

But first, it will piss you off."  -Gloria Steinem    

Namaste,
diana not diane

A Chicken Lady is Born

Brand New Babies, 2 days old

On March 31, my life changed forever. All I did was get into my car, drive to the feed store, and retrieve some chicks I'd ordered weeks before.  Simple. Profound.  

I received: 3 Australorps, 2 Buff Orpingtons, and one Black Sex-Linked. Though my thoughts on names swirled, I finally decided to name them each for an important female character on Dr Who.  River Song, Rose Tyler, Martha Jones (Australorps) Amy Pond & Donna Noble (Orpingtons) and Harriet Jones, Prime Minister (or MP Flydale North, only elected official in the brood, depending on the day; Sex Linked).  

My Girls, Day 5

Rose Tyler, an easy favorite, even at 11 days

For the first many weeks of their lives, they lived in our living room. Where I lovingly socialized them, hoping for a Reptile Gardens worthy chick (Read: able to play tic-tac-toe).  

Martha, Donna & Amelia  15 days

First order of focus, however, was acclimating them to my interference in their business & busyness.  The Hand came down regularly to hold, groom & reward the chicks.  It was clear from the beginning who liked it (Rose & River), who tolerated it (Harriet Jones, PM & Donna), and who avoided it (Martha and Amelia).  

First Roost, 22 days
Amy, Harriet Jones-PM, Donna,
Rose, Martha & River 

Around 5 weeks, they ventured outside to play. Well, they went outside and stayed in their box the first few times, THEN they ventured out and about... And Amelia went missing.  We live where there are prey and predators. I knew it was a risk, I knew it could happen (counted on it) and it did.  

30 Days Old! <3
(notice the yellow on the Australorp girls is fading!)

42 Days Old, River Donna Rose Harriet Jones PM Martha

  Eventually, the girls were big enough (had enough feathers) to move from the comfort of our living space, to the back porch. There they would stay until their transition outdoors.


...Stay tuned for part ii