Monday, January 12, 2015

Mixing Work with Weekend

Well, it was a pretty productive weekend, here at GoodKharmaReThreads' new little studio space.  I always like it when I feel like I'm getting a few things accomplished....and for so long it seemed like my muse had left me, given up on me completely....but she's here and she keeps me filled with ideas.  My job is trying to keep things in order, to get each piece closer to completion, even as I can't stop myself from starting the next 'thing'....

I have managed to get the 'monkey' bag 85% finished....all that's left is figuring out how I want the strap/handles to be attached and exactly what I want this to be when its done.  I love the way the sides turned out and I think I will maybe extend them up with 'loops' made from the same material as the sides, then attach a strap (adjustable, like a belt, perhaps) to the loops.  

I think it will give it that unique look that I'm always trying to create.  We'll see what I've done with this bag by the next time I post.


I have spent most of my creative time working on the brown suede shoes that I started last week.  I have just finished the flora on the first one....I think it looks pretty good. 

I'll begin on the other shoe sometime later today, and it will be similar to the first, at least as far as the colors of the flowers, for consistency's sake.  But I know that each 'plant' will have whatever flowers come from the end of the brush, so they won't be identical, nor will I try to make them be so....that would take all of the fun out of what I do!!











I have selected the 'raw materials' for my next bag, too!  Always an exciting process....figuring out what goes with what and will look attractive and inviting when its finished (well, hopefully, right?).  I am thinking that this bag will be 'upright', basically a grocery shopping bag.  Of course, it could be used for anything, but I usually envision this style to be used for groceries.  I think it will be a very happy, cheerful bag, based on the 'raw materials', colors, etc.


So, I have lots to look forward to this week....finishing the 'monkey' bag, finishing the brown suede shoes, starting the new floral grocery bag, starting the black suede shoes (with starry night skies, I'm pretty sure), and I'm sure I'll work a couple more things in if my muse gets impatient with me....lol!!  She's a real motivator, for sure!  Hope you have a great day!!






Thursday, January 8, 2015

So Much Fun!!

Yes, I'm definitely having fun now!

I've been working on shoes...painting them, actually...and it has it's own brand of joy attached to the visualization of what I want the end result to be, as I spend time tediously painting branches or vines or whatever they will end up being...suede seems to be like a sponge with the acrylic paint...but I've managed to get a few coats on and actually highlight as well these cool shoes...of course, now I have to figure out what kind of flora to add and what colors to use...you see, everything is a surprise for me as I go along through the process of creating each piece...it works for me to let whatever I'm working on kind of tell me what it wants to be...


Yes, artists are a little crazy!  We visualize concepts and then as we make these concepts real and tangible, things change and open as we go...its so much fun!!
I figured out the material for the sides of the 'monkey bag' that I'm working on...unfortunately, the material that I want to use is currently part of a pair of pillow shams...so I have to remove the parts that I want to use for this project before I can jump into making the sides...this goes with the territory of being a reuse artist.  I don't mind, really...it is a kind of therapy for me to take something apart so that I can put something else together.  Making something out of nothing, my forte'!! 

I also decided to see how it would be to put the background in a painting and working from there...I think it gives me, in the case of the Buddha watercolor that I'm currently playing with, a whole different perspective to go from now...the dark background certainly enhances the rest of it, don't you think?  He is definitely evolving...and I'm just plain having fun...I just love working with watercolors!

And I've continued to work on my yellow bird picture...working on more leaves and branches and adding detail and depth to them...such joyful work for me!  I know I'll get her finished eventually...but I don't feel any burning desire to rush this one...too much going on there to flub around...and I don't want to miss anything by getting in a hurry at this point, you know?
I think that is all I've been messing with so far this week...hopefully my next post will reveal a finished 'monkey bag' and a finished pair of shoes...I already have plans for the next pair, which is black suede instead of brown...I'm thinking of trying a night sky of some kind...that is what I feel about those shoes...just will be a blast to see if I can actually pull it off!
As always, I wish you peace and joy...hope you have a great day!...I'll be back in a few with new pictures and who knows what else...thanks for taking the time to tag along with me as I do my thing!  

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Getting Started....Again!

Yes, my sewing machine is running like a top....no loopies or other issues, and I've actually started a fun bag - fun because it has monkeys - and because I really have a great time taking this, that, and the other, and turning it into a useful, attractive piece.  I put a lot of love and joy into everything I sew, crochet, paint, write, or turn into a jewelry item.  It never seems boring, even when I feel overwhelmed with ideas, like the present moment.  My head is filled with visions of so many different pieces...but I know I can only do a few things at one time.
I don't know why I picked the monkeys, except that I think they look cool and the colors are pleasant and I'm having fun matching the other parts to these interesting placemats.  The second picture shows the interior of the front and back, with nice striped pockets, one just right for a cell phone...and the fabric I've draped behind this 'bag-in-the-making' may well end up being what I use for the sides and/or the handles/straps....I haven't decided that part yet.  But it certainly is good to get back to sewing.  I'd forgotten how much I enjoy just doing it
and how fun it is to watch a concept come together into something real.  I will keep posting the progress of this one, of course.  I plan for the sides to be pockets and have pockets, too.  I haven't decided what kind of closure I'll use, but most likely it will be a magnetic snap, unless I find some cool button in my button box that says it wants to be part of this piece.  That's just how it works for me....


I've also started a watercolor of a Buddha statuary image.  This will become framed art, and I plan a series of Buddhas as time progresses and allows.  I just work on him a little every day and basically add a new layer to the picture, since watercolor is just like that.  Hopefully I won't make too much of a mess of him and he'll make the 'cut', along with two different Buddha bags that should get completed in the next couple of weeks, and a couple of other images that I want to paint.

I have picked out a couple of pairs of shoes for painting; different sizes and colors and styles...all from thrift stores, of course; but they're in fantastic condition and very good brands in very good condition to start with....I just have to figure out what I want to paint onto them, what colors, etc., and see how they turn out. I think that one-of-a-kind shoes....hand-painted....are super cool; and I had a great deal of interest in ones that I took to my last vending opportunity, before I relocated from NC to CO.  It will be fun to find out what Coloradans think of my work, you know!

And, I'm still messing around with my bird picture....she beckons me to work on her just about every day....
 I hope you can see some of the leaf detail from this picture...it really started to show up once I put background color....I'm also adding more thick branches and will be adding more details and shading, plus tweaking the background until I get what I want, and then my lovely girl will get her make-over.....becoming a more 3D-looking image instead of a flat thing.  I still don't know if I will be able to sell her....as in my attachment to her and to the quote that she represents so well! I guess
someone will have to love her as much as I do, when it comes down to it.  That is the way it is when you make things and then have to put a price on them.  It isn't like you can go and get one at the store, or will ever create another that is just like this one. But she will be going to whatever markets or fairs or festivals that I find here in Colorado and perhaps someone will fall in love with her, or perhaps someone will want me to paint one just for them.....
Speaking of the custom creation thing....I will be selling the "heart" that I was commissioned to paint....even though the person that ordered it decided, after I had incorporated all that they thought they wanted....that maybe they wanted it in a different color scheme, etc.  I feel that there is another person out there that will absolutely love this one and will 'get' what I put into it to make it special.  So I have a few more details to incorporate and I will be listing this one in my etsy.com store. 
And so this is what all I've been working on as 2014 came to a close and 2015 has arrived.  I feel like its a good start to the new year....so, Happy New Year to one and all!!!  I will keep you posted as these projects progress, get completed, and are replaced with those visions that I have waiting to turn into real pieces.  So much to do, and so much fun to have and share.....peace be with you as this new year brings new things for us all!