tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6023852138393163252024-02-20T07:13:17.911-05:00GoodKharmaReThreadsCharissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-64806064209427840962015-11-21T06:12:00.001-05:002015-11-21T06:37:12.465-05:00Holiday Sale! <p dir="ltr">Hey there! I have a bunch of things to blog about, but I wanted to let my readers know that I have lowered prices on all of the items in my etsy.com shop. The prices are good until the end of 2015, so great for holiday shopping. <br>
I don't have all items that I've made listed on the shop site, but I will post pictures and get the listing done as soon as possible. I have no computer other than my phone, so it is harder to get things done, but I will do my best.</p>
<p dir="ltr">***If anyone is interested in custom orders for holiday gifts, now is the time to contact me, so that I have time to get your orders completed and to you.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I will endeavor to keep everyone updated regarding local markets where I'll be vending and any new stuff that I don't have time to get listed but are still available for purchase. ...we can simply do the order without Etsy, as I have the capacity to take credit/debit cards through Square. <br>
Please feel free to visit the GKR shop at: www.goodkharmarethreads.etsy.com<br>
I will also post pictures and keep ya'll updated through the GKR Facebook page at:<br>
www.facebook.com/goodkharmarethreads<br>
And I will try to get pictures up ASAP! <br>
More news is forthcoming, too! So stay tuned. ...namaste! <br>
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-piSmBK02K1A/VlBWziu-XAI/AAAAAAAAQyQ/kvquP0MVgfk/s1600/1448105467392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-piSmBK02K1A/VlBWziu-XAI/AAAAAAAAQyQ/kvquP0MVgfk/s640/1448105467392.jpg"> </a> </div>Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-31852557891373760012015-10-28T16:27:00.001-04:002015-10-28T16:37:14.673-04:00Finishing the Uniform Bags<p dir="ltr">I have to tell you, life certainly has been throwing a lot of curve balls my way since moving to NC. I'm not complaining, as North Carolina is definitely home to me; however, finding space to work has been a challenge. <br>
I am happy to report that I was able to finish the two 'uniform bags' for my client in time for her to take them on her trip to visit her son (his uniforms). And she loves the bags....and he loves the bags. ...and she got another uniform from him, which I will be turning into a backpack/cycling type of bag. I can't wait. ...she loves to give me projects that stir my creative juices! <br>
I will attempt to include pictures of the bags, both in process and as finished products. ...not sure if I can, as I am blogging from my phone and I am extremely technologically challenged. If I can't get them included in this post, I will give you a link to see the pics. <br>
I'm just happy that my client is happy! It is always scary to take the scissors to someone's something precious. ...and I am very tickled with how the bags turned out. <br>
I will be updating you on some of my other projects in my next post. ...hopefully I will figure out the 'picture' attaching....new skills. ...oh boy!<br>
Have a good and peaceful day!</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UmYX449Ph7g/VjEvm9bxS7I/AAAAAAAAQlc/0H9xn5KkXNA/s1600/20150912_080855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UmYX449Ph7g/VjEvm9bxS7I/AAAAAAAAQlc/0H9xn5KkXNA/s640/20150912_080855.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ocf7NOQ_1ro/VjEvnvCUbJI/AAAAAAAAQlk/_OOpc1f10Lk/s1600/20150912_090040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ocf7NOQ_1ro/VjEvnvCUbJI/AAAAAAAAQlk/_OOpc1f10Lk/s640/20150912_090040.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w76fjXBTris/VjEwT4fUGTI/AAAAAAAAQls/kVQ8fnkGubk/s1600/20150912_081124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w76fjXBTris/VjEwT4fUGTI/AAAAAAAAQls/kVQ8fnkGubk/s640/20150912_081124.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-crv6HROHbWc/VjEwUV5l5GI/AAAAAAAAQl0/FLXtcPn5kTc/s1600/20150912_090051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-crv6HROHbWc/VjEwUV5l5GI/AAAAAAAAQl0/FLXtcPn5kTc/s640/20150912_090051.jpg"> </a> </div>Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-77335483633486934692015-06-29T11:08:00.001-04:002015-06-29T11:08:35.275-04:00A Quick Hello. ...<p dir="ltr">We made it to North Carolina on the 18th. ...and due to space restrictions,  I am currently unable to sew.  This makes me sad, since I have a couple of commissioned projects that I can't work on/complete.   I have come to terms with this. ...its not within my control at this time. <br>
I do, however, have my paints, so I am working on a pair of Birkenstock sandals for my mom.  She has graciously opened her small home to the three of us, and I want to do some extra nice things for her as a small token of my appreciation for her generosity. <br>
Otherwise,  I hope to get some more items listed on my Etsy store site. ...that's about all I can do from here at the moment. <br>
I am also going to the beach for a few days. ...R & R and inspiration.<br>
I will post some pictures of the Birkenstock sandals as soon as I can figure out how to handle this delicate procedure from my phone. ...lol! I am not technologically gifted! <br>
But the bottom line is that we made it and we're looking for our own place. I am looking forward to creating a new studio space for GKR. <br>
I wish everyone a happy 4th of July, should I not get back to post anything between now and then. <br>
Keep the peace. ...</p>
Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-53341908018648088912015-06-03T15:21:00.000-04:002015-06-03T15:23:12.131-04:00The News!!<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">There is much to tell....well, nothing is overtly exciting, other than the biggest news....we're moving back to North Carolina in a few weeks!!! GKR gets to go back to her home state, and already we have some vending venues lined up</span>!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dU2ukAsDl0U/VW9PJjqLXiI/AAAAAAAAN3I/hTeNvmwy9WE/s1600/20150522_165344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dU2ukAsDl0U/VW9PJjqLXiI/AAAAAAAAN3I/hTeNvmwy9WE/s320/20150522_165344.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The clients I am currently working on projects for have been awesome! They have each given me the time off for packing and moving, and I'll pick back up on their projects when we get moved and some kind of working area aka studio set up again. I appreciate their patience and kindness more than they could ever know. Waking up this morning without feeling that extra pressure was a big relief.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And that relief has allowed me to get to the business of listing a couple of things that I completed in GKR's etsy.com shop; and, get on to culling (yet again), and packing up GKR for the upcoming relocation. I will be listing these two handbags on etsy....I have been so pleased with the response from people on etsy regarding the painted shoes that I listed, that I hope the painted handbags will garner the same kind of attention. It will be interesting! That's for sure!</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-28eafmlG_AM/VW9QoRhENrI/AAAAAAAAN3U/c9cBWWLTo3M/s1600/20150602_122123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-28eafmlG_AM/VW9QoRhENrI/AAAAAAAAN3U/c9cBWWLTo3M/s200/20150602_122123.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SkCwVA8THc4/VW9QoUi1vzI/AAAAAAAAN3U/j1iMFavpP-E/s1600/20150602_122534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jkqrCm5vuRQ/VW9QocDrXKI/AAAAAAAAN3U/CkvXhOcIIGY/s1600/20150602_122452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jkqrCm5vuRQ/VW9QocDrXKI/AAAAAAAAN3U/CkvXhOcIIGY/s200/20150602_122452.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I think that the sailboat bag will, of course, have a specific clientele. The garden/bird bag should appeal to a wider audience. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I love both of these bags, </span> <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g9fn56LFkRs/VW9QoToRkUI/AAAAAAAAN3U/ekm5cnC-OVc/s1600/20150602_122101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g9fn56LFkRs/VW9QoToRkUI/AAAAAAAAN3U/ekm5cnC-OVc/s200/20150602_122101.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SkCwVA8THc4/VW9QoUi1vzI/AAAAAAAAN3U/j1iMFavpP-E/s1600/20150602_122534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SkCwVA8THc4/VW9QoUi1vzI/AAAAAAAAN3U/j1iMFavpP-E/s200/20150602_122534.jpg" width="200" /></a> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">and they should appeal to a host of people. If you know </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">anyone that might like </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> either</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">of them, please feel </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> free to share....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I have come a long way on the second shoe for the 'lotus blossom shoes' as well:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OrY7vCIi6JM/VW9SXrVwNOI/AAAAAAAAN3k/bFXSvTw8xAU/s1600/20150602_115935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OrY7vCIi6JM/VW9SXrVwNOI/AAAAAAAAN3k/bFXSvTw8xAU/s400/20150602_115935.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">They are probably 85% complete now, so I will pack my paints last....and hopefully get this pair finished, waterproofed, and hopefully, listed on etsy before we head eastward.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">These shoes have been just a joy to work on, each blossom, leaf, etc., is different from any other on either shoe. It has been a fun project for me! And for the next week or so, will give me a 'go to' for expressing built-up creativity! I am going to need that! At least till June 11th, when the Veteran's Thrift Store comes and picks up my current work surface, which obviously won't be traveling with us to NC. By then I'll be so busy getting ready to leave, I will eke out any excess creativity through my pen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I guess that is all the news for now! I will keep you updated, I promise! Until next time, may your path be smooth and your journey peaceful!</span><br />
Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-42817148938380671232015-05-19T20:04:00.000-04:002015-05-19T20:04:10.956-04:00The Uniform Bags - Part 1<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I know, three posts in one day? Well, I have had a lot to catch you up on as far as what has been happening around here. And I have finally gotten myself motivated enough to cut into someone else's son's military uniform, so that I can create a couple of bags for her, so that a little bit of her son is with her whenever she uses her bags....now, don't worry, he's alive and well, just not with his mom. Being a mom, I completely understand!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But it was really something I had to give some time and space to....before I took scissors to something near and dear to someone else....because once its been cut, you can't ever put it back together like it was before. So I had to decide which of the versions of the duffel bag that I had in my head would really be the most attractive use of the uniform's components, and also be the most useful and versatile. The other bag, which will be an extra-large yoga mat bag, should be a good bit easier to put together.</span><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B6mTf3a3Eww/VTU7D_icltI/AAAAAAAAMkk/moEtNuCLA7Y/s1600/20150419_114357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B6mTf3a3Eww/VTU7D_icltI/AAAAAAAAMkk/moEtNuCLA7Y/s320/20150419_114357.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I know I have shown this picture of my 'raw materials' for the bags in a previous post....but I wanted to include it here as a reminder of where I started. I have spent a lot of time rearranging, inspecting, and just plain figuring out how this puzzle was going to fit together suitably. And I sure didn't want to start with the cutting until I had a complete grasp as to what I wanted the end result to be.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3oCWXNPRaa8/VVjIhiyS1ZI/AAAAAAAANT4/pdxwEu4koWg/s1600/20150503_181351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3oCWXNPRaa8/VVjIhiyS1ZI/AAAAAAAANT4/pdxwEu4koWg/s320/20150503_181351.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I made the front and back panels by cutting this lovely pillow sham in half and making sure that the two pieces were 'the same'. I had to close up the back (which faces inside the bag and will actually be concealed once I have made the bag's inside lining) and not have anything gaping or out of line or sync with any other part. I also made the bottom for the bag, using the greenish cargo pants in the first pic.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6JsYlcOiPiw/VVjICLmW2hI/AAAAAAAANTY/Fmc7PPqqyfc/s1600/20150516_163754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6JsYlcOiPiw/VVjICLmW2hI/AAAAAAAANTY/Fmc7PPqqyfc/s320/20150516_163754.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The sides, well, they were more than the average challenge....the width of the bag was wider than my original idea, so I made a couple of pieces from the back of the uniform shirt, added a little ultrasuede pen holder, and commenced to add these pieces to a couple of matching placemats. The big challenge was assembling the sides without sewing them closed, since they will be BIG pockets all the way down each side.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G_AK20aWnBk/VVjICG9xYVI/AAAAAAAANTY/S6I133hB-KQ/s1600/20150516_164139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G_AK20aWnBk/VVjICG9xYVI/AAAAAAAANTY/S6I133hB-KQ/s320/20150516_164139.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Now, these were my conceptual pictures for the front and back panels; the top picture is pretty much how the front ended up (I have sewn these on since taking the pictures) after everything was attached. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The bottom picture is close....I changed the center piece....made it into a big pocket with the pre-upcycled smaller pocket on it and the 'U.S. Air Force' patch is sewn onto the bottom of the big pocket instead of being above it. The squares with </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R3-_8aaQLNc/VVjICCeoejI/AAAAAAAANTY/b44mKiBKaT8/s1600/20150516_164104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R3-_8aaQLNc/VVjICCeoejI/AAAAAAAANTY/b44mKiBKaT8/s320/20150516_164104.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">the identical patches are from each sleeve, and I made the squares, which are now also pockets. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">On the outside of the bag, there are pockets on the front and back, and the sides are each big pockets....lots of pockets, lots of places to put things. I really like lots of pockets, as you well know if you have ever seen my bags....pockets are sort of my trademark....especially those big side pockets.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">That is the story of "The Uniform Bags" so far. Tomorrow I will assemble all of the pieces and that will be what constitutes the outside of the bag. I will also start figuring out the lining for this bag, which, go figure, will likely have a pocket or two! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I will update you as soon as I have gotten more of this bag under my belt, so to speak. Until then, I bid you peace.... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span>Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-73262554477274796142015-05-19T11:27:00.002-04:002015-05-19T11:27:59.307-04:00Project: Lotus Blossom Shoes"Onward Ho!!" as they said when they were trailblazing back in the pioneer days....I have never been afraid to be a trailblazer....<br />
Back in 2010 when I started GoodKharmaReThreads, the upcycling and repurposing craze was underway but I don't think there were many people doing what I was, using items from thrift stores, especially stores with 'causes', so that my initial investment of raw materials for any project was purchased with funds that would partially go to help something or someone. And of course I have donated many items for fundraisers, and also made specific items for special causes. I love what I do! I feel fantastic knowing that there are more artists and artisans that share my philosophy these days. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lwyGOsp_H6k/VVjIYQClzdI/AAAAAAAANTs/7QdZL2aZTVI/s1600/20150506_120109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lwyGOsp_H6k/VVjIYQClzdI/AAAAAAAANTs/7QdZL2aZTVI/s320/20150506_120109.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Okay, on to this project, which I am personally in love with: the lotus blossom shoes! I am having so much fun doing these shoes - and covering up my original and ugly crap with these lovely flowers and greenery. I'm not going to lie....it is a challenge to paint such beautiful examples of nature's wonder, and somehow capture and preserve that natural wonder in my work. I will say that it takes a great deal of time to get these beauties 'right'. I am still working on the first shoe, but it isn't too far from being done, I think. <br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OVrwqR_8_vs/VVjIYV0YLII/AAAAAAAANTs/yw32_YnFd9Y/s1600/20150511_101745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OVrwqR_8_vs/VVjIYV0YLII/AAAAAAAANTs/yw32_YnFd9Y/s200/20150511_101745.jpg" width="200" /></a>Mostly, I'm having to figure in the covering-up of my original little branches that I had painted on the shoes, before I decided to do the lotus blossoms. I am also pretty much finished with each 'blossom' as I go, but I will go back and work on the lily pads and other greenery to give it the depth that goes along with that of the blossoms themselves.<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zTzz68vXbYg/VVjIYWcs9yI/AAAAAAAANTs/rzSXBUhCUSc/s1600/20150511_101801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zTzz68vXbYg/VVjIYWcs9yI/AAAAAAAANTs/rzSXBUhCUSc/s200/20150511_101801.jpg" width="200" /></a>As I said before, this is really a challenging project, due to the layers of color that I am finding necessary for the blooms. But, those same layers work great when I have made a little mistake and can just keep painting till that little blip is no more. <br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P6-vqbX0I1c/VVjIYcZmslI/AAAAAAAANTs/x98Hagr2zkk/s1600/20150513_090602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P6-vqbX0I1c/VVjIYcZmslI/AAAAAAAANTs/x98Hagr2zkk/s200/20150513_090602.jpg" width="200" /></a>Here, I am letting the pictures sort of tell the story of the progression of the project....as one blossom gets completed I have to figure what will be next and start looking for the perfect image to paint for that area of the shoe, always trying to envision the end result....never would have imagined that I'd be turning shoes into works of art, but it really is fun!! It is going to take a while, getting BOTH shoes completed, which I don't mind....I want them to be awesome, and awesome can't be rushed. The base product, a pair of Merrell clogs, in great condition, made of some fabric that has many of the properties of burlap (as far as weave, texture, feel), make for a great canvas. <br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MiV-lInAFzk/VVjIYQVzXUI/AAAAAAAANTs/qW112tjbSYU/s1600/20150514_092815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MiV-lInAFzk/VVjIYQVzXUI/AAAAAAAANTs/qW112tjbSYU/s200/20150514_092815.jpg" width="200" /></a>I will keep everyone posted on the progress of these guys....and I'd love to hear from you....a little input can be a good thing....since I have questions about a couple of things, ideas....such as, should I make these seem like they are part of a koi pond, and possibly add a watery look, or add a koi somewhere? Let me know what you think! I would love some feedback.... <br />
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Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-10137929733561144262015-05-19T10:35:00.000-04:002015-05-19T10:35:11.068-04:00Project: Denim HandbagWell, so much has been going on here at the GoodKharma studio that I decided to do a few blogs that basically are about a specific project; that way, for those that find a project particularly interesting can go straight to the posts that they want to follow.<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fltrAlRf9YY/VUJiokouxjI/AAAAAAAAM-c/m1Mw0PDPR78/s1600/20150428_102420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fltrAlRf9YY/VUJiokouxjI/AAAAAAAAM-c/m1Mw0PDPR78/s320/20150428_102420.jpg" width="320" /></a>This post is about that denim handbag, with cork handles, that I've been working on little by little....and it is very close to completion. <br />
I am finished with side one, the landscape scene, other than adding something to the water - probably some highlights and ripples, or something like that - and looking at it once more to see if anything needs touching up before I seal it with waterproofing sealant spray.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4QCSo119URo/VVjHrVJZ9dI/AAAAAAAANTM/K9Isxp2t2M0/s1600/20150510_114049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4QCSo119URo/VVjHrVJZ9dI/AAAAAAAANTM/K9Isxp2t2M0/s200/20150510_114049.jpg" width="200" /></a>So, for side two, I decided on birds, and chose three to work with....the first two are a cardinal and what I believe to be a finch of some sort....and the third, well, it is from my imagination, other than the outline and pose and such....I made up the colors because the original one was yellow, and I already had a yellow bird on the bag.<br />
But I needed a bird that was not on a branch, something to give the appearance of being near the ground instead, since the other two are on branches.<br />
I am still not completely happy with this side of the bag. I have considered whether or not to add a background to this side, or to somehow outline certain things....I don't really like either idea. I will do some touch-up work on these guys and see if that will do the <br />
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trick to make sure that the dark parts, such as the black tail and <br />
head on the yellow bird, are not lost against the dark denim. Other than that I think this whole bag is very close to completion now.<br />
I am excited at the thought of getting this one out there into the marketplace and seeing what kind of reactions I get. Of course, I would love it if someone were to buy it in the near future....not about the money, just about the exposure for GKR as I work toward using multiple art mediums within a project (I am itching to get to the first Buddha bag, which combines painting with creating and sewing the bag).<br />
There are so many things I want to work on, it is distracting at times. I want to paint, but I want to sew, but I want to paint....and then all that other stuff - cooking, laundry, cleaning, chauffeuring, etc. - that I have to do, which all take away from the art. But I remain dedicated; at least, most days I get a good bit done, fibromyalgia notwithstanding.<br />
Okay, I will go on to my next blog....I have a couple more posts to do to get 'caught up'....whatever that is supposed to mean. Thanks for your interest....if you have any ideas about this project, please feel free to share them....I would love to hear from you!<br />
Until next time, namaste.... <br />
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<br />Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-30600405750273759482015-05-03T13:15:00.003-04:002015-05-03T13:15:52.916-04:00May....Less Painting....More Sewing!<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yes, I've spent a good deal of time painting things....shoes....handbags....and now its time for me to get to sewing. I have several bags to make....custom orders....the first GKR Buddha Bag....and so I will be changing gears, starting today!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I did manage to get a little painting in....what else does someone like me do first thing on a Sunday morning but a little painting....and finished my sandals....good old Birkenstocks that have seen better days, but now have a new face and allow me to 'show off' one of the things I enjoy and want to do more of....the shoes....painting the shoes....I really like the idea of wearing art on one's feet for some reason!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I guess I'll have to 'paint' my toenails so I can wear these today! I'm pretty pleased with how they have turned out....they just need to be sprayed with sealant and they'll be ready to go! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also managed to finish the first side of the little denim handbag I've been painting....I am waiting for my muse and I to agree on what belongs on the other side of this one....I am leaning towards a big butterfly or birds? Perhaps with some big blossoms or branches, depending on which creature gets chosen....but here is side one....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also have been trying to finish 'side one' of an old project that my son brought me from NC a few weeks ago....I thought it was misplaced during my relocation, but I think I just missed a few things, so I was glad to open a box and find this little handbag waiting....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My first butterfly....and I've done quite a bit of work on this one since this picture....so I will update you on the progress next time I post. Hopefully I will have this side finished and get to 'side two' in the near future. A little morning painting each day and I will get it done soon enough....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vXogMqwidEM/VUZUFSN-FaI/AAAAAAAANC0/UAVNP-8qojk/s1600/20150429_135614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vXogMqwidEM/VUZUFSN-FaI/AAAAAAAANC0/UAVNP-8qojk/s1600/20150429_135614.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>I also did this butterfly on paper....and I have two more butterflies to paint....a black one and and orange one...to complete a set of three. It should be pretty cool when they are all done....in fact, I think I might put the other two on 'side two' of this little bag, good practice for the regular paintings.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is just a close-up, to show the detail....I found it quite challenging and learned a good deal about what paint will and will not forgive when doing this kind of work. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Well, as I stated earlier, I will be doing limited painting for a while so that I can get some sewing done, but I will still pick up the brush every day for a half-hour or so....it gives a different kind of satisfaction than the sewing, or the writing....and so I won't just stop painting....it will just become the 'back burner' thing while I attend to the other stuff. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There you have it....switching gears will be okay. I know that once I delve into the sewing and cutting and ironing and pinning and all of the rest....I will enjoy the work....making something out of nothing! It is great fun, and gives me so much pleasure, so it is really all good. I know that I'm blessed to be able to do so many diverse creative activities, expanding GoodKharma as I go....as with the GKR Buddha Bags, which will combine painting and sewing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I should get myself to work now....ironing....ugh! Not my favorite part of the process, but totally necessary. I should have some baggage to show you when next we 'meet'....until then, I bid you peace.</span></div>
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Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-16574132350117344492015-04-21T12:05:00.003-04:002015-04-21T12:05:40.313-04:00Good Things for GoodKharma<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I know, its been over a month, yet again, since my last post. The good news is that I've just been busy....life, family, and dealing with whatever my fibromyalgia throws my way! But I have made a bit of headway....and I have several projects that are close to completion, which is a great feeling. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tLmfVZaT254/VSvItY0NScI/AAAAAAAAMCE/kUfPuSrOzSo/s1600/20150409_153508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tLmfVZaT254/VSvItY0NScI/AAAAAAAAMCE/kUfPuSrOzSo/s1600/20150409_153508.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t0B3k9iJ0aM/VTU7Dza0iSI/AAAAAAAAMkk/S9F3YI9v0tM/s1600/20150413_120547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t0B3k9iJ0aM/VTU7Dza0iSI/AAAAAAAAMkk/S9F3YI9v0tM/s1600/20150413_120547.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These clogs, for example, are very close to completion. I still have some 'fine' detailing to do, and then, when I feel like they are truly done, I will spray them with waterproof matte clear finishing spray. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I wanted to show their progression through the pictures. Its hard to imagine, unless you do what I do, how much work and how many little layers of paint go into each piece. This is why I'm usually working on painting several items at the same time; I'm constantly working on each piece, moving closer to a finished product. </span><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kcZC--fvG30/VTZW-kJNFvI/AAAAAAAAMvE/x8by-lIOWPk/s1600/20150420_081158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kcZC--fvG30/VTZW-kJNFvI/AAAAAAAAMvE/x8by-lIOWPk/s1600/20150420_081158.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These are the 'Dogwood Blossom' shoes....they remind me of the south and of spring, since they are one of the first things to bloom each year. Dogwoods even grow wild in states such as North Carolina, where you can see them in the woods during spring, standing out against the browns of winter and the budding greenery signaling the end of cold weather. </span><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bS3ua_oPciE/VTZW-sdDTPI/AAAAAAAAMvE/Ym6EIerv29k/s1600/20150420_084408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bS3ua_oPciE/VTZW-sdDTPI/AAAAAAAAMvE/Ym6EIerv29k/s1600/20150420_084408.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I think they have turned out very nicely thus far. I wish they were my size....I would likely keep them....but they are 8's, and I'm a 9.5, so they will grace someone else's feet instead of mine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I hope to have them finished by the end of this week, and I will list them on etsy, along with the brown clogs that I have already completed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am looking forward to seeing how much interest they garner. I think I am going to offer custom order availability so people can even send shoes they'd like to have painted.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-chmruDstZhI/VTU7DwXy5UI/AAAAAAAAMkk/3E9qzu9mG9A/s1600/20150419_114420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-chmruDstZhI/VTU7DwXy5UI/AAAAAAAAMkk/3E9qzu9mG9A/s1600/20150419_114420.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Of course, there are projects that are going to be started today and tomorrow, too. I just set up my sewing machine, so that I can work on a few bags. One will be the Buddha bag that I have picked the materials for already; one will be another new concept, using crocheted front and back pieces along with complimentary fabrics for sides, lining, etc. This one will be the prototype, just as the Buddha bag will be the first bag using my usual bag-making materials </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">and featuring a hand-painted image. </span><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TWQxKqpwGh8/VTZW-jpKYdI/AAAAAAAAMvE/wRersTVliiw/s1600/20150420_151350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TWQxKqpwGh8/VTZW-jpKYdI/AAAAAAAAMvE/wRersTVliiw/s1600/20150420_151350.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The one I'll be working on first will likely be a custom bag that will include parts of a military uniform, which was commissioned by a lovely person who had purchased a bag from me a couple of years ago. I have already picked the 'raw material' components, and now I will start putting this puzzle together. I think it will be a truly fun and personally rewarding project. I just love to do this kind of commissioned work!</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WRpOxZ0JlwI/VSvIteugBMI/AAAAAAAAMCE/PiDkALV5QIw/s1600/20150409_153543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WRpOxZ0JlwI/VSvIteugBMI/AAAAAAAAMCE/PiDkALV5QIw/s1600/20150409_153543.jpg" height="111" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So, I really have been keeping busy; and I'll be back, sooner rather than later, with updates on what I've got going on here at GKR. So many steps for each piece, but then that gives me the opportunity to share the process with you all....making something out of nothing! </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SziQfJ9McoE/VTU7D0O6hJI/AAAAAAAAMkk/9tCYyJ79eD4/s1600/20150412_074309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SziQfJ9McoE/VTU7D0O6hJI/AAAAAAAAMkk/9tCYyJ79eD4/s1600/20150412_074309.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">By the way, I'm even working on shoes for myself....I figure its great free advertising! These pictures show the shoes as they progress from my tired old Birkenstock beach sandals to cute little pieces of art! I am still adding more different colored flowers and foliage, but I think I'll be finished with them in a couple of days, being that they are just strappy sandals, so there is only so much area to embellish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thanks for checking in with me. I enjoy my work greatly, and I get caught up easily in too many various projects. I am still at a place where my brain is just swirling with ideas, concepts, and more ways to mix things up. Much peace to you until next time....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-7239608461567174982015-03-18T17:24:00.003-04:002015-03-18T17:24:54.594-04:00Back To Work - Again!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know, its been a month since I last posted. Its been an intense time for me physically, as I have fibromyalgia, and the up and down weather has kept me from doing the things I love. I have managed to get a little done, though, so I wanted to at least share that with everyone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I finally got to the 'art store' and got the sealant spray for my Buddha head paintings (these will be incorporated into bags) and hand-painted shoes. This is great, because now I can make the two 'Buddha Bags' that I've been itching to complete, and I can list the shoes on my Etsy store site. I sold my very first painted shoes a couple of weeks ago - what a wonderful surprise and blessing! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My next jaunt will be to the thrift stores in search of a new iron, as I didn't bring one with me when I relocated, and now will need to do a good bit of pressing as I create bags! I have selected my 'raw materials' for the first one, using the painting that I did in watercolors on linen. The combination of the linen, the silk front and back, the ultrasuede for the sides, the cream embossed fabric for side pockets, and the floral piece that brings everything together, should make for a very elegant, truly original piece. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also started work, painting, on a really cute blue denim bag with cork handles....so I thought you might like a peek at that, as well....it will eventually have birds and flowers and all things spring/summer....and I'm really enjoying making it up as I go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And, lastly, I started on a new pair of shoes....they will feature dogwood blossoms and foliage....I've only gotten the 'rims' started so far, and I plan to put nice big blossoms on the tops....I work on them a little every day, and I am really enjoying the process....more of that making it up as I go....they were originally going to have stars and the moon over water....then the dogwood blossoms came and possessed my muse! And I do trust my muse exclusively!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, now you are caught up on my getting caught up, after being caught up in an abrupt season change that kind of sidelined me for a bit. I will keep you updated on the progress of my current projects, promise! Until then, have a peaceful Spring Equinox and do visit my Etsy store if you get a chance; I will probably have some new items listed by the middle of next week, starting with those brown suede shoes!! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-47013780141210546022015-02-19T11:09:00.003-05:002015-02-19T11:09:54.553-05:00Snow Days Ahead...What to Do!!????<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, I know I haven't been posting for a couple weeks or something like that....I haven't really had anything new to report or show since I haven't made anything, and just have 'ideas' waiting to be turned into actual pieces. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just wanted to let everyone know that there are things in the queue and I think </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'll have some time this weekend to get a few things started, at least. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also, I will be taking pictures today and getting some new items listed on www.goodkharmarethreads.etsy.com over the snowy weekend, so that will be its own kind of progress. It has been a while since I was able to list anything new so I'm excited to see how people like the stuff and also what kind of attention new listings will bring to the GKR etsy store. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I will post another blog entry over the weekend, too. Keep everyone up-to-date as to when you can hop on etsy and see what hasn't been seen yet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Until then, I really just wanted to say 'hello' and let ya'll know that we're still here, just been working on other things (life does have a way of pulling us away from time to time). Winter is definitely a butt-kicker for me, and my first Colorado winter is proving to be rough on my motivational skills, to say the least. But we're here and there will be more to come shortly!! Till then, keep warm and safe and peaceful!!</span></div>
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Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-57958061097637191802015-02-02T14:29:00.000-05:002015-02-02T14:29:25.512-05:00Little Accomplishments<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, I can't say that I've been just busting it....but I have managed to finish three things since my last post, and just wanted to share them with you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> The monkey bag: I decided to do something different for the handle/strap and I really like the result...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I made 'ties' on each end and then ran a matching woven belt through the ties...makes the length adjustable using the belt and using the side ties, which are made from the same soft ultra-suede as the sides. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love the way all of the materials I used for this bag coordinated so well...I'll be listing her on etsy soon. First I have to take her for a test drive to the grocery store to check her capacity and strength.<br />
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I also finished this colorful, cheerful grocery bag, which you last saw as a pile of raw materials....I really love the colors and also the belt strap, and it is very strong...double seams throughout for carrying heavy groceries....I'll be taking her for a test spin to the store this week to be sure she meets my strength standards. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x4dqNiev_LA/VM_JR7ab2uI/AAAAAAAAIZg/C7CUWwVFNv4/s1600/20150116_160540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x4dqNiev_LA/VM_JR7ab2uI/AAAAAAAAIZg/C7CUWwVFNv4/s1600/20150116_160540.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a>And, last but not least, I finished painting these awesome clogs (size 7)...all I need to do to them now is apply the spray-on matte finished protective coating. I really am excited about these...they turned out very well, I think... ...and I've already started on a black pair (size 8) that will be based on night skies...a little bit daunting but I have a vision and I am going to try and replicate it on the shoes. Should prove interesting and probably a bit difficult, but I gotta try!</div>
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What's next? Well, I have a dress to embellish with Oriental fabric; I have a bag, a large handbag or tote actually, that will have crocheted front and back with fabric lining and sides. Still working on matching things up, and I haven't begun to figure out what the straps will be like. I just know these will be fun to do and I like doing fun things...work should be fun, right? </div>
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I hope you have a wonderful day!! And please feel free to share my blog, my Facebook page, pieces of work, etc., with your friends and co-workers...I believe each piece that I create is made for someone individual, and so I want to do what I can to match the persons with the pieces that are waiting for them. And of course, you can send folks to www.goodkharmarethreads.etsy.com if they'd like to see more of what I do. I hope to get these new items and also some of the painted art listed on etsy within the next week. </div>
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Peace to you...thanks for taking the time to come and see what I've been up to!</div>
</span>Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-46210552895446522032015-01-12T15:40:00.003-05:002015-01-12T15:40:50.465-05:00Mixing Work with Weekend<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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'....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MfRi4VMcusY/VLQv1O-u-WI/AAAAAAAAIGE/4W7rCBbXtw8/s1600/20150112_115359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MfRi4VMcusY/VLQv1O-u-WI/AAAAAAAAIGE/4W7rCBbXtw8/s1600/20150112_115359.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a>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. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-53498280256001442762015-01-08T11:16:00.001-05:002015-01-08T11:16:26.923-05:00So Much Fun!!<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yes, I'm definitely having fun now! </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YpN2QLsf6rg/VK6q7ZviM3I/AAAAAAAAHhE/D5g1oy9o6SI/s1600/20150107_161215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YpN2QLsf6rg/VK6q7ZviM3I/AAAAAAAAHhE/D5g1oy9o6SI/s1600/20150107_161215.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">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...</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wJNWxmEvSGU/VK6q7eep69I/AAAAAAAAHhE/NsMhi6uBZHA/s1600/20150107_163413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wJNWxmEvSGU/VK6q7eep69I/AAAAAAAAHhE/NsMhi6uBZHA/s1600/20150107_163413.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">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!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">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'!! </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LoXjiNQjdqg/VK6qVBzGzLI/AAAAAAAAHg8/wdiLdduHKu0/s1600/20150105_123540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LoXjiNQjdqg/VK6qVBzGzLI/AAAAAAAAHg8/wdiLdduHKu0/s1600/20150105_123540.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">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!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">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?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">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!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">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! </span>Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-42998762365741142502015-01-04T20:32:00.000-05:002015-01-04T20:32:22.988-05:00Getting 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.<br />
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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<br />
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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....<br />
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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.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dqo1wp0jXAA/VKnkPNA7FII/AAAAAAAAHLU/Hx8s_WmPwdM/s1600/20150104_125301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dqo1wp0jXAA/VKnkPNA7FII/AAAAAAAAHLU/Hx8s_WmPwdM/s1600/20150104_125301.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a>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!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k6pS5SieKpk/VKnkzblIZnI/AAAAAAAAHLc/HBKLceKC_sc/s1600/20150104_122848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k6pS5SieKpk/VKnkzblIZnI/AAAAAAAAHLc/HBKLceKC_sc/s1600/20150104_122848.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>And, I'm still messing around with my bird picture....she beckons me to work on her just about every day....<br />
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<br />
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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.....<br />
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. <br />
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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!<br />
<br />Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-12636016268148556692014-12-28T19:43:00.003-05:002014-12-28T19:43:31.813-05:00Machinery at the Ready<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Well, I bit the bullet today and delved into my Janome Heavy Duty sewing machine, which had been giving me fits every time I used it, or tried to; and it is not a cheap machine to have repaired, so I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get back to making bags any time soon. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But I repaired the plate and cleaned out the bobbin casing area and she is running like a top! So excited, just excited to be excited about sewing again after such a long hiatus. I think I feel my muse getting excited, as well!! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We have some cold weather ahead this coming week, and sewing will be something I can get into. I also plan to get back to work on some sketches and paintings and maybe even a bit of jewelry...so I will make my snowbound time useful and creative. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">That's really all the news...good news for getting back to work. It seems like I spent the bulk of 2014 living out of a suitcase, and that was okay because it really got me back into painting and crocheting and other such activities that could be made portable. Now that we have a home and I have my studio space set up, I look forward to a productive 2015....I also look forward to finding some fairs, festivals, markets, etc., so that I can get to know the artisan community here in Colorado. If you know of any folks that might be able to help me get more info on the best events to participate in, please feel free to send me a note. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">No pictures today, but I'll have some for sure when I post again, because I plan to get on with creating some new stuff for GoodKharma! Stay warm and keep your heart and mind open....</span>Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-52327620262513920242014-12-24T16:43:00.002-05:002014-12-24T16:43:41.194-05:00Moving In, Moving Forward<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I haven't po</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">sted here since August. That may seem crazy but there is good reason. I relocated to Colorado in September, and endured some adverse living conditions, which were anything but conducive to creativity. Finally, I have a home and I have been setting up my new studio space. It is certainly a</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I have so many unfinished works that I am starting to prioritize and get back to work on. I have so many ideas for new things, modified things, and different directions to go forth with. GoodKharma will have to find new places to be seen in the world. I have much research to do on markets, fairs, and festivals in the area. Also I have to look at the demographics of where the 'targeted audience' for my work hangs out. And I have just tons of things that I'm dying to try and see what kind of response I get from those who understand the concepts behind all that I do under the umbrella of GoodKharma...it should be great fun and allow my creative gypsy muse to really dig in and do her thing!!! I'm pretty excited...</span><br />
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Ahh, some of the Buddhas I'm working on....I have many more to work on, but these need to be brought to fruition first. The first one, on the left, is really just a little watercolor that actually fill just get framed and probably I'll keep him for myself. He is likely too lifelike for most folks. The middle Buddha is in a reclining pose and is acrylic on cotton fabric....he'll be part of a tote bag of some sort, and I already have the materials selected to compliment and feature him properly! And the handsome guy on the right is a watercolor on linen....also to be incorporated into a tote bag....with some beautiful fabrics and textures...so, two out of the three of these handsome me</div>
n will be going places!!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zUiXcrraIds/VJsumjz1AgI/AAAAAAAAHEQ/7mr5_Dxl6Fw/s1600/20141224_123252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zUiXcrraIds/VJsumjz1AgI/AAAAAAAAHEQ/7mr5_Dxl6Fw/s1600/20141224_123252.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a>What's that in the background? Well, still quite the work in progress, but much further along and will be available in a couple of weeks, if I can keep up the good work. I just love quote and designed the picture to go with it.....it will be very different the next time you see it, believe me...but I'm happy with the shape that she's taking!</div>
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Now these two are going to be available, or certainly the heart/eye on the left, as soon as I get my etsy.com site back up and going. I'm not sure about the picture on the right...I may scratch that one and start over. I like it, but I don't. I think I can do better, but it was fun to do, nonetheless...and I learned a few things from it, too.</div>
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And there is a plethora of fabric and yarn and paints and jewelry-making material for me to delve into based on what I feel like making on any given day. I am pretty happy to have this kind of flexibility. Of course, there are some less-than-fun tasks to be done....I need to clean and service my two sewing machines, paint over some old canvases so that they can be reused, and other things that aren't as fun as being in the act of creating. </div>
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Last, but certainly not least, there is my little corner of the office, where I have this little computer to work </div>
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from: for pictures, blogging, redoing my etsy store, ebay stuff, Facebook page updates, and hopefully re-starting my GKR website. Much will be happening from this little desk. I also have three books to write in my spare time. And I'll be assisting my partner with his on-line enterprises. So I will be busy whether I'm in the office or the studio, not to mention the day-to-day activities that happen in between the two locales. You know: cooking, cleaning, laundry, gardening.....life! <br />
So, a hearty welcome to GoodKharmaReThreads' new digs. If you know any artisans/artists in the Denver area or if you know of any markets, fairs, or festivals that you think would be a good fit for what GKR does, please feel free to let me know, as I'll be seeking opportunities to vend starting this spring...and I appreciate any suggestions or referrals anyone might have for me. <br />
May you and yours have a blessed and peaceful holiday season....I look forward to updating you on GKR's progress as we take on the wild, wild west!!!! <br />
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Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-22839310989247847172014-08-04T12:20:00.002-04:002014-08-04T12:20:22.081-04:00Rain...the Blessing and the Curse!I am settling into my new space...my little room where my muse and I can enjoy whatever comes through...so different...took me a few days to realize i can close the door...close the door and listen to good music and write and paint and allow ideas to flow...how did I make it without this for so long. No wonder I gave up my sewing machine, still parked in my bedroom...I know I'll get back there, too...can see that now..<br />
just not ready for that part of my ideas to manifest into reality yet....which is okay, as there is no lack of work and fun and creativity in all areas...inside and out..<br />
The rain should have given me license to come in here and work, but five inches of rain in a couple of days...wow....it became something that made me feel a little trapped...although I managed to get a good start on a painting that I've been commissioned to do for a friend...from a painting she found and loved the message more than the colors, etc...so I got busy and figured out what wasn't quite right about the original image...the message didn't quite match the image...so I have dealt with that as I make this work my own...<br />
it is still a little daunting when I do work for a specific person...have to make myself not allow the fact that I'm making something for someone I already know block the creative process...I'm learning though!<br />
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These pictures are of my sketch and then my first pass at the painting....it still has much more to be done before its finished...but I feel like it has great bones...the message 'open the eyes of my heart' is so beautiful, and the original work was missing the thing that I find captures the truth of it...it had the message and the eye...but it wasn't 'contained' inside a heart...which to me is the whole point...and in the middle of the flower, along with the little nectar-laden things I can't name at the moment...will be a few tiny hearts as well...to me, it will convey the message the way I want to see it conveyed, and will also make it mine...the little things that I perceive as important...fun to get to do this. The person I'm painting this<br />
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for also wanted me to incorporate blues and greens, whereas the original was done with oranges and yellows...so I get to play with that, too. I will work on this more today and by the time I do my next post, it just might be finished...we'll see how it goes, since my muse is torn between writing and painting at the moment. <br />
I'm also nearing completion of my sweet yellow bird singing her special song...so hopefully that will be done fairly soon. I'm determined to get some of the things that I had started and then not gotten back to brought to completion....because there is so much that I want to start and I feel I need to get these other things done before I give myself over to the new things...<br />
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And to add to all of the things I already do, I am getting back into the music, have been doing a little writing and playing....last night I enjoyed playing with my husband and son...as we start to evolve into whatever this incarnation of a 'band' we might become....I know that we'll have a good time, and hopefully get out and play some this fall. Its been way too long....you can check out our former band, which disbanded in the fall of 2010, through our Facebook page or on Reverbnation....we were ShackTown....in case you are curious as to<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hkdw253-t2A/U9-vBIks9AI/AAAAAAAADaw/tRnA1ZzcSbw/s1600/20140803_220901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hkdw253-t2A/U9-vBIks9AI/AAAAAAAADaw/tRnA1ZzcSbw/s1600/20140803_220901.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a> what we used to do....as I said, its been a long time...I didn't play at all for over three years...but I feel ready to write songs again and get out and play and share our music again. It has been such a pleasure to watch my older son grow into his own as a musician, too! We will have a good time! <br />
So, as always, there is so much that goes into being GoodKharma......creativity comes in all kinds of packages and I've learned to be open to all of the ways that I can express myself...it has made this woman a whole person....and knowing that all that I do involves a positive message, or something made from nothing, made from what others would toss away, and turned into something different and with its own beauty. It is my joy to share it all with you, dear readers, and I can only encourage you to do as I do, and listen to your muse, and do something, or many things...it is so important to grow and not be afraid to share all the parts of yourself that make this world just a little nicer, a little better...I've got a muse on my shoulder...poking me...whispering that its time to paint...so I will go...until next time, I bid you peace and joy!
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-6XNLppfZ7mE%2FU9-squHxxjI%2FAAAAAAAADaU%2FK83M_gXV8Y4%2Fs1600%2F20140803_133737.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6XNLppfZ7mE/U9-squHxxjI/AAAAAAAADaU/K83M_gXV8Y4/s1600/20140803_133737.jpg" -->Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-1591369775610527492014-07-29T16:39:00.002-04:002014-07-29T16:39:35.089-04:00New Art Space....No More Dining Room TableI've been busy...<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WSelGuXh_q0/U9f9njwyw4I/AAAAAAAADFc/e6DmojWGdso/s1600/20140728_125238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WSelGuXh_q0/U9f9njwyw4I/AAAAAAAADFc/e6DmojWGdso/s1600/20140728_125238.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>Actually, the garden took some work...lots of work...but in the last couple of days I got it re-trellised (again), took control back over the monster tomato plants, repaired and supported the corn plants, and planted more tomatoes and marigolds...still have to move some of the baby corn plants (not getting enough light), and plant a new batch of radishes and still more tomatoes....we'll have tomatoes when everyone else has none, which is always its own kind of blessing...<br />
Today I also took my art to the kitchen and invented a sauce from the strange green and gold tomatoes...decided it would make a great mexican verde sauce...it tastes divine! Going to freeze it and have it on a mexican dinner night. I have a huge 'bouquet' of basil to deal with and also a plethora of cucumbers...may try my hand at pickling...we'll see!<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hDbtZQMhVzA/U9f92OVHT9I/AAAAAAAADFk/lGX2s_VYC34/s1600/20140729_124738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hDbtZQMhVzA/U9f92OVHT9I/AAAAAAAADFk/lGX2s_VYC34/s1600/20140729_124738.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>Anyway, the big excitement...I took over my absentee son's room and set up my computer and also a wonderful art space for painting, jewelry making, etc. I have been working on the dining room table for a year, so I'm pretty excited to have a place to claim as my own, with a door and everything! Oh, the little things...<br />
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So I have been able to clear the dining room of piles of paints, jewelry supplies, canvases, boards, and other painting surfaces...I've cleared out all of the stuff I had under my bed - shoes, handbags, rolls of fabric (including my geisha girls), and brought my dress form in and dressed her in one of my favorite creations...she's good company - doesn't talk or do anything offensive...just looks cute and reminds me that I still can sew, too!<br />
I also made a little display to take a couple of pictures for you...wanted you to see what I'm up to with those Buddhas (they are matched with the materials<br />
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that will become tote bags...I'm very excited about<br />
mixing painting with bag-making....totable art! I like it. Also, I wanted to show you the shoes I've done and the ones I plan to paint as well as a nice Coach handbag...and my little heart-shaped wooden bird bowl...not sure if she's finished but she's a cutie just the same...and on the easel, my work in progress - my bird board and my butterfly acrylic...the first in the butterfly series I will be doing...so here are more pictures...<br />
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The Buddhas with their coordinating fabrics.. along with the little bowl there on the right...then the red paisley shoes....still need to seal the finish and they will be ready to go on etsy.com...my easel with my current works<br />
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...and some raw materials...a couple of pair of shoes and a lovely handbag..(these can be custom ordered, should anyone have something they would like to have painted just for them).<br />
So I am really excited about my new little studio...soon I will tackle the sewing area, which is in my bedroom and has kind of kept me from wanting to sew...but I will get there...I've gotten this far...GoodKharma is just a busy place these days, between all of the activities....I've even been jotting down some song lyrics and started doing writing exercises to get me practiced for the book I'll begin working on this winter...<br />
I know, I am just one of those people that loves to do everything...I am blessed, and I know it! I don't take it for granted, although there are times when its too much...my mind is too full of ideas for too many different things...and I have to take a break and regroup. But I have a couple of vending opportunities this fall that I plan to work toward, as well as reworking my Etsy store and my Facebook page. I love it all, and hope that my muse will love this new space as much as I do....I'm pretty sure she does; she's had me going all day and I am enjoying every minute of it! <br />
Going to take a break now though, go ride a lovely horse with my lovely niece and enjoy this beautiful day...then I'll come home and do a little painting, I think...that butterfly keeps calling me so I may have to consult with my muse when I return and see what she's up for! Hope you have a fantastic day...I'll be back again soon..until then, much peace and joy to you!<br />
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Yesterday's sunset from my deck...just thought I'd share it with you...I look forward to it every evening as no two are ever the same...namaste my friends!</div>
Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-42048888115534285742014-07-24T14:56:00.001-04:002014-07-24T14:56:28.005-04:00A Little Bit of This...A Little Bit of That....<br />
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I tell you, I've been trying to get back to this blog all week....its just been one thing after a thousand...but here I am...</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--lhPuNsHy-I/U9FIYV4MyNI/AAAAAAAAC6U/Vw5xv54-XVo/s1600/20140721_151312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--lhPuNsHy-I/U9FIYV4MyNI/AAAAAAAAC6U/Vw5xv54-XVo/s1600/20140721_151312.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>I have been working on my watercolor Buddha..he's starting to look like a pretty handsome guy! The way that the statue has weathered has been challenging to represent, especially considering the medium and the fact that it is being painted on fabric...a lot of variables...but I am making it my own so he is turning out well I think...there is so much layering and it gets a bit intense, so I don't work on him all the time...but he's coming along nicely!<br />
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I have also gotten back to my yellow bird poster; I've been working on her shading and feathers and such, and also on the branches...the corkboard is kind of difficult...sometimes the paint goes in a direction or makes thicker lines than I want....so it is yet another interesting project...I have started the first layer of the lettering, too. This one is done with acrylic paint so has a totally different feel of control or lack thereof. It is an interesting contrast to the watercolor Buddha, that's for sure...but she is starting to sing....and I think in the end she will be quite a lovely creature with such a lovely message...so I work on her every day in some way or another.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-caeMVeEN0I4/U9FMPCcor2I/AAAAAAAAC6s/kdcZw0NLRsw/s1600/20140721_170039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-caeMVeEN0I4/U9FMPCcor2I/AAAAAAAAC6s/kdcZw0NLRsw/s1600/20140721_170039.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a> On the GoodKharmaFarm gardening front, I have harvested some of my first planting of beets, and I have tons of strange tomatoes and now I'm getting cucumbers (they are so delicious...it's almost sinful!), zucchini, and yellow squash. I think my second planting of those lovely breakfast radishes will be ready soon. We have been getting rain on a daily basis so things are just growing faster than I can keep up, especially trying to trellis the cucumbers and the gourds..I will be going and working on the gourds as soon as the shade hits their garden bed... above is a picture of a wee baby birdhouse gourd... <br />
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/t1.0-9/10553389_10202396289095242_8009068967116382728_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/t1.0-9/10553389_10202396289095242_8009068967116382728_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>I will be starting to work on a butterfly picture that I started last year, and I will also be doing a couple of other butterflies...possibly it will turn into a series of some sort...who knows? I just know that they always bring me joy...watching them do their thing....I plant flowers specifically for them...yesterday I actually got a couple of pictures of a "baby" monarch...up until now I have only seen one Monarch, and have been wondering if they were ever going to show up...but this young one...so cute...doesn't have the blue spots yet and has a very well-defined 'tail'....hopefully you can see from the picture...I'll be looking for this one and trying to watch it mature...kind of my own little science project, you know! <div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qtsx9wVvuQk/U9FUK_2obdI/AAAAAAAAC7s/J7R0vpQXjn4/s1600/20140721_215336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qtsx9wVvuQk/U9FUK_2obdI/AAAAAAAAC7s/J7R0vpQXjn4/s1600/20140721_215336.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>So that's what I've been doing...not nearly as much as I'd like, but other things (mostly being a shuttle service) have taken much time away from the things that I love to do. Also, I spent a little time with one of the other facets of GoodKharma...GoodKharmaServices....which involved some serious cat-sitting....which is always okay, especially since I was able to help out a dear friend when she needed it desperately. So I got caught up on my favorite HGTV shows and the beasties watched along with me..here are three of them...fourth guy is on my lap...and the tabby in the chair is blind, so he's just listening....they are a joy to be around...lots of comic relief! I am going to get to work on some painting now...my yellow bird, Buddha, and butterflies are calling me...I have the house to myself for the rest of the day so I should take advantage of such a gift. I will keep you updated with my progress and all things GoodKharma!! Have a peaceful day....</div>
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Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-21806354226401151852014-07-17T10:52:00.001-04:002014-07-17T10:52:27.313-04:00Bringing My Muse HomeSo, I got back from my house-sitting job Sunday evening...it felt great to be home....I've been house-sitting A LOT and felt scattered and transient and was ready to be home, even though the work ahead of me here is a bit overwhelming. I won't even begin to tackle my sewing area until sometime late next week...right now my oldest son is preparing to leave next week for work and his need to spread things out and decide what to do with his possessions...what to take, what to leave and store, what to get rid of....is taking up most of the extra space in the house and will until his departure. On the flipside, I am enjoying spending some quality time with him, knowing that this house will soon be emptied of everyone but myself full-time and my husband part-time....it will be very different from how this house has been a revolving door of folks needing a home, or coming to hang out, or stay, or leave, and space being at such a premium...part of why my muse checked out for such an extended period of time....it was fairly impossible to be creative when so much other stuff was going on and distracting and detracting from what I wanted to do....but my muse came home...finally she has decided that she too can finally have a little space here to do her job...being my muse, pointing out more new and interesting things that lead me to inspiration...and I am extremely grateful that she is here. We have so much to do....<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S6zvAXqQVMw/U8fSn9Np8hI/AAAAAAAACkw/u1q6nQO9yes/s1600/20140716_113358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S6zvAXqQVMw/U8fSn9Np8hI/AAAAAAAACkw/u1q6nQO9yes/s1600/20140716_113358.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a>Yesterday, after having had some wonderful rain (finally), my son and I went out and toured the garden areas....picked the first zucchini and cucumbers, along with some tomatoes...there will be tomatoes for a long time to come! And so it was quite rewarding to go around and look at my baby veggies, baby gourds, basically the fruits of my labors as the steward of this blessed piece of land that I am lucky enough to call home. It feels great to know that this is the small beginning of something that I hope will become bigger than me, bigger than anything I've ever done, and something that will ultimately benefit others less fortunate as I work to turn GoodKharmaFarm into a non-profit, slow money entity that will help sustain others in such a basic but necessary way.<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fqFq7_eprvA/U8fYfaMcs2I/AAAAAAAAClA/wsLv8jN9gh8/s1600/20140716_155145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fqFq7_eprvA/U8fYfaMcs2I/AAAAAAAAClA/wsLv8jN9gh8/s1600/20140716_155145.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a>Also, I started picking little areas of the house and decluttering them...and uncovered a few treasures, like some different pieces of foam board that I had reclaimed from the recycle shed at the dump and so I got out a couple of interesting colors of acrylic paint and painted over someone's watercolor prints and will be able to reuse these for my own art....goes back to the original intent of GoodKharmaReThreads that has become GoodKharma Everything....making something out of nothing....And so I just painted over them....as someone will likely paint over my art someday....these things happen...<br />
And I also found a couple of small foam boards that just had prints laid on them, botanical prints from the era of dusty rose and dusty blue and all that...still wrapped in plastic...so I unwrapped and discarded what wouldn't be used and now I have some nice clean boards to work with, too. In the process I actually made some<br />
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space in my room...decluttering! I also got some books cleaned out and listed on Paperback Swap so that they can find new homes.<br />
So, while I hadn't had a chance to make anything, I did make myself useful. A great feeling...<br />
As I was painting over those boards....this is when my muse tapped me on the shoulder...she said..."what about those Buddhas that you started and had to put aside when the house became too small for you and I to work peacefully...where are those guys?" I thought, huh? Well they are right here under this pile of stuff...all these sketch pad and trays and paints and wooden boards, along with all the images of Buddha statues that I found intriguing and artistic and want to eventually try to paint. So once I could move the boards I'd painted over, I pulled out one of my Buddhas...a watercolor on linen that was tucked away in the pile...I immediately realized that I would be mixing colors and trying to get back to the original essence (or not) of what I loved about this image of the Buddha. <br />
Here is what I managed to accomplish yesterday during a couple of hours...<br />
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This first picture is where I had gotten with him before my muse and I had to take our hiatus...I had found this to be extremely tedious at the time....and hard to figure out ..couldn't get the colors to be like the colors I'd used....and my muse whispered to me to mix some colors and get on with it....so that's what I did....</div>
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And by the time I felt finished for the day, as these things have to dry and set a bit...working on fabric is definitely more challenging and interesting than paper....I felt pretty good about what I had managed to do. I am looking forward to getting back to work on him today at some point...either he or my sweet muse will let me know when it's time to sit back down with this Buddha...</div>
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I also unearthed a whole book of poetry that I had written during my teens, and also many poignant quotes that I had written down...and I will be using some of these things as inspiration for posters, the ones that will go on those boards that I uncovered, repainted, etc., and I may dabble with them a bit today, too. It will be interesting to take a quote and interpret it as visual art. I think this will be a fun thing....I had started something of this nature...another unfinished work....that I will also be getting back to....for the little bird, she calls to me, wants me to finish her and write her story.....I used a reclaimed corkboard bulletin board type thing that I brought home last year from the dump....and decided to see what it would be like to paint over...</div>
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So I have much to do...many places to pick up where I left off...many new places to start from....many things whirling around in my head that I want to try to make or do....its why I work much better with my muse's guidance...she gently nudges me toward a single thing to be working on...and doesn't get offended if I can't get into that particular thing at that particular time....like the seagulls I so do want to paint....I spent two days trying to finish an unfinished sketch before I realized that I didn't want to do seagulls then...and I began sketching from a photo from last year of a butterfly...and it came easy and smooth and my muse just smiled...she knew she was needed here and that her room was ready and waiting...</div>
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I'm so glad to have her home!! Enjoy your day...I know I will enjoy mine....who knows what's waiting for me out there...time to go check the garden! Peace to you from me and my lovely muse....from our house to yours...</div>
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I am so thrilled to have finished my little watercolor of summertime blossoms...started in the spring and set aside....well, it is done...and I just wanted to share it with you...still have to take a trip to the Scrap Exchange and find a mat and frame...then I will decide what to do with it...keep, sell, give, donate...I know the universe will furnish me with a sign soon enough...<br />
Anyway, here it is....<br />
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The flowers included, from left to right, purple verbena, brown-eyed susans, pink and lavender butterfly bush blossoms, purple coneflower, red bee balm, black & blue salvia, and red yarrow. I added some grass at the bottom and somehow managed to get a light blue sky in there, after the fact. I guess I don't do many things in the right order, but, hey, it would be hard to change such habits, and I don't think I'd have nearly as much fun or learn nearly as much as I do from the things I create...</div>
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This week I will work on my seagulls...I had started a sketch over a year ago and have since taken quite a few pictures during various visits to the beach that will help me recreate and enhance what I started. I do remember that the original gull flew away mid-sketch and so I would be having to wing anyway. </div>
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Thanks for stopping by my blog...I forgot how much fun this is...all of it...so glad my muse decided to join me again. We have so much to do and make and plant and pick...have a peaceful and beautiful day!</div>
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Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-29228873305159775682014-07-12T14:20:00.000-04:002014-07-12T14:20:11.793-04:00Yep....A Little Progress....This will be a short and sweet post....just wanted to let you know that it seems that my muse is back, alive and well.....niggling me with more ideas....just what I needed, right?<br />
This morning, after that long, long post from last night, it didn't take long before I was sketching in more flowers, from memory, into this little watercolor I started back in April. The black and blue salvia and the brown-eyed susans have both come into bloom, along with bee balm (don't know if I'll try to tackle but I may take a picture and try it....stick a couple in somewhere...to go along with the purple coneflower and the butterfly bush blooms I had sketched back in the spring from memory. <br />
I guess my point is that I am feeling the love of the brush in my hand, mixing the colors, fixing little things here and there. It feels good to let some of this bottled-up creativity flow through the paint onto the paper...really good! So I just wanted to share where I've gotten to with this little painting...still a work in progress...hopefully tomorrow there will be more to see, more to do...<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FJxeNVknick/U8F542fwKXI/AAAAAAAACLo/O5e9tgzb6JU/s1600/20140712_105207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FJxeNVknick/U8F542fwKXI/AAAAAAAACLo/O5e9tgzb6JU/s1600/20140712_105207.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a>And then there's this sketch I started at the beach last year of a seagull....I think I have enough photos to use to help me finish the sketch and paint it...also have some mermaids to conjure for a dear friend...want to make her a mermaid picture and also one painted on fabric and used for a bag...and a yoga mat bag for another friend...already picked out the fabrics...<br />
I'd say my muse is perking up again....I just want to thank the universe for sending this tired soul a renewed sense of self and of how much I love making something out of nothing...maybe that's why the idea of proceeding with GoodKharmaFarm is just as appealing...starting with tiny seeds and making food to feed the hungry, along with so many other useful things...I guess my muse was just as overwhelmed with everything as I have been...maybe now we can get something done! Peace to you....till next time....Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-5759759511853400622014-07-11T23:30:00.000-04:002014-07-11T23:30:47.651-04:00Finally...Relocating My Muse...Wow, I can't believe I've been unable to find my way back here in over two months...what, you ask, could keep me from having anything to say....well...<br />
I inherited the brainchild of my younger son, who wanted to turn our horseless horse farm into an organic farm....I signed up...as his partner....and then opportunity took him back to California, where he is learning many new things about farming and about himself. What kind of mother would I be to hold him back? Not the kind that I am or would ever want to be. So I wished him the best and sent him off with my love and blessings. Of course, all of the seedlings he started died due to our crazy spring, and so I had to choose...start over on my own or abandon what we had begun....so after going through the stages of grief for what was supposed to be, I decided to try and grow some food.<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m-na-WJFT2s/U8CWlfg1L_I/AAAAAAAACIM/MFL1HSWrIQU/s1600/20140606_195327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m-na-WJFT2s/U8CWlfg1L_I/AAAAAAAACIM/MFL1HSWrIQU/s1600/20140606_195327.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vhmgpJtdL3M/U8CVOk-J7hI/AAAAAAAACH0/wi022eFVB_8/s1600/20140606_195254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vhmgpJtdL3M/U8CVOk-J7hI/AAAAAAAACH0/wi022eFVB_8/s1600/20140606_195254.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a>Here were my first little corn plants, heirloom seeds from long before Monsanto existed..planted in June.in one of the four 12 by 4 beds that my son had made....along with three tomatoes that he planted back in May. I don't even know what kind of tomatoes but they became giant plants in no time...I do know they are heirloom organics and each plant has different tomatoes. I also transplanted mystery plants that were coming up in one of our compost bins...one in a big bed and the rest in a different garden area that we had started a few years ago, that gets sun through about two p.m.in the summer....good thing, too...because the mystery plants are delicata squash, a winter variety...The plant I put in the big bed is huge but a haven for squash bugs and such...I am letting it live for now as it seems to be keeping the bugs in its bed and they haven't migrated to the subsequent plants that I have in other beds so far....Well, my garden is thriving now....In my morning sun area I have two basil beds...one with genovese and one with thai basil, all friendly plants that come back from the previous year's seed heads...in fact, I have some plants that appear to be hybrids...genovese thai basil...should make for an interesting seasoning to cook with...I've also managed to squeeze in some lettuce and a few other herbs into these beds, which were originally my 'square foot gardening' beds that the basil took over...we also had made a long bed along our rickety fence that I had gourds in a couple of years ago...this year this bed is full...delicata squash from the compost bin, three kinds of gourds, passionfruit, lettuce, spinach, kale, pak choi, sunflowers, marigolds, basil, and still have a little room for something...not sure what yet....beside this bed I have a few odd snap peas and pole beans from my first try at seed starting...along with some St. John's wort...<br />
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All of the squash and gourds are trellising up onto the fence....hope it will make it through the season without falling over....seriously! Out in my big garden beds I have planted summer squash (yellow & zucchini), two kinds of cucumbers, three kinds of peppers, corn, beets, radishes, carrots, husk melons, cantaloupes, two kinds of eggplant, more varieties of tomatoes, two kinds of green beans, cow peas, black turtle beans, along with beneficial insect attractant flowers on the ends of the beds....I still have more space and I'm sure will be adding more things soon.<br />
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So these pictures were taken five days ago....and of course, things have already grown a bunch since then....I spend a good part of the day watering and trellising and re-trellising and now I will be starting with the natural pest control as the eggplant bugs have arrived...<br />
and we really like eggplant..<br />
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I'm sure you're wondering what in the world this has to do with GoodKharmaReThreads...well<br />
Ifigure that in the end it all goes under the same 'umbrella' of<br />
'GoodKharma', whether it is growing food, house- and farm- and pet-sitting, which I call GoodKharma Services,<br />
so this endeavor will likely be<br />
named GoodKharmaFarms.<br />
The products I hope to make someday....tinctures, soaps, herbal teas, baths, haircare products, even luffa sponges from the luffa gourds...GoodKharma something....I figure you can't have too much good karma...and I spell it with the 'h' to distinguish it from other enterprises out there in the world.<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-csrfcHBtVMY/U8CkT8EFZfI/AAAAAAAACI8/ZBVQHDyJCzU/s1600/20140704_122205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-csrfcHBtVMY/U8CkT8EFZfI/AAAAAAAACI8/ZBVQHDyJCzU/s1600/20140704_122205.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a>This week I harvested my first radishes...and started picking and freezing and using in every way possible the plethora of wild blackberries around the fencelines of the farm....we are also getting a few tomatoes ripening and being consumed as fast as I can pick them...and I made the first pesto of the summer a couple of evenings ago for dinner...nomm! <br />
My ultimate plan for the farm will include a small orchard of peaches, plums, apples, and pears...and a small row of blueberry bushes.<br />
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I would have an herb garden but I managed to dump out all of the seedlings, so I will be starting over with them next week...I have an awesome plan for a spiral herb bed that will be in the yard, and will also disperse some various plants around the place. I hung my first batch of thai basil to dry yesterday...this farming thing is a non-stop enterprise, with me needing to start figuring out when to start seedlings for fall planting and then winter planting....I also will be building a long cold fram bed in the front of the house where it will get the winter sun. I also have several beds of bee and butterfly and hummingbird attracting plants and flowers...pollinators...would love to do bees and have honey, too, as soon as I can fit it in. <br />
GoodKharmaFarm will hopefully become a non-profit farm that will supply organic fresh food to homeless shelters, soup kitchens, food pantries, battered women's shelters, childrens' homes, etc. I want it to be a farm that does more than grow food to sell at the farmer's market. The products I hope to eventually make from the herbs and botanicals will be marketed and sold to help with the expenses of running the farm. And it will be quite an adventure learning how to create such things. I have even considered raising certain plants that can be used for dyes for dying yarn, clothing, etc. We have already gifted the bulk of the land's grass, as this farm was originally hay fields, to a neighbor so that he has hay for his goats and horses and we get our fields mowed without having to pay someone to do it...and what a waste it would be to just mow all that good grass when it could go to feeding something...a win-win for sure.<br />
I am hoping to get back to making bags, and hope to incorporate my painted art (painted on fabric) into them to go a step further in making them unique....all still made with materials from thrift stores...and I will do clothing items by special order. I also will have painted art on canvases or framed available. I would like to incorporate crocheted pieces as well...just have more ideas and plans than time right now. As I sit and type this from someone else's bed where I am pet and house sitting....my last gig until August, I think...I am beyond happy to report that I actually found out where my muse was hiding and started working on a watercolor that I had sketched back in April....it felt really good and healing to be painting again....and I will get on my sewing machine next week and see if I remember how to operate the thing...so there will be more GoodKharmaReThreads...along with many other GoodKharma things out there soon...here's a peek at what I managed to paint today....definitely a work in progress, just like we all are.....namaste, my friends.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JQ00aRO0Owg/U8CrKCkdo7I/AAAAAAAACJM/otmjteXsUyE/s1600/20140711_193529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JQ00aRO0Owg/U8CrKCkdo7I/AAAAAAAACJM/otmjteXsUyE/s1600/20140711_193529.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-iwbsFbh8sIM%2FU8CdJycZzGI%2FAAAAAAAACIs%2FdvUEvr0E_w8%2Fs1600%2F20140705_163939.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iwbsFbh8sIM/U8CdJycZzGI/AAAAAAAACIs/dvUEvr0E_w8/s1600/20140705_163939.jpg" -->Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-602385213839316325.post-91026168116755822552014-05-03T10:20:00.001-04:002014-05-03T10:20:18.763-04:00Getting Back to Blogging....Well, it seems I've been on hiatus in a big way....wish I could tell you its because I've been so busy creating things....and its not that I haven't been creating things, its just that I have encountered many blockages and many distractions and life has kept me spinning in ways that have made working very hard for me....<br />
The good news is that I am finally feeling like winter is over and spring is here and its time to get back to making beautiful things...<br />
I have changed....things have happened in my personal life that have at times seemed to suck the life and creative energy right out of me. I am awakening from this finally....I have plans for things...things I want to make....things I want to paint....sew....turn into new things...<br />
This is good...this is very good....I will post some pictures of what I've been working on soon...I am not on my own computer so I don't have my own files to pull pictures from at the moment. I just felt like it was time for me to check back in...to this blog, to my creative energy, to all the good stuff...<br />
I have done alot of purging during my time as a hermit and recluse and it has been very good for me, given me new directions to go in and allowed me to let go of the work that no longer fulfills me as an artisan. One of these things is the re-making of clothing items...I don't want to concentrate on this anymore...I don't enjoy it at the present time. I have decided to concentrate on making the many different types of bags, and incorporating my painting into the bags. I also have been working on wall hangings, furniture, a few jewelry items, and I am finding my groove again...at least I hope so!<br />
I think being an artist or artisan or craftperson or writer or dancer or whatever comes with highs and lows. Sometimes I am overwhelmed with ideas for things to make...sometimes I sit down to make or paint something and realize that my muse is vacationing somewhere and unavailable to me...and I get up and go do something else....<br />
My newest endeaver is an organic garden of foods and herbs and flowers....I plan to learn to make skin care products, hair care products, tinctures, soaps, teas, bath soaks....as well as fill my freezer with food for the winter to come, and share the abundance with homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and food pantries for those who wouldn't have anything to eat without people's donations of food, money, time, etc. I think that this path will be extremely fulfilling...which is good, since it is also going to be extremely labor-intensive and filled with botched batches of things I try to make. It is all good...it all comes from a special place inside me that I want to expand and explore and grow....along with all that I will plant and nurture and infuse with love and goodness.<br />
So here's to spring....emerging from the dark, deep sleep of winter, after many life-changing experiences....may spring bring forth many new and wonderful things and much creativity....<br />
I will be back regularly and will post some pictures soon....thanks for your patience and support through my time of transformation.... Charissa Vallejohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17579965654458574291noreply@blogger.com0