I am so behind!

The holidays roll into town and everything seems to fall to the wayside, not the least of which is posting here all the things I making for the holiday craft fairs.

On that note, this is my last year in attending holiday 'craft' fairs and will instead start to focus my time and energy in getting involved in local art fairs.  This is a conclusion that has been long in the making and I should have gotten here years ago.  I have learned a lot along the way, and gained some confidence in my work that I very desperately needed. I am excited to see what the new year will bring!

Here is what I made this year:

Local Flora Impressed Star Ornaments

The stars sold out completely at the first fair I did and I have none left for the second one.  Not too shabby!

Unicorn Poop & Flying Reindeer Poop

I sold half of the poop more or less.  The kids LOVED them as did the cooler adults.  I had one granny come by and looks so offended as she made a nasty little comment to the friend she was with (whom thought they were great) loud enough to be sure I could hear it.  Eat a ween, grandma!

The Sea Witches Ornaments

I called these ornaments,  which was a mistake.  They are more like wall hangings and should be hung in a group somewhere and will likely end up in my house somewheres since not a one sold, yet every person that came by picked them up and told me they were gorgeous!  They will go up on Etsy for sure this weekend, but I will enjoy them on my wall while I can.

Some hanging jellyfish sculptures.  This big beautiful blue one sold (of course) and the rest are just languishing away.  I'll hang them in my art room with the rest of the jellies I have collected over the year.  They will also be added to Etsy over the weekend probably.

You otter have an otter...

2 oz jars

I wanted to make some small pretty, but more monetarily accessible jars, but nobody was interested.  Sad!  They might end up being gifted.

And finally, a beaut I made for me.  Of course, I didn't set out for it to be for me, but it came out so cute, I am nevergonna give her up!  (No, I did not just meant to Rick-roll you, but it happens...)

Until next time...

Here there be dragonflies

Found a project to use my wings on and I love it so much! More to come

Mixed Media Madness

The last time my good friends came over to my house before they vacated the Bay Area for Portland, they caught sight of my naughty bathroom x-stitch I made many years ago.  I have never seen Diane laugh that hard and I promised her I'd make her one for her bathroom as a house warming present.  Fast forward 1 year and 1 month, and we were on our way to PDX for the grand tour and I had to actually produce one for her.  Admittedly, I had literally started this project 3 different times and then gave up because nothing was feeling right.  I did finally settle on a design and just went for it.  What had been dragging me down and taking me months to accomplish with all the false starts, I was able to complete,  concept-to-finish,  in two weekends because when it is right, it is right:

The words are done in a wrapped stem stitch with some french knots thrown in where the font I used called for dots.  It is not the neatest of embroidery jobs, but I still left the back open so that it can be viewed if wanted:

I did my typical flowers, leaves and tendrils on the frame in polymer clay, and threw in little beetles of course because apparently I can't make anything without insects on it.  I brought a couple of the beetles from the frame onto the stitched portion.  I feel like they brought the piece together.

The most serendipitous part of this: she has her new house decorated with this exact color turquoise as the highlight color, and there is insect decor everywhere.   I had had no idea.  The universe just spoke to me and I'm so happy I listened!

While in PDX  I was extremely fairy inspired (anyone who has been to Portland will tell you how magical it is there) so on this, the first weekend since I am back, I decided to figure out how to make fairy wings.  There are tons of tutorials online, so I watched and read a good half dozen or so, and then started playing around with techniques until I figured out worked best for me and followed my own path.  I think they came out fantastic!  I just need to figure out wtf I should make with them.

 

I also discovered Instagram stories (three years too late, hoo-boy) but this story was pretty indicative of my day yesterday:

I also finished my cicada necklace some time ago and never posted.  I see that I had posted the wings whilst in progress, but failed to post final project.  Whoopsies doodles.  Here she is:

New 2 oz jars!

I recently re-organized my craft room.   It took three months of the whole room being torn up as there were some interim issues I had to work through before finishing the project.   I think I might take a little video and post it here if there is any interest.

I made myself a 'gallery' corner where I display all the art I have made.  It feels so good to just be able to stand there and look at all my stuff in one spot.  I highly encourage you to give yourself a gloating spot, too!

I barely did any artsy stuff while the room was out of order.  As it turns out, when your art space looks like a pile of junk shoved in a spare room,  the will to do anything goes out the window.  I did work on an embroidered gift for a family member, but that is still a work in progress.

As soon as the room situation was settled, I made some new jars in a 2 oz size.  I had actually bought the jars before the room disaster so they have just been sitting here calling to me.  OBSERVE:

Props to Christi Friesen who taught a class in the stained glass look where I learned how to sculpt in this style.

And a doodle jar.  I've only used this style on Christmas ornaments in the past. Seems to work on jars too.

Honeybees and Spiders

I don't know what it is with me and insects the last couple of years, but I just love them and they are the only things I want to art.  It is working out though because I think I am making some cool stuff!

Up on my Etsy as of this morning is a beehive stash jar.  It took me literally all day, but I couldn't stop until it was done.  I was driven!

I had a lot of fun figuring out how to make drippy honey and beehive and of course the buzzy bees which I realize look more like bumble bees than honey bees, but screw it, it's my art =P

I also finally got around to taking pictures of my spider web inspired beaded and embroidered necklace:

This is recycled sari ribbon wrapped around 3/4 inch cotton cord.  I then sewed each little bead and pearl on it reminiscent of dew settling on a web.  Next I needled-felted some cocoons and sewed them in place.  Finally I spent ages embroidering about 2 dozen little spiders and I only ended up included 3 of them on the web.  I thought subtle might be better in the end, plus, they weren't looking as hot as I hoped so, yeah.  Voila!

I'm currently working on a cicada necklace that is a polymer and embroidery hybrid (see the wings from the last post) and I have my mind set on figuring out a dung beetle project.  Onwards!

It's been so long since I made a new octopus stash jar, but YAY snuck one in before the craft fair next week :)

A post shared by brandee blank (@brandeeblank) on May 4, 2018 at 4:48pm PDT

Small Listings & other thoughts

I have been in the (slow and arduous) process of updating my shop with some small listings that I have never posted before.  It is SO MUCH work for such tiny items.  But with the craft fair coming up and an itch to get some stuff out there, slowly but surely things are going up.  So far I only have my sari earrings and some of the small faux fairy gardens posted.  This past weekend I worked on re-stringing some of my older pendants that I was never really happy with how I presented them.  They are next on the docket!

I've been way more into getting into the embroidery game lately.  I've got four five six projects that are all started and at various stages of being done.  Here is a little sneaky peak of (yet another) cicada project, nearly finished and update coming:

I've also just realized that I never posted my completed embroidered and beaded dewey spider web inspired necklace because I never took a picture of it.  I'll get to that in the next few days

Special shout out to the lovely woman I just had a chit-chat with at Peet's.  Sometimes all it takes is a few nice words from someone that turns out to be encouragement enough to update a much neglected blog.  Thanks Barbee!

It's been 6 months??

Holy shoot I had no idea so much time had passed since my last post!  I haven't been doing much in the way of making (had surgery so that took a big chunk of my life ) and I came out of that on more of an embroidery kick than working in polymer.  Guess it is image dump time!  I'll start with my latest first.

Embroidery:

Embroidered stuffed cicada inspired bug pin

9 inch long embroidered and stuff beetle wall hanging

X-mas gifties for my nieces:

Mermaid tail necklaces

Ocean waves jewelry set

Group gift special order:

Ocean textures rings

Buncha jars:

Journals:

Succulent necklace: 

Well seeing it all laid out like this I made more stuff then I thought since I last posted.