Done!

The Marionette's, Roderick & Madeline 

wool applique on cotton, with charcoal on paper

18" x 14", finished

©2011 Danielle Crane

ACEO

...or Artist Cards, Editions and Originals.

They are collector cards, essentially. They can only be 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" in size but that is the only restriction. So, since I was taking pictures of the ACEO's I've made, I thought I'd make a little collage of the finished cards to show you. Later today, they'll be for sale in my etsy shop.

Do they look familiar? They should. I'm going to make ACEO portraits of the portraits I make with wool and cotton. They are really fun to make! I enjoy the change up from sewing to drawing, from BIG to teeny tiny.

Five for Friday and a Bit of a Break

For the next few weeks I will be taking a bit of a blog break. At least through spring break, which is the first week of April. I just need to get my butt in gear in various areas and I think I need to eliminate some of the convenient distractions that surround me.

What will I be doing?

1. Finishing off the Circus Series. It needs to be done and done. My list of portraits that I'd like to do this year (or decade, whatever) is quite long and by May I should be working on Halloween exclusively. Eek! (Plus I really want to get this ACEO thing going.)

2. This garden of mine is going to be very needy at the beginning. Although, perhaps not as soon as I thought as I sit here looking at snow outside my window.

3. Our family is taking a wee vacation at the beginning of spring break. I'd like to, by then, be able to give them my undivided attention with all my "to-do's" behind me.

4. Any computer time needs to spent taking pictures of new work, filling up my Etsy shop, updating my web shop, applying to art shows.

5. Giving my neglected house some TLC. The changing of the seasons in a big, old house require lots of preparation, inside and out. And, living in Michigan, the weather is unpredictable (and that's putting it mildly). Around here, when the sun comes out and the air warms up, you have to take advantage of it ASAP!

I will take pictures throughout and will update as I can. In the meantime, have a wonderful few weeks and  a Happy Easter! I'll see you that following Monday!

Process- Part 2

It's a bit slow going here.

I've been getting caught up in the many things that there are to do when Spring arrives. Not that I'm complaining too much. It's been nice taking walks and cleaning up the yard and getting ready for the garden. I've been enjoying the sunshine. (As I write this, it is grey, very cold and we're expecting snow. Sigh...)

So...What I'm saying is, I haven't gotten very far with my marionettes. I've made progress but I was originally 
planning to have them finished by now. I have decided on there names. I wanted a literary brother and sister to be my inspiration. Where to go? Poe! Of, course! Therefore, I'd like to introduce you to (the beginning of) Roderick and Madeline. (The Fall of the House of Usher)

 Outfits done.

 Hair cut out.

 Heads stitched and eyeballs in place.

Now for the fun part, details!

I have also begun making ACEO's. More on that when I have more to show!

Garden Prep 2011

It's time to start working on my garden. I reality, not just my day dreams!

According to my calendar and last frost dates, I need to start my seeds indoors this week and, as of this coming weekend, I can plant spinach seeds outdoors. Woo Hoo!!! Further proof that spring is here.

So, on Monday, I spent some time getting things together.

And, I made up my planting guide for my four raised beds. They are big and bright and pretty straight forward.

My when-to-plant guide thanks to Thy Hand Hath Provided. Very helpful!!!

As you may recall, earlier this year I said that I wanted my garden to be different this year. I wanted to only plant what we would truly use and I wanted to plant enough to get our family through the year. This "How Much To Plant Per Person" guide (The Grocery Shrink) was also very helpful.

 Here is what I decided on:

leaf lettuce- 5 squares/80 plants                         cherry tomatoes- 3 squares/3 plants
thyme-  2 squares/4 plants                                 roma tomatoes- 3 squares/3 plants
swiss chard- 2 squares/4 plants                          parsley- 2 squares/4 plants
kale- 4 squares/8 plants                                     carrots- 15 squares/240 plants
basil- 2 squares/ 2 plants                                    broccoli- 15 squares/15 plants
spinach- 5 squares/45 plants                              cauliflower- 4 squares/4 plants
potatoes- 15 squares/30 plants                           rosemary- 2 squares/ 2 plants
beans- 10 squares/ 40 plants                              sage- 2 squares/2 plants

*We may purchase a plot in our neighborhood's community garden and fill it with corn. I'm still thinking about that.

All that's left is to buy the seeds, freshen up the soil in my beds, roll up my little newspaper pots and pray for sunshine!

In other food news... I' have been successfully baking our own bread now. What was I so afraid of!!!???!!! I have made wheat, white and cinnamon swirl so far but I look forward to experimenting with other kinds.

I highly recommend square foot gardening if you live in a more urban area like myself. It is a great way to utilize the "perfect space" for a garden while keeping it neat, pretty and manageable. Our four beds on in our side yard (we live on a corner) by the road. It gets killer sunshine and is perfect for veggies but it had always felt to exposed to all of Lansing. The raised beds surrounded by mulch look really nice though, and the garden never felt like it was out in the middle of the neighborhood, also a plus! 

So, here's to Spring in all her sunshiny, rainy, hot-one-day-cold-the-next, glory! Happy gardening!!! ;)

Five For Friday- Books for Nathanael

Most of these books I read as a young girl, all except the Harry Potter series. I can't wait for Nathanael to be old enough to read/understand/appreciate/adore these books! I plan on reading them with him (another good reason for getting a kindle- I won't have to purchase two of the same books).

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle is fabulous. I've read it about five or six times myself, as girl and adult. I can remember the first time I read it. It was one of the books that I would take up in a tree we used to climb. I'd sit on a big branch and read and read.

The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White. I read that book many times when I was young but not since. I look forward to rereading it. I barely remember the story but I do remember feeling like reading all over again as soon as I would finish it. Which is how I feel about Pride and Prejudice now.:)

The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. I remember the first time I read The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. It was when my brother and I were visiting my grandma. I was so excited about it. I kept sharing bits of it with Christopher. We had seen the cartoon they'd play on T.V. every Easter, but as books do, this was much better!

The James Herriot books (and after that, the show). I used to think I wanted to be a vet. Because of allergies, asthma and the inability to distance myself emotionally from my patients, this was not going to happen. However, reading those books... I laughed, I cried. I could vet-vicariously through those stories. (I could also clearly see how unsuited I was for the life of a vet. I still can't talk about our family dog that died 21 years ago!)

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. These were just plain fun! I started reading them as a way to connect with my then eleven year old step-son who loooved Harry Potter. He even looked like Harry Potter! I'm glad I did because I really enjoyed them. I'll make sure Nathanael reads the books before he sees the movies. Each book has such great surprises and plot twists- I don't want him to miss out on those.

I'll have oodles more to throw his way as he gets even older. Unfortunately, I don't think he'll be enthusiastic about Gone With the Wind, Pride and Prejudice, Anna Karenina and Rebecca. Ooh! And Wuthering Heights....His loss!:)

Process

I decided to use this next portrait in my Circus series to make a "Journey" post on my other blog. I'm going to take pictures throughout the process of making this piece and put them all together in a post to show how I do what I do.

For this Thursday Art Update post, I'll take you through the first part of the process for the Marionette Siblings. I haven't come up for a name for them yet but I have some ideas.

 First, a quick sketch, done a while ago to get the idea down.

 Next, a more detailed sketch.

 Then, I go "shopping" through all of my fabrics for background fabric,

skin tone, clothing, hair and any extra trim I might want to use.

 I iron the background fabric and pin it to size I want. I cut out heads and necks and shoulders, if needed. I also start cutting out their clothing pieces so I at least know what I'm working with for spacing and placement. At the top of this one is a paper cut-out of a hand so I know how far down to place the marionette's heads.

 Finally, I start to pin things in place. Once I know for sure that that is 

where my subjects will be spending eternity, I'll pick out threads and begin stitching.

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Next week, I'll post more pictures of my progress. In the meantime Happy St. Patrick's Day! I don't know about you but I can't wait for that corned beef! :)