Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Altered Matchbox-The Fairy Looking Glass

Every now and then I work on something that is so engrossing that time loses all meaning! Today my daughter and I pulled out the polymer clay and as we played we watched a really campy version of Jane Austen's "Persuasion" from
1971. (Campy, but delightful!) My daughter made miniature dishes and I made an altered matchbox that is for a swap.
I loved making it. I think I feel a sudden urge to find LOTS of matchboxes! Here's the end product. It's about 2.5" closed....made with polymer clay, painted with acrylics and sealed.

This is the inside....it has the "Fairy" Looking Glass!

Thursday, April 17, 2008

An Abundant Life: Irene Cottrell Brisco November 29, 1915-April 17, 2008

Today my grandmother Irene passed away. A few years ago I made a doll that I named ABUNDANCE that for me
was sort of an allegory of my grandmother.

My grandmother was fondly called "Frank" by my grandfather....and having a sense of humor to match his, she called and referred to him as "he"! ( I wonder why I have such an odd sense of humor?) My grandfather would pretend he was deaf (to all but small children) and she with a amused look on her face, would tell one of us smaller children, "tell 'he' that dinner is ready"!

My grandmother taught me by example that you are polite to all people whether they deserve it or not. One occasion I remember as a little girl was going to a store with her and hearing the owner of the store refer to her as "girl". (I had lived in the north most of my life and such southern ways such as calling grown women "girl" or mixed people such as our family was things like "colored" or "mulatto" were mostly unknown to me.) My grandmother smiled at him and gave him an appropriate "sir". Outside the store my aunts and mother turned into hens that had seen a snake!

They were outraged! How dare he!

My grandmother just smiled and shook her head and said that the store manager was not who she answered to. And the one that she did answer to expected her to keep a civil tongue in her head. Nothing else was said.

Nothing else needed to be said.

My grandmother lived to see her 92nd year, she would have been 93 this November. I hope I live my life even half as well as she did. A few days ago she told my uncle in the evening that she was "very tired and ready to go home." The next morning she slipped into a coma. Today she went home to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus. I know I will see her again....along with a sister and a baby, Joshua, who both went home all too soon.

Till then grandma!

A Milestone to celebrate!

I found out over the weekend that I had made it through phase 2 of screening for ODACA! It still feels a bit unreal! The final round will mean traveling to Las Vegas with 3 dolls in tow....to be critiqued "in person". Am I afraid? No! I have kids....well, actually nervous would sum it up nicely!

I have been working on dolls.....slooooowly. so nothing new to share as far as a doll yet. The only things that I have completely finished lately are drawings on fabric for my online class.

This is an example of a blonde child:
and an asian child:
These drawings are about 3" x 4". Watercolor pencil on 100% cotton fabric.