Our Baby Tulsi

We're so proud of our baby Tulsi, I just had to show it off. Here's what it looks like today:

The Tulsi plant is incredibly auspicious, and is grown in a special pot in front of many, many homes throughout India. The leaves of the Tulsi are very fragrant, which is probably one reason why it is also called Holy Basil. Tulsi has many ayurvedic and some medicinal benefits as well, including treatment for stomach disorders, malaria, and the common cold. In fact, Tulsi is the only cough syrup I use when I get sick. It's difficult to find, and sometimes I have to have my Mother-in-law get it for me in India, but it's worth it. I also have some Tulsi tea that's very herb-y and minty.

Our Tulsi is planted in a tall terracotta pot right outside our front door. We're so proud of it because it's grown about 8 inches this Summer and has so many leaves. With all the luck a Tulsi is supposed to bring, we figure if the Tulsi is happy, it can't be a bad thing. As it gets older, the Tulsi will have a wood-like stem and will bloom with small purple flowers.

I honestly don't know where you can get a Tulsi plant. We found ours at the Farmer's Market. I don't think you could find it at a regular nursery. You'd probably have to try mail order. If you're in the market for some luck, though, it might be worth the trouble. It makes me feel really good to uphold an Indian tradition by having a Tulsi plant in our front yard, and the extra luck doesn't hurt, either.

Cool Crafty Books and Sites

There are a few cool crafty books that have influenced me in the past year, and for my own edification (and the benefit of anyone else who cares), I thought I'd sort of backtrack and see where my year has gone.

I guess it was a little over a year ago that I got into the Bead Fantasies Series by Takako Samejima as well as Beadweaving Brilliance 1&2 by Kumiko Mizuno Ito. I was doing a lot of beadweaving then, especially rings and bracelets, and they were really my first influences. I was pretty much self-taught, so these books were a beacon to me, leading me into a huge new world. Another instrumental book at that time was Mastering Beadwork by Carol Huber Cypher. The projects in that book became the foundations of many of my first few "big" projects, and it is still filled with projects I just haven't gotten to yet.

I guess I kind of got into Polymer Clay without much instruction. I kinda just jumped in with both feet, and maybe forgot my swimsuit! I did get some reference books after some time, however, and one of the most inspirational books is Polymer Clay and Mixed Media (together at last), by Christi Friesen. I had the opportunity to view a demo with Christi at the 2008 Bay Area Bead Extravaganza and get a signed copy of her book, and what she does is truly amazing. I will NEVER get there!

Another book that speaks to me is Beaded Macramé Jewelry by Sherri Haab. I don't know how she does it, but Sherri Haab manages to be amazing at everything she does! She got me into macramé and I'm still hooked! If you haven't tried it, get this book. You'll love it, too.

I kinda went on a "book hiatus" for awhile this year, and let myself be inspired by some of the artists on Etsy. I wish I could point you to the artists who inspired me, but I have forgotten all of their pages by now. A lot of the inspiration I got was for Vintage Jewelry, which is one of my main focuses now, especially work with Vintage Lucite and Antiqued Brass Findings. One person who inspired me, and whose address I can still recall is Milliande on youtube. I don't know how often she updates, but she has enough content on her channel to keep you busy for quite awhile, and everything she does is just so creative.

After my time away from books, I broke down and bought a couple books that were along the same vein as the kind of stuff that Milliande does. She has inspired me. I got Mixed Media Self-Portraits by Cate Coulacos Prato and Taking Flight: Inspiration and Techniques by Kelly Rae Roberts. I haven't really gotten into the Self-Portraits book yet, but Taking Flight is a whole 'nother story! That book is a-maaaaazing! I absolutely adore it. If there's one book on this post that you've got to have, it's this one. The techniques in that book have been a springboard for me and have helped me to do so much in what's become one of my new favorite things to do: Mixed Media Collage.

Since I'm new at Mixed Media Collage now, I don't have many resources, but I do love Artchix Studio and myARTisticlife.typepad.com, as well as digitalcollagesheets.com and www.graphicsfairy.blogspot.com.

I'm going to stick to Beading and Mixed Media (along with my other art projects) for awhile, but I did see another book by Sherri Haab that totally intrigued me the other day on Amazon. I got a look inside Felt, Fabric and Fiber Jewelry, and it sounds so cool. I also got a peek at a new release by Sherri that's coming out in March 2010 called, Sherri Haab Jewelry Inspirations: Techniques and Designs from the Artist's Studio. Looks like another sweet book by Sherri Haab.

So, that was my year, and it also looks like I know where I'm going, at least for the near future. And hey, it looks like between these, and all the other artsy books I bought, Amazon got a lot of my money this year. Well, I guess we both made out like bandits.

My First Collages...and The Wedding

So, like a month ago I decided to "try" to do a Mixed Media collage. I immediately loved it. I don't even feel like I'm really all that good at it, but I do really love it. There're so many different things to try with Mixed Media; it's a vastly new experience with every collage you do. I was really influenced by a book called Taking Flight, by Kelly Rae Roberts. Not only is it full of ideas and how-to's, but it also has a lot of inspirational and motivational direction. I'll post pictures of my first two collages (the ones my husband framed) here. The first one is called, "Serenity", and the second one is called, "Artful Celebrations".

So, I wrote in my last post that we were going to Napa to a wedding...and that I wasn't excited about it. Well, the wedding turned out to be less of a disappointment than anticipated, which only further supports my theory that one should always set one's expectations very low and you'll surely be less likely to be disappointed.

In fact, I met a lady there, who is the wife of one of my husband's good friends, who was very nice and chatty, which made the evening go by very fast. Before I knew it, it was time to say goodbye and head back to the hotel, so I really owe my evening to her. Plus! By some miracle the dinner they served didn't seem to have any gluten in it at all (aside from the bread basket), and as I am gluten-free, I was very pleased that I could eat what was being served. I had been afraid there might be some awkwardness at the table if there was some pasta or something on the plate, but it was some nice (for a wedding) chicken and risotto.

For now, I have restarted the giraffe I am painting and am much happier with the way it is coming along. I have also started a new necklace and a new bracelet and am about 3/4 of the way through a collage I'm doing with a yellow and green theme. I've also started a mermaid collage which I plan to give to my cousin, if I ever finish it (and it turns out nicely!). I'd like to finish the mermaid within the next 2-3 weeks. It could be tight.

An update on these projects, and possibly some photos...next time. If you enjoy this blog, I encourage you to become a friend by clicking on the FOLLOW button on the right, or sometimes it's at the top of the screen. It's really easy, and you'll get updated whenever there's a new post to the blog.

My Studio

A few months ago (I don't know HOW I did it), I got my husband to agree that I should have an art studio. Luckily we had a couple rooms in our house that were good candidates, but I chose a room that the previous owner had used as her quilting room. It has a huge skylight in it, and is really only good for one thing: doing artsy stuff. If a guest were to spend the night in this room, they would wake up bright and early with the sun in their eyes.

So the first thing on my mind was to get a beading desk. The desk you see in the first photo is my beading desk. You'll see my inspiration wall and then my tool storage underneath that, with my basket full of beads on the right side of the desk and my bead board and marble slab in the center. The desk is a little cluttered today, because I have two projects going on...one just finishing up and one about to start. On the floor on the right you can just barely see a painting that I have started of a red poppy. I put it down there for a "rest" because I got frustrated with it.

In this photo, you see my storage area, where I keep all of my books, beads, paint, and a huge list of other art supplies. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have this shelving area to store all of my stuff. It's indispensable. I also have a separate painting desk with an easel and a special surface for watercolors. I'm really lucky to have this studio!

My husband and I are going to Napa for the weekend. We went there about a month ago for the day, and now we're going overnight. We have a wedding to attend. In general, I don't "do" weddings. A big part of me thinks weddings should be private. I didn't want anyone to attend my own wedding, but ended up just having immediate family there. I guess you have to make some consolations where family is concerned. I've missed a lot of weddings in my life, too, most regretfully, but I'm sure all stemming from my wedding-phobia. I have NO idea where a wedding phobia like that could come from, but I've got it bad.

Next time I write I hope to include pictures of my mixed media collages. I've never done mixed media before, but my husband liked them so much he had them framed. Now that I've done it, I really like it, and I continue to experiment with different stuff- I guess that's the point. I'm also working on a giraffe painting, as well as some Vintage Lucite necklaces.

Enjoy your weekend! I know I won't! ;)