Brier Design Studio

Steampunk USB Stick

2012-01-25T06:38:00.000-08:00

I made this USB stick as a gift for my son. He has developed an appreciation for steampunk style since he went away to college.

I started off with a regular USB drive, and sealed off the end and the red part that slides with masking tape. Then I went to town, adding gears and numbers.

I added an extension to the top, so he can fasten it to his keychain. The piece at the end is an antique laundry number pin.

I was thrilled to find that the drive still worked once the tape came off.

Edgar!

2012-01-12T17:49:00.000-08:00

by Leslie Brier, Brier Design Studio

I'm feeling the steampunk vibe these days, and so is dear Edgar.

Edgar stands about 12 inches tall. Look closely and you'll be able to recognize lots of the pieces that he's constructed from. See the red on the bottom? I'm working on a new technique for adding color to metal. I'll demo it for the first time at Art and Soul in Virginia Beach. Hope to see you there!

Meet Myrna! Altered Art Robot

2012-01-10T06:41:00.000-08:00

by Leslie Brier, Brier Design Studio

I am so excited to be teaching at Art and Soul in Virginia Beach this year, and classes are right around the corner! One of the classes I'm teaching is an Altered Art Robot class.

I have declared January "The Month of the Robot" in my studio, and I have lots and lots of pieces that need finishing touches before they can go out into the world. This robot is called "Myrna, Darn Easy". Her clock is ticking and she's looking for love! Her face is actually made from a vintage darner and if you click on the photo, you can see that the words Darn Easy are imprinted on the darner.

A local artist bought this piece for his wife as an anniversary gift. She is known for her stylish eyeglasses. I think he was very brave to choose a piece with that title, though!

Art and Soul is right around the corner. If you live in Virginia, and haven't signed up yet, you can receive a 10% discount on classes this month only. I'd love to have you in one of my classes -- or maybe see you at Vendor Night.

Thirteen Days of Christmas Finale Days 12 and 13

2011-12-22T05:58:00.000-08:00

Day 12 artist is Terry Pitzel

Terry is great at texture and combining elements. This base of this bird is a sturdy watercolor paper.

Look at all the textural elements. You can also see the fold edging. I love those little tail feathers, too.

Day 13 artist is Pat Winter.

I just love Pat Winter's work and am so happy to own a piece of her art! My daughter and I love miniatures, and this little pin is a mini masterpiece. It is a lavendar sachet brooch.

Pat has embellished the ice skate image so beautifully with beads, and a flower and ribbon embroidery. Can you see the tiny snowflake in the bottom left corner?

Thank you to everyone of the artists who participated and filled my holiday season with lots of good cheer, and to Elizabeth who was the mastermind behind the whole project. Every single day of this project was such a joy!

Thirteen Days of Christmas Days 9, 10 and 11

2011-12-21T18:11:00.000-08:00

I have been enjoying all of my gifties so much, and haven't been sharing them with you! Here are three more:

Day 9 Artist is Hope Clinchot.

Hope made this amazing little flower fairy pin. I just love her face. I've never been able to do faces, so I really appreciate it when someone else can!

Look at all the layers of fabric, and the little pearl trim around the inside. Each of the edges of the fabric had to be singed to give the flowery effect.I have the perfect flowy scarf to wear this on, too.

Lily was a little confused when I was taking this photo. Usually when I get the camera out, it is to take a photo of her! So she jumped up on the chair to help me out.

Day 10 artist is Terrie Lightfoot

Terrie sent this beautiful spool ornament, perfectly balanced with crystal, wire and pearls.The music in the center came from a children's songbook, and there is sugary glitter all around. So elegant and Christmasy.

This is the packaging that Terrie's ornaments were wrapped in. The number ten is a vintage Christmas tree candle holder with the center part removed. How smart is that? I have a paper bag of these somewhere...I really wish I could find them!

Day 11 Artist is Linda Morgan

I have long admired Linda's work, and I finally got to meet her recently. We both share a love for vintage dolls, and assemblage work, so I was thrilled to receive this doll from Linda:

Linda is great at mixing 2-D and 3-D items together. I love the way my eye travels around the piece when I look at it. Look at those sweet little feet!

There is so much detail. I think I see something new every time I look at her. There is something to see from every angle.

She will stay right here, on the front of my cabinet for the new year.

Introducing Lily

2011-12-14T11:01:00.000-08:00

We have a new family member in the household. Lily came to us about 8 weeks ago and is now seven months old. We are still grieving the loss of Merlot every day, and I was hesitant to get another dog, especially a puppy.

Two things made me change my mind. The first was the fact that Bordeaux was so despondent. We could barely get her to play, and she spent long hours moping in the dog bed that she used to share with Merlot. The second was this paragraph on the cavalier king charles spaniel web site:

Everyone grieves over the loss of a dog differently. What is right for one, may not be for another. For many, the only way to properly grieve for a dog is with another Cavalier in his/her arms. For others, it may take a long time before they can even consider getting another dog. There is no "correct" protocol! Go with your own instincts.

My instincts told me that Bordeaux needed a companion.

Bordeaux is like a puppy again since we got Lily. They run through the house and get into mischief together.

I still can't figure out how the two of them got a five-pound dictionary off of the shelf.I think they were trying to help me get some collage pages ready!

Lily doesn't always understand what we're trying to tell her, but she tries really hard! And no matter what she does, it's impossible to resist that cute little face!

Thirteen Days of Christmas Days 7 and 8

2011-12-14T10:42:00.000-08:00

Wow, the days are just flying by. I held off on this post and the last one, thinking I would get better pictures if I took them in daylight. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get my camera and the ornaments in the same room during daylight hours! At least I'm getting lots of other things crossed off my to-do list as Christmas gets closer and closer.

Day 7 Artist is Vivian of Viv's Whimsy.

I just adore this little snowman. I could see a bit of him peeking through the packaging, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on him!. That little face is so sweet. I don't know if you can tell from the photo or not, but his head is coated in glitter, giving him an icy-snowy effect.

Every little detail on this guy so perfect. I think I may need to name him!

Day 8 artist is Corinne Gilman

Look at the fabulous garland that Corinne made! My whole family was impressed with this one.

Here it is without our Christmas stockings in the background. I just love the colors! It has all of the colors that I've used on my little silver tree. In fact, it is on my little tree now, but it blended so well with it, that the photos didn't do it justice.

Here is an even closer view, so you can see all the wonderful colors and textures in it. After Christmas it will go in my studio. This will brighten up even the most dreary February days.

Thirteen Days of Christmas ~ Day 5 and Day 6

2011-12-14T10:00:00.001-08:00

Day 5 artist is Patti G. of Patti's Creations.

This ornament is so inspiring. I have wanted to make an art quilt for the longest time, and now I have my own beautiful art quilt ornament. It is made of muslin, music paper and cheesecloth blended together in the most ethereal way!

Here is a close-up of that sweet vintage image of a girl and her dog.

Patti's package came wrapped in muslin and lace. Maybe they can be the start of my very own art quilt.

Day 6 artist is Martha Brown

Look at the adorable packaging she made from a bird seed bag! I borrowed this image from her blog, because, as usual, I opened my present without taking a photo of it first.

The theme of this ornament is joy, and it brought me great joy when I opened it! The ornament is made of glass, and the joy collage is showing through the glass.

But wait, there's more! The back is collaged as well. This is a collage on the opposite side of the "joy". Doesn't it look perfect on my little silver tree?

The Thirteen Days of Christmas Day 3 and Day 4

2011-12-08T09:03:00.001-08:00

Ready for more Christmas-y goodness?

The Thirteen Days of Christmas artist for day 3 is Elizabeth Woodford, our fearless coordinator.

Look at the beautiful stitching and button details on this ornament. It had a lot more candy in it when I got it, but somebody got into it. That somebody would be me. I love, love, love peppermint! The inside lining is barely showing in this photo, but I had to mention it because it is a beautiful dark green velvet.

I had to show the back, too, because in true Elizabeth style, she went as far back in the process as possible to bring us an original piece of her art. The cone is made from one of her hand-dyed sun print fabrics.

Day four artist is me!

This is my group of ornaments before I sent them out:

and here is a single ornament:

Apparently these snow people are mischievous little travelers. If you go to Barbara Burkhard's site you can get the full story. First, the tag popped off and attached itself to the day 8 packaging. Then, once it was open, the snow people apparently decided they didn't need to be in the basket. Hmmmm.... They are affixed to a little wooden clothespin which was attached to the branches of the tree. I say was, because Barbara's snow people clearly have left the building --er, basket!

The Thirteen Days of Christmas - Day 1 and Day 2

2011-12-08T08:10:00.001-08:00

Photo by Elizabeth Woodford

I am so excited to be part of Elizabeth Woodford's Thirteen Days of Christmas Swap. There are thirteen artists in our group. Each of us made thirteen little gifties and sent them to Elizabeth. She redistributed them so that each artist got thirteen different gifts to open. And now, we are opening them one day at a time. Fun!

Photo by Elizabeth Woodford

Day One Artist is Barbara Burkhard.

This ornament was inside Barbara's package. I should've photographed it from the side so you could see it better. It is a glass ball with a snowman image and lots of sparkly jewels at the bottom. A silvery bow with a little jingle bell tops it off. I can't wait to make some of these myself. They are wonderful.

But, wait! There's more! Inside the box was also this beautiful cuff bracelet. It has a felt base with lace and netting and buttons and it is just gorgeous. I have gotten so many compliments on it already.

Photo by Elizabeth Woodford

Day 2 was just as amazing as Day 1. Notice that all of the packaging pictures are taken by Elizabeth. That's because I get so excited, I forget to take a picture first!

Day 2 artist is Mary Zimany

This ornament is made from a small tin, and it has a wonderful collage image inside. Here is a close-up of the collage:

Isn't it wonderful? One of my favorite holiday sentiments, as well.

I have to show the back of this ornament, too. Look at the sweet little button at the top, and the way Mary used alcohol inks on the tin. It is just gorgeous!

Bip! Bam! Pow!

2011-12-06T06:24:00.001-08:00

Christmas is fast approaching, and the days are just flying by! Here is a sampling of what I've been up to.

The first batch of comic book wallets that I took to the PonShop sold out, so I dropped off another dozen just in time for First Friday (and Christmas shopping) last week.

I also completed 13 Christmas ornaments for a "13 days of Christmas" swap. Here are the packages on their way to coordinator, Elizabeth Woodford. More on that soon!

Karen Scudder

Terry Pitzel

On Thanksgiving weekend, I participated in a "painting around" group inspired by Ro Bruhn. We gathered in Elizabeth Woodford's brightly colored studio, and each artist placed a blank canvas on the table. Then, we chose a color palette and a theme -ours was circles- and started painting.

We painted on our own canvases, and on everyone else's, too! It was really, really fun! We worked for about two hours, stanidng and walking around the table the whole time. Then we took a break for lunch,. At the end of the break, we each settled into working on our own canvas.

This is my piece at the end of the day. Quite a departure from my regular color palette. In fact it seems that everything I'm working on this month is brightly colored...stay tuned to see if this trend continues.

Ice Resin and Steampunk jewelry

2011-11-03T13:51:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of my newest work. I am still finding new and interesting things to do with ICE Resin, but filling a bezel with some dictionary paper and bits of vintage costume jewelry is so simple and so satisfying that I still do a lot of pieces like that.

I adjusted some settings on my camera in an attempt to get better photos.Obviously, it didn't help much. I have plans to take some lessons from Donna Hopkins, a kindred spirit, and amazing photographer. Check out her blog to see her gorgeous photography.

Here is another resin piece. Thanks to Barbara Hawley for sharing this dear little deer with me.

And another foray into my steampunk phase. I have just started doming my gears, and using micro bolts to attach them together. I wish I had the time and space to experiment all day! Don't we all?

The JEWELRY Show

2011-11-01T06:37:00.000-07:00

Leslie Brier, Brier Design Studio

I'm back! The power supply went out on my old computer about 3 weeks ago, and it made more sense to get a new one than to fix the old one. It ended up taking quite a while for me to get everything up and running again. During that time, I've made a lotta lotta art and I'll have lots of catch-up blog posts coming soon.

This month my work will be featured in The Jewelry Show at the PonShop Studio and Gallery along with five other jewelry artists. I have completed about two dozen pieces, and am really looking forward to seeing the whole show put together. The opening reception is this Friday night, November 4 from 6-10 pm. If you are local, I'd love to see you there. If you are far away, I'll have pictures soon. The show runs through November 27. What a great opportunity to buy handmade and get your holiday shopping done!

New Work at The Griffin Bookshop

2011-10-06T16:50:00.000-07:00

I was delighted to be asked to show my work at The Griffin Bookshop this month. The Griffin is the coziest spot in town. It has books and art and jewelry and ....coffee. Rich, fragrant, aromatic coffee. I never learned to drink it, but I sure do enjoy the smell of it.

This is one of the pieces I'll be showing there. This started out as a really beat up old cuckoo clock. I took out the insides, the numbers, the little bird inside the door.and finished the whole thing in flat black. After that, I took the large bird off of the top and replaced it with two owls.

Here is a closeup of the face of the clock. It turned out to be the perfect place for the little doll head I had embedded in ice resin. I had intended to make a piece of jewelry from it, but decided that she really belonged here.

This work is at The Griffin through the month of October. I hope you'll stop by if you're in town. You're in for a real treat!

Midway

2011-09-18T11:24:00.000-07:00

by Leslie Brier, Brier Design Studio.

This assemblage is currently part of the Texture and Pattern show at the Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts. It is called "Midway".

Here is a closeup of the face. Some people have found it creepy, but I don't feel that way about it. In fact, for some reason, it reminds me of Paul Schaeffer.

See the resemblance?

Here is my artist's statement from the show:

Midway is an assemblage piece that for me evokes the sensation of summertime, memories of playing in the sprinkler, and the excitement of the carnival midway - a mixture of anticipation, excitement and danger. Much of the texture in this piece comes from the natural aging process of the elements included. The pattern comes from the repetition of elements and shapes.

Meet Lucille

2011-08-25T16:43:00.000-07:00

by Leslie Brier, Brier Design Studio

I worked in a bridal shop for several years during college. It was a really fun job, and very much like what you see on the reality show "Say Yes to the Dress". There happened to be a marathon on the afternoon that I was putting the finishing touches on Lucille, and that is probably how she evolved into the bride of Alvin.That, and the fact that Alvin fell in love with her salt-and-pepper shaker eyes.

She has lots of lace and tiny buttons at her neck. And a wee tiny lace circle on top of her head, in between her gears.

The new trend in wedding fashion is to wear a bejeweled belt at the waist. Lucille's belt is a little more utilitarian. Like me, she sometimes needs a compass to point out where her waist used to be!

This is the back view. This is the view all of her robot friends will see as she is married to her beloved. Alvin and Lucille are currently being shown at the PonShop Studio. If you want to learn to make your own, I will be teaching an altered robot assemblage class at Art and Soul in Virginia Beach in March.

Remembering Merlot

2011-08-21T16:25:00.000-07:00

To look at this beautiful photo, you wouldn’t think that this post has a sad ending, but it does. Last Tuesday my parfait dyeing day with the Virginia Artists group also turned out to be Merlot’s last day. Her dying day. And the two will be forever mixed in my mind.

My five-year-old cavalier was recently diagnosed with intestinal lymphangectasia. She had a series of IV treatments to raise her protein levels, a change in diet and was put on three medications. She was doing great, until Tuesday morning, when we woke up to find her having a hard time breathing. My daughter and I rushed her to the vet, and they started her on oxygen therapy, got an iv started, did a chest x-ray and called the critical care hospital in Richnmond who advised us to keep her where she was. We were relieved that she didn’t need surgery, and the vet took us back to see her in her little oxygen cage, and show us that she was breathing much more comfortably in there. The vet opened the door so we could say goodbye, and I gave her a quick kiss on the head so that the door could be shut again to make certain the oxygen levels didn’t go too low.

At that point, my daughter and I were worried about her, but we felt like she was going to be okay. It was a relief for us to be with our art friends that afternoon. We used a technique called parfait dyeing to add color to t-shirts, old linens and doilies. We stuffed them into jars, and added several different colors of dye. The dye layers stay separate from each other inside the jar. I brought them home and left outside to warm in the sun.

At 7:00 the veterinanrian called to say there was no change, and that they were leaving for the evening. At 8:00 she called back. She told me that “this was a call she didn’t want to have to make” and how sorry she was.
Our vet had gone into town to do some errands, and something told her to go back and check on Merlot. When she got there Merlot had arrested. A quick sonogram showed a tiny bit of electrical activity. She said she worked on her for fifteen minutes but couldn’t get her back.

We are absolutely devastated at the loss. Merlot was our first family dog, and my constant companion. She loved paper ephemera as much as I did, although she preferred to eat it, and led me on many merry chases through the house to catch her. She snored like a freight train. (No one could believe that a sixteen pound dog could make that much noise). Everyone who met her always commented on how sweet and gentle she was. She trusted us completely, and I wish, wish, wish I could have done more to protect her.

Sylvan and I found ourselves out on the grass where these photos were taken on Wednesday afternoon, dumping out the jars of dye and hosing off the fabric to reveal the most amazing colors. And we were grateful for the distraction. But the memories of our dyeing day and Merlot’s dying day will always be tangled up in our minds.

Mixed Media Robot Assemblages - Alvin

2011-08-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

by Leslie Brier

I am very excited to be attending Art and Soul 2012 in Virginia Beach as an instructor this year. One of the classes that I'll be teaching is Mixed Media Robot Assemblages.

This is Alvin. He is the latest addition to the series. See the little car on top of the wheel? The wheel spins so that the car can drive around in a circle.

Alvin is a very "green" robot. He bikes wherever he goes.

Alvin is avaliable for sale at the PonShop Gallery and Studio.

In my next post, I'll introduce you to his lovely bride, Lucille.

Salt Shaker Pendant Class

2011-08-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

I had a great time teaching at Artistic Artifacts in Alexandria, Virginia. Just walking through the door is inspiring.

Look at all that color!

It's a good thing I had my class supplies organized. It gave me a chance to do a little shopping before my students arrived. (Okay, maybe more than a little bit of shopping.)

We had such a fun day together. Everyone added their own touch of creativity, and the finished projects were beautiful.

This goldtone pendant was made by Gloria.

This one was made by Betty. These colors were so pretty together.

Jackie made this one. I like the long dangles that she used.
I have to try one like that.

Jackie, Betty and Gloria wearing their new pendants.

This one was made by Sylvan. She wasn't quite
finished with it when I took the photo.

Naomi made this one. She put hers on a piece of
Judy Gula's hand-dyed lace. Perfect!

Another gorgeous color combination.
Nancy used a salt shaker with a nice patina.

Nancy wearing her finished piece.

I really enjoyed our day together. I'm working on some more class proposals, because I can't wait to do it again!

Moon Pies and Coca Cola

2011-07-27T18:16:00.000-07:00

Last week, I found a huge galvanized tub at a local thrift store. This is the quintessential background prop for every great antique-y country magazine spread that I ever drooled over, and I was thrilled to find it. We were hosting my mom's birthday party that weekend, so I decided that Coca Cola and Moon Pies would be waiting for our guests when they arrived.

As we prepared for the party, my husband, who grew up in the country, was completely puzzled and wanted to know why a container that "probably held horse feed" at one time was suddenly the star of my party. He suggested that it might be better to put it on the floor, or better yet, outside, because it might leak.

I informed him that I had thoroughly scrubbed and bleached it, in case it used to hold, I don't know... body parts or some other farm-like thing that they never show in the magazines, and that it hadn't leaked at all. We compromised and put it on the side table.

When my family arrived, everyone was thrilled to see coca cola and moon pies on ice in a big galvanized tub! Hah! And my sisters and I had a nice long conversation about how great it was. I think my husband learned his lesson: Don't mess with your city-slicker wife and her faux country sensibilities.

On the main table (where the lowly galvanized tub did not belong) We had a centerpiece, cake and presents. My daughter Sylvan made this cool explosion box to hold birthday greetings. My neighbor Jill showed us a totally awesome explosion box that she'd made for her dad for Father's Day, and Sylvan and I had been wanting to try it. Sylvan put one of her handmade miniature cakes in the middle. I think it turned out great.

Custom Jewlery and Skelly Heads

2011-07-18T15:12:00.000-07:00

I just got finished with one of my favorite types of custom work. My client brought me a beautiful, long strand of ivory-colored carved beads, and gave me no deadline, and no restrictions on what I could do with them. She had been told they might be ivory, but I think they are carved ox-bone from China.

This is the first necklace and earring set. I added raku donuts, ceramic donuts and fancy jasper. At first, I didn't realize that the raku beads didn't have holes in them. I ended up attaching them by making loops of seed beads closed off with crimps. The second piece has a carved bone donut in the center. I attached it in the same way.

Here is the completed second piece:

And here are some fun skeleton heads that I made for a new shop in downtown Fredericksburg called Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. It's the type of shop that I loved to go to when I was in college. It has all kinds of vintage clothing items, records and cool retro home furnishings.

It is a little unsettling for me to go in there, though. Most of the vintage items were brand new when I was in college! I guess that makes me vintage, too!

Fourth of July Rainbow

2011-07-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we got a golden ticket in the mail. It was an invitation a Fourth of July party hosted by the Amazing Alice and her equally amazing and pyrotechnically talented husbad. This is an event not to be missed.

You know those magazines that have pictures of picturesque Fourth of July celebrations, with red white and blue plates and floral arrangements with flags in them and adorable children in matching tie-dyed red white and blue t-shirts? I always look at those pictures and think, "Who does that?" Now I know: The Amazing Alice, that's who!

Each family was asked to bring a dessert or a side dish. I decided this would be the perfect time to try to make rainbow jello. I remembered my mom making it when I was a kid. We hadn't had it in years. Now I know why. It takes hours and hours to make. But look how pretty it turned out!

My daughter and I had a great time making it, too. In case you want to try it, this is what we did:

Mix up a 3-ounce box of red gelatin according the the package directions.
Pour into the bottom of a large glass rectangular pan. Refrigerate.
Mix up a package of knox gelatin with one cup of boiling water. Stir until the gelatin is dissolved. Add 1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk. Let the milk mixture cool on the countertop.
When the jello mixture is soft-set and the milk mixture has cooled, GENTLY spoon the milk mixture on top of the gelatin mixture. If you try to pour it on top, it'll splash big holes in the soft jello. (Guess how I know that?) Allow both layers to set up in the refrigerator. This takes about an hour.
Then... repeat all those steps with orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

We started our jello on Friday morning, and added the last layer on Sunday afternoon.

I think the next time I have the urge to pour, stir and wait in order to make something beautiful, I'll do it with ice resin!

Completed Jewelry

2011-06-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

I'm on a roll now. Here are some more pieces that I finished this week. The two on the left are resin. The one in the middle is a boro bead that I got at the bead show last week. I just love it! It almost looks like an owl face. ( I'll post a link to the artist as soon as I go through my paperwork for June and find her business card.) The one on the right is a sterling spoon bowl. It has the word "Paris" engraved on it.

This is a piece that has a vintage tablespoon for the base of the pendant. The little elf inside was a china figure. Disclaimer: No elves were harmed in the making of this necklace. His head was already broken off. Really. It was. This picture turned out a little over-exposed.

Luckily, Bordeaux was right there to help me out. She cast a nice big shadow over my pieces while I was trying to photograph them. Never a dull moment with the puppy girls!

Never Enough Time

2011-06-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

I just read through a bunch of blogs, and I'm feeling a tiny bit less guilty that it's been so long since I posted. Apparently there is an epidemic of spring/summer busy-ness going around! I'm on a two-week break from working at the estate sale company and I have about two years' worth of projects in mind that I'd like to work on.

As you can tell by these necklaces, I'm in a beachy/1930s/carnival kind of mood. I found the elephant at a bead show and it inspired a whole bunch of pieces. Isn't the pail cute? This is my "Water for Elephants"necklace. The other two are ice resin pieces.

I've been playing a lot with ice resin and am just thrilled with the results.

Thanks to my dad, Dale Brown, for taking photos for me. I thought my camera was dead, but the nice lady at the camera store revived it for me this morning. I was so relieved. I love that camera, and didn't want to have to learn a new one!

Over the Edge and Arcimboldo Self Portraits

2011-05-30T14:04:00.000-07:00

by Leslie Brier, Brier Design Studio

I wanted to share some of our finished Art and Soul Projects with you. My daughter and I took Stephanie Rubiano's "Over the Edge" class. We worked on cradled hardboard, and learned all kinds of new techniques. Stephanie takes great care to ensure that projects are well-made and of archival quality. That is something that I really appreciate.

This is my finished project. I used a photo that I had of my daughter dressed as a fairy.
When I took the Stephanie Lee class last winter, my classmate and kindred spirit, Annie, gave me a book page. The words "A fairy legend" worked perfectly with the image.

This is my daughter's completed project. The tag says: "Take the road less traveled by". Didn't she do a great job?

The last class that we took was Pam Carriker's Arcimboldo self-portrait class.

This was the original image that my daughter used.

And this was her finished self-portrait. It turned out great!

This is the original image that I used.

And this was my finished portrait. As you can see, my daughter's project was much more successful than mine. I added a lot of paint, because I was unsure of myself. The good news is, that I learned a lot from the project, and I'm planning to try it again soon. Pam's methods definitely take the scary out of portrait painting.

This is Pam signing our book. You can see a couple of the other class portaits in the background. Pam's book is called Art at the Speed of Life. I am really enjoying this book. It is just the pick-me-up I have needed with the schedule I've been keeping these days.

Where Have I Been?

2011-05-24T19:17:00.000-07:00

by Leslie Brier, Brier Design Studio

Note: I am going to whine for a moment, so if you don't want to read the whiney part, you can skip straight down to the pictures.

Ever since I got back from Art and Soul, my life seems to be on fast-forward. Work-wise, I'm juggling a whole bunch of projects at once. On the home front, my son is getting ready to graduate from high school, and my daughter is going through SOL testing. I'm trying to get the house company-ready, meet all my deadlines, and still have some time to create.

Oh, and there's a snake in my garage. And it won't leave. When we get brave and try to chase it out, it just slithers back further into my garage. I would post a picture of it, but then, every time I go to my blog page, I'll get cold chills all over again. I feel sorry for it, but I really, really, really want it out of my garage.

I feel better now.

Guess what I got for Mother's Day? One-third of an antique booth, that's what. I've decided that it's time to put all of my hunting and gathering skills to good use. My friends Suzanne and Jolie and I went together on a space in an antique mall.

This is how the booth looked when I left it today. I think we did a pretty good job of mixing together all of the different stuff we had.

Jolie brought in this cool manly mannequin. I covered him with all kinds of little goodies.

I just got that bird cage. I decided to take it straight to the booth, before I fell in love with it.

The teller at the drive-through at the bank saw the cage and asked me if there was a live bird in there. I totally forgot there was a bird cage in my car. And I was still freaked out about the snake in the garage, so I'm thinking that suddenly there's a live bird in the back of my car. After I freaked out for a minute, I realized what she was talking about, and so I blurted out, "No! But there's a snake in my garage!" Now I'm wondering if I need to change banks, or just pretend I was drinking at the time.

Art and Soul Vendor Night and "In the Garden" Charm Swap

2011-05-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

by Leslie Brier

Didja miss me? My daughter and I just got back from Art and Soul in Hampton, Virginia and we had the most amazing time! We squeezed so much into three days that I'm going to have to do more than one post. And I'm not going to remember what order everything happened in, so I'll just download some photos and ramble on about them.

First of all, my daughter and I had the world's best roommate, my coolio art friend, Janet Moss. She is the best at planning ahead, networking, and helping me justify my "junk" purchases. I'll have a post soon about the gorgeous scarf she is wearing. This was us heading to Vendor Night which is an artsy junker's paradise!

Look at the amazing stuff I got! I bought a pocket watch from Sue at Vintage Rescue Squad that I'd had my eye on. The baby and the pin cushion with the baby on top came from Beth and Suzy of Dime Store Chic, and those two ribbons hanging in the back came from John Whiting of Whiting's Old Paper. He has the most amazing paper collection you can imagine. His store is a definite must for an ephemera excursion.

Before I left for Art and Soul, I signed up for a charm swap. Here is the bunch of charms that I sent to Hampton.

This is a closeup of one of the charms.

And this is the glorious assortment of charms that I received! Each one is so beautiful. I felt so grateful to be part of such a talented group of women. Opening each of the charms reminded me of getting valetines back in grade school It was all so exciting! (You can click on the photo for a closer look at each one.)

Anne Koussa made this beautifully presented charm. It actually brought tears to our eyes!

Here are charms made by Melissa Robertson, Gail Cervarich, Carol Dee Myers, Donna Butcher, S.K. Berman, Janet Moss and Kristina Penhoet.

These were done by Theresa Hope-Goddard, Patti Reinheimer, Deborah Petronio, (the adorable baby face flower) Lorie Garver, and Dawn Gallop. (Yes, that is a tiny garden gnome!)

Still more came from Marcy Wyatt, Carol Dee Myers, and Julie Armstrong who organized the whole group, and had adorable little bags for us, and flowers for us to wear as well.

I missed getting a closeup of the group of charms at the top of the first photo, but they were made by Erin E. Montgomery, Linda Simon, Margaret Rodriquez, Karen Fllerton, Tammy Marie Bacot, Catherine Mein and Linda Hawkins.

The original concept of the swap was to make one necklace out of all of the charms. However, each one is so beautiful, I think they merit their own necklace or bracelet. I have a lot of jewelry to make!

Basic Ingredients

2011-04-05T13:41:00.000-07:00

by Leslie Brier, Brier Design Studio

The Art About Food Show just opened at LibertyTown last Friday night. I'd been collecting items to use in a food-themed assemblage for awhile and I finally got them all together about a week ago. It started with a cocoa tin and a small antique doll. (I think she's about 4 inches tall.)

And this page from a promotional cookbook:

Normally, I would make a color copy of it, but I started this project late at night, so I decided I'd go ahead and use the original.

This was my rough layout. I painted the rolling pin to match the ad, and then placed items where I thought they should go. I took this photo so I could put everything back after I added color and texture to the background. (Sorry the quality of the photos wasn't better. I wasn't thinking about showing them to anyone else when I took them.)

I had some old paper ribbon that I was used by 3 Chefs Restaurant to wrap around cardboard boxes of fried chicken. I used it to define the different areas of my artwork. You can see that I added color, too. Nothing was secured to the board at this point, so I took that photo to refer back to later.

This is the finished piece. It's rare for me to stay this true to my original concept. Usually, what I start out with and what I end up with are miles apart. In this case, I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do, and not a lot of time to complete it, so I had to trust my instincts, and get it done. In the end I was pleased with the result.

Wild Women, Steampunk and Flying Free! - Altered Book Round Robin

2011-03-30T08:18:00.000-07:00

by Leslie Brier, Brier Design Studio

Last week, my altered book group met to share our latest creations for the Altered Book Round Robin. I am so excited about the artwork made by Terry Pitzel for my steampunk-themed book. The doll was a part of the pages that Terry worked on. I took a quick picture of her before I tucked her into the book and sent her on her way with the next artist.

Here she is as part of the spread that Terry did. Isn't it wonderful?

Linda Madden created this work for (below) Jennifer Gorman's book. The book's theme is "fly free". The flower centers on the left are textured metal, and Angelina fibers make up some of the foliage. The heart and wings are fabric and embroidery. I hope you can click on it to see some of the detail. I think I had my camera on a lower resolution setting than usual.

I worked in Terry Pitzel's book. Her theme is "notorious women" . I decided to go with Josephine Baker. I learned so much about her. She spent a lot of time in Paris. When she died more than 20,000 people attended her funeral. She was also an actively involved in the civil rights movement.

Of course, I had to include an image of her in the banana skirt!
The writing around her is quoted from Josephine herself.

I made a Josephine Baker doll for the paper doll section as well. I had some tiny banana-shaped beads that worked perfectly for her skirt.

This month I'll be working in the "fly free" book. I have an image in mind - I just have to figure out how I'm going to use it.

Book of Knowledge

2011-03-18T10:14:00.000-07:00

Leslie Brier, Brier Design Studio

This is the first piece I created last week in Stephanie Lee's Metal Magic Workshops at ArtBLISS. The pages inside are blank, but this book, for me, is a true Book of Knowledge. Stephanie shared a hundred- hundred big ideas and little suggestions with her students. I came home feeling inspired and empowered, and finally, after all these years of trying, unafraid of my torch!

And the group of artists that assembled for this class were amazing. They came from all over the US and beyond. Everyone brought their tools and their jewels. It was fun to see everyone's stash of treasures. This is the little pile of goodies that I started out with.

Everyone came in with a spirit of collaboration and friendship. We really bonded over the few days that we had together. We all worked and played really hard, and everyone came away with absolutely beautiful work.

This is the back page of my cover in its ugly duckling phase. The top piece of metal shows what it looked like before I Frankensteined it with the torch! It was fun, but it wasn't easy!

These are works in various stages by other classmates. I know the dragonfly piece belonged to Bette.

We got to create bezels, and fill them with my new favorite product, Ice Resin.

This is Michelle's finished book. It was only about 3" by 4", so sweet and so delicate! I haven't had time to add embelishments to the spine of mine yet. Look how beautiful these buttons were:

This is another sweet little book, being worked on by Lois. She added ruching to the spine and it was absolutely gorgeous.

This is the group from my table: Karen, me, Lois, Stephanie and Annie. We have vowed to stay in touch, and I really think we will. We already have a yahoo group started.

This is the spine of my book. I got the knotting a little straighter on the second try. It'll all get covered eventually.

Here is a closeup of my finised cover. As you can see, I did a lot of changing around before I got the final piece done. I was happy with the end result, and Annie had the perfect piece of leather for me to use as a tie.

More next week on the completion of this book, and the jewelry class that was equally amazing! A big thank you to Jeanette and Cindy of ArtBLISS, Stephanie Lee and all of my classmates for a truly wonderful experience.

Altered Book Round Robin

2011-03-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

By Leslie Brier, Brier Design Studio

Back in December, I joined an altered book round robin group. I kept thinking that it wasn't a good time to start a new art commitment, but luckily my heart overruled my head. This is an amazing group of talented women, and I'm so happy that I've got standing date with them every month.

The premise of the project is simple. Everyone found a book to alter and chose a theme. They started the artwork, and then passed it along to another artist to do a spread in the book. This month I got to work in Barbara Deal's book. Her theme was "celtic". The words "A Story As Night Falls" were already on the page, so I decided to do something with a dark background.

I was surprised at how many items I already had in my studio that fit the theme. (Another good reason to keep it clean!) I zentangled the large celtic piece during the Super Bowl. Here is a closeup:

The theme for my book is "steampunk". Jennifer at Crafty Dayeseye did the first spread in my book. She wasn't familiar with the idea of steampunk, but she hit it out of the park!

I was astounded and amazed. It has movement! And light bulbs! and hot air balloons! And gears and watches! I couldn't wait to get it home and admire it. And then I remembered that the book had to move on to the next person in the swap. Jennifer kindly sent me some of her photos. I need to talk to her about photography. See how she captures the light? (no pun intended!)

My challenge this month is to work on Terry Pitzel's "notorious women" book. There's already a fabulous spread on Mata Hari in there, and some paper dolls to play with. I'm leaning toward Josephine Baker at the moment... I'll let you know what I come up with.

Here's one more picture of Crafty Dayesye's work. Love it!

Easter Pretties

2011-02-23T07:46:00.000-08:00

By Leslie Brier, Brier Design

The weather here has been crazy. It was 70 degrees last week, and yesterday we had a two-hour delayed school opening because of ice. I decided that I'm going to ignore the weather outside, and pretend it is springtime inside. I made a new batch of Easter Pretties.

I molded a batch of bunnies and lambs, and set them out to dry.

Next, they got a coat of paint, and a box to sit on. After that, I added more color to the boxes with colored pencils, vintage trims and flowers.

And a sprinkling of glitter was the finishing touch.

This batch of Easter Pretties was delivered to Chicks Picks by Hillary. We tried them out in one of her fabulous shadow boxes. I've decided that I definitely need one!

In the meantime, I've made a little more progress on my cuff bracelet.

And now, both dogs are wondering what I'm up to! That is Miss Marilyn Merlot on the left, and Miss Brigitte Bordeaux on the right.

Works in Progress

2011-02-19T09:54:00.000-08:00

by Leslie Brier, Mixed Media Artist

Since I got my studio cleaned up, I've been getting into all kinds of new projects. I signed up for Elizabeth Woodford's Beaded Cuff Bracelet Class at FCCA (Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts). I spent a fun afternoon last Sunday sorting through my bead boxes and boxes of smalls to assemble a litte grouping of items I wanted to use for my bracelet. They were so pretty that I decided to photograph them. They might end up as the back of my new business cards.

I put them on the floor in front of the sliding glass door to take the photos. Miss Bordeaux was very puzzled.

On Tuesday, I took the first part of the class. This is how far I'd gotten by the end of the class.

And this is Bordeaux, wondering why I am taking pictures when I could be playing with her.

I started this piece to hang in my living room. This is the first time I've made a piece specifically to go in my house.

This is how it loos now that I've added the background in. It's kind of in an ugly duckling phase at the moment. I'm going to go in and lighten it up. I'm not thrilled with the way the colors are working with each other. Most of my pieces go through a phase like this, so I've learned not to get too concerned about it.

I like the way this particular section is working, but it is a little too bright. I'm debating about whether to go over it with watered down paint or watered down gesso. I'm also trying to decide what color the 3-D birds will be. There an awful plastic faux woodgrain at the moment. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Inspired Ideas!

2011-02-07T14:57:00.000-08:00

By Leslie Brier, Brier Design

It's here, it's here! The latest issue of Amy Powers' Inspired Ideas magazine. This magazine is a mixture of artful ideas and eye candy that you have to see to believe.

I was so excited when Amy invited me to share a project with her readers. My article, Shake It Up appears on page 122 of this issue. It describes how to make salt shaker pendants like the one shown above. Would you like to see a preview of the magazine?

You can click the link above to enjoy a 12-page peek, courtesy of Amy.

Sylvan's work is in this issue, too. Our bracelets are part of an artists' collaboration project - Off the Cuff. Each artist made a bracelet from the repurposed cuff of a dress shirt. I love classes and collaborations. It's always so interesting to me to see how each artist starts with the same basic materials and creates something that is uniquely their own.

Reality Check

2011-02-02T08:03:00.000-08:00

We've had a lot of ice here resulting in lots of snow days. Which gave plenty of time to work on cleaning and organizing my studio. I was shocked at how much time it took to get it back on track. I spent more than forty hours to get the studio to the place I wanted it to be. Ultimately, I'm glad it took that long, because it gave me a lot of time to think.

I spent the first few days feeling frustrated that my space was too small for all of the projects that I wanted to do. Now, I feel grateful for the space that I do have.

I was overwhelmed becaue I had so many projects that I wanted to get to. Now, I am feeling more focused.

The picture above shows how many bins of stuff I was able to donate, share with art friends, or rehome in my studio. That's a lot of stuff. Nobody needs that much stuff! I am concentrating on feeling grateful for the time, and space and ability that I have. And I can't thank the Amazing Alice enough. She is the best organizer and most encouraging cheerleader ever! I'll post pictures of my "new" space next week.

One of the first projects that I worked on was new jewelry for the emporium at LibertyTown. This bracelet reminds me of the saying "as the crow flies". Okay, they're swallows, but you know what I mean.

These copper earrings are now at LibertyTown, too. I've been in a very birdy mood lately.

I also got a chance to do another pouring of Susan Lenart Kazmer's Ice Resin between bouts of tossing and sorting. The more I use this product, the more I like it. I have big plans. And now, I'll even have some elbow room when I'm putting pieces together. It doesn't get any better than that.

2011-01-16T20:17:00.000-08:00

I am so ready to get back into the studio and make some art! The Amazing Alice is coming this week to help me get my studio organized. Again.

I did it on my own last year, but I didn't keep up with it. I guess I enjoy having a certain amount of disarray around me when I work. It feels like I'm actually doing something. Of course, when I spend twenty minutes searching for sa tool that should be right at hand, I get really frustrated. Hopefully the Amazing Alice will be able to help me balance my two sides.

In the meantime, I have been playing around with some Photoshop filters and doing a little junkin'.The results of both are in the photo above. (That's the poster edges filter. I love the texture that it adds.)

I fell in love with this piece when I saw it. It's a Victorian-era sweetheart pin. A coin was smoothed out on one side, and engraved with the name "Annie". There are two little holes at the bottom of the coin. I'm thinking of draping a chain between the two holes. The pin back isn't functional, so I'll probably add a top hole and incorporate it into a necklace at some point.

In the meantime, I'll daydream about Annie, and how thrilled she must have been to recieve such a beautiful gift.

I'm very excited to use these. They are number stamps in a really old wooden box. Each number is about 1/2" tall. I've never seen them this large before. I'm tempted to use the stamps themselves in a piece. I think they're just gorgeous.

Here is a closeup of some of the other bits that I found. These little things make me so happy!

Warning: creepy baby alert! Scroll no further if you don't want to see a closeup of my new baby.

Oh, I'm glad you decided to look at her. She's very sweet, really. She doesn't have the scary little teeth that some of the babies have. I use most of my composition dolls in my art pieces, but this little doll was a birthday gift, and so she isn't in danger of being put in precarious positions, like most of my other compo babies. Take a look at the Bates numbering machine next to her, too. My heart skipped a beat when I found this thing.
I'm already wondering where the homes should be for these objects, so I'll be able to find them when I'm ready for them. Hopefully the Amazing Alice has some of the answers!

It's a Spring Thing

2011-01-11T07:35:00.000-08:00

I am still in "glitter mode" but I've shifted seasons. When I put away my Christmas art supplies, I decided to take a peek into the "spring" bin. I found a project that I started last year, but never had time to finish. I made paper clay forms using chocolate candy molds. This is fairly easy to do. Just be sure to dust the mold with some cornstarch to make removal of the form easier.

I used tiny little tacks and brads for the eyes and noses on my figures. Then, I painted them with Claudine Hellmuth's paints diluted with water. After that dried, I added a coating of clear irisdescent glitter. Aren't they sweet? I am going to work on some Valentine-themed ones as soon a I get a chance. Also, it keeps my mind off of the snow falling outside. Spring is coming!

Glitter is Forever!

2010-12-19T05:51:00.000-08:00

There are two materials that I love the use at Christmas time -- felt and glitter. Felt is one of the first materials that I remember using as a child. My mom and I would make felt christmas ornaments and tiny little dolls. You could glue or sew right onto the felt and it wouldn't fray. It has to be the most child-friendly art supply out there. I was allowed to cut and glue to my heart's content.

Glitter was another story. Glitter made everything sparkly and really, really, Christmas-y. Glitter made crusty, crunchy little piles of shiny goodness on top of an ordinary drop of Elmer's white glue. Glitter looked the way your tummy felt on Christmas Eve.

But glitter made a mess. Mom would say: "Be very careful!" "Don't use too much!" "You're getting it everywhere!" And she was right. Glitter would sift down into the cracks of our parquet floors, waiting to be discovered months later bathed in a summer sunbeam. Glitter was magical, but glitter was forever.

I still love to get out glitter at christmastime, and I was thrilled to find this wreath project at http://www.mosaictipsandtricks.blogspot.com/. Enchanted Rose Studio has a great tutorial that shows exactly how to make the wreath. My daughter and I made it together, and we had a great time doing it.

I only changed two thing from the Enchanted Rose directions. I used a slightly smaller paper circle, and I put a drop of hot glue right in the place where I pinched the circle together. I also went back in with tiny straight pins, and pinned the circles to the wreath after they were glued. I knew this was going to be mailed to Ohio, and I wasn't sure how the hot glue would hold up to the cold temperatures. (You can double-click the second photo to get a better view.)

We mailed the wreath last week. And guess what? We are still finding tiny bits of sparkly glitter all over the place. Glitter is still magical for me, but glitter is forever!

Fire and Ice Resin

2010-12-09T08:29:00.000-08:00

I decided that for the months of November and December, I would only put my work in galleries, and not do any craft shows or home shows. For the first time in ten years, I've had my weekends free during the holiday season. And you know what? I'm as busy as ever. I feel like these two little fire truck guys - not sure if I'm coming or going. It's amazing how many other activities have filled in our calendar. I'm having lots of fun, but I'm really craving a long winter's nap!

I made some more jewelry using Susan Lenart Kazmer's Ice Resin and I was very pleased with the results. Jen Cushman was kind enough to drop by the blog, and told me that the ice resin is self-healing. I was able to fix the little bubble in the ring I showed in the last post and smooth over the little scuffies on the necklace. (I'm still keeping the necklace, though!) The piece shown above is at the Emporium at LibertyTown.

For this piece, I put a vintage costume jewelry flower inside an antique tart tin. Then I added a sterling chain and put lots of beads and crystals on it. This piece is at FCCA in the Members Gallery.

After I made the necklace, I found this quote and decided it fit the necklace perfectly.
"The day will come when, after harnessing space,
the winds, the tides and gravitation,
we shall harness the energies of love.
And on that day, for the second time
in the history of the world, we shall have discovered fire."

- Pierre Teillhard de Chardin

I used the quote as an inspiration to make as assemblage piece that the necklace hangs on when it's not being worn. I really like this concept, and I'm planning to do a whole series of these. The resin allows me the freedom to create a mini-artwork inside the framework of the necklace. And the assemblage piece allows me a larger canvas to expand on the idea.

I took this picture outside of FCCA before I delivered my piece. It's not the greatest picture, but I liked the way the sun cast a shadow of the gears.

Ice, Ice, Baby

2010-11-16T09:32:00.000-08:00

I finally got a chance to play with Susan Lenart Kazmer's new product, Ice Resin. I hadn't used resin in about fifteen years. This new formulation has come a long way. It mixes easily and dries clear and rock hard.

This is the necklace that I made. I accidentally scuffed the edge of the pendant with one of my tools, so it isn't perfect enough to sell. But it is perfectly wearable. I guess I'll have to keep this one!

This is a ring that I made. I didn't babysit it long enough and got a single bubble right in the center of the gear. I have to say that I kind of like the way it turned out. 'Guess I'll have to keep this one, too! I have all kinds of ideas in my head. I'm going to try to do another pouring on Friday if the weather is nice and dry. I'll let you know how it turns out.

'Tis the Season

2010-11-16T09:19:00.000-08:00

The gorgeous weather we had this weekend is over and today is a dreary, chilly, rainy day. Merlot and Bordeaux are cuddled up together on the couch, and I'd love to go join them.

Or maybe go have some gingerbread and tea. This little gingerbread lady is on the tree I decorated for this year's Hope House Festival of Trees.

Here is a picture of the whole tree. My theme is Gingerbread Memories, and the tree is decorated with Gingerbread-themed ornaments and red lights. The Festival of Trees is early this year. It is running from Nov 10-20 in a new location at the Fredericksburg Area Museum.

Instead of a silent auction, there will be a gala held this weekend. Each ticket for two entitles the bearer to take home a decorated tree. You can find out more about the event at http://www.hopehouseva.org/.

Sweet Treats!

2010-10-31T18:12:00.000-07:00

Aren't they gorgeous? My daughter and I joined Claudine Hellmuth and Amy Powers for a class taught by Patricia Wehmeier in Tyson's Corner last weekend. We'd all made miniatures before, for Club Littlehouse, but with Patricia's instruction, we took it to a whole new level. She is a fantastic teacher, and two of our classmates were seasoned miniaturists as well. We had so much fun, and even at the end of the day, the novelty hadn't worn off. They were sooo tiny!

How tiny? A cupcake, petit four and swiss cake roll all fit onto a dime! We learned about the importance of scale, and how to get the colors, textures and finishes just right.

We even learned how to do placemats, napkins and napkin rings. Pat made domestic goddesses out of all of us. Here is a look at our "kitchen".

Our classmates convinced us that we should make the trip back to Tyson's Corner the next day for the miniatures show, and I'm so glad that we did. The variety of items was amazing, and every booth was packed to the gills with tiny little delights.

These fascinated me more than any others. I guess because they have the steampunk vibe that I love, but in miniature! All these creations are the work of Fred Cobbs of Georgia. You can see even more of his work here. If I could live inside a dollhouse, I'd want it to be furnished with all of these wonderful creations. You can click on any of the photos to see them in more detail.

Making all of these tiny little goodies reminded me of my own crystal cupcakes line of jewelry. I am going to do a blog giveaway of one of my crystal cupcakes items. Just leave me a comment before November 15, and I will choose one person to win a necklace or a pair of earrings - the winner gets to decide.

In the meantime, I am also going to put all of my crystal cupcakes jewelry on sale for $20 each (plus shipping) from now until November 15. To see all of the cupcakes jewelry go to http://www.crystalcupcakes.com/.

Domestic Goddess!

2010-10-26T13:14:00.000-07:00

The idea of my name and the title Domestic Goddess being on the same page makes me laugh! Most of the time if I'm working in the kitchen, it's because I'm drying acrylic paint with a heat gun. Luckily, my husband is a great cook, and he doesn't mind preparing dinners for us. Despite my domestic shortcomings, I decided that my latest piece would have a kitchen theme.

She has an oven timer for a head, and a tiara, of course.

Her upper body is made from a tart pan and the top of an old mixer. As you can see, she is built like a brick house.

Her body rests on top of a mouli shredder. The handle moves and has wings on it. When the handle is in the forward postion, the wings sit right against her shoulders. The mouli shredder also has her motto on it: "When in doubt, bake at 350." It's always worked for me! I learned this rule from my dad when I went away to college.

After I was finished with my domestic goddess, I felt like I had met her before. I think she is related to Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons. I found this picture on thecartoonarchive.com.

My First Etsy Item and Some Girly Stuff

2010-10-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

After years of threatening to actually put items in my etsy shop, I did it! Okay, I put one item in my shop, but at least it's a start. I had about a million reasons why this particular task never made it to the top of my to-do list.

It was mostly a matter of getting organized. First, I had to gather all of my items, then photograph them, then crop the photos, and then figure out the shipping and the postage and... you get the idea. I finally got everything together in one place and took the plunge. My goal is to get one more item listed tomorrow.

I think it will be these earrings and the necklace that goes with them. See, I already have the photo ready to go, so I'm halfway there, right?

In the meantime I took a detour around the table in my studio today. I went in there to make some more punkmen, and decided to clear off some space on the table. This was in the space where I wanted to work. I had set it aside waiting for the right piece to come along to tie it together.

I bought this little rectangular metal pan at a doll show this weekend. I think it will be perfect over her head. I'm not sure what it'll say yet, but I do think the doll's name is Sweet Pea, so maybe it'll have something to do with that.

This pin was super-shiny and full of colored rhinestones and porcelain flowers. It looked way too new to go with the little metal pan at the top. So I dulled it way down with some brown and yellow, and then dry brushed it with a little pink. Of course, now all of the doilies look too new, so they are soaking in a coffee bath as we speak. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Felted Punkmen

2010-10-02T14:48:00.000-07:00

When my newphew was little, he called pumpkins "punkmen". I was thinking about that this weekend when I stitched together these little creatures. Their bodies are felted balls. They're embellished with stitching, ribbons, beads and other little doo-dads that I had in my Halloween box.

They make me smile when I look at them. These are going to be mailed to some special people this week. I think I'm going to have to make some more, though. They were so much fun to do!

I also created some more of the large pumpkins that were featured in my article, "Paper or Plaster? A Very Vintage Halloween Makeover" in the September/October issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors. Some will be going into my etsy shop, and others will be going to local stores for sale.

I made a bunch of little ones that are currently for sale at the emporium in LibertyTown in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

This was my original display idea, but my family vetoed it. They said it was too creepy. Imagine that!

This is how the final display looked. More cute. Less creepy.

And, I finished off my robot that I posted a week or two ago. He is a little more streamlined than he was originally. He also has a spiffy new paint job. (I didn't cover up all of the peeling paint, though. I liked it.) My daughter named him Waldo. He is currently on display at LibertyTown's 6x6x6 Show. When I went to see him at the opening last night, he had a red dot on his tag, and had won third place in the show. Good job Waldo!

Published! Plus Some Button-y Goodness.

2010-09-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

Welcome Somerset Studio readers! I was thrilled to see that my altered Halloween picture frame is publilshed in Somerset Studio's Vintage Halloween Issue (September/October 2010). I did a blog post about it last year. Click here to go to the instructions. You can click the button in my sidebar to go to Somerset Studio.

Last Friday, my friend Elizabeth and I managed to find a few hours to do some sun printing. I'd been wanting to learn for a long time and we never seemed to be able to fit it in. We finally got a chance to do it, and I can't wait to do it again. It is such a fun process! Elizabeth has photos on her blog.

Before we started, we even managed to sneak in a quick trip to an estate sale. Elizabeth got an amazing assortment of antique doilies, and I got a nice tin full of old buttons. When I got home, I decided to go outside to sort them. Miss Bordeaux was happy to come outside and "help".

Here is a closer view of the button-y goodness. There were two beaded initials in the box - an "S" and an "R". I need to think of something wonderful to do with them.

If you click on the photo below you can also see the big coat button that is right in the center and some wooden buttons at the bottom. The bright green ones and the bright blue ones with the gold border are pressed glass.

Off to the left are some rhinestone encrusted buttons. I think they would make beautiful centers for some of Elizabeth's sweater flowers. Do you think I should share some of my new toys?

Cleaning and Tossing and Sorting - Oh My!

2010-09-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

I've been busy cleaning out my studio. I started by cleaning out my downstairs office, and realized I had to sort through fabric. Some of my fabric was upstairs in my studio. After I went through the studio looking for fabric, I decided to go through all the beads, papers and rusty things that were all over the table. Once I cleared the table off, I realized that I needed to sort through my bins in order to put everything away and...you know the rest. I ended up spending three days on my office and studio.Some may be shocked to know that this is the "after" picture. I'll leave the "before" nightmare up to your imagination! You can click on the photo for a closer view of all my stuff.

The studio looks pretty good, although I've already started playing again, so I have some little messes started that will no doubt grow into a great big mess within a few weeks' time. I guess I have a rusty thumb!

This little guy was the first thing I made after the big cleanup. LibertyTown is having an art show called 6x6x6. All the art submitted must be no larger than six inches in any direction. This guy is about 5 1/2 inches tall, so he made the cut.

His pal will have to stay home because he is too tall for the upcoming show. They are posing in front of an antique doll piano that I got at an auction recently. The guy on the right reminds me of a piano player in a saloon. Both of them need some adjusting and final attaching. I'll get right on that as soon as I go through the stack of papers on my desk.

What Lies Beneath

2010-08-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

Leslie Brier, Brier Design Studio

I go to the Old Town area of Fredericksburg several times a year to take photographs. Usually, I am there to get beautiful shots of Old Town, such as the church spires, the Rappahannock River, Civil War-era graveyards, or one of the beautifully restored historic sites. The items that invariably draw my attention away from those things are the rusty, grungy underpinnings of the town that I see on the side streets, or in alleyways.

Most people associate cities with sleek modernity, but when you get down to it, cities are really, really old. And when their ancient roots are showing, I have to stop and marvel. And sometimes, I even take a little piece of it home with me.

This is an assemblage that started with photographs that I've taken of bits and pieces of Fredericksburg that I love. I printed the images on canvas and attached them to a wooden base. Then, I attached some of the treasures that I've aquired on my walks through the 'burg. For me, this is the graphic equivalent of comfort food. It sums up the things I love about my adopted home town.

Pumpkin Palooza!

2010-08-23T11:37:00.000-07:00

by Leslie Brier, Brier Design Studio

My September/October 2010 issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors arrived on Friday. I always look forward to receiving this magazine in the mail, but this month was really special for me, because I have an article in this issue: Paper or Plaster? A Plastic Pumpkin Makeover.

The articles details my technique for repurposing those little plastic halloween jack-o-lanterns that kids bring home from parties, as well as the big ones that they carry while trick-or-treating. (The photos in the article are much nicer than these.)

I spent a lot of time during last year's snowstorms working on these guys. They were all over my house. I had to remember to explain to visitors why my house was full of Halloween decorations! (There's nothing like a little creative anachronism to make the neighbors think you've lost your mind.)

If you'd like to make some of these with me, I'll be teaching a workshop on October 23, 2010 at Artistic Artifacts in Alexandria,Virginia. Details coming soon.

She Waits

2010-08-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago I set out to create a piece for the Uniquely Fredericksburg show. I thought I was going to do a horizontal piece with three of these windows. However, the piece had other plans.

I laid down several layers of background paint, and when I looked at the picture vertically, I could see the form of a woman, so I decided to use water-soluble pastels to sketch in her head and neck. Once I got that in, I could see there would only be room for one window, with a lot of blank space at the bottom. I decided that the woman was waiting for her husband to come home from war. I sifted through some old family letters and came across one that told of a father dying in a civil war hospital. It said that he was buried a few weeks before the family knew he had died.

The next day, I went to the Confederate Cemetery on Amelia Street to take some photos. Then, for the next three nights, I pushed and pulled and struggled with the piece. I kept telling myself that I didn't need to make this deadline; there would be other shows.

I put a man inside the window, and realized it wasn't working for me. The panes in the window cut his face up in a strange way. Plus, the man was gone... he wouldn't be looking out the window. The family would be looking for him. I quit working on the piece.

Two days later, at an estate sale, I found a photo of a girl. On a whim, I put her behind the window, and
she fit perfectly. By this time it was the night before the deadline.

While I was rummaging in my studio for a tool, I found a second photo. The woman in the photo looked to me like the woman I had painted. The piece was completed and I hadn't missed the deadline. I got up early the next morning to hammer the frame pieces onto the finished piece.

Tonight, at the Uniquely Fredericksburg Show, She Waits won a second place ribbon in the mixed media category.

Fun in the Sun

2010-07-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

The Children's Art Expo was held this weekend at the Dorothy Hart Community Center.

On Friday, I helped Sherry Donley build a Greek Temple out of boxes. Temperatures of 105 degrees were predicted for Saturday. We couldn't help wondering...

If we build it, will they come?

Despite the high temperatures, the little ones turned out in droves. All the rest of the activities were indoors, but many of the parents told us that this was their child's favorite activity last year, and they couldn't wait to come. So the parents braved the heat, while the little ones didn't seem to mind it at all. Many had to be coaxed inside, with the promise of a cool drink, more activities and the chance to use... glitter!

As an artist, it was refreshing to see these little ones painting for the pure joy of it. They had no fear of "making mistakes" and they didn't worry about what anyone else was doing. They were in the moment and making the most of it.

I learned a lot from them!

Squidonaut

2010-07-18T15:57:00.000-07:00

Here is what I did with the water bottle, toy doll's eye and teeth. His beaky nose is a dinosaur skull.

Here is a view from the back. He has a "spine" going down the back of his head, running through his shell and protruding, tail-like, underneath the shell.

And here is he with some color added. I need to go in and do more with the colors. He's a little bit monochromatic at the moment, and probably a little too bright as well.

He definitely needs some kind of environment to stand in. At the moment, he's in a little brass soap holder. I think my family is starting to like him more. The kids have named him Squidonaut. To me, he looks like a diver merged with a squid, and left under the sea for a long time.

Stay tuned for more adventures with Squidonaut.

At the Junction

2010-07-15T10:11:00.000-07:00

It is hot-hot-hot here in the 'burg, and I feel like I'm doing everything in slow motion lately. I had a ton of work to do on Sunday, but I just couldn't get motivated. So, I decided to join my family on a trip to Squash a Penny Junction in Ashland Virginia.

Squash a Penny is an old general store, chock full of antiques and they're all for sale. Suzanne, the owner has the most amazing collectioin of items that I've ever seen in one place, and she shares my appreciation for the offbeat, the rusty and the downright creepy. She also knows what I like, and helps me navigate the maze of items that she has for sale.

The little tin and doll head (above) looked to me like they belonged together, so I had to buy them both. I'm thinking she will be one of my first resin jewelry projects.

Here are the rest of my Squash a Penny treasures. The brass tag in the middle says Jet Tillie Lace. I wonder what the story behind that is? I am anxious to do some jewelry with those optical lenses, too.

This is my latest project. Everyone in my family hates it so far. I haven't decided if that's a good thing, or a bad thing. The glass eyes came from a previous trip to Squash a penny. The false teeth were purchased from Maria's store at Art and Soul in Hampton. They look and feel amazingly real.

The octopus toy was something that we found when we were cleaning my daughter's room. It probably came in a kid's meal or something. I have lashed it to a spaceman water bottle that I found while I was junking. I put the eyes and the teeth on it last night, and it's looking very sinister. I'll show it to you again when I'm done. Unless one of my family members suceeds in ecouraging me to throw it into the trash!

Wedding Wishes

2010-07-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

This is a piece that I created as a wedding gift for our friends Raven and David.

I had originally envisioned a freestanding piece with a bird as the centerpiece. I love Julie Haymaker Thompson's Steampunk Lily piece and was hoping to do something along those lines. Unfortunately, my original bird just didn't have the "it" factor that Julie's pieces have. Her bird was whimsical - mine was cartoony. Her bird was artsy and mine looked like it came straight from a dime store -- not what I was going for, and certainly not something I wanted to give as a gift.

So I scrapped the original piece altogether and started over.

I layered paint and graphite on a 6 x 12" birch board. Then I added pieces of a vintage map. The groom hails from Devon, England, and I was lucky enough to find an old map of Devon at one of my favorite junking locations. Then, I added a decorative metal piece, reminiscent of the flourishes on their wedding invitation.

I still wanted a bird of some sort, so I painted a little wooden bird that I had, and gave her hardware features (a la JHT.). The rick-rack flowers were salvaged from a pair of vintage earrings that I had on hand. Their black color was too stark, so I toned them down with a metallic silver paint.

I added a metal house shape on top, and a part from a perpetual calendar --My wish that they will spend all the days of their lives in a happy home.

As you can see in this photo, the calendar piece was originally too dominant. There was too much brass showing, and it looked heavy on top of the bird. I went back in and lightenend the center with the metallic paint and graphite, and watercolor pencils. It helped it to recede into the background a little bit. I also repositioned it so it wasn't sitting right on top of her head.

It was interesting to see how quickly the piece came together once I was able to let go of my original vision, stay true to my own style, and focus on the recipients of the gift.

Mockingbird

2010-06-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

This is my entry for LibertyTown's "Bird's the Word". The idea is to incorporate art and words having to do with birds. I chose the traditional lullaby, "Hush Little Baby".

Hush, little baby, don't say a word,

Daddy's gonna buy you a mockingbird

And it that mockingbird won't sing,

Daddy's gonna buy you a diamond ring

And if that diamond ring turns brass,

Daddy's gonna buy you a looking glass

And if that looking glass gets broke

Daddy's gonna buy you a billy goat

And if that billy goat won't pull,

Daddy's gonna buy you a cart and bull

And if that cart and bull turn over,

Daddy's gonna buy you a dog named Rover.

And if that dog named Rover won't bark,

Daddy's gonna buy you a horse and cart.

And if that horse and cart fall down,

You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town.

Awesome Blaaazh!

2010-06-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

I was getting in touch with my inner pirate girl while working on an assemblage piece.
My daughter said, "Mom, it really sounds like you're bragging when you say that."
"Assemblage? It's the proper term -- it's a french word."
She did the preteen eye roll and replied, "Mom, awesome is not french!"

She thought I was referring to my work as Awsome Blazh. As in the most awesome blazh, ever, dude!

Anyway... at the end of May, I had a great time taking an awsome blazh class with Michael deMeng at Angela's Happy Stamper in Reston, Virginia. We had a full house of students working on Cave of Pages creations. Everyone left with a fantastic piece, or a very good start on one.

Can you see the burnt edge effect on the piece on the far right? That was achieved using washes. My piece was still looking kind of bare at the end of the class, but I came home and went to town with the washes.

I also used lots of mica, after learning the "Mysterious Frozen Caveman Trick". It is also featured in deMeng's newest book, Dusty Diablos, Folklore, Iconography, Assemblage, Olé.

The words say, Bloody Bess and her girls longed to return to the open sea.

And no piece of mine would be complete without some broken jewelry and a heapin' helpin' of epoxy clay.

I still have lots of leftover pirate-y things. I think I feel another pirate blazh comin on, mateys!

Leslie Brier, Custom Collage work

2010-06-13T15:52:00.000-07:00

This is a detail of a custom collage piece that I did for the adorable Miss Taylor.

Taylor's mom and I met at the Hurkamp Park art show, where I was showing my collage titled "Spring". The girl in the picture reminded her of her daughter. We decided that I would recreate the piece with a few minor changes. I made the hair longer and parted on the side, and changed the word "spring" to the name "Taylor".

It was refreshing to recreate a piece. It felt good to be confident every step of the way because I had already made my design decisions when I created the original artwork. It also gave me an opportunity to make little adjustments that probably wouldn't be noticeable to anyone but me. How often in life do you get a do-over?

Doesn't this remind you of the flowers in the collage? This pin is a gift from my friend Elizabeth Woodford. She creates these fabulous flowers from discarded cashmere sweaters. They are so soft to the touch, and so glamorous! I've been finding all sorts of ways to wear mine. It's my new favorite accessory.

If you'd like one, (or ten) she has them for sale at the LibertyTown Emporium here in Fredericksburg. They will definitely be on my shopping list for the holidays!

Thomas Mann, Art and Soul, and the FOS

2010-06-06T17:42:00.000-07:00

I decided that this year at Art and Soul, I would get back to my jewelry-making roots, and learn some new techniques. The first class that I took was an evening class with Thomas Mann, "Learn to Saw". I had limited experience using a jeweler's saw, and had found it very frustrating. The course description guaranteed we'd be sawing like pros by the end of the evening, and we weren't disappointed. I left feeling very proud of myself, and eager for the next day's class, Thomas Mann's Found Object Sandwich Brooch - The FOS.

I came to class prepared with an image, and some found objects, and I was ready to go. Until it was actually time to make something, and then my plan sort of fell apart.

I just had one of those days where nothing came easily to me. I lost a little piece of filigree that I'd brought with me that was a key part of my design. I left at lunchtime to set up my table for vendor night,raced back to the classroom, and got back to work, but I had missed some key information while I was gone. Luckily, I had some of the sweetest classmates in the world, who were kind enough to help me out. I left the class frustrated, with an unfinished piece.

Many of my classmates wore their gorgeous creations to vendor night. A lot of beautiful work came out of that class and it was wonderful to see the variety of FOS pins that were created.

I left my unfinished FOS in my studio, and experienced a feeling of dread every time I walked past it. Last week, I found a new piece of filigree at a local bead store, and some bead caps that looked like flowers when they were opened up. Last night I sat down and completed my piece.

I thought it would take me about 30 minutes, and it ended up taking about three hours. But I did it. I'm glad that I overcame my intimidation and finished the piece. And I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. I'll probably even use micro fasteners again in the future. But every time I look at this pin, I'll remember it as the dreaded FOS!

The Thingie Revealed

2010-05-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

I'm back from Art and Soul. It was an amazing adventure, as always. On Saturday, I left my room at 8:30 and didn't get back til after midnight. There was just too much to see and do! I had a class on Saturday from 9-5 with Thomas Mann. Then, I had my booth to set up for vendor night. And, of course, I had to shop everyone else's booth before the doors openend. After that, we had Vendor Night from 7-10. Then it was time to load up the van, and do a little socializing.

I've been reading the Vintage Rescue Squad blog for quite some time, and was thrilled to finally get to meet Sue and her sister Michelle. Sue is a junker extraordiaire -a girl after my own heart!

I also meet the fabulous Julie Haymaker Thompson through my friend Elizabeth. Julie's work is fresh, and hip and has an old-school primitive vibe at the same time. Julie herself is a breath of fresh air. I can't wait to take a class with her in the future. Elizabeth has posted her "Steampunk Lily" class project on her blog. It came out beautifully!

So now that I'm home, I can post more pictures of the thingie. (Spoiler alert - If you're attending an Art and Soul retreat in the future, and don't want to know what the thingie is - then read no further!)

It was a teapot! I decided to do a memory-jug style treatment on it. I ordered Laurie Zuckerman's memory jug cd for myself two years ago, and finally got to create my first piece. I've been collecting bits and baubles for ages. I was amazed at how many I had that fit the Wonderland theme.

I have so much more to tell about each of my classes, but it will have to wait for another day.

Off to Wonderland

2010-05-20T04:47:00.000-07:00

I am leaving in the morning to attend the Art and Soul Retreat in Hampton, Virginia. I'm registered for two classes with Thomas Mann and one class with Linda and Opie O'Brien. I had the pleasure of taking their "Who's Your DaDa" class in 2008. This year I'm taking "Alice Meeets the Dali Mama" with them.

This is the setup for my booth Vendor Night on Saturday. I hope you'll come by and see me if you're attending Art and Soul. I'm going to keep this post short, because I have to go upstairs and pack up everything in the booth so it fits in my van. -sigh- Thank goodness for my amazing helpers, especially Janet Moss and my mom. I couldn't do it without you guys!

Art in the Park and the "Thingie"

2010-05-16T05:57:00.000-07:00

My booth at Hurkamp Park and my fantastic helper!

This weather here in Virginia this weekend has been absolutely gorgeous, and I got to spend the day outside enjoying it yesterday at Hurkamp Park in Fredericksburg. I have a tent at Art in the Park this weekend. I don't know which I enjoyed the most, the customers or the four-legged-friends they brought with them. Fredericksburg is a very dog-friendly town. My daughter and I considered bringing our own poochables but decided it would be difficult to help customers and keep track of our happy-waggy girls at the same time.

The show runs again today from 11-4. I hope you'll come out and see us if you're in town. There are fourty-seven vendors with a wide variety of art. I have the good fortune of being located between North Carolina watercolorist Walter Creech and local art-quilter Lori McCown.

As soon as I get home from Art in the Park today, the mad rush is on to get everything together for my booth for vendor night at Art and Soul in Hampton. I'll have photos and a list of the items I'll be carrying later in the week. (These items are completely different from the items I have at Art in the Park.)

In the meantime, my "thingie" arrived in the mail, and I'm using the objects above to embellish it. Art and Soul attendees have the option of receiving a secret "thingie" in the mail to alter and bring to Art and Soul for display. We don't reveal what the thingie is until everyone arrives with their decorated object. It is always amazing to see how much variety is achieved using the same object as a starting point. This year's them is Art and Soul in Wonderland, and the item fits perfectly with that theme.

New Jewelry Work

2010-05-03T19:28:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I made jewelry, and I've really missed it. As usual, a looming deadline is what drew me into the studio. I had a tough time deciding what I wanted to focus on, so I made a little bit of ephemera-based jewelry, and a little bit of old-school beaded jewelry.After I got into the groove, it was hard to stop.

Each piece is part of a set with coordinating earrings and necklaces. All are currently available at LibertyTown in Fredericksburg, Va.

(Above) Pendant made from a vintage fuse tin, a button, and murano glass. The tin still opens and closes.

Large gray freshwater pearls, brass findings, crystal and czech glass.

Relic baby. (With a copper and mother of pearl "belly button")

Resin pendant with leaf and butterfly motif.

Pewter swallow with amethyst Swarovski crystal on ribbon.

Cherry blossoms and hummingbirds.

Bird pendant with crystals. Hand-strung and knotted.

Quilt Archaeology

2010-04-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

This post comes to you thanks to my friend The Amazing Alice who is not only crafty, but organized! Last January, I finally got around to doing a big studio clean-up. At the end of all of my hard work, I discovered that I'd accidentally thrown out a bag of vintage linens. I was especially sad to lose the cutter quilt, that I'd used as the background for Heartfelt, and the rest of the feed sack that I'd used for Seed Sower. I told my sad story to Sister Alice, and a few weeks later, she gifted me with this gorgeous cutter quilt. (Alice actually gets rid of things on purpose!)

You can see how delicate the old fabric was. In some areas it was practically falling apart in my hands. When I looked inside the openings in the fabric, I could see that there was another quilt layered under the first one. I gently removed the green floral border, and then began the process of removing the knots so that I could peel off the top of the quilt to see what was underneath.

This is the quilt that I found underneath. The first quilt top fit a double bed. The quilt underneath was the size of a single bed. I'd like to think that a young bride extended the size of the quilt when she got married.

Guess what was used to extend the quilt? Feed sacks! I was so thrilled.

After I removed the feed sacks, I got to see the original twin-sized quilt. I folded over the back so you can see the black and white floral print fabric that was on the other side.

I can't wait to use it in a future project. In the meantime, I folded each of the pieces very neatly and put them in a clear plastic bag, so that there is no possibility that this treasure will get discarded.

Collaborative Jewelry Work

2010-04-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Woodford and have been working on a collaborative jewelry set to donate to the LibertyTown Patron's Show in May. We decided on an ocean theme, and then combed through each of our bead stashes to assemble a group of beads to work from.

Elizabeth created this stunning bracelet. I borrowed this photo from her blog, where you can read more about her creative process, and see more images. She had to rework the piece several times to get it just right. I did some reworking myself, mainly due to the fact that I had to come up with something that would be a suitable companion to Elizabeth's gorgeous piece!

I decided to do one of my salt shaker pendants, and add a little more beading than usual. I had purchased a mermaid bead from Green Girl Studios when I was on vacation in Ashland, North Carolina and this seemed like the perfect time to use it.

She is dangling from the bottom of the salt shaker, along with a variety of beads from our collective stash. I added a beaded section on the top of the salt shaker. I like the effect, and intend to explore the idea further in the future. I added chain to the very top, to coordinate with the salt shaker and mermaid, and then added a splash of beads on the bottom half of the chain. (You can click on the image for a closer look.)

The middle photo above also shows the earrings. They have shells with a variety of beachy beads spilling out of them.

There are still tickets available for the patron's show. Tickets are $150, and each ticket guarantees the ticket holder an original piece of artwork. (Or, in this case, three original pieces!) I hope you'll consider coming down to join the fun! For more information, you can visit the website at http://www.libertytownarts.com/.

Running with Scissors

2010-04-03T17:14:00.000-07:00

Whew! The last few weeks have been crazy busy. Seriously crazy. Seriously busy. I was working three part-time jobs and trying to squeeze in studio time where I could. All of them were great opportunities, and I'm really glad I didn't have to miss out on any of them. Here are the art projects I managed to squeeze in:

Pictured below is the beginning of my fat-book pocket-skirt swap for Art and Soul. I can't reveal any more right now, but it's coming along, and I'll share the whole book with you when I get back from A&S.

I also completed this piece, "See The Show" which is part of my circus series. The background is a copper printing plate, with gel medium transfers. The 3-D objects are brass candle holders, brass charms, a vintage baby doll and an antique rubber stamp. The title of the piece is stamped in gold at the bottom.

This piece, titled "In the Kitchen" is currently in the Food for Thought show at Liberty Town through the month of April.

I'm so grateful that things are a little quieter now. I never got the house decorated for Easter, but there are worse things in the world, right? Easter bunny did get to do a little shopping, so there will be brimming baskets in the morning, followed by a fun day at Grandma's.

And who knows, maybe Easter bunny will get the urge to do a little decorating while the eggs are being hidden tonight!

NeoVictorian Remix

2010-03-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

I've just finished reading The Devil in the White City, Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson. It is a detailed account of the Columbian Exhibition in Chicago in 1893. I learned so much about the era, and its people, and their inventions. It is amazing to realize what these men and women accomplished in a short time.

I had been working on this piece with ferris wheels in it before I started the book. It took on a new meaning for me after I started reading it. I have a new appreciation for Ferris' Wheel. The first ferris wheel appeared at the Columbian Exhibition, and was America's answer to the Eiffel Tower which was built for the Paris Exposition.

The piece is almost finished now. I have added wiring to the object in the woman's hands and also added a glaze to the background with words written in it.

The woman also has had many more gears and three-D objects added into her machinery. I'm going to change the flowers on her hat, and then I think it will be finished. I plan to enter it in the FCCA show, "Conceal and Reveal".

Mind Your Manners -- Leslie Brier, Controversial Artist?

2010-03-17T07:21:00.000-07:00

I will start this post with a photo of the genteel Miss Bordeaux, who apparently fell asleep while reading a book of Victorian Spot illustrations. No wonder the pages are dog-eared!

And now, dear readers, I will recount for you a tale of someone who was not so genteel at the Dorothy Hart Community Center on Saturday night. I entered my Electrolux Baby (Circus 2) in the sculpture category, and was delighted to find him sporting a blue ribbon when I arrived at the show.

A few minutes later, a group of two couples approached. Upon seeing the blue ribbon, one of the women exclaimed, "You have got to be kidding!" and then went on to say how "ridiculous" it was. I realized she had a right to her opinion, but was surprised that she voiced it so loudly.

And then it got worse. She and her group finished touring the show and we both ended up at the sculpture row once again. This time she was even more vocal, and loudly declared it to be "disgusting" among other things.

Now if a friend were telling me this story, I'd say, "Well, I definitely would have said something." But you know what? I didn't. I couldn't. I didn't stand up for Electrolux Baby, and I'm not sure why. I guess I was taken aback at how strongly she seemed to feel about the situation.

And now that I've told this story, I feel much better. It is out of my system and we need never speak of it again.

Steampunk Circus Digital Remix - Working with a Net

2010-03-08T06:31:00.000-08:00

This collage is made from 1890's era newspaper images.I built up background layers, and then added the newspaper images on top. Some are gel-medium transfers, and some are applied face-up straight from a laser print, and tinted with colored tissue and watercolor pencils.

It wasn't finished, but I wasn't sure what it needed. There were several ideas that I wanted to explore, and I wasn't feeling particularly patient. So, I decided to go to my computer and work it out in PhotoShop.

Here is the digital image. I added the top hat first, and then put in the rest of the images from there. The words went in last. I love working with type and typefaces in my job as a graphic designer, but tend to shy away from it in my altered art work, mainly because I don't love my own handwriting the way I love typefaces.

To me, a typeface can instantly set the tone for a piece whether its used in graphic design or fine art. (I used Algerian here.) I think I'll need to take a break from this image for a few days, and then come back to it and see if I still like it. If I don't, I can rework it - a major advantage of going digital. That can also be a pitfall - sometimes it's good to work without a net, so to speak, in order to make a commitment. Right now it looks a little to busy to me.

I'm still pondering what to do with the piece in the previous post. Terry Pitzel and Elizabeth Woodford have both given me some great suggestions, so I'm hoping to finish that piece this week. Stay tuned!

NeoVictorian Adventures

2010-02-21T18:38:00.000-08:00

Here is a piece that I've been working on for the past two weeks. It's not quite finished yet. The caption is, "Everyone admired her graceful movement." I'm still trying to decide if those words belong in the piece, or under the piece. It is 22 inches tall, so the words will have to be pretty large if I do decide to put them in. And, I'll have to figure out how to get them in there.

This piece is a mixed media collage. Most of the images were taken from late 1800s issues of Scientific American and early 1900s issues of Ladies Home Journal. I only have two more weeks to work on it, so I'll let you know how it turns out. As always, suggestions are welcome!

Creative Anachronism

2010-02-15T15:12:00.000-08:00

Cabin Fever is finally starting to set in. I just can't think of spring and blossoms, right now, so I've begun working on some Halloween projects that I didn't have time for back in the fall!

I'll wait until this fall to post them. In the meantime, enjoy this Valentine's Day greeting from one of my favorite artists, my daughter. And I'll enjoy the peppermint patties and snow caps that my husband and kids got me for Valentine's Day. Hope your day was full of sweet surpises!

Heartfelt

2010-02-08T16:46:00.000-08:00

I've often said that February only has 28 days because we just couldn't take any more than that. Just when I thought I'd had enough of the snow, I happened upon this gravity-defying curl that brought the magic back for me again. I can't imagine the complex set of circumstances that had to occur for the snow to end up like that. Look at the angle of the icicles on the bottom of the curve! (You can click the photo for a closer look.)

Another benefit of the snow is that it's forced me to stay in and get some projects finished. Janet Moss had the perfect word for me: "Heartfelt". I was looking for something short and sentimental, and heartfelt summed it up perfectly.

After I had my word, I framed it in a brass frame, punched some holes in the frame and added some dangles from an old pin that I had.

This year, I'm working on using the items I have, instead of hanging onto them in case I need them for something better later. In that spirit, I used not one, but two of my precious tatted doilies - a white one and an off-white one. I made the heart on top, and aged it with instant coffee.

In the meantime, the original flower I had disappeared. I suspect my fabric-loving cavalier Bordeaux had something to do with it. So I created a new one. I've been doing a lot with these flowers. I'll show them in another blog post.

Here is the finished product. I think sweet Charlotte looks right at home in her new surroundings. Heartfelt thanks to Janet for her inspirational choice of words!

Help me, I'm stuck!

2010-01-30T13:23:00.000-08:00

This little penny doll is Charlotte. I've been spending a lot of time with her lately. I was so inspired by Janet's quilt, that I had to try some "French Rose" art for myself. I know better than to attempt an entire quilt, so I made some shabby little flowers. I've done all kinds of things to distress them, and I'm very happy with the way they turned out. Here is the whole piece so far:

Nothing is sewn down yet, and I plan to distress the pink hearts uner the doily in the same way that I distressed the flower. Beyond that, I am stuck. I think my dear Charlotte needs some words, or more shabby flowers, or some text that has been soldered under glass...but I don't know what. I went to some thrift stores looking for inspiration, but it didn't work! If you have any ideas, please leave a comment here on my blog or on my facebook page. I'd love to have her done in time for Valentine's Day.

In the meantime, we are snowed in again! I am so happy that it's on a weekend, and I don't have to worry about school or work closings. We are all here safe and sound. Here's a look at the water crock outside my kitchen window.

We have at least 8 inches outside and it's still coming down like crazy!

Elizabeth Woodford's Auction for Haiti

2010-01-29T07:14:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
It's been a hectic week, but I wanted to get this blog post in today. Elizabeth Woodford is auctioning off this fabulous beaded cuff bracelet to benefit Haiti. Her blog post has more photos, and more of the back story of her connection to Haiti as well. Please stop over and take a look: http://www.elizabethcreates.blogspot.com/. Her auction ends today! This is a wonderful opportunity to own a piece of Elizabeth's art and do good in the world at the same time. What could be better?

Victoria's Hardware Secrets - Leslie Brier Mixed Media Collage Artist

2010-01-24T17:31:00.000-08:00

Can you keep a secret? It's been an artistically challenging week. I had an idea for a piece that I wanted to do and I had a deadline. But getting from point A to point B was really difficult for me.

I had been pondering the idea that historically women have used a lot of "hardware" in the process of trying to beautify themselves. Hair curlers, hair pins, underwires, bra hooks, corset boning and garter clasps came to mind.

At 6:00 the night before the deadline, I was almost ready to give up. I had put a lot of time into collecting and creating elements, and I still couldn't decide whether I was going to do 3-D, or 2-D, Vixen or Victorian. I was digging through bins and drawers for inspiration, and realized I was messing up my newly cleaned studio in the process. Besides, if I didn't submit to this particular show, no one would know but me...

Finally, I just decided to stop overthinking it and commit to putting something down on the board. I decided it was better to try and fail than not try at all. Slowly, the pieces started to come together. The next thing I knew, it was 10 pm. The project was finally at a point where it was creating itself. The pieces were falling into place and I knew exactly how I wanted to finish it. By 11:30 I had everything nailed down and most of the color laid in.

The next morning, I framed it out with vintage erector set pieces, photographed it and submitted it. And most importantly, I really liked it when it was all done. So what if I put all that work into it and it doesn't get into the show? I'm fine with it. It'll be our little secret.

Janet Moss' Amazing Technicolor Dream Quilt!

2010-01-17T15:06:00.000-08:00

Janet Moss is a good friend of mine who is often my partner in crime when it comes to auctions, flea markets, or trying out a new art technique. As it turns out, she is also an amazing quilter! Who knew?
As a gift for her daughter's graduation, Janet created a quilt that is actually two quilts in one.

This side shown above has her daughter's favorite t-shirts. Those who know me well may recall my "Frankenquilt" Incident of a few years ago. It was a t-shirt quilt that killed my machine and caused me to utter words in combinations heretofore unknown. So, the fact that she was able to complete a t-shirt quilt with her sewing machine and her dignity intact, to me, is a feat unto itself.

But wait! There's more! This is the OTHER side of the quilt. It's the French Rose pattern and I adore it!

Here is a closer view. I love the color combinations. And the stitching pattern in the background. (She would want me to tell you that another seamstress did the actual quilting part.) But she did TWO quilt tops and made them work together. Beautifully, I might add.

So now, of course, I have this crazy idea in my head about doing something similar, but smaller, with pastels and hearts, and doing it before Valentine's Day. My family members are hunkering down in their bedrooms and hoping the mood passes before I kill again!

Virginia Wine Experience Show -- Leslie Brier, Guest Artist

2010-01-07T05:28:00.000-08:00

Rick Klingbeil is a talented local painter, who is the artist-in-residence at the gallery space above The Virginia Wine Experience on Caroline Street. He has generously offered to share his wall space with Barry Sisson and me for the month of January. The opening is this Friday night.

Here are some of the pieces that will be there:

I've been wanting to do some circus-themed pieces for a while. This is Circus I. It is a collage on canvas.

Detail of Circus I.

Another detail. I've been working with layers and transparency. The majority of these images are gel medium transfers.

This is my Unicycle Rider. Another in the Circus Series.

This is Mermaid. This started out as a collage of magazine images. I then layered stamped tissue and acrylic paint over the collage.

Garden began with a layer of magazine transfers in purple and gray tones. I built up layers of color on top of the transfers, and then added torn paper collage on top of that. The final layer of color was put in with watercolor pencils. Accents were added with black ink and white gel pen.

The opening is this Friday night, January 8, from 6:30 - 9:00 pm.

The address is 826 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401.

Stop by and sample some of the amazing wines that The Virginia Wine Experience has to offer, and say hello to Rick, Barry and me!