If you were Tagged --raise your hand!

I was tagged by three other wonderful bloggers within 24 hours.

Margins: http://marginsspace.blogspot.com/
An Artful Mess: http://acldesigns.blogspot.com/
Espionage: http://hoipolloies.blogspot.com/

7 random facts:

1. I lived in Berlin, Germany for two years before the wall came down.
2. I'm one of those people who do not like their food to touch on their plate --buffets are painful for me! Well unless it's food that goes together like mashed potatoes and corn.
3. I absolutely love Cincinnati Chili. Can you believe it has dark chocolate in it?
4. I was featured in "Quilt" magazine in the early 90s. The quilt was then auctioned off for a Women's shelter.
5. When I was a child my knees must have had scrapes on them from falling down from about the age of 6 -12. I still look at peroxide bottles with fear.
6. I adored my second grade teacher and cried at the end of the school year.
7. I'm writing a book about quilting.

Seven Great Blogs
--in no particular order and by no means all of my favorites --just take a look at my blog roll!

http://afancifultwist.typepad.com/
http://stilettoheights.blogspot.com/
http://www.sweetney.com/
http://womenonbusiness.com/
http://sassandveracity.typepad.com/sass_veracity/ http://inthenightkitchen.wordpress.com/
http://brandianndesigns.blogspot.com/

Tagging Rules:

1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 3 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. My 3 are highlighted in brown.
   
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

Artist Series - Beyond the Rockz

I have admired the work by Beyond the Rockz since the first time that I saw their beautiful collection on Etsy. If you haven't peeked into their shop...you must. Such unusual pieces. Simple, elegant and everything looks so well made. I have a favorite piece, but I can't tell you which one it is --since you may purchase it before me...

1. When did you become interested in art and did you choose art, or did it choose you?

For both of us, we were children when we experienced what we can now describe as the marvel of inspiration and the satisfaction that comes from harmonic expression. These first experiences are very much a part of who we are artistically. When Caroline was little, she enjoyed creating dollhouses from cardboard boxes, fabric remnants and found objects and Al spent hours drawing plans for making imaginative characters and vessels out of modeling clay. Over the years and learning that passion needs technique in order for it to grow and express itself, those early impulses steadily grew into a creative drive.

2. You get to spend one weekend each with three historical figures, an artist, a writer and one of your choice. Who are they and what will you talk about or do?

Very difficult to choose, but for historical artist and writer we'll go with Michelangelo. There's a poem he wrote while working on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, in which he writes with torment "... and painting is my shame." We know he referred to himself as a sculptor, not a painter, but still Michelangelo's feelings expressed in his poem are a surprising and unexpected disclosure that has stayed with us. To be on the scaffolding in the Sistine Chapel and witness a portion of that ceiling being illuminated by his hand or to be right there in his studio watching him reveal the Pietà from within the marble - - either would be an awe-inspiring experience beyond description.

Coaxing the earth to bear a beautiful garden is another art we enjoy. So, we would also like to go back in time and spend a weekend gardening with Claude Monet on his property in Giverny. To see Monet in his garden involved in the continual process of making, and completely for his own enjoyment. Now that would be a wonderful experience!

3. How has the popularity of the Internet affected your work?

We think the Internet has helped art immensely. It's amazing how it has put the art world back into the spotlight, and because of its accessibility, the art-appreciating audience continues expanding and diversifying so that all ages and backgrounds from around the world are coming together and appreciating art like never before. For artists, personal websites, blogs, portfolios, curated art and design sites, art communities and marketplaces - - are all wonderful opportunities. We're glad that the narrow road leading to being noticed by big corporates has now opened up and branched out to so many other and varied possibilities. We're doing our best to identify the most effective places for Beyond the Rockz, and we're excited about the future.

4. Have you discovered any new technique to creating your work that you can share? How do you overcome artist block?

Caroline just completed one intensive year of weekly trial and error attempts for a unique process creating reversible mixed media pieces. Al's work is less pavé these days and more granulation and mixed metal combinations. Notebooks filled with ideas, new processes that don't quite work or don't work at all, sketches of new designs and collections of natural materials, faceted stones, natural stones from around the world (we just received a package of exquisite natural stones from Italy), and new tools yet to be tried out. There aren't enough hours in a day or days in a week for all we're excited to do, so we do have to sit ourselves down and prioritize on a regular basis. In all the years we've worked together, if there was an artist block for either of us, we simply took that as our cue to put it to the side and move on to the next inspiration.

5. If I walked into your studio this moment what would you show me first? What would you want to hide?

A collaborative design for a ring. Al is finishing the wax model, which Caroline will use for showcasing her mixed-media designs. Hide? Not possible. Can't hide the mess!






6. Describe something that comes up in your work because of a life experience?

The creative process involving the two of us working together comes up daily, which demands developing open-mindedness, respect, flexibility and patience. It's an on-going process. We essentially live two lives, one outside the studio and one in it. Beyond a passion for creating jewelry, we love the simple physical sense of sorting and arranging stones, the feel of metal, and playing with color and texture. The empty sketch pad, raw metals, loose stones, photographs we've taken, pigments, various tools, including the ones we've made ourselves - - these lead us on our journey in whatever direction our glittering mosaic of inspirations whispers. Working together for so long we've found a delicate balance of personal chemistry and artistic empathy, and sometimes we do disagree, but what simply cannot change is that we're deeply connected to each other and this drives us. Oddly, we thrive on disagreement and criticism, and although we're inspired by so many of the same things, our ideas are not always a creative alchemy of individual inspirations that result in a unified interpretation. We're constantly balancing between individual and team, creating apart and together, and we love it this way.



7. Describe what you do or who you are in a haiku

Flowing from the heart
Surrendering completely
Artistry revealed

8. Is there anything else that you would like to share?

This really was a thought-provoking interview. We enjoyed answering your questions and had fun making a haiku - - thank you very much! And we hope your readers will take a moment to click to our website and explore the art of light with us on our blog. Thanks again.

beyondtherockz.com

Apple and iPhone

Well I am very frustrated with my iPhone and had to write a letter to Steve

Dear Steve Jobs,

I love Apple products. I have been a loyal Apple user since the Lisa. With that said my iPhone is driving me crazy! I live in the Phoenix metro area and I expect with a city of this size to have very few connectivity issues. I travel throughout the city for business and I am frustrated at the number of times that I have no cell phone access or internet access on the E network. Steve, you have to do something about this. AT&T has to do something about coverage. Where I live, I get one bar and in many cases, I need to be in just the right location in my home to get my iPhone to work.

We also off-road and were in Ruidoso, New Mexico recently, yes a small town, kind of, but we actually stayed in the city, in a cabin and just by accident I found one little corner of the cabin that allowed me cell phone access and sometimes I was even able to get my email. How about that! I don't expect to actually get good coverage when we are in the middle of the desert…an arroyo…or at 13,000 ft in snow, but many of my friends do with their phones and service provider. I shudder to think that we may have an emergency and have this wonderful piece of technology that won't be able to get help to us. (Hence a CB) Oh, and since we are on this topic…could you unlock the GPS?

Maybe AT&T should come up with a plan that I only pay for my service when I can actually access it? I'm sure my bill would be reduced by at least a third and that is being conservative!

Steve I can't tell people how wonderful the iPhone is. I can't suggest that they make the switch to the iPhone, since AT&T service coverage is non-existent! I love your ginchy iPhone, but I may have to switch back to a Blackberry….

…now I'm waiting for a reply

Embroidery Tutorials

As all of you are aware I began an Embroidery tutorial with promises of continuing. Just like everyone else there are so many things that I want to do and so little time. But, never fear I have found a website, and with the authors permission I am providing a link in this post and then in a permanent position in the right column that gives you excellent instructions on many embroidery stitches.

Mary Corbet's Needle 'N Thread website is just the ticket to learning embroidery stitches from basic to complicated. Mary's videos are clear and concise. She divides the tutorials into these sections:

• Line Stitches and Bands
• Chain, Fly, and Buttonhole Stitches
• Detached Stitches and Knots
• Filling Stitches
• Miscellaneous Embroidery Techniques

As an added bonus she also has patterns and links to other embroidery information. You'll want to bookmark her website so that you can go back to watch and learn each stitch. Have fun and I would love to see all of your beautiful creations!

Arizona and Snow

We drove up to Flagstaff on Friday to pick up materials for our business and even though I had heard that it had snowed I was amazed to see it on the San Francisco Peaks. It is mid May and this is Arizona! It always amazes me how weather diverse this state is. We left Phoenix and it was in the low 90s and arriving in Flagstaff it was in the low 60s and this was around 3:00 in the afternoon. It would have been fun to go play in the snow, but there wasn't enough time --so I took pictures!

Brides Embroidered Cuff

This was such a pleasure to make. I had to experiment a little, which translates into the fact that the first attempt to float the center didn't work out well. But, now I have it under control! Once again I used flowers that don't grow in the desert where I live, but I truly love. I can buy them when they are in season in pots, they don't last long, and I will never have a huge shrub of hydrangea! Nor will I ever have a magnolia tree. Don't ask...why do I live in the desert...well I don't have to have four seasons of clothing. (ok, we won't go there either since I love wearing sweaters...boots...)

This embroidered cuff would make such a lovely memento for a bride on her wedding day. I can imagine the same bride as a mom and giving it to her daughter to wear on her wedding day...something borrowed, something blue, something old, something new... Along with the embroidered flowers are fluorite chips in frosty white on each edge of the cuff encircling the wrist. And, teeny, tiny Swarovski crystals scattered in the hydrangea that give it just that lovely flicker of sparkle!

Bicycles Cross With Caution --Cattle Guard

I took this picture when we were off-roading in the area of Patagonia, AZ.
I don't think I need to say more!

Morning Glories Antiqued!

Convolvulus Arvensis

Kinda scary, huh? But who wouldn't love to wear this around their wrist? As I make my cuffs I think about what I would like to embroider on the next cuff and what colors I want to use. This cuff came out looking like, in my opinion, a botanical field journal drawing from the late 1800s. I'm sure I will come across something similar when I browse through a copy of Godey's Lady's Book.

Morning Glories are a childhood favorite not only for their beauty, but also the popping sound. Yes, I am a Morning Glory popper. Luckily we had a fence line full of them when they came into season. So my mom only shook her head when she saw me pinching them. Now I live in the desert and there are no morning glories. Except for the ones that dance in my head and inspire my creations.