Monday, June 30, 2008

Old Fly Catcher Bottle




Sunday morning I found this bottle at the junkie flea market I go to. Not sure if it`s old or a repro. . You put sugar water inside, it attracts the flies and they go inside and can`t figure their way back out and die. I haven`t tried it yet, but maybe at this weekends 4th of July party. If anyone knows any information about these bottles ,I`d love to hear about them. Even if it`s about the reproductions , so I can learn the difference between the old and new. I have another one somewhere that I found a few years ago, but it was smaller and had a glass stopper lid and a wire to hang it up. That woman said it was old.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

I have a friend who says I need to pick something and become a master of it. That`s what the really big artists do and are then known for doing that, whether it be dolls, pottery, painting, whatever. That makes sense to my mind and I see the logic of that thinking, but I can`t seem to be someone who can do just one thing. I change from medium to medium ,one piece after another. I just did the altered art and now when I wanted to paint an early portrait right after that. I`ve tried to be another way, but I have accepted this is the way it`s going to be. If I try to say how it`s going to be, such as I`m going to be a painter, I`ll sit there looking at an empty canvas. I can`t tell "it" what to do. It leads me and I stay open and listen and do and keep my mind quiet from any possible negative reactions. That is what I am practicing right now, just make something and try to keep the critic from ruining the experience by ignoring it.

I tried rug hooking, I like it very much.



I tried watercolors , great fun!



Needlepunch or needle punch , love doing it.


I`m trying my hand at penny rugs too. Haven`t finished this yet. Colors are not as bright as shown in the photo.


For now I seem to be a jack of all trades and a master of none and I`ll have to accept it until I find that, one day something will be "it" for me. I`ll accept my flip flopping :-) Melanee

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Make do


You may have read my post about Budging the Mule, It finally got up and is moving along these days! I`m so happy to be back creating. I hope you will keep checking back to see what I make.

Here is a make do I finished yesterday. I found this bottom to an old oil lamp at the flea market a few weeks ago. Now what else will this base ever be used for? The fabric is old pink cotton and it`s stuffed with old cotton. Everything reused and given a beautiful new life. Each hanging strawberry has been stitched by hand by me. I just love it and I`m tempted to keep it, I hope it will find a new home where it will be loved.SOLD Email Me if you are interested.

Monday, June 2, 2008

New Altered Arts Blog

I`ve opened a new blog about my folk art and mixed media work. Here`s the link.
http://melaneeherrerafolkart.blogspot.com/



I still have the Early Cloth and Paint group on Yahoo too.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EarlyClothandPaint/