More Tags For Our Tree And Home ~ The Paper Collage

My Friend Pamela Invited me over to an Altered Art Tag Workshop at her Shop THE PAPER COLLAGE and to dye Seam Binding and do a Gypsy Trade of 'Smalls' with each other for Christmas.  Hey, you don't have to threaten me with a good time, so we spent a Fun filled Afternoon Creating, Socializing and Gypsy Trading.   Here's one of the Lovely Altered Art Tags she Traded me... LOVE IT, it's a Glorious Fibers Fantasy from her Personal Collection she's Cherished for Years!!!  I've attached it with a Vintage Clip Earring to my New Drapes.  Fabric Artists are particularly covetous of Fibers, Fabrics and Trims, we can't get enough of them and they're Priceless to us, especially as Gifts!

 

 



So... when Pamela agreed to also Trade me this Beautiful Whimsical Christmas Tag she'd Created with some Hand-Dyed Seam Binding in a Hue I was Adoring, it was yet another Priceless Gift to me!  And so on our Christmas Tree it went as further Ornamentation.

 

 

 

In fact, I'd 'Picked' a bag full of 'Smalls' that Morning, which I'd brought in for her to rummage thru as 'Trade' because I knew I wouldn't have enough Time to Create as many Beautiful Altered Art Tags as I wanted and NEEDED to complete my Christmas Tree Decorating, the back of our Tree was still quite sparsely Decorated.  So I was totally Jazzed that she was Down for a good Gypsy Trade of Tags for Smalls!  I LOVE Trading because a Good Trade is so Mutually Beneficial and everyone can Afford to Trade what they already have for what they Want or Need.

 

 

So here's another one of Pamela's Tag Creations I Traded her for... so Cute and so Boheme' and in my Favorite Hues... on the New Drapes it went.

 

 



As I said, I had also come to Create and Learn some New Techniques as well during the Workshop and there were so many Inspiring Examples that Pamela had Created all over the Shop and for every possible Occassion and Season.

 

 



Big Banner Tags...

 

 



And tons of Supplies for Creating your Unique Altered Art Treasures you'd be bringing Home with you from your Workshop Experience.  I like nothing better than taking a Class or Workshop and Learning New Art Forms to Create!

 

 



And Pamela is a Superb Instructor and very Talented so she has all these Wonderful Techniques to Teach... if you haven't already taken some Workshops you should sign up for some.

 

 



 

And of coarse another Project we would be Enjoying the Creation of was Hand-Dying our yardage of Seam Binding.   So, I grabbed my newly Acquired Snowman Tag so that I could be Inspired by the Seam Binding Bow as I got to work Dying my own Seam Binding Yardage.  You can Purchase your Seam Binding right at the Shop if you have had trouble finding your own to bring, it is notoriously difficult to find undyed.

 

 



So... after I Dyed a bunch of Seam Binding {shown in the background} I now was ready to Create some Altered Art Tags with some of the New Techniques I'd Learned from Pamela.  This was my first Creation... but it needed a lil somethin'-somethin' else... because you KNOW how over the top Excessive I am, especially when Creating... More is just never enough... NEVER!  *LOL*

 

 

So we decided to use another Technique, Waxing the Tag and then adding some Sparkle Glue to the Florals... which gave the Tag the Aged Muted look that I was going for and brought some of the background thru the Portrait ... PERFECT!

 

 



And here's how the back of the Tag turned out... as I Experimented with some more Techniques of Dying the Tags with Tim Holtz Distress Stain Products which are my Personal Favorites!  I mean, who doesn't Love Tim AND his Amazing Products, right?  I'm a self-professed Tim Holtz Groupie, I should buy Stock in his Company since I own practically everything he's got in his Line!  *Smiles*  And if you've ever met him, he's such a Super Nice Guy too!

 

 

 

Okay, so I couldn't resist, rehashing the time we ran into Tim while he was in Town and I met him for the first time at our Friend Wendy's Shop and he Graciously got into the Photo Shoot for our Girl's Day Out Blog Fodder Post!  Don't we look positively Radiant while in his Presence?!?  *LOL*

 

 



Okay, so back to my Tags... because this Outing was all about ME so that I could get a Respite from the Family.  *Smiles*   BTW they ALL came down Sick the day the VA Respite Caregiver, Magdalena, was supposed to come to the house for the first time to cover The Man!  *Le Sigh*  And so since I had Sickness AND the G-Kid Force there, we had to Cancel.   Probably just as well since The Man was having considerable Anxiety about a Stranger coming to Care for him for up to six hours... he'd wound himself up into high blood pressure about it so we had to have the Home Care Nurse do an Emergency Visit instead... so maybe he's not quite ready for Respite Care just yet... I'll have to ease him into that slowly since Change, Routine Interruption and New People is still very difficult for him.

 

 



Honestly, it Touched my Heart since I'd already Scheduled the Workshop and he's begging me to come along and Dye Seam Binding and Make Tags with me... something he has absolutely NO Interest in!  Or that he could sit in the car... Okay, now I knew he was Desperate not to have to stay with Magdalena!  He was actually relieved when that Morning The Force woke up too sick to attend School and Prince R and Princess T said they could 'Babysit' Grandpa instead of Magdalena so that I could go to my Class.  Since everyone wasn't feeling well they're way more Low-Key and Manageable towards each other, so everyone Behaved and I didn't have to Cancel my Workshop too! *Whew*  I kept Calling Home just to check in... Princess T was busy Cleaning the House while Prince R cooked Grandpa's Lunch in the Microwave and made him Tea... Damn... they CAN Survive Intact without me for a little while... GOOD!   'Cause if I don't get my Respites, I might go Wheels Off the Rails!  *LOL*  

 

 

 

 

Okay... so above is another Tag I Created... Loved how the Dyed Seam Binding Hues matched up very well with my Tag Dying with the same Products.  I will Glitterize this later, didn't have enuf Time in the Workshop to do every Element I Desired and I have all the Products at Home anyways too.

 

 



For this Tag we were Experimenting to see if the Products would Dye Velvet Trim as nicely as it does Seam Binding... I Love Experimenting so I'm Down for being the Guinea Pig Art Student with my Creations to see what happens, why not?  Most of the best Creativity Results often comes from Happy Accidents we didn't Intend or Predict!  Especially when you're Dying Stuff... I particularly Love the Art of Hand-Dying items because it is always Unique and no two Dye Lots will ever turn out Identical, there will always been Sublime Variances!

 

 

 

And Yes, Velvet Trim took the Dyes quite well and I Loved the Results and it matched a Tag I Created quite nicely I thought.

 

 

Here's one of the last Tags I Created...

 

 

 

We spritzed this one with Water to see how the Dyes would react and to give it some Texture.

 

 

 

 

Some of my Hand-Dyed Seam Binding... so much Fun to do this!

 

 

A couple of the last Holiday's Tag Creations by Pamela that I had been Admiring during her Halloween Event so she Gifted them to me!!!  My Goal is to keep Practicing with Tag Dying until I can get this Quality of End Result on my Tags... Divine!!!

 

 



And check out the Sweet Navajo Vintage Pincushion Pamela gave me for Christmas!

 

 



I just Love it, Traditional Navajo and Hopi Velvet Wardrobe are among my Favorite Tribal Ensembles.

 

 





 

 

Here she is from the back.   And check out how Princess T had 'Decorated' my Mini Black Christmas Tree with her Zoobles while I was gone!  *LOL*  And she'd worked tirelessly to dust many of Gramma's Chachkes as well Bless her Heart!

 

And it WAS a Fun and Productive day for Yours Truly... I stopped and had some Guilty Indulgences... BR Ice-Cream Nutty Coconut and Pralines N Cream in a Waffle Bowl... Yum!!!

 

 



Pickin' is always a Rush... and Helps to fill the Showrooms back up so that I can keep on top of the Holiday Rush as well!

 

 

It's not that I found a lot, but what I did 'Pick' was really Special to me and I Hope will be Special to my Customers as well?

 

 



I have a Passion for Botanicals and was Jazzed to find a matching Pair.

 

 



This Sconce Shade reminded me of Italian Millifiore or Chuhuly Glass.

 

 



And I can never pass up a Crystal Sconce... even if this was a lone Orphan one that might have once been part of a matching Set?

 

 



I decided to keep a Pair of Unknown Masters Unframed and Unsigned Original Oil Art that I 'Scored'... don't know who the Artist is, but I Loved their Style.

 

 



 

 

I also found another Guilty Indulgence of mine... Spa Soaps in Gorgeous Packaging!  I got a huge Bag of them for under Two Bucks!

 

And lastly, but certainly not leastly... another Favorite Passion of mine is the Exploration of Old Abandoned Homes or Ruins that have always Intrigued me and I might be Documenting for perhaps the last time before they are Gone Forever?  This particular one I had driven by for Decades when it was occupied and always Loved the Old Adobe Two Story Structure on Two Agricultural Acres in the Heart of the City which has Urban sprawled around it. It had an Artist Loft Style Window taking up the entire front of the Building and always Intrigued me because it has several exterior Adobe Stairways leading up to the Second Floor and I Envision the Second Floor being an Artist Loft Style Space?  Sadly, it has had a Fire now and is Vacant up for Sale... don't know if it will just be razed and developed if a Restoration is too Costly for a New Owner?  I'm sure an Investor can get more bang for their buck razing it and re-developing it with a Cookie Cutter Subdivision or Apartments... sad though that it will be Lost.

 

 



 

 

Old Sentinals like this are Rare in the Heart of the City as Urban Sprawl Encroaches the Rural Areas and like a swarm of insatiable locusts devours the Agricultural Historic Homes of the Area that used to be out in the boonies and are the last hold-out bastions of what 'Once Was'. It is actually a very large deep building that only looks small from the Street, it is an enormous Old Home and I would Love to get an Appointment to see the Interior and the Potential... but sadly, can't Save 'em all can we?  And this Old Historic Beauty may be on borrowed time for Existing at all? 

 

 

 

And please join us for SHOW AND TELL FRIDAY Blog Party, Hosted by Cindy at MY ROMANTIC HOME.

 

Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian

More Of A Sepia Bohemian Valhalla Christmas

 

 

Well, still feeling under the weather, this thing is holding on and I'm not used to being sick or down, so I don't do sick very well. Not to mention you can't stay down when you're a  Caregiver for three people... they're so Needy!  *LOL*  My Doc said I'm probably run down {Imagine that!  LOL} and therefore more susceptible to whatever is going around.  And it certainly is going around... the G-Kid Force are still taking turns not feeling good and missing a lot of School and The Man of coarse is still dealing with all his Medical Issues... so we're all a Hot Mess around here lately!  Just the way to kick-off the Holidays, huh?  *Le Sigh*

 

 

 

But at least our Home is very Visually Festive and so we're quite Comfortable and Content staying Home cocooned in our Christmas Wonderland of Sepia Splendor with just enough punches of Color to suit my Sensibilities.  I just can't manage a Colorless or Monochromatic scheme for long, no matter how Serene or Lovely it might look and Feel.  We're just too much of a Colorful Crew here, in more ways than one.  *Winks*

 

 



I Hate that I not only haven't felt well enuf to go Junquing and Pickin', but I also still have piles of Inventory awaiting their processing and debut in the Showrooms.  And I really need to get around to it since the Holiday Rush and Buying Frenzies are already upon us in full force!  I don't wanna miss the window of Opportunity to flip it all fast!  *Smiles*  So much has already been flying out of the Showrooms, even large items, that most of my Smalls were on the floors and I've been furiously re-foofing everything on days when I felt well enuf to make a brief Appearance!  *LOL*

 

 



Our Dealer Breakfast and Dealer Christmas Party is coming up within the next week, so we really need to get Healthy fast!

 

 



I'm fortunate that with the exception of the two G-Kids we're raising, all the other G-Kids, Mom and Adult Kids prefer Cash for Christmas, that's always the right color and size, and saves me having to do very much Holiday Shopping... so I'm already done.

 

 



 

 

The Man decided that he didn't want gifts this year since he can't really do much or go anywhere anymore, so he'd prefer we just continue to go out for the occassional Meal when he feels well enough and has a hankering for something Special to eat.

 

 

So it really is a streamlined Simple Christmas for us this Season and I'm Enjoying that very much.

 

 



Relaxing at Home rather than lots of Revelry is suiting us just fine this Year... and we're making our Nest so Comfortable that we're Nesting more frequently than taking flights of fancy.

 

 



I designated Friday Morning and Afternoon every other week as my six hour block of VA Respite Care, so we'll see how that all goes?  I'm Hoping they send the same Caregiver out so that The Man gets familiar and comfortable with this person's presence in our Home?  And so that they can become comfortable and familiar with our Home and his Routine too... I don't want to keep taking the added Time to Orient different people constantly.

 

 



But I must say I am looking forward to Hopefully having six uninterrupted Hours of "Me Time" to get away, Restore myself and strike the Balance of having some Recreational, Creative and Social Time in my Life again.   I'd like to be able to take some Classes or Workshops again, those are so much Fun and can Create another stream of discretionary Income... which is mighty handy when you can no longer work, even part time or Seasonally anymore, due to Personal and Medical Family Issues.

 

 



I really miss Working, perhaps I'm Weird like that... though Semi-Retirement is fine, Full-Retirement just isn't my Thing because I've always Enjoyed my Work, whatever it was.  I certainly always Enjoyed having my own Income flow to contribute to whatever the Family needed or I could just Invest, pay debts off quicker, be more Charitable with or just blow if I wanted to.

 

 



I still have the Dream of one day being able to procure an Old Airstream or Gypsy Vardo and Pimp my Pull to go on the Show Circuit and Travel extensively again to satisfy the Wanderlust I have in my Blood.  I've got Friends and Family all over the U.S. and abroad so there are many Destinations I want to be able to visit Special People in our Lives at... and to take in the sights and experiences of those States and Countries they live in.

 

 



I also still have Plans to Restore my Art Studio Cottage back into my Studio Space now that it is vacated.  And the Great Edit and Purge is still in full force and going strong, I've made great headway since it began.   So I have plenty to do here at Home even if I stay put.

 

 



Creativity and Art have been put aside for far too long while I've dealt with everything else.  I can hardly wait to begin Creating Fabric Art again and going thru all my Vintage Fabrics, Trims and Accessories, that I've all but forgotten about while it's been stored away, while I was off the Creative Grid for so long!

 

 



It will be like a Mini Treasure Hunt of sorts to go through it all and re-discover each piece and decide what it will Become?

 

 



I just Love Resurrecting Antique and Vintage Fabrics and Trims, even if just Remnants of what they once were, and making them something Special again in a New Creation of Wearable Art.

 

 

And there are also New Art Forms I've been Experimenting with, like Assemblage, that I really dig and want to Explore further.

 

 



So 2014 is going to start off with a List of things that I Plan to get back into incorporating into our Lives again that we Enjoy so much.

 

 



The Beasts that are Infirmity and Disability has taken so much away from our Family and I want at least a portion of that to be Restored.

 

 



Things probably will never be what they were... but they can still be better than they presently are, so I'm Hopeful that with Tenacity, Faith and the Will to Improve things, we'll eventually get there, to a destination we strived to Arrive at even if the Journey is long and treacherous at times.

 

 

We always Enjoyed Journeys anyway, this is just one we didn't Plan on having or being on for so very long.

 

 



And that's how Life is sometimes, taking you on Journeys you didn't Plan or Expect... or didn't necessarily even want to go on!?  *LOL*

 

 



What Unexpected Journeys have YOU been on my Friends?

 



 

And what Journeys are you Planning and Hope to go on?

 

 



At the end of each Year I always begin Meditating upon such things since each New Year is a Fresh Start and a New Beginning of sorts, filled with Promise and Adventures yet to unfold.

 

 



 

 

This little Old Red Child's Stool's Message really Tickled me... how many times have we needed a boost to reach the things we couldn't... and sometimes chosen to use it to reach the things we shouldn't as well?  *Winks*  It was Tempting not to want to part with this Sweet piece as I prepared it for the Showroom... because I'm a Huge Fan of Inspirational Messages.

 

 

And this trio of Old Folding Chairs in a Christmas Hue are in such pristine Original condition and so comfy... but I'm getting ever so much better in the Letting Go Process when I 'Score' Found Treasures now as more of a Business Decision than purely an Aesthetic and Personal one.  I can detach so easily now to so many great pieces and not get so attached where passing it on is difficult.

 

 



Even OOAK pieces like this Awesome little Folk Art Home-Made Cabinet which I Love the Details of.

 

 



Right down to the Ornate Copper Floral knobs.

 

 



Before I might have been Tempted to switch out those knobs rather than keeping it Original to Sell... now I left it 'As Found' and just Enjoyed the Thrill of Discovery of such a piece that I had absolutely no Intention of keeping but was obviously Attracted to.

 

 



Loving even Smalls that I'm parting with, such as this Sweet Rustic Heart Ornament that Evokes a sense of a Homespun Christmas.

 

 



 

But, they only stayed at Bohemian Valhalla briefly before moving on to Showroom #114.

 

 



Soon to become someone else's Found Treasures... which is as it should be...

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian