Name that tune #19

Here are the rules: Each name that tune post will show a set of photos from etsy artists - together, they will represent a song. Leave a comment telling me what the song is. All the correct answers will go in a hat (OK, well, an envelope actually), and once a month there will be a random drawing for a prize of polymer clay or hand-stamped goodness! Make sure your comment includes a way to contact you. Comments will be unscreened after each contest, so don't post your phone number, OK? (Click the photo for a bigger version.)

Etsy artists represented here are (in order from top left): studio1212, Montagyoo, dogartstudio, KianmaArtGallery, tooktothesky and franticmeerkat. Click their names to visit their fabulous etsy shops.

These photos were created using the etsy poster sketch tool. All etsy photos used remain the sole property of their owners, and no infringement is intended. If you wish to have your photo removed from my site, please just comment here or email me at admin@divadea.com, and your wish will be granted post haste.

Best lentil soup evah

The best lentil soup ever recipe:

In olive oil, saute 3 large onions, 5 cloves garlic, one bunch of leek leaves and about 1/2 cup cut carrots.

Spice with 1 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp dry mustard, 1 tsp sage, 1 tsp marjoram, and 1 T coconut oil.

Add 1 bag lentils, 1/2 bag split peas, and 4 cups each vegetable broth and water.

Cook.

Note: I used all fresh vegetables and all organic ingredients. The amounts listed are approximate, as I never measure anything, but they're pretty close.

bead swap

I participated in a bead swap with pcagoe members a few months ago, and I've been meaning to post these photos of the beads I received. Aren't they wonderful? Click the photos to visit their etsy shops. (Also, these are some of the nicest people you could ever meet!)

The Fool

I've started my tarot art. This is the fool - not finished yet (no, my tarot people are not going to be headless). I decided to start with the major arcana and go in order, because I tend to work better with an organized plan. I plan to make them all go together so they can eventually be printed as a deck.

• Traditional elements of the card
• Mixed media, predominantly polymer clay
• About 7 by 10 inches
• Name at the bottom in stamped letter tiles
• Number in top left corner
• Element (earth, water, fire, air) in top right corner
• Very colorful and whimsical

This is The Fool. It has the common elements of the card: a person at the edge of a cliff with dog, sunshine, and knapsack of belongings. The air symbol in the top right corner can't really be seen well yet, because it's mica shift and will need to be sanded and buffed to show up properly. The fool's body and the cliff are canework, the water is made with individual snakes of clay, and the background is marbled clay (about 7 colors) with some light texturing.

Still to be completed:

• The head (see photo below), which is hand-sculpted and glazed with fine gold embossing powder. I wasn't sure if the powder would get all melty and disastrous, so the head will not be going in oven. Fortunately, the rest can be put in the oven more than once, so pieces can be added, and the whole thing can go back in for baking.
• The knapsack, which is going to be a drawstring bag sewn out of fabric with actual stuff in it.
• The hat, which I think will be a jester-type hat. I haven't decided on the medium yet - fabric, clay or felt, or some combination of those.
• And probably hair. I got some wonderful, colorful fibers but am still pondering the hairdo. Bad hair can ruin a whole piece of art, ya know?

Earrings Clearance Sale!

It's time for new materials, new designs, new polymer clay goodness.



Thus, DivaDea earrings are on a big clearance sale - $5/pair. See them all here.



Anything that doesn't sell over the next few weeks will be donated. *Waves goodbye to earrings*

I'm always up for a trade, too. Email me.

Name that tune #17 and #18

Well, life got in the way of blogging last week (the nerve!), so there are two songs this week. Guess one or the other or both :)

PRIZE! The prize this month will be your choice of a pair of earrings from my earrings clearance sale. Check it out here.

Here are the rules: Each name that tune post will show a set of photos from etsy artists - together, they will represent a song. Leave a comment telling me what the song is. All the correct answers will go in a hat (OK, well, an envelope actually), and once a month there will be a random drawing for a prize of polymer clay or hand-stamped goodness! Make sure your comment includes a way to contact you. Comments will be unscreened after each contest, so don't post your phone number, OK? (Click the photo for a bigger version.)

Etsy artists represented here are (in order from top left): ShadedMemories, someonesdaughter, LalenaHays, jellybeans, dolangeiman, solamar7, Thyme2dream and MysticSilks. Click their names to visit their fabulous etsy shops.

Etsy artists represented here are (in order from top left): HRPhotography, livefunky, CraftPaper, AlienBacon, idodecals, oliveewebaby, BeeDazzles, geministudio, CharmStar, therockingpony, artaltered and enchantedeasel. Click their names to visit their fabulous etsy shops.

These photos were created using the etsy poster sketch tool. All etsy photos used remain the sole property of their owners, and no infringement is intended. If you wish to have your photo removed from my site, please just comment here or email me at admin@divadea.com, and your wish will be granted post haste.

positive thinking

It's Thursday. Or it was 40 minutes ago, anyway. Things I choose to be excited about today:

• The weather is supposed to be great this weekend for Harrisburg ArtsFest. My choir is singing, I love my choir, ergo excitement.
• My students are doing a great job preparing for their recitals (one next weekend and one the following weekend).
• I started making my Fool tarot art. More on that soon.
• So You Think You Can Dance started tonight. Woot! It will be stupid for a few weeks, but it's OK, because the real dancing will start soon. I'm grateful that I had a childhood just privileged enough that I was able to take lessons, all sorts, including dance. I'm hoping to dance again some time in the next few years. Don't laugh - it could happen...
• Grey's Anatomy was awesome tonight. It's the first episode I've seen of this season. I probably won't watch any more - I'll just wait and watch the whole thing obsessively when it comes out on DVD because that's what I do.
• We will have a new president soon. I don't care if it's Clinton, Obama, McCain or my neighbor's dog. OK, I care a little. But it will be better than now. And there's hope, and the attitude of hope is catching on. This is a good thing.

woohoo, a prize!

I enjoy checking out the contests and give-aways of the etsy street teams. I often find shops and items I wouldn't have seen otherwise. I got a great package in the mail a few days ago from the Etsy Artists of Color street team. It included a darling spring magnet from gingerlime and a pair of crocheted earrings from BklynMoMos. The earrings are HUGE - I admit I wouldn't have chosen a pair that big for myself, and that just goes to show what I know, because I love them. Seriously, they're perfect - they weigh almost nothing, and I feel like a disco diva with them on. They have quickly earned their place as my favorite pair of earrings, in a tie for first place with the polymer clay stakes earrings by deltafine.
Both BklynMoMos and Gingerlime have some wonderful items for sale - both shops gave me spontaneous big smiles. My favs:

BklynMoMos' yellow skirt, oh my goodness, this is so fabulous. This woman takes crochet to cool places I would have never thought of! And the best part is the name: Full Figured Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Skirt.


And gingerlime's ACEOS. (Click the photos to go to the etsy listings.) How wonderful are these!

Thanks, Artists of Color street team!

tarot of the day

Tarot Card: Two of Pentacles
Character: The Bringers
Upright Meaning: Financial or other problems. Warning. Imminent change. Blindness to coming change.
Reversed Meaning: Recklessness. Debt. Inability to complete a project.
Questions: Are you having difficulty making ends meet? Would it be better to increase your income or decrease your expenditures?
Advice: There’s something, probably in the financial realm, that you are not seeing. Try looking at things from another perspective or asking a friend for advice.
-------------
Sigh.
-------------
In brighter news... I've made my plan and my first sketch for my new tarot cards. They're going to be primarily polymer clay with other media and items included. I'm going with mostly bright colors, because that is what draws me, and I'm not really stretching outside the norm as far as components of the cards. I'm going to use the traditional elements, such as the pack of belongings and the dog for the fool card.

No pierced ears?

If you're one of those people who loves earrings but doesn't have pierced ears, you know that clip-on earrings can be difficult to find. Especially if you like handmade, or one-of-a-kind, or just fun, funky and a little different. And especially if you want the comfortable ones. DivaDea clip-on earrings have the backs that screw tight (or loose) rather than the clips that pinch so hard. The colors and patterns are fun and original, and each pair is one of a kind.


Bailey Clip-on Earrings


Nancy Clip-on Earrings


Cindy Clip-on Earrings

These are the pairs listed in my etsy shop currently. Custom work is available in all sorts of colors, patterns and sizes.

Meet Tia

A new cane I like. Simple but fabulous. Named Tia.


Tia Goddess Pendant


Tia Buttons

Name that tune #16

Here are the rules: Each name that tune post will show a set of photos from etsy artists - together, they will represent a song. Leave a comment telling me what the song is. All the correct answers will go in a hat (OK, well, an envelope actually), and once a month there will be a random drawing for a prize of polymer clay or hand-stamped goodness! Make sure your comment includes a way to contact you. Comments will be unscreened after each contest, so don't post your phone number, OK? (Click the photo for a bigger version.)

Etsy artists represented here are (in order from top left): elsita, bookjournals, bombus, Nuts4Candy, estasketch, 4prettylittlethings, tygrett, chocolateandsteel, laplacapotteryworks, peroxidepixie, LFJewelryDesigns and AnnCandler. Click their names to visit their fabulous etsy shops.

This photo was created using the etsy poster sketch tool.All etsy photos used remain the sole property of their owners, and no infringement is intended. If you wish to have your photo removed from my site, please just comment here or email me at admin@divadea.com, and your wish will be granted post haste.

socks!

My sister Bird made these excellent socks for me

out of this cool yarn,

which was hand-dyed by sharing on etsy.

How cool is that?

tarot of the day

(my card)
Tarot Card: Knight of Pentacles
Character: Jonathan
Upright Meaning: A tenacious person who always finds a way. Someone willing to use brains or brawn to achieve goals.
Reversed Meaning: Someone who lacks commitment and gives up easily. Unwillingness to work and laziness.
Question: Are you still searching for a solution or are you spinning your wheels in futility?
Advice: Be yourself. You’ve got resources right now – use your intuition, logic and hard work together to get this done. Beware of falling in with the wrong crowd. While they may increase your success in the short term, they will eventually lead directly to your downfall.


(K's card)
Tarot Card: Major Arcana, 14. Temperance
Character: Olivia
Upright Meaning: Balance and harmony. Cooperation and diplomacy. Successful negotiations. Ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
Reversed Meaning: Imbalance and disharmony. Over-indulgence. Over-emphasis on one aspect of life. Restlessness and instability.
Questions: Do you currently have a balanced life or are you obsessing over one aspect while others suffer neglect?
Advice: Strive for balance. This may mean taking a step back and spending some time in self-analysis. Keep in mind that once achieved, balance requires constant work and adjustment.

The art of naming

I've always been fascinated by words, and especially names. So I enjoy seeing what (and how and why) people name their art and crafts.

Sometimes color is the inspiration for names, like with the gorgeous, hand-spun yarn of kittygrrlz:


Buffy's Spring Fling




Bruised Heart
(She's got some other great names, too, like batt-tacular and surprise party.)



Sometimes names are literature or culture inspired.




Saltandpaper's Swiss Miss is one of my favorites, and the title and explanation make it all the more appealing. She says,"fairytale folk art, a little mountain chalet, berries, dark wood cuckoo clocks and a girl with ribboned braids inspired this one-of-a-kind piece."




I'm guessing this wonderful Wilder Things Ring by polyclarific was inspired by Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. I love it.


Another naming strategy is the thought or moment in time.




Shellieartist uses this method a lot, like in this He Says I'm All Smiles.
(Other great titles of Shellie's are Searching for Answers and She Wore Beauty.)



And sometimes you just name it for what it is.




Mmmmm, pancakes!

As for me, I name my polymer clay canes rather than my items. Usually, each cane has its own name, but sometimes they come in sets - for instance, all of my black and white canes have been dubbed Cindy.


Sometimes a cane has a random name, like Danielle.


Sometimes a cane is named after an actual person the colors or patterns bring to mind, like Diane, named for my aunt.

How do you name your art?

Name that tune #15

The April winner of the blue pendant is Laura. There are many excellently cool things about Laura. One of them is that she is one of the writers of Buffy Between the Lines.

Here are the rules: Each name that tune post will show a set of photos from etsy artists - together, they will represent a song. Leave a comment telling me what the song is. All the correct answers will go in a hat (OK, well, an envelope actually), and once a month there will be a random drawing for a prize of polymer clay or hand-stamped goodness! Make sure your comment includes a way to contact you. Comments will be unscreened after each contest, so don't post your phone number, OK? (Click the photo for a bigger version.)

Etsy artists represented here are (in order from top left): ScottBulgerPhoto, KimsCustomCaps, lorimarsha, studiokaleta, NatureMandalas, RiffRaffDesigns, goldenshop, meArtDesign, katilady, Bluebirdlane, GretchenKramp, karaskrafts, bencandance, tandemglass, abelemporium and justinvining. Click their names to visit their fabulous etsy shops.

This photo was created using the etsy poster sketch tool.All etsy photos used remain the sole property of their owners, and no infringement is intended. If you wish to have your photo removed from my site, please just comment here or email me at admin@divadea.com, and your wish will be granted post haste.

Pastry, anyone?

Check out this new, cool product I found on etsy. Paula of paulaspetalpastries creates these wonderful centerpieces out of silk flowers. The pictures pretty much speak for themselves!





Wouldn't these be brilliant for a wedding or fancy party? I love it!