Creative Cottage: Depression Keep Out!
Comments
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Bren, if you go on ebay and type in "ooak" then choose the categories Dolls and Bears then Dolls then art dolls-OOAK then Fantasy you are in the right section. He's listed as "OOAK - adorable little pixie Mouche - Day's Creations".
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Day, you are so talented! Love the trolfling!
Hubby was out of town this weekend so I finally got some painting done.
It was so much fun! Some of the paintings are based on antique anatomy images. I just started painting them because I like them but I think it's actually a way to process and let go of last year's cancer experience. It seems to be working so far. 
There's a buddhist exercise called "100 demons" which reminds me of my recent work. You paint 100 demons in sumi ink and by the time you're finished you've exorcised yourself. Lynda Barry put out a great cartoon book with that title a few years ago. It's very touching and funny.
Bren, don't forget to post pics of your wind chimes and necklace! Those beads sound really interesting.
Bubbies, how are you doing? What's cooking in the craft kitchen lately?
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Hi All! I just got back home last night...wound up staying all week at my daughters. I was still a bit sick from my sinus infection so had a doctor visit, new antibiotics. No luck with a new Psychiatrist yet. The one that was my first choice is not taking new patients. But today I need to spend some time on it...finding a new one.
The depression is always with me ever since my hysterectomy 3 years ago. I look forward to the day when I can say that it isn't. Sometimes it's much worse than others. I always tell my husband that I rate how I feel on a happiness scale from one to ten. I run about a 3 and a half as a baseline. Pretty sad, huh? I got up to about a 5 and 6 at times for short periods at my daughters...when I was playing ping pong matches, when I went to hear the music. Back at home and about a 4 this morning.
I bought a little sturdy cottage-type table from my favorite second hand store to mosaic, a birdhouse that is as tacky as can be but I liked the pine cone top ( those little spiky pieces of the pine cone that I can't recall the name of). Anyway, it will get an overhaul. And I found two really cool ceramic gargoyles, kind of Romanesque style that I gave to my daughter who had a birthday last week.
It's my birthday today. One of my daughters took me for a pedi on Saturday for my b-day. That was also nice. I hadn't had one since moving to the new town 8 months ago. I felt like apologizing for my feet! EK. Really, I do take care of my feet pretty well but I miss the bi monthly pedis that I used to get in the other town.
Creatively, nothing but dreams yet since last week. I have a lot of work to do on my website today. Hopefully my hubby will remember soon that it's my b-day. He always does but sometimes not right away.
I did get a really cool book from amazon that was waiting for me at home:
The paper parts of it are not so much my thing in assemblage but the concept of little rooms appeals to me.
My hubby just remembered my b-day! Hooray!
Love to all,
Lisa
PS I love your little pixie, Day. It's fantastic and the mermaid is coming along beautifully. Bren, keep going for your consignments...I'm sure you will do good. And I'll be back later to be chatty.
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Happy Birthday Bubbies!! And many, many more to come!
Is it possible to talk to your PCP about your meds? Mine does all my anti-depressant medication prescribing .. so, thankfully, no more shrinks!
Hugs,
Love,
Bren
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Happy birthday, Bubbies, and many, many returns of the day!
Here's where the mermaid is. I finished her "stand" - as you can see, it's made of clay, with decorative bronze-colored "sand", embedded sea-shells and pebbles, and one sea-shell holds pearls in fake water. The hair arrived in the mail today, but before I put it on, I need to finish her arm's "clothing" (it will be faux sea weed), set another string of pearls around her hips (it will be lower than the one she already has and joining in the rhinestoned "v" in the front) and put in her eyelashes. She will also have a tiara made of rhinestones.
I also started another pixie - well for now the snail she will be talking to is done.
Here are the photos:
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Miss Mermaid is lovely ... can't wait to see our latest troll friend .. love the snail!
I need to learn to use the drill for making holes in my copper chimes. Tim isn't home long enough to help ... so I've got to be independent in this. I can drill holes in the wall .. but this is new.
Wish me luck!
love,
Bren
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Bren, I don't use a drill to do holes - especially when they are small ones. I use the dremel. You can find drill bits for dremel too, and it's much easier to use and position. You can find all kinds of tip sets - including for engraving.
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thanks so much for the happy birthday, Bren! It was a real gift that my depression lifted for me yesterday...the most it had in a year. We didn't really do anything because I was tired so I just stayed home and slept off and on....a really nice day. Today, it's trying to get back to me again.
I like your suggestion about my pcp...I may go that route if I can't find a Pdoc that I like.I love the mermaid, Day. Does she have a name? Is she glossy from clay smoother or is that a finish you put on her? The whole background is amazing. Did you use apoxie clay or polymer for the base?
Bren...don't be scared about drilling copper...copper is a soft metal so it will be easy. Just wear safety glasses.
Sparrow, you should show some pics of your works in progress!
On to do a little cleaning and hopefully some creative time today.
Hugs,
Bubbies
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Oh for the love of pete .. I never even thought about safety glasses ... will give it a try tomorrow! I did buy some beautiful beads today for a new project. I have 3 cedar trees and am using a piece of cedar wood for a windchime. The beads are wooden and earth colors .. so should be fun to try something new.
Bubbies .. glad you enjoyed your B-day. Sometimes those days of napping a little here and there are so relaxing. Please don't wait too long to call the PCP. I like to think of fighting the depression just as hard as we fought cancer.
I'm guilty of waiting and suffering for months before I seek the help I need .. I sure wouldn't have treated my cancer that way ... this is a revelation for me!!
love to all,
Bren
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Day, thanks for the pics!
This is so exciting! Did you coat everything in resin or spray gloss? She is going to be so rad! I'm in love with that snail! It looks so real.
Lisa, happy late birthday to you! That book is so cool! Some of those rooms would look great hung on a wall by themselves as shadowbox pieces.
Haha Bren, I have a dremel but I'm afraid to use it. Isn't that silly? DH does all the drilling around here.
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The mermaid is coated in Sculpey air-dry gloss glaze. It's a glaze that loks like water when it's dry. After I finish "dressing" her I will dd even more, in the shape of water drops - even her hair will look wet.Can't use spray glaze or glazes that wouldn't stand the heat - I had to put her in the oven several times while I was working on her, so everything I use has to be able to stand 275F - polymer clay is re-bakable, that is why I am working on them in steps. The stand is made with Sculpey III on steel wire-net armature. I first glazed it with Sculpey satin gloss, then I made the "water" effects with airdry Sculpey gloss (including the shell that has "pearls" in water).
Working on the other little pixie now. Done the body, now working on the head, she'll go in the oven, then I'll sand and buff it, then I'll add the arms, hands, legs and feet. Again sanding and buffing, then she'll be dressed up, have her eyelashes, hair and wings.
You know, it's weird, I hve never been depressed in my life. I was depressed for about a month after my diagnosis, but the only drugs I took all this time ere about 12 of 5 mg Diazepam pills, to help me sleep in the evening. That is since August.I guess I am fortunate in this.
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You all are soooooo talented!!! I'm totally jealous
I write fiction & poetry, a blog...sometimes get the craft bug, but nothing like you wonderful women.
Bubbies -- I had to post this especially because my childlren (ages 8 & 3) were just oooing and aahing over your sculptures. My daughter (8) was giddy with delight over that little caterpillar on the mushroom -- she adores caterpillars and has raised them to butterflies.
Anyway, I've nothing to add to this talented bunch but wanted you to know that you are admired
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Kayleigh .. this is the "creative cottage." Share some poems with us!! We're all right-brained gals on this thread!
love,
Bren
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Well, okay -- since you twisted my arm, lol. These are my latest two from my poetry blog...
IRON CURTAIN
divided
there is a curtain slowly being drawn
between before and after
it blocks out the light
impossibly obscuring my view
on both sides
I want to yank it open
but it won't budge
and my fingers get caught
in the lacy threads
there is no distant horizon
no rear view
only the intricate woven patterns
of the tangled cloth
draping everything-------------------------------------------------------------
BLEAK CROCUS
lone crocus
no companions of budding sprigs beside you
your small glory will be brief
half hidden amongst the craggy stones
in the rock garden along my drive
no doubt your early shoots
were pummeled by the pounding rains
of a saturated spring
but you prevailed
if quietly
singly
known only by a few
but precious to me -
Kayleigh ... you have a real gift my friend.
hugs,
Bren
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Kaleigh, those were wonderful! Keep it up!
-Tamara -
Kaleigh, that is wonderful writing! Can we have more?
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Mermaid is bout ready - I still need a few touch-ups with a brush to her mouth and on the breasts. I am pondering a rhinestone tiara... what do you think?
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Oh my gosh!!!! These are all amazing. I'm going to do sculpty on a child's rocker I'm working on for my first grand baby. It's a Boy.
This is exactly what I need. I made a diaper cake as a gift just after I finished my treatment and I felt alive again for the first time.
I have a feeling this is going to be my new favorite thread.
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I love those frogs!
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Wow, Day, your mermaid is a knockout!
Very nice work and very inspiring too!Bee, I had never heard of diaper cakes before. They're very cute, what a great idea!
I'm in the 'ugly stage' of my first anatomical painting. I finished it for the most part but it looks too 'new' to me. I gave the whole thing a coffee wash and the paper looks older. I'm trying to mute down some of the bright colors now. I want it to look like an antique painting.
I'm going to give it until next week and then call it done.
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Boobee .. I love your towel cakes .. I wish I knew how to do that! They are so cute and practical too.
Day .. Miss Mermaid looks beautiful. How about a wreath in her hair of tiny shells and rhinestones .. maybe flowing down with little ribbons. Can't wait to see her all done up!
My not so creative project is painting my office/guest room. It's the only room left in the house to paint .. and it was a disaster. I chose a nice buff color, with burnt red accents and white furniture. It's pretty cute. I'll post a pic when I'm done.
Oh .. BTW .. I figured out how to drill the holes in the copper chimes. I did a great job! I got stuck though when I couldn't get the holes drilled all the way through my piece of cedar. It is a very HARD wood. Will need to wait for Mr. Tim to finish it for me this weekend! I'm using wooden beads and earth colors in this windchime. Will post a pic when I finish.
Hugs buddies,
Bren
PS .. I love Betty Boop!
PPS .. Sparrow .. we were posting at the same time .. can't wait to see a pic of your painting!
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Help! How do I post a picture? I tat and do heirloom sewing.
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I usually use www.imageshack.us to host my photos.
Get in the reply box here, type what you need, and when it comes to the photo you need inserted, open a new tab or window, and go to imageshack. Upload your photo, and from the list of links on the next screen select the one that says "direct link to image", right click on the selection and hit "copy" in the drop-down.
Then come back on the forum in your reply, hit the litte icon up on top here in the reply screen (the one that looks like a little tree) and in the pop-up paste the link you have just copied where it says "URL to image".
Bren, I can't put shells on her head. I don't have any so tiny and I would need a magnifying glass to make some, due to the size. Think that the glass seed beads you see are 1.3 mm in diameter, and her eyes are about 2 mm in diameter. The tiara I was thinking of putting on her head is actually the half of an old ear-ring I have cut. The rhinestones on it are 1 mm. I decided to leave her as it is.The photo is blown up, to figure out the size of her head, look where her eyelashes are in the photo - from there to the chin, that is about the actual size of her face.
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Please do share ladies. I can't wait to see the photos.
After Saint passed away I didn't think I would come back to this site but I'm glad I did. There is nothing like craft and art therapy.
I would love to see garden and cooking photos. That's art too if you ask me.
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Boo- How about miniature food?? I have gotten interested in miniatures 1:12 scale so I am in the middle of putting together preparation boards of a salmon carrot salad for a swap group. My back has gotten so bad that i can't do the garden stuff but next year when i can, watch out. I'll fill this place with lots of flowers. I haven't been in much since Watson and Saint passed away but I'm coming out of it, they'd expect it.
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Boobee .. gardening is my passion ... will post pics soon.
I love the idea of posting food as well .. I'm not much of a cook, so it could inspire me .. although I love to bake ... use fresh blueberries and apples from the yard.
If you have any trouble posting the pics, let us know, and we'll walk you through it again.
I know how sad you and Flash are about losing Saint and Watson. I didn't post in the Stage IV threads, but I loved them both .. and miss them too.
Hugs,
Bren
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Thanks Day. Here goes!
This is a picture of my grand daughter in the christening gown and bonnet I made for her. The slip is a lot like the dress. We are Baptist and do not christen, but it makes for good photographs.
Well, I guess you will have to wait on the photo. I'm doing something wrong. -
Betty, Do you have a facebook page? You can post from there too.
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Day- we may have a friend in common. Lois at the miniature store in Fairfield. If you recognize the name then it would prove that the world really is small with few degrees of separation.
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