Double Celebration Giveaway

Because it's my birthday and just two days away from my first blogversary I'm having  a Giveaway. I have had so much fun and met some wonderful people and gained inspiration from my blogging experience that I have to share some of my goodies with you all.  

You just need to comment on this blogpost to be entered and to get entered twice become a follower or already be a follower. I'm hoping to reach 100 on blogger by the 30th. (only four to go right now!) 

The drawing will be held at 6:00 PM Thursday November 4th Alaska time. (Some of you may be in bed by then)

Included in this prize is some replica food labels, vintage and antique ephemera, a distressed art deco pin, antique hairpins, a vintage white children's record, some Murano murrini cane slices , some 1800's "gooseberry beads" from Murano Italy,  an assortment of my own lampwork beads, a couple of fluted tins and a repurposed archaeology specimen box that was decoupaged by me. (quilt not included!)

Feel free to grab the photo to announce on your sidebar for a 3rd entry. Please indicate to me that you've done so.

Thanks and thanks and thanks again..., xoxo Kim

Diving Into Encaustics

A snippet of some mail art  from Dosfishes and some gold leaf included here.

The porcupine quills got a little singed with the torching!

Just picked up this used book on Cockatiels at the library.

Alcohol inks, oil pastels and the mighty torch.

Pretty globby but there are areas that I like.

antique hairpins and a rusted bottle cap from Artymess 

Antique lace embedded

Incised, pigmented, torched and collaged.

I've had the idea of  doing encaustic work in the back of my mind for awhile. It was another of those avenues that I knew would require new supplies and a few tools.  I took the plunge when I was out of town for a couple of bead shows and in a city that actually has an bona fide art supply store. 

Once I was in my studio with the help of my newly purchased book Encaustic Workshop by Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch.  I realized that I didn't have everything I needed but perhaps enough to get started.  I found that we did not have a heat gun handy so I had to make do with a Mapp gas torch or a hair dryer, neither of which are 100% suitable for the fusing work. Encaustic work  employs the use of hot wax and pigmented hot wax which can be painted, spread, incised, layered and you can even embed objects, papers for a collage effect.

Let me tell you this first off... Using a Mapp gas torch to fuse the wax is very exciting dangerous and certainly not the ideal tool. I was lucky and had no catastrophes but can easily imagine things getting out of hand. The hair dryer blows... literally and figuratively. Fortunately I have the ideal heat gun waiting for me at Studio South in Arizona. Under a month to go till we take off for our winter home. Guess my encaustic supplies will be a-traveling with me.

What you see here are essentially my encaustic doodlings and experimentation. These pieces are done on small pieces of wood, the largest being a mere 5 inches square (12.7 cm)

I certainly figured a new way to make messes in my studio. The only hot plate I had to heat my pigmented medium tins and wax medium was a small stainless steel plate on top of a heating element that was kind of tippy to add to the excitement. I also had a pyrex glass cooking pot explode as I was heating the resin, thinking that it could withstand the temperature. My heating element was inexact at best and I quickly figured out which setting I needed to be at to keep the wax melted but not boiling.

Special Guest at Alaska Bead Society Meeting ~ Cavalier Luigi Cattelan

A cross section of lampworked cane.

These are heated, stretched out and poked to make beads.

A selection of Murano artist Luigi Cattelan's rosetta beads, commonly known as chevrons in the US

Beads and ephemera mixed. How I would love to have one of these cards!

Priced at $1000 I had to be satisfied taking a picture.

Some Murano millefiore  (many flowers) beads from the 20's.

I had to have one of the blue ones for my collection.

I also picked up some 1800's "gooseberry" beads from his collection along with one of his contemporary rosettas. 

Mmm precioussssss! Wants to have one for my pocketses.

New chevrons by Luigi Cattelan

on top of beads that he finished from old cane from the factory

Cavalier Luigi Cattelan

 The 1800's "Gooseberries"

 1920's millefiore bead

One of Luigi's contemporary chevron's that I'm bringing home.

We were fortunate to have Anchorage Bead Shack owner Laura Watne bring master glassworker Luigi Cattelan to our Anchorage Bead Society meeting this month. I happened to be in Anchorage (a mere 6 hours from my home) being sandwiched between two bead shows that I am participating in. I considered myself fortunate to be in town for the presentation of this special guest.


 Laura had looked him up on her visit to Murano and was able to get a first hand look and comprehensive story on the history of the Murano glass factories. His family of glassworkers goes back 500 years or so on the island of Murano near Venice, Italy. 


 For a more in depth Bead & Button article on the history of his family and his craft you can view a pdf  here.

More Highlights of the Trip Back East

On our drive from Connecticut to Massachusetts we spotted this tanker.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

An Olive Oil tanker truck!

Another novel idea. It's been so long since I've seen this  living in Alaska~

Apples that grow on trees!

Meeting up with blogger friend Corrine from Dosfishes in Massachusetts.

We had such a good time that we availed ourselves of their wonderful hospitality on the way back through.

Aside from her wonderful art, this gal can cook too!

We made it to Maine to see the folks~ It's nice to have a cousin that owns a seafood restaurant in Bar Harbor! "The Fantail" if you happen to be in the area. I recommend the Lobster mac 'n' cheese and the steamed clams. Goes well with Blueberry Ale.

The beginnings of fall colors on our beach walk

nom nom nom, a seaweed eating rock!

Nothing like the evening light on an autumn day

The first bursts of color 

One of the vignettes at our seaside camp.

I come from a family of collectors.

Blue Hill  view from our cottage

Stonington, Maine after the tourists have left.

A quiet scene

This is what you get to look at when you're stopped for bridge construction

"What is hip? Do you think you know"

An idyllic rosehip shot

Scary cat for Halloween

I remember this building from childhood, I'm so glad they preserved it.

A quintessential piece of Maine nostalgia.

 We made it back to Alaska from our New England trip. We landed smack back into the beginnings of winter~ snow that's covering the ground and staying, grey skies and ice. The leaves are long gone.

 Soon though, as it gets colder it will be less grey and we'll have sparkly sunny short and very cold days and with a bit more snow cover we'll be able to cross country ski or snowshoe the trails near the house.

 I'm in the midst of my winter pre holiday shows with some Anchorage, Alaska bead shows and a few more Fairbanks shows before we head south for the winter. The trip back east was a nice extension of the fall season and of course it was nice to be able to help out the folks and spend some quality time with them.

 I'm finally starting to catch up with some blogs since I've been on limited internet access for over three weeks now. ~~~~~~~~ Stay tuned for my upcoming   ~~~~~~~~   

 F I R S T   B L O G V E R S E R Y  Giveaway which will be announced on October 30th.               

Could I Call It A Business Trip?

Whenever I go back east I indulge in some serious junking and antiquing as it is oh-so-very satisfying and such good deals abound. I have my folks keeping a good eye out for the types of things I use in my art and resale. Because it was the end of the season I think there were even better deals and what could be nicer than going on an autumn drive with the folks to do a bit of junkin'. We had to pick up another suitcase to bring it all home!

One place we went to in had more than half off on most everything in the shop

I considered these old maps to be quite a score

1901 map of Rome in Italian

( I have an idea of who may covet this one!)

When you work with vintage paper, what's better than a vintage paper cutter?

Thanks to my Mom who gave this as an early birthday present. Thanks Mom!

A packet full of good stuff

A holiday packet too

I'm into light metal

The most expensive item-~ A spice tin box $20

The most amazing gift from my Dad. He found tintypes and cabinet photos for 25 cents a piece at a church sale. Thanks Dad!

More of the fatherlode!

Bits of lace

A somewhat distressed scrapbook

A roadside flea market yielded these instruments of torture

Last but not least a vintage brass speculum!

Very duck-like I think

(we'd best not think of the stories it could tell...)

and yes I'm weird for buying it... but for a buck wouldn't you?