Art Play Night in Aberdeen, NC

***Thank YOU for all the encouraging comments regarding my latest feature in Cloth Paper Scissors, I sincerely appreciate all your support and inspiration you've provided me in 2008! Here's to a 2009 that brings great things to all who dare to dream :)***

It's been great having some vacation time this last week. I've been able to do so many things I normally don't have time to do at the house. Don't get me wrong, going on a cruise or a trip to some island getaway would have been nice, too, but sometimes it's good to just decompress and relax in your very own nest and not have to do much.

Yesterday was a good example of doing what I normally don't have time to do. On a whim, I asked some of my friends who are all wildly creative themselves to come over to my humble abode to join in our first at home Art Play Night. Above is some of the treats we munched on before we started to get our creative groove on.

And then out came the supplies (including some wine and some really good creamy rum/eggnog but not really drink that Nanette brought). Pictured from left to right, Amy, Nanette, and Nancy. It was very cool to sit around with some girlfriends and work on our projects together and just talk about what our goals were, what we've been doing with ourselves, laugh a lot, and really just enjoy the company.
I've come to realize that I've shut myself up in a cocoon for way too long. I used to be a social person way back in the day but somewhere along the way, I turned into a workaholic who had no time for friends nor any inclination on how to make friends in a strange town other than those I worked with. Back at home in NY which now seems a lifetime away, I had oodles of people I grew up with, went to school with, hung around with--but moving far away and not having those connections or support system...well, it has been hard for me to find my way again and have those same relationships I had back home.

As we talked away we pulled out our projects for the night--here's Amy's adorable pendants and earring bases she assembled from an assortment of her painted papers and canvases. They are adorable!!

Each one is unique and lovely as the creator herself :) Amy has a shop on Etsy which you can click on and is an established mixed media artist who's art is in Artist Alley in Southern Pines as well as several other regional galleries in North Carolina. Amy has been a great inspiration to me and is a totally giving and supportive as anyone could ever be.

Nancy brought some of her beads and completed these lovely necklaces--the beads and stones are so versatile, you could virtually wear it with any color. She had a lovely butter cream yellow sweater on last night and the stones just radiated off of her shirt. Nancy and I used to work together for 7 years until this year (actually in November) when she started a shop in town this which showcases her unique and one of a kind floral arrangements, custom jewelry, and various other local artisans wares, in a funky store called 'Twas Brillig' in downtown Southern Pines. (Please stop in the shop on Broad Street and say hello if you are in the area)! Despite leaving behind the comfort and security of her job, Nancy is happier and more at peace than she has ever been. I am soooo proud of her for taking this leap UPWARD!

Nanette worked on a WAYY cool project using felt to create this lovely fox--I've never seen felting completed in person. I was fascinated by the process. To see strands of fiber magically take shape into first a "turd" then a "ball" LOL until waloah, it turns into a fox...well, it's just extremely intriguing! Nanette is an extremely talented fiber artist who quilts, sews, knits, paints and combines all of these processes in unique works of art that invite you to touch and discover the layers of love put into each piece. Nanette also has a variety of items at Artist Alley as well as teaches several classes at Linderella's Quilt shop in Pinehurst (a modern fabric and fiber shop over in Olmstead Village). Nanette is the backbone of our local group, she organizes get togethers, leads a local group several of us are members of, makes sure that we all are involved and connected whenever possible, and is just an all around caring and sincere person who I'm so happyI've met and connected with.

What did I do? Well, you know my magnets that I make? Well just before Christmas a potential client emailed me and asked if I could make some in a larger size on wood. I didn't have time to complete them before Christmas but since I've been on vacation I worked on prepping the boards, layering on the paper and cutting out the hearts so last night I assembled them and added some fun touches to the pieces. I'm not sure which one if any my client will want but so far they are turning out adorable! I think my favorite is the one in the center with the journaling behind the heart. It's just a stream of consciousness journalling of things "I Want"...I want to be creative. I want to be inspired. I want to believe. I want to dream......and so on....so many things I want in life. I could have gone on and on if the wood was bigger...LOL. Anyway, just a few more details and then add the hangers and they will be done. Simple but so sweet and inspiring.

So there you go. Art Play Night in all it's glory. Something that I think we should do more of. More so, its the connections and bonds that are fostered when we open ourselves up to being around people that raise us up in our own journey. We all benefit from being around positive, happy, inspiring, caring people.

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Next post I'll delve in to some of my plans for the new year and talk about my new 'Theme' for 2009. While I will have goals and resolutions of sorts, I'm going to intrepret them as a theme for how I want to live my life this next year.
Stay tuned for more details!!

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Last but not least--I'm having a little sale in my shop for the next couple of days--

$10.00 off any of my original mixed media paintings in this category:
Mixed Media Originals

Check it out and see if something you've been eyeing up is available!

Happy New Year!