Wednesday, September 22, 2010

From Cruisewear to Casa Azul

So, there I was last weekend, relaxing on the couch, watching a recorded episode of NCIS, when I get an urgent text from my friend Heidi:  "Quick....turn on QVC NOW!!!"  Fortunately the remote was within reach, or this might not have happened (I did mention I was relaxing), and there was this very famous comedienne and jewelry designer hawking a very lovely necklace made of fabric flowers.
I knew immediately why Heidi wanted me to see this....not to buy it, of course, but because she knew,  WE COULD TOTALLY MAKE ONE OURSELVES!
It took a little thinking and fiddling with supplies, and of course I didn't make an exact copy, but I'm really happy with the result:
I had a roll of white tulle that I swear was leftover from a wedding project I did in 1996.  I cut a bunch of flowers from it with Tim's tattered florals die and stacked a lot of them together to make each flower.  They are held together with a running stitch which also pulled them into a more dimensional flower-like shape.  
I did say the tulle was white.  So, I concocted a spray with black reinker and a little perfect pearls for a hint of shimmer and sprayed them.  Just a side note:   those suckers took forever to dry and the ink has only just left my fingers.
The original design actually had five flowers, but honestly, I thought it looked more like a scarf than a necklace there was so much going on, so I pared it down to three.
Now, I feel a bit like I'm pulling back the curtain on the Wizard of Oz and revealing his true identity, but here's a view of the back of my piece, so you can see just how it was constructed:
Yep, the flowers are attached to flattened bottlecaps.  A pretty humble material, but it worked perfectly.
And this is now on my "must pack" list for the cruise.  Oh, and did I remember to point out that the "original" was selling for over $40+tax and shipping?
Casa Azul refers to Frida Kahlo's home in Mexico, and that was the focus of my pages for Lee in our Frida collaborative journal group.
This may very well be the first time I've used a ruler so much in a piece of art.  Not at all my usual thing, but my muse insisted on straight lines.  Here's the two page spread:
I drew and colored everything (except the Frida image, which is from a collage sheet....but I did rework it with colored pencils) with markers and oil pastels.  Everything done on watercolor paper.  From what I have read, Frida really loved that house, and it was the only place she considered home.  Closer looks at the individual pages:

Did you notice on the countdown on my sidebar that we're in single digits now, leading up to the cruise?  I noticed, and I'm so excited I can't think of much else.  Not just the cruise itself, or even the prospect of more classes with the one and only Tim, but also getting to see some friends who live very very far away.  I'm giddy!

20 comments:

Nancy said...

I love your Frida pages!
And the necklace??? Wow!!! Please be sure to share a picture of you wearing it?
I am so green that the "C" is almost here & you all will be together & I won't be there! I know you all will have a wonderful time - please give hugs & "hello's" to everyone from me?

Lori said...

First of all, the necklace is freakin' awesome, and, yes, I can imagine that tulle takes forever to dry as it's not cotton material. I'm actually surprised the spray stuck to them, but they are gorgeous! Would look great on, oh, say, a tiara or something. lol. Your Frida pages are wonderful too, love the bold colors and the straight lines. Giddy, yes, GIDDY is the word....

Mary-Beth said...

OMG Eileen, unbelievably fabulous!!!! Both the necklace, to die for!, and the pages, gorgeous colours! Amazing!!!

Pam Austin said...

WOWOWOW! The necklace is just amazing and looks really expensive! You hit it out of the park and I bet you have everyone gawking and pawing! And Frieda collage is just beautiful - even the ruler part! LOL

SusanK said...

Fun, fun and FUN! So glad your friend told you about the tv necklace so you could make your own. Cool Frida pages - not my style but definitely envious of your skills!

Alicia B said...

Eileen You are so ingenious! What a gorgeous necklace to wear on your cruise. Your Frida pages are awesome as well! *Hugs*

Patzee said...

Love your necklace! And the use of bottlecaps is GENIUS!! Boy, you sure packed a lot into your gorgeous Frida pages. She looks right at home and inwardly happy.

Linda said...

The necklace is fabulous, look forward to seeing you wear it on the cruise!

The Frida pages are great! Love all the bright colors. You have lots of patience not to mention talent!

See you soon!

Kathy Eddy said...

Lovin that necklace! my daughter was looking over my shoulder the other day on your blog and she is so into your book pages. We were clicking away and she was oohing and aaahing. It's not east to get that from a 19 yr. old girl. So pat yourself on the back! Have a great time on the cruise and wish I was going with you!

Helen said...

At least your cruise countdown stops before the seconds - I've seen one that counts them too!!

Anonymous said...

Love the wonderful flowers!! I bet it will be the talk of dinner :} See you soon....nmayer

Angie Hall Haviland said...

OH WOW, Eileen!!! Your necklace is GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!! WOW!!

and your journal pages are pretty too :)

Vic said...

The journal pages are great. The necklace is gorgeous - you'll be the talk of table!!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful necklace.... That is fabulous.... Your page is awesome too....

carol curran said...

love the necklace.we never know where we're going to get ideas from. definitely never woulda guessed the bottlecaps.

Karen said...

Well done you! Fab necklace, and bottle tops no less: Would never have guessed.
Beautiful pages too.

Diann said...

First chance I've had to visit in a few days since I'm away from home, but I so enjoyed looking over a few days of your wonderful and inspiring ART. I love your necklace and the Frida jounal - both are just about as perfect as you can get! Oh, I had hoped to chat with you before your cruise, but if not, just have a fabulous time and I'll so enjoy hearing about it! Diann

scrappin-scrappin said...

Wow Eileen that necklace is gorgeous!! And the colors in your Frida pages are beautiful!! Wish I was going on the cruise, you guys are going to have a blast!! I did get signed up for the Caribbean cruise next fall!!

Anonymous said...

Awesome creations Eileen...LOVE the black and white images too!!! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh single digit countdown....I know you're excited!!!!!!

Sue Young said...

Way cool necklace,eileen!I want to see a pic of you on the cruise wearing it,ok??And great Freida pages as well!you are really on a roll! Sue