Zephyr Art

Hello, Spring!!?

2012-02-08T14:56:00.002-06:00

I think it might be spring in middle TN.

I'm not sure it was ever really winter.

To my eco friends: I'm sorry, I can't be unhappy with the warmth.

To my emo friends: I'm sorry, I can't be unhappy. :)

To my peeps who like the fresh spring air: let's go outside.

--Julie

A Little Licensing..

2012-02-01T12:14:00.000-06:00

We can understand that everybody may not like to decorate their house with odd creatures, strange splat doilies or flat monkey table runners but there are some things that we do that could easily integrate into any individual's lifestyle. We have quite a collection of designs that we have available on a variety of different items. If you would like to purchase items that you might find at any gift or department store with a colorful Zephyr Art flair please visit us at http://www.cafepress.com/zephyr_art or, as always, you can find a link on our website

ZA on 20 Best Twenty

2012-01-26T09:45:00.001-06:00

Zephyr Art is featured on the website 20 Best Twenty. 20 Best Twenty is a site designed to showcase "independent makers, sellers, designers, and boutiques across the world". It is a collection of curated accessories, toys, clothing, homegoods- most anything an indie designer might design- all on one site.

20 Best Twenty really has collected some of the most unique items from across the web. Our website is listed under the "Lil Ones" category along with some other very cool items for children from other indie artists.

To check out our website's listing, and the other great shops featured in the Lil Ones section, click here!

Ezra's Altered Coat

2012-01-21T14:15:00.000-06:00

I married into a large family. My husband has 12 brothers and sisters, all of whom are very creative people. We all kind of swap talents with each other. So when my brother-in-law, Ezra brought me a big, heavy wool coat to alter and embellish for him many moons ago, we bought some plaid fabric for it and finally got to working on it the other day. Ez is a super creative rapper/musician/artist guy who likes to look a bit different from the average Joe. (Click here to see the album cover ZA did for his newest CD.)

Here is what we did:
We cut out the middle of each sleeve and replaced it with the plaid fabric. Since he likes asymmetry, we sewed on a fringed piece to one lapel and one pocket. Those front pieces are some scrap fabric I had and hand sewed on to create some visual interest between the buttons.

I always like working on things with Ez. I also like the almost immediate gratification of working with a already put together garment. Those kind of projects are fast and fun! --Julie

Celebrate 12 Months of Art with Zephyr Art!

2012-01-12T13:38:00.000-06:00

Just for you- Every month we will post a new black and white, printable calendar, to celebrate Art all year long! (Feel free to add color in your art program of choice, by all means, have fun!)

Click here for your January and February mini-cals!

2011-12-23T08:50:00.000-06:00

A Zephyr Art Year in Review...

Eppie and I want to thank all the people that dealt with our business obsessiveness this year. (Other years as well, but we're talking 2011 right now...)

A Moon Fairy getting her tags applied

Our studios went from clean to a mess every day.
Okay, they might not have been clean EVERY day.

It always amazes us that, so many times, when one of us gets a strong feeling the other will bring it up first. Well, we each had the strong feeling at the beginning of the year that we needed more from our business. More purpose, more products, more money :).

So, we got really serious this year: made a solid business plan, started production of a major line, did some shows in Nashville and spent a lot more time traveling to and from TN and PA.

Our girls, Mia (14) and Arowyn (9), helped us immensely, sewing, giving input on designs and watching babies and young boys.

Mia and I watched a lot of The Walking Dead while we sewed...

As we look ahead:
We are hoping in the upcoming year to do 4-6 indie-type craft shows, continue the plush creature line, create a line of simple clothing for children and women,and other such forward moving goals. We hope that you will keep in touch with us along this ride. Our customers and friends are a constant source of encouragement and inspiration that we are truly glad to look back on- and to which we are excited to look forward in this new year.

Porter Crossing Holiday Market

2011-12-17T08:06:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday we went to the Porter Crossing Holiday Arts Market in Nashville, behind the Family Wash (quintessential Nashville, TN restaurant/ music venue).

We had a good time, we met really great people. Kim Radford, we love you! Duncan Ragsdale, you are awesome!

We heard terrific music from a band called Paper Lantern. Love the harmonies and energy of this group!!

We tried out a new version of our show layout. Slightly angled, visually interesting...

Now that our Holiday shows are over we are preparing for spring! New designs, fabrics, shows! Winter is sure to fly by...

Holiday Whirlwind...

2011-12-10T06:30:00.000-06:00

We've been in a holiday whirlwind, how 'bout you? Eppie has been in middle TN for a couple of weeks now and we have had two great shows, first we joined in the Hillsboro Village Art Walk then we were at Porter Flea Handmade Holiday Market, and now are gearing up for the last of our holiday events in Nashville. We will be at Porter Crossing Arts Market today with sculptures, creatures and other interesting items. Hope to see you there!

Free Zephyr Art Pattern!!

2011-11-09T09:16:00.001-06:00

In addition to selling patterns that anyone can use to create their own Zephyr Art designed baby, we will be periodically offering a new free clothing pattern to you on our website www.zephyrart.org.

Here is the first one!! Go for it!! We would love to see how creative you can be with it!

Zephyr Art Cuddly Coat Pattern

Coming soon... Zephyr Art Hat, Mitten, Boots and Scarf Pattern

It's Been Ten Years But We're Back Again

2011-10-06T08:03:00.000-05:00


Zephyr Art's corner of the Antiques, Art and Collectibles Mall in Shelbyville, TN.

It will most likely come as no surprise that Art was my favorite subject in highschool. Also, one of my very favorite teachers was my freshman year art teacher, Carol Price. As I have gotten older, she has become a dear friend. When she opened the Antiques, Art and Collectibles Mall in 2001 I was one of her first employees. It was the year, also, that Eppie and I had just begun our venture together as the collaboration we call Zephyr Art. I owe a lot to Carol for the inspiration she provided me and the room to paint and create as I worked behind the desk. At one point I even painted as performance in the window, kind of like a moving display. I have so many great memories from working there!

Fast forward four children, times two!, and ten years, Ep and I are still Zephyr Art and the mall is still humming along. (And I still love to hang out there.) When we decided to focus on getting our new line out to the public we had to brainstorm on where to put it. We have things in the virtual world on Etsy and in our friend Olga's shop in PA, but we needed a TN place or two. So we opened a booth at the Antiques, Art and Collectibles Mall. A few of our artist friends have booths there, as well. We are in a corner booth with Becky Shelton (who is usually there painting or doing other artsy things) diagonally across the way and Shawna Jones in a booth beside us. Sherry Warner Hunter has a booth at the AACM, also. It seems like a perfect fit. I am glad to be back there!

Come by and take a look around at all the interesting things in the AACM. You know antique stores, there is always something quirky and cool hiding in plain sight! You'll most likely meet an artist or two on your trip through, as well.

Sweaty Little Mustache Monkeys

2011-09-14T21:26:00.000-05:00

Moon Fairies make way for Mustache Monkeys

We have been creating designs for labels, signage, displays and our web presence and have been particularly relieved at having many little Mustache Monkey faces to stitch whenever we have needed a break. Zephyr Art Mustache Monkeys are made from recycled cotton sweatshirts and each sport a removable mustache, tie and toupee.

Here are a couple of 'tie and toupee free' monkeys showing off their snazzy mustaches... until they are suddenly whisked off their faces. Who are these mean, mean 'whisker whiskers' and why would they remove such beautiful facial ornaments from these cute little creatures?

Here is a relaxed Mr. Monkey. He looks so stoic and wise... maybe he is wondering what happened to his tie and hairpiece... or maybe he is just longing for another banana.

They're coming!

2011-09-06T01:13:00.000-05:00

Zephyr Art Moon Fairies

We're pretty excited that our new Moon Fairies are almost ready to be released into the world and we thought we would take a minute to let you know why these little guys are causing such a commotion here. Zephyr Art has always created one of a kind rag sculptures and we love each and every one but usually, when some fine creature leaves us, he goes and lives a life on his own. We don't often hear what happens to him and we always wonder if people enjoy him as much as we did. Zephyr Art Moon Fairies are a little different. They wanted to keep in touch with us and so they have agreed to each take a number and have their photo posted on the 'Zephyr Art Moon Fairies' Facebook page. Now, whenever a Moon Fairy leaves us and goes home with a new friend, that person can find that specific Moon Fairy on Facebook and keep in touch with us and other Moon Fairy hosts and hostesses via photos, posts and messages! We are so excited to see what creative photos others might catch of their Moon Fairy friends and what interesting adventures cool people, besides us :), have. Here's a photo of Mia's Moon Fairy guest to show you how each Moon Fairy will be posted on Facebook.

All she has to do is click on 'photos' on the Zephyr Art Moon Fairies page, find the 'Find YOUR Moon Fairy' photo album and then find her specific Moon Fairy. Then she can post and comment like she would with any other Facebook photo. We hope our Moon Fairy friends make it to every corner of the Earth and then take the time to share their adventures with us!

We will keep you posted on the release of the first batch of Moon Fairies! We promise they will be ready in time for Christmas! They will be available on our website www.zephyrart.org via our Etsy shop as soon as they are ready and we will be offering them for sale at craft shows, and at Olga's Gallery and Bistro in Coudersport. We will stay in touch about other added locations... but for now, off we go to make more Moon Fairies!!! Enjoy the week!

Zephyr Art Website

2011-08-05T19:08:00.001-05:00

We have been busy, busy, busy.

Making messes and drinking tea...

Sewing and sewing...

And drinking more tea.

These little guys are Moon Fairies.

They are the ones keeping us busy.

These are the new and improved version of our ever popular Moon Fairies. We have a version for babies, with embroidered eyes, some geared toward children and also a type for adults or artsy types.

They are little more refined, a little more hip, a little more of what we think people like us want in a rag doll.

Here you go 1%.

Crafting TN...

2011-07-10T16:28:00.001-05:00

Recently we were looking around the 'net for the term "urban folk art", wondering if that is what our style would be classified. (We are still undecided on our style classification!)

While we were browsing, I came across Urban Folk Art Shows. The people at Urban Folk Art Shows, along with artist Staci Gibson of Pea Soup Studio, are heading up a campaign to handcraft (in various media)a United States map. Artists from around the US are volunteering to create the states. They have specs for the size of the states so that each one will fit together with the surrounding states, creating a big ol' artsy/craftsy US map.

The project sounded fun, so I clicked to see if an artist had already claimed TN. They had not. So, because we love collaboration, we decided to participate and here's what went down:

I started by cutting out the shape to specs. I cut the shape out of watercolor paper because it is sturdy. Then I laid down some crayon, because I love crayon.

I painted with watercolor on top and watched as the color pulled away from the wax of the crayon. I love that,too.

I painted vigorously while my baby Amora slept.

I sprinkled some salt into the wet paint, because (of course) I love that, too. Then I sewed around the edge of TN and added, with my machine, a small heart (which in my mind signifies Wartrace, where I live. But if you want it to be the capitol, Nashville, be my guest, it's pretty close to us) I then sewed a bit with needle and embroidery thread.

In the end, Zephyr Art has a little Tennessee to put with the other states of the Union.

We can't wait to see the completed US map!

To participate (there is a time crunch, so hurry!)

go to the folk art shows website.

2011-06-28T08:59:00.000-05:00

We are just wondering... Wanna answer 4 questions about our proposed logo? We have a little survey to judge our peeps' opinion of it, because we want to make an image that is representational of ZA and pleases the eye.

Here's the link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BFT9MWN

We want to use the image on tags, as letterhead, on our blog, Etsy, Flickr and all the other places we have an online presence or need an image to visually represent us. Don't hold back, we really want your opinion! We truly thank you for your time and opinions.

New Logo

2011-06-24T19:44:00.000-05:00

We think our new logo expresses who we are as a business: humorous, colorful, fun...

In designing the new image to visually identify our business, we turned to an old pal. Dembrook is a true collaboration between Eppie and myself. To steal from the discription on Etsy: "Eppie and I created this painting/illustration together using her gift of modernized old school illustration and my penchant for flowing abstracts. We printed her illustration on vellum and sewed it onto my watercolor background that uses salt and rubbing alcohol to create interesting flow and color change."

What do you think of the new logo?

Moving Around: A Zephyr Art Studio Rearranged...

2011-06-19T19:35:00.000-05:00

Some people find moving furniture a chore. I (Julie) am one of those few people who kind of likes it. Okay, I really like it. When I was a kid I had my own room with a four post double bed, a toy box/bookshelf, a chest of drawers and that sort of thing. When I got big enough to move the furniture around it became an activity I really got into. I would, one corner at a time, move my double bed, shimmy the dresser (after taking out all the drawers) across the room and scoot the toy box to where I wanted it, a bit at a time. I would stand back and take a look and make sure I liked the arrangement. I felt very creative rearranging my room over and over. Now that I am an adult I have a whole house, but not every room is rearranged as often as "my room", the studio. In the studio I paint and sew and make all kinds of things. I thought I'd show you my most recent re-do. My husband, Adam, helped me put in some cabinets that really helped to organize and de-clutter the room.

My thread organizer...

Adam adding a closet rod to one of the cabinets...

Bunting above the windows...

My fabric can be behind doors but still accessible!

This closet is next on my "revamp" list.

I feel a lot more productive in an organized room. Now I better get to work before the mood to move the furniture strikes again!

Another Easy To-Do: Simple Jersey Slings

2011-05-17T17:09:00.001-05:00

As homeschooling/ artist/ musician mothers, Eppie and I don't stop much. So we need ways to stay mobile and have our babies near, too.

We both have beautiful, colorful Beco baby carriers. Eppie uses hers all the time, even when performing in her band, Jakob's Hollow! She is a fan of its style, comfort and fashionable fabrics. I purchased mine on her recommendation, though I have not used it yet, I am waiting until Amora gets to be the 15lbs. required to carry her without the infant insert.

Anyka hanging out in the Beco while Eppie plays

Until then, I am carrying her in a jersey sling. With the boys I had Snuglis and the kind of slings with large metal rings and a lot of fabric. I am weird and get easily overwhelmed by too much fabric and I hate my movement being restricted by things. So, this time, to keep Amora close to me, in a comfy way, I have made a couple of slings from simple cotton jersey fabric.

You might recognize the pink fabric from the previous post on sewing a simple, light blanket for baby. (It is from the same jersey sheet set I purchased from Target.)

This is just some interestingly patterned jersey that I had in my fabric stash.

Since I have had many inquiries into where I got these unusually colorful slings, I thought I would show how very easy it is to make your own out of fabric you may already have or from some beautiful jersey you can find at the local fabric store. (BTW, I like cotton jersey because it stretches and breathes.)

Here are the absolutely, so simple, instructions: cut the fabric and tie it on.

Easy! But if you'd like me to be more specific:

Cut some cotton jersey into a strip about two feet wide or so, depending on the width that makes you feel comfortable for safety and to have enough fabric to pull around baby to shield from the sun or chilly weather.

The length also depends on you. To measure this, I put the jersey on my shoulder and held the baby. I then got Mia to help me bring the ends of fabric together in front of me, shortening where I felt comfortable when it was tied.

I left a few inches on the end of the knot, so that I would know the fabric would not slowly untie itself and release my baby, crying and surprised, onto the ground. That said, I always keep a hand on Amora while she is in the sling, because I just feel more secure that she is safe. I don't have to hold her up or anything, it is more for peace of mind and an extra bit of safety.

When I need to use my hands for a while, I put two slings on, crisscrossed across each shoulder. When I need my whole body, I get Mia to carry her in the sling for a while! (Thank you, sweet, older daughter!)

I even wore Amora in her sling while I typed out this blog post...

There are other types of jersey slings on the internet, of course, this is just what is comfortable for me.

Also,

---The favorable review for the Beco carrier is just our unasked for opinion...

Easy To-Do: Light Layers to Wrap Spring Babies

2011-05-06T18:00:00.000-05:00

Amora's Jersey Blankie

May is a bit unpredictable in it's weather, therefore, parents need to ready baby for inclement weather. An easy, customizable way to do this is to make baby a simple jersey blanket for quick rainy day cover ups or a chilly day layer.

I used a soft cotton jersey sheet set in fuchsia that I found on sale at Target. To create the blankie, I cut, from the top sheet, two squares of the same size. I then sewed the two pieces together, with the sewing machine and hand stitches, to make two layers. To add a bit more dimension, I cut in reverse appliqué shapes and hand stitched around them.

I really like the look of different colors of embroidery thread on the hot pink color, they really pop.

The versatility of this type of blanket is really worth making a few in different colors or patterns. Another plus is this blanket is very washable, making it the perfect baby accoutrement.

Amora seemed to tire of her role as baby model.

Apples, apples, apples...

2011-04-15T15:37:00.000-05:00

We LOVE our technological tools but we don't love when our gadgets get the scratches and dings that energetic lifestyles and many children tend to cause. Apple designs its products with beauty in mind and, unfortunately, covering these products with some protective sheath can be painful for those that are aesthetically minded. We thought we should look at this problem as an opportunity to create unique looks for our devices.

Eppie's Macbook has a clear plastic casing... it is definitely worth the $49 price tag, as far as protection, but it takes the beautiful shiny white Macbook and makes it somewhat more utilitarian than poetic. We decided, for this, that we would paint an illustration that we could slide between the laptop and its plastic protector. We designed a bag out of reclaimed leather (an old, ill fitting leather jacket) for when Eppie wants to carry her computer along with her and we designed a smaller connecting bag for the power cord and additional paraphernalia.

Julie's IPad has a thin blue magnetic cover that gaurds its touchscreen. This leaves the back exposed and it has already acquired some angry scuff marks. We designed some handy fabric sleeves with a front pocket that readily accepts an IPod or cell phone. Sporting upholstery fabric, heavy duty interfacing, and a healthy dose of Zephyr Art creativity, they have turned out rather nicely and we've decided to offer some for sale on Etsy! ...only, Julie gets to pick hers first!!!

Zephyr Art, Proud Member of the Murfreesboro Etsy Team!

2011-03-21T06:49:00.000-05:00

We are featured this week on the blog of one of our Etsy teams, Murfreesboro Crafters. Thank you, Liz Zook, our diligent team leader, for your kind words. Check it out @ Murfreesboro Crafters.

Also we spring-ified the title bar on here and on Etsy... What do you think?

New Maternity Dress

2011-03-10T15:11:00.000-06:00

New maternity dress with some monkeys in the background.

These days I (Julie) am feeling a little slower than normal. (Note: that was an understatement :) I am due to have baby Amora around April 22nd and, I must say, she is getting heavy. All complaining aside, I had a yearning for a new dress. It is a bit late to invest money in a new garment and I have fabric all over my studio, so I decided to make a dress. It was loosely based, in the arms and neck placement, on a dress that fits. I then put some elastic in the empire waist and pinned and tucked and built it to fit. I will take it in and make it a tunic length shirt for nursing when the time comes. I am pleased with this dress, it is comfy (priority number 1 some days-- number 2 some days, sometimes fashion does take precedence.)

If you are not hypnotized by the close up of the fabric, note the hand stitching around the neck...

The back of the dress, full on back shot was a
bit too much. Angle to the camera is much
more flattering now!

Zephyr Art in an Etsy Treasury...

2011-02-25T07:41:00.000-06:00

One of the liveliest places on the internet for handmade is Etsy. A feature that is particularly cool on the site is the Treasury section. Different Etsy artists and shoppers create a page, with a theme, of pieces they have come across and love. Our Big Buttoned Wrist Cuff recently featured in a treasury called "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues". Pretty neat! Thanks, Clouds In My Coffee!!

Zephyr Art Baby Quilt Featured at the Blog: Life Captured Photography

2011-02-23T07:48:00.000-06:00

The baby quilt that Zephyr Art custom created recently was used in a photo shoot featuring the baby for which it was made on the blog, Life Captured Photography. Baby Seraphina looked absolutely ADORABLE swaddled in the quilt, but I am willing to bet she would look that way wrapped in most anything! Our quilt just highlighted her cuteness. Here are some of the photos of baby Seraphina, taken by the super talented Kimberly Shapiro of capturedbykim.com at Life Captured Photography. If you are near Long Island and want photographs taken, Kim is absolutely brilliant with the camera! Check out her blog!

Captured by Kim.com

Valentine's Love... Under Cover(stitch)

2011-02-12T13:53:00.001-06:00

Did you ever acquire a tool that, once it was yours, you wondered how you lived a fulfilled work life before it? Sounds dramatic, right? Enter the Coverstitch machine...

We use a lot of knits in our clothing design. We have a serger for the side seams and finishing raw edges, we have a regular sewing machines for simple duties and now we have a coverstitch machine for really professional looking hems around the bottom of garments, arm holes and neck holes!

Sigh. How did we live without thee, coverstitch?

A coverstitch machine uses four threads, three needles and a lower looper to create a secure, stretchy, very finished edge. Most stitches just break when a regular sewing machine is used to sew stretch knits along hems, arm and neck holes.

See the neat chain on the inside of the garment? And the three top stitched rows on the outside?

Marvelous! I am so glad we just had a Sir's Fabric trip and I found so many great knit fabrics!

Now, back to work! (We are in the process of designing and creating a new line of children's clothing, accessories and other goodies... More on that soon.)

Update: I did forget to mention that the coverstitch is much like a serger and can be a bit frustrating, until you get the hang of what is happening (or supposed to be happening)! So, persevere, have patience! Learn where the threads are going and what they are doing in the scheme of things and you will get it right.

2011-01-25T10:40:00.000-06:00

Here's a little peek at what we've been up to lately:

Custom order baby quilt... Made with vintage and reclaimed fabrics. Our recent Zephyr Art baby quilt creation is a mixture of different cotton fabrics, stitched together with a machine and quilted in places by machine and hand. The nesting doll applique is machine stitched on and has been hand embroidered.

This is a detail photo of some of the hand stitching... And some wonderfully retro patterned vintage fabric.

Here is the little matryoshka doll's pensive, embroidered face... We hope that the baby for whom this is intended has many happy years cuddling with her new quilt!

Zephyr Art: How To: Etsy Alchemy (Item Requests)

2011-01-22T09:25:00.000-06:00

Zephyr Art is in the process of fulfilling a request made on Etsy for a 36"x42", colorful baby quilt. We thought we would share how this whole alchemy thing works, since this is our first time and it is pretty interesting.

This is alchemy in Etsy's words: "In an historical sense, Alchemy is the pursuit of transforming common metals into valuable gold. In an Etsy sense, Alchemy is the pursuit of transforming your creative ideas and designs into tangible items.

Alchemy is a space on Etsy where buyers can post requests for custom items. Sellers then bid on the opportunity to make the item and win the sale. It's your opportunity to collaborate with a crafter or artisan to get exactly what you're seeking. Buyers can even make private requests to a specific seller within a shop."

So, how it works like this: the person requesting an item from a particular artist goes to that artists Etsy page and in the right hand column there is a link to "request custom item". On the next page the buyer makes the request, stating the item they would like. (including colors, size, shape, ideal price, etc.) This is where the buyer also puts the deadline for when they need the item. The buyer can also upload sketches of what they want, making the item a true collaboration between themselves and the artist.

The seller then sends a bid to the requesting customer with a description of what will be made, a date by which it will be shipped and the price for which they will do the work.

The buyer reviews the bid and accepts or declines. Then the seller accepts or declines here:

Payment is made, item is made and shipped and thus completes the request for a custom creation by an Etsy represented artist! It has been very easy on our side. What about you? Have any of you made an alchemy request from Etsy before? How did it go?

Zephyr Art: Photographs by Michelle Cataldo...

2011-01-19T12:51:00.000-06:00

Zephyr Art sister-in-law/photographer , Michelle Cataldo, recently took some promo photos for us. Michelle is one of our favorite artists, so we were overjoyed to work with her and see our garments through her lens.

Sea Green Dress Topper (Back View)

We really like to be able to take ordinary clothing that we already own and jazz it up with handmade accents. One way we do that is with Zephyr Art Dress Toppers. Dress Toppers are handmade, and in some cases hand dyed, garments to put over a simple dress or shirt and jeans to add an element of style without feeling overdone.

Purple Double Front Dress

Our Dress Toppers are available short (like a vest or shirt) and long (more like an over dress).

Purple Double Front with Red Sash (Medium)

Many have sashes whose colors can be varied according to the wearer's moods. We love this red sash.

Purple Dress with Seafoam Flower (Medium)

Detail of Seafoam Flower

Most of our Dress Toppers have some sort of hand stitched accents.

Every single one of Zephyr Art's garments are one of a kind. We don't do patterns. Each piece is "built" as we go, in order to give an organic, free flowing feel. While some of the garments we do are smaller sizes (xsmall and small), most of our Dress Toppers would work well on any size, due to the tie closures and flowing nature of the pieces.

On that note: Zephyr Art would love to build a custom (bespoke) garment to fit any size and taste.

Polka Red Halter Top Dress Topper (One size fits most)

Red Jersey Skirt (X Small)

Detail of Sea Green Dress Topper

Just want to say thanks again to Michelle! You make us look great!!

Zephyr Art: TN Ruth B. McDowell, Awesome Quilter

2011-01-17T16:05:00.000-06:00

Snowy backyard or quilt inspiration? Maybe both!

Ruth B. McDowell is totally inspiring me lately. She is a tremendously talented art quilt maker who has published quilting how-to, pattern and design books and who tours giving workshops. I am reading her books Ruth B. McDowell's Piecing Workshop and Design Workshop. Her work is beautiful and painterly and highly skilled, I have spent way too much time looking at each image. She "paints" pictures with fabrics from her drawings, anything from flowers to animals to people to landscapes, etc. I'm not sure I will ever attempt such masterpieces myself, but I know that her quilts inspire me to more involved designs in quilts and even clothing.

A bit of Amora's quilt

I am making baby Amora a more traditional-ish quilt - with a Zephyr Art spin, of course. But, now, I want to finish up and get going on a quilt that is more Art than Craft!

2011-01-08T08:20:00.001-06:00

Okay, eight days into the new year is not many, I know. But, when one (more precisely, 2) has a goal, it is a good start. One of Zephyr Art's main 2011 goals is to produce enough art, clothing, toys and accessories to get to a point where we can take things on the road. We thought fabric earrings would be a good product with which to begin. So here is a recap of what we have recently listed on our Etsy page:

On a side note: it is good to raise your children with a camera in their faces from birth. That way when you need an earring model, your thirteen year old daughter will stop what she is doing every thirty minutes to have her photograph taken willingly! This is just a bit of the brainwashing we artist moms think up while we are pregnant or nursing a baby and have to sit still for a moment.

Zephyr Art: Looking Ahead

2011-01-04T10:00:00.000-06:00

Ann, Eppie (wearing Anyka!) and Steve playing in the New Year...

So, we played some music to ring in the new year, took some photographs of our friends clinking glasses, I bought some wearable art from Olga and we stayed out way too late for ladies with one baby and one 13 year old in tow. Eppie leads an artsy life there in the Coudy' wilds. We did not work as much as we would have liked, the Christmas holiday was taken as that: a holiday spent with family. It was very good, though, one cannot think about work all the time, right?

The two youngest of our collective children, Anyka and Dorian.

We did get in a discussion of growing our business. Zephyr Art has been our alternate Art-Identity for a decade now. We made it through years of being asked lots of whys. Why were we not signing our names singly to the pieces we do, why were we not doing things (selling and marketing) separately, why were we always putting the other's artistic identity, opinions and creations equal to our own. We now break it down like this: Zephyr Art is like a band. A band shares a vision of creating together. A band struggles and wins together. A band plans tours to spread it's art. A band shares a name, and if they are lucky like Zephyr Art, a philosophy. (But, unlike a band, whose average lifespan is 2-3 years, we are in our 10th year! Whoo-Hoo!)

We discussed all kinds of things, getting out to trade/gift shows, greatly expanding our Etsy presence, having designated work days/hours, and in general, Finding a Way to Make a Living Doing the Thing We Were Created to Do. (Capital letters because it is an important title in a new chapter in ZA's history!)

We would like to move out of our small towns into larger markets. We would like to travel a bit to sell our art. We would like to produce a good volume of work. We would like to make money. We would like to have a profitable reason to get together in "real life" more! We hope that you will join us on FaceBook, Etsy and our blog. Please feel free to offer comments and even critiques. It is our intention to grow by leaps and bounds this year and we would love for our friends to be part of that goal.

Zephyr Art PA: Our New Paper Doll...

2010-12-30T15:55:00.001-06:00

Happy Holidays from Zephyr Art!

We are celebrating together in PA and fitting in a little work, too. Eppie is drawing a set of paper dolls for which I will fashion clothing. It is something we have talked about for a while, but now that we have had some time together we figured it was a good time to start them. We call this little girl "Maggie". She's very sweet. She keeps asking us for a puppy. We will most likely give in and give her one. She will definitely get a mermaid outfit soon and a cowgirl hat...

Zephyr Art TN: The Fly Art Gallery and Gift Shop

2010-12-15T10:18:00.000-06:00

Here are a few photos from the recently opened Fly Art Gallery. The Bedford County Arts Council has had a home at the old Fly Manufacturing building for the past nine years. We have a banquet hall, a Bedford County History Museum, a theater and a large basement workspace. But we have never had a real place for the Visual Arts. Enter Gina Witten, who from the thoroughly artsy Ashville, NC area, realized the artists' of this area's need for exhibition space.

We have about 22 artists right now in the gallery.

Represented are potters, painters, wire sculptors, mixed media artists, mosaic artists, draftsmen, photographers, jewelery makers and more.

This is Zephyr Art's nook... I hope that if you are in the area, you will stop in to visit and look around this showcase of local Art.

Zephyr Art TN: Baby Amora!

2010-11-29T20:16:00.001-06:00

I have been meaning to post ultrasound photos for a couple of weeks now, but my scanner is not being nice. So, I decided tonight, to take photos of the photos on my refrigerator.

This is Amora. (Probably Amora Echo.) We have changed her name a few times now, there are so many unique names out there, it is really hard to decide. Mia found this name and Adam likes it and I think it would be sweet for them (Adam picked Echo) to name the new baby girl.

We had a 3d ultrasound, which they say looks a bit more life-like. Although I can count 6 legs in this picture. I hope I am not having a shrimp-baby.

Here she is waving at you. Next we'll look at some slides of my last vacation. It will only take an hour. You'll love them, I promise...

2010-11-13T08:46:00.000-06:00

The Fly Arts Center (Shelbyville, TN) will have it's Gallery/Gift Shop grand opening on November 21st from 12:00-6:00. These are some of the things Zephyr Art has been working on to put in our section: sticker books (Art in sticker form?! I love stickers!) , small paintings and recycled tile/ vintage bone necklaces. There are still a few work days at the Fly to get the gallery open, but it is already looking AWESOME! If you are in the area on the 21st, stop by for our opening and to stock up on unique gifts for Christmas, many of the items are under $20. The gallery is an artists' CO-OP, with artist volunteers working in the gallery every week. Days and hours for the gallery/giftshop are: Everyday except Wednesdays, 11am to 6pm. Zephyr Art is looking forward to being a part of a gallery in Bedford County where we can work with the Arts Council and other artists to bring about an Arts awakening in this and surrounding communities!

Etsy Gift Treasury for the Artsy Ones on the Gift List...

2010-11-12T11:29:00.000-06:00

"Jack is Catching On" by Becky Shelton

We have been thinking about the Holidays lately, specifically handmade holiday gifts. We've been perusing Etsy, looking for interesting gift ideas to include in a treasury we have created there. We included items with which your artist can create and items just for beauty's sake. Click here to see the list!

Zephyr Art TN: Art Clay 101

2010-10-28T11:05:00.000-05:00

This past Tuesday I attended an introductory class on pure silver Art Clay taught by certified Art Clay Master, Gina Witten. Gina is the much needed Director for the Visual Arts at the Fly Arts Center in Shelbyville, TN, near my home in the sleepy, tiny town of Wartrace.

Art Clay is a clay-like mixture of pure silver particles, a binder and water. It comes in a mailable clay form, a looser syringe form and other clays with differing firing temperatures and drying times. It can be pure silver, bronze or copper; we used the silver.

We started by using Sculpy to do a mock-up of our design so that when we went to the silver, we would be able to create our piece in the roughly 4 minutes we had before the Art Clay started to get too dry.

Then we created our designs in the real thing. This clay has a more firm feel than the very pliable, bakeable Sculpy. I had never worked with this medium before, so I had no idea what to expect from the clay, in terms of what it would really look like finished. In clay form it does not appear silver at all, it very closely resembles the neutral white colored Sculpy. We had various tools to choose from with which to create our pieces: punches, patterned plastic, stamps and rollers. I chose a faux bois piece of plastic and my roller to flatten my little ball of clay into a flat oval. I then made two faces with a woodgrain on one half of each. I meant to put woodgrain on the pendant, as well, but the 4 minute sculpt time had me nervous and I forgot! She's still pretty, though.

When the designs were created, we placed them in a food dehydrator to dry completely before firing.

After getting completely dry, we fired the pieces (because they were small things, one could use a kiln, as well) by using a butane torch. We circled one piece at a time with fire until it turned a beautiful salmon color. When this was achieved we set a timer for 2 minutes and slowly circled the piece for that time.

We then let the pieces cool and scrubbed off the remnant of the binder that burned off in the firing process.

My camera battery died right at the part where I oxidized my pieces with sulfur, so I can't show you the beautiful yellow color that the sulfur turned when mixed with water.

Here is my finished work. After going through the process I gained understanding of how the clay burns off, leaving the pure silver behind. It was hard to imagine in clay form what the finished product would look like, but I discovered that the clay itself really will end up being the silver image you sculpt it into (minus a bit for shrinkage). I think I could really get into creating with this medium, I can't wait to try it with Ep!

Zephyr Art TN: National Gallery of Art Resources Lending Program

2010-10-14T07:29:00.000-05:00

Another homeschool mom/ artist friend of mine recently introduced me to a terrific lending program from the National Gallery of Art. NGA has slides, video cassettes, DVDs, multimedia programs and CD ROMs on a great variety of art subject, artists, techniques and styles and are available to homeschool parents, teachers and individuals. For the middle school/ high school art class I am teaching, I chose to borrow a DVD on 20th Century artists Calder, Smith, deKooning, Bearden and Lichtenstein.

We will watch the video over a couple of weeks as the kids finish the paintings they are working on for our "show" at the end of the semester.

As the kids are done they move over to the TV to watch. We watched the section on Calder Tuesday and discussed some of the ways Art moves people.

I was glad that they were really getting into Calder's work.

And the ones still working were getting close to completion while sneaking glances at Calder's process for making large scale mobiles.

The borrowed DVD is not due back to NGA until December, so we do not have to rush the viewing. This awsome program is free, one only has to pay return shipping for the items.

ZA PA and TN: Art, animals, and arithmetic...

2010-10-12T17:15:00.000-05:00

Arowyn doing school with her St. Bernard, Micah

One of the best things about being artists is that we have time to be home with our children and pets. It seems, from our experience, that lots of 'dog' problems or 'children' problems that we read about on line or in articles kind of fade away when the 'child' or 'dog' are allowed to be by us. It is not that we give our children and pets our undivided attention all of the time, we might even be worse than most about that :) ... it just seems as though lots of indirect attention works pretty darn good too. A pat here a kind word there, I guess they all add up throughout the day. Maybe we just have really good kids and really pleasant dogs... :)

Mia and Silas with Badge, their new Sheltie.

Arowyn relaxing with Micah.

Zephyr Art TN: How To- Making Your Own Fabric Earrings

2010-10-08T14:46:00.000-05:00

Today I thought I would do a little 'How-to' on fabric earrings. I made the ones above today to list on Etsy and photographed the process as I went.

First I cut out 4 interesting shapes from some hand dyed cotton I had left over from another project. (You can use almost any type fabric, if it is too light just layer a couple or more pieces together.) I chose to cut vaguely triangular shapes, two smaller ones for the top layer and two larger pieces for the bottom. To get a good structure that would not be too flimsy, I sewed the smaller pieces on top of the larger ones to make the two basic earring shapes with two layers. (Layers are almost always visually interesting because they create dimension and volume.) I then hand sewed the top of the two earring shapes closed, kind of folding them over and sewing them down. (A small side note on hand sewing needles: I accidentally bought some expensive hand sewing needles recently- they were 50% off, I thought that meant cheap- and it was one of the best craft oriented things I have ever done. I used to hate hand sewing but now I looove it. Seriously, the only thing that changed is I am not using crappy needles anymore!)

I sewed (slightly mismatched) blue buttons at the top. I usually try for a bit of asymmetry in our earrings, this time I just slightly varied the button colors for difference. If you like a more perfect union of earrings, you can make them match.

After adding the buttons, I hand sewed on a metal jump ring to be able to attach the earring itself. I purchased my earring findings at Hobby Lobby on one of their half off sales. I always keep a look out for deals on these kind of supplies because they can be a bit expensive. (I sound like a real cheapo, don't I? I prefer the term 'thrifty'.) But, once you buy a package of the earrings and jump rings you can make oodles of creative earrings from so many different materials!

After affixing the jump ring I attached the earring then repeated the process for the other one.

Ta-da. The finished earrings, really pretty easy to make and definitely fun to do. As always, if I didn't explain any of the parts clearly enough, email me!

Zephyr Art TN: Autumn Cooking and Baking

2010-10-05T07:49:00.001-05:00

It's getting cooler outside and that makes me want to bake and cook! (A common passion for most people during the colder seasons, I guess.) Yesterday morning I woke with the thought of dinner of chicken soup and bread. Really good bread. So, I went to one of my favorite recipes: the master recipe for Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day. This is a no-knead bread dough recipe that bakes up like a crusty, golden loaf of deliciousness. It has a nice crispy crust with an inside texture like I can hardly find here in Middle TN. (Miss you NY!)

Besides the final product, another wonderful reason to make this dough is that the recipe mixes enough dough to last awhile in the fridge. As the dough ages through the two weeks it keeps chilled, it takes on a sourdough flavor that is complex and brilliant. Just pinch a bit from the loosely covered container and there you go! Bread! Every day! Today I mixed up the super large batch: 13 cups of flour, 6 cups of water, 3 tbs. yeast and 3 tbs. salt. Sounds massive, right? It is, but I am bringing some to a friend this evening and it really is so good after it's been in the refrigerator, I wanted to make sure I had enough to last.

After the mixing and rising and chilling in the bowl, I let the bread rise, uncovered and shaped on the pan, for 40 minutes and then popped it into a 450 degree preheated oven.

It was fabulous. Even better, it can be fabulous again tonight with hardly any thought since the dough now lives in my fridge for two weeks. If it can hang on that long with me here. My dad would say it "tastes so good, makes you want to slap your mama-in-law", which I would never do, because I love my mother-in-law. But it is that good.

I also made a Caramel Apple Crisp. I had a few caramel apples left over from my 3 year old's birthday party so I decided to experiment. This is where cooking is so much like visual art. You see immediate supplies and make something pretty. (Well, sometimes ugly. There was a point in time where the look of most of the things Eppie and I baked made us laugh SO hard. They were always tasty, though. )

Here's what I did:

I cut up all the caramel apples and put them into a baking dish with about two tbs. of butter.

Then I pulsed together in the food processor: 2 tbs. butter cut into pieces, 1/4 cup oats, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 cup of brown sugar. I sprinkled 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon on top of the apples and butter and then layered on the oat mixture.

I baked it at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and stirred it up a bit to get the caramel worked around everything. Then it was in for another 20 min. and done! Apple-y, tasty, sweet. I served it with vanilla ice cream. Yum. What more is there in fall?

Zephyr Art TN: Time 4 Learning Online Learning Program

2010-09-28T19:45:00.000-05:00

Mia doing school on Time 4 Learning wearing Halloween makeup. Yeah, homeschool is fun like that.

Eppie and I are quite involved in our local homeschool environments. She is the local field trip coordinator for her area and I teach an art class at my kids' co-op. Eppie's kids are technically public school kids who learn online at home. We are part of a church related school, with our classroom being in our home. Here's a bit about the program my daughter uses:

My oldest, Mia (12 years old and in 7th grade), also does her schooling online at the website Time 4 Learning. It is a website that has interactive lessons complete with grading and reports parents can print. T4L is really great for older children. The lessons are entertaining (even to me!) and funny. As an artist it pleases me that there are lots of visually interesting characters and the color schemes and layout are bright and engaging. I am particularly in love with the art lessons it provides. One has to be signed up for a month before accessing the art section and it is an extra charge of $10 for a one year extension after the first 6 months. I will absolutely get the extension! I love the art lessons! Every subject is plainly taught through animation, audio and on screen words. The student can repeat each segment as many times as needed. Mia has firmly grasped so many intricate concepts with this program's instruction.

I have to say, though, Silas (5) and I did not like the lessons for younger children. We had him signed up for a couple of months, but he just didn't like the characters or method of learning. Speaking again as an artist, I really did not like the animation at all. We will try again when he is older because even now he likes to watch Mia do her grade level. It really is entertaining!

Another positive: Time 4 Learning pays for your referrals. I told a friend about T4L and showed her around Mia's lessons and then thought nothing about it until I received a check from them. In the letter that came with it they say also pay for writing an honest review. So, I thought since schooling is already something we blog about, I'd do a review as well. I hope my review gives some insight into the Time 4 Learning program!

Zephyr Art PA: Colorful babies...

2010-09-15T21:57:00.000-05:00

Another Zephyr Art baby is on the way! Julie is expecting another little one in May... hopefully she will have a girl and I will be able to pass these little beauties right on to her!

Top by Olga. Booties by Zephyr Art.


Sweater knitted by Irene. Wool diaper cover by Kate.

Hat by Olga, squeegie faced baby by Eppie, sweater and booties by Zephyr Art.

Close up of the Olga hat... AWESOME!

Sweater by Zephyr Art.

Three cheers for Julie and Adam... and now to design some more maternity clothes. :)

Zephyr Art PA: Beco versus Ergo ( The gift of HANDS!!!)

2010-09-11T15:26:00.001-05:00

The Beco Butterfly 2 that my friends gave me.

Olga and Carol Spaulding didn't quite realize the gift they were giving me when they gave me my Beco baby carrier. I was with Olga when she insisted on buying it at the Jillian's Drawers open house in Ithaca, NY... and I tried to talk her out of it. It seemed a little expensive for something I might only use once or twice. What I didn't realize was that she was actually giving me the gift of my HANDS.

After Anyka was born I immediately had reason to try out my new carrier. I had open mic to host with Jakob's Hollow, art projects that needed to be completed and various things that required the use of both hands. I was delighted to find that using the infant insert in the Beco allowed my baby to ride snuggly and safely strapped to my belly... and she LIKED it.


The Ergo baby Carrier for Kristina.

I used my carrier to keep my baby close during several of our summer concerts, strapped onto friends and family while we played and then strapped onto myself in between stage times, and was very glad to have it during the summer art camp that Olga and I taught. The Beco was so useful in fact, I decided my sister in law, Kristina, needed one for Anyka's 'twin cousin' Enoch. (Enoch is just a few short weeks younger than Anyka.) Yesterday I happened upon this Ergo baby carrier though and thought... 'Hey, I wonder if this works as well as my Beco.' I couldn't resist getting it and comparing the two... and then I thought some of you busy, always on the move, hand needing moms might be interested in my findings.


Back of the Ergo

Back of the Beco

Both carriers hold my baby safely and securely. As you can see, the back straps position themselves differently. The Beco strap sits higher across the shoulder blades and, if not adjusted properly, can cause some discomfort after several hours of carrying. The Beco is fully adjustable though and most problems are solved by adjusting it differently. This could be a negative for some users... you definitely need to watch the videos demonstrating how to use your Beco. The Ergo seems to be something you can just throw on and go, after a quick peek at the written instructions or a glance at the illustrations.

(Written instructions and videos can be found on each carrier website. www.becobabycarrier.com or www.ergobabycarrier.com )

Also, if you can see in the photos, the Ergo's waist buckle hooks on the side and the Beco's hooks in the back. I found it easier to hook the side buckle and wish that my Beco had this feature. Overall, the Ergo probably gets higher marks in initial ease of use. I find both carriers allow you quite an array of adjustments though, for those of you that have 'little mamas' that always want to hold the baby. I would feel comfortable strapping either on my almost eight year old daughter.

Secure holding time.

One of the best features, of course, is that both of these carriers are absolutely hands free.

Depending on your baby you might also be able to use your carrier 'insert free' by their second month. Anyka is two months old now and riding without her insert. (A quick note, the Beco comes with the infant insert and the Ergo infant insert needs to be purchased separately.) The Ergo has the top of her body exposed from her armpits up and the Beco still cradles her against me. She seems to be more secure in the Beco at this age and still falls quickly asleep. (She has always, so far, fallen fast asleep in her Beco, making me think it is quite comfortable.) The Ergo carrier makes her feel more adventurous. She can see out better and she is less restrained. She doesn't seem as apt to go to sleep in it. As she gets older I think the Beco will have the same results. The head rest folds down for older babies...

Head rest up...

Head rest down...

Both carriers have rain/sun/nursing hoods. You can see the Ergo's in the photos, tucked into the top of the front pocket. The Beco has a slit in the front of its waistband that you use for storage and it is hidden away. Both carriers say that you can use these hoods to nurse discretely but I have not tried that. The style shirts I wear I need to lift up and they are always tucked so tightly into the carrier it would be ridiculously difficult to nurse. I think it would be MORE difficult to nurse out of the Beco though because there is a fabric panel between you and your baby- put there to make it possible to transfer baby from person to person without removing the baby from the pack. A nice feature, by the way. I think if you didn't have to pull your shirt up to nurse you might actually be able to nurse out of the Ergo without much difficulty. (Does anybody have any experience with 'carrier nursing' and do you think that one carrier makes it easier than another?)

I have to mention, because I have wished for such a thing on my Beco carrier, the Ergo has a storage pocket, on the front, that zips . It is underneath the rain/sun/nursing hood pocket and is a nice size. You could tuck your wallet and a burp cloth into your carrier and go. I think you might even be able to fit a spare diaper. I will have to ask Kristina what she is able to carry once she uses it a while. I can barely tuck some spare cash into the slit on my waste band and I am always afraid it is going to fall out. A pocket would be nice.

The Beco carriers are, in my opinion, beautiful. The Ergo carriers are not unattractive, they are just not designed in as visually pleasing a way as the Beco. Many artists, I am sure, choose the Beco over the Ergo just because the Beco looks better. It is truly a fashion accessory. The Ergo is a little more utilitarian in appearance and would probably be the first choice of the male parent. :) Here's the front of my Beco...

BEAUTIFUL!

I guess I would have to say, in summation, I really like both of these carriers. They are both safe, secure, attractive, high quality, durable packs and either would be worth the $150 odd bucks they might cost. It's my opinion they are worth the investment, especially if you could use them for multiple children. They feel just different enough it might be nice to have both and use them at different times... maybe one for mom (Beco, or a particularly cute Ergo) and one for dad (Ergo, or Beco in black). If you have the option to give them a test drive (some stores, like Jillian's Drawers, allow you to try out different carriers then purchase the one you like) it would be worth the time. I hope this has all been helpful. The Ergo is easier to use, easier to get in and out of and easier to figure out, is less restrictive to baby, has the little storage pocket and might be more comfortable between your shoulder blades. The Beco is more streamlined, prettier, there is more of a selection, it seems to be more adjustable, can curl up to make a 'shelf' on your hip for a toddler (check this out on their website), and you can transfer baby between two people while baby remains in the carrier. The nicest thing is that both carriers leave your hands free while they snuggle your baby close to you, leaving his or her little head kissably close and right where you can smell their delicious baby scent!

Eppie and Anyka using their Beco baby carrier.

Zephyr Art PA: What's she doing now???

2010-09-08T16:09:00.000-05:00

You have heard us talk about Olga's beautiful yarn, or Olga's website; her artwork or playing as Jakob's Hollow or Freakish Owl Boy at her corner shop... She's a fellow artist and a close and great friend of ours- and she is painting her yarn shop. It has been looking pretty bad after the guys have scraped all the old paint off... even colorful boards propped against it look beautiful to us.

Choosing colors for something that has to last for years is no easy task, especially if you see an endless amount of possible color schemes. There is also the problem of liking things that the locals find odd, to say the least, and knowing that the community has to live with your color choices as well. Needless to say, Olga has been beside herself trying to decide what colors she would like to buy. We got to help her decide what colors might make everyone happy and, being as the responsibility is not ours, it has actually been fun. I thought you guys might like to see what all the color samples looked like, once we narrowed down to one 'set' of colors to work with, and see what ended up as the final color choices.

Aren't these pretty?

She painted the back corner for us to get a better idea...

Nice red cloth! :)


The yellow and blue as well and the red and green on the right are the end choices.

Zephyr Art TN: Duct Tape/ Paper Mache Leg

2010-09-03T14:47:00.001-05:00

I had such a great time duct taping myself yesterday that I decided to do a bit more today. A leg seemed like something I could do by myself so I found a really long sock that had no mate and pulled it waaay up over my knee.

Then I started taping.

And taping.... I used my "cat-like perfect balance" to get tape around every part of my foot without falling. Mostly.

Mia got into taping her leg, too.

After several layers it was time to cut myself out. Which is good because my foot was starting to lose circulation.

I cut through the sock and all.

After the cutting, I taped up the seam to blend the pieces together.

Mia cut herself out. She thought I might cut her leg off.

I had no more poly fill and was brainstorming for solutions. Mia had a great idea: plastic grocery bags. Since the newspapers are in the same recycling bag in my pantry, I used those, too.

I decided to paper mache the leg next. I mixed up a bowl of flour, water and Elmer's glue, then I poked a dowel into the heel for stability. (It might be a high heel in the finished piece or I might take it out when I create the sole and just have a tippy toe foot.)

All covered...

When it was paper mache-d (what is the spelling for the past tense of paper mache?!) I painted it purple and hung it from the ceiling to dry.

I think I'll take this project to the highschool art class I am teaching this semester. I think they will think it is hilarious! It does require some stretching to reach under the foot!

Zephyr Art TN: The Making of A Dummy. (Duct Tape Dress Form)

2010-09-02T17:51:00.000-05:00

So. I need some display mannequins for Zephyr Art garments. I looked on Craigslist this morning and didn't find any that were current listings. So, I posted on Face Book that I was in the market for some and then set out to the store to buy some colorful duct tape to make my own for fun and to make do for a bit. I googled the process and it seemed easy. I texted my sister-in-law, Tiff to see if she'd help me tape up. She was game. She's always game!

If you ever wonder where your lumps are, cover yourself in duct tape, you'll find them.

Tiff and I covered my torso in tape. We wrapped several layers in different directions, crisscrossing over the bust area. It got harder and harder to breathe. Then, we felt good about the layers and she cut me out, thank goodness. My daughter, Mia saw it and said "Wow! You made a shirt?!" She liked it as a shirt. Perhaps I have raised her too creatively...

Tiffany holding the shell of me.

The inside of the duct tape shell.

We stuffed the inside of the form with polyfill and taped up the armholes and neck hole. For a temporary base, I knocked the arms off of a display thing that I don't use and placed her on there. I think I will make one of Mia tomorrow, if she doesn't insist that it be her shirt.

Zephyr Art TN: One Nearly Finished Coat, The "Jane Austin"

2010-08-31T16:35:00.000-05:00

Finished. I like that word. Almost finished, I guess those words are all right, too. My thrift store blazer turned couture coat is nearly complete. Just need to affix the buttons and it will be Finished. Above is the coat in layout stage. Ep and I lovingly refer to the two Zephyr Art coats as the "Jane Austin" and the "Swashbuckler". Jane is softly feminine. Swash is wildly feminine. And of course, we didn't plan to create coats like these, per se. We just followed the fabrics and they led us here.

We try to pay close attention to every detail of a garment. The liner of the "Jane Austin Coat" was hand sewn into what was left of the blazer's existing liner.

This is the coat without snaps. The rose button is a decoy, the true fasteners will be hidden inside the coat. There is to be another rose and they both need some painting to bring out the colors of the coat.

Also, we have started a small coat. The sleeves need to be set in and it will be done. It's around a size 3. Very cute on Dorian, though it is a girl's coat.

This morning:

The Bedford County Arts Council set up an art booth at the Calsonic Arena for this week's Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration in Shelbyville, TN.

Zephyr Art has a nice spot beside artist, Becky Shelton.

I will be manning the booth on Saturday from 10am to 7pm. Come see me. We have chairs stashed under the table for impromptu visitors!

Zephyr Art TN: Reconstructed Thrift Store Coats and The Blue Porch Bed and Breakfast

2010-08-25T11:54:00.000-05:00

The beginning of a project is always a time of excitement. What fabric? What layout? What design? The above photo shows Eppie's coat in the layout stage. We cut the blazer below the bust line and created a new lower portion using black wool and some other fabric, the very bottom is the part we cut off of my blazer.

The inspiration for this coat project was a photo in the July or August Marie Claire of a reconfigured blazer. Eppie saw it and saw the great potential that the general idea had. We are still working on the coats today and hopefully will have them totally complete by the time Eppie leaves on Saturday.

The Blue Porch: A Bed and Breakfast

Yesterday we went to the Blue Porch in Readyville, TN for an experimental lunch. The owner, Wanda Thompson, is Eppie's sister-in-law and an excellent chef and hostess. The Blue Porch boasts a state of the art, fabulous kitchen and beautiful rooms. Lucky us, Wanda wanted us to come over to try a new chicken salad dish.

Wanda laid out a wonderfully refreshing Passion Berry tea. We had Curried Chicken Salad, fantastic pimento cheese from Wanda's husband's great grandmother's recipe, a wonderful Cole slaw and a quinoa salad, along with some Publix 7 grain bread. It was all really spectacular and a good way to take a break from coat making.

The Blue Porch is located at 9570 Vaught Road in Readyville, TN 37149. You can contact Wanda for lunch,cooking classes, spa services or a stay at the Blue Porch at 615-890-8117.

Zephyr Art TN: Stormed Out and The Start of Something Dramatically Different ...

2010-08-23T18:47:00.000-05:00

This strange cloud rainbow was the first indication we might get rained out. It's beauty charmed us, though and we decided to wait.

The storm was brewing, moving to the right. Thunder roared in the distance. We bravely (stupidly) murmured "It will move by us, right?" Wrong, Ms. Optimism.

Back story: Zephyr Art agreed to join another artist (Tommy Ellis) at a charity event given by our friend Calvin Cannon. The event was called a 'White Party'. Calvin wanted us to flank the entrance to his shop on the town square with our art booths. BUT. It rained. No, it torrentially STORMED. So, we furiously packed up with the enormous help of Tommy. Thanks, Tommy!!

Before the rain we snapped a photo of the new babies in our booth. After, we should have photographed how soaking wet we became. Think puppies after a bath. Kind of stringy and cold. (Honestly, I am just making light, we had a great time in spite of the rain.)

These are our Zephyr Art Zuper Babies! They are handmade, hand-dyed, cape wearing sweeties. Also, before the rain, we wandered down an alley and found this neat little garden...

Today: We started on our reconfigured coats. The idea is to take a previously worn blazer and turn it into a high end, unique coat.

We purchased these coats at the thrift store for the fit through the shoulders, because we will be cutting them below the bust line and adding other elements:

We dyed the lighter colored one a light purple.

Today we cut them apart. Tomorrow we will show you the progress and the inspiration...

Zephyr Art TN: Grouting Our Large Sculpture

2010-08-13T10:58:00.001-05:00

Thursday was the big day for grouting the 'Vision, Action, Prayer' Women's History Month sculpture for the Fly Cultural Arts Center. Above is the piece before the grout.

Sherri Warner Hunter

Mosaic artist, Sherri Warner Hunter, led us through the grout process with the aid of the world's largest roll of super sticky tape and the world's largest piping bag.

Preparation is the key to any well done project. To prepare the sculpture for grouting we began by applying super sticky tape designed specifically for affixing to concrete. We then taped plastic on top of the mementos to protect from any grout spatters.

The top of the sculpture, before grout.

Before grouting, we wiped the tiles down and spritzed them with water to assure the tiles would not absorb all the water from the grout. When the tiles were dampened and blotted, we rubbed the sanded grout into the spaces between tiles, making sure the grout was uniform and level.

Top after grout during buffing.

When the grout was in, the tiles were then buffed to remove any excess grout and then buffed again to remove the grout film from the tile.

Side of sculpture after the grout was applied and before buffing.

Removing the plastic and tape.

My favorite part came next: taking off the plastic! Removing the plastic revealed the mementos and the grout line. We pressed a slope where the grout met the purple thinset adhesive to smooth the transition. After taking off the plastic we buffed the tiles again.

Grouted top and sides.

Detail of mementos, photographs and grout line .

Clean up is as almost as important as the initial preparing of the area.

The next step in completing this sculpture is printing more photos, affixing them to tiles and placing them on the piece. We will then fill in the left over open spaces with more of the mementos. 'Vision, Action, Prayer' is almost done!!

Zephyr Art TN: And Knowing is Half the Battle!

2010-08-11T13:24:00.000-05:00

A G.I. Joe once said "Now you know, and knowing is half the battle!" We agree.

Knowing is half the battle, therefore, I guess acting on that knowledge is the other half. So, to prepare our children for the struggles and joys of life we homeschool. Logan (Eppie's), who is 17, Jacob (Eppie's), who is 15, Mia (Julie's), who is 12, and Arowyn (Eppie's), who is 7, do separate online curricula. They are scored and quizzed online and we can see reports on their progresses. Silas (Julie's), who is almost 5, did not respond well to the online school so Silas is using workbooks and other media. Additionally, they all read tons of books, go on field trips, are involved with local homeschool groups and community projects. Dorian (Julie's almost 3 yr. old) and Anyka (Eppie's 1 month old) are along for the ride during all these activities, as well. While definitely not for everyone, with the kind of lives we lead, this kind of schooling just works well for us. We travel often for visual art and music purposes and use these trips to further enhance our children's learning experiences.

Julie's house: With school and sewing, painting and creating in general going on in the house every day, things can get a bit messy. So, around 3 or 4 o'clock we pretend we are crazy monkey people and we run around as fast as we can putting things away and cleaning. Sometimes we pretend our house will blow up after 10 minutes if everything is not cleaned and other assorted time sensitive scenarios. We get clean fast and then start dinner, chill time and reading before bed or we visit friends, play music and do more lively activities instead.

It all depends on how we're feeling...

Silas drawing on a dry erase board...

Super Hero Dorian doing some drawing...

Zephyr Art TN: The "Wireman" and Thoughts On Ingenuity

2010-08-10T10:33:00.002-05:00

Vannoy "Wireman" Streeter had ingenuity. Ingenuity is making something from nothing, of which we are big fans. Mr. Streeter made elaborate wire sculptures from old wire clothes hangers. These sculptures have a bendy liveliness that illustrate the humor and good nature of the artist. Unfortunately I did not get to meet Mr. Streeter, but the stories in our town abound about his generosity and amiableness. Stories of sitting on Mr. Streeter's front porch and the gifts of sculptures that he made while he chatted with his visitors.

Last night's opening of his work came off nicely, his step son was with us along with his grandson, Rod Cleveland, who continues his grandad's ingenious work by creating with wire using techniques he learned by watching his grandfather on the artist's fabled front porch.

This is a great view of the Fly Cultural Art Center's remodeled area that will host a cooperative gallery sales space, across from which will be the exhibition space for shows that will rotate every three or four weeks.

Gina Witten, extreme left front in the above photo, is our new Visual Art Director. We are so glad she came to Bedford County, she is getting some terrific things rolling for the Visual Arts in and around Shelbyville. She is teaching classes, planning exhibitions and stirring up excitement.

Julie explaining the origins and plans of the mosaic to Vannoy Streeter's stepson, James.

The sculpture in the foreground is the three ladies that will grace the top of the Women's History Month sculpture, 'Vision, Action, Prayer'. Vision (yellow) is staring confidently into the future, Action (red) has her fist in her hand in a gesture of strength and Prayer (blue) has her hands together in a quiet conversation with the Creator. (You know, the Creator of everything, not the creator of the sculpture, that would be too limited...) This sculpture will be completed this month for an unveiling in September at the Fly.

Zephyr Art TN: From Store Bought to Totally Unique and Vannoy "Wireman" Streeter

2010-08-09T15:47:00.001-05:00

Before....

We believe in wearing handmade. Or at least wearing hand-altered.

I found these fuchsia mary jane's (and some sunny mustard-yellow ones) at Target (for only $9.99) a few days ago. I had the intention of embroidering them and wrapping them with some yummy yarn I purchased while in PA at Olga's yarn shop. So, instead of cleaning today (like I should have) I had the irresistible urge to work on shoes! (Between doing school with the two older kids, of course...)

Here's how I did it, just in case you want to do something similar:

I started by wrapping the strap of the shoe with a beautiful dark blue yarn. Then I sewed a white line down the middle of the strap with the sewing machine as a decorative touch and to secure the yarn in, what I figure, is a high stress area.

I decided to experiment a bit with the entire design by cutting the shoe into a sandal. I then wrapped the newly created lower strap with yarn and hand-sewed on some vintage bone buttons, then I secured the sole down to the shoe to make the bottom look solid and reign in the cut edge. (You can see the blue stitching on the front edge of the shoe in the photo below.) I love asymmetry, so each shoe is a bit different, much to the chagrin of my symmetrical daughter Mia. :)

After... Don't laugh at my funny feet. Just look at the shoes.

I am very pleased with the results, the shoes are comfortable and totally unique. Well worth the effort, I'd say. I am going to wear them to the Vannoy "Wireman" Streeter opening at the Fly Cultural Arts Center tonight. I am so excited to see this world renowned Shelbyville artist's work in such volume! I am also looking forward to enjoying the new and improved gallery space at the Fly. So much excitement!! Join us if you can...

Zephyr Art TN: Something Is In My House!! And It's Making a Mess...

2010-08-04T12:04:00.002-05:00

This morning I caught some strange phenomenon on camera... Let me share it with you.

Ahhh, a nicely made bed. One of the most visible ways to clean one's room. So, that done, I went to clean this:

When I went into the kitchen I saw something that I needed to take to the bedroom.

Ahhhhh!!! What happened here? I just walked out for a second!

"Well, this is too mysterious. I will just make the bed again", I said aloud to anyone within ear shot. So, I straightened the covers while hatching a plan to flush out the naughty monkey that messed up my bed. I decided to steal into the bedroom in a bit to see if I could catch the messer (or messers) in action and this is what I saw:

Hmmm. I suspected them all along.

I am not just saying that because I have them on camera.

I knew some lollipop fueled mistchief was in the making.

And, they are naughty monkeys, so it made sense to suspect them.

Clean beds are the hotspot of the house.

Until another room is clean, that is...

So, until the kids move out, I guess photos are as close as I will get to a smooth bed.
And a clean house...

TN: When Artists Have More Creativity Than Time!

2010-08-02T12:06:00.001-05:00

Ahh, the good old days... When having only one child (my Mia, who was such a good little baby girl I could bring her everywhere with me!) and being pregnant with another, meant grand plans and ambitions for large scale art pieces. For instance, a mosaic piece (commemorating Women's History Month) incorporating the donated photos and memorabilia from local residents, mementos that represent a beloved lady: a sister's brooch, a mother's earring, a pen belonging to an aunt, a daughter's button, you get the idea... Zephyr Art, along with our friend Pippa Browne, designed and started this large mosaic art piece that is to stand in the Fly Cultural Arts Center. Another friend, artist Sherri Warner Hunter, who is a renowned mosaic artist, agreed to be our technical 'go to' lady. She turned into much more than that for us! She has lent her time, her studio and her tools. She has also donated many materials. We are very indebted to her generosity! Perhaps she'll need some artistic clothing one day and we can hook her up :)... Anyhoo, this sculpture was initiated in 2007 and due to scheduling conflicts and the like, it remains unfinished. SO, we are pleased to announce that we will be completing this sculpture this month. We will unveil it at the Fly in September at the membership party.

The Unfinished "Vision, Action, Prayer": A Women's History Month Sculpture

Here is the sculpture in one of it's stages. We are on the last leg of the journey now, a few more photographs to go onto the piece and then grouting. We are very excited!! We hope you will join us for the unveiling.

TN: Moo Business Cards

2010-07-28T08:01:00.000-05:00

We have awesome business cards. That is not just bragging, it is true, because we have Moo business cards. These cards get so many comments from other artists on their quality and beauty. They are made on heavy stock that feels so smooth and extravagant and the colors are more vibrant than any other business card I have seen before. Moo has regular sized business cards (we tried these first and loved them!) and mini cards. One can upload, for the image side, up to 50 images for the regular cards and 100 images for the mini cards, perfect for artists and designers. We received our minis in the mail last week. They are around half the size of regular business cards and are just as great. Same vibrancy and quality, just smaller. We will use these to network and as tags on our clothing, toys and art. When we hand these out, people are getting a perfect little art print along with pertinent information, they are so worth it for promotional purposes. I think soon we'll try the postcards. We love Moo.

PA: Open Mic and the Two Youngest In Tow

2010-07-21T18:06:00.000-05:00

Every Tuesday at Cafe Olga is open mic, hosted by Eppie's band, Jakob's Hollow. We went last night with our two youngest, my Dorian who is almost three and Eppie's Anyka, who is three weeks. Sometimes to have children and to want to do art or music things, one must take the little ones. I must say, however, they were both superb examples of children who go with the flow. They mingled and charmed and when it was Eppie's and my turn to play, Dorian was fast asleep and Anyka was being cooed at by friends. So, everything went well and we all had a good time.

Eppie's guitar case in Olga's upstairs hallway...

Olga, Eppie, Anyka and Dorian.

In June our dear friend Pippa moved across the country from Memphis to California with her husband, Scott, daughter, Maple and mother, Rosie. A short time after they arrived there Rosie passed away. I embroidered this rose today for a cushion for Pippa's new home, hoping to show my family's love for Rosie at the same time. I am going to use a sheet that was my mother's (who is very much alive) that is white with small roses all over. Hopefully the distance will not keep us apart from our friend for too long...

Zephyr Art PA: Fashion on the Farm

2010-07-16T18:04:00.002-05:00

We've spent the morning taking photos of some of our clothing designs (thanks to Josie Wunderlich and Sara Ordway, our beautiful models). We have, for some reason, a little bit of difficulty photo documenting our work and have been trying to talk ourselves into being more consistent. The blog helps, as we feel photos make a blog more interesting... and trying to list things on sites like Etsy and Big Cartel. We generally need to be forced to get our work out there and are grateful for all the avenues the internet presents. Wouldn't it be nice to have a support group for artists that would rather stay locked in their studios than pump their wares out into cyber space... :)

PA: Kids and Art from Recycled Materials

2010-07-13T11:33:00.000-05:00

As moms who teach at home, we place a heavy focus on creativity and originality. We enjoy creating toys that leave room for a child's imagination... simplistic, pleasing lines that enable a child to see beyond the image presented to them. We enjoy finding vintage materials that foster a nostalgic feel in our pieces that appeal to us as adults and are soft and comforting to our children. It is important that children see items recycled and reused also... that everything does not have to be new, new, new. We appreciate all the many lessons that we can reveal to our children through Art. We teach them that there is always more than one way to approach a problem, design or idea. Items that utilize recycled materials often times carry a special worth even beyond the uniqueness of design or purpose, a certain history that is almost palpable. There is also the age old lesson that beauty comes in many shapes or forms and that not everybody finds the same things appealing. Ah, but what are some things that you have uncovered in your artistic journey?

PA: Anyka Marion Bailey and A New Direction

2010-07-10T11:18:00.000-05:00

Anyka's here!! She was born July 3, 2010, 8lbs. 8ozs.

Along with Anyka, some other changes are coming to Zephyr Art's collective lives.We are in the process of launching a full website with (we hope) a more interesting format. We are launching a line of children's clothing, toys and accessories, continuing work on ecclectic fashions for stage and life and continuing works in all of our Art media.

We have been wondering about what your thoughts are on Art, style, creativity, design, business, education and lifestyle, so we thought we'd tailor our posts to learn more about what is on your mind as well as share our philosophy. So, we look very much forward to hearing from you and hopefully our adventures will inspire, motivate or encorage you to live your most creative life.

PA: Jakob's Hollow

2010-06-29T10:32:00.025-05:00

Every Tuesday at Olga's Cafe Jakob's Hollow hosts a open mic. It starts at 7:30 and before that the band has their practice. Olga's has great atmosphere and really great food. The flat bread pizzas are sooo good. Eppie and I got up last Tues. with her son Logan and his girl Sara to do a couple of Freakish Owl Boy tunes. We will play the Austin Dam Show again this year together.

We are still preparing for Eppie's baby, Anyka. We are sewing diapers and wool diaper covers. We are making clothes. We are creating space. Soon, soon, but not soon enough for Ep!

PA: Together!

2010-06-28T10:27:00.000-05:00

Julie: The kids and I got into PA last Saturday evening and have been flying ever since. We have been enjoying the mountains and the clouds you can almost touch, the greenest greens and the wildflowers that have not yet succomed to heat as they have for us in middle TN. We have traded the ninty degree days for seventies and eighties...ahhhhhh.

Cookouts, cool nights and friends! The only thing missing is Adam. He will be here soon, though!

TN: Alabama Chanin

2010-06-17T08:27:00.000-05:00

Last night some of the sewing class and my sister-in-law Christina, my friend Olga and I went to see a lecture by Natalie Chanin in Sewanee, TN. We got a little lost, which is to be expected because I "knew where I was going". But we got there, got to meet Natalie after her talk and had a great and inspiring time.

When I think of art and living creatively, I fall heavily on the images in my mind of collaboration and community, longevity and structure. These seem also to be some of the core philosophies of Natalie Chanin, the designer of the beautiful clothing line, Alabama Chanin. Natalie designs clothing to be sewn from organic cotton, which supports the dying organic cotton industry. The cotton is then hand sewn by local Alabama artisans into comfortable, lasting heirlooms. Almost literally a cottage industry, Alabama Chanin's studio is a house in rural Alabama, where the decline of the numerous dye mills, knitting mills and people willing to sew for a living have gradually threatened the area's way of life. In this house the people come together to bring about some sort of revival of tradition to their community.

Being a woman who sews, I can appreciate the effort to remember the traditions and women who came before me. My great-granny did not blog and she didn't drive all over on one hundred errands a day. These things are not lasting. She was one of the best cooks in the south, bringing community to whichever table she was laying out a meal, a skilled quilt maker, tatter, crocheter and teacher of the things that are special and the things that will last. And last they will, if we will remember and be the teachers of others.

After the lecture we were given a very nice tour by the director of the art gallery @ the St. Andrews- Sewanee School, Christine Teasley. We saw some of the workshops that are going on there this week and next. One of the rooms that really caught my eye was the room where all the action was, of course, the natural dying workshop. They were experimenting with different leaves, rolling them in fabric bundles and boiling them outside in electric cauldrons. The smell was terrific, eucalyptus and the outside, natural.

On the way home we all discussed our desires and dreams of doing our own clothing businesses. I am so glad we went, to show the younger girls that business can be made in fabric arts and to not sell themselves short. This is a lesson we need to learn as well.

TN: Checklist

2010-06-15T08:04:00.000-05:00

Anyka's box... check

Quilt for car ride, Silas' backpack, little ironing board... check

Sergers... check

Materials and dress forms... check

Seems as though everything is almost in order! We leave on Sunday for PA! I use many exclamation marks to show I am excited!! First a trip to Sewanee to see Natalie Chanin! I'm excited about that, too.

Zephyr Art: Waiting in PA...

2010-06-09T09:42:00.005-05:00

Getting bigger and bigger and bigger... I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of our newest... but before that I am anticipating JULIE'S arrival, eleven days or so counting down, and thinking how nice it will be! It's very possible our friend, Loreal, will join us... :)

This summer sounds like it is going to be a whirlwind of activity. Jakob's Hollow has several shows scheduled, Freakish Owl Boy will make a few appearances, we have art projects, an art camp in August with Olga... people to see... places to go... things to do... I hope this new little person knows what it is in for! :)

(photo by Arowyn Bailey)

TN: After the Festival

2010-06-06T11:35:00.000-05:00

2010 Wartrace Music Festival

It is a good sign when a rainbow hangs above the stage of a festival. Friday and Saturday were days of terrific music and fantastic art. Watercolor, stained glass, wood carving, mixed media and beautiful fused glass booths lined the edges of the Wartrace, TN festival grounds.

Zephyr Art's COLORFUL booth stood out with clothing, art, earrings and fabric draped tent sides.

We had many visitors and friends stop by to chat and browse. Also, it was fun to visit with the other artists in the show and swap tips and successes. (And barter and buy each other's works, of course!)

We explained the details involved in the creation of our clothing line. Crochet and fabric combine to produce stunning detail while unique paint dye techniques adorns our comfortable jersey dresses. The focus will now be on the creation of some more dresses and the design of our My Storybook clothing line. So much to do!!

TN: Wartrace Music Festival and Brightly Colored Walls

2010-06-03T07:59:00.000-05:00

In TN, Eppie's sister and I teach a sewing class every Tuesday in my sewing room/art studio. We have 6 students and as many machines packed into a room that seemed so big a few weeks ago. Last Friday we took a field trip to Sir's, a large fabric store nearby, to purchase fabric for the girls to make dresses for a party we will throw. The girls got their dress fabric and I got some home fabric.

I am not one to plan. But this time I brought along three colors that I liked for the room, a Victorian looking green, an intense blue and a deep gold. None of these colors are the exact ones that I used, but they gave me the general idea. All three are beautiful to me. I was thinking blue for the walls, so ideally I would like all three colors (or variations) in the curtains. The colorful fabric above was what I found, perfect! I paired that fabric with some other fabric that had the vintage-y feel of the first (and a dark blue background) and then I made some curtains. I was going to make curtains for the bank of windows in the front of the house, but with the color change, I did not hate them anymore. So, I had fabric left over.

Color is one of the loves of my life. Intense or subtle, I love them all. When I go to Lowes, I always hit the paint counter to ogle the color cards. I have written a lot in my life on color and the differing emotions that certain colors can bring out in people. They don't necessarily have the standard effects on me. Blue tends to be a calming color, but the blue on my walls is exciting to me. It takes me to the sea and on airplane trips. I am grateful to my husband for not balking at it's intensity. It makes me very, very happy.

On to other news: Zephyr Art will have a booth at the Wartrace Music Festival on Friday and Saturday. It is literally right down the road from me, so I thought "why not?" I hope to meet lots of musicians and hear some cool music. I bought a super cheap tent yesterday and my sister-in-law helped me make beautiful sides out of the fabric that was left over from my curtains. It looks very Gypsy caravan. Because everything always works out, it was just enough coupled with some red-orange fabric I also purchased at Sir's. I will post photos soon of the booth. We will have dresses and crocheted tops, jersey headbands, felt baby booties, earrings, matted and framed prints, fabric mobiles and more. My friend, Olga TN, will be sharing the booth with me with her gemstone jewelry. I am glad, it will be fun. Only wish Eppie could be here... But the kids and I go to her in 17 days!

TN: From Artist to Artist...A Hair Shedding Experience

2010-05-26T08:15:00.000-05:00

Okay, silly titles aside, I am talking haircuts. I love/hate to get my hair cut. When I have it very short I love it. When I am growing it out I hate it. I am in the 'hate it' period. And much like going to the doctor, I sometimes would rather die than get my hair cut. BUT, I have a friend, Olga, who has awesome hair. (Well there are actually two Olgas, but that is another story.) I liked her asymmetrical cut so much I got the name of her guy, Will. Yesterday I brought Will this illustration of the hair I want. I hoped he would not think I was crazy. (Most people bring in real photos.) But, he did not think I was crazy, he did exactly what I asked him to do. Longer in the front and really chopped up in the back. He has an artist eye and speaks with artist words, he is so fun and funny, he has great stories, he is very cool... as you can see I really like him. Here are photos of the real me, apres cut, not the paper-faceless-drawn-with-red pencil-me.

I like it. Looks artsy.

PA: Artsty Earth Mamas???

2010-05-24T14:58:00.004-05:00

(Photo by Jakob Bailey)

We're not religious environmentalists, but we have always seen the wisdom in being thrifty and recycling or reusing items that have served their purpose but still have much life. We have made our own canvases, created sculptures out of 'junk', picked through our husbands' scrap lumber, and made new clothes out of old. We have passed baby clothes back and forth between ourselves and our sisters, traded clothing with each other, frequented thrift shops and lusted over vintage clothing. As I have mentioned before, we thought it might be pleasantly challenging to design and create clothing for our little ones and avoid the overflowing drawers of generic, mundane clothing with which we covered our older children... and depleted our finances.
I've been working on putting together a complete diaper package for Anyka and after much research am seeing that part of being thrifty and efficient is admitting that sometimes it IS cheaper to buy new... Cloth diapers are quite an investment, and the better the quality the bigger the investment. Some things are very easy to make and lend themselves to recycled material... doublers or inserts, wool diaper covers. Probably I could recycle enough t-shirts and flannel sheets and cotton to make the actual diapers but prefolds aren't really that expensive to buy new. I am thinking I am going to convert some prefolds into contoured diapers and then sew homemade doublers into them for extra absorbency. Here is a picture of some of my doublers waiting to be sewn into their new homes...

PA: St. Bernards, Piglets and Doublers

2010-05-23T20:33:00.002-05:00

Today I was given some raw wool from some friends of ours, the Laubers, when we went to deliver their little piglets to them. Julie is planning a trip up in this direction next month and we should have some time to experiment with washing, dying and felting... It was also great fun to see the Laubers' St. Bernard, Guinness. He is HUGE. We have a couple of Saints, Micah and Kotton, (Here are a few photos of Mike that Jake snapped. She's quite the ham.). I think artists tend to like things that are a little bit out of the ordinary...

I've been spending a lot of time making diapers, doublers, covers, inserts, baby clothes and other baby items. I can't wait until Julie is here with the sergers.

I am getting pretty sick of being pregnant... still at least a month to go though.

Guess I'll just try to distract myself with St. Bernards, piglets and doublers...

(photos by Jakob Bailey)

TN: Soft Mobile

2010-05-18T15:32:00.000-05:00

In an effort to occupy myself until I visit Eppie in PA in June, I made this soft mobile.

It is made of fabric, buttons, paint and an old curtain hanger thing.

This is 'baby eye view' of the painted fabric, jersey strings, buttons and appliquéd fabric.

This is the view from the adult perspective. Buttons, appliqué and

jersey string.

TN: Not Yet Dead Poets Society

2010-05-15T08:00:00.053-05:00

This is a necklace made by artist, Olga Hiles, who lives in Tullahoma, TN. It was created for an "ugly necklace" contest. She gave it to me on Tuesday night at a meeting of the Not Yet Dead Poets Society. (NYDPS is a collection of individuals that get together to write poetry and read poetry and inspire each other) She also gave me a bag of what my artist friend, Sherri, calls (something to the effect of) 'interesting things'. Personally, I like to call them found objects (or on a particularly snooty day 'objet trouve').

A closeup of the driftwood center piece...

On this particular night the writing exercise was introduced by Olga. She carried around a bag, from which we drew an object. This object would be the inspiration for a poem.

I chose this:

Here is my poem...

As the screw tightens,

Smaller and smaller shrinks the circle.

Making escape impossible

For whatever is bound within.

Slow moves the hand

With such controlled motion.

Steady, locking down the thing

That could cause him distress.

There. I am not a 'quick thinkin' gal'. I'm more of a 'give me three days to think about it gal'. So, I feel this is an okay spur of the moment writing about a clamp. This is probably a very good group for me to prompt exercise for gaining mental speed! NYDPS meets at the Celtic Cup Coffeehouse (wonder if the poets chose it for the alliterative name?) at 6:00pm every Thursday. They have great coffee and sweets!

TN: More Paint! More Paint!

2010-05-14T09:13:00.003-05:00

The little dye bucket is sure getting used. Obviously each garment is individually dyed. Then it is examined and, many times, dyed again and sometimes painted upon.

I am still working on the dress I was dying the other day. It just needed a little something more. I am also working on a sun dress idea for Mia. Here they are hanging in my tree to dry. Since they drip red, I felt my husband would be happier to have speckled grass than a splotchy floor.

(Although that might be beautiful, you never know.)

It is amazing, or maybe I gravitate to certain colors, my roses are the EXACT shade of pinkish-red as the paint with which I am dying. What a world.

2010 Nashville Symphony in Shelbyville, TN

2010-05-12T09:29:00.001-05:00

Eppie and I decided there might be a bit of confusion for the people who read our posts.

We never directly say who is writing what. So I (Julie) will preface my post titles with: TN.

That way you will know it is me and you will know when it is Eppie.

Now, on to the symphony last night. It was absolutely the best year for art in which I have ever been involved. The artists were all so talented and friendly. My favorite part of any group show is meeting the other artists.

The symphony's music was terrific and the conductor was nothing short of spunky.

His movements were so energetic and beautiful. They really had the attention of the crowd.

I was lucky enough to be able to walk right in and hang our work thanks to my friend Judy,

who let us use her handy wire screens.

There were watercolorists, mixed media artists, sculptors, draftsmen, fiber artists and jewelry artists. Wartrace, TN (where I live) is becoming quite the artsy little town, there were three of us representing the Arts there. All in all it was a very, very nice show. It's always good to see old friends and make new ones.

Jersey Fabric

2010-05-10T17:29:00.000-05:00

I have to say this:

I love Natalie Chanin. I love her clothing. I love her design. I love that she takes unassuming jersey fabric and creates lavish couture out of it. Is there such a thing as an 'Art crush'? All gushing and joking aside, she has inspired me to play around with cotton jersey. I am far too into originality to do anything that smacks of her style, though. So I thought long and hard about what I could do with this fabric that would be (hopefully) as interesting as what she does. So, I turned to my old friend paint. Natural dye, this is not, but it is vibrant and interesting and will last, but mellow, with age. It is one of my favorite colorants. And jersey is becoming some of my favorite fabric. Thank you, Natalie, for being an inspiration!

Just threw in this photo of Dorian popping off my presser foot 'cause I thought he looked cute as I was snapping photos.
Cute and mischievous

.

2010-05-06T20:30:00.002-05:00

Here are a couple of sculptures that are on their way to a sale next week. One is a jewelry display or 'catch-all' and the other is... well, we don't know what he is... but he sure is cute. Good luck at the sale Jim!!! (Sometime we will force Jim to give us some photos of his work so we can show you his pieces. His work inspires us to push the coolness limits. :) ) Hey, and if you can see at all in the photo, Olga's jewelry is on display on the jewelry rack. We LOVE her jewelry!

American Brick Earrings

2010-05-05T10:26:00.000-05:00

Newly listed on Etsy are these American Brick Earrings. Zephyr Art likes to rummage through antique stores. That is probably evident. We found these old American Brick building toys in an old store in NY. American Bricks were made circa 1950, and are made of wood.

They serve to make super, retro-cool Zephyr Art earrings, too! (Available at our Etsy store)

Fabric Earrings

2010-04-30T10:06:00.001-05:00

New earrings made from fabric, vintage bone buttons, yarn and wire.

This pair measures approx. 4" to the bottom of the yarn. As I don't enjoy wearing heavy earrings,

all of these earrings are very light dispite their lengths. The button earrings are the heaviest of the pairs,

but even so, are not too heavy.

These earrings are also made from fabric, yarn and vintage bone buttons.

They are approx. 4" long, measured to the end of the yarn.

The square earrings measure approx. 3" to the end of the tail of yarn. The circle ones measure approx. 2" and are made from painted fabric, vintage buttons and wire.

The triangle earrings are made from fabric and small beads. They measure approx. 2 1/2" in length and are approx. 1 1/2" at the widest point.

Mother/ Daughter...

2010-04-26T15:09:00.002-05:00

Mia and Julie posing for a mother/daughter photo contest Monday afternoon.

Who doesn't play guitars by a barn? We were going for classic. :)

Zephyr Art Fabric Art Banner

2010-04-21T18:25:00.000-05:00

Zephyr Art will be displaying our art along side other local Middle TN artists at the Calsonic Arena

in Shelbyville, TN on May 11th for the annual Nashville Symphony performance.

We have participated in this event off and on for several years and we are very pleased to have

new prints to show and a new handmade banner to hang over our section.

New Earrings

2010-04-20T17:19:00.000-05:00

Here are some new earrings made today. They are made with yarn and wire.

Very comfortable, but not too flimsy. Very colorful, of course.

And now a plug for Olga: This yarn was purchased at her yarn store in Coudersport, PA.