I'm employing a new tactic....I've asked a friend if she will "drop" the next item for me, so that they can spread out a bit over the city, rather than just hanging out where I hang out in town.
This week, it's a wee bear.
I'm not sure how these came to be...other than I wanted to do another toy for The Toy Society. I wanted a simple, small, eeensie, weenie bear, or bunny...or maybe a monkey. Really, I wanted a monkey, but that tail never did work well...I will get it to bend to my way eventually, I'm certain.
But, I digress...back to this week's drop. After a bit of bother, I finally designed a pattern that I like relatively well. There are a few things I'll tweak about it with the next few batches of these, but, for now...she's pretty cute. She is really small. Fits beautifully in the palm of my hand...see....
I sewed a grand total of 7 of them over the weekend, got them stuffed, and their faces all on. Three of them I got dressed, as you can see above. The one in the pink dress will be The Toy Society drop, and this little one that is so colorful is going to be left in some random place to be found by my friend Connie. I've given her instructions to leave it somewhere she thinks the little thing will be found. The bear is little, and the world is big...I worry...
Update...I was notified this afternoon by the friend who dropped the little bear that she left it in the fort at a park near Palomar....I hope she finds a good home!
This drop is different, this is more of a "controlled" drop for lack of a better way to phrase it. This is one of the angels that you first met in the second drop, you can read their "history" there to know the background of how they were created.
When the angels were created, they really sort of "assigned" themselves to what sort of felt right for each of them. The first, and most simple one, was meant to stay with me, I love the simplicity of her. The second, with the yellow face was meant to be a drop and was the second in the series. The third, with the opening line of the Desiderata poem on her front, she sort of felt like she was meant to go somewhere else, but I wasn't sure where.
It wasn't more than a couple of days after she was made that I got a phone call from a very sweet woman I've never met, although we have worked together from quite a distance. She is one of those really sweet people you just know you would love to have as a friend. Things have been a tad hectic for her of late, and she was checking in to see if we could make something happen a bit ahead of schedule because she is taking a bit of medical leave in November. I just "knew" that the angel is meant for her. So, "technically", this drop isn't going to be for just any random stranger, but just as "technically", while she and I have worked together on a couple of things...we've never actually met, so in a way we are strangers. And, in the end, since it's my art project, I get to amend the rules as I please. Besides, in the 52 weeks that this is promised to run, I really want to know that at least one of the creations makes it into the hands of someone real, and isn't "lost" out there somewhere.
Now, because I am pretty sure that she will be curious enough to check out the blog, a little note just to her....the angel really did just need to be yours...she wings her way south (terrible pun I know....)and she brings with her my prayers and good wishes for all good things...and hopes that there are no more leaks in the ice maker, or at the very least that the dog learns to bark if there is...and I can't wait to hear how well it has all gone!
This is not at all what I had intended to post this week, but sometimes, you have to go with what you feel...
When I began this project I made a few things ahead in case I have a week that I simply don't "feel it". Those happen, it's just a part of the creative cycle. I put the things I make in a box, sort of like a treasure box, and when I decide that "today is the day" as far as giving away something for the week, I just pick something out of the box.
As I was picking out what I wanted to give away this week, I was thinking a sweet little shrine with the message "Prayers to Heaven on angel wings, my wish for you...all good things" was a good choice. I'm giving one away on my other blog, so why not two?
Obviously, that isn't what you see. I had the shrine all set, had the card on it...and something just kept telling me...not the shrine, you have to go with the angel. Try as I might, I just couldn't shake that feeling. So, angel it is...
I'm a big believer in the theory that you really have to go with what your heart tells you...I hope she finds the person who is meant for her.
This little piece has been created from an antique quilt. The quilt has been worn to a frazzle...the fabric is so thin that you can see through it. It is a beautifully worn piece that has been well loved through these many years. The quilt came into my family when I was young, the house my parents had built burned and nothing was saved.
The blessing about growing up in a rural area in that time was that the entire community came together to help us begin again. We were gifted with several handmade quilts.
This particular quilt was not the most intricately designed one, nor did it have the tightest of stitches, but in the time that has passed between it has seen laughter and tears, and has always been a wonderful comfort. Now that it is falling apart I cannot bear to just toss it away, or to store it where it is never touched. Part of the magic of a real quilt is the touch. The touch of those who put love into every stitch as it comes together, and the touch of those who are covered by that love later. This quilt deserves to be more...so...I'm turning it into new things to be loved...hopefully she will be. This is the second project...
The angel was dropped this morning when I dropped off a payment on my way to work...she was left in a plastic bag because we've had yet one more day of rain and storms..
The next item is ready to be dropped, I just haven't decided where to leave it yet. I'll figure that out later this evening. In the mean time, I've left three ACEO (Art Cards Editions & Originals)out and about...
She is an angel made of polymer clay. Her face and wings were formed using a mold, the heart was created using "canes" that were hand created.
The back of her wings are covered in torn pieces of paper that came from a vintage book that had seen better days, and she has a "tassel" of beads that have been hand strung to give her a bit of fluidity, movement and color.
I tried to drop her at the post office on the way home yesterday, but even in all the rain, there were just too many people around who might see me leaving it. Part of this whole project is the "surprise" aspect, so I opted to wait until today, if an opportunity presented itself.
She was left to be found in a bank drive through...
Little pieces of creativity bringing a smile to one stranger at a time.
What's it all about?
For a while now I've been leaving little bits of art around my town for random, unsuspecting strangers to find. This is a chronicle of that art, and those random strangers who choose to leave comments about finding it.
It's not what you look at, it's what you see. Henry David Thoreau
All that you find here is copyright with all rights reserved. NONE of these images may be used for you to make profit in any way. This is a project created for NO monetary gain.
I am happy for you to link to my blog, and even to use the images that are mine, but please be kind enough to ask permission first. I always like to leave links to other blogs who blog about this.
I'm employing a new tactic....I've asked a friend if she will "drop" the next item for me, so that they can spread out a bit over the city, rather than just hanging out where I hang out in town.
