How do ~*YOU*~ know ME?
As I sit here thinking about my blog... I wondered, "Who reads this?", "Do I know many of these people?", "How well do they really know me?"...
So, I wondered if maybe I posted a few questions, you, my blog readers would respond in the comments section?
I guess I will ask this again in December because in one day, this blog post will be an archive of November....

QUESTIONS-

Do I know you?

How do I know you?

Where did you first meet me?
or
How did you hear about me?

How long have we known each other?

Do you own any of my art work?

Have you heard of me before reading my blog?

What can you tell me about *me* from *your* perspective?

Sometimes we see ourselves more clearly through the eyes of others.
I am really interested in your thoughts and opinions. I feel like this is a fun experiment!
Amber

ALMA IN THE MAIL!

My NYC Fabric Pal, Alma Stoller sent me a FABULOUS gift in the mail and it just arrived!

WOW!
Books, THE PROPHET by, Kahlil Gibran... Alma, I noticed this book in B&N when we got together uptown! Never read it! Alma also sent a copy of Rice Freeman-Zachery's NEW TECHNIQUES for WEARABLE ART... Looks fun! A lot like what I do to my clothes! Magazines, A BeadWork issue from November of last year. (Alma, I LOVE IT!) A copy of Cloth Paper Scissors from this summer. A couple of issues of Piecework magazine and HER ISSUE THE FABRIC ART ZINE #4!!! THANK YOU ALMA!!! IT ALL LOOKS GREAT!!!!!

I wished and I was granted...

DREAM wishlist for gifts, trades and barters.

Friends and Family, and those that requested what I want/need- Here you go!

Colorful Wool (It was given to me! I just updated May 2008)
Russian Punch Needles and patterns
Bead Creator Pro program... BeadCreator.com
Adobe Photo Shop version 7.0 or higher (It was given to me THANK YOU HEATHER CS2!!!!)
Fancy wool yarns (It was given to me!))
Plain muslin, so I can paint my own fabrics.
A serger (It was given to me THANK YOU CARLOTTA!!!!! I just updated May 2008)
A sewing machine!!!! (I got one!!! I just updated May 2008)
An embroidery machine!!!!! I KNOW I am dreaming!!! Hey, a girl can WISH!
Dichroic glass
A torch/tool set for flame working beads (I got one and started making beads!)
Glass rods for flame work (I got some!!!)
PMC for making my own silver clay jewelry... I have a kiln! (I got some!!!)
A tap and die set
TINY rivets, less than 1/8 in size
ART BOOKS! (I got a bunch! Thank you Carlotta, Regina, Cisco and everyone else)
A roll of copper tape. (I got it!)
Swarovski crystal beads and rhinestones in every color shape and size!
STURDY needle nose jewelry making pliers (I got them!!! A WHOLE SET! Thank you Carlotta!!!)
Jewelry made by Heather Ramsay, Parvenue, John Wind, Maximal Art, Wendy Gell, MICHAL NEGRIN, Ayala Barr
Flame worked beads
CHARMS (I got a WHOLE LOT OF THEM!!! THANK YOU!!!)
Silver chain to make charm bracelets with.
Fresh water pearls in a variety of sizes shapes and colors. (Thank you Mija!)
Druzy Drusy Drusies!!!!! (THANK YOU CISCO!!!)
Bone and stone carved face jewelry
Ribbon embroidery silk
Embroidery threads ALL COLORS! (THANKS MOM!!!)
FELT ALL COLORS (THANKS MOM!!!)
Gift certificates to your favorite online sellers.
Gift Cards BARNES & NOBLE, ART STORES, BLOCKBUSTER, BED BATH & BEYOND, OLD NAVY, VIRGIN RECORDS, MARSHALLS, STAPLES, ETC. ETC.
The gel mediums that people use for transfers.
SHRINK PLASTIC (THANK YOU CARLOTTA!!!)
GLUES
BEADS (THANK YOU CARLOTTA!!!!)
LEATHER
FINDINGS (THANK YOU CARLOTTA!!!)
SUBSCRIPTIONS to-
Somerset Studio
Belle Armoire
Polymer Clay Cafe (THANK YOU REGINA!!!)
Bead Work
Cloth Paper Scissors
Home Companion (THANK YOU CARLOTTA!!!)
Etc.
Beautiful ribbons and trims
Jolee's stickers
SideKickCellPhone!
I am sure that whatever you decide upon, whether it is on my list or not, I will love it!
*Smiles*

I can also trade for the above items that I have not yet gotten!

~*Charms*~

It was a GLORIOUS day yesterday as I sat down to solder, I was inspired to create this-
Look at my NEW CHARM!
This was my first attempt.
I am so excited!



I had FUN! yesterday.

A paper collage that I did for a calendar for Eccentric Pastiche. 8 1/2" x 11"

~*A SNEAK PEEK INTO MY CHARM PRODUCTION!*~ Click on the images for a much closer view! Below are 4 pictures of some of the charms that I am making for 3 charm exchanges. I am keeping it a secret as to who's group gets which charms.
These are the simpler ones that I am making.
I have a few that are complicated and very detailed.
Since I have been making these charms, I have been MUCH happier. I really miss using my hands to create tiny works of art.
It has been TOO long!

Shown here- Metal Alphabet tags to the left, stamped with ink, painted with acrylics, and sealed with gloss. Believe in miracles, is a two part shrink plastic charm. The clown ladies are hand painted shrink plastic charms embellished with a rhinestone nose. Above are fancy linoleum tile charms that have just been cut and drilled. I will be sanding them down, and adding embellishments. In the center is a mini vile ready to be finished with a new topper that I invented just for this piece.


These are snaps that are riveted, and I added a copper link component and a brass jumpring.

' went to the park today, to shoot some hoops.
The weather was damp and cold, and the wind was blowing through the trees in such a way that made the leaves flap, but not enough to make the branches sway.

It was enjoyable, for me, to watch the commercial traffic race by on the expressway outside of the park.

I love watching large commercial vehicles such as cranes, cargo trucks, and construction vehicles as they whiz and race by flashing their amber lights.

When I got tired of bouncing, passing and tossing the ball, I sat on a swing and watched the boys play.
While I was looking around, it felt as if I shed my adult mentality. Sitting on the swing, I ripped open a pack of candy pieces that I had in my coat pocket.
Consuming one at a time, I savored each piece and felt so calm and relaxed. Nothing was stressing me out, or worrying me or making me lose my calm.
I felt my breath was even, and I was happy.

It has been a long time since I have really enjoyed candy. I let each piece last as long as I could, before it melted away. The temperature, the sights, the sounds, the vibe, it all filled me with a good feeling. The candy was an added sweetness.

Living in NYC I have developed a bad habit of rushing meals...
Rushing through everything.
This city goes fast, and we who are in it tend to rush more than often.

It has been a long time since I have lingered on a swing, savoring a single piece of candy, feeling content and free.

Content and free...

I am not an emotional eater.
Yet I did realize that I have not allowed myself to enjoy things as much as I used to.

It was good for me to just be, to exist, to swing, to feel the wind blow.

I am playing with shrink plastic right now.
I am making some sweet charms for the swap that Dawn Sellers is hosting.

Yesterday mom drove me to a local Historical Society that posted furniture for FREE on Craigs list.
I got a wire sales rack, that holds 12x12 sheets of paper, the type you see in a paper store, it is a few feet high.

I got a VERY cool folding art work and materials display with built on brackets so you can attach shelves, if you want to display 3-D objects it is 7 feet high and has 4 panels. I got a cool semi circular wire rack for displaying stuff.
I found a really nice wooden box with dove tailed joints, that has 4 drawers.
You have probably seen this type of a piece in an old library holding index cards.


I got a bolt of sail cloth, and a smaller magnetic display folding board for creating a nice presentation display.

Mom got some other stuff too.
It was FUN!

Amber

~*Charms*~

INTERNATIONAL CHARMS SWAP UPDATE!
So far there are 86 people signed up to participate in this MEGA- INTERNATIONAL ~*Artistic & Creative*~ Mixed Media Charms Exchange swap.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Charms2007swap/
To sign up, please add the following info, when you click to join the group-
Email-
Name and mailing address-
Where or how you heard about the Charms exchange-
How many would you like to sign up for 21 for 20 or 42 for 40-


Dawn Sellers is also hosting a charm swap, so be sure to check her's out as well. http://dawnsellers.typepad.com/oh_so_charming/
The difference between our swaps is that I am hosting a 21 for 20, or a 42 for 40, and she is hosting a 25 for 25.
Also the way in which the charms are chosen for both of our swaps, is different as well-

The way my swap method works -- I will choose each swap based on quality/effort/creativity, for quality/effort/creativity. I will not swap items that look like they took "days" (hard work and effort) to make, for charms that look like they were tossed and randomly thrown together in a minute.

Dawn Sellers has decided to swap randomly.
She will just pick a variety of charms "out of a hat", so you will get a good mix of all levels of workmanship. There will be no discrimination.
I think both of our swaps are worth joining in, and I myself have joined in her swap, and she has joined mine!
HEY!, More swaps for both of us!!!! *Picturing our wrists covered with lovely handmade ART charms made from all types of media!*


These are polymer clay charms made by *me*. They are made from Premo polymer clay and Swarovski crystal rhinestones.

This is just a SMALL sample of what I got, when I went to the FREE give away at the house that had the free yarn. This WHOLE bag is FULL of bobbins of brand new thread!
I stuck the needles and yarn in the picture to show what else there was.
These bags are large and used to haul groceries and laundry in my area!

I have several of these large bags that are filled with GOODIES and I no loger have to hold a fundraiser because this woman had LOTS of WINTER hats! AND I TOOK THEM!
YAY!!!
The fundraiser I was hosting was to raise money to purchase hats for those who need it on the streets of NY.
It gets SO cold here and the homeless sit outside and freeze to death.

I am also a knifty knitter instructor and can whip up several hats in a day with all of this yarn that I have!!!!

WOW!

YAY!!!

I can also make scarves and can ask people for old or new mittens and gloves.

Amber

I made this purse on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. I am reminded of a seamstress on holiday in Hawaii.

Aloha!

*Smiles*

The 6,7,8, & 9 are representative of June, July, August & September.

I found a crisp folded $20 dollar bill in the foyer of the bank today.
I felt guilty for picking it up, and when I took it with me inside of the bank, I looked around to see if any sad or miserable faces were looking around to find a bill that they may have dropped...

Thinking about yelling out "Did anyone lose some money?", felt like something I should try, but then felt that it was a little dumb.

So I reached into my coat pocket to pull out the money that I was depositing, and right in the middle of my folded bills and deposit slip was a Chinese fortune from a cookie that I do not remember getting...
Honestly, it was not the kind that I usually find in local fortune cookies, as there was no "Learn Chinese" on the back of it... so this, I must have found some where and forgot...
It said/says - "Be tactful; overlook not your own opportunity."

What I didn't mention was that I added an extra $20.00 bill that I was holding on to for a "rainy day" although today was rainy, it was something I HAD to let go of in order to pay my monthly bills... Anyway, I loved the feeling of tying the bill and the fortune together, and although I felt sneaky keeping the bill... who else was I going to give it to, unless the owner claimed it...
So I walked out of the bank smiling a big grin, because somehow, that fortune being neatly placed in the center fold of my deposit, and what it said... I felt that it was going to be OK if I kept it.

Not sure what to do with it, other than put it back where I was keeping the other $20.00 that I was keeping for a rainy day.

Some people call it coincidence.

HA!
Not me!

Amber

COME AND LOOK AT THESE PICTURES!
The latest images of my amazing custom craft supplies storage unit.

Oh did I tell you?
This is his FIRST EVER ATTEMPT AT MAKING ANYTHING LIKE THIS!?
Can you believe it?
We are ALL in awe of him!
WOW!!!
I AM SO impressed with it!
Really, this is the first time he has made anything like this.
Before the drawers were made-

This is the skeleton of the unit. I just love it. Before he built each individual drawer, he built this, then made each drawer the exact size it needed to be to fit into and onto each track opening. Each drawer is a different size! There are no two alike and although they look identical, they aren't.

This is a close up of the side mouldings that he actually cut out himself from a flat piece of wood!!! His first time using the router!

The columns are his first time turning wood on a lathe!!!

He purchased all of these tools just to work on this piece for me!

This is a topper to the column that was made from wood that was turned on the lathe and embellished with handmade Mexican clay ornamentation that he sculpted freehand. The little sunflower is my favorite!

I rested for a while with no TV, no computer, no radio, and made a pair of earplugs for myself to block out the annoying neighbors.

As I mentioned in an earlier post I had thoughts of submitting a few art to wear designs to a junk/thrift shop called Just Things.

It just so happens that while looking at a few local galleries, I came across this link that shows some strange art being shown in this same shop.
Here it was, 3 years ago.

http://www.mystery-rock.org/just_splash.htm

I had no idea that people had showed their art there in the past.
It was a fun surprise!

I guess there WAS an artistic vibe for others as well!

Amber

OH WOW!!!!!

BY CHANCE, I called my mom just as she and my sister were leaving their house...
They were going to a home not far from where they live to see a person who had advertised free yarn on Craig's List.

Mom said, I am going to look at some yarn, do you want to come?
After asking questions like, "Who's house?"
"Where?" and "How did you hear about it?" I decided, OK, pick me up!
So they got here in a jiffy, and we were there in no time.

WOW WAS I SO GLAD THAT I CALLED JUST AT THE MOMENT THAT I HAD OR I WOULD HAVE MISSED THIS MOMENTOUS EVENT! Yeah mom admitted to me that she didn't feel like calling me prior to this "event" because she was worried about the room in the car.
(I ended up walking my sister home because we DID fill the ENTIRE car up! Luckily where we went was just 3 blocks up the street from where mom lives)

The front room when we walked inside was FILLED I MEAN FILLED with BAGS and BOXES of yarns, whole BIG boxes of bags of threads, and notions, and fabrics, and all sorts of knitting and crocheting needles and snaps, and YARN YARN AND MORE YARN!
VINTAGE STUFF!!!!

WOW!!!!!!!!

I am SO in awe!

I will post pictures of some of the stuff I got as soon as the camera cord pops up again! (I keep putting it where it does not belong.)

AGAIN! WOW!!! A FANTASY LOAD OF SEWING THREADS FOR ME!!!!!
YAY!!!!!

And here I was on hold from shopping, not even able to visit any thrift stores or junk stores either, and THIS WAS ALL FREE!!!!
I also got a stack of great books, HATS, SHIRTS, NICE TABLE CLOTHS, VERY FINE COTTON BED SHEETS! And most of the stuff that I got was NEVER EVEN USED!

This was a home that belonged to an older woman who was a hoarder, and her estate was frozen since 2002.
The young guy who was giving this stuff away, was talking about her and telling us about her life. He is the new home owner.
The furniture that he kept in the house that belonged to the woman was N-I-C-E.
The other 2 ladies that were there were also AMAZED at the vast amount of stuff that he was offering to us.
No one argued over who got what, we were all so amazed, that we were all VERY happy for one another when one of us would squeal "OOOH!"
I almost feel bad for the one woman who didn't show up.
We all had fun, and I did meet this woman who makes some cool fiber art to wear-
http://www.suerock.blogspot.com/

I figured I was just going for a short car ride to some little old ladies house to maybe find a ball of wool or some kind of yarn to play around with....
HA! I WILL MAKE BLANKETS!!!!!!!
WOW!

Amber

I cannot believe that we are in November already.
It is VERY exciting!
So, what can I talk about... Well, I am mailing in a purse to Somerset Studio this month.
It will be my first ever submitted work to any commercial magazine.
Yet my work IS in the Sept. Oct. issue in Somerset Studio on page 55 (17 pictures of mine are shown hehehehe... No I am NOT bragging, I am actually AMUSED by it!)
Did you see it? Alma Stoller featured me in her 3rd issue of FAZ and that is what is reviewed in the Melange section of Somerset Studio.

*sigh*
There is a music band waiting on me to design an artistic and expressive album cover for their debut. Sadly though, I have been struggling with a "story" for it. The theme is "Irony" and the art body needs to be graphic/comic in style.
Comic art and graf. have been what I've wanted to work on (freelance) for so long. Now that I CAN do it, and have the time, I am having trouble grasping my own ideas! I have a slew of sketches and concepts, yet when it comes to plotting out the storyline for the characters to follow... there are no solid concepts that POP or should I say, click in my mind.
There are too many things floating around my brain fighting for attention.
"Make this.", "Design something for so and so.", "Finish those." "Fill the order." "Clean the house.", "Travel." etc.....
So I end up sketching comics about various scenes that could be ironic... People, that I do not know... Waiting to see where *MY* life is going. I need to focus. I need to map my heart and set course for my next adventure.
Until I set course-
I am OVERWHELMED!