Sticky Genius

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What do you get when you combine a damaged thrifted afghan, an oversized unwanted hoodie, and some creative sass? Apparently, you get one funky kitten! The 70’s called and they want their afghan back, so I answered. This project took on a life of its own. First, I replaced the sleeves from the hoodie with some of the afghan and reattached the cuffs. I replaced the front pocket with afghan and blinded it with pieces from the hoodie sleeves. I felt the back was lacking a little luster, so I used some of the leftover afghan scraps to make a heart that I sealed in with scraps from the sleeves. I wanted to replace the pull ties with yarn, but didn’t have the right colors, so I decided to make little pom-poms instead. Might have been overkill. Sewed a little yarn into the hoodie for trim and then showed Shaughn my finished project and his reply was … it needs ears. Dammit! I couldn’t unsee it, so I added them. I blame the damn pom-poms. It’s a little whimsical, a little anime, and a little 70’s crazy, but it’s warm, comfy, cozy, yet ventilated. Perfect for this circa 1976, almost 50 year old cat, but still feel like I’m a 5 year old kitten at times. I had to take it back in time to a new 70’s theme bar where wood paneling, stained cast glass, s**g carpet, and Mrs. Pac-Man brought me back to memories of my childhood while we sipped on Harvey Walbanger’s, Regal Beagle’s, and ate tater tots dipped in fondue cheese. #upcycledclothing #70sfashion #afghan #whimsically #refashionedclothing

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My most recent resin art piece. A botanical documentary of our motorcycle travels from New York to Nova Scotia and back. I carried a little notebook with me where I collected and pressed leaves, flowers, and feathers throughout our journey. It is difficult to bring back souvenirs while traveling on a motorcycle. This piece is better than any trinket I could have bought. In fact, I think I want to make one for every trip for now on. It was a beautiful way to encapsulate the memories, feelings, and experiences in a way that when I gaze upon it I can feel them again. Next time I’ll try to do a better job filming the process, but I can’t make any promises. Sometimes it’s better to leave some mystery and just enjoy what comes. #motorcycleadventure #resinart #botanicalart #novascotia #newengland

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The only downside of traveling on a motorcycle to so many wonderful places is limited space for souvenirs to bring home. We have gathered quite the collection of brewery and motorcycle koozies as a result, because what is smaller then that? The end result, however, is a very large pile of koozies for each of us and they are kinda everywhere now. Shaughn and I keep talking about making a koozie dispenser, so we get them into a more regular rotation instead of just grabbing the same ones on the top of the pile. It’s a fun way to revisit all the memories we’ve collected while sipping on a cold beer, soda, or sparkling water. This is just a “starter model” I created, but I’m looking forward to Shaughn tightening up the design into a smaller, more lightweight version. I’d love to add a little side pocket for the larger size koozies we have, too. Dang if it doesn’t just make me want to hop on the bike and head out in search of a brewery in some uncharted destination unknown. Cheers to a summer full of adventures and hopefully more koozies to add to the collection 🍻🏍️💨🫧🎉. #beerkoozie #its5oclocksomewhere #roadtrip #breweries #motorcycletravel

Recently, I have been learning how to watercolor. I’ve never been good at sketching or drawing, but I have been enjoying the process of watercolor because it is more forgiving. The more into I get the more I practice, the more I realize that I am going to need to work on my sketching/drawing skills to make what I want to appear on the paper. My upcoming birthday trip to Costa Rica has me inspired to practice more, so I can bring my paints and attempt to nature journal my way through the rainforests, mountains and beaches. I found this toucan picture on the site of the main Airbnb destination we will be heading for and spent the last two evenings trying to bring it to life on paper. I recently discovered from a bird book I’m reading and immediately purchased his book. I think his ideas have helped me not be overwhelmed with starting my sketches and gives great ideas on how to break things down into simple sections. This is my first attempt at a bird. Im tempted to try it again in more abstract styles and less detail, but Im pleasantly surprised with how it came out. John Muir Laws has tons of free resources on line, but the book is a thing of beauty and I highly recommend it.

I celebrated Cinco de Mayo over the weekend starting at the Boardroom where they were having both a Cinco de Mayo and a Kentucky Derby celebration complete with a fasinator contest, so of course, I had to throw something completely insane together a day before. A trip to the Dollar Tree, a whole lot of glue, and some herbal infused creativity later and you have what might be the first Mexinucky fasinator ever! Of course, I won. It was very anticlimactic, but I love a good creative challenge. I had to continue the party on to ESBC because this hat needed to make more people smile, which it did! Not sure what in the world I’ll do with this thing now, but I may need to buy a plastic head to display it in my room just a little bit longer because it makes me happy! Viva la Mexinucky!!