Item #2008-0018

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Item #2008-0010

This hangs in my entryway, and I have to say how much I love it - I LOVE IT! I customized it for K and I, so I put a buddha of mine on it and a wolf of hers. This item cost me ZERO dollars to make, because I had all of the materials. The bark is from firewood we had, and the pine cone pieces came from mother nature too.

The drawers are actually from a desk my dad used when he was a kid in the 50's to use his ham radio. I found the drawers up in the attic at my grandparent's house and made one of these for my dad. I had made one for us, but it had fake flowers in it, and didn't really represent us like this one does.

Item #2008-0008

Buddha and Kuan Yin Devotional
Made with a wood slice from Goodwill (50 cents), 3 birch pillars from a yard sale ($1) and a piece of pottery from Salvation Army (99 cents). The Buddhas and Kuan Yins I purchased at Heaven and Nature (http://www.heavenandnaturestore.com/).I call it a devotional because I put water in the cup as an offering of devotion.

The funny thing is that now my cats show their devotion by drinking from the cup! Kuan Yin is often depicted with an upturned vase with water flowing from it. I guess my kitties are meditating about Kuan Yin when they drink from the cup. "I must have more compassion, I must not shred the recliner!

Item #2008-0009

This is the true beginning of my 60's and 70's style art phase, going back to earthy tones and using twigs and rocks may seem silly to some, but it is beautiful and makes sense to me! I especially love this piece because the owl was a pendant of my mother's that she got in the 70's and then I inherited it when she passed away in 2003. Some of the rocks in this piece were actually hers, and the origami butterfly in the lower left corner was hers also. The tray was free from Freecycle (where I request consideration for just about anything wood that I can make into art ;) I call this a mosaic, even though it doesn't fit into what people would traditionally call a mosaic - who needs to be traditional? You don't need to be when you are me!

Item #2008-0007

I got the idea for this when I was at SA and found old wood napkin rings for 99 cents. When glued together they make a great stand for a tealight holder! You'll be able to see in this piece, and most of the art I have done after this, that I love river rocks, and I love gluing them all over the place. The rocks are so beautiful and yet cheap, so they make the best kind of art!

The buddha is from Thailand and it is one from my collection - I am starting to transform my collection of buddhas into art and am really enjoying it.

Item #2008-0006

I made this for my friend's 9 year old daughter because she was redoing her room for her. Nikita is a very special kid, and her mother is amazing, so I wanted to contribute something beautiful to her new room. I customized it to match the colors of her room. All of the items in this were either free or I already had them. The wood for both parts of the plaque were actually from this guy who let a bunch of strangers dig around in his garage and have things for free - I came home with a big bag of scrapes of beautiful birch plywood. I LOVE free!

Item #2008-0005

This was made for my friend Hilary to announce the birth of her daughter Maddie. Hil is very different from Casey (who the previous item was made for) and I got the idea for hers when I was at a yard sale and bought a cutting board in perfect condition for a buck. Hil is a little more country and Casey is a little more rock 'n roll, so their custom art is very different. The white fencing I literally had for 3 years and found a use for! My enviro-ethics make it hard for me to throw things out that could be used later - oh well, it is good to have strong enviro-ethics even if your drawers are overflowing with things you will use someday.

Item #2008-0004

Two of my friends were having babies at the same time in June, and I decided to make them birth announcement plates like the one that I made for my nephew last year. For his I used a plate, but for my two friends I could not find a plate that suited them at a thrift store, so I got creative!

My friend Casey was decorating her nursery in black, red and white - because she is so cutting edge ;) I got the ugly wood tray at a flea market for a quarter and the only other thing I had to buy were the black and white bone beads - everything else I already had. I am one of those people who holds on to things forever and say "I'll use it for something someday!" Even the fabric around the edge of the tray is a guatemalan purse strap that I have had hanging out for years and finally found a use for! Casey LOVED it!

Item #2008-0003

This a lamp that I literally made from a piece of firewood from our first camping trip of the summer this year at Tobyhanna State Park here in PA. There was some really cool wood in there, and some awesome bark (only I think bark is awesome ;) I was looking at this log and I said "This would make an awesome lamp!" Within a week it was a lamp!

Most of the materials were free - I got a lamp kit for a buck at a yard sale that weekend, and the base was made out of four heavy wood feet that came off of a sofa that I got rid of - it was their heaviness that inspired the name "Solid Foundations" - it is unusual for me to name my art because I don't want to come up with silly names for everything I make - thus item numbers instead.

The awesome thing about this lamp is that whenever people come over they say "You made that???" I will have and love this lamp forever.

Item#2008-0002

This is my first attempt at a mosaic, and I have to say that I absolutely love how it turned out. It is made mostly with beads that I had left-over, a pendant that I had and glass "stones" from the dollar store on a wood box lid that I got for 50 cents at SA. A lot of people loved this when I showed it to them and I ended up giving it to an amazing woman who was my advisor when I was in graduate school. She helped and guided me so much that I wanted her to have it to show my appreciation for what a beautiful soul she is.

Item #2008-0001

K celebrated 20 years sober on May 17th and I had always wanted to have a plaque professionally made for her, but we were broke at the time her anniversary came up. I am actually glad we were broke because it made me get creative! All I had to buy was the wood trivet from Salvation Army for $1 and the letters from a craft store because I already had the crystals. Blue tiger eye for strength, pink quartz for love and amethyst for sobriety. She is an amazing woman to have been through what she has been through in the last 20 years while managing to stay sober.

Item #2007-0008

This minor creation was very simple to make. It is a native american medicine wheel that I made for K out of a wood tray from Goodwill and rocks that K already had. We hang it on the wall and align it with a compass so that it matches the four directions.

Item #2007-0007

This plate was so easy to make, but it is one of my favorite items that I made in 2007. That might be because I made it after I got married and we hyphenated our names :) or it might be because it greets me everyday as I come home and reminds me that I am a Heimel-Heck now.

It is just a plate from Goodwill that I got for 50 cents, butterfly rub-ons from the craft store and I used paint pen to write on it. I then glazed it with ceramic glaze spray. I have made these for friends and family, but unfortunately did not take pictures of them! I wish I had because I individualize them for each person I make them for.