MOVED TO MARIEFRENCH.WORDPRESS.COM

I AM SAD TO GO...BUT WITH BEING UNABLE TO LOAD PHOTOS I MUST. I MOVED OVER TO MARIEFRENCH.WORDPRESS.COM. PLEASE COME VISIT ME AT MY NEW BLOG...EXCITING GIVEAWAYS, PROJECTS, AND EXPLORATIONS..SEE YOU AT MARIEFRENCH.WORDPRESS.COM.

Say a Prayer

Say a prayer, any kind of Prayer...
Prayers are needed by everyone...big prayers, small prayrs, even medium sized prayers.
They can be prayers for the earth, for a loved one, for something good to happen...
They can be for yourself, they can be for a friend in need, they can be for peace.
The prayers can be for little ones in the NICU unit of a hospital, or an elder who is in need of comfort...
A prayer can be said for ease from financil woes, an exicting deal you want to come through...
I prayer can be for anything...
Just say a Prayer...for me, for you, for the world, for everyone..

Miracles..I need Miracles...So I will pass on how to make Miracle reminder bracelets.

Miracle Bracelet-as seen in Jewelry Affair Fall 2010-stampington and Co.

These are what I call my miracle bracelets.

I make them to pass out to people as a little

reminder that miracles are everywhere. I love

displaying them on old wood, with a rustic

feeling, hanging them up like ornaments as

reminders, or showing them displayed on the

arm with as many as you can fit.

So you need a miracle, you need to be

uplifted. Well then it’s time you make up your

own miracle bracelet, and make up a bunch

to give to others that may need a miracle

too. I started making these for people who

needed a little miracle in their lives. I love to

make them and pass them on as well. Wear

one, wear a bunch. They are super reminders

that miracles are everywhere we just need

to remember them. Each bracelet is made

with a Milagros charm. Milagros charms are

often made of pot metal in South America

and in Mexico. They are tokens, or reminders

of miracles granted and miracles that are

waiting to manifest. So let’s get to work and

make your miracles a reality.

Tools & Materials

• Adhesive: (E-6000)

• Jump ring: 10 mm

• Leather thong: 1½ mm

• Milagros

• Pliers: plastic coated

• Scissors

• Tubing: sterling silver

Technique

Measure your wrist. Cut the thong to the

measurement leaving about ½ inch per

side to be put into the tubing. Put E-6000

at the ends of the cord. Stuff the ends into

the tubing. Clamp down the tubing with

the plastic-coated pliers to clamp down the

leather cord. Attach the Milagros to the

jump ring or wire wrap the Milagros onto the

leather cord using 1½ inch of sterling silver

20-gauge wire. Now put on the bracelet and

expect miracles to happen.

Marie French has a passion for the worn, the tattered,

and vintage Spanish Colonial and Southwestern design.

You can contact her at frenchvert@hotmail.com or visit

her Etsy sites at mariefrench.etsy.com and inspiritu.etsy.

com, or view her blog, mariefrench.blogspot.com.

Everyone

Wants a Miracle

by Marie French
*UNfortunately I can not upload pictures again becuase they have switched the photo op on Blogger.

seed saving in the Big Bend

It’s that time of year again. The time when the winds pick up, and the breezes start to cool our scorched backs. As the cool air sets in and the fruits have fallen, the seed pods swell with bounty. This is the time of year to collect seeds. I have been able to collect seed from late August thru early March. Trees seem to seed from Late August thru early November.

When seed collecting bring along paper bags, some gardening gloves, glass jars, and some screens and paper towel to dry the seeds once collected. A very important note of advice. Ask permission of the landowner if you may be allowed to collect seed. Ninety eight percent of Texas is privately owned, so beware if you are on someone else’s property as you might not like the outcome.

When collecting seed look for the trees or shrubs that exhibit superior quality, and look strong and healthy, as they would be the best specimens to collect from.

It is in October and November that I am able to find an abundance of the precious desert tree seeds. Often I only collect a few seeds, disperse a few, and leave the rest on the tree for its own propagation. Let me remind you, that in the heat of the desert it is very hard to start seeds. If they don’t damp off, they are eaten by rodents and birds. The few that remain, I baby until they can stand on their own, usually in a year; they have grown their own roots and are ready to move out of the house so to say.

The Desert Willow is not only a beautiful shrub like tree it is also very hardy. It has long narrow green leaves and purple to pink showy trumpet type flowers that bloom around February/March and during the intermittent rains, at times. The best time to gather these seeds in is late summer early autumn when the bean shaped light coffee colored pods start to open. It is then that I collect their angel wing seeds. It is best to separate by hand, dry on a paper towel on a screen for a few days and then store in a glass jar in the refrigerator until you are ready to plant them. The seeds like to be planted soon after they leave the safety of the pod, so just keep this in mind while collecting. If you are dispersing seed just allow the winds to carry the seeds to their new destination, and make sure to leave a few around the tree itself. Desert Willow can also be grown from root cutting, and rooting new sprout growth, but wait until May, before you do this.

The Palo Verde is another Big Bend favorite with its bright yellow flowers that waft in the March winds. Its fragrant flower captures your heart. This green thorny tree has seed pods that look like brown pea pods, with no more than usually three or four seeds inside. They look like light brown coffee beans although a bit bigger. Gather the seeds in late summer or early autumn, and check them intently as they may carry beetle larva which might not be what you are looking for in your storage container as the months go on before planting. Examine the seeds, dry on screens with paper towel and then store the seeds in a glass jar and store in the refrigerator. The Palo Verde can also be grown from new growth cutting in late April to early May.



Some other trees and shrubs you may want to look for that follow the same seed saving measures are the Acacia, and the Mesquite trees. All of these trees are assimilated to our desert climate and heat so they are a wonderful introduction to seed saving and propagation. We will talk about seed starting, and root cuttings later on in the year. For now go gather and disperse some seed-but don’t forget to ask permission first. Happy Seed Saving.

Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region

Reaping Falls Bounty: Desert Trees Seed Saving

Here are some wonderful collages from a SOuth African artist found on Art Propelled.

Here are the collages. Just wonderful.

contemplation

contemplation..Contemplation..CONTEMPLATION.  That is how I feel the voice within me at times. Yes I know I should, I know I want to. But sometimes I feel who has the time. So I devised this little trick.  Find a picture a day that signifies a contemplative mood, a contemplative gesture, anything that will slow my over active mind down. Print it our or view it on screen for the day. Anytime I look at it I take a deep breath and spend 30 seconds to 1 minute being with the picture. Hey It helps me take a bit of contemplative time. Try it for your self.

Gratefulness...

I was just thinking this am about all of the things I am grateful for living in Terlingua Texas...
I am greateful for:
the sunrises, and sunsets
the quiet beauty
the rainbows guiding the rains
the bright sun
the wildness of the area
the coyotes song
the cactus flowers
everyone waves as you drive by
the commaradie
kindness
our beautiful home
our neighbors
my husband and my children
my inlaws
my family
our health

life....thank you.

More sketchbook projects

Here are some more pages from the sketchbooks as they go off to the Art Co-op.

A quick view of some of the sketchbook pages...

Here is a quick view of some of the sketchbook pages before they get sent out....Hope you enjoy!

the Sketchbook Project sketchbook is coming alongcoming along

The Sketchbook Project sketchbook is coming along.  I have loaded it with collages, and photos and now I am about to draw, and write in it....maybe stamp a few pages...whatever the muse dictates. You can see I came out of my slump. 

But now I am headed into another. That is the odd thing about creativity it comes in fits and starts. It never seems to flow at all times. It may be because I have to wear so many hats-mom, student, emplyee, then I get to work on creative projects-in fits and starts.  Maybe I should call my life Fits and Starts...Have a great day.

I am stuck!

I am stuck on my sketchbook. I am having a totally uninspired day.eeks. Everything I have tried to collage... well... is looking...ugly. I am going to put it away for now.

Collect, Collect, Collect

When ever I am about to start a new collage project, I collect, collect, collect.  I am about ready to start collage work for the Sketchbook Project (see the link below). So I  am collecting images, roots, herbs, vellum, wax paper, old empherma, old vintage naturalists prints, an assortment of papers and treasures that will make up this little sketchbook.  It helps me to see possibilities, look at things in new ways, and how things look together. Some might say I am making a big pile of a mess, others can see the creativity inherent in a pile.  What do you see, and how do you begin a project?

the Sketchbook Project

Okay, I am gathering my supplies, distressing my sketchbook and getting the inpsirations in order.  Today I will share the distressing of the pages. Personally I like the look of distressed paper, the aged, the torn, a bit of history.  So with this in mind I decided it would be loads of fun to pretend I was working on an old book-alas distressed pages.  I tea stained the pages, used brown inks, crupled some edges, and then dunked the whole thing in a tea bath then dried it out.  Phew, I am glad I didn't ruin it. Here it is if you are interested...How do you distress paper? PS To find out more about The Sketch book Project go to the link at the bottom of the page and click on it and it will take you there......

What Inspires You?

These "What inspires you?" posts are meant to get your creative brain clicking,and forming connections...Thats what they do for me anyway.  I am trying to come up with my theme for the scetchbook project..... so when I am trying to come up with a theme I search for inspiriations.  So these posts are a way of sort of showing you how I work..that is if you are interested.  I am always interested in what other artists look at , and where they find inspiration. What sparks your creative juices, what lights your fire...SO here are some vintage images that sparked my creative fire today as I go off into the studio to work on some collages for The Sketchbook Project..To learn more about the project scroll to the bottom of the page I have a link. Happy creating.....oh and by the way does anyone have any good books on artists creative inspriations they want to recommend?

What inspires you?

The craziest things will get my mind roving in new directions. Just take these pictures for example.  It is oil stains on concrete, but I see chinese calligraphy, modern art drip paintings, wall paper, banners, graphic tea staining, and wrapping paper....What do you see?  Look at other inspirations of artists, try out Lving the creative life,

art studios..... the way I work

I love my art studio, it is my reverie.  I am sure many of your have your own special places to create.  But creating can be a messy business. I don't know about you but I feel my studio is an organized mess. I have set it up in creative clusters.  I have a space for shipping, a place for boxes, a place for paints, for jewelry work, for soldering, for hammering, sculpture materials...So if you are interested here are some various shots of my creative clusters...here are some fun art studio books I love to read too.