The Cliche of Chaos

I wanted to write about chaos, but couldn't think of anything original to say. I wrote about the origins of the word "chaos" on my Wordcraft editing blog. But when it came to writing about actual chaos in any meaningful way, everything I wrote seemed so . . . predictable. The world is in chaos - it certainly is. Learning to live amidst chaos - yeah, we've all been there. Embrace the chaos - cliche monitor going ding, ding, ding!

Why chaos? I like the word, it's rhythmic with a nice pivot, and it's a sneaky way to show you my latest creations. I've been making brooches in a chaotic fashion, and it's fun! Much like nature, the colors and wires create their own order and their own beauty. But since my verbal imagination didn't seem up to par, I decided to use quotes from other people in this post.

If you want to see more of these brooches - they are for sale - pop over to my Muse Marketplace page.

 We live in a rainbow of chaos. Paul Cezanne

 

red, white and blue

Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos. Stephen Sondheim

autumn

Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit. Henry Adams

frog pond

 We adore chaos because we love to produce order. M. C. Escher

 

just - chaos

This last one is sort of honey-colored, so I'm linking it up with the TAG Gallery blog - Anne has set up a link-up around the color of honey. Check it out!

Val

Right brain, left brain

Have you ever done one of those tests to find out if your right brain or left brain is dominant? Mine usually come out fairly even, which is good, I guess.

Actually, I always hope that my right brain will win out. I'm much more inclined towards living an artistic life than conforming to office hours. But I'm pretty good at office work, and that's where my left brain comes into play. I'm organized and consistent and efficient.

Even my hobbies make use of both sides of my brain. So while I am itching to produce art like this

"Loneliness #3"

I'm compelled to produce these diminutive bits of uselessness.

"Cafe Tout Petit"

I suppose this brings the right brain and left brain together. Right brain - I get to create the scene and mix patterns, textures and colors.

Left brain - I figure out how to make tiny things, and I'm somewhat precise in creating itsy bitsy cups out of clay and gluing little beads onto them for handles.

I never wanted to be thought of as a miniaturist - that sounds like someone who plays with dolls, and who owns cats numbering into double digits, and who has a funny laugh and awkward social skills. (If you're a miniaturist, I do apologize, but I'm trying to make a point here.)

Maybe this will produce an income some day; hopefully not a miniature one. But I can't seem to help myself - I'm hooked. I've got a teensy, weensy monkey on my back!

Val

Oh, no - not another Altoid tin!

If you're coming here looking for pretty pictures of me in my fantastic clothes and gorgeous home, with inspirational quotes and tips for removing warts, I've given you fair warning. This post is about an Altoid-type tin that I crafted for a custom order for Christmas.

The order was for a little diorama for my customer's mother-in-law, who is housebound. I was given some ideas about the MIL's life and likes, and I went from there. This is what I came up with.

The customer said her MIL likes East Asian art and architecture, so she asked for a temple door and roof tiles.

The interior continues the theme, and includes a passport and map to reflect MIL's travels, the books she likes to read, and the coffee she likes to drink.

The otters in the photo have special significance, too, but the little felt slippers were a last-minute thing I added because the floor needed something. Squee!

I didn't glue down the itsy books, and one of them is a picture book with tiny photos from my own travels.

And one more -

I'm still working on my little Parisian café, mentioned in my last post. It's an even smaller scale, so it's challenging to fit in a tiny café bar, as well as an upstairs bedroom. I think this one's going to take some time! Here are some more in-progress photos.

You know I'm making this because I want to live in a little place like this on the Left Bank.

I should have called it Café Tout Wacky because the scale and perspective are going to be totally wack. I made a stack of espresso cups that are tiny, but too big for this place. Maybe I should add a bottle of absinthe to accentuate the twisting of reality!

À bientôt!

Val

Come into my smoky little den

Before you get the wrong idea, let me put your mind at ease. I'm talking about an opium den.

Oh, that doesn't put your mind at ease? It might if you pick up the pipe on the table and take a puff...

not a very good photo - too smoky in here

This is a little special order opium den I sent off last week - a little opium den with reading material.

I made the books and the blue jar. The scrolls are made from thin paper that was in a box of Japanese candy.

These are the things on the shelves - books and scrolls, with some real characters and some fake. And I can see now that I probably put the label on the jar upside-down, like I did last time.

Here's the exterior -

chasing the dragon, or is the dragon chasing you?

I've relaunched my Facebook page that used to be called Sparkle Park Designs - now it's Muse Fondue. You can find me and Like me here, if you're so inclined.

And I'm on Pinterest now, too (here) because I needed still more things to do online. I warn you, my Pinterest boards are heavy on altered Altoid tins.

Anyone know how to put the FB and Pinterest buttons on my blog?

Val

I've been banished!

Oh, the humiliation, the irritation, the pain-in-the-ass-ness of it all!

My craft cave has been banished to the garage.

I'm still in flux and have only moved the really toxic-smelling stuff so far. Yes, Mr. S had enough with smelling rubber cement, nail polish and Mod Podge, and he asked me to take my atmospheric poisons and move to the garage. I have to agree with him, but damn! This is a little inconvenient. I need a lot more space, and a window, and heat. I'm trying to avoid moving everything so I'm not completely banished - but damn!

I hadn't been doing any crafts for a while, but I got a couple of special orders for Christmas (thank you, Janet and Jane!), so I've been stinking up the place again.

Then I realized I had a few other tins that should be put into the Muse Marketplace, so I've added them now. They're not dioramas, but just decorated tins that you can put other things in.

• Buddha Box, which was featured on Resin Crafts a couple of years ago. 

• A cute little tin with polka dots and sparkles on the inside.

• And a medievalesque box of jewels with a tiny mirror.

These are all listed in the Muse Marketplace, down at the bottom of the page. (I tried to add jumps to make it easier to navigate, but it didn't work.) Order now for Christmas!

Oh, and here's me recently. This is my new profile photo for LinkedIn and all the other sites I've been joining to try to get work.

To those of you in the US, have a Happy Thanksgiving! And to the rest of you, have a happy Thursday!

Val