Last year, I started attending the local art guild meetings with my mother. She didn’t like driving at night, so I agreed to take her even though I’ve never had any interest in visual arts other than collecting.

What I discovered was that I didn’t have to draw a straight line to produce art. When the guild asked for artists to participate in a studio art tour, where folks culd visit the artists’ craft rooms, studios, barns–wherever they produced their art—I signed up with mom and dragged my daughter right along.

We began making altered art pendants, using decoupage techniques. We made a ton of things with dominoes and scrabble tiles. When we grew more confident, and made things we wanted to wear, we branched into using inks, stamps, paint, etc. An example of something I made recently is this pendant. A funny thing happened.

I started posting my pictures on Facebook. People contacted me, wanting to know where they could buy our little pendants. We all had so much fun with the idea, we’re in the midst of creating a website, and branching out with beading, bead-making, metal-stamping, crochet and knotted cord and silks…

You get the picture. I have a new obsession. And it’s one that fits very nicely around my writing life. When I’m drained of words for the day, I head to the art room.

Here are some more recent samples…

This one sold the day I posted it.

I’ve grown more confident. This one I painted then stamped. The “messier” the images look, the happy accidents, are what make them more interesting to me.

I just love making these!

And I’ve found a way to blend my two worlds…