Where have I been?

My last blog post was over 7 months ago! It's not that I have forgotten all of you faithful followers, nor that I was stricken down with some mysterious ailment nor even that ran off with a tall, dark and handsome lover. It's just that every time I thought of writing a blog post I would have a panic attack! Palms sweating, breath coming short, butterflies (or maybe demons) fluttering about in my innards....I'm sure you know the feeling.

Well, today is the day I stand up to my terror. Stick out my tongue. Turn my back. And walk bravely into the future. I can do this!!!

Dancing Stars Mobile

It's been a long time coming but I finally got the video of my newest product done! There's really not a whole lot to say about it, so I invite you to sit back, relax and enjoy the show. And if the virtual version isn't fully satisfying, you can pick up the real thing in my Etsy shop.

Spiral Dance Wall Hanging

A while back I made a bunch of wall hangings in much the same way as I made the leaf sculpture, Tango. I don't know why but I quit making them. As I've listed the few stray pieces I have left on Etsy I've found an appreciative audience. So who knows, I just may revive the technique for another round and see what comes up.


I just listed this piece in my shop. What do you think? Would you like to see more? Does this spark any ideas for you?

The Gatherer

My friend Kim is bawdy, sometimes irreverent and the best friend a girl could ever want. She's also an incredible artist. Her artwork, made of bones, feathers, shells, leather and other trinkets and treasures found in her wanderings, is alive with the spirits of the ancient past. She appropriately calls her work 'the Ancestors.' Born of Kim's deep connection with spirit, the earth and the grandmother who visits her dreams, each Ancestor offers a message of wisdom and hope.


This week I was delighted to invite the Gatherer, one of Kim's Ancestors into my life. The Gatherer speaks to me not only in her message but in who she is. For I, too, am a gatherer. I gather plants and twigs and lichens and leaves...essence, ideas and inspiration. My art is the product of my gatherings.

The Gatherer speaks:
I am the one who tells you that the seeds you have planted are coming to fruition.

You have been a good and caring gardener, nurturing and protecting your dreams.

The time is ripe. The harvest is ready. Come and reap your rewards.

You can see more of Kim's work at www.mygrandmothershands.com or www.mygrandmothershands.etsy.com
Kim also has another Etsy shop where she sells some of her gatherings. www.bonesinger.etsy.com

More Making Paper Leaves

Tango close up

I LOVE paper! There are so many things you can do with it. It's a medium with no bounds. You can make something so tiny and fragile that it will dissolve in a raindrop. Or you can make something that is substantial enough to sit upon or even perhaps to live in... so long as you don't run with scissors! *wink*

Tango a leaf sculpture by Jan Moulder

I delight in making unusual things out of paper. Here is another type of paper leaf I made from my Peas in a Pod series. It was created by putting together a twig frame and then wrapping wet paper around the twigs. After it dried I painted it with acrylic paints and then dry brushed with gold. The richness and depth of the texture, which is hard to see in these pictures, makes my mouth water! The 'peas' are made using another method which I will reveal in a later post.

Tango back

An award!

I just got home from a week visiting my father on the Oregon Coast and what should I find? A blog award!! http://newdominionblues.blogspot.com/ had notified me the she has passed on a KreativBlogger award on to me and six other bloggers. I must admit that I'm rather stunned since I'm a blogging neophyte but I humbly accept and most gratefully pass this honor on to some worthy bloggers. The only requirement of this award is to list 7 (my favorite number!) things I love and to pass the award on to 7 honorable bloggers and, of course, letting them know they won! So here are seven loves (hard to pick only seven.)

I love:

• Moss and mushrooms and moonbeams.
• The tell-tale sparkle of a fairy’s passing.
• The blush pink color of Thumbelina’s rose petal blanket.
• The hush of the forest at dusk.
• The crisp clear scent of a waterfall.
• The glinting of sunlight off a dragonfly’s wings.
• The smell of rain and the sound of thunder.

I am honored to pass this award on to:

• Sue at http://bartonoriginals.blogspot.com/
• Catherine at http://imagocorvi.blogspot.com/
• Julie at http://thepeacefulpeacock.wordpress.com/
• Maryann at http://maryanncleary.blogspot.com/
• Alison at http://paintandink.blogspot.com/
• Justine at http://potomacrivergoods.blogspot.com/
• Suzannah at http://thewindandraincreations.blogspot.com/

Making Paper Leaves

One-off paper casts of leaves

I really wanted to start this blogging thing more gracefully and with more planning. But it looks like I'm just going to plunge in here and start blathering. All because I am so thrilled with these paper leaves I made last night! They look so much like real leaves that I had my very observant husband fooled. The leaves are made by applying a freshly made sheet of paper to the back of a real leaf. After tearing off the excess paper and pressing the moist sheet firmly into the veins of the leaf, I let it dry. I dyed them with fiber dyes and some Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, dry brushed on some gold paint and then finished them off with Paverpol. Now, what to do with them?!?