STEP INTO THE NEW YEAR!

We took down all the Christmas displays at VIMspirations yesterday and decided to "put our best foot forward" for the new year.  This is the window display that I designed.  Drop on by for a pair of shoes!

Christmas Crafting in My Studio

Happy as a clam, in Santa Land!

Home Made Bookcase

Jeffrey made this bookcase for me to put in my studio.  Now I have a new home for some of my books too.  It feels like having old friends back in my life - I love it!

New Bag Out of Old Jeans

We are having a 50% off sale on women's jeans and pants at VIMspirations this week so I made this.  I used a teeny tiny pair of jeans, a necktie for the bottom and the strap, a button down shirt for the lining, and finished it off with some buttons and a pin. Come on over and check it out - its for sale.  Or buy a pair of jeans for $3.00 and make your own!

As artist-in-residence at VIMspirations thrift store in West Cape May (which raises money for Volunteers in Medicine) I often do the store and window displays.  Today an animal outreach center opened up next door to us, so I set up our store window in celebration of dogs and cats.  I had some paw print wrapping paper which I put down on the ledge, cut out pictures of dogs and cats from magazines and put them in some of the many photo frames that have been donated to us, found some books in our collection to add, and also included samples of my dog collarettes with copies of the article that I wrote for Bark magazine on how to make them, available as a handout for interested customers.  It was a good day, and most of us in Cape May are very fortunate to still have our homes, food, water and heat after the ravages of Hurricane Sandy, unlike so many many people just to the north of us. We will help them, and continue helping them for a long time, in whatever way that we can. Go to this link for information about evacuating with your pets.
http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/article/storm/court+house/87546-evacuation+ordered+shelters+readied

Bookends

These days, I am trying to make as many things as I can with my own hands.  Here are some bookends that I made with some scrap wood, yellow paint and two cans of spinach from the dollar store.  I like the way they turned out.  I also like my new life in Cape May.  I  live in a real house, have a studio of my own, started a craft club, and have recently become the artist-in-residence at a local thrift store.  We just survived Hurricane Sandy in good shape and are looking forward to walking on the beach again soon.

More poems...

Morning Walk #7

The sign says

“CAUTION

Trees leaning toward roadway”

Arched

They look like the crest of a wave

The sea

In a tree.

Morning Walk #8

We put seashells on our windowsill

Around the garden

And in our bathroom.

We wonder if it’s a trap

Like for lobsters and crabs.

But we don’t mind

Being caught.

We have seashells in our pockets.

 

Morning Walk #4

This morning I saw the sea.

Lavender

With white ruffles

Sparkles of gold

Hints of green like I’ve never seen

A blue to see through.

Today I will dress myself

In the colors of the sea

And invite myself

To an afternoon tea.

Morning Walk #3

I’m not there

Where

I can meet the sky.

I’m not there

Where thinking

Is an option.

I’m not there where

The ocean and I

See eye to eye.

I’m not there where my soul

Has wings.

I have become addicted to ETSY.

I immerse myself in the bountiful creativity.  I laugh too, at the genius living there.  Treasury Lists take me to places that I couldn’t find on my own, like knowledgeable tour guides that show you secret places.  And yes, I keep my favorites. They are listed under the heart so that I can visit them often.  Today I made my second Treasury List.  It is called Fantasy Favorites and is what I want right now.  To get there, go to Etsy.com, scroll down to Treasury on the left side, click on it, type "Fantasy Favorites" in the search box.  Be sure to get lost while you are looking.  Find something that speaks to you...

2 Poems?

I have been walking to the beach every morning and thinking about things....

Morning walk #1

Pippi weighs 8lbs 13ozs and she barks at the ocean.

I think that she thinks

It will answer her.

Nothing has prepared her for this.

Not the joggers that come too close,

Or the other dogs that get in her way on city sidewalks.

It does not respond to her voice but repeats its own refrain.

The waves roll in and she runs out, creating her own song.  Soon they are dancing together. 

Morning Walk #2

There is time to find beach glass.

No need to bow

Down

Now.

It will be there when I find it.

For now, I look out.

Tall back, long neck,

Shoulders released.

To where

There

Is time.

 

How I read

     I have my book, a pen and a cup of tea.  I hold the book with both hands to feel its weight and the texture of its cover.  I run my fingers over the edges of the pages so that they can fly through the air.  I smell it and touch it to my cheek.  Then I open it, not to the page I last read, but much earlier than that.  I read over the sections that I have underlined.  I re-enter its world and remind myself of where I am.  I often long to connect with the text in ways that expand my experience.  So I write notes on post-its of images to include on its pages.  I hunt for those images in my massive picture collection or on the internet and carefully tape them onto the pages so that the text is not permanently covered.  The images become new pages that I can flip up to reveal their connections underneath.  Sometimes I use other materials to illustrate an idea.  I have included little bags of sand, sticks, quotes from other books, postcards and fabric.  I have sewn a design with thread onto a page.  At times, I have attached photographs so that the book also becomes a personal journal.

     My favorite book is "Red" by Terry Tempest Williams.  I read it several times and then visited the red rock desert of Utah to observe its beauty first hand.  I carried the book with me as I traveled.  It became a scrap book, photo album and work of art.  I felt as though I had entered the book and treasured it as both an object and a spiritual experience.  I keep it on a shelf with many other books that I have examined in  the same way.  I visit it sometimes and re-enter its world.   That's how I read.

    

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wasn't really in the Thanksgiving mood and had decided to put minimal effort into planning and decorating this year.  Earlier today, though, I noticed an empty patch of white wall just above our dining room table and thought it would be nice to put a wreath there.  I went to the farmer's market in search of one, without any luck.  Jeffrey suggested that we just make one, right then and there.  We used a coat hanger, brown paper grocery bags embellished with a little bit of orange and yellow paint, and fake berries and leaves from old Thanksgiving decorations.  We didn't have to buy a thing.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Altered Books

Recently, I have been spending most of my creative time working on an altered book.  Part journal and part art, the medium suits me.  I realize that blogging is not really my medium.  I have not been able to enter into a relationship with the computer that is as immediate and passionate as the one I have with real materials:  cloth, paper, paint, scissors, glue, paper, buttons.   It is difficult to continue with this blog when my creative longings take me elsewhere.  It can, however, be a record of this other work that I do. So, here are some photos of my most recent project.  Let me know what you think.  I guess the important aspect of blogging is the relationship you create and nurture with others.

Credit card charm bracelets

                                                              
It seems like the nature of a blog is to go in and out of it.  I'm trying to get back to my original vision, "Creativity Everyday."  This post is one that I hand-wrote in my blog journal in August which I never published but feel like it is a good start back into this process....


August 13, 2010
So what can I do today that's creative?  My outfit isn't particularly striking. I'm sitting in an ugly room at the Courthouse serving my civic duty as a juror-in-waiting and I haven't made anything in the last few days.  I have, however, made a lot of things in the past.  At times like this (when my creative spirit is taking a nap) I can pull from some of those older ideas.  Maybe that will even help me wake up and get inspired again!

Making jewelry, especially out of unusual materials, has been one of my passions for years.  For instance, does a charm bracelet have to have specific kinds of charms?

I'm sure you have all had occasion to cut up a credit card because it has expired, or you are determined to get out of debt, or you never wanted it in the first place.  But how many of you save the pieces and put them in your drawer full of other random junk that might be useful someday?  I sometimes get credit cards or membership cards in the mail that I don't want or need.  Yes, I am a member of the Humane Society, but do I need to carry a plastic card in my wallet to prove it?  Out of my paranoid habit to avoid identity theft, I started to cut the card up and noticed all the interesting little pieces that appeared.  (My favorite one is from a list of tips for taking care of your pet in an emergency, "Always remain calm," a good reminder for everyday life as well.)  I continued to cut the card up, choosing pieces and shapes that pleased me.  I have no idea how the image of a charm bracelet first occurred to me but it soon became a reality.  I poked holes in the pieces of the card with a small awl and attached them to a piece of chain with jump rings and finished off the bracelet with a clamp to open and close it.  Maybe I could offer to make charm bracelets out of your old credit cards as a way to encourage people to stop using them.  Let me know if you would like me to make one for you!
xo penelope

I find myself in a world of pink...

Today, I wore pink and black sunsuit that my sister got for me at Daffy's and Pippi wore a pink bandanna that I made for her with poodles on it.

Yesterday, my friend Judith made a dress for me with the same fabric.  It was like magic.

She measured  me and  then cut and sewed the dress without any pattern or pins, in less than two hours.  I had  these poodle earrings that I made from keychains to go with it.

Then I remembered the new wallet that I bought at Pearl River last week - its mostly pink.
 

And I just finished reading a children's book called "The Pink Motel" by Carol Ryrie Brink in which the color pink is used as a symbol of individuality leading to a better understanding and acceptance of diversity.

So THINK PINK and enjoy your weekend!
xo Penelope

Fruit #3

Here is another "Fruit" outfit.  I reconstructed the dress from a 1960's shirt by cutting off the collar and sleeves, reshaping the neck and adding pink tulle to the bottom.  The belt is made out of grass turf and fake flowers [I didn't make it].  Green cowboy boots, white satin gloves, a green button bracelet [that I did make] and green dangling earrings finish off the outfit.  All I need is a place to go!  Maybe I should start my own "Fruits" gathering - anyone want to join me?   How about on Sunday afternoons at the High Line in NYC?

Fruit #2

Penelope Cake: Fruit #1

Penelope Cake: Fruit #1

Fruit #1

"Fruits" is a beautiful Phaidon book with vibrant photographs of Japanese teenagers in fantastic, outrageous, colorful and playful outfits.  The author and photographer, Shoichi Aoki, states that his interest in fashion "comes from the way people express themselves through the clothes they wear."  During the 1990's, teenagers congregated every weekend in the Harajuku district of Tokyo to display their creative attire, socialize, and inspire each other.  Street fashion became personalized artwork, moving sculpture and a performance event all at the same time.  This is my homage to that movement.  For the next few days, I will be experimenting with my own "fruity" outfits and posting them here.

potholders

Just a glimpse of my bungalow kitchen in the Catskills.

Bicycle Art

     During one summer in my early 20's, I was a bike messenger in NYC. It was one of the many jobs that I tried to support myself while I was dancing and leading the life of an underpaid performer.  I was living on Ludlow St. and biking every morning up to 91st and Park Ave. to get my first assignment.  Then I would ride all day around midtown Manhattan delivering envelopes and packages to smartly dressed receptionists in high heels.  I, of course, was wearing shorts, a tank top and flip-flops... as little as possible to keep cool.  It was a hot, dirty and dangerous job.  As I became more confident, I would take more risks, riding in and out of traffic, around buses, trucks  and pedestrians.  One day I woke up with the feeling that I was going to have a serious accident, so I quit.  The job lasted about two months. That was enough!
     Recently, I got my bike  (not the racer I used to ride) out of storage.  I haven't ridden in about 15 years.  I decorated it with long strips of knitting, a new Pylone bicycle bell, rick rack tassels and a carrier for Pippi on the front.  Its quite a different experience now.  I end up riding on the sidewalk a lot because the street scares me a little - sometimes Pippi and I just walk the bike for a few blocks until we can fine a clear path.  I love my bike now.  Riding around Manhattan isn't a job anymore, its performance art!

Hands

This is a collage I made.

Art-o-mat

Several years ago I discovered an old cigarette machine at the Whitney Museum that vends art, instead of cigarettes.  It is in the gift shop and requires the purchase of a special token for $7.50 to use it.  After pulling the knob, you receive an original piece of artwork the exact size of a package of cigarettes.  These machines are located in arts institutions and museums throughout the country.  Last year I submitted these small assemblages in solid color tones for consideration in the program.  They were accepted and I became an official Art-o-mat artist!  This is a photograph of the fifty finished pieces that went into the re-purposed   machines all over the country.  Each one was packaged in a box that was labeled "Object Lessons" by Penelope Cake.  They are all sold out now, so I plan to make a whole new batch but I need more solid colored random pieces of junk to finish them.  Any donations would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

Making a doll

Sal Lomanno, a childhood friend who I haven't been in contact with for about 40 years, invited me to visit her in Cape May, NJ.  It was an amazing and inspiring experience.  We talked for hours.  We revisited ourselves as children and renewed ourselves as adults.  We decided to create something together - to make a doll.  We went hunting in thrift stores and junk stores to find the right materials.  We didn't know what we were looking for, but found some things to start with.  A soft maroon sweater is becoming the body, some toy oars will most likely be the legs, a vintage aluminum jello mold will be a hat, we'll use buttons for eyes, rick rack for a mouth and are hoping to make some wings out of a lace table runner.  The process of creating a doll and recreating our friendship has begun.  I  look forward to the adventure!