The All Art and Poetry Extravaganza

Olivia starting a painting

The last fifty-four hours in this house have been an all-out, non-stop art and poetry extravaganza!

It was a smack-down:  Could a fifty-eight year old crazy aunt stand up to the stamina of a sixteen- year-old poet, violinist, and artist?  It was going to get wild!

Leia, the last niece to visit, is 24, a businesswoman, and always well-organized with her creative side.  Her cousin Olivia is more like moi - scattered, moving from project to project, and blaring CD's filling the downstairs.  SQUIRREL!!!

Chucks wisely set up a card table and lamp for extra art space along with the kitchen counter and the dining room  table and moved upstairs with the animals and wished us well.

There are pictures galore and we will share some of them as we recount our adventures!

LUCKY chickens half done-Group Love playing

SUNDAY, 4 PM to 12 AM:

*Old Navy:  $12 for linen peasant top, Fanta Grape jersey, turquoise plaid men's shirt

*Kroger: From sushi to cucumber and melon water - a whole cart of nourishment

*Home: painting, Mod Podging, writing poetry, sharing stories, planning projects, eating, listening to music, watching Falling Skies

MONDAY, 9 AM to 2 AM

*Tore muslin into 12" wide strips (two feet long)

*Tore two yards of white cotton knit into three 18-inch wide strips

*Mixed Rit dye (Evening Blue) and dyed all this cloth plus some torn ribbons I had waiting to dye!

Stainless bowl + dye + torn fabric +  gloves + wooden paint stirrer =  Hours of dying pleasure and a mountain of blue cloth in various shades

(And blue fingers - I can never remember to put on the gloves when rinsing!)

Olivia decided to twist tie some of the muslin scarves.

The dye vat started this dark.

The last scarf was a blue-green with tie-dye lightening!

So far I am neck-and-neck with Olivia - maybe even a little ahead - I got up two hours before her!

We spent several hours outside lunching and swimming and, of course, napping on the pool noodles!

Back inside, Olivia finished up the LUCKY chickens painting and started a skyline collage.

We, also, went to the Greek restaurant for spanokopita and gyros (Treated by Uncle Chucks!), watched Black Swan (super creepy!) and In Time (with Justin Timberlake - really good!)

 Olivia worked with her scarves.  She printed some with a fabric ink pad and art stamps and added silver details with a Sharpie paint pen.

 It's late, but I am still hanging in there, and yes, I am actually working on some projects , but at the speed of a snail - there is no more space!  Every available surface is covered with some partially finished art.

Olivia takes the fine point fabric pen to her plaid shirt and decorates with delicate graphics in black on the collar, cuffs, and pocket.

At 12 AM, the bleach pen is unwrapped and Olivia begins combining her poetry with her newly-dyed cotton knit scarf.  We leave this drying in the living room away from the animals to dry.

Finally, bed and books.  Tomorrow is another day, right!?! Please tell me I have another tomorrow! NO, I refuse to allow a mere girl to outlast me.  I will survive.  (That is the fifty-somethings anthem!)

So-o-o-o, what in the world was I doing all this time besides locating the proper supplies for Olivia so she could finish her projects?

Playing with a collage using Frozen Charlottes (currently for sale on my eBay site zoeyfeb98).

Love these little dolls - will tell more about this when I have a clear mind. but it involves three headless torsos, one armless doll, some keys, and some raffle tickets.  There also might be a flashcard or two.  I am still working with it.

Oh, yeah, I now have added a door plate and dyed my canvas with the leftover dye.  Gave the doll a taupe tulle tutu (say that three times).

It's growing on me!

TUESDAY, 9 AM to 12 AM

*Wash bleached scarf and dried.

*Worked on collages.

*Took baths and got dressed for a day on the streets of Aiken

Olivia with the two old women who have sat here for years

We walked up and down Laurens Street visiting the art gallery, shops with farm girl clothes (cute little tees and muslin blouses, boots, boots, boots), shops with sweet voile tops and flirty skirts, shops with outsider art and hand-thrown pottery, shops with Carolina style (you know it when you see it -pink, green polka dotty sundresses).

Coffee for her, sweet tea for me

The last store was The Curiosity Shop which specializes in books, CD's, and grocery items from Great Britain and beyond.  We grabbed an armful of sale books, specialty papers of Paris, Rome, and London.

As we checked out, lemon scones came from the oven and the wafting scent drove us into purchasing two for home.  The clerk informed us that tonight was open microphone for musicians and poets.

Well, Olivia IS a spoken word poet with numerous performances under her belt.  We quickly agreed to return for the supper sandwich buffet and a night of words and music.

 Ready to rumble - Olivia in her newly decorated shirt and scarf on her way to the Open Microphone Night.  She slammed right into the place and knocked the audience off their feet.  She was both fierce and funny.

 Well, it is 12 AM.  Adele is rolling in the deep, Chucks is still sane, the cats and dogs a little confused but fine.  There is definitely a slowing down.  I am trying to get this post done while Olivia readies all her projects for tomorrow's journey back home.

And who won this smack down - the all art and poetry extravaganza? Let's just say Aunt Distressed Donna is finishing this post, planning the Frozen Charlotte collage, checking emails.  Olivia?  She wants her room back to go to bed!  Score one for the fifty-somethings! 

 A last note just because I thought this was such a sweet little detail that I totally take credit for - I used a vintage brooch to pleat the back of the shirt to give it more shape!

I plan to take more photos (I know you are cringing at the thought of that!) of the finished art and post it.  So come and visit again.

See y'all!

Big Thanks to Danni Baird at Silo Hill Farm!

Each week Danni features a blogger who inspires her.  I have been following her blog for a few months and this is a feature I really like.  I have found some very interesting bloggers through Danni's posts plus she usually has several quick decorating tips and projects.   This week for some reason she picked me to post about.  I am truly humbled by all the nice comments she wrote and for the love and support she provides for blogger friends  I lift a glass of iced sweet tea to salute you, Danni!  Also, pray for her pumpkins - they are getting parched!

If you want to read Danni's post go here:  http://silohillfarm.blogspot.com/2012/07/bloggers-i-admire-donna-at-distressed.html

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