December 2013

Dec 31 2013

Whoosh…!!

By melissasasichambers Holidaze

Was that really a whole year that just flew by?

I could have sworn this was me just last month…

Must be the accumulation of poppers that’s confusing me.

It’s been a great year. A very BUSY, great year.

Now it is the Eve of what is shaping up to be an even busier, even more productive, even better year, and I plan to enjoy it.

Even the busy parts.

I had envisioned a mellow start to the year including actually enjoying the inversion with pots of tea and stacks of Library! books and maybe even a twinge or two of boredom thrown in to needle my creativity.

Not going to happen.

NOT complaining!

I have two big projects (for public consumption in Boise) which will each begin in January. One winds up March 20-23, the other October 4…and those are all the clues you get for now my little inquiring minds!

So as we head into 2014, instead of a month off, I plan to take a mini break. Just a week or so to make sure my space suit is airtight and my canteen is topped off with Tang as we head off on our next orbit of the sun.

Until then…

Happy New Year!

Dec 29 2013

Second Helpings: Painted Cigar Boxes

By melissasasichambers Second Helpings

These may really qualify as “one man’s trash” as opposed to secondhand castoffs finding new life as objet d’art, but either way they start out ordinary, end up special, and that’s enough for me.

I’m talking about painted cigar boxes:

You should have no problem finding a variety of boxes at smoke shops, or if you have a grandpa or an uncle, or even an interesting aunt who relishes a fragrant Cuban now and then (well who wouldn’t?) you may be lucky enough to find these boxes closer to home.

Once you’ve got the box then all you need is paint. I use that same acrylic paint I’ve been painting everything else in creation with…

and when I paint I let little bits of the original cigar brand artwork peek through. I like to pick out words or phrases like “ART” or “CAN DO.”

My patterns lean toward the geometric and often look like quilts. Not much of a stretch for me I guess.

Sometimes I play with the original images on the box and add more of my own to create a little story.

So if your recycling is more likely to end up in your studio than in the blue bin out back, and you would never refer to a raw material as trash — consider the humble cigar box.

And if you run across any fragrant Cubans let me know. I’m working on my Interesting Aunt credential.

Dec 28 2013

How Sweet it Is

By melissasasichambers Everything Else

We went to Salt this morning for breakfast and had Guru Donuts and lattes. Sweet.

Today is Lina’s last day in Boise before she goes back to Chicago and so we just ran around doing last minute things like mailing her Christmas haul so she doesn’t have to carry it back on the airplane and train rides home.

We also felt the need to carb load. Apparently donuts for breakfast leads logically to Mac-n-cheese for lunch.

After lunch we stopped into Bricolage and talked with Chelsea Snow who has some great plans for the New Year for local artists and makers. Pay attention! 2013 was a stellar year for Boise, but I can see that 2014 is shaping up to be even SWEETER!

On the way home we stopped at the new mosaic collaboration Anna Webb and Reham Aarti have just finished. It’s a roundabout next to the Boise Depot:

I think there’s something really special about a city that not only has new food and art and craft and public art ventures popping up all the time, but whose chefs and artists and makers and public artists are all accessible, real people. Maybe it’s a Boise thing. Whatever, it’s the sweetest.

Now back to my sweet daughter for our last evening before she heads home…

Looks like she may have over done it on the sugar today.

Whatever, she’s the sweetest.

Dec 27 2013

An Ordinary…Friday?

By melissasasichambers Ordinary Days

I’m so thrown off schedule by the Holidaze I had to check to see what day of the week it is! (It’s Friday, in case you too are discombobulated.) And being without any annoyingly prioritized “to do” list filling up my head, I decided to do what any other “artist who paints everything” with time on her hands would do… I painted my boots.

No sooner were those boots painted than my feet began to itch for a little adventure. So I put them on, photographed my feet and posted my #fromwhereistand Instagram photo on my Facebook Artist’s page because I am now living in the 21st Century and that’s what I’m supposed to do.

Right?

Anybody?

Then Mike and I went where any other self respecting former US Military Dependents go with time on their hands…to the Army Navy store.

Seriously. If you have never been, you must go. Not only is it a great place to find hats, gloves,

and crash-test dummy face masks,

but you will also find every thickness and color of rope, cord and twine you can ever imagine needing…

for art projects, tying things up, or down, or quickly rappelling down the sides of tall buildings to escape from zombies.

Or perhaps from another former US Military Dependent trying on hats.

Maybe it wasn’t such an Ordinary day after all. But it was Friday.

I’m pretty sure.

Dec 26 2013

Merry Birthday Logan!

By melissasasichambers Holidaze

Logan Blackburn Chambers was born on December 25, 1989, which means that for the past 24 years every Christmas dinner in our family has ended with Birthday cake, ice cream and hopeful wishes.