Gadabout Artist: Playing in the Sunshine...

Well, we are firmly ensconced in sunny Yuma, AZ, and enjoying days of 70+ degree weather. I have no real complaints, we are hooked up to power and water, so no more batteries or sponge baths, very nice after dry camping in the desert for so long. There are many wonderful snow-birds to meet and I spent a lovely evening playing bingo with 253 of them! No beginners luck for me, though...too bad, it would have helped pay for all the extra beads and art supplies I bought in Quartzsite!

There are not a lot of art supplies available there, but a store appropriately named,  "Addicted To Deals" seems to be a clearing house for just about anything under the sun, and they had a wonderful assortment of scrapbooking supplies. The large rubber stamps were only 3 for $5 and the sets were under $2. I think they will be great for my ATCs and the art I am working on for Art-o-mat. Speaking of which, one of our new neighbors here is a wood worker, I am going to ask him later today if he might be willing to cut out the little blocks of MDF that I need for my first shipment to Art-o-mat. I have been working on the art, and had planned to affix them to the blocks once we returned home, but this would allow me to ship much earlier. There is a lot of trading of skills back and forth down here, and I thought I might join in...

Here are just a few of the beads I bought, there are hundreds of tents and stores selling them in Quartzsite, and you can find everything imaginable for jewelry making. I haven't been in the jewelry business for a very long time, but I just could not resist, old habits die hard. So when I finally get around to opening that Etsy shop, you will likely find a collection of jewelry as well as art. My sweet daughter has recently started making jewelry, so she will receive some as well. She likes the more ethnic/hippy style, so these pendants and wood and coral beads were purchased for her. Until next time, enjoy...

Gadabout Artist Days 15-17: Quartzsite and Camping in the Desert

The 15th day out was almost all about travel, we drove south from Ash Fork, way up a mountain, topping off at 6100' and a slow, very slow winding down the other side, into the lowlands. It was a nerve wracking drive, the down side was so steep and so winding, we hardly breathed, and crawled along at 30 miles an hour. Mark that route off the list for next year, there has got to be a better way...

  We got into Quartzsite in the early afternoon on New Years Day, so of course, everything was closed. It was a nice quiet evening, we got full hookups and showered, cooked and went for a stroll down the street. We spent a few hours reading up on all the craft shows and rock and gem shows, and generally making plans for the following day. I also started a four week online class with Traci Bautista, called Creative Doodling, and I am having a lot of fun exploring this free spirited way of making art. Here is my first week "assignment"...

 I had to work with a few substitutions, and on a much smaller scale than the lesson intended, but I am happy with the results. I think it would make a great background for either ATCs or a collage canvas...


 It is difficult to describe this town. It starts with about 2000 permanent residents, and swells to around 150,000 in January and February, all in RVs. Every inch of space is packed cheek to jowl with motorhomes, campers, trailers, trucks and vans, and everyone of them has a tent set up and is selling something!

 We have walked around town now for two days, and still there is no end in sight. Believe it or not, this is just the beginning! The "real shows" haven't really begun, they are scheduled for this week end and for every week from here until the end of February, and just a bit into March. Right now there are a couple of Gem and Mineral shows happening, and I am having a very hard time resisting the BEADS! Every color, shape and size you can imagine!

The prices vary from wholesale, to retail, to sky high to dirt cheap, with no rhyme or reason to them, other than what the market will bear.

Then there is the camping...you can choose to stay in a RV park, if you book the previous year, or you can "dry" camp, or "boondock" out on the surrounding BLM lands which are vast and free of charge. There is also a middle ground, called LTVAs and there you can stay for a ridiculously small price for months at a time. You have to drive into town now and again for water and a sewer dump, or there are clever resourceful souls, that truck these services right out to you. We are only staying one more night here, so we chose the short term site. Then we are off to Tucson to visit my niece and nephew, and my new little grand niece! Until next time...enjoy!