Hand #365 Mold Making Day: One Of A Kind Hand Plaster Cast created of my right hand

With a plaster cast I created of my right hand (using alginate to create mold and plaster to make cast, finished off with glaze), this 365 Hand project comes to an end. My husband and I have the perfect bottle of wine to share in celebration of a wonderful, fun, interesting and educational year! (See hand blog post #237 Meeker)

I’ve learned much over the past 365 days… here’s a list of the highlights

        ~  Success …. Reached my goal... I can do anything I put my mind to.

~  Support … I could not have done this 365 project without the support of my husband who had to live with my daily “hand” chatter, antics, creations and photos.

~  I found the artist in me… I’m an Artist… commissioned the first 50 hands for Art-O-Mat

~  Time … NO EXCUSES… I found the time daily to be creative and blog.  

~  JOY … I found joy each day … from creating, making a mess, the smell of paint, glue, crayons and markers, working under pressure, feedback from family,  friends and strangers, to the simplest hand finds which brought a smile to my face,  as I went out and about my daily activities....creating memories covering the full range of emotions...silly to serious

~  Sharp … my mind is clearer, I make business decisions quicker and easier and I am not so hung up in details and the “what ifs”.  I’m more creative with my business and daily tasks at work.

~  Discovery.....I love hand prints in concrete… if I drove a cement truck and laid concrete for a living, I would leave a hand print in my work at every job. I’m sure they have rules about that. I wouldn’t make it long on the job!

~  I learned to Blog… this was my first…. and won't be my last

~  I appreciate my right and left hand… they are of value and I don’t take them for granted

~  4 ongoing projects as a result of this 365 Project 

                Lend A Hand Project (helping others)

                The Inkspot Family (children’s book)  

                Art-O-Mat (small hand sculptures for sale)

                Hand Art in Concrete (calendar and wall art)



Mold Making Day... created a plaster cast of my right hand... one of a kind!

 

Hand #363 The Culdesac Gift ... 3 hands in concrete today on my run through Bunker Hill

Going for distance, today I ran a relaxing 8 miles throughout the Bunker Hill area ...running a new route, always on the lookout for hands when I run neighborhoods. At the halfway point, ran down a dead end street... when I arrived at the end of the culdesac, this is what greeted me ...WoooHoooo! It seems fitting that on these final days of posting I would receive this gift of 3 hands in concrete.
Art in concrete "Hand" finds, as those of you who follow my blog know, are one of my favorite 365 posts!

Going back through 365 day Blog posts, counting today, there are 11 street hand finds:#78, #110, #138, #162, #177, #251, #259, #284, #303, #341.



Hand find today on my 8 mile run through the Bunker Hill area... Hand in Concrete art!

Hand #362 a permanent impression of my right hand created in homemade dough.... love the glow

Mixed flour, salt and water to make dough...rolled it out... pressed my hand on it to create impression... in the oven it went to bake for 3 hours.
Placed completed project in front of a lamp. Love the soft "hand glow" effect




Created permanent impression of my right hand using homemade dough.... love the glow

Hand #361 "H" is for HAND

looking for a thank you card in my top desk drawer, I found this wooden "H" tucked away...  down to the wire, I was wondering where my creative hand post would come from today..... smiling, as I gather paint markers

"H" is for H A N D
noun
1. the terminal, prehensile part of the upper limb in humans and other primates, consisting of the wrist, metacarpal area, fingers and thumb.
2. the corresponding part of the forelimb in any of the higher vertebrates.
3. a terminal prehensile part, as the chela of a crustacean, or, in falconry, the foot of a falcon
4. something resembling a hand in shape for function, as various types of pointers: the hands of a clock.




"H" is for Hand

Hand #360 Younger Faster Fearless Hand ~ Let's Go Rockets!

My husband and I are NBA basketball fans. This year is exciting for us because the Houston Rockets made it to the NBA Western First Round playoffs. We are playing Oklahoma City Thunder. The best out of 7 games moves on.

Saturday night, our excitement was building entering the arena for game #3 here in Houston.  As we walked through the gate, every fan received a Red 3 Point “HAND”… YESSSSSSSSS! I was in heaven! To make it even better, each seat in the arena had a white shirt draped over it for fans to wear. This was our first “white-out” game. What a night it was…  arena was a sell out.... we were down by 3 at the last minute… it was loud....we're screaming, cheering … jumping up and down…. The Rockets could not pull out the win in the end... they played their hearts out! Oh so close…..  I was exhausted…. like I had run a marathon!  

As of right now it’s Thunder 3, Rockets 0. Tonight is Game 4 here at home in Houston. We will be there to cheer on the team. The Rockets have to win this game or we are out of the playoffs.

 Let’s Go Rockets!!!!!

Game 3 of NBA playoffs Rockets vs OKC. Cheer on Rockets with a 3 point fan hand!

Hand #359 From farmers market to home... enjoy bringing the fragrance of the outside in

beautiful flowers...from farmers market to home...

enjoy bringing the fragrance of the outside in

 

 

 

removed flowers from a broken stem to create this hand
 

Hand #358 Kale that did not make it into the Juicer, plus straw, makes hand

I juice kale with other fruits and veggies, enjoy sipping beverage through straw. Today's juicing inspired me to create. This kale did not make it into the juicer... cut a straw for fingers, added kale for palm



I  juice kale with other fruits and veggies, then sip beverage through straw... inspired me to create todays hand

Hand #357 Meet "Hookman" Brown Songwriter and Musician

Hookman Brown

I went to pick up our racing packets for this weekend’s race and pulled in the parking lot.  The attendant came out, greeted me with a compliment, a smile and handed me a ticket.  As I walked through the shops, picked up our race numbers and headed back to the car, I could not resist the urge to talk with the parking attendant further. There was a special kindness about him… he had a servants heart. Like a superhero, he intrigued me….

After introducing myself I asked, “If you could be any superhero, who would you be?”  He said “Growing up in Texas City, Texas I read Flash Comics ~ Super Speed.  As a superhero, I would be invisible, fly over, looking below at all that’s going on.” As he spoke a slight smile slowly came over his face. “Super Speed” was what the flash comic possessed. With that said, I was not surprised to learn that this man loves cars. He is the proud owner of two collector cars and is working on buying another. 

Born without a left arm, he was fitted with a prosthetic at the age of 11. For the next 6 years he was cared for by the Shriners, as he grew, they would refit him with a new prosthetic arm. Back then, the hook prosthetic was available. Voluntary opening split hook systems are simple, convenient, light, robust, versatile and relatively affordable. Hooks obviously do not match human hand in both appearance and overall versatility. As technology changed over the years, he preferred to stay with the hook prosthetic. He and those around him were comfortable with this type. He worked outside as a surveyor and the new prosthetics with hands, made with a soft cover, was not as durable and would be difficult and costly to maintain.

Meet Mr. Frank Brown. People call him “Hook”. He’s also well known here in Houston’s music community as “Hookman" Brown the musician. Passion poured out as he talked about writing music and performing. His lack of an arm and hand does not keep him from enjoying life and all it has to offer. “I’m at peace inside. Nothing gets me stirred up.” He said. Hook is a father, grandfather and works two jobs. He is one busy man! Hook is living proof that having faith in yourself, your gifts and talents, your purpose, follow your heart. Hook has created and lives a life with JOY despite his disability.






Hookman Brown, Houston TX, Songwriter and Musician

Hand #356 Hands in the Garden Flowers Blue with Blue Modern Wave

A trip to Paper Source resulted in these 2 lovely sheets of paper, measuring 30x20. Using a pen knife, I cut out hands in Garden Flowers Blue paper then placed it on top of the Blue Modern Wave paper... love the results

cut hands from Garden Flowers Blue paper and placed it over Blue Modern Wave paper

Hand #355 Bouquet of Hands... the result of taking my mind out to play with paint and paper

stiff from sitting at my desk all day... needed to get up, shake it off... take my mind out to play.... paint to paper resulted in this bouquet of hands. Photographed using PuddingCam app on my cell phone.



after sitting at my desk... took my mind out to play... paint to paper... created this hand bouquet

 

Hand #354 3 Hand Find today at Walgreen's ~ NICE

Packed day today, full of errands and chores... running around town....feeling pressure to get it all done....  in and out of Walgreen's (our local drugstore) ... as I raced to get out of the store I stopped in my tracks! WoooHooooo! "Hands" 
1. they are my favorite color
2. there's more than one 
3. I was just waiting for a hand to show up spontainousely as I went about 
    my errands to post on this blog today!

Amazing the therapy I get from doing this blog... these hands gave me pause in the hustle and bustle of my day... after I took this photo... the rest of my day was a breeze.... I felt light-hearted... no pressure to get everything done... and I was smiling. Yes, it was a very good day!  



Happy to have this 3 hand find today at Walgreen's

 

Hand #353 Swarovski Crystal 'Bling Hand' from birds nest

Removed the crystals from the Swarovski Crystal Bird Nest in our display cabinet.... created this "Bling" hand



Swarovski Crystal "Bling Hand"

Hand #352 The Traveling Starbucks Hand

The coffee house experience in the Jacksonville Florida Ariport ... waiting on a flight... make a hand....



The coffee house experience in the Jacksonville Florida Ariport ...
waiting on a flight... make a hand....

Hand #351 Saturday at the Mall ... H&M Hand

looked up high...spotted this hand at the local H&M store in Jacksonville Florida 




looked up high...spotted this hand at the local H&M store in Jacksonville Florida 

Hand #350 Laytex Glove.... before and after

here's a laytex glove...before and after.... sure is silly looking filled with air!




laytex glove...before and after ... silly looking filled with air!

 

Hand #349 kitchen junk drawer HAND

I'm at my son's house visiting... opened the junk drawer... here's what I found...smiling, delighted to add his girlfriends pretty hammer to the mix.




created this had out of items found in my sons kitchen junk drawer

Hand #348 Pretzel Stick Hand

simple and quick today..... here's a Pretzel Stick Hand



Pretzel Stick Hand .... yummy!

Hand # 347 Thankful to all the helping hands in the midst of tragedy at the Finish Line of the Boston Marathon

sad.... sad day for the running community.... Bomb blast at the finish line of the Boston Marathon...
always remember there are "helpers" in the midst of tragedy...
thankful for the hands that helped...



This hand is in honor of the "helpers" in the midst of the tragedy at the Boston Marathon Finish Line

Hand #346 Tax Day in the U.S.A.

did you know? ...
 in 1913, Congress passed the 16th Amendment which says that Congress has the power to lay and collect taxes



April 15, 2013  Taxes are due today!

Hand #345 Moms sea shells from the sea shore

I'm keeping this blog going while at my parents house. After the sea glass hand, it was only fitting I move on to Moms shell collection. Picked a select few to create this hand from her Bahama Island shells... love the corral and crab claw find!



Created a hand from my Mothers Bahammas shell collection