Monday, Monday

The sun is shining and although there is a lot of snow, the roads are clear and dry. DH had to dig out some, but thanks to our neighbor, our driveway was mostly clean. I had errands to run before the next storm (Tuesday, grr) so I got chauffeured around town all morning.

Went to Michael's for a new clay blade. I have tons of dull ones and haven't figured out the best way to sharpen them, so I had to fork over $5.00 for one blade. Yikes.

I think I'm going to take a break from the collage work and make some jewelry. Making jewelry is what I always go back to and I think my polymer clay is calling to me. Hopefully, I'll have something to post later in the week, jewelry-wise, but until then here is the only art I've done recently... my last two collage journal pages.

My pages are fairly large, 11" x 14", so I have lots of room for my images and lettering. I may have mentioned that I'm participating in a Flickr Collage group, where we all download the same image and create our piece. I'm getting a bit stymied in this type of collage art. For some reason, none of my pages look anything like the others in the group, and I'm constantly comparing myself to them. The group leaves positive comments on my art, but for some reason, I feel like they are dancing around the fact that I'm just not like the other kids. I have always been a bit different, and have been called crazy, weird and my all time favorite...colorful. Ahh, but again, I digress.

Here are my most recent submissions.

The guitars and the necklace were my addition to the supplied images, as were the words and the doodles.


This week's sheet was mostly party images with cake and balloons and vintage photos of fancy ladies. I had some really nice watches cut from a fashion magazine ad, and I added them, but I really never got a feel for this week's images.

With all this in mind, I think I'm stepping away from collage for several weeks and going to play around with wearable art, mostly necklaces. I've done a bit of research on what the new trends in jewelry are and will be trying my hand at a few new ideas.

We picked up my new tri-focals today and am trying to get used to them. I can see much better than before, but there is a learning curve. Maybe if I can come up with a cute way to camouflage my turkey wattle, I'll post a picture of me actually wearing them.

Well, that's it for today. Keep your fingers crossed that we don't get any more snow, but I'm thinking we will. If you get any of this next storm, try to stay warm and safe and enjoy it.

Hang in there and remember to be creative in some way and to love life.

Yes, I'm snowed in

I am snowed in, but I'm not unhappy at all. It started snowing early Friday morning (about 3 a.m.) and now at noon on Saturday it's still snowing. Due to the fact that at times it has been quite fine, we haven't gotten the accumulation that we did on Christmas Eve, but this is a heavy snow that is sticking to everything. Our neighbor had a new blade he was itching to try and he pushed and plowed everyone's driveways. After working (playing?) for hours, he finally realized it was an uphill battle.

He is a great guy and I'm sure when it finally stops, he'll be back out helping us all.

Here is the view down into my back woods...

A neighbor's tree sags from the weight of the snow...

A close up of a tree holding the snow, as if she loves it.

This shot, taken from my deck, shows even the tiniest branches grasping the snow...like it's some kind of winter game. I love it.

It's a good thing this red car has no where to be this weekend. It will take quite a bit of sweeping and a lot of hot cocoa for this neighbor to go out.

To help deal with the weather, I love to do art, especially coloring. I'm so glad to have such a talented artist friend as Jenny, who graciously shares an image to color. Please stop by and visit her and see my take on Jenny's art.

So, that's it for me today. I'll be staying in, having fun and counting my blessings. Power, cable, food and love...things we might take for granted, but really appreciate on a day like this.

Enjoy your weekend and have fun!

It's monday again...

Well, it's Monday again. We had another major snow storm over the weekend with frigid temps. I don't mind at all. I would show you a picture of this new storm, but surprisingly enough, it looks a lot like last month's storm. So I won't bore you with that.

As you know, I am a very lighthearted and happy person. There have been several really sad things happen in our region lately, the finding of Morgan Harrington and also finding little Aveion Lewis. These were two local missing persons cases, that have been on our news recently.

Both of these cases are now murder investigations and we are all saddened by the events. Last week I was going through some of my previous essays and I came across one that I want to post for you today. Approximately one year ago, two similar events happened that prompted me to write this, and it still holds true.

********

Sometimes when I stop and think about all the pain in this world, I wonder is it OK for me to be so happy? I know He wants His children to be happy, but is it fair for me to be happy when others have such grief in their lives?

Babies being killed by family members. Ridiculous. Families being torn apart by the sudden death of a loved one just doing his job, killed while at work, by someone doing something stupid. The people that caused these deaths? How can I feel for them? Is it Evilness? Madness? Spirits...from a glass vessel? What causes their pain, what causes people to change? From the decent souls that you thought they were, into instruments of pain? Instruments of death?

Can I live with myself for being happily married for over twenty years, with hopefully and prayerfully, many more years in the future? Can you be happy for me? Or do you hate me for my happiness?

How can I ease your pain, how can I not think of you, all of you? I am only one person, one silly little girl. Am I masking my empathy for you with my happiness? Do I bury myself in my own interests because your pain makes me physically ill? I have to stay healthy, so when it is my time to do my part, I will be able. Please don't hate me because I'm happy. Love me for it. It is a gift from God....this capability I have to always stay positive, to be able to remove myself from your pain. I have to, I know you don't want me to falter... I have to be here for you.

If I don't cry when I hear your grief, it's because I must not. I would cry all the time. I have to grab the bootstraps on my pink patent leathers and give them a tug. I am here to help you and I can't do it if I am in pain.

Don't hate me because you think I'm happy, or beautiful, or rich or blessed or fortunate. What you may think of me, what you may think I am, have you considered that you just might be wrong? I love you, I love you all...maybe too much.

Thank you for the music. Thank you for the art. Thank you for the healing. Thank you for being you.

It's ok to grieve, just don't give up. Grab the rope and hang on. It really will be ok. I know that in my heart.

Faith, Hope and Love...

*******

So that's it for today. I'll be back soon with some art and something lighter and happier, I promise.

A little bit of art...

Ok, I know you are tired of looking at my ugly mug, so here's a bit of art.

I mentioned this artist in an earlier post when I drew the apple. That tutorial was on how to draw an apple, but until I get my new glasses, I have to hold stuff in my hand in order to see it. Imagine my surprise when I found out his new tutorials are on drawing the hand. Last night, just as a lark and using the tools at hand, I followed his newest Youtube tutorial and drew this pointing hand.

This is an excellent tutorial that starts out with three oval shapes and breaks the drawing down into simple shapes that anyone can draw. It is so non intimidating to draw in this way. I really didn't take that much time on it, but I did use the pause button on the video as instructed, and did some shading with a Q-tip. The pointing finger is shortened a bit too much, and the shading needs work, but all in all for a quick sketch, I'm pleased with it.

Several weeks ago, I was asked to participate in a Flickr art group called Collage Play with Crowabout. The group administrator, Nancy Baumiller, supplies an image sheet, which you download and print out and then make your collage using at least three of the suggested images. This week's images were ones that I did not immediately relate to, but after one unsuccessful attempt, I applied the "if at first you don't succeed" method and I came up with this.

It's done on a fairly large sheet, about 9 x 12, so I had lots of room to write (which is my favorite part of my style collage). The sheet had a cow, several signs (open, exit, road work ahead), an advert with Bill Cullen hawking Tenderleaf Tea, a vintage image of a boy, some fish and lots of stuff about Spam. No offense folks, but for a person who stopped eating pork about fifteen years ago, the Spam ads did nothing to encourage my creativity. But I kept looking at it and finally decided that it needed to be a cowboy collage. Having decided that, it dawned on me that I have always thought that, deep down, all guys want to be cowboys. I have lots of old Look and Life mags and took some images from a Roy Rogers ad for little boy's boots and toy guns and such.

I found an image of Sam Elliott (the hunkiest cowboy around) and some vintage images from a western wear website. All of these images lead me to draw a background of the setting sun and then I did a doodle type border frame. I glued down my images and altered them a bit, especially Mr. Bill Cullen.

Well, I could go on and on about my feelings regarding collage art, but perhaps that is a post for another day. Today, I'm staying close to the Weather channel and wondering if the snow that is in our forecast will really materialize.

So that's it for me today. Hope you are all having fun and being creative. Take care and hug the person closest to you. You'll be glad you did.

xoxo
Susan

Something Fun

Here is something I've been working on this weekend. It's unbelievable that it took me hours to figure out how to do it. Duh...copy and paste.

This is just a small sampling of the colors, shapes and styles that I have sported over the past ten years. Sorry that the first one is awful, I was holding my very, very ill fur baby. I should have found another one, as there are lots of me with this Ric Flair mullet, but you get the idea.

Anyway, hope this holds you over until I can post some art.

Kickin it old school...

Ok, I'll be honest, I really don't know if this quote really applies to this piece, but I just like the sound of it.

I used to think you had to suffer
to be Beautiful, but now???

I'm Kickin' It Old School!

The suffering could be anything from eating all your peas as a child, to suffering through many Lilt or Toni home perms. For me, I still do an occasional Velcro roller set, but no color and no perms for this chick. I still love me some war paint (lipstick and nail color) but I kicked the torture chamber heels for more comfy shoes quite a while back.

This next little beauty is along the same lines.

You know how they say

"A leopard doesn't change Her spots"...

Well, Baby I won't tell if you don't!

This little feline sweetie looks a lot scarier than I intended. I hope I don't seem superficial. "Oh listen to her, she thinks all you have to do is slap some make up on". I have always known that folks can change. Whether is something you have been delivered from, to something like gradually breaking out of a rut. We can change bad habits and move forward. Changes can be made, and you can share them with your friends, or they can be your little secret. But the next time someone tells you that "they'll never change" think of my little leopard with her jewelry and make up, and tell them they just might be surprised.

Well, that's it for today. It's raining here today, so perhaps some needlework is in my future. Hope everyone is having a great week. Take care and keep those cards and letters comin'


disclaimer: please be advised that I am a girly-girl, princess type (Baby Boomer that I am) and you will probably continue to see fashion and glamor in my collages (at least until I get some new magazines), so be prepared.

Fabulous Friday

Can you believe that it's Friday again? I know it is, because all my shows were on last night. The week has flown by, but I did get a bit of art done. I'm still into collage art. I like the whole process, from gathering up magazines, to finding images, to deciding whether to look for colors or themes. Everything about collage art is working for me right now.

This first piece wasn't going well, and I just sort of vented as I worked on it. That's where the therapeutic part comes in. I decided to post it anyway...

This next piece was fun and just fell into place...

Someone gave us a stack of Life and Look mags, dating back as far as 1952. When you have magazines that old, you are sometimes hesitant to cut into them, but when I want an image I want it then. So I clip it out. I could wait and go to the copy shop and save the magazine, but shoot...nothing lasts forever, so I am using them. Any hoo, there was this ad for a product to make silver hair beautiful, so that got me to thinking about my journey into the land of uncolored tresses. It's one of the best things I've done for myself lately. Once again I'm happy with my hair. But enough about me.

Speaking of magazine images, if you don't have a lot of magazines and certainly don't want to put a lot of money into something you are going to cut up, check out your local library.



Our's sells their back issues of magazines for .20 each. I went by today and they had lots of different kinds. Another option is catalogs that you get in the mail. I even ask my dentist for old magazines. DH gets musician catalogs and I'm looking forward to doing something funky with them.

My last picture for today is a somewhat blurry shot of a little red headed visitor we had this week. I had to use my zoom feature and take it through the screen, but you can tell what he's up to.

Not quite as busy as Stan the Beaver, but he was quite intent on his job.

So that's it for today. A bit of art, some prose and a look at our backyard buddies. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Do some art, enjoy the scenery or just curl up and watch a movie, whatever you choose...have fun.