Tuesday night already ???

I do want to say thanks for all the kind comments I have been receiving. It is really nice to know that there are so many supportive folks out there. Many of you mentioned how fortunate I am to have a group of artists to work with. I definitely feel the same way. I wish everyone had a group such as ours. In fact, you may want to approach your local library to see if they can implement a program similar to ours. We aren't charged any kind of fee, and it is beneficial to all involved.



Here are several things I have been working on. First are two pages from my art journal. It is 9 x 12 spiral binder that has perforations, allowing me to remove a page . The left hand page is collaged, then glazed and then I scribbled some large hearts, and wrote in some of my favorite words. The right hand side, was layered first with oil pastels, then black gesso painted on. When this dried, it was a perfect surface for writing on with my white gel pen. I added some ATC's. You might notice that one of them is me, a studio portrait taken when I was seven years old. Some "sparklie" gold trim, and a polymer clay heart were also glued down.




These two pictures are from a series which may never be complete . I like the look of gazing down onto something, as if I were in heavy foliage. The one on the right started the series about a year ago, and I find myself using this "vantage point" quite often. I used acrylic paint for the beach scene. The one on the left has a more surreal look. I was experimenting with the oil pastels again, laying down multiple layers of color, then using my mini craft iron to melt the colors onto the canvas. I then coated the canvas with a thick layer of acrylic matte medium, and drew in the trees and other plants with my alcohol markers. I had to use a light touch, as the oil pastels still wanted to scrape off, even with the acrylic layer.

I will, hopefully, have some more art to post soon. So, we are now off to watch American Idol. Grab a cup of coffee and join us.

Talk soon, and as usual...TA, TA!

Arrgghh Matey!

Here is my Gentleman Pirate and his Parrot, Pinky, He is the result of the art doll meeting we had yesterday with our altered art group. The pattern came from Cloth Paper Scissors Winter 2006 issue, which looked very little like my finished doll. We were using feminine faces, but the fabrics I had chosen lent themselves to a more masculine doll. I don't make much art with male faces, but I got out the sharpie and altered the image with a mustache and heavier eyebrows. All handsome pirates must have blue eyes (like DH) and a little "soul patch" gives him a rakish look. A dashing red scarf completes his ensemble. Also, you may notice that he is left-handed, both hands are left-handed. I think that, in itself, is funny.


Here is an up close and personal shot of Pinky (thanks, Diann for that idea) and the Golden Earring that adorns our Gent's ear. I decided to hand sew him while I watched the Boob Tube, so he is slightly askew in some areas, but we can all relate to that. Anyway, I think he is quite the character .

As usual we had a lot of fun at the meeting and saw familiar faces, as well as a lot of new folks! I am sure this is due to the write up we had in our local paper on the group. We will be doing a gallery showing of our art next month and we are all excited about that.

I have great plans for all things artsy this coming week. I think I will work on my art journal some more and perhaps delve into making different types of backgrounds and layers, layers, layers. I am learning a new photo editing program and am also trying to find which pens work the best for mixed media journaling. I've tried paint pens (without much success), white out pens (still not what I am looking for) and now I going to try (white) gel pens. Whew, I am making myself tired just thinking about it. I love being "creative" and I really love seeing all the things my talented friends do. It is just so motivating and inspiring.

Well, I'm off to the kitchen now for decaf Constant Comment to sip whilst I read my latest fiction selection.

Don't forget, as always, we'll talk soon. TA, TA.

45 Year Old Art Kit

This is one of the cool things that DH found for me when we were cleaning out my uncle's house. In fact, he retrieved it from the trash. The box was so lightweight, that it was tossed out. He found it when he went to the dumpster with more trash and saw it. Recognizing the box, similar to one he had done as a child, he rescued it and asked me if I remembered doing this craft. Yeaaaa!!! Not only did I remember it, but the box was not empty, it was still in the box, almost complete. It was a Mosette Boutif Kit by Craft Master. I decided to finish it and put a 21st century spin on it. I finished up using the remaining glass pieces (similar to frit) added some glass beads, and some words. I think it is really cute and will probably display it.

I also finished my Year of the Rat art entry for the event that Lulu is hosting. Her blog is called My Pink Turtle and she is a real doll-baby. Check her out and join in the fun. My take on it is supposed to be humorous, but I'm not sure if everyone will get it. We will see next month.

In the meantime, I am also posting a close-up of some of the wording from my collage piece (See January 10 entry) called "Blog Words". See if you recognize any of them.


"Is it just misunderstood?" **** "Uniformity"


"Follow your heart" * "Love Angels" * "...A Walk in the Park"

"Scallop Thumb" and "The color is just so juicy"

I am thinking that I will be able to come up with some new art soon. I have so many ideas and I get such good advise from all my friends. I will be using some of my vintage collection. This includes some unmounted clippings from a mid 1800's scrapbook that I found at the flea market, as well as using some of the pages that the young lady had already pasted in the book. It is such a lovely piece, and such thought went into the book. Lots of clippings from Harper's Bazaar and jokes and musings from local newspapers. Feel free to look at my altered book on Flicker for some of the clippings I used at Christmas.

Well, I guess that is all for now. I have to go get ready for my Altered Art meeting tomorrow. We are going to start an art doll. I know so many creative folks. I love it.

As usual, we will talk soon. TA, TA.

First Snow Part 2

Right as I was finishing up the "First Snow" post, I got a telephone call. Yikes!! I knew it was one of two things. Either DH had gone into a ditch, or something else was wrong with his vehicle. Whew, fortunately it was the latter. Short version is this...I drove, in the snow, to go get him. I didn't have any trouble and wasn't really that scared. I figured I could do it, he said I could, so I trusted in that. We came back home, made some calls and now DH has gone back to meet the tow truck and to see about repairs.

Well, the garage called and it was quite simple, the battery cable was bad. They inspected it while it was there, so that's good.

At least we learned one thing, I can drive in the snow if I have to. Why?? Because I'm Super Wife!

As always, we'll talk soon.

First Snow

I checked the weather and thought I would awaken to glistening drippy trees covered with freezing rain. This is much more beautiful to me. They are calling for the freezing rain to start soon, so DH is getting ready to go out into the snow and take some video for his show. I graciously (I hope) declined to be camera person for this segment. I get too nervous when folks drive in the snow. He will be much happier without me shrieking and crying with every skid. In fact, he is so happy that he is writing me a love note.




Well, it's off to the studio to work on my rat. What I thought would be a very clever idea, has not translated to paper as well as I wished. Since this is my first challenge, I am not sure what others will be doing, but that's probably a good thing. No preconceived ideas to tie me down.

I'd better stop typing and actually do something . Just remember to keep those blogs and pictures coming. I love reading and looking at all the wonderful things that my friends post. Well, we'll talk soon.

New Girl In Town...

Hello all, I thought I would post a couple of quick photos of the new girl I have been working on. She started out in one of my "art journals" ( I don't actually journal anything in them, I just draw) and she has also shown up on this 8 x 10 canvas board. For some reason things keep circling her, I don't know if they are her thoughts or just little "thingies" that want to be near her.


Initially, I glued down some vintage clippings , glazed over them, then I hand-painted her and added some "painted" circles. I use a plastic tube that beads come in, as the tool for the circles, so I guess they are not actually painted.

I have mixed emotions when it comes to using my vintage materials. I really do like the look of using the actual piece, as opposed to using a copy of it, but I am such a "keeper of things" that I still hesitate to use any of my specially collected pieces. Now, know I collect these items specifically to use on my art, but still ... Oh, I know I am not the only one that feels like this. Anyway, enough of that.

Well, lots to do today, so I'd better wrap this up. I need to clean up my work area and try to capture the idea I have for The Year of the Rat challenge. Don't forget to post your completed piece on My Pink Turtle's blog on February 7th. ( I think I need for someone to tell me how to post to someone else's blog, though). I am looking forward to seeing all the creative ideas everyone comes up with. So with that in mind, it's off to the studio for lots of fun. Grab your coffee cup and join me. Talk soon, ta, ta.

.

Movie Reviews and You Tube

Well, DH and I are sort of disappointed in "The Orphanage". We thought from the previews that it would be really scary. It is, after all, a ghost story. The scenery is magnificent and the Spanish dialog is pleasant to listen to, for those of us that don't speak the language. It is subtitled in English and the story behind it was pretty good. It's just that it was marketed as the next "Pan's Labyrinth". We really loved that movie, and I don't think it is comparable at all. On a scale of 1-10, I would give this a 5 (maybe). I get an idea of what a movie is going to be about, and I do my research, that way I usually know what I am getting into, but they fooled me on this one.

We went to see "Juno" last week and I loved, loved, loved it. It was a sweet, quirky tale of an unplanned teen pregnancy and all involved. Highly recommend it.

Prior to Juno, we saw "No Country for Old Men". DH liked this one a lot, me not so much. Once again, a good story, but the intensity and the reality of the blood and gore, I thought were too much. If I am going to see special effects of that nature, I want a good Zombie movie.

Oh, yeah we went to see "Walk Hard, the Dewey Cox Story", I won' t even waste anyone's time reviewing this one.

Well, enough on that for now. Here is DH's newest video. He is singing a song by Matthew Sweet called "Nothing Lasts". It was taped in and around our house and our little city, with me doing some of the videography, some of you will recognize the scenery in several shots. He uploaded this to YouTube at least six times, but never got the quality picture he wanted. It actually looks really good, this just doesn't do it justice. Hope you enjoy it.





Well, that's all for now. We'll talk soon.

It's all done...

Oh my, all my blogger friends have been so prolific in their photos and the beautiful accounts of your lives. Although Baby Milo is sooo cute, it is certainly time for me to post a few comments and some new shots of what we have been doing

As some of you know, my uncle died in Nov. and my husband (dear that he is) has been working on cleaning out the house and getting it ready to sell. My brother and his wife have been working there also, but when you work from home, (as DH and I do) you sometimes feel like you are expected to do a little more. Excuse me, as I am rambling. My point is that the house is cleaned up, cleaned out and ready. DH busted booty yesterday. He is such a hard worker, and he doesn't like to leave any loose ends.Here is a picture of him loading the books that I am sending to my sister. You can see that we had to rent a industrial size dumpster to hold the massive amounts of things unusable and unnecessary that had been collected over the years.



This stove has been in use ever since I can remember and it still works. If it were restored, it would be a showpiece. I thought about taking it, but the oven (on the right) is much smaller than I am used to, plus I am not sentimentally attached to it. It does have a deep well pot on the left side, that I have been told is a precursor to the crock pot. There is a burner under the pot, thus leaving the top at the same level as the burners. Supposedly a deluxe feature and somewhat rare.


I did take time to complete a funky piece of art. It is done on a 16 x 24 canvas that I pasted torn papers on in a very random fashion. This is difficult for me. I don't do random. I made my self continue to paste things that "didn't make sense" until I realized I was becoming anxious. I know this is silly. Then I clipped out a piece and pasted it down and, lo and behold, it had the word uniformity printed on it, so I knew my anxiety about randomness was over. I had achieved the order that I crave with this piece of paper. I am calling it "Blog Words". I jotted down some of my favorite phrases from the blogs that I usually read and pasted them down on the canvas. I will be posting close ups of the wording later. The focal point of this piece is an art doll that I made from very heavy card stock. I finished her last week and just knew she needed some "support"( as we all do from time to time). So she decided that she wanted to be a part of the blog experience and here she is. Treat her well. She doesn't even have a name yet, but I am sure we can come up with something.

Well, that's all for now, I need to go fix a special lunch for my special, special hubby. Egg sandwiches and chips sound good to me. We'll talk soon. TA, TA.

What am I supposed to do, he's almost 17 years...

He does this all the time, it is somewhat disconcerting sometimes, but Baby Milo will be 17 years old in July. He acts like a kitten, but we have to remind ourselves he is actually pretty old for a kitty, so I let him do what he wants, and make sure he doesn't hurt himself doing it. What we do for our beloved pets!


"What's going on up here?"


"Is this where that loud music comes out?"


"Stay cool Mom, I'm leaving".


"Hmmm, it's probably a good thing she doesn't know how often I really do this".

I know that I'm not the only pet mommy that deals with this. How about you guys?

Talk soon. See ya, someone wants to be held. Gotta Go!

Paint by Number

Another of the fun things I found at Uncle's, was a paint by number set that used India ink and transparent colors. One of the scenes was not completed, so I thought I would put my current spin on it. Even though I really don't want to consider toys I had "vintage", this art set has to be from the 60's. I am sure it was from my sister. Even when we were young, she was very encouraging when it came to art. Now we encourage each other. The left is the original inked version.

On the right is the after version. What fun it was to complete it and to remember having started it so many years ago. I also found a paint by number, oil set. I may finish it soon. It is fun to have the art already done for you. I am thinking that the next time I get artist's block, perhaps I will run to the local craft store and get a paint by number set. I have seen ones were you can paint on velvet, that would be so cool. Let loose with the kid that still lurks within.

Hopefully, soon I will have some new youtube links, as DH is editing his next show. One of the segments was taped at a local antique mall and he is using "Those Were the Days" as the musical accompaniment. This should be fun.

Well, that's all for now. We'll talk soon.

Brrr..It's cold here

Yikes, it's cold in The Old Dominion today. When I got up it was 21 degrees, and yes, that is cold for us. It has been so mild, for so long that I guess I wasn't prepared for a cold snap. I like the cold though, I love staying in and drinking a warm cup of coffee and having peanut butter on raisin bread to go with it.



I took the advise of my friend, (who really knows her stuff) and have been working on more than one project at a time. It is actually working quite well. Thanks, Jean. Here is one of the pieces that I have been working on. Since Feb. 14th is right around the corner, I couldn't keep these wild pink hearts from flying into the picture. It's done in COPIC markers on 7" x 10" 140# Cold Press Aquarelle. I think it is a fun piece, but I don't know what to do with it. I, of course, have time to make note cards from it, but I am also thinking about maybe putting it on e-Bay. I have never tried to sell any of my work... you know all the reasons, (blah, blah, blah) so we won't go there, but I am wondering if this would be a good piece to start with.

OK then, if I finish anything else today, I will surely let you know. We'll talk soon. Take Care.

An Unusual Grouping

Here are three things that don't really go together. The iron is a working, electric toy iron that I found in my old toys at my Grandma's house. I learned to iron handkerchiefs with this very iron. Can you believe the toys they let us have? It's a wonder we weren't injured more than we were. What with Vac-u-Forms and Creepy-Crawler makers (both electric toys that got very, very hot) and the like.

These Beatles dolls somehow survived the years, I don't even remember having them (maybe that is why they made it into 2008).

The china doll belonged to my Gram's friend, Clara, when she was a child. She thought it was very funny to say it was her "Barbie" doll. When I recently did research on it, oddly enough, it was referred to as the "Barbie" of it's day, due to the large number that were made. I think it is called a "low-brow" (because of her hairline). Her little clothes are not original, but they are still pretty old.

Several of my blog friends are talking of doing larger pieces of art this year. That got me thinking along those same lines. I have several large , previously painted canvases that I wanted to reuse, so I spent some time today working on one . I wanted to have a black background, but didn't want to use black gesso. So I puts on the old thinking cap and remembered-I have this really neat ball of paper that was stuffed in the shoes that I got for Christmas, AND guess what color it is??? Ding, Ding, Ding... you are right, it is black. So sticky fingers and almost an entire bottle of Elmer's glue later, I have a really neat looking canvas to start something new on. I will keep you posted (pardon the pun) on how that works out.

The next time you get bored and need something different to watch, check out this . Just don't let it make you dizzy.

Well, I am off to see what I can get into. We will talk soon. TA, TA.

It's New Year's Eve

I have been thinking a lot lately about how much I love my husband. These two pictures are a means of me showing him how special he is to me. This first one is how I imagine we would have looked going out for New Year's as kiddies. He looks so spiffy and I, in my tiara, only have eyes for him.

This next one is a tribute to him and his mommy. They looked so much alike. She passed away eleven years ago and we miss her smile and her sense of humor. She was a great mother-in-law.


There once was a beautiful young woman. She grew up and had a handsome son. She stayed around long enough to show me how to take good care of him and I thank her for it.

I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Please stay safe and leave all that partying to the professionals. We usually stay home and watch the ball drop on the telly. (well, not literally on the telly, but that famous event in Times Square) I'm not sure if we will even be able to stay up that late. Either a nap or a big cup of coffee may be in order.

Tomorrow is a new day. Promises and resolutions will be made. That's part of the fun of traditions. In the upcoming year, I want to take even better care of the Hubby and myself and do lots, and lots of art. In February our altered art group will be exhibiting at the library, and I am looking forward to that. Hubby is diligently working on the next episode of Planet Keene and I hope to get back in the work out habit. So, it looks like things are getting off to a good start.

I love having all my friends come and visit me here in blog land and I hope to have tons of interesting things to report and I might add some fun things in the next few weeks. Perhaps a word of the day or a joke or something like that. We all need somewhere to go where we don't have to be so serious. Just remember to keep doing what you love and remember that you are worthy. Follow your dreams and keep it real.

Have a great night and once again, stay safe. We love you and send you New Year's blessings.

See ya next year!

P.S. My darling husband is playing his guitar and singing as I type. What a great way to end the year.

Need New Earrings ?

If you are in a jam and it's New Year's Eve and you don't have any festive baubles, grab the scrap paper, some glitter and your scissors. I made these years ago when I had access to paper samples at the print shop. These are made from Brite Hue paper that I snipped, curled, glued and glittered. The picture doesn't do them justice. They are really snazzy, but you get the idea. It would work on any number of occasions, but I can almost hear that "countdown" whenever I see them.

What do you folks do in a pinch, when you need quick jewelry? Post some shots and show us your ideas.

Well, it's off to read and have some tea. We'll talk soon. Ta, Ta.

What day is it?

Am I the only one who is confused? Now that I work from home, I get confused as to the day of the week. The holidays really add to that feeling. Now that they are almost over, we can get back on schedule and I will try to keep up. That would be a good resolution, to try to remember what day it is. Anyway...



I am happy with my new art supplies and have already finished several projects. Here is the final version of "Facial Expressions". I envisioned this piece as I was having my facial at the spa. I added some colored circles to convey the warmth of the facial and the feeling of floating that I experienced, though I also felt as if I was actually sinking deeper and deeper... into a relaxed state. When I did my initial drawing, I drew it as if I were giving the facial and I felt so peaceful while I was drawing it, that I knew that I would be pleased with the finished piece and I am.



This piece, that I am calling "Winged Girl", is my first attempt using hands for wings. I want to say thanks to Jean for showing me how beautiful this technique can be. I hope to do more of these girls. This little girl really is a part of me now. It's like when someone looks at a child and remarks, "she's got your hands", because she really does.





This next one, that I am calling "Flower Girl", is painted with acrylic on clay board. This is an unusually smooth surface and I'm not certain how I feel about it. When I painted her, I couldn't see what she was looking at, but I looked up and saw an abstract floral that I did about 10 years ago and decided to give her one of those flowers. I was trying to make the background appear as wallpaper, but it seems to look like there is something rising from the floor instead. Oh, well, if all of our art were perfect, it wouldn't inspire as much thought.

Well, those are three of the things that I have done this week. I guess I am one of those people that likes instant gratification. I really wish that I had the patience to start a long term project, that takes weeks to complete, but I just can't. It's like I feel a push to get the idea out of my brain and onto the paper, or board, or whatever I am using . It's like I might lose it, if I don't do it right then. I do put a lot of thought into the piece before I ever pick up my pencils to sketch it out and sometimes I look at that sketch for a while, but once I am ready to put it in motion, I don't want to stop. Also, I take things by spurts. This time last year, I was doing nothing but jewelry and about five years ago, I did nothing but make polymer beads. Now I feel that I must draw and paint again. I am also going to be using a lot of vintage photos this year. Lots of glue and embellishments also. What a great year it will be.

I want to thank everyone for being so nice and encouraging me about my art and my blog. I wont list everyone, as you know who you are. Any how, thanks again and keep checking in, as new things will be added often. Love y'all for reading and posting, as I do love to read your blogs everyday. Keep up the good works! We'll talk soon.

Greetings, All

Hey folks, I can't think of a lot to say tonight so I thought I would post several pictures. There is nothing that speaks to the artist in us, more than new brushes. According to my fuzzy memory, this portrait of my brother and me was taken in the 1960's. Were we cute or what?




Those new brushes led to this work in progress that I am calling "Facial Expressions". I know it still needs something, I 'm not sure what yet.



Lastly, I took this shot off our back deck. I love this view.

Well, off to read and love on Milo the Cat. Talk Soon. Enjoy howling at the moon.

My Board Book ( since been edited)

I have a cat in my lap right now, so I can't type too much.

This is what is keeping me from typing. See you soon (my foot is asleep, but I dare not move).

Crazy, Sexy Art

Here is a shot of our group that worked on the board books Saturday. It was a smaller group than usual, due to holiday obligations and the threat of falling weather. I mentioned in a previous post that the theme of the day was "Crazy, Sexy Christmas". Some of us used vintage images of dancers and contortionists, along with copies of vintage Christmas cards, and luscious fibers, glittery embellishments, along with paint and glue (you know the drill). Since most of the board books were to have multiple pages, I don't have pictures yet. We had a ton of fun and look forward to meeting next month to see all the finished pieces when we do "show and tell".

Here is the tree that Marnie made for the library. She lovingly created paper angels with ribbon wings and timepiece faces, except for the topper, and that's her mom. It was so sweet, the picture just doesn't do it justice.

Well, I am off to do more art or maybe help DH with his new episode that is due in January. Time slips up so quickly, how do any of us ever find time to do it all? Can it be that there are less than 10 days left until Christmas? Hang in there friends, remember to take plenty of breaks, and know that it's really not necessary to do it all and it is ok to ask for help from family and friends, they actually want to share in the fun of it all.

We'll talk soon. Ta, Ta.

Revisiting the past

I have never been one to dwell on the past. In fact, one might say I almost avoid thinking about my own past and certainly don't remember large blocks of my early childhood. Maybe that is why finding all these old pictures is having more of an effect on me than I planned on. Those "vintage" photos, meaning anything that I don't remember, don't seem to bother me much...but when my darling, handsome husband found another box of photos in my Grandma's attic yesterday, well several of them really got to me.

I was all ready to sit right down here and blog about my childhood and the things that happened or didn't happen to me and be all mad and resentful. Blessedly, though, I have a sound mind and after meditating and thanking God for all I do have, I got past that.

So, Onward! !! Here is a shot of a scrapbook that I started in 1963, and didn't finish. My thought now, (instead of berating myself for never finishing anything) is what to do with it? Do I finish it or do I stick in a box and put it away? There will be lots of questions like this in the coming months and I really would like input from someone. I am finding so many neat things and I know you chicks and dudes in blog land will have great ideas.




















Here is a beautiful painting that my sister did in the 90's from a Christmas Card. I scarfed it up when I found it and have it in my hall. Hope you love it as much as I do.

Well, Let's get ready for our Altered Art meeting at the library. We are doing board books today with the theme of "A Crazy, Sexy Christmas"

I think Marnie, is scared of what we are going to come up with, but I think it will be a hoot. Wish us luck and lots of fun- cutting, pasting and sparkling our day through a new way of looking at the holidays.

We'll talk soon and hopefully will have pictures of board books later.

She's baaaack.......

Well, we are back. Came home to a cold house (heat pump temporarily out), but very glad to be home.

We went to San Diego to see my sister ( we like to celebrate an early Christmas when we are out there), and had a great time. We got to do some touristy stuff , consumed lots of good eats and even indulged in some retail therapy. Here is a shot of me after a yummy dinner at the resort. The food was really great and my, my, my, don't I look happy? If you could see what's on the other side of the camera, you would understand.

Sissy and I went to the Wild Animal Park and I got to feed a giraffe. I am not one to cozy up to something larger than a cat, but I could not refuse. We had a nice time and since my sister is a member of the park, we got to do some special things, such as a behind the scenes tour.

Hubby and I both got soothing facials at a spa, and then, the next day, since I felt he deserved some additional "me" time, I suggested that he stay behind, order room service and watch movies, while we shopped. Part of my Christmas gift was a trip to the Dick Blick retail store in San Diego. I got some great art supplies. I look forward to doing all kinds of art, especially some pieces using the vintage photos I have been finding in my uncle's house. I will soon be posting some of those also. Well, folks, it's great to be back. We are rested and raring to go. Thanks again for all your kind words, stay posted for more news, and as always, we'll talk soon.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Between going back and forth to "The House", trying to get ready for a California trip, meeting with the pet sitter...yikes! I don't have time to do any art or any blogging and DH doesn't even have time to hit the WAH WAH pedal. I do look forward to the new year and being able to get back on schedule. We haven't been taking time to do our exercises (though continued housecleaning is a workout in itself) , our sleep patterns are askew...Hmm, what else can I whimper about. Sorry about that , I guess I am just a little anxious to get back to our normal schedule. My point is this, I may not be able to blog much for the next several weeks, but hopefully I will be back soon with lots of photos, and new ideas and interests. Just remember, we'll talk soon.

What a weekend...

What a tiring weekend, my husband has been so great- going back and forth (50 miles round trip) to my uncle's house with me and sorting through 40-50 years worth of stuff. This man saved everything that you are "supposed" to save. All his files, bank statements, tax info, Sunday School lessons, every typed sheet for every talk he ever gave for the Lions Club, all the things we are told to keep. Listen up folks, when you are reminded to keep important papers, you don't need keep them forever. This is just too much. Please keep this in mind and for the sake of the people that you love, try to scale it down some. That's what we are going to do.

I was outside this evening and I thought I heard rain. When I listened closely, I realized it was not rain, but the trees that just don't want to let go of their remaining leaves. Each time the breezes blew through the trees, they shook those stubborn little leaves and it was such a sweet sound. It sounded like they were applauding. I like to think they are showing their gratitude to God for the beautiful world he has given us, and thanking Him for allowing them to be a part of it. I know that's what I would do if I were blessed enough to be a tree.

Well, it's off to watch a little television, see what holiday shows are on and psyche myself up for tomorrow's trip to "The House". Talk to you soon.

Full Tummy???

At this time of the evening on Thanksgiving Day, I am fairly sure that we aren't the only ones with full tum-tums. Since it is just us, I do a scaled-down version of the traditional T-Day meal. Baked chicken breasts, green beans, stuffing, mashed tatoes and pie with ice cream.

You know how sometimes your mind does funny things to you? Well, I watch the tube while I cook and DH came by, looked at the set and asked, "what'cha watching"?. For some reason I said, "NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET". He looked back at the set and waited. Oh, I meant to say "MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET" he shrugged, and says "Hmmm, what's the difference?". I guess you really had to be there. I still think it's funny.

In addition to getting ready to go to Cali to visit my sisters, we have to work on getting my uncle's house ready to sell, and my beloved has to work on the next episode of PK. (click on the link for Troll Reunion in my last post) We are currently enjoying a great book called Monkey Portraits by Jill Greenberg and hope to get some new ideas for the next show.

For those of you in our Cox Cable-Roanoke area, our show will be on Channel 78, Tuesday and Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday night at 9:30 p.m.

I feel the folks at the cable station were super, and gave us great time spots for our show. We will be on early enough for the kids to see the cartoons, there will be several kinds of music that will appeal to a wide variety of tastes, and you will get to see my cute husband. I do hope you can get it in your viewing area.

I want to take this time to say thanks. Thanks to my loving husband for being there for me. Thanks to all my friends for the kind words and support they are giving me and thanks to those of you who take time from your days to read my blog. I love it. And your blogs mean so much to me. I love sharing your thoughts and the feeling of being there through your photos. It's how I start off my day. I am inspired, always. Thanks again.

Troll Reunion

The past several days have been quite trying. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful husband to help me get through this. I have not been the easiest person to deal with, but God Bless him, he is hanging in there with me. In an effort to lighten up the mood, just a little, I am posting the link to his new cartoon/video called Troll Reunion. I think it is a scream and he worked so hard on it. I think it is awesome. See if it makes you want to boogie!

Rejoice in his passing...

Hello folks. I received a call from my brother this morning. My uncle, (my mom's brother), who has been in an assisted living facility for several years, died this morning. He had not been doing that well for some time now and we knew that this would eventually happen. It still came as a shock. This sounds so lame to say, but he really did have a good life. He was a very proud WWII veteran, active in the community and church and chorus and really had lots of friends. The last 10 years, since my mom died, have taken their toll on him, he had more and more health problems, he had to give up his driver's license and just sort of "got small". I wasn't the best at visiting him in the facility, because I hated to see him somewhere other than home. He liked where he was though and was well taken care of. I guess I just feel a little guilty, like I wasn't a very good niece. I know he is in a much better place and gets to see all the family and friends that he has missed so much. Since I know the grieving process is multi-faceted, I am sure I will feel differently in a few days. We will be ok. My siblings and I have wonderful spouses that are always there for us. We just feel weird, Uncle was the last elder we had left in the family. We are all on our own now. With no Moms or Uncles or Grandmas to call or even to check on. Enough. I just want to say I will not mourn his passing, I truly am happy that he has finally gone to the most perfect place there is. Heaven. One day we will see each other again. Good Bye Uncle.

I can't believe it's Wednesday already...

What a quick week this has been. In addition to getting ready for cane construction at the library this weekend, I have been working on a painting that is a complete departure for me.


I found a rather large painting that my sister had begun several years ago, (actually, about 20 years ago), and I decided to finish it. She had roughly penciled in a scene with some fantasy figures and had painted in some of the sky and then apparently decided to put it aside. I started on it yesterday and here it is. I never know when something is finished. I just know I was "worrying" it to death and had to make myself stop. I used acrylics and did some of the details in color pencil blending them with turpentine. If you haven't tried that technique, you need to, it's very interesting. I am used to working with pencils and pens, and I don't really have much control with a brush, so... in some areas, I used a sharpened pencil ( in a similar color to what I am going to be painting with) and dabbed it in the paint and used it as my "brush". I don't know what this technique is called, but it works for me. Any feedback on this painting will be appreciated. I did e-mail it to my sissy to see what she thinks. We'll see, and as usual, we will talk soon.

Another Beautiful Day

As many of you know, I love Sunday. Grocery store, then cooking and getting ready for another week. While a nice pot of green beans simmered on the stove (some of us Southern Girls still cook the life out of our veggies) I whipped up a batch of tuna salad with hard cooked eggs and dill pickles, add some wheat bread, lettuce, tomato and chips and you have a nice lunch. Time to clean up my work area. I want to call it a studio, but that sounds so, I don't know...something. Several hours later, and after figuring out how to work the vacuum cleaner (DH usually does it) I have a clean Studio. Now it is worthy of being called an actual studio.

I do still have this area to work on though. But that is for another day. Studio is clean. Let's make art!

elusive man i see your face over and over in my mind you are in control when you decided to leave you left me wondering so many things i am always looking for you will you be back everything goes on even after your departure i have other friends that stay with me i don't fear you or your journey i am loved unconditionally

Ok, so I was thinking of creating something more masculine than those I usually do, since DH was kind enough to build frames and stretch the canvases for me. I was using paper cut outs and knew a quick sketch for the face was what I needed. I grabbed the pen and made exactly the face that I wanted with about 10 strokes. I loved it. But it wasn't the size I wanted. So, I'll just do it again, right? Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Circle gets the square . I could not for the life of me draw this guy again. So I started writing to him and asking where had he gone and that's the sentiment behind Elusive Man .

His original body is still slightly visible through the layers. I just cannot decide if he is complete yet. Any ideas?

Well, I guess I'll be off for tonight. No telling what I might get into tomorrow, but don't worry, we'll talk soon.

Yikes...

Wowsy, Wow Wow! Traffic was crazy when I went out today. Looked almost like the day after Thanksgiving. Anyway, I got some stretcher bars and some other interesting supplies and I am off to the studio to work on something new. Still trying to shake the remnants of this cold, but I am sure I will be fine by next Saturday. We will be doing more polymer clay in our altered art group. Canes will be made by one and all. I am sure it will be great fun. I am looking forward to what my talented friends come up with. I will be looking for cool stuff on Tricia's blog, and maybe we can get Marnie to post some also. I 'll try to remember to bring my camera and take lots of pictures.

Well, let's go see what we can get into. Holla'.

Dream Coaster

I am not one to have phobias, but there are several things I am not too fond of. The main ones are roller coasters, as I am afraid of heights, and large bodies of water-because I am not a strong swimmer. Therefore, when I dream, it is usually involving roller coasters over water, or something equally weird. As I mentioned earlier, I am trying to capture the essence of some of these dreams. This particular dream involved the roller coaster being attached to the fronts of sky scrapers. I sketched this in pen, added some watercolor and laid down several layers of beeswax, for a more dream-like appearance. I also added some flat backed "jewels" for a carnival type look. This still doesn't capture the bizarreness of the dream, but it does give you the general idea.


In regards to another project, I have a roll of artist's canvas that I am going to be working with soon. It has been so long since I stretched a canvas, I am out of practice. I am also out of staples for the gun I am used to using, and I am just not strong enough to use the one my hubby has, so I see a trip to the hardware store in my future. In the meantime, I will be surfing the net and other blogs to come up with alternative uses for canvas. Let me know of any sites you are fond of regarding this. Thanks, and we'll talk soon.

So many images...

Recently, I feel bombarded with words and images...when I close my eyes. I guess it comes from so much computer work and so much art and so many ideas in my head, during my waking hours. The dreams I have are so vivid, that I want to draw and paint and write them. I have beautiful conversations with people I have never met (?) and live in houses I have never seen (?) and get to run around with people no longer in my life, for various reasons. I go to lovely places with my hubby and see some of the most interesting things. Now, don't get me wrong, these dreams are never scary and I never wake up confused, it's just that they really do have such a dreamlike quality. Hmmm. All that being said, I am going to try to work on some dreamscapes. I haven't worked it out yet, but I will probably be doing collage work with, perhaps, beeswax to give it a dreamy look.

In the meantime, lets look at some peaceful images and calm the activity in our heads.

Digital Dreams

DH has turned in his public access show to the station . He has really worked hard on his show and I am so very proud of him.We put links to several of the segments on YouTube. When I tried to update the link for Digital Dream, I messed up. Digital Dream was the cartoon that he made using the paper cut outs that I was so happy to see him use. He did such a great job. I even made a cameo appearance in it. We also made a video using a monkey hand puppet that we got at the flea market. If you like heavy metal/rock music you will love what he did with it. Check it out when you get the chance, you'll go ape .


My Darling Hubby is a very talented person, and I look forward to sharing his progress. I will be loading his new videos often. In fact, check out this little number called Troll Reunion.

Keep checking in and remember, as always, we'll talk soon.

and I thought it was the sniffles...

Ugh, what I thought was the sniffles, has turned into a full-blown case of the common cold. I have spent the entire day on the couch with a book and various warm drinks and the occasional aspirin. Waaaaa. Well, anyway.... here is a little (5" x 7") painting I call "Watching You". I wish my own eyes were this clear tonight.



Well, our tv show is complete. We have been working on it for several months. We have it ready to go to the station tomorrow. We, meaning DH. He has done all the work. I realized quickly that I was not cut out for the video world. I don't do well on either side of the lens. I have offered quite a lot of "constructive" dialog that I feel has been beneficial. I sat with him through some of the editing and also helped with a few of the programming ideas. It will be seen in our area soon and I will post a link for the segments that we put on you tube. I will keep you in the know. Well, have a good night and we will talk soon.

I love Sunday

I have always loved Sundays. Whether it was watching ballgames with my Mom when I was younger, or getting things ready for another week at work, when I was still in the rat race. I feel that Sunday is like a new beginning- each week. To try to do things a little differently, or to do something again that worked really well. I like to cook and I love to go to the grocery store on Sunday and come home and cook. I have two pots of soup simmering, as we speak. One pot is vegetable beef, made with nice chunks of boneless spare ribs with everything I could think of tossed in. Baby carrots, celery, tomatoes, corn, green beans, potatoes, onions and a goodly shake of seasoned salt. The other pot is homemade chicken noodle, because we seem a little sniffly. Put them on to simmer and have for supper tonight with some flaky croissants and a glass of iced tea. What a great way to start off the week.




Here is a little primitive style pillow, stuffed with love, that I made DH for his recent birthday. (the BIG one) He loved it and his handmade card. I used cinnamon to distress it, so it smells really nice. You can always find something to create with at our house. Right now Hubby is downstairs cutting out words and pictures to make a cartoon for his upcoming public access show. We thought we were ready to submit it, but we came up two minutes short. Imagine my surprise when I saw him cutting out images and words to use. When he asked to go through my stash, I knew I had a convert. Who knows what this will lead to . Way to go Hubby!

Mermaids

While I never really had an attraction to mermaids, I do have a friend on the left coast that collects all things mermaid, so after making a mermaid art doll for her, I began to periodically do items that are mermaid related. The candy tin was one of our group's altered art projects. The picture that I call Mermaid Migration was done simply because I just love working with these particular colors. I have several other things done in these same colors. As my mermaid girlies swim toward warmer waters, I, too, must migrate toward the kitchen for a warm cuppa. Better make it decaffeinated, or I will be up all night. Talk soon.

It's a chilly morning

Good morning all, we awoke to a chill in the air this morning. I love it. I love the change in seasons. It reminds me that change can be good. Autumn reminds me that beauty sometimes needs to hide away, but it takes only the slightest adjustment to bring it back into sight. A drop in temperature can bring beautiful frost, while a change in the wind can whisk away the clouds and the sky looks like this shot off my deck this morning. DH built our deck this spring. It is my first deck. I love it. I have spent so much time out there. Reading a lot, but mostly just enjoying the view, communing with nature (learning to be still, while a fat bodied bumblebee buzzed around me deciding if I would be allowed into his club) and thanking God for all that He has blessed us with.

One afternoon recently, while reading a somewhat tense chapter in my mystery, I heard what sounded like a huge animal down in the woods. I went and got my camera to use the zoom as binoculars . This little fellow is what was making such a fierce racket. So remember, when you think you hear a monster, or you think life is too big for you, maybe it's really something small, so enjoy life and try to keep everything in perspective. It's not alway easy, but it is possible. Let's go get some coffee. Later.