New pictures...

As promised, here are some shots of the polymer clay beads that I have been working on for the past several weeks. The tile in the pictures is a cheap ceramic tile from Home Depot that you can make on and bake on. Stock up on them.

As usual, you can click on the picture to enlarge it.  This first one is made using colors straight from the package, conditioned and then shaped and baked. I often make earrings and a matching or coordinating pendant.

 This black and gold necklace is the one I spent the most time on.  I used black clay and pressed the beads onto texture sheets.  The beads were pressed into the sheet that looks like leopard spots and the pendant was pressed into a sheet that had a branch type design.  After baking them I used gold leaf accent paint on the raised areas. Nice huh?

These faux ivory pieces were made using ecru or ivory colored clay and then accented with paint and transfer foil.

 This bracelet was made using a custom mixed ivory color clay that was textured and layered with black and gold clay.  The design on the gold beads was created using the mica shift technique. It is strung on black rubber elastic. I no longer like to deal with clasps on bracelets.

 These rather large beads were custom blended colors, then (L) rolled and shaped into a spiral, textured and accented and (R) cut into a lattice shape with a rotary cutter and placed over the base bead.

 Since I was having so much fun with the texture sheets and since I hand carve rubber erasers for fun, I decided to try carving into uncured moldmaker clay.  It is very soft, almost too soft to carve into, but there is the advantage of being able to reuse the product that you remove when you carve before curing. After curing it is completely flexible and works well for custom made texture sheets.  It is designed for and works beautifully as a mold maker. You can impress buttons, shells, or anything that you want to be able to duplicate .

Ok, back to beads . Who doesn't love some fiery orange beads for spring?  This is also a custom blend of warm colored clays and stamped into and accented with gold paint.

More funky beads and pendants. Custom mixed and textured. The one on the lower right will probably serve as a ring component. The purple faceted stone is polymer clay that I made.

 The pink focal bead was made using one of the face molds in the goody package that Sister sent me for my birthday.  This clay was custom blended and antiqued with burgundy acrylic paint.

 Various pendants and techniques here...

Last but not least, was a pendant that I made using a rub on transfer. Obviously the picture doesn't do it justice, but I'm just too sorry to retake it. Regarding the rub on transfers, I would prefer using a water slide transfer on polymer clay, but you can rub hard enough on baked clay to make this type work, but be patient and continue to check that you have a good transfer before removing the art. Accent with some silver paint and you're on your way.

Well, that's just a sampling of what I have made recently.  I made several pieces as gifts and failed to photograph them. Of course, they were the best pieces.

Hope everyone is having a good spring and has avoided the storms and tragedies that have befallen parts of the country. Take care and remember to be creative.

Until then...

Just popping in to say hi.

Just stopping by to say hello and to let everyone know I haven't fallen off the edge.  I have been working/playing in the studio and I have made soooooo many beads.  I'm off to our weight loss challenge picnic today, but hopefully I'll have time to take pictures and post them when we return.  I'll be back soon, I promise!

Oh my, why did I do that?

Have you ever had a "why did I do that" moment?  I have them often enough to think that perhaps I have forgotten everything I ever learned.  As you may know the hubby and I have been on a healthy living kick.  We are watching our food intake and exercising at the gym.  As a treat for my sandwich and chips loving guy, we have been purchasing lean roast beef from the deli.  Well, I got it in my head that it would be healthier if I cooked a nice roast here at home and sliced it for sandwiches.  Sounds reasonable, right? When I went to Kroger yesterday, my choices were either a nice cut of London Broil at $20.00 (which I could have easily afforded) or a sirloin tip roast at $10.00.  Well, old Miss Frugal went with the sirloin tip roast.  I got carrots and potatoes and was going to do my usual deal of cooking all the items together in a nice pot on top the stove.

Normally I'm a pretty good cook, but I sometimes get cocky. Perhaps that's what prompted my first mistake.  I started to think.  Hmmmm.  I wonder why do I always cook the roast like this.  Is it because Mama did it like that?  Did she do it like that because she was from the South?  Not me,  I'll be a gour-met cook and use a fancy beef rub, and cook this thing in the oven with dry heat.  I do my research and found a nice recipe online and went for it.  I did exactly what the recipe said, BUT what I didn't do prior to cooking it, was research the different cuts of beef and why you braise or pot roast, versus why you dry roast.  I certainly paid for that slight omission. Because after struggling with this piece of meat for entirely too long, I have ended up with a awful mess.  I may be able to rescue enough beef to make a pot of soup, but even that is questionable.  What did I learn today?  If it's not broken, don't try to fix it.

We had turkey bacon and scrambled eggs on rye toast with lettuce, tomato and mayo.  My favorite standby sandwich when there is nothing else in the house. All's well that ends well.

Had a great birthday...

I've been spending most of my time in my bat cave (studio), having a blast with a ton of polymer clay supplies that Peri sent me for my birthday.  I was so excited to tear into the box, that I didn't take any pictures.  There will be pictures coming of projects already completed, but in the mean time here is a picture of what my hubby got me.

I collect Barbies. Lots of them are headless and naked, but most of them are actually collectible like these. They look vintage, but are not. It's a current series made with the original Barbie face.

So that's it for now.  If you have any ideas for jewelry or items that you want to see made from polymer clay, let me know and I'll give it a go.  I have already made a crazy steampunk bird using the instructions from one of Christi Friesen books that Peri sent me, and it is a sight to behold. Who know what else might arise from the depths of my studio?... we'll see.

Ok, I'm really leaving now.  It's getting ready to rain here, so we are going to try to beat the store to run a few errands.  Have fun and stay safe and creative.

Some new art

After cleaning up the studio and doing a massive reorganization of my beads, I was reminded of what a nice collection of art beads I have.  This in turn leads me to thinking that I want to make some new beads for said collection and maybe to even be used in jewelry.  Those of you who are long time readers of this little missive already know that I like to use scrap clay in my art beads.  I found several "scrap" beads that I made last year who were screaming to become important elements in some kind of funky design so I put this little baby together. It's a good thing as all that screaming was becoming annoying.

(click on me)

I have always liked that antiqued look of dark metal, so I combined a pre-made chain (from Michael's) with some of my favorite beads.  The dangles are simply threaded onto eye pins and connected to the chain.  Simple procedure, but the time involved is mostly taken up by playing with the beads. I use a bead board to arrange my designs and after a while this one came together easily.

This week I played around with some tried and true polymer clay techniques.  I made faux jade beads and then carved into them a bit. On another, I used a dark blend of clay and impressed a plastic tube into it for design, then antiqued it with off white acrylic paint.

And of course, there is the ever popular steampunk look.  While this is not my favorite steampunk piece, it does illustrate how easy it is to achieve that belted look that often accompanies the gears and mechanics in the steampunk genre.

The beads on the right were to be accent pieces for the belted bead. but looking at this photo now, I'm thinking that they just might look good with the faux turquoise bead that is on the right of the ceramic tile.  The little blue and white bead is an elongated heart shaped bead that will easily fit as a focal piece with some blue beads from my super-stash.

While these pendants are yummy, to be sure...man does not live on beads alone, so I decided to try something I have been ruminating on for literally years.  Miniature foodstuffs.

Since I am usually thinking personal adornment, these pieces were made to be used as earring dangles and I am quite happy with this first attempt.

These next pieces were even more fun to make, and since I am used to working with small amounts of clay from making beads, and it didn't feel tedious at all.

(due to the lighting it's hard to see that I'm using a U.S. dime for size comparison. but as always you can click for more detail)

I am expecting to do more of the minis.  I have even done a little set of dinnerware.  Fun times.

My sweet sister is sending me polymer clay supplies for my birthday next week.  Books, tools, clay...the works.  Thanks sister of mine.  You are the best.  This is what I sent her. It was a purchased gift.

(the size of the sculpture is about 12" across)

I think she liked it. I usually make her something, but time and inspiration were not that friendly this year, but I know she understood.

Well, I hope everyone is staying healthy and happy.  I have lost another pound, which makes 18-20 pounds since Christmas.  I'm planning on 35 more by next Christmas.  I figure giving myself one year to lose about fifty pounds was an achievable goal.  I'm hitting the gym 5-6 times a week, and while I was never one to go to the gym before, it's really working well for me.  Hubby goes to and has lost even more than me. If you are interested in seeing what I have done at the gym, feel free to click in on my other blog.

That's it for today.  Have a great weekend and stay creative. Love ya!

Finally, a new post

I know that all my friends out there are tsk, tsk, tsking about me not posting for two weeks.  I love blogging and once I sit down to the keyboard the words just seem to flow.  It's just that I have been such a procrastinator this spring.  First off we have had the craziest weather and when it's overcast and chilly I just don't want to do anything except kivver up and read. 

I had great plans to take pictures of all the pear trees that blossom in our area.  I mean they are everywhere and usually look so billowy and white that I just knew it would make for a great photo.  For some reason this year, they looked a bit defeated so I changed my mind on that.  I did have time to grab the camera when I saw a horizontal rainbow above the school nearby.  The colors were much more vivid in person but I didn't want to manipulate the photo to prove it. 

I have been in an artist slump this spring, not even wanting to paint anything.  Recently I got the jewelry making bug and decided to make some jewelry.  At my house, I have a stash of everything, so to make jewelery I needed to get out my stash and go through colors, etc. to find just what I needed.  I don't know if this would ever happen to you, but for me it went like this... "I think I could find exactly what I needed if all my beads were reorganized according to color, certainly that shouldn't take long".

Basically, this is what I ended up with.  I've often heard that sometimes you need to make a mess to get things organized and that is what I did.  I have now organized my beads into like colors, then separated plastics, metal and handmade beads into separate categories.  The only problem is I kept coming across clear plastic shoeboxes that were marked "stuff from table". Hmmm, then I had to go through all of those types of boxes and pull out needles, threads, seed beads, findings, and even tools and play  a memory game to find out were to put them.  You know the drill, I'm sure.  At some point, actually quite early on I gave in and started filling jars with bead soup.  Jars that look something like this...

Ok, I've realized that I can't keep doing that, so I regrouped and started putting little bits of left over projects in smallish zip lock bags.  In any event, it is seemingly a never ending project.  I will probably finish today and then I'm going to make a couple of pieces of art jewelry and get out my polymer clay supplies.  There is something about working with polymer clay that is very therapeutic.  It's just fun to mash clay around in you hands and make stuff with it.  I guess that why kids love working with clay. Any hoo, that's what I have been doing for the last two weeks. When it's all done and spruced up, I'll take an after shot and post it.

Speaking of polymer clay jewelry, I found Donna Greenberg's site.This artsy chick makes some jammin jewelry.  Might be a bit too big for some tastes, but I think I'd like to implement some of her techniques into my next series of art jewelry. Go ahead and check out her website, it's very nice.

And last, but most certainly not least, please check out my friend Nezzy's blog, called Cow Patty Surprise.  She is one funny gal and hard working to boot.  She can make anything sound like fun.  Her current post on the men in her life is one of my favorites, so stop by and catch up with Nez.  She is something else, to be sure.

Well, the skies are dark and ominous and it's not even noon yet.  We had 80 plus degrees here yesterday and already it is so muggy you can't breathe.  Over the weekend, about two hours from us they experienced multiple tornadoes and are trying to recover from that.  It's been a wild and woolly Spring and it's not over yet.  Keeping all that in mind, enjoy your week and stay safe whilst you do something fun.

And by the way, I ordered my sissy's birthday present this week, so as soon as she gets it I'll show it to you. Something different for her this year, but I think she'll like it.

Take care and let us hear!

Oh Where, Oh Where Can She Be.....

I know, I know.  I cannot believe that it has been almost two weeks since I posted anything.  That is really unusual for me.  What am I up to?  Well, I'm still working out and eating healthy.  I did have a one pound gain last week, but I'm comfortable in saying I've lost 15 pounds since November.  I am still working on my needlepoint Matisse, and it is going to be beautiful.  One funny thing though, with all my honking about being age appropriate in fashion and such, I did something that really is fun, but not age appropriate.

I polished my fingernails with an OPI pink and used Shatter top coat on them.  It is so cool.  It dries very quickly and the polish pulls apart from itself, giving a crackle look.  This would look good with a nice red polish or even blue to mimic a natural stone look.  This was my first attempt, but I'm pleased.

I know this is for the young, hip crowd, but at least my ta-ta's aren't showing and I'm not tottering around on six inch heels. My hubby was out of town for 36 hours and I had to keep myself occupied, so the funky manicure and a CSI marathon did the trick.

I also put together a quick pair of earrings.  Using turquoise turtles from my stash and some flat beads I came up with this little design...

There are beads underneath the flat beads, but I was too trifling to take the time to get a better photo.

In the "do you remember when" portion of our program, I will introduce you to (or remind you of) an old first aid potion that was very popular when my sister and I were youngins.  Our parents used this stuff for everything and last week when I was looking for an antiseptic for a painful hangnail, I picked up tea tree oil which has a smell that reminded me so much of that liquid of days gone by...APINOL.

It is a pine oil derivative and you cannot use a band aid with it, so we always got a nice plump gauze bandage with real adhesive tape around it.  Great for show and tell the next day at school.  Well, now that we have the technology to find anything on the web, I did a search and found out that it is still made and still available locally.

It is now available in a spray bottle, but if you order online you can still get the old fashioned glass bottle from our youth.  This is an awesome product and they have a pretty nice little website.  If you don't have time to read all the testimonials and such I will post an interesting little blurb from their page.

Apinol not gone

About 15 years ago, Ms. Sharafi of Botetourt County (which is where we grew up) sat on a hot curling iron after a shower. A few days later, when Sharafi saw her grandmother Pat Kelley, also of Botetourt, Kelley dabbed Apinol on the still-raw wound, but as a precaution took Sharafi to the emergency room at Lewis-Gale Medical Center. Apinol did its magic on Sharafi's sore behind, because, after the usual long wait for care, Sharafi was told by the doctor she had scabbed over and was healing with no further treatment required, Kelley said. 

Apinol is a first-aid antiseptic with a durable Roanoke Valley following. A versatile pine oil-based product, Apinol was rubbed on the sore joints of Norfolk and Western railroad workers from early on. It is still in medicine cabinets in Western Virginia, and still available, though some people mistakenly think the company is out of business.

Kelley's granddaughter, Roanoke native Cindy Simmons, bought the 102-year-old Apinol company in 2002 from its third owner, to prevent its closure, as she tells the story. She does business from Trussville, Ala., and credits bulk orders from Roanoke Valley retailers with 45 percent of her sales.

A slightly sticky clear fluid with a memorable odor, it is reputed to ease pain, repel bugs, prevent infection and soothe burns - even to sensitive areas.
You can buy Apinol at Roanoke retailers including Williamson Road Pharmacy and Crouch's Pharmacy, also of Williamson Road, and online.

So that is a little blast from the past.  We also used Blair red salve and drank Fizzies.  They were little flavored tablets that effervesced in water and had flavors like grape and cherry.  If you are in search of old time products a great site is Vermont Country Store.  Now that's a fun site to browse around on.

So I guess that's all from me for several days, and even though I don't usually spoil surprises, I know my favorite sister is reading this, so yes, I got an extra bottle of Apinol and will be sending it to you later this week. 

Don't be a stranger, let me hear and Y'all come back soon.

Age Appropriate?

Yes my little ones, I am back this week with another age related post.  Last time I was in a tiff about actors choosing roles that I don't think they are suited for. (I'm sure Hollyweird has taken note of said post and is making corrections in casting as we speak).  This weeks' rant is going to hit a lot closer to home.  If you are that 65 year old gal that I saw in the grocery store wearing your version of this snazzy outfit...I'm talking to you.

In my opinion, it's bad enough that Fergie, at age 35+ still thinks she can pull it off.  Pa-leeze don't subject me to old ladies wearing skin tight jeans and spike heels while doing their grocery shopping.
Ok, ok, I get it.  You are only as young as you feel, blah, blah, blah.  Well, you are also as silly as your clothing choices. Just because you fit into these things doesn't mean you should EVER wear them.

Ladies, it's ok to feel good about yourself.  It's ok to still be a hottie.  It's even ok to still think about "you know what" at your age.  But put together an outfit that says all this in a way that actually says all that, and more. Not one that says "I'm a doddering old crow, who obviously doesn't realize that the junior department is for juniors".

I am not saying let yourself go.  Well, not constantly anyway.  We all need our moments of comfort. But I think that sometimes we do need to rethink our wardrobe, as well as hair and make up choices as we age. I stopped coloring my hair, and it looks Fabulous.  I also stopped wearing shoes that hurt my feet. So don't let yourself go, let yourself grow and try to make it as graceful as possible.

So that's my rant for this week.  Those of you who know me, know that I'm not a fussy, cantankerous old so-and-so.  I just sometimes have to say my piece.  Have I finally reached the age where I can say what I want?   If so... don't get me started on women with baby voices.

I kept my word...

I said I would be back soon with a new needlepoint project to discuss and also give you my two cents worth on what needs to be fixed in the world.  Onward.  While I am in my "I don't want to paint" phase, I am doing needlework.  After doing butterflies until I'm ready to cocoon myself, I decided to do something different.  So I got out my art books and my permament markers and my blank needlepoint canvas and came up with this.

I chose Matisse, not because he is my favorite artist, but because of the simplicity of the design in the piece Dance.  I felt that I could reproduce it in fiber relatively easily. There are several companies that have this painting as a needlepoint kit, but that would have involved waiting.  Yep, I would prefer to grab the markers and draw it out myself to waiting for an order to be sent to me. I had all the supplies necessary and lots of floss that needs to be used, so that's what is happening. 

I used blank needlepoint canvas, cut it so there was a sizable border and positioned the canvas over the image in the book.  If you are using a library book, or a picture that you don't want to get dirty, I would suggest making a color copy of the art. Then I took PrismaColor markers, which are waterproof and fairly permanent, and basically traced over the picture.  I am using three basic colors with a few darker details here and there.  I hope to show you the final project soon.

Now, on to my rant about what bugs me in the outside world.  Two things come to mind immediately.  One is the current trend for actors who were child stars to continue to act in roles that would be better served by someone younger.  Topher Grace is in a new retro movie where he plays someone in college and does all the things that going to college in the 1980's entailed.  Uhhhh, Topher grace is 32 years old.  I don't know if he is supposed to be college aged or not, but I don't even want to find out.

Just like the commercial that I just saw for Pro Active acne medicine...Jennifer Love Hewitt is the spokesperson. Talking about how awful it is to go on that first date and have a breakout.  Talking about how great it is to have clear, SEXY, skin.  Ummm, once again...Love Hewitt is 32 years old.  Is it just me?  Have I become jaded? Do I just not get it?  Seeing Love Hewitt spin around and toss her hair and tell me how sexy my skin will be if I use this product, just puts me off.  Now don't get me wrong, I know that lots of folks still have blemishes after 30, but put on a business suit, or a classic outfit of jeans and a blazer if you are obviously in your 30's hawking acne cream.  I scoff at her with her silly giggles and jiggles trying to sell something.

Next on my list of gripes.  The hubs and I went to a local, hole in the wall, night spot to listen to a friend play a gig.  It is somewhat of a country type bar, with all the usual stereotype regulars eyeing us, as though we had no right to even enter.  The smoke almost choked us as soon as we did walk in.  Since I'm one of those dreaded "non-drinkers", I usually have DH order me a soft drink.  Last night I decided that a Perrier or sparkling water would be my choice.  The bartender acted like hubby was from another planet when he requested the water.  He sort of leaned over the bar and bared his teeth and said "you want what?".  When hubs finally convinced him that the wife did indeed want water and did they have any bottled water, he said "yeah, we got Kroger water in a bottle".  Actually the water was very, very cold and I enjoyed it immensely.  The band was pretty good, but we shot out of there at the first chance.  When we got home we had to air out our coats to rid them of the smoke.  Yikes. Combine that with the craziness that was the convenience store where we purchased gas and it was quite a night to be remembered.  I think sometimes you need to be reminded of why you don't go out at "the darktime".  Reminded we were, and we got back home by eight p.m.  I can only imagine what goes on when the serious lunacy gets started.

Well, that's it for now.  Hopefully I wont be such a slacker about posting.  We are still hitting the gym on a regular basis and we have each lost weight. If you want to check out my other blog, it's got the current workout posted for your reading pleasure.

So have a great weekend, and watch out for all thoses crazies out there.

Hi there!

Hey friends and neighbors, just a quick shout out to let you know that I'm still around.  I'm working on a post, but in the mean time, just wanted to stop by and say HI!

Really, I'll be back very soon with a pretty cool needlepoint project.  Until then, take care and enjoy your day.

The more you move...

The more you want to.  Right?  Spring is right around the corner and I've been exercising and getting healthier over the past several months.  So it really doesn't seem too far fetched when I state that I am anxious to be more active and am thinking of an outdoor hobby.  I know, I know... "Susan, you're an artist, and artists stay in one place".  Yeppers, that staying in one place may have contributed to an excess of 40 to 50 pounds being packed onto this 5'4" frame.  So I'm thinking Rock Gardening. 

I don't have the patience to grow flowers, and actually I'm not that good at it.  Maybe some Cosmos or something that practically grows itself, but I was thinking rocks and cacti or succulents.  In doing some quick web surfing I found these images...

 Of course I'm not thinking anything this elaborate. Even though I have the room for it.  I'm thinking something that I can do by myself and even change or add to each spring if I still have this unusual desire to be outside lifting heavy objects.

Something like this might be possible. I do have lots of paving stone/tiles and rocks left here by the previous owners.  She loved rocks also and they are tucked away in several places.  I would love to get to the place, strength-wise, that I could heft rocks up into a wheelbarrow and move them from place to place.

I know this is a bit ambitious.  I just want it to be mine.  Something that I have done.  Not something my landscapers ( whom I adore, by the way) or my very strong and handsome husband has done for me.
But something I can putter around with and get some exercise while I doing it.  Oh, I know I could get the clippers and trim the ivy from around the trees or pick up sticks and pull weeds, but what's the beauty in that?

So let's put on our thinking caps and come up with a fun rock garden for me to do.  I have the space to do it.  I can rake and hoe by hand.  I don't really want anything that involves tillers or anything that will make me want to give up.  You get the picture, don't you?  Something doable that will show results.

Let me know what you think.  This is going to be a good Spring, I can just tell.

Life aint nothin but a funny, funny, riddle...

Isn't it funny, how all summer long here in the blistering humidity of the Old Dominion, I sit and think of how much I long for cold and snow and then after eight or nine weeks of the stuff, I'm so done with it? 

Now I'm wishing it was warm and sunny.  I want to work in my yard, picking up sticks or tromping around down below the house revamping  plans for more landscaping in the woods.  Even though our humidity is sometimes excessive , I love it here. 

We don't have earthquakes much to speak of (only one that I can remember) and tornadoes usually pass us by (well, there was that one that came through several years ago) and usually the snow is minimal in our area (except for last year when we had about 24").

So we put up with the occasional bout of bad weather, but we love the area.  Everything is nearby.  We have the strawberry festival,

lots of shopping, our fitness center is only one mile away, and of course there's always bowling.

Whenever we get the urge to catch a movie, most of the new releases are playing at several different complexes. 

If you are in the mood for outdoor activities, we have everything you could ask for.  A nice little zoo, all kinds of places to hike and picnic and a recently completed greenway that winds around for miles. Now that I'm getting in better shape, I hope to take advantage of these new and improved trails.

So whether I'm sitting inside watching it snow while I do needlepoint, or gazing out the laundry room window watching the wind whip the trees, I always know that this blustery season is temporary.  The sun will shine and soon I'll be kicking up my heels in that sunshine and singing the last line to  John Denver's famous song in my own way..."thank God I'm a country girl".

Well, that's it for me for today.  We'll talk soon.  Enjoy your winter and dream of spring.

What Cha Doin?

..."feeding Alexander".

Now that my friends, is an obscure reference to an old Gravy Train commerical.  It's no wonder people never know what I'm talking about.  I still speak in the vernacular of vintage television commercials and after school specials.  I can't remember to cut the broiler unit off, but I can recite decades old adages and such.

What about you?  Do you find yourself retrieving ancient information from your memory banks?  Anyway, I was just wondering if it was just me.

Still no new art to take fancy shots of to dazzle you with.  I'm still working on needle point and going to the gym and trying to get healthy.  BUT in between these things I do manage to read some.  I am currently reading Rise and Fight Again by Charles Bracelen Flood. It recounts four of the most disastrous defeats of the American Revolution.  I just finished the section on Fort Washington and read about the horrible deaths of the prisoners that were basically stored in churches and warehouses or violently stuffed into the bowels of docked warships without any food or water.  Some very sad passages in the descriptions of these soldiers.

I also read fiction.  I like the lighter crime novels.  The ones that just say someone was killed and then the local librarian or book store owner proceeds to solve the mystery.  I also like Southern writers like Fanny Flagg and can always relate to the scenarios that she refers to. I don't usually care two hoots for romantic fiction, but have enjoyed the books by Tracy Chevalier, due to their historical information and well researched facts.

So while it is snowing outside, or the wind is howling, or you just want to cozy up and read, what do you choose.  Let me know.  I always want to know what my friends are reading.

Well, that's it for now.  Take care and stay safe and warm.

Where in the world???

Where has she been?  I'm such a slacker.  Between going to the gym and growing my hair, I just have really been slacking off on things.  Things like a new blog post...and new artwork...you know, that kind of thing.  In my defense, I have been using my break from the easel to do some needlework.  Longer days and warmer temps will be here eventually and the needlework will be put up.  For some reason, needlework just seems to be a winter kind of art. 

I did finish up a butterfly that was started last year...

I started another butterfly as a companion piece...

I finished, (but obviously haven't pressed) a counted cross stitch from two years ago...

And I finally got around to taking a picture of a cute little needlepunch that I did last year.

So, as you can see, I haven't been without art during my self-imposed painting break.  I'm just painting with thread. 

One thing is for sure, if I ever do get painter's block, there is always another art to motivate me. Because in addition to all my painting supplies, I have (and I know I'm the only one) large stashes of yarns, fabrics, patterns, books and magazines, and of course, my friend the internet to motivate me if I become bored with my current artsy adventure.

The thing is, if it's knitting, I have tons of supplies.  If it's sewing, once again I have tons of stash.  I have jewelry supplies that would complete any store inventory and whatever I need in the way of polymer clay is always only a few steps away.  I have vintage craft kits from the 70's just waiting to be completed and a box full of naked Barbies waiting to be repurposed.  Blessedly, our house has a great storage area that is the length of the entire house and DH has been great about helping with shelves and tables and whatever we need to keep things organized.  Shucks, I even converted the downstairs walk-in shower to a supply closet.  It wasn't always like this.  I have done many an art piece at the kitchen table, and who hasn't put that sewing machine in the kitchen at one time or another?  That's one of the great things about artists.  Whether it is fabric or fiber, painting or polymer...we will figure out a way to do it.  Why? Because it's just who we are.  We may take breaks from projects for long periods of time and devote time to other things when necessary, but we always go back to art. 

So if the little artist within you has been too busy, or too uninspired...indulge yourself tonight.  Take her out for a while and immerse yourselves in something that you used to just love to do, or perhaps haven't made the time to do.  It could be finishing a previously started project, or simply reading a how-to book. You know you want to...so like those Nike ads say...let's just do it.

That's all for now.  We'll talk soon and maybe I won't be such a slacker next time...but don't hold me to it!

Do you have rules?

We all have rules that we live by.  A civilized society, as we blessedly still somewhat are, must have rules to survive.  I'm actually referring to the self imposed rules that we live by in our personal lives.  Most of my rules are logical, such as increasing the size of the pin hole in the plastic top on my coffee to go cup.  If there isn't a "breathe" hole in the lid, you have to almost suction the coffee into your mouth, so I take something sharp, like a pin or the tip of the largest, sharpest knife in the house and enlarge this little hole.

You may be able to notice a small circle on the top of the lid, that is actually the pin-hole that I'm referring to.

It's quite similar to poking a hole in the bottom of the cranberry jelly can at Thanksgiving.  Because that works with the cranberry jelly, I've known folks that pierce the end of every can that they open.  So you see the kind of rules I'm talking about.  We have rules when we cook that may or may not be based on fact.  Remember the story about the newlywed that was cooking a ham for the first time by herself and had her husband looking everywhere for a handsaw to saw the end off the ham bone?  "You've got to find the saw, Mama ALWAYS cuts the end off the ham". Finally to avoid additional frustration, the husband (who are sometimes a lot smarter than we give them credit for) asked her to call her Mom and ask why you had to cut the end off.  Her Mom answered incredulously,  "honey, it's because my pan is too small for the ham."

So you may see where I'm going with this.  We have a new year upon us and maybe it really is time to reevaluate our self imposed rules.

Lots of my rules are food related.   Some of them are a bit weird and nonsensical.  If I have made a sheet cake and have snuck in and eaten some right out of the pan with a fork, then I think that I have to cut the uneven part off, so it will look neat. Hmmm, might it be I don't want anyone to know that I've been in there?.  Of course, I do eat the part I trimmed off.  Good thing I don't bake many cakes.  I have a friend that doesn't like to eat a sandwich if there are no potato chips.  Or perhaps you don't want to eat beans without cornbread.  You know, food rules.  Like the one that says you have to eat the entire pack of something, even when it's more than one serving.  When we do have cookies in the house, and that is rare these days, I wont take an uneven amount in my hand.  I don't want one cookie, I want two or four.  I know, I know....

So since we're going to be taking part in the fitness center weight loss challenge, I am going to have to change some things.  "They" say that you shouldn't work out every day, that you should let your muscles rest a day.  Therefore, I only do cardio on some days and weights on others. Seems that I remember back when there were farms, that folks worked every day and for that much, we know that anyone that has a physical job, they do it every day without have a day to let their muscles rest.  So, for me, that is a rule that bears some thought.  I have been going to the gym everyday trying to build up my endurance for the competition, because I know the trainer is going to push us to get the most out of us that she can.  Today, the hubby was very tired and we went back to bed and didn't hit the gym.  I will probably work out at home today and hopefully over the weekend.

We are also invited out to eat with friends Saturday to our favorite restaurant, a Japanese Steakhouse, as a belated Christmas gift.  We're both looking forward to that.  Usually that's where we go when my sister (Peri) comes in from out west, so it will seem a bit odd being there without them.  Other than working out and eating out, that's the extent of our plans.

I have been working on a counted cross stitch kit that I started last year (I think) so hopefully soon I will have that to show.  My art table feels neglected, but sometimes that's just the way it is. I'll be full of new ideas for paintings soon, but until then it will words of wisdom and wit and perhaps a few pictures here and there.

So dear friends, enjoy your weekend and when you sit down to enjoy your celery that you refuse to eat without peanut butter and raisins, think about some of the self imposed rules that may have you stymied.

It's 2011...how can that be?

Just a quick post to say Happy New Year to everyone.  I hope you all survived the crazy weather, the disruption of snow removal, the falling of birds from the sky and all the other wild things that happened over the holidays.

I haven't done much during my holiday week, but I did manage to make one painting.  They say that copying the Masters is a great way to learn.  This copy of Renoir's Head of a Girl started out simply as a quick sketch to decide on the colors that I would use when I do it for real.  For that reason, I used acrylic paint and not oil.  Those of you that you know me wont be surprised that I got bogged down with it and instead of doing a quick color sketch, I tried to replicate the look of oils using heavy bodied acrylic paints.

There are lots of methods and techniques to use with acrylics and I do so love working with them  especially because of the fast drying time.  On the other hand, that fast drying time is the one thing that will always separate acrylics from oils.  That is the reason that I will be copying this painting again soon and using oil paints.  The blendability, as well as the color mixing, is so different.  All that being said I offer for your viewing pleasure my version of Renoir.

I tried to use the same size canvas as the original in order to keep up the appearance of it being a copy, but as you can see, I just wasn't able to get the colors very close to the version that I was using.  Now not having seen the original (which I have read is the ideal way to copy a great work), I really wasn't sure how true the colors in the art book were.  At least it is recognizable as the head of a girl, so I'm happy with that.  I probably will do another version of it some time.

I will be working on a huge box of photographs from my past for the next several days (I hope it doesn't turn into weeks) and won't be painting much.  Organizing old photos and checking out negatives and sorting out photos to scan or reprint can take up some time.  If you have any ideas on making it easier, please feel free to let me know.  Otherwise I'll be immersed in the 50's, 60's, 70's, and early 80's for a bit.  Wish me luck.

That's it from me for several days.  Take care and have a great week!

What's on my easel...

I just couldn't stand looking at that photo of me in antlers any longer, so I'm showing what's on my easel.

This still life painting of a bowl of fruit has been calling me every time I go by it and I always sit down and work on it some more.  It's been on my easel all week, but today when I went into the studio, there was silence.  I suppose that means that it's done for now.  We will see.

This other one, a garden of imaginary flowers, was created while learning which brushes make which strokes, but it turned out to be a colorful surprise.

It's been quiet here on the home front.  I am staying in for the most part.  The hubby and I went out yesterday to run errands and to swing by the mall.  I was thinking, for some unknown reason, that everyone had gone back to work and school. Wrong...circle gets the square. (Hollywood Squares reference). Traffic was heavy and everyone and his uncle must have gotten gift cards this year.  Well, I don't need anything enough to put either one of us through that pain.  Hopefully, next week things will calm down and we can stroll the mall, hand in hand, and find all kinds of deals that have been overlooked by the masses....uhhh, right.

In any event, I'm staying in and keeping warm and waiting until Friday when the mercury is supposed to rise to 50 degrees.  Can you imagine what kind of holligans warm weather on New Year's Eve will bring out?  Looks like I will wait until next week to hit the mall.  Sheesh, this is unending...

So that's it from me for a few days.  Stay tuned for more art and as they used to say on television in the old days..."keep those cards and letters coming".

It's Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve and I don't have a current Christmas picture of us to post, but the sentiment is the same.

As we remember that this holiday is to celebrate the conception and birth of Christ, we know that how ever we celebrate it, whatever our belief is, as long as we remember to honor Jesus, we will be blessed.

I hope you all have a wonder filled and joyous Christmas.

Merry Christmas

from

Susan and Family

Finally, I can post this...

I have been chomping at the bit to post this, and finally it's been delivered.  This is the present I sent my sisters, a portrait of one of their cats. 

This is a pastel portrait that I did in October and have been quiet as a mouse about it.  I had it framed and sent it to them this week.  They loved it. This kitty is named Zipper and he is such a ham, he poses for the camera every time we get out to the west coast to see him.

I have done several other things, but I wanted to show you this in the meantime.

Merry Christmas, Peri and Peg-Peg, we love you bunches!

It's just two weeks til Christmas...

Yep, two weeks until Christmas and the only decoration I have this year is one poinsettia that we got at Home Depot.  Actually the only reason I even have that was to have something to paint.  I haven't done a still life for several months, so I thought a seasonal one would be just the ticket. 

I had fun doing it and while I'm sure I could have probably staged it better somewhere else in the house, it just worked for me on the mantle.

We have spent a very quiet week here, going to the gym, doing a bit of shopping and watching some television.  It's funny, even at my age, I still get teary eyed at the Christmas television specials.  It doesn't matter if it's the old faithful ones from our youth, or the Christmas episode of a current sitcom, I still get weepy. Always have, probably always will.

In addition to being weepy, everyone here in my neck of the woods has been on pins and needles, due to the abduction of a local 12 year old girl.  Her Mom had missed work two days in a row, so on Monday, concerned co-workers call the police and when they entered the house, unfortunately, they found the mother, Tina, murdered.   The daughter, Brittney was not there and it was soon discovered she had been taken by her Mom's boyfriend, apparently on Friday.  An Amber Alert was issued immediately and finally last night, they were seen in San Francisco in a Safeway.  A shopper recognized them from the Amber Alert photos and called police and they were able to arrest him without incident and get Brittney.  The officials aren't releasing much information, but at least she's safe and on her way home. 

I hope everyone is staying calm, cool and collected over the holidays.  My shopping is done, and after we go to UPS Monday, I can sit back and relax.  I don't stress out much this time of year.  The hubby and I get things we like throughout the year, so we don't worry that much about special gifts for each other.  I ordered art supplies from Dick Blick and he will probably get something from Musician's Friend and we both like to order shoes from Zappos.  So this season hasn't stressed us out in the least.

Well, that's it from me for now.  Stay safe and warm and remember to tell the people that you love, just how much they mean to you.  Take care, we'll talk soon!

Getting ready for the weekend

Hey out there.  Seems that Friday is going to be my day to post.  I am sitting here patiently trying to recover from my morning workout.  One thing about going to the gym is that I seem to challenge myself more than I do when I workout at home.  Perhaps it's the fact that I have to actually get ready and drive to the center to do my workout.  I know it's not the money, as the fee is only $39.00 a month.  I haven't researched any other health clubs, but that seems reasonable enough when you have access to an indoor pool, group exercises and every kind of weight and exercise machine that you may need or want.

Sorry, I got a bit off subject there, I was going to discuss the fact that I like to compete with myself.  Each time I go to Zumba I go a little bit faster, or reach a little bit higher so that I still am sweaty and slightly red faced when I finish.  It will be sometime down the road before I am not surprised with the image that I see in that wall of mirrors.  Don't get me wrong, I don't have a poor body image at all, it's just that I'm not used to seeing myself all jiggly and breathless when I look in my mirror.  I usually have a makeup brush or a curling brush in my hand and am in another kind of zone completely.

Oops, I did it again... I was going to mention that even on days that I don't have group exercise to motivate me, I push myself to walk faster and even run a bit when I'm on the track.  I like to use the recumbent bicycle and cross trainer machine and each time, I try to work a bit harder in hopes of building up my strength and endurance levels.

I promise that all of this is actually leading somewhere, so try not to doze while I get to my point.  What point am I trying to make?  Stick-to-itiveness! Yep, that made up word that says so much, it's now in the dictionary.  Perseverance, tenacity, just plain old staying power...whatever you want to call it, it's got to be what makes the world go around.  You just can't get anywhere by fizzling out, or by giving up or by quitting.  If you think you can, you might as well just sit in the floor and cry because you won't get what you want from life.

Having a goal and working for it is healthy.  If you are like so many of us and you sit for hours at a time, try to set simple goals like getting up and walking around the room every hour.  It is so easy to be at the sewing machine, or the art table or surrounded by colorful yarns and forget to move.  Yep, we forget to move.  It's a good thing that breathing is involuntary, or we might forget that, also.  So, let's challenge ourselves this month and at least set a goal to make some changes, and possible move more.  Park at the end of the lot at the mall (making sure you are in a safe spot if you will be shopping until dark), or take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Even little things like standing up straight, instead of leaning on the shopping cart will also make a difference in the way you feel about yourself.

Normally, I don't rant about these kind of things on my art blog.  It's just that I think it's important to do my personal best, because I seem to just feel better when I do.  That's why I did a second version of my bucket and tree painting.  I liked the first one I did, which is on the right, but I wanted one that was more transparent and went with the barn paintings that I'm doing.

(Click on the images for a larger version)

So that's what I did this week, as far as art.  I am also thinking of doing another version of the covered bridge in this same fashion, so be on the look out for that.

Well, that's it for me for today.  Hope you are ready for a great weekend.  Take care of yourself so you, too can do your personal best.

Everything old is new again

When it comes to art instruction books, it doesn't have to be a new publication to help you improve your techniques.  I am currently using a book published in 1984 called Acrylics, Translucent Techniques for Landscape Painters, by R. Bradford Johnson.  Now, I do have to admit all the paintings tend to look the same, as you are using the same techniques used in the previous exercise and adding new ones when you go to the next tutorial.  Of course, each person puts their own spin on color mixing and such, but they do all tend to look like copies from the book. All that being said, here are three paintings that I have done in the past week.


This was my first one, and I sort of forgot that I was going for translucency, and painted in a more opaque fashion.




The second one adds weathered wood and rocks... 

This third one throws snow covered trees  and stonewalls into the mix...

The next one will have a windmill and a rusty tin roof on the barn, so I really am learning as I go.

Hope everyone had a good week and a good Thanksgiving Day.  I have to get on the computer and get some shopping done, but other than that, Christmas shopping for me will be very easy.  I'm not much on decorating these days, but I still have some money left on a Bed, Bath and Beyond gift card, so I think I'll scope out some new, and hopefully, easy to display, holiday lights.  No Griswold lights for us, but if you are into that type of decorating, check out this site.

Well, that's it from me for now.  Take care and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Happy Friday!

Hope everyone is gearing up for a fun weekend.  Since I didn't want to see that same artwork all weekend, I thought I would post this recent practice piece...

Looks like water is a recurring theme in my work. I got a bit wonky on the head of this bird, and it looks like those bird creatures in the cartoons. I was trying to make it's feathers stand out a bit, but he does look a bit furry, doesn't he? 

Anyway, that's what's on my easel this week. Perhaps I will change things up a bit next week.  I have been taking lots of reference photos of the trees around my house.  I really like to draw and paint trees. Who knows, maybe I'll try my hand at some wildlife next time.

In the mean time, have a great weekend, get ready for Thanksgiving and try not to over indulge.

Another week has gone by...

Yes, it's hard to believe that another week has gone by.  I worked out five days last week, but am taking the weekend off to recover.  I was so sore last week, I think I may have overdone it on Thursday, but I'm feeling good today.

Anyway, I said that I hadn't really done any art to speak of.  That is never actually the case, I always have something in the works and I'm always of the opinion that if it's not "perfect" I just can't post it here.  Well, fiddle sticks on that.  I'm going to go ahead and post everything that I have going in the art studio.

I have been working on an oil painting.  My first in about six or seven years.  And I've only done two others, so oil is not something I am experienced in.  You may recognize the covered bridge from my trip several weeks ago.


I cleaned up the studio and set out my acrylic paints and tried my hand at some impressionist work.  This one of the boats in the harbor is very unfinished and may be destined for the trash bin, but that's yet to be decided.

This last one is in acrylic and is quite large for me.  At 16 x 20, done in acrylic on watercolor paper, it is taken from an exercise in an oil painting instruction book.  I am much more in favor of the fast drying time of acrylic so I am adapting some of those techniques to my acrylic work.  We will see how that goes.

 


So this is what I have been working on.  In between going to the fitness center, keeping up with everyday stuff, and just enjoying life in general.

We have been watching the new AMC series, The Walking Dead and it is super gory and very scary.  If you are into zombies, this is the show for you and you can catch up on past episodes here.  If you are uncomfortable with yucky special effects and don't sleep well after viewing something of this nature.  Do Not, I repeat Do Not, watch this show.

So that's it from me for now.  I hope everyone has had a great week and is rearing to go into the next one.

What's up with you?

As some of you already know, I take art by spurts.  I spent the entire summer painting and having a blast.  I still have several paintings I want to do as Christmas presents, but I have reached that time when I put up my paints and let things simmer for a while.

In my last post I may have mentioned that I am trying very hard to "get into shape".  At this stage of the game ( umm, age 57) I'm not sure what that shape will be, but I do want to be flexible, have endurance and a healthy cardio system.  So I've been hitting the gym lately and am actually liking it and looking forward to my next visit.  The Zumba Gold class was pretty intense, but got progressively easier with each class.  This week I am going to attempt to add something called "hooper-cise" into the routine, so I'll be sure to keep you posted on that.  My swimming lessons were successful, but with cooler weather here, I'm not too hep on getting in the pool.  Maybe a water aerobics class here and there, but I'm not sure.

What does one post when you no longer have kitties doing crazy things, and your jewelry making has been on hold for months and your artist's muse is on vacation?  Let me go to my archives and see what I can come up with.  I'm sure I must have some pictures that could be revisited...

How about revisiting my old halloween costumes?   You may have noticed my new profile picture.  The last year I worked I was a mime, so I am using that for my ID shot for a while.  One of my favorite costumes, (which my sister said didn't look like a costume at all) was the year I dressed up as Mommy Dearest and carried a wire coat hanger.  So just for grins and giggles, here I am as Joan Crawford.  Enjoy!

Yep, it's me with heavily drawn eyebrows and bright orange lipstick with lots of rouge on my Mean Mom cheeks.

On a sad note, I just wanted to mention that my sister told me that one of her friends took his own life last week.  He was a lovely young man and one of the first folks she met when they moved to California.   Due to his brief appearance on the Batchelorette, his untimely death by his own hand, is now world wide news.  This makes it even sadder, in my opinion, that the grief over this loss has to be so public for his family.  There is, of course, always more to the story when a death like this takes place, things that I won't go into here, but I offer condolences and I do pray that he will be remembered for the nice guy that he was. Julien you will be missed by those who loved you.

So that's it for now. I hope everyone had a good weekend and is preparing to be healthy, creative and happy next week. Remember to tell your loved ones how much you care and give them a big hug.

Welcome November...

Wow, can today be the first of November?  Finally we are getting some cooler weather.  It has been in the 80's here all Fall.  Kind of hard to get ready for Autumn when the air conditioner is still humming along. 

I have two more paintings to share.  This first one is based on the photograph taken by my friend Karin at Countryfolk Keepsakes.  In addition to being a very creative primitive fabric sculptor and doll maker, she is Mom to several furbabies and often we read about their antics.  Anyway when I saw one of her photos, I had to paint it.



My version of it...



And then I decided to play "what if" and added some large pine trees and came up with another version





 Karen suggested I add her little busy friend "Stan the Beaver" who resides very nearby. Maybe next time.

As I mentioned last week, I was going on a bus ride to view the leaves and to take pictures of some covered bridges.  We had a lovely time and even got to ride up the mountain and have lunch at the famous Mountain Lake Resort.  Here is a shot of the view from the bus.

 Not bad for a moving vehicle, huh?

Here is one of the bridges that we saw

and we even got to see bovine

So, as the old folks used to say..."a good time was had by all".

Well, I have decided to start hitting the gym, so I expect I may not be quite so prolific in the art department.  Last week in addition to my swim classes, I used the stationary bike, walked the indoor track and took a water aerobics class.  This is the last week of my swimming lessons, so I am signing up for Zumba Gold that starts tomorrow.  It's the easier version of Zumba, aimed at true beginning exercisers and those that might need to go a bit slower.  Hey, I'm not too proud to admit that I fall into that category.  Let's hope that's all I fall into.

Remember if I don't talk to you before Tuesday, get out there and vote.  All states have elections and I really feel that our voices can be heard. Your vote does count.

So that's it for now, hope everyone has a great week, being creative and loving life.  Do something fun and if anyone asks why...tell then Susan said to!