Where does the time go?

I can't believe a week has passed since I posted. We have been quite busy. We are going to have new carpet installed. We live in an older ranch and the baseboards had to be totally replaced before the carpet can be started. That meant so much work for my hubby. I have tried to help all I can, but sometimes it's just best for me to stay in my studio. Ohh, what punishment!!
For a break in the work, Thursday, we went to the local festival that always runs Memorial Day Weekend.

Here you see us waiting for the first act to start.



It was a local band that did pretty good. The second band was a Zep tribute band and they weren't very good. We did get to meet some interesting festival goers and talked to some folks we hadn't seen for years. That's always fun. The main reason that we came to the festival today, was to see the headliner. DH wanted to meet the singer and get his autograph, so he went through his stash of vinyl records and grabbed the sharpie and I took the camera and off we went. There was never any question in my mind as if DH would accomplish his mission, he usually does. We meet lots of folks this way. Like Smashing Pumpkins and Cheap Trick and Chuck Negron and Rebecca St. James. The list goes on.

Right before the second band was finishing, he says "OK, give me the camera, I'm going to try to meet him". He wasn't gone long enough at all when I saw him talking to some folks he knew and he began walking back. Sure enough, he had his album autographed and a great picture of him with...



The awesome and so very cool Edgar Winter. How's this for proving an autograph?

Some of you might wonder how the movie making event went on Saturday morning. It didn't. It fizzled out. Only two teenagers showed up and we (I) decided not to participate. We went to breakfast at a local restaurant (folks nearby will recognize it) and ate way too much.



Later Saturday, we went back to the festival to see another band and video some footage for DH to include in his show. I took some good photos of the band. I used to take photos of the bands that DH was in, back in the 80's. Imagine me, big hair and all, prancing around, taking band pictures. I loved it!

(I was going to post a picture of DH taping the band, but my computer wont cooperate)

Well, until I can get the rest of my pictures loaded, I guess that is it for today. I am typing from my temporary station (card table) and it's not conducive to extra long sessions. Hope you like the pictures of my honey, I think he is quite a catch. We will talk more, I'm sure. I will probably be posting pictures of Saturday's art gallery, also. So, I'm off to get into something. See you soon.

How do you save money?

As an artist, we find many ways to spend our hard earned cash, but what can we do to save money? We are intelligent and inventive individuals, so let's post some of our ideas. What do you do to save money? What are some of your favorite ways to keep costs down? I have always been frugal, (maybe too much, sometimes I'm just plain cheap) so I have several ideas that I will share over the next few days. I love to shop at thrift stores, especially Goodwill. If I need a specific piece of material, I would just as soon buy a garment or two, in the colors that I need and cut my pattern out of it, as go to the Fabric Store. This way the fabric has already been laundered and wont shrink, and I get buttons and sometimes trim in the process. It also helps create employment for the great folks that work in that store. I made a cape for one of our local public access daredevils out of ready made garments from the thrift shop. I bought a white satin dress from the children's department and an American flag patterned shirt from the men's department and cut them apart to create a super- hero type cape for him to use in his show. It was quite a hit.

Let us know what you have done or what you think would be a good idea. Save money or make money? Which is better? Come on folks, let us know.

Well, that's all for now. Keep us posted on all your ideas. We'll talk soon.

Here's the latest...

Hi folks! First off, I want to say thanks to all, for the kind comments you made regarding my castings. I think this is definitely something I want to continue. I have been reading up on casting and checking out the other blogs and I know this is something we will be doing more of. I am on the lookout for things to use as molds, so please keep me clued in on the possibilities you find.

This is a busy month at my house. Next Saturday, DH and I are planning on participating in a movie making competition at our local art movie house. We will register at 8:00 am, get the theme and the items that need to be included in the movie, then we have until 8:00 pm to video and edit and turn in the completed movie. All the videos will be reviewed and the ones the judges pick will be shown on the big screen at midnight. My hubs is great at this type of thing and I am, if nothing else, enthusiastic , so hopefully , between the two of us, we will come up with something. In any event, it will be fun and maybe worthy of posting on YouTube or on Hub's public access television show.

The next weekend, we have another Altered Art Group showing at the library headquarters. We met this weekend and worked on a display board for the newest category. We are doing a collaboration using the theme "of Goth and Strange", you might remember the piece I posted a while back. In addition to working on the display, we discussed the demonstrations that we will be doing. I am going to attempt to demonstrate how to make wire butterflies to be worn on a ribbon or used as embellishments.

The art display is a large board that we textured with caulking and paper and then glazed/painted with black. My picture doesn't do it justice, but it will look really good when Marnie finishes up on it. Here is what we had at the end of the day.

It will look great when the art is displayed and it will be definitely different from our other more traditional art . I hope small children don't get scared, but if they do, then we will know it was a successful display.

Here's a shot of Marnie applying her newly acquired skills from the Art and Soul seminar, to the display piece. It looks really wild, Marnie.

In addition to making movies and the art show, my darling hubs has been running himself ragged, getting our house ready for new carpet. The baseboards had to be replaced, several rooms painted, closets revamped...everything is looking great. We still have a ways to go and I may be without my usual computer for several days. Hopefully, I won't go into blog withdrawal. It will be worth it in the long run and I will certainly be checking out your blogs, even if I'm not posting as often.

Well, that's all for now. Remember to take time for yourself and make art whenever you can.

I'll be back soon with some updates. Until then, take care and we'll talk soon.

Casting Call

Here is my first attempt at paper casting. Crusades #20 is paper casting, I saw this over on Maralena's blog and decided to try it. The butterfly is done from an Amaco mold and the figure is my own hand carved stamp. I added watercolor to the tissue when I did the butterfly for a different look. These will make interesting elements for all kinds of art. Give it a try and show us your results.

I have several other projects in the works. I'll keep you posted. See you later!

Happy Mother's Day

I just wanted to take this opportunity to say Happy Mother's Day to all of you out there that are moms. My husband and I have been without our mothers for about 12 years now. They died almost one year apart. How we miss them both. Picking out special cards, finding that beautiful potted plant, the trip (30 miles or 30 steps, depending on the mom) to deliver the gift. I miss them both so much. I know they are with God and nothing can compare to that, but just to be able to wrap my arms around either one of them for one more hug would be so wonderful. They were both beautiful, strong women and I am so blessed and fortunate to have been the daughter and daughter-in-law. So here's to you, Barbara and Lois, Happy Mother's Day and thanks for being the best Moms ever! We miss you.

Back to work

I like to think things are getting back to normal at our house. It has been over one month since Baby Milo left us for the Rainbow Bridge, and although we miss him so much, we are doing ok. Last night hubby got out old video tapes from at least 10 years ago and seeing all of our baby kitties was such a treat. Seeing what we looked like was quite a hoot, also. Me with long, long hair and him with short, short hair. How funny.

We went, Friday, to check out the local strawberry festival that is an annual fund raiser in our area and had a shortcake and a sundae. That was yummy. On Saturday, we did the flea market and only came away with one record album and 3 tomatoes. Lots of sunshine and walking made it worthwhile, though.

Last week, one of my projects was hand carving a "portrait stamp". Hubbs said it looks like a lemur, but it is supposed to be a version of the avatar that you see in my profile. I had to carve it twice, because I forgot to reverse it. I always do that. Also, I forgot to leave the eyes on the first one.


I wanted the stamp to be sturdy and easy to use, so I took a purchased stamp that I never use and removed the stamp from it. I, then stamped the image of the hand-carved stamp onto the area where I had removed the other stamp, put a piece of packing tape on it and then glued the hand-carved stamp to the wooden block. It looks just like the real thing. I had never used material made for carving stamps, only erasers. This is so much softer and easier to carve. The thing is, the carving material was so much thicker than I am used to, so I sliced it in half, just to get the hang of carving it, next time I will use the entire piece.





I also decided to use it in the piece that I will be submitting for our next art show at the library. It is a collaboration, using the theme "Of Goth and Strange" and was to be done using a book cover as the support. Here is a sneak preview, see what you think.


As you can see, I used the Barbie head that I cut in half last month and altered. I also used several masks that I have sculpted in the past, I decided that some rubber Madonna bracelets made a good frame for the masks and a rubber snake, painted white, adds (I hope) some texture and interest. I printed out some personal remarks and pasted them down. I don't know if it qualifies for "goth", but the "strange" part was not a problem.

Well, that's all for now. It's a beautiful day today, so I just might go back out on the deck and take it easy. That is, if that territorial bumble bee doesn't get an attitude. We'll see. Later folks, enjoy the rest of your weekend and don't forget to do your art!

Lucy and Ethel or Thelma and Louise ???

I'm not sure which famous duo we resembled most, but my sweet friend Diann took me to lunch yesterday. We dined at Ruby Tuesday's, a first for me, and it was quite delicious. Salad bar and mini burgers with iced tea. Then we wheeled around the mall and went to Barnes and Noble, where she bought me this super book, Creative Embellishments by Sherrill Kahn. She was quite right when she said it seemed like just the book for me. I have already sent DH to the store for suggested supplies that, believe it or not, I didn't have.

Diann was at my mercy yesterday, because not only did I want to ride her around in our new car, but I also wanted her to see the house. Poor gal, she had to look at my jewelry, my vintage photos, my crazy stash of supplies and my work space. Hubby was working on his new video and she got a sneak preview of that, plus he played obscure records for her and showed her his collections of vinyl and such. By the time I took her back to her car, it was 6:30 pm and neither one of us even realized it. Even though she says she is a bit shy and I hadn't been out with a friend for lunch for probably over a year, we both did ok. We chatted and giggled and ate and drank coffee and read books and talked and... well, you get the picture. I had made her one of my little pillow dolls and she tucked it into her shirt and took her along for the fun. I also made sure she left with some little things to remember us by, DH gave her a book and I kept shoving crazy things like painted wooden fish and a little decorated gourd, into her hands. Yikes, I hope her new hubby, Jon, doesn't think we went overboard. She also made me the sweetest card from them wishing me many happy returns. Since this is such a lengthy post today, I won't post any pictures until later, but I did want to let everyone know what happened when the two of us got together. Later, folks!

It was a great day!

I know you all are just chomping at the bit to see my presents, so here they are. The watch and the ring were early presents. My hubby surprised me with this book that I had mentioned in passing, (and sticking to our budget) didn't get.



After giving me a very sweet card and the book, he told me we were going to the movie. I had been laughing over the previews for Baby Mama and knew it was coming out on Friday, so that's where we headed.



Popcorn and drink round out the movie experience, (I even got in free). I got a real kick out of the film. I think it may have been a bit too much of a chick-flick for DH, but I thought some of the "girl-humor" was a hoot.

Later in the evening, we went to our favorite Japanese steak house. After a lovely dinner and a free piece of cheesecake, we made our way home.

I was too full to do much of anything except collapse on the couch. It was a great day and once again, I want to thank all my friends for all their sweet greetings and I am looking forward to my lunch date with Diann on Tuesday. I guess after that I will have to go back to the daily grind, but I have milked this for all it was worth, stretching it to well over a week.

Next week I hope to be doing lots of art, so maybe I will have something interesting to post in that regard.

As usual, try to keep us posted with what's going on in your worlds, as we love seeing your ideas, your dreams and your lives. It's what friends do!!

That's all for now. We'll talk soon.

Misty Morning

I took this shot yesterday morning. I love occasional early morning fog. You can just start imagining the stories that go with a picture like this. I'll bet if anyone saw me in my gown taking the picture, they wondered what my story was !!



Another thing I love to do is arrange silk flowers. While doing some spring cleaning last week, I realized I needed to replenish my arrangements. When we were furniture shopping, I saw a lovely art flower arrangement on a table in one of the stores. The price on it was $199.00. It was a silk arrangement in a clear glass container with the clear resin used to look like water. Well, I am such a frugal thing, I said I can duplicate this arrangement for much less than that. Hubby and I went to Michael's and I got what seem to be the identical flowers. Red and yellow silk poppies, along with some additional greenery that looks like eucalyptus leaves. I was actually looking for a greenery similar to dusty miller, but they didn't have any. This one is my second attempt at making a similar arrangement. I really didn't like my clear vase version, it just didn't go with my decor, came out being too formal. Since Hubby and I collect colored glassware, I decided to use one of our blue vases and I think I like the result.

twenty dollars worth of silk flowers

My take on the artist's arrangement

Click in on this shot and take note of the monkey art on my mantle. This is a monkey that I drew and then wood burned for my hubby, one year for his birthday. Monkey is one of my pet names for him, so I am always looking for monkeys for him. He has monkey magnets, a monkey bobble head, monkey postcards and a sweet Momma and Baby Monkey on his desk. You just gotta love monkeys.

Speaking of monkeys, has anyone seen Escape to Chimp Eden? It is another of the shows that I watch on Animal Planet. It is such a great reality show. I got almost as attached to these primates as I did to the Meerkats. Don't get me started on these little critters. Their stories really touch me. I'm such a sap anyway. (That means I will probably cry before the end of the show).

Well that's all for now, I think I'll go make a cup of tea and see what I can get into. Have a good rest of the day and keep me posted on how your days are going. Ta, Ta, friends.

Freak Out

......picture this (especially those of you who know me)...

I'm in my workout gear, which includes my always present Flashdance t-shirt, doing dishes... Listening to my jams... Hear comes Chic doing LeFreak!!! Suds are a-flyin, white rubber gloves a-waving!! I'm boogieing to my favorite dance music-Disco. There you have it. Take a listen and see if you can stay in your seat.

Later Babies!!

Remembering the victims

I really thought that after one year, I would be able to post about this without crying, but when I went in on this Virginia Tech Site, the tears started to flow.

One of my mother's brothers was a VPI (Tech) alumni. He received an excellent education at Tech and went on to be a successful tax accountant. When we were children, he took my brother to all the Tech games. He was proud to be a Hokie and we felt like Hokies, too. Unfortunately, this beloved uncle died (much too young) before he could encourage us kids to go to Tech . Someone might say that I didn't actually lose anyone in the Virginia Tech Massacre, but they would be wrong. We all lost when this happened. Even the parents of the one that caused this. I feel so sorry for all the families involved. I show my remembrance by wearing the school colors whenever I can. It's the least I can do for Uncle Bud.

Well, that being said, I will continue in a somewhat lighter mode. I don't know if I have mentioned that my hubby plays bluegrass on Saturdays. For his birthday, my sister sent him an electric "upright" bass. He usually plays an electric rock bass, sitting down with a strap around his shoulder. He finally decided to break out the Pace Bass last weekend, but it wasn't easy standing up for 4 hours. This is the reason that we went shopping yesterday for a swivel bar stool for him to use when he plays. He got a really nice one and I will try to take a picture of him the next time he plays. While we were in the furniture store, he suggested an impulse item.....a new sofa!!! I love it. They even delivered it the same day. We picked out one that is slightly smaller than the one we had and it makes our living room look so much larger. The only problem is now, we need a new coffee table. You know how that goes.

Well, not much more to say, except keep doing art. Never be discouraged by comparing your abilities, or your style or anything else to other artists. I believe we are all artists. We are all individuals and this individuality can show through in our art. Don't make only what you think will "sell", make what you like. Try new techniques, and if you don't always have the proper tools, improvise. Who knows what you might come up with. You might invent the next "new thing". Whatever you do, the whole point I'm trying to make is, go ahead and do it!

Me, I'm going to go take the head off of an old Barbie doll and see if I can cut it in half. Wish me luck. Ta, Ta for now.

Just a quick post

Wanted to give a shout out to all my peeps! OK, so I'm being silly. I just wanted to make a quick post to say hello and to show you the finished necklace that I had been working on. I had it on at the library today and Marnie and the other gals liked it. So here it is!



Also, have we talked about Zappos, my favorite online shoe store? I love Skechers , and here is my latest pair. Talk about addictive, I love to look at shoes here. My darling hubby is the one that got me hooked on it, so it's all his fault.



And, another thing, since this is my birthday month, I have to go to the DMV soon to get my permit renewed. I have to take the eye test and yes, I have to wear glasses all the time now. GRRR... so I have that to look forward to.

Hopefully, I will soon get some art done. Our altered art group will be meeting next week. I need something to get me moving in a different direction again. I don't know what I will be doing next, but I think I need to do something sort of weird and dark. Just in time for spring! I can do bright colors and heart shaped faces another day. Let's go Goth for a while. I think I need to remove some doll heads from my stash of thrift store babies. I'm getting ideas. Talk about altered, wait until you see what I'm thinking! Hmmm..... this could get interesting.

Well, hubby just invited me to go the The Coffee Pot to hear some early evening Bluegrass. This should be a hoot. Well, got to go make sure my shows get taped. Talk soon. Ta, Ta.

Sunday and Unmotivated

DH and I are both still in our PJ's and it's evening. We went to the store on Friday instead of today and it's raining and my eyes feel funny and...is that enough reasons to be in pajamas all day?

Ok, now I am taking an opportunity to vent. I try and try and try and never, never get the results I expect with Shrink Plastic. It seems like it would be the perfect product to make light weight charms and other ephemera for altered art. It is just so contrary. I know you "have" to sand it to use colored pencils, so I sand it. You "have" to use pigment ink, so I use it. The ink doesn't dry. How do you cut out shapes when the ink is not dry? Are you supposed to wait over night? That doesn't fit with my plan, usually. Seriously, I have tried about 6 times now and maybe once have I gotten something I was happy with. Do any of you use it? I would post a picture of this last batch I did, but they look like burnt corn flakes. Ok, I'll do it any way. Here goes.




Oh, I did make a picture frame by gluing down recycled items to a board and then putting glue and beads on it in a mosaic fashion. Can you tell what the recycled items are? Here's a clue... this picture frame will hold a picture of Baby Milo in the center area.



Onward. Last week I worked on a dimensional piece of art. I used vintage wooden fish from an old mobile. Glued down beads, glitter, all sorts of things. It's coming along.



Today, in addition to the hateful shrink plastic I made a pendant, or something, using the instructions from this book by Sandra McCall. You use a glob of hot blue and stamp into it. I didn't have the stamp she suggested, so I hand-carved a stamp after I got the book. I think it is going to be really cool.


Well, I don't know if you can tell, but none of these items are quite finished yet. I used to fret and only do one thing until it was exactly the way I wanted it to be. Nope, now I just go from one thing to another and have several things going at once. It's a great way to stay fresh and not get so bogged down with my art, which I tend to do sometimes. This method was suggested several month ago by one of my blog artist buddies. It's really working for me. I really do appreciate the fact that most of the artist that blog are willing to give you tips and hints and to show you their work. It's great and I thank you for it.

Well, Big Brother is on tonight. I am and probably will always be a TV junkie. Sofa Spud, Couch Tater, you call it what you will, I'm it. I started watching television when The People's Choice was a sitcom instead of an award show. I think it was the last season when I saw it, but I do remember the little dog that did this trick of walking with her front legs and dragging her back legs behind her. Do any of you remember that one? The first cartoon I really remember was Woody Woodpecker and my first crush was on Circus Boy, who grew up and went on to become my favorite one of the Monkees.

Ok, enough of that, I am out of here to try to find something yummy to eat on this cloudy evening, so stay warm, and have fun and keep those cards and letters comin'!!

Surprise Present

Hello all, I got a very pleasant surprise yesterday. I had sent my hubby an e-mail about a painting by the awesome artist Michelle Steele being available on eBay. I then forgot about it. You know how that is. Anyway, yesterday when the mail came he handed me a nice sized box and said "your mail is here". We had recently ordered something for the bathroom, so I am expecting (please forgive me, Michelle) a toilet seat. Imagine my surprise when I opened up this beautiful piece of artwork.


I am so happy with it. In fact, I think it looks a lot like me. I have green eyes, and at one time, had jammin' long dark hair. I immediately had him hang it for me, but took it down to take this shot.

I definitely like the folk art look of this piece, but I also love the other, somewhat off-beat art that Michelle does. Check out her website to get a feel for some of her art.

Just wanted to show it off to you and to say thanks again to my hubby. I can't believe he was able to keep this purchase a secret for an entire week. We can't keep secrets, we are just like kids.

Thanks Monkey Man. I wuv you this much.

Mosette Boutif Kit by Craft Master.

Ever since My Hubby found this art kit from my childhood, he has been trying to find other ones for me. Here are some shots of the latest one I did. Hope you like it.

Here it is right out of the box

Here I have glued down the black braid

Here is the finished product- braid, glass, stone and glitter all glued in place. When it comes to art, it's fun to have someone else tell you exactly what to do sometimes. Plus it is a great way to get unexpected presents from my hubby. Thanks, Darling, you're the best.

...

Earth Hour

Yes, we decided to participate in Earth Hour. We turned off all lights and all non-essential appliances for one hour. We watched television by candle light. Was kind of fun. Certainly can't hurt.

Well, that's all for now. Will talk soon. Ta, Ta.

A New Routine

Well, life goes on, we are settling into a new routine. I am purposely doing things differently. This is the first time in over 20 years that I haven't had to watch the door when I opened it. Now I am holding the door open longer, just to get used to the fact that no one will escape. None of our kitties ever tried to get out, it was just a precautionary measure anyway. We had been walking quietly for the last few weeks, because Milo was unwell. We are now striding through the house, running up and down the stairs, even speaking in a louder voice. Things are just naturally changing. Part of me feels guilty that I am getting used to things so quickly. I miss him, but in a sweet, reminiscent way. I do want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all my friends for their kind words. I know most of you have been through this and your sweet e-mails and comments have helped me so much. Hugs to you all.

I have been working on jewelry recently and here are two pieces that you might find interesting.

I am a grape ape. I love purple and have since I was a teenager. This is an amethyst bead and purple lampwork creation, accented with black seed beads and pink anodized beads.



This is a beaded kumihimo necklace. It is made from 8 strands of seed beads that are woven in a tubular fashion and finished with a non-tarnish silver cone and wire wrapped. I chose shades of purple and red in case there were any Society ladies out there that wanted something different.

I have been spring cleaning and I have collected sooooo much jewelry over the years, that I am thinking about putting lots of earrings, necklaces, etc. on eBay. I really haven't decided yet, but it would really be a good way to make way for more treasures. In the meantime, I will leave you with these two necklaces and make my way downstairs to maybe work on my altered book. The next meeting will be here soon and I won't have anything done on it. Good thing tomorrow is Saturday.

Till then, Ta, Ta.

He's Gone

For those of you who have been keeping up with our kitty cat, Milo, we had to have him put down today. Ten days ago, the vet was astounded at how well he was doing. He had seen him on one of his "good" days. His bad days have been really, really bad and we knew this morning we needed to take him for this last visit.

We will miss him, we already do...and we don't know what we will do about future pets. For now we will celebrate his sweet little life (he was 16, that's about 84 in human years) and know that he was loved and very, very well cared for. My darling husband would hold Milo for hours, even if he was uncomfortable himself.

We laid him to rest with his other little kitty cat friends, here on our little acre. He was a sweet boy and we have lots of pictures and video of him. I blogged about his health here and I showed him when he was really fit and feisty is this blog.

He was a very important part of our lives, but we know we will all be together sometime. Join me in remembering this very special cat and remember the special little pets of yours that he has joined. I imagine they are all having fun, chasing butterflies and each other and sometimes looking down at us, remembering how much we loved them.

Thanks for listening.

History in the making...

In honor of Women's History Month, here is history in the making. Rock On!




Oh, how I wish there had been a camp like this when we were kids. Enjoy!

I'm a winner!

Just a quick Thank You to Jenn and the Boys over at Noodle and Lou's. I won in her 100th post giveaway. Thanks for picking me. I am looking forward to receiving my gift. Thanks again.

XOXOXOXOX