Fancy Things and Life

Playing with Chalk(soft pastels)and a self portrait.

2012-01-26T14:41:00.002-05:00

I'm here,sketching my everyday life somedays its just a cup of coffee other days its family members doing their ordinary daily things,somedays the sketch is beautiful and some days its terrible but I keep trying,keep going because life is here today and gone tomorrow. I try to capture my feeling inside my sketches so I remember the ordinary happy days,or scribble out those terrible days but they are there as I am here!

A little sketching....

2012-01-06T16:49:00.005-05:00

thats all I got done over the past month,been busy with Christmas and relatives coming to stay with us,you know the usual holiday stuff. I did make sure I had alittle creative time in the evenings,even if it was just to doodle in my sketch book,it keeps me happy. Now that the Christmas decorations are down,house back to normal and cleaned I'm ready to create more. Hope everyone had a nice Christmas and wishing you a happy new year!

The star above

2011-12-06T13:18:00.002-05:00

Gifts for your furry friends!

2011-12-02T14:33:00.003-05:00

Ok these are soooooo easy! You can make them for cats too! I made mine for all the dogs in your family and a couple for your neighbors dogs too. All you need is an old tshirt and a pair of scissors. Or you could use any fabric really. Cut tshirt into strips, take three strips and tie a knot about 3 inches down and just start braiding the strips,go longer and wider strips for big dogs and shorter and skinnier for smaller dogs. And the length depends on the dog also,I braided mine about 6 inches for my small dog and about 8 inches for my bigger dog. Then tie a knot at the other end and again leave about 3 inches after the knot. The dogs like that part of the toy. There you have it,all your furry friends have presents. I'm gonna bake some of these treats too for them and put them in a cello bag and tie closed with a strip of the same tshirt that I made their toys with. Heres the recipe and have fun!

Peanut butter dog bones!

2 tablespoons of corn oil

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 cup water

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups of white flour

Oven 350,Combine oil,peanut butter,and water. Add flour,one cup at a time,then knead into firm dough. Roll dough to 1/4 thickness and cut with any cookie cutter. Bake for about 20 minutes. I bake mine alittle less so there not as hard!

Etsy Sale

2011-11-27T19:49:00.002-05:00

Hi,I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving! I did,lots of family and lots of cooking and eating and Lots to be thank ful for! I don't know about you but I decided I was going to do most of my Christmas shopping online this year,I decided this after I watched the news on friday night and found out how many people got hurt over Christmas shopping. One story I heard was a girl that got her nose broken over a 3$ pair of slippers! I thought that was so sad,it takes the meaning out of Christmas,I know you really can't avoid stores especially this time of the year but I will do most of my shopping online if I can. So anyway I'm joining in on the cyber monday fun and having a sale in my etsy shop! Just type in BLACKFRIDAY20 and receive 20% off. Stay safe and I will be back later this week,I have another fun easy tutorial in the works!

Chirstmas gift bag tutorial

2011-11-15T14:15:00.004-05:00

When I had my store I used to make these to give to people to hold their gift certificates that they purchased from me,of course being a country store I made them out of homespuns and vintage fabric but this year I'm making some artsy ones. You can use whatever material you have on hand(good way to use up some of those scraps). I used muslin that I painted alittle white onto. You will need material,string or ribbon,stamp and an ink pad. I used staz on. Cut two pieces of material 4 1/2 x 3 1/2,and about 12 inches of string. Sew the two pieces together,lay string on top and fold over about 1/4 inch over the string,sew the hem,becareful not to sew the string! Sew up the other two sides,inside out and I put a piece of cardboard inside of bag so the stamp won't go through. Stamp image on front of bag,tie a knot at the end of string and there you have it alittle gift bag perfect for gift cards. I painted my bag and added alittle details. This one is for my daughter,she's 14 so you know what she likes to do Shop,Shop and Shop. Have fun.

Christmas ornaments.

2011-11-12T19:07:00.003-05:00

I"ve been busy making some christmas ornaments and I'm so excited to say that they all have a new home hanging in an art gallery along with some prints of my art. Heres how it happened, I was at an arts and craft/flea market kind of show and was trying to sell some of my art. There was a singer there singing for entertainment,when he was on break he was walking around checking out all the stuff when he stopped and talked to me and said how he really liked my art and ask if I was in his sisters gallery and I said no, then he went and got his sister and she said she would love to have my art in her gallery. And you don't know how thank ful I am that it happened this way because I'm kinda of an introvert,not shy at all just like to do my own thing by myself usually and I really don't think I could of took my art into a gallery to show them my work and then have them reject it,I know it happens all the time but I take things personally usually and I wasnt ready for that rejection yet. I was happy selling online,even though I would like to sell more I was content. So thats my exciting story and I just wanted to share it. Have a great weekend!

A little pumpkin painting...

2011-10-26T16:49:00.002-04:00

and some pumpkin sketching. I thought a banana was hard to sketch but a pumpkin was a challenge! I know its been awhile since I was here but I really haven't painted much,I think I'm taking alittle break from it but I'm still being creative. Lately I have been all over the place with art and not really getting much done. Trying new things,being inspired by different artists. Taking a few online classes,trying to find myself,my way of doing things. I want my own style, I don't want people to look at my art and say oh she must of took a class from so and so. I want people to look at my art and say I like YOUR style,its different. You know what I mean? I visit and follow so many blogs daily and I always see everybodys unique style and thats what I want. I think the only way to find that is just keep creating,try different things,different styles, Does anybody else ever feel this way? I think thats why I don't post that much because everything I make reminds me to much of somebody elses art. Well anyway enough of my whining,hopefully I'll be back sooner then later!

I'm back!

2011-10-03T16:11:00.004-04:00

Ok I know its been awhile but my son decided to give me a project that took alittle longer then I thought it would. He has a game room in his garage and bought a couple of chairs for 10.00 and ask me if I could do something to them and since his gameroom has alot of new york yankee and a few other of his favorite teams this is what I came up with. He was happy with them,I really wish I took a before picture,they had fish and shells all over them. I tried to go over the material with paint but it just wouldnt cover them up so I had to redo all the cushion with canvas material. Can you see my little helper in the background? Her name is talula bell,she was suppose to be a teacup chihuahua but she grew to 12pounds.

The other picture is a journal page that I'm now doing on canvas. She's titleed "The wonders of a sunset" Hopefully I'll have her listed on etsy within a week! Have a great week!

Another book and "In Beauty she walks"

2011-09-19T15:01:00.002-04:00

Another week and another book,I love to paint but theres something about stitching the book thats so relaxing. I think because when I paint I'm constantly on my feet moving around and then when I stitch the book I'm usually sitting down sipping coffee. I think I over did it on this painting,not sure if its too busy or if I like it the way it is. I guess its kinda abstract in its own way. My company came and went,it was a nice short visit and my mom never came which was fine so I had a quiet week to paint and sew. Hope everybody else is having a good week and enjoying some cooler weather,its still hot down here,we usually don't feel a change until late october ugggg. Be back soon!

finished my little book of art,making journals,and a girl and the black swan.

2011-09-09T15:59:00.002-04:00

Not much art for me this past week,I have company coming and I have been cleaning,changing sheets,organizing my art room,getting ready. They come in tonight, and leave sunday. A short visit,then I think my mother is coming in on monday, deep breath! It will be ok,I just have to keep reminding myself.

I did get a chance to finish up my little art book. I think it would make a great little journal for poems. It has about five little paintings inside it but theres still enough room to journal. Then I finished up my last page in my store bought journal and I didnt have time to go and buy a new one so I had some paper on hand and made my own journal. I think thats what i'm going to start doing,just using what I have instead of going to buy new. After cleaning my art room,I decided I have not an another inch to store anything else! And last is my sketch of a girl and the black swan. I think I might try to put her on a canvas. Well I guess I better go and bake a cake for the company!

Been Busy...

2011-09-04T10:35:00.004-04:00

Painting,book making and staying in my sweats until 1:00, does anybody else do that,the time goes by so quickly when you're painting,the next thing I know its the afternoon and I realize I havent showered yet,I feel like such a bum, I just tell my husband that I'm a starving artist but I'm enjoying life! Hope you're enjoying life too!

P.S You can see more pictures of my cracker jack journal on my etsy!

Did you ever have those weeks?

2011-08-23T08:46:00.002-04:00

You know the ones where everything you try to do,just doesnt come out! Well thats what has been happening to me,and actually its been the last two weeks! I'm in the mood as my husband calls it. I can't get nothing done because I keep trying to paint and the more I mess things up the more I want to paint. Finally I decided to go to my sketch book and try to paint one of my sketches which is the girl reading the book,and what do you know she came out ok,not one of my best but I'm happy with her. The other girl is from a dream I had,that girl was worked over at least four times! Hopefully now I can get some wash done and maybe some more painting! And I hope to be back sooner then later.....

Alone again!

2011-08-09T15:36:00.003-04:00

Wahhhhhhhh Niki started her first day of highschool and yes I really did cry alittle. I can't help it. She's my baby and I feel like time is just going by to quickly! Actually her day was yesterday. After crying I went out to breakfast with a couple of my art friends and they brought along some tissues and listen to me whine(talk)then I felt alittle better. Today was alot better,did some art with no interuptions,baked chcoc chip cookies,cleaned the house,caught up on laundry,listed on etsy,and now I'm blogging. I think this girl can get used to being alone!

Yep twice in one week!

2011-07-29T18:32:00.002-04:00

Can you tell I don't have a job anymore? LOL. I usually feel good when I post once a week but now that I have more time,I can paint more therefore I can post more. Been playing with collage,and the first one is a work in progress,now i'll add alittle collage to it,then paint and play.I'll show you the finished piece when its done,unless I mess it up. Have a great weekend. Try to stay cool,its in the triple digits down here in florida! Even the water is hot! Maybe I'll go and make some freshly squeezed lemonaide. I have the time to squeeze the lemons.

Paynes gray and unidentified objects!

2011-07-27T16:02:00.003-04:00

More time at home means more painting and more cleaning! Since I don't have my store anymore,I find myself cleaning the things that have'nt been cleaned in awhile(windows,closets,frig). The other day I went grocery shopping and as i'm putting stuff away,you know how you start shoving stuff in the frig because theres just really no more room,I decided this is stupid,I have the time,why not clean the frig so thats what I did and I found some unidentified objects in there,stuff in a country crock container that did not look like butter,things that really didnt belong in the frig and don't know who would put them in there,i.e an earring and hair under the drawer, Of course when I ask my daughter about the earring she didnt know anything about it. Lets not forget about the unopened popsicle that was now just juice with a stick that was making a nice little puddle going down the sides of the frig and when I ask my grandsons about it they at least admitting to doing it and saying they wanted the orange one not the grape one!How these things get in there I'll never know but I do know one lesson learned "clean the frig more frequently" Which I now plan to do every time I go to the grocery store!

Now on to the paynes grey,a friend of mine thats also an artist but always uses brightly colored paints made a comment about my art but in a nice way. She didn't offend me or anything but she said that the color is depressing,I on the other hand find it peaceful,relaxing,warm like the sky at night or right before a storm or a deep mysterious ocean. What do you think? Also wanted to mention that my "walk on the beach" painting was featured in a treasury on etsy,which is exciting to me. Take a look here: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTEyNjM4Mzh8NTAwODQzMTEz/salty-air

Where I've been and "fat man floating"

2011-07-20T18:46:00.003-04:00

I know what you're saying I can't believe she named her painting that! But before you say anything,I didnt name it let me explain. We went to captiva island for a week and I was doing some sketching by the pool and we ment this couple,(the man that I was sketching)he finally caught on that I was sketching him and we got to talking with him and his wife and me and my husband and after spending quite abit of time with them (john and margaret) he is the one that named his own sketch,which I turned into a painting when I got home. The original sketch is being mailed to him and thats how I got the name and thats where I've been on an island soaking up the sun,finding shells,alittle sketching,spending time with my daughter, and watching beautiful sunsets. Hope everybody else is enjoying summer. School starts in less then three weeks here!

A palm tree and who needs sharpies?

2011-07-06T14:23:00.003-04:00

This is the biggest I ever worked on. Its a 16x12 canvas. I know its not that big but for some reason canvas scares me,I think because everytime I work on one I mess it up,which I did on this one too but I just kept going. I call it my mixed media palm tree because theres so much different collage,stamping and everything else underneath the painting which you can't tell but in the picture it does show through alittle which I think makes it more interesting to view.
Hope everybody had a nice 4th of july,I did! It was so relaxing just hanging out at the beach, I really shouldnt say it was relaxing because my grandsons kept me busy playing but I did find alittle time to sketch. The fireworks were beautiful but what I found even more beautiful was these things called chinese lanterns,which are like big balls with fire in them and they just drift out into the sky, people kept letting them go one after another. Very cool looking,I don't know where they got them but I did here they use them in weddings now. Anyway for all you journalers out there, I found a great deal for some black sharpies. They are on sale at target for 1.54 now because of back to school but wait before you go make sure you go to target.com and scroll down to where it says coupons in small letters (all the way at the bottom) and click on that and you will find a $1.00 off coupon for sharpies and print it out. Now you can get them for 54scents! Hooray! I stocked up,you can print out at least two,I also had my daughter print me out a couple. Also if you go to scotchbrand.com you can print out a magic tape coupon for a 1.00 off and the tape is on sale for a 1.00 so you guessed it,the tape is free! Perfect for stocking up for Christmas. Ok its too early to think about Christmas,but you can use it in your journals too. Well its raining here so I'm going to bake some snickerdoodles! Have a great week.

A couple of days off!

2011-06-29T18:08:00.003-04:00

After working at the store sooooo much I decided to take a few days off before I finish up there. So instead of the normal housework,wash,grocery shopping I decided to do nothing but paint and play in my studio. And these are the results of playing. The first one is titled "Brandi and her locket" and the second one is "feeding the birds". I had a nice of couple of days. Back to work tomorrow and friday,then off to the beach for the 4th. Hope everyone has a safe and fun 4th of July!

Just checking in and "fishing in the deep blue sea"

2011-06-23T17:37:00.002-04:00

I know its been awhile but I've been busy trying to get the store closed and clearing everything out,almost done another week should do it and hopefully I'll have more time to paint. Or maybe when the kids go back to school because between my daughter and my grandsons I'm busier(spelling ?) then when I worked full time. The boys are into fishing now,not in the deep blue sea but just in a lake in my backyard. I think thats where the inspiration for this painting came from. Of course we have to throw every fish back that we catch but first they each need to hold it,look at it real close and then they fight over who throws it back,poor fish,we only lost one,of course I just told the boys that it was tired and it would swim away later. We also seen a 4ft alligator,which is alittle scary when its about three feet away from you. Now we look for him first before we start fishing.

Look who loves the pool already and a walk on the beach.

2011-06-13T18:05:00.002-04:00

We've been putting little Gracie may in the pool and she loves it. She actually cries when we take her out,of course the pool is like bath water around 80 degrees. Her brothers just splash all around her and she doesnt even cry. She's growing so fast.

And this piece called "A walk on the beach" has been driving me crazy for about two weeks, I kept going over the shoreline and I'm still not sure if i'm happy with it. But I think for now its done. Hope everybody is enjoying summer. My daughter is out of school for the summer so thats usually means busy,busy with the movies,beach,waterparks,shopping and out to lunch and then the I'm bored words come. She's going to high school next year that makes me sad so I'm going to enjoy her this summer. I decided to close my real store,in case you didnt know,I owned a real country store that sold antiques,candles,vintage, and country decor. The economy has been so slow and I have been trying to hold on to it,hoping that things would pick up but I know summer is even worst then the past few months so I decided to close. I'm happy with the decision. But the reason i'm mentioning it is because i'm going to be slowly listing some of the stuff I sold at my store on etsy in case any of you like vintage,primitives and other goodies. Have a great week.

Problems with Blogger and "yellow polka dot bikini"

2011-05-30T17:23:00.002-04:00

I'm loving doing this painterly style. It flows so easily for me and I get lost in a painting for hours,no stress. Usually I stress over a collage especially when its getting close to being finished. This one is titled "yellow polka dot bikini" I went to the beach with the grandsons and baby gracie over the weekend. I enjoyed watching them play and also building batman caves and pools with them in the sand. It reminded me of when I was little and my mom would let me bring my barbies to the beach.

Ok now with blogger,I was wanting to know if anybody else is having this problem. When I go to leave comments on other blogs,sometimes it works and sometimes it doesnt. It doesnt let me sign in. So if some of you are'nt getting any comments from me its because of that. I am visiting all of you daily. If anybody knows how to fix it,I would appreciate it,I feel bad when I don't leave comments. Hope everybody is enjoying their long weekend!

Extreme couponing,etsy,and a couple of pages in my journal

2011-05-23T19:45:00.003-04:00

So where have I been? I have been extreme couponing,at least trying to. It all started when I went over to my sisters house and seen all her cupboards,pantry and plastic bins in her garage filled with all kinds of food,shampoos,health stuff(like tylenol etc) deoderants,body washes,glades candles,everything you can think of,now mind you she's a single mom,unemployed,three kids,and is on food stamps,in fact I usually worry about her having enough food and stuff for her three kids. In shock I ask "Where and how did you afford to get allllllll this stuff?? I mean she could feed the whole neighborhood. And thats when it all started,she explained to me about this extreme couponing,and how most of the stuff she has is usually free or rock bottom cheap. Now I'm hooked,its fun,its cheap and I actually have some extra money to spend on art supplies. I wanted to show you an example of what I did,the picture above is 8 bottles of salad dressings, 16 ounces each and 4 boxes of pasta,and ice cream(I figured I saved so much I deserved some) and this all cost(drum roll please) $5.53. I saved 27.00,the ice cream was 3.19! I was so excited. If you want to learn more go to thekrazycouponlady.com thats where all the information is!

Okay so now onto the art, I havent really completed to much but I have been playing around in my journal,trying to be looser with my brush strokes. The first one is "a girl on the dunes" and the second one is"the shacks". both of these were inspired from where I grew up,which is cape may new jersey. I've been listing on etsy with not much luck but I'm determined,and will keep on trying. It always seems when somebody sees something that I've done they usually want me to do some commision work for them which is good,I'm not complaining but I like it better when I'm free to make what I want to make. Anyway I'm doing free shipping on my etsy for the rest of may,just enter FREESHIPPING511 in the coupon code(all in capitols) Hope everybody has a great week and hopefully I'll be back sooner. Going to eat some ice cream now!

Mothers Day....

2011-05-08T16:07:00.002-04:00

My husband ask me why I was sad today,he said its mothers day,you should be happy. I told him I wasnt sad at least I didnt think I was. I continued with my morning and decided to sketch alittle,there was a great picture in a magazine of a lady holding an umbrella that I loved and have been wanting to sketch so after a couple of hours sketching,I started painting her and these two figures in the background,a mommy and her daughter. As I was working on it,I couldnt help but think about what my husband said "that I was sad" was I ??? I came to the conclusion that yes I was alittle sad, I wonder why? After I finished the painting,I was staring at it and I thought thats me with the umbrella all by myself and in the background,those two figures well they represent my own children(even though I have three,one still is at home) and thats why I'm alittle sad. My children are all grown up and I miss them being little sooooo much,I miss being their mommy! I know its silly, I should be happy that they grew up to be such beautiful,caring,happy,loving, individuals,not to mention that I'm blessed with being a memaw(another name for grandmom). But I can't help but to take this day and remember them being so little and to cherish and be thankful for those precious memories of them being so small,when I was their mommy! Happy Mothers Day!

Alittle Black & White!

2011-04-25T15:58:00.005-04:00

Hope everybody had a great easter! I did, cooked alot,dyed eggs,ate lots of candy,spent time with family and even got alittle art time in. I'm working on side views and the zebra piece is something I did for a local gallery. Love the way it turned out. My daughters room is zebra so she's not too happy that I didnt make it for her!

Happy Easter:)

2011-04-24T12:35:00.001-04:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Sketching,painting and playing!

2011-04-12T18:56:00.003-04:00

Its so hot here,higher then normal temps. I actually went to the beach on sunday! Also had some time to finally get some art time in. Finished the top piece. That one I just had alittle time here and there to add alittle at a time. The second picture is my attempt to paint a tree with acrylics. I have been practicing sketching so much that I wanted to attempt to paint a sketch just to see what would happen. The last sketch is from a class that I'm taking. The class is all about sketching quickly. Just putting down what you see quickly,not alot of details. The figures arent that detailed just quick shapes which is alittle bit more relaxing then worrying about the details like when you do a face. The class is called quick sketching by cathy johnson. I don't have link,never mind I just found it its cathyjohnson.info.com I took quick sketching 1 and 2. Great price too,I think it was 30 dollars. But I do have to tell you its not alot of videos,mostly pdf's that you download.

Have an artful week!

Introducing Gracie May!

2011-03-28T17:07:00.002-04:00

I'm so happy and thankful to tell you that lil miss Gracie May came home one and 1/2 weeks after she was born. Something we were'nt expecting until mid april. She still only weighs 5 lbs(she lost alittle) but is healthy. I'm still helping out but not as much so I did manage to do some art. I just want to say thank you for all your prayers ,they mean more then I can ever say. Hope everybody has a creative week!

Special Delivery....

2011-03-16T17:14:00.002-04:00

And its a girl! My granddaughter was born on March 11th. Her name is Gracie May. As some of you might already know my daughter had a baby boy a couple of years ago and he was born nine weeks early. We went through alot with him and with prayers and all of God's doing he is our little miracle today. And now we ask for more prayers for little Gracie May,she was born six weeks early. When we ask the doctors why this happened again to Ashley? They said that when you have one premie you usually keep having them, her body just thinks that its time. Gracie is 5 lbs 8 ounces which is not a bad weight at all,and she is doing ok,a few things like her little lungs arent fully developed but shes doing better as of today and they did start feeding her yesterday. My daughter came home on sunday without her baby again,you can just imagine how empty and scared she feels. Please lift her up in prayer as well. And as for me well I'm busy helping her in anyway that I can,between cooking dinners and watching her other two babys so I just want to apologize for not visiting your blogs and leaving comments but I will visit soon. And I will try to keep you posted.

She art,spoon,book and another good drawing site.

2011-03-06T16:38:00.004-05:00

So I'm loving Christy Tomilinson's new class "She art". This is one of my finished ones but the girls arent suppose to have faces but I just couldnt help myself. I promised myself that the next one is not gonna have a face!

I'm still on a sketching roll but I only have one spoon to show because the others are just blahhhhh. But I also have another drawing site to share. http://www.fivepencilmethod.com/ theres some great tutorials on there about faces. I only watched the lip video and it was really detailed. Most of the tutorials are free but he also has some to purchase which I didnt. And one more thing I wanted to share is a book that I checked out of the library. Its called drawing for the absolute and utter beginner by claire watson garcia. Let me just say that I check out alot of books on drawing and this was the first one that I actually started at the beginning and have learned lots. I think because most books on drawing have about two chapters just on supplies and how to use them and this one goes over alittle of that but she has exercises right from the beginning. I'm hoping that I can buy the book from amazon but I havent checked yet. Hope everybody is starting to warm up! Have a great week!

Full moon and Spring is on its way Really!

2011-02-23T17:28:00.002-05:00

Everytime the moon is full it inspires me.

And so does online classes! Still sketching in Alissa Burkes online sketchbook delight class.

For all of you with snow still falling this picture is for you. Spring is really on its way,how do I know? Well just ask the boys in the pool! Personally the pool is still to cold for me its about 70 degrees but I guess when you running around outside in 85 degree weather it feels good.

Still Sketching!

2011-02-15T09:52:00.003-05:00

And painting alittle!

Lately I have this obsession of sketching. Sketching everything from pencils to trees at my daughters bus stop. It actually gets alittle frustrating when you try to sketch something and you just can't like houses because you need to know how to do perspective which I bought a book on so I'm learning but lets just say its alittle harder then I thought. I also found a great site that teaches you alot and its free its drawspace.com. I'm also taking yet another online class by alisa burke called sketchbook delight. So if you want to sketch more and stretch go and check out both.

A couple of sketches.

2011-01-21T12:22:00.003-05:00

One of the assignments is misty mawns class is to sketch what comes to mind when you read a poem. Heres the poem that goes with the one above.
"Night is bright with stars,...Silly woman whimpering: Shall I light the lamp" not sure who its by. Sorry.

This was another writing assignment in her class. On the cupboard door its reads " I am the mother hubbard of this family. I am the cupboard that feeds this family"Hope everybody has a creative weekend! I refuse to do house cleaning this weekend. Well besides the usual laundry and dishes but no mopping!

2011-01-16T19:30:00.002-05:00

I'm still here,I've been wanting to post for awhile but I didnt have any art to share. I'm taking misty mawn's online workshop. Its so inspiring. This past week we learned alot about sketching. I decided I enjoy sketching so much,its so relaxing. The girl above took me four hours and I didnt even realize it was that long. I'm still kinda working on her. I think I'm happy with her face,but I still have to finish sketching her arm which you can't see in the picture. I'll take another picture when she's done. I would really like to learn how to draw figures better.So this year I decided I would attempt to sketch figures more!
And this one here is a journal page. Hope to be back sooner this time!

Sharing an old tradition!

2010-12-28T13:12:00.002-05:00

Hope everybody had a blessed Christmas. My Christmas was spent sharing old traditions with some of the newer family members. Now that Christmas is over I got to spend some time doing some art.

STRESSED!!! And making time for myself....

2010-12-09T18:57:00.003-05:00

Every year I tell myself,I'm not gonna stress about Christmas and every year I do.. How does everybody find the time to do a million of things. Housework,presents to buy,presents to wrap,what to buy for who, cookies to bake,decorating, company coming so sheets to be washed and clean, get a tree but when?? What night is available? Christmas parties to go to! What to wear to those Christmas parties,when most of my clothes have paint on them. Not to mention the normal everyday stuff like working full time,grocery shopping,dinners to be cooked,clothes to be washed, take Niki to school and pick her up and go to all of her afterschool drama performances. Oh and wait my sister had her baby so I voluteered to cook a couple of dinners for her. And lets not forget to plan Christmas eve and Christmas dinner,Oh my it just doesnt end. No wonder I drink three cups of coffee a day and usually skip lunch and breakfast. After that all said I decided today my only day off besides sunday would be a me day,no phone calls,no work stuff,no Christmas stuff just a me day,do whatever I wanted so what did I do?? Finished a painting finally, alittle housework,alittle shopping, alittle wrapping,alittle decorating,thought and planned Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner,baked some cookies,cooked dinner,washed clothes,took niki to and from school, and drank four cups of coffee! Its amazing what another cup of coffee can do for you.

When she dances flowers fall from the sky and alittle holiday decorating.

2010-12-05T17:05:00.002-05:00

"Baby its cold outside" Actually it really is cold down here in florida for a change. It puts me in the Christmas spirit, I started to decorate my house I'm actually almost finished. I decorate my house like I decorate my store so it usually takes me awhile. I'll share some more pictures later. Diane I know you already seen most of them. Speaking of Diane, go over and check out her blog at dianesalter.blogspot.com shes doing a giveaway that you won't want to miss out on. Plus she just opened an etsy store so if you don't win you can still purchase some of her beautiful art. And last this but not least is a piece I just finished, "when she dances flowers fall from the sky" its a 9x12 watercolor paper. I'm gonna list it in my etsy shop. Everybody 's doing a sale in their etsy shop so I thought I would join in. My coupon code is christmassale15 that will give you 15% off. Have a great week everybody.

2010-12-02T18:25:00.001-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE&feature=player_embedded#!
I got this link from lk ludwigs blog, I got the goosebumps and cried at the end. I just wanted to share it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T12:22:00.003-05:00

I hope everybody is having a blessed day with family! Every thanksgiving my husband says a prayer before dinner and I always cry,not because I'm sad but because I always think about how much I have to be thankful for. I thank God everyday for everything I have,even though theres some days I wish I had more but he knows exactly what I need and what my hearts desires are and that is what I am most thankful for. For his blessings of family and friends ,of things that really matter! Speaking of hearts desires, we are being blessed with a new baby girl in your family. We all went to the ultrasound last friday and found out it was a girl,my daughter made them double check,she couldnt believe it. Her name will be "Gracie May" I just love that name. Kind of old fashion.

This is my latest piece,"animal instinct" I framed it. Wanda over at wandamarie.blogspot.com inspired me to frame some of my art. Thanks wanda! Her art looked so beautiful in the frames, if you get a chance stop over at her blog for some inspiration. And she was right, when you frame it, it makes such a difference. I think I'm gonna list this is my etsy shop.

Have a great week!

Alittle folk art and "letting your light shine"

2010-11-17T18:33:00.003-05:00

I feel like I have been neglecting my blog and my painting. I've been so busy making things for my store,getting ready for the Christmas season. The first painting is a folk art painting for my store but the next one is what my heart loves to do,her title is letting your light shine through. I always feel sad or like a part of me is missing when I don't have time to paint,does any of you ever feel that way? If I can't find the time to paint,I always feel better looking at all of your art on your blogs. They always inspire me. Thanks for that. Hope everybody has an art filled week! Not me,work all week,then two baby showers(one I'm throwing for my sister) then dinner on saturday night with my husbands business,oh and friday night going to an ultrasound to find out if my daughter is having a boy or a girl. She has two boys so I'm thinking another boy,I'll let you all know next week. Of course I would love to have a grand daughter since I have two grandsons but after going through everything with my youngest grandson,I'm just praying for a healthy baby.

silent watch.

2010-11-08T15:12:00.001-05:00

Primitive snowman mixed media style!

2010-11-02T17:07:00.003-04:00

I know its alittle early for snowmen but I was painting this for my store and I missed doing mixed media and faces and collage sooooo much that I just had to put collage in the background and just play. I had sooo much fun with him. Back to work tomorrow. Hope everybody has a great week.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T16:23:00.003-04:00

I know its been a long time. My days and nights have been filled with sewing christmas stuff,sewing halloween costumes,carving pumpkins, decorating the house,and buying(eating) candy.
My daughter Niki loves Jersey shore and wanted to be Snookie for halloween. So we looked everywhere for a leopard short dress and could'nt find one. Well since I can sew dolls and doll dresses I said I'll just make a dress,easy,no problem. I don't even need a pattern for this. Lets just say after 4 nights sewing, a yard of material later,catching a cold probably from exhaustion not to mention that she looked like a balloon after I was done I decided to go and buy a pattern that cost me ten dollars and the new material another ten dollars and all the zippers, elastic,ribbon and everything else I needed was another ten. So I'm now pleased to say that I finished a cute little dress that probably cost me around fifty dollars. You're probably wondering like my daughter why I didnt just give up well simple it would have drove me crazy! After all this and finishing the dress late saturday night my sweet daughter now wants to carve pumpkins. I don't want to carve pumpkins, I WANT TO PAINT!!! So I decided to paint on my pumpkin instead of carving it. With tissue up nose,hot tea by my side I finally got to paint. Pure relaxation.
Hope everyone has a spooktacular night!

Pumpkin bread,YUM!! and the night angel

2010-10-19T15:50:00.003-04:00

Finally made the pumpkin bread. Here's the recipe if anybody wants to try it. I serve this on thanksgiving too. 1 can of pure pumpkin 15 ounce
4 eggs
1 cup veg oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups of suger
3 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon gound nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cloves ground
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

oven 350 degrees, grease and flour loaf pans. 7x3 loaf pan 3 of them or you can use the small ones. Thats what I do so I can share. If you do the small ones theres enough for 8 small loafs.

Mix all dry ingrediants together and whisk. Set aside. In another bowl mix all the wet (suger is wet) Mix all the wet ingrediants with a mixer and slowly add dry ingrediants until mixture is blended add to pans and bake for about 45 minutes. You can check to see if done with a toothpick if it comes out clean then its done. Enjoy! Oh you could add raisins or nuts. I add raisins sometimes. Well now I'm craving more pumpkin bread!

Busy,Busy,Busy!

2010-10-11T13:34:00.002-04:00

I've been busy making stuff for my store like stitcheries,grubby candles,fabric covered books,grubby tealights,snowmen (picture later not finished yet)plus trying to fit some art time in. Off to grocery shop and tomorrow baking pumpkin bread,(I'll try and post the recipe tomorrow its the best pumpkin bread ever)decorating house and maybe alittle time for art! I also listed a stitchery in my etsy shop. Hope everybody has a blessed week!

Birthday,art,and free online course

2010-10-05T12:51:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to share a picture of my son Michael and his beautiful girlfriend Jessica. I always post pictures of my grandsons and Niki. So this time I thought I would post a picture of them. It was Jessicas birthday this past sunday so I cooked up some ziti,meatballs,salad and of course a chocolate cake for her. Had the whole family over. I love family time.

Of course I love my alone time too!! I had lots of that this weekend so I had some time to do some art. Speaking of art theres a free online class called Art,Heart&Healing over at willowing.ning.com . We're suppose to use a little sidebar thingy but I'm not very good with those things so this is the best I can do. Go over and check it out!

Inspiration!

2010-09-27T13:41:00.002-04:00

Sometimes when I don't know what to paint,I'll flip through magazines and art books looking for inspiration. I also search the internet. This time I found some inspiration in an art magazine. I love this painting done by William Meyerowitz. The more I paint the more I love the work of impressionists. What inspires you? Have a great week!

Sometimes all you can give is a prayer...

2010-09-15T19:24:00.002-04:00

God showed me something today,he opened my heart. I was driving my daughter to school today and I was deep in thought worried about money problems. I just was argueing with my husband the night before over money and we usually don't do that. After I dropped niki off at school I'm driving home still worried and you want to know what I was worried about? My grandsons birthday is this weekend and I told my daughter I would buy him this toy that is alittle costly but trying to be a good memaw I said oh I'll get that for him and anyway things are really tight for us right now and we just don't have that extra money this week. Yup you heard it right I was worried about buying my grandson a toy! I argued with my husband over a toy! Guilty!!! Well anyway back to my driving home as I was worried and talking to God about it I looked over on the side of the road and there was a family a mom and dad and a little boy about the same age as my grandson,they were digging in the trash,I don't know what they were digging for but I just started to cry because I was worried about how I would buy a toy and God showed me how some people don't even have food. I wanted so badly to pull over and give them money but that made me cry more because all I had in my wallet was some change, I said I don't have anything to give them and then I realized or as I like to believe God whispered in my ear and said you have a voice,say a prayer. I love when God does that!

Another online workshop,new art and new moleskin

2010-09-13T10:10:00.003-04:00

I've been on a roll,I love when that happens! Things just work out,go smoothly. You just have fun,no stress. I don't know about you but sometimes when I work on things and they don't go smoothly I get alittle stressed about what to do next or if I should just trash it. These pieces were just stress free!

I also bought a new moleskin journal,my other one is all filled up. I sold a piece of art and decided to treat myself to a new moleskine. Besides they were on sale at barnes and noble. 20% off so I couldnt resist. I love the look of my filled up journal but theirs something about a new journal that I love to. It just sat there for a day,(I didnt want to mess it up) but then I just started writing in it and painted some white paint over the writing. I added a picture of my sillohouette and painted over that too,journaled around the silohouette(is that how you spell it) and now its broken in.

I"m taking another journal class by LK Ludwig. She's having a sale right now. Go and check it out. I love her journals. I'm not much of a photographer but I'm having fun using my own images to journal with. Thats where I got the idea about the silohouette and the picture of my daughter and her cousin at the beach. Thats called vingetteing. (spelling again? ) Well anyway if you like to journal her class is worth taking. Off to walmart(UGH)hope everybody has a great week.

Trying to find the time to paint...

2010-09-06T18:03:00.002-04:00

I'm trying to find the time to paint this weekend but family keeps popping in,which I love and would'nt change for the world. I just get frustrated when I start something then the paint drys and I have to go in a different direction. Hope everybodys having a relaxing weekend.

Mom was down!

2010-08-27T19:44:00.003-04:00

My mother came down for a visit,so when she comes down I put my art aside and bring out the sewing machine. She doesnt like my art,well thats not exactly what she says,she says that I should stick to my sewing and stop wasting to much time on my other art. When I told her that I sold a few pieces she said well you are getting alittle better. Ugh. Those kind of comments hurt alittle but I'm getting better with accepting the fact that not everybody is going to like my art but some will and I'm not gonna stop because it makes me happy. Anyway we had a couple of days just sewing up a bunch of things. Some of you know that I own a real country store that sells antiques,country decor and candles. And this stuff is all for my store. I love the way the pillows with the doilys came out,then theres the pin cushion and the pumpkins are made by Niki(my daughter) I'm so proud of her. She whipped up about ten of these pumpkins and I already sold three of them for her. I give her a percentege of them,that way she has a little extra spending money. Oh and the other day I came home from work and she made a bikini out of and old tshirt.

I finally had alittle time after mom left to finish up a piece that seems like I have been working on all summer,just adding alittle here and then alittle more there. Well hope everybody has a great weekend and thanks for listening to me whine about my mother.

The Evidence and the Culprit. Plus an image transfer.

2010-08-18T18:40:00.004-04:00

This is what happens everytime my grandsons come over. I find pieces of clothing heading right for the pool. They just strip down (to nothing),no time to put one of their 5 different toy story bathing suits on. They just walk in and say hey Memaw and start stripping. Next thing I know their in the pool swimming,of course mommy makes them get out and put their suits on.

The journal page is a image transfer of my daughter blowing bubbles. I took the picture because of the lighting that was coming in. It made one side of her face completely dark and the other side completely white. I then just painted the face as I saw it,and since it was black and white I made the bubble gum pink. Have a great week.

Rainy days and starry nights...

2010-08-15T10:40:00.002-04:00

We had a little tropical depression come through so it was rainy for a couple of days. I enjoy it when it rains,its a nice change from the heat and plus it gives me a reason to stay home and do some art. Not that I need a reason, I think I just feel less guilty. Did a couple of journal pages. My moleskin is finished. I just love it,its so thick ,with stuff sticking out of it. This is my second completed book. I always have two or three going on at once. I really don't know why but from what I read on other blogs,I'm not the only one.

My daughter goes back to school next week. I'm always sad when she goes back. I think I just know that it means she's getting older. I always cry alittle on the first day. I know thats silly. Off to do more school shopping. Hope everybody has a great day.

Back from vacation!

2010-08-06T09:21:00.002-04:00

and the only picture I got to show you is my pile of dirty laundry. We were in orlando and at the waterparks all day so I did'nt bring my camera with me but I have lots of memories so thats all that matters. We had a great time,even though we're alittle burnt from the sun and exhausted from trying to keep up with a 13 year old and my neice who is 11. I worked in my journal alittle,did a quick sketch of a lady relaxing in the pool and another page about the beauty around us. How everyday we walk through life and not taking the time to notice the beauty around us. I hope you find something beautiful about today!

The sweet side of summer!

2010-07-27T14:17:00.002-04:00

Hope everyone is enjoying the sweet side of summer too! You know what I mean the fresh blueberry muffins I made last week,the sweet plum tomatoe salad to go with some grilled steaks and corn on the cobb. And we can't forget everybodys favorite the Popsicle! Remember when you were little? That was the best part of summer!

Summer Fun! Warning! A little naked hiney ahead..

2010-07-21T12:40:00.006-04:00

Why have'nt I blogged in so long? Well just trying to have some summer fun. I signed up for Mary ann moss's class remains of the day for a project for me and my daughter(niki) to do together. She's been bugging me to teach her how to use the sewing machine, now thats she's learned she's out of control. Besides the book shes sewing pillows, dog beds and anything else she can think of. I'll show you some pictures of the books we're doing later. You can see her at the sewing machine in action above,notice she also has the phone on her ear. I always have to concentrate when I sew. LOL .

Of course I'm also enjoying the grandkids in the pool. Its been so hotttttt. They love to ride their bikes over and then jump into the pool to cool off. And as you can see no time for potty breaks! As my husband says at least they don't go in the pool.

And also trying to find alittle time for art( I get cranky if I don't). Hope everybody else is enjoying summer!

Another journal page and journal classes!

2010-07-13T14:46:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to thank everybody who recommended some online journal workshops. I did sign up for a few of them,yes you heard right a few more then one! My husband thinks I'm addicted to online workshops.(Which I am but I won't let him know that). As I was signing up for one then another,then another, he ask me exactly what I was looking for in a workshop, I thought about it and said well I just want to paint, collage ,draw and get my feelings out and then he said "so do it" "why do you need somebody to show you how?". After telling him he just doesnt understand and then dwelling on it for a couple of days I came to realize he was right! (I hope he never reads this,I'll never live it down) After signing up for all the online workshops,I decided just to do what I want to do in my journal and now I'm happy. But I did have fun in the workshops and I did learn a couple of new techniques. I think the most important thing that I learned is to just do what you like to do whether that be just smooshing on a few drops of paint with your hands and adding random papers that match the paint and journaling some, to the more extreme where you make a whole story on a journal page. Its all up to you,have fun and let go. Will I continue to take some more online workshops?? Yep because I am addicted and they make me happy!

Just enough time to journal.

2010-07-08T09:37:00.003-04:00

That seems to be all I have time for these hot summer days. Hope everybody had a nice fourth of july. I did, we celebrated a special birthday, Austin (my grandson) turned two. Then we went to the beach to watch the firework. Plus we had family come and stay with us. This is the time when I love my journal,I can always find alittle time for art in there otherwise I get alittle grumpy. Speaking of journaling I'm wanting to take a new online journal class can any of you recommend any. Thanks have a great week!

An unusual dream and playing with crayons.

2010-06-28T13:10:00.003-04:00

I've been busy as usual,I think when the kids are out of school I'm actually more busy! I only have my daughter left in the nest and she's 13 so I'm just trying to enjoy her because I know time goes by fast! We went away for the weekend,which was really relaxing. We had an out of town wedding but we just made a weekend out of it. I just sat by the pool all day. Of course I brought my journal with me but a sweet lady caught my ear all afternoon so I didnt get much done as far as journaling. Hope everyone else is enjoying summer! Have a great week.

Gods little miracle and another journal page.

2010-06-21T15:30:00.002-04:00

See that baby swiming in my pool,thats the same baby that we almost lost two years ago. He's just amazing, all I can say is it was all God,he is truly a living miracle! He's also very determined,he has an older brother(only nine months older) but he wants to do everything his brother does and of course he wanted to swim just like his brother but we kept saying no and one day he just jumped in and started to swim to the steps of the pool or to the wall which ever is closer. We just stood there in shock,my daughter was in the pool just in case. And ever since them he just jumps right in. We 're always there because well you never know. Any way I just wanted to share my little miracle with you. And of course theres another journal page. I have been in the mood to journal alot lately,I don't know why.

An itty bitty journal and another journal page.

2010-06-16T12:11:00.005-04:00

Look how tiny,I just love small things! I made this over the weekend. I actually made two,one to sell and of course one to keep! I also did another journal page. Plus I even had time to play with the grandbabies. A great weekend!

Oh my gosh,I am so dumb when it comes to the computer. I was trying to add a picture,write alittle then add another picture but as usual it didnt work. Whatever!

A couple of journal pages.

2010-06-09T13:40:00.003-04:00

Its been awhile,I know. I've been busy working,doing end of school things,not enough time for me to really finish anything,I've been doing art here and there just not finishing but I did find time to finish a couple of journal pages. I have been trying to list things on etsy,but with no success. Does anybody have any suggestions on how to sell something,anything! How often do you relist an item or do you just leave it on there till it sells? And pricing is hard to,do you go cheap so it sells or high? My etsy button I know is listed in the wrong spot,I have to fix that,its under weekly challenges if you want to check it out.Any kind of suggestions would help,thanks so much.

Lady in the moon

2010-05-29T15:52:00.004-04:00

"Lady moon,Lady moon, where are you roving? Over the sea. Lady moon Lady moon,whom are you loving? All that love me." by Richard Monckton Milnes

Ever since I was a little girl,I never seen a man in the moon,I always seen a lady holding a baby. Who I believe to be mother mary holding baby Jesus. So the other night I was driving home with my daughter after picking her up from a play she had at her school and the moon was full and we started to talk about the moon and what she saw and she said the same thing but when we got home we sketched what each of us saw and it was alittle different from each other,hers is more like the one I painted above,which I saw too after looking again. Mine is more of a side view of Mary holding baby Jesus,she still can't see mine but I thought her vision of the lady in the moon was beautiful. It kinda makes me wonder what everybody else sees up there. My husband doesnt see anything. What about you what do you see?

journal spread.

2010-05-24T14:37:00.003-04:00

Yay...... I finally had a day off to play and I did some wash,cooked,and baked a choc cake. Off to do a couple of errands and pick up my daughter from school. Hope everyone has a blessed week.

Feeling BLAH

2010-05-20T10:19:00.003-04:00

Feeling blah lately,I hate when I feel this way.Theres no reason for it,I call it a mood.I know it will end soon. I think I just need a few days off,I've been working alot. Trying to fit some art time in here and there. I need more then the usual weekend off, thats just enough time to clean,catch up on laundry and grocery shop,I want a day just to do art all day. Hope you all are having a better week then me.

The Boy on the Beach

2010-05-15T17:00:00.003-04:00

"May you always have a shell in your pocket and sand in your toes"

Happy Mothers Day and ......

2010-05-09T12:01:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to say Thank you for all the sweet comments everybody leaves me. They really do mean so much to me. They are what keeps me going. When I post something at night,I can't wait till the morning to get my coffee and to sit down at the computer and read all of your comments. I'm sure all of you can relate to this. Its so nice to have friends that support what you do. So a Big Thank You from the bottom of my heart.Hope you all have a blessed day!

Dare to Dream

2010-05-05T18:56:00.003-04:00

"You see things;and you say,"Why?" But I dream things that never were;and I say"Why not?"

By George Bernard Shaw

Drift and Dream

2010-04-29T17:15:00.003-04:00

"in a while one of us will go to bed and the other one will follow. Then we slip below the surface of the night into miles of water,drifting down and down to the dark,soundless bottom until the weight of dreams pulls us lower still. By William Collins.

Hiding.

2010-04-21T18:14:00.002-04:00

"To hide the key to your heart is to risk forgetting where you placed it"

"The Meek"

2010-04-16T19:35:00.004-04:00

"Blessed are the Meek: for they shall inherit the earth"
Mathew 5;5
I always loved this scripture from the bible, I kinda of knew what the word "Meek" meant but I decided to look it up so here's part of the meaning the part that spoke to me.Or maybe what this girl seems to be. She kinda reminds me of myself not that she looks like me but just her body language. They say when you draw,you always draw from your soul a part of yourself!
Meek-Easily imposed on,submissive.

Bad Art!!!!

2010-04-11T16:57:00.003-04:00

They say practice,practice,practice and you will improve,HUH I have been practicing,practicing,and practicing and still no improvement, Bad art over and over! Can you tell I'm frustrated. All weekend I have been painting (well in between grocery shopping and cleaning the house,making a roastbeef for the whole family to come over tonight plus making homemade chicken salad and macaroni salad for lunch today and tomorrow. And twenty loads of laundry ok maybe not that many) and this is the only thing showable,(is that a word??) the other two are just going in the trash! Back to work tomorrow Wahhhhhhh!

Another page for little book.

2010-04-05T19:02:00.003-04:00

A couple of smaller pieces.

2010-03-31T17:27:00.005-04:00

I decided to make a small art book,about 10 pages,kind of like a journal but just seperate pages that I can tie together. The pink one is an image that misty mawn let us use in her online class that I just painted over to change it a bit.

Not much of a Gardener!

2010-03-25T17:41:00.002-04:00

In my garden, there is a large place for sentiment. My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams. The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful.
By Abram L. Urban

Scattering Daisies

2010-03-23T16:40:00.003-04:00

All summer she scattered the daisy leaves; They only mocked her as they fell,She said;"The daisy but deceives;'He loves me not,he loves me will',one story no two daisies tell." Ah foolish heart,which waits and grieves under the daisy's mocking spell.
By Helen Hunt

"Inside the window"

2010-03-21T17:38:00.003-04:00

"Fair as the exterior may be, if you go in,you will find bare places,heaps of rubbish that can never be taken away,
cold hearths,desolate altars,and windows veiled with cobwebs."

By Myrtle Reed

No name yet.

2010-03-19T17:52:00.002-04:00

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. By Marcel Proust

I've had enough!

2010-03-13T10:36:00.003-05:00

....its time to walk away,I made a choice to finally let go because I can't stand the pain,its time for my last tear to fall and smile again.
Author unknown

Inside out

2010-03-11T17:32:00.004-05:00

"Let us be grateful to the mirror for revealing to us our appearance only"
By Samuel Butler

I look in the mirror and see a girl.

2010-03-10T16:59:00.003-05:00

"You use a glass mirror to see your face,you use works of art to see your soul"
By George Bernard

Walking Alone.

2010-03-05T18:22:00.002-05:00

Dreams can be shattered!

2010-03-01T18:37:00.003-05:00

Words can be harsh! Sometimes words like "You're getting there" just are'nt the words you need to hear. Those words can make you really think about what you're doing,thoughts like "maybe I'll never be good enough,""Who do I have to be good enough for."Or how about words like maybe you should go back to doing that instead of doing what you're doing now and then you think of those words and say to yourself,"maybe I should be doing that instead of this,but I love doing this and I don't like doing that,"I should do what I enjoy doing. Such words can shatter dreams of the heart!

"Something new"

2010-02-21T16:31:00.003-05:00

I decided to take an online class,this one is sharons class you can find more information about it over on her blog allnorahsart.blogspot.com She really goes into detail about painting faces but she uses folkart paints. Also she shares some secrets about napkins and lots of other things. Go over and check it out. I kind of rushed through this one,I think because I new I only had one day to play this weekend but I think I'm going to do a couple more like this.

"The Dance"

2010-02-20T09:28:00.003-05:00

While I dance I cannot judge,I cannot hate, I cannot seperate myself from life, I can only be joyful and whole. That is why I dance."
By Hans Bos

"Waiting"

2010-02-18T09:59:00.003-05:00

I try to talk to you but I don't know what say. I am afraid you don't want me to say anything. So I don't. But inside of me there are words waiting to come out and tell you how I feel-like how I miss you. And how I love you despite my broken heart. And how I need you in my life. And especially how much I want you. But those words may forever stay in my heart-locked inside. Sometimes I wonder if there are words locked inside of you too.... but I'll never know so I'll keep Waiting. -Author unknown.

"sometimes you can't go home"

2010-02-15T15:45:00.003-05:00

You know the saying "Home is where the heart is" but sometimes in life your heart might be somewhere else other then the home you live in! For some reason or another you just can't go to that place where you feel you're heart is home...

Alittle bit of nothing and not alot of that!

2010-02-14T12:01:00.002-05:00

Having one of those weeks,you know you sit there stareing at a blank piece of paper wondering what to do,then you start it and don't like it,so you stare again at another piece of paper,start again,don't know how to finish this one,so you decide maybe you just need a break so you try something different like journaling, yes that sounds good so you do a background,glue a face down and again you're stuck so you go back to the first one and you mess it up but insist on keep going,and then it turns out okay! Hopefully this week will be a better week! Happy Valentines Day.

2010-02-14T11:59:00.001-05:00

"Do they know"

2010-02-07T17:31:00.002-05:00

Do they know about her secret? The one she can't forget,the one she keeps so close to her heart! She feels like she's wearing red all the time and that there's a big "A" on her heart.

Yes I have been thinking about the scarlette letter!

Just playing after I finished cleaning the house, I really should have done something about cinderella bacause thats what I feel like.

What was she thinking?

2010-02-01T12:32:00.002-05:00

That was the theme over at Mixed media monday,and this homely looking girl is thinking about love,that maybe one day she will fall in love.

Have a Heart for Haiti

2010-01-30T20:29:00.002-05:00

With all the sadness over in Haiti it amazes me that there is still miracles happening everyday. As I was sketching this piece I was watching the news and of course they were showing how they pulled a woman out alive after 15 days and I thought in all that darkness there is light. So thats where the candle came in with the cross. The piece that I was inspired by was from a picture in a magazine "The best of drawing" it was a lady just sitting in darkness called "Etude" by Sherry Camhy and on the other side of the page was some candles also painted by her. Then later on in the week I was bloghopping and found "Have a Heart for Haiti". I posted the link on the side,please check it out and maybe you too could help in some way. I have been saying to my husband ever since it happened that I wish there was more I could do besides pray for those people, I really wanted to adopt one of those poor children that lost their parents in the earthquake but my husband was'nt to crazy about that idea so I'm doing this instead. I don't know what I'm going to make yet but I can't wait to get started. I already have some ideas running through my head!

Just a couple of portraits

2010-01-26T13:55:00.003-05:00

I'm reading a book titled"Drawing from within" by Nick Meglin. Very good so far,anyhow I read something in that made me think(i'm a dweller) and I wanted to share. "Was it the Bat or Batter that made Hank Aaron the home run champion? The batter,of course! His point he's trying to make is "its not the materials that is going to make the drawing or whatever other thing is that you are making its the person. Practice,practice and more practice. I for one am guilty of this I always say well maybe I need better paint ,then it will come out. After dwelling on this I realized he's right its not the product,its the person behind the product.

Mixed media Monday "Games people play"

2010-01-25T17:57:00.002-05:00

The Theme over at Mixed media mondays is games people play,As soon as I heard the theme I thought of my little girl who is now 12 so she really doesnt play too many games any more and then I started to get sad thinking how fast they grow up and what she used to play with and thats how I came up with this journal page.

Healing journal page

2010-01-24T17:07:00.002-05:00

Just a quick jornal page that I did this morning!

2010-01-23T16:43:00.001-05:00

A painted face and my husband!

2010-01-23T16:25:00.004-05:00

So I decide to sketch my husband,first I have to take a picture and as you can see from the picture he's not to happy about it,its 9 oclock at night and all he wants to do is take a shower after working all day. Of course the picture comes out terrible but I really can't ask him to pose again now that hes sleeping,even though he does look better. So I continue to do the sketch for two days why two days because the same man that did not want to pose for the picture kept saying "it doesnt look like me" I finally say its time to move on,I'm not a professional,I'll try it again in a few months. So without his permission I'm posting it anyway. He really does love me even though I drive him crazy.

Mixed media monday

2010-01-18T09:25:00.002-05:00

2010-01-13T11:04:00.000-05:00

.... and this is my version.

Blue Nude by Picasso

2010-01-13T11:00:00.003-05:00

Over at Mistymawn.typepad.com the january journaling continues,this week is all about other artists inspiring you. I chose Picasso for my first artist,this was done during his blue period I believe the title is "Blue Nude"