Category: Family

YAY!

The pictures above are from the Arts and Crafts show that we held on Saturday.  The show was at the clubhouse in the retirement community of Yorktown Villas.  Talking with these people you’d never know it!  They kind of reminded me of the Golden Girls:)  They were such lovely people and so very kind and gracious that they made me feel instantly at ease.  With all the warm cookies that we were served who wouldn’t feel at ease.   The sales went far beyond what I expected, I was able to get a few commissions and I am just over the moon with excitement!   My friend did really well too.  She almost sold out all of her flower arrangements and sold some of her art as well.  So, it was a good day for both of us.  The best part was that at the end of the day, we got to trade art from each other and that was awesome!

  Well, since this has consumed my every waking moment for the last 2.5 months, I don’t have anything else to share, but I hope to very soon.  Until then, I’m wishing  you sunny skies and warm weather:)

Be Well and Happy!

Zentangle….

     Hello, Long time no post, huh… For the last week or so, I have been making prints of my drawings.  Not an easy task, but I think I did a fairly good job of it.  I sent the  color work to my Dad’s shop  and my SIL is making the color prints for me as well as my business cards, brochures and even some presentation stuff.  It’s so great to come from a family of printers…hee, hee and I am so grateful for their help..Because it would have cost me a fortune that I didn’t have.  In return, I promised  to show them how to Zentangle.  But I will also make them little Zen-Art packets that they can take home.  I hope they will be pleased. 

   Also, I just wanted to let you in on a great offer.  I subscribe to the Strathmore newsletter. It’s an awesome newsletter.  Annnyway, they are offering FOR FREE a visual journal workshop series and if you want to sign up (click here) .  They give you a supply list and everything.  Now, don’t plan on seeing any of my journal here, but I may surprise you:)  If I get really brave.  

Be Well and Happy!

Barn and a Bedroom…

Barn

Graphite on Bristol Smooth

(click on the picture to enlarge)

     I love drawing these barns, but I had the  hardest time trying to draw the tree of all things!  I thought it would have been easier.  If you study a tree from a distance in abstract the leaves are nothing but scratches and scribbles in lights and darks easy huh? Well, I certainly thought it was easy enough.  As it turned out?  Not so much.  If I look at my drawing, I can see that it looks like a tree, it has its leaves and branches and a trunk growing from the ground. But it isn’t a “happy tree”  and something I need to work on. 

   Well, that’s all the art, but I do have some other exciting news 🙂  We finally finished our bedroom YAY!  (Well, almost) and I love it!  It’s been about 14 years since we had new furniture, so it’s been a long time coming, and to celebrate, I even made pillows to match my quilt:)  I sewed them, stuffed them THEN had to take out the stuffing, rip out the stiches and I had to remake them.  
(The fabric wasn’t thick enough and so I had to make a lining) They are lumpy as can be, but they sit proudly at the head of the bed.   I still need to buy some curtains and decorate the walls.   When we are completely finished I will post some pictures.

  Be Well and Happy!

Art Nouveau?

    I’m still here alive and kicking!  I’ve just been emptying boxes from “not the move”  that we packed up when we were going to put the house on the market.  As we speak, my living room and kitchen is filled with crap that we will send to DAV (Disabled American Veterans).  Well it’s not really crap, and alot of things were extremely difficult to let go of, but I’ve made a vow not to touch anything and thank goodness it will be gone Saturday.  When we were going through the boxes we found a couple of decorative plates that David wanted to put in the guest bathroom.  I had planned on putting some abstract oil pastel in there, but David was right and the plates look beautiful.  I had to admit defeat.   With a little research I had found out that they were Art Nouveau..then I had to look up Art Nouveau.  Although, I like a narrow margin of the work..I don’t find it all that appealing… Oh, do you want to know what Art Nouveau is? Here’s the link!

   With trying to find something to complement the plates, I did manage to get a little painting in and I below are pictures of my project.

These are the plates that will hang in the bathroom

The next pictures are flowers that I painted in art nouveau (ish)  style, that I’m hoping will look work.  I can’t claim the designs, because I found them on the computer, it is supposed to be copyright free for up to 10 designs…We’ll see.  I wish I had the link to share, but I didn’t save the site:(  I did change some of it to adapt to my small 3.5 x 3.5 opening.  I hope you like my frames…I’m so in love with them..

Well, I guess that’s about all I have to share today.  I hope you have a great weekend!

Be Well and Happy!

My Houseguest…..

  Well, I did draw a few Zentangles  and I will post those sometime this week.  But right now, I want to show you a few pictures of my houseguest, Biggie Paws.

This is Biggie and he spent the week with us.  Alana and I have decided that he looks like Alf.   He isn’t very Alf- like in this picture, because I put his hair in a ponytail…He’s very metro and very secure in his masculinity.

This is Biggie waiting…wanting to pounce on Sam, and Sam ignoring him…Poor little Biggie.  But Sam realizes (I guess) that the crate in front of him was his when he was a pup.  So whenever the door was open, he would get in and actually was able to squeeze his whole body inside that little thing.  So right now, Sam is waiting for me to slip up and leave the room.   Sam is definitely aware that I have left the door open.

Biggie is napping and Sam is still waiting for me to leave  that door open and leave the room. Lol, Biggie looks like he’s doing the dead man’s float.  (Click on the picture to enlarge and look at his front and back legs)

By now, they  are sick of me and they see Alana coming home from school.  FRESH MEAT!

Well, that was my adventure this week and now Biggie is home with his family.  Bye Biggie:)

Be Well and Happy!

Pearl Bracelet…

I’m back!! I know it’s been a while, but with the upcoming holidays my posts will be sporadic.  I have been pretty busy and trying to find some Christmas spirit!  I have been making Christmas goodies that have been loads of fun and seemed to be a good place to start. I have no idea what I’m going to do with 10 loaves of Icebox fruitcake though.  I hope  it can be frozen.  I have two Christmas favorites Applenut Cake and Icebox fruitcake. It’s doesn’t feel like Christmas without them. I didn’t  bother with making the cake, because nobody makes it like my mama and she makes my sister and I one every year for our birthday:)  One year she even sent us one UPS!  I did make her icebox fruitcake and man that stuff is gooood!  It’s more candy than cake and it’s yummmmmy! Then, I have been making David and Alana watch every sappy Holiday movie I can find from Lifetime, Family and Hallmark channel which is an awesome payback!   I guess next comes putting up my ugly,  sad little tree that no one wants to decorate, but me. It’s like living with two rocks. 

Anyway, on with the bracelet… It was so simple.  I just used memory wire and beaded vintage pearl beads from my stash.  I didn’t have any end beads so I just bent the ends. I think pearls are elegant on their own and should be made with a simple and light designs.  I loved using the memory wire because it gave the illusion of small strands of pearls, but could wrapped it on and off of your wrist, which I think is pretty much the style these days.    The bracelet is part of a Christmas gift and I think I’m going to wrap it around the present like a bow.  I hope she like it.

Be Well and Happy!

November 29

    I bought this little 5 x 7 cross stitch kit when I was pregnant with Alana,  over fourteen years go.  You read it right, fourteen years.  I wanted to put this in her room, but I guess I should have held on to it a few more years and maybe put the names of my grand kids on it..NOT THAT I’M IN A RUSH! 

     I’m really not that slow a crossstitcher.   I just kept losing the kit and it became outta sight outta mind.  Then, Wednesday as I was cleaning out my art room I came across it.  I had debated on whether to finish this or not.  But since it’s AEDM, I thought, “What the Heck!”  So I sat down, and I made myself get it done.  I don’t find cross stitching very satisfying ’cause I’m not very good at it.  You should see the back of this one..it looks like a thread and knot war, it’s Horrrrrible!

 I had also found two more kits that need to be finished.  One is soccer themed and I had bought that when Alana was in the 6th grade and the other is some kind of flower garden.  Somehow  I will have to make myself complete them, because I hate to waste more than I hate cross stitching, lol.   I could throw these in my handy-dandy travel bag.  When I get bored on trips, it could give me something to do.  I’m on a time crunch with the soccer theme.  I only have four years to finish that one, and I don’t think I can make the deadline before Alana graduates..

Have a creative day!

Be Well and Happy!

November 24

 Alana’s crayons were staring at me, so I thought I’d color for a little while. 

  This is supposed to be a carnation (ish).  After all these years, there is still something about a coloring book and crayons that are relaxing and is still as fun as when I was little.  

  Crayola Crayons can be a fine art,  take a look at Don Marco’s website.  His work is unbelievable!!

Have a creative day!

Be Well and Happy!

November 23

     This is a necklace that I made for my niece.  I’m not worried that she’ll see this post, because her auntie’s blog isn’t cool like texting, Facebook, My Space, You Tube or whatever the heck teens do these days. 

    The necklace is beaded with hot pink tube beads and the larger seed beads in clear, white, hot pink and red.  The ornament in the center is the same seed beads coiled around both strands with scrolled ends.  The findings are just 2 jump rings and a sterling lobster clasp.  I hope she likes it. 

P.S.  Does anyone know the temperature and how long to bake  Shrinky Dink? I lost my instructions:(

I hope everyone has a creative day!

Be Well and Happy!