Flower Power

Flowers are big right now. I made a flower for my purse, (posted on Dec 19th). It was then that I remembered how I had covered my kitchen table with paper mache flowers back in late 1960s, or possibly early 1970s. I put pin backs on them, and had one in every color. I had saved a green one and a black one, and I wanted to reproduce these once again, so I have been up to my elbows in flour and water. It is not as easy this time, as I am having limited success. There must be one magic step I have forgotten about!! I have not decided on what to use for the centers yet, so they are not put together. I have to finish these soon because I have some other ideas simmering in my head.

Reflections

It is time to reflect on the past year; the good, the bad, and the ugly. Think about what worked, and what did not work. The goals that were made, and accomplished, and those goals that are still to be realized.
I like to write in my journal, those important things that I want to do, so that they won't be swept aside by the hub bub of life. Writing helps me stay focused. Of course the most important thing is to decide what it is I want to accomplish this year. I know that I have to get quiet, and listen to my heart's desire. I will spend this week in reflection until the light shines on the things I am supposed to do for myself and for others.

"It is the light of the mind which determines whether you see confusion and limitation or whether you see order and abundance."  Ervin Seale

Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. Enjoy your family and friends, and may the Blessings of Christmas be with everyone. We get to enjoy this in our neighborhood.

Everything Old is New again !

This necklace is several years old, however I seldom wore it because it was too heavy.
With a new, "old" chain, I  put the charms back on, shortened it, and left off a few of the heavier items.
These charms are all keep sakes from life, going back to grade school, and on through life.Some of them have very special memories attached. The little clay face was given to me by my friend Lois. I love hearts, so have several of them. The round locket belonged to my mother-in-law, and on and on. It is a fun way to keep all of these memories current.

Illustration Friday "mail"

When I saw that the theme for Illustration Friday was "mail", I just had to make some of my fun envelopes.
This is a wonderful way to use those gorgeous magazine pages, and of course it is very "green".
I like to pick out something specific to the person I am sending it to.
Of course you can make any size you need. I used double stick tape for the sides. I hate to do it, but it must have a label put on for the name and address.One of the envelopes even has matching note paper !
Now back to those Christmas preparations !

That small touch !

I have been working on several small projects lately.
I bought this really cute, like new, purse at a resale shop, but I wanted to add
a little touch of my own, so I made an accent flower for it out of 2 old felt hats
and some fabric. The center is an old button cover; pretty cute I thought.
Now I can spruce up my black outfit, which I think gets pretty boring sometimes.
I am in the process of making some other type of flowers also.
I will post them in the next couple of days.

Christmas lunch

A few artist friends met for lunch in Round Rock at The Main Street Cafe.
The glazed salmon was wonderful! We hashed over our creative endeavors,
and tried to come up with that next big wonderful idea; something that will rock the art world ! :>)
It is good to share and brain storm, always happy about the outcome of our discussions.
Nan does beautiful watercolors, Sue paints abstract acrylics, and Char works a lot with Pastel.
Me, I like it all, and have trouble sticking to one thing, however New Year's resolutions are
in the making, and I just might decide on one medium......or not.

Missing me

I'm not quite myself yet. Two funerals in less than 2 weeks is toooo much; as well as some other bad things that happened.
We added several hundred more miles to our log, to be with family and friends
at a sad time.
 Times like this make me think about life, and how very short and fragile it really is; the importance of making each moment count for something, or someone. Also the importance of being the best that we can be.
With Christmas less than 2 weeks away, I'd like to wish family and friends, as well as all my blogger friends, a very Merry Christmas. The hand made card hasn't happened, but my wishes are sincere.

Lucky me !

I have been very fortunate to win 2 recent give-aways on-line.
Could I be so lucky with a lotto ticket!??
This beautiful necklace came from Lynn at Trash to Treasure Art.
She is such a versatile artist, as well as a nice lady, and really has some creative ideas.You can see many of them on her blog.
I will wear my pendant proudly. Thank you Lynn !

Hula Hoops

I feel like this lad who has 3 or 4 hula hoops on at once; trying to keep everything in motion.
Too much to do today, but  I'm getting there. Everyone on our block has their Christmas lights shining except us. Going to wait now until it warms up a bit.
I failed to write my 3 pages every  morning, ( as suggested by Julie Cameron in The Artist's Way ), while we were traveling, and it sure makes a difference. I believe that is why I feel so disorganized. Writing helps me get my thoughts and plans in order for the day. I have been writing 3 pages each morning for about 12 years. If you are feeling disorganized, just try writing random thoughts and see if this helps.
We have been getting Christmas cards each day.  Hopefully time will allow for me to make some cards this year.Sometimes I make a card that can be used as an ornament also..

Hanging on !

Yes, I'm hanging on, like this monkey, after going on a 3000 mile road trip.

Our Thanksgiving trip from Alabama got a detour at West Monroe, LA. We then headed North to Indiana for a funeral for my husband's high school buddy, and former basketball teammate.  I made another little trip to see my 95 year old Mother, for a 24 hour visit. We had a great time, even though the visit was short. We went from sunshine in AL. to snow flurries in Indiana, and saw both, when we got back to Texas. I went downtown to "The Christmas Stroll" this past Sat. They had a "snow hill" for the kids to enjoy. It was a fun day, but I have some catching up to do. I would like to get back to my art, as Christmas is a comin. I will get back in the groove, I will, I will.

Tradition

These cranberry turkeys have been a family tradition for many years. When I was young Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce gave away a turkey and a tree, cranberry cutter, when you purchased the sauce. You slide the cranberry sauce out of the can and slice it, then use the cutter to make turkeys or trees. My children all like the tradition, and now the grandchildren are in on it. We have 4 children, so I e-mailed Ocean Spray to see if I could get more turkey cutters (they just fit the size of the tin, so a cookie cutter won't do.) I suggested that they revive the offer from many years ago. They did not get excited about the idea like I thought they might, so I'm not sure who will end up with the turkey cutter when I am gone. It gives me something to look for when I go to the antique stores; It's fun to look for something special. Any suggestions on getting more cutters??

Peace

Peace and love to everyone this Thanksgiving day.
I created this "circle of peace"  a few months back when I had an "Asian" art show.
The circle is raised, and painted gold, so one can run their finger around the circle. It is a wonderful way to bring some peace if you are having a stressful day, or you just want to relax. The bamboo on the left is made with a hand cut stamp. 
My 9 year old granddaughter loved it, and seemed to understand the meaning, so I gave it to her.
It reminds me of a labyrinth, however much easier to create.

Falling leaves

What a variety of leaves we found on our walk through the neighborhood !!
The trees are just beautiful right now. We brought the leaves home and made imprints of them with paint.
I don't have a masterpiece to show, but it was a fun project.

Artist at work

We are visiting with our little artist granddaughter. She wanted to paint before breakfast today.



I love the colors she uses and hope to keep this one to take home with me.


She insisted on painting Papa T's fingernails with blue nail polish; he was a good sport, even though he wasn't looking forward to it. I told him that she will always remember that moment in time. :>)


We have been enjoying the summer like weather. We had smoked ribs on the grill last night. Papa T's ribs are the best!! I know some parts of the US are having snow storms. Snow is good for skiing, and that is about all, in my book.

Thanksgiving

We were getting ready for our trip for Thanksgiving when I realized that I had forgotten to buy Thanksgiving cards for some of the family. I decided to paint some, and these are the results of my efforts. I painted yellow gold mums on a big piece of 140# watercolor paper. Cut each to fit on blank card stock, and glued them on the front. I think they turned out pretty, and the family always likes a hand made card.

Surprise in the mailbox !

A few weeks back I had participated in a drawing at Choosing Beauty.com. sponsored by Liv.
Jennifer Swift, artist, was giving the gift. Guess what, I won, and today I received the package, all decorated with stamps and calligraphy. Inside was Jennifer's new book, "Creative Bloom", available on Amazon.
There is even the word "inspire" made out of wire in the package. Jennifer combines wire and fabric for some very unique ideas. I am so happy to have this book to read over the holidays. Thanks to Liv and Jen for making my day!

More Little Houses

You should see all of the little houses over at Creative Tuesdays. It is fun to see everyone's interpretation of a little house. Take a look. I especially like the little snail with the house on his back by Kristin Dudish.
The next challenge is something heavenly...hmm. Makes me think of "heaven's door" that I posted on my blog on August 18th as part of a challenge. I will have to come up with something new. Heaven or heavenly thoughts are good to think about.

Only in Texas !

New Home

This beautiful little doll house is going to a new home. Years ago, I took an unfinished bookcase and put wooden doors on it. I cut the windows and doors out with a jig saw;  I put curtains of lace around the windows on the inside, and painted the bricks, and flower boxes, etc. It served as a doll house for our youngest daughter, who now has a daughter of her own. It is time to pass it on. I have been using it to store painting supplies in my studio. We are going to visit, and it will be a nice surprise for our youngest granddaughter. I hope she will love it as much as I do.

Little Houses

I've always wanted to live in a little colorful house like one of these.
When we moved here, I got my wish. Our house is small; just what we need,
and we painted it yellow. Because we are in the historic district, there are
other colorful  homes on the block. Never gets boring around this neighborhood.
This is part of a challenge over at Mr. Toast's blog.

Warm Up

This morning Iwas reading the Cloth, Paper, Scissors newsletter. They reminded us of how easy it is to make post cards for our friends for those special occasions. I got busy and made three. We were supposed to put a favorite quote on them. I have so many favorite quotes that I know I will be making a lot more of these!
What is your favorite quote?

Post Card Swap

I am taking part in "The Great Big Stitched Post Card Swap."
I made my post card today, but my sewing machine went on the fritz, so I had to" pretend stitch".
If you look closely the heart is a button that looks stitched on. "Home is where the heart is". I like that thought.I must send my card off to merry old England.

Plein Air Painting

All of the plein air painters in the area were invited to come to the square in Georgetown and paint on Saturday. They came from miles around. Several set up on the lawn and painted the Court House; it truly is beautiful, since it's restoration a couple of years ago. I have not done much plein air painting, and do not have the proper easle etc., so I got a cup of coffee and a "morning glory" cupcake and sat outside the local coffee shop, and just sketched what I saw in front of me. I had to use that perspective again, and I can see where I did not get some of it right, however it was a fun day.

Sketching

I am trying to do something creative every day to keep the ideas coming, and the pencil sharp.
I love to draw, but do not do it enough. To get better, it takes practice, practice, practice!
A friend and I went out to Berry Spring's Park where there are several old buildings and even a couple of donkeys! This looks like an old feed barn. Perspective is one of the hardest things for me to do correctly, but I thought this turned out pretty good. This is a page in my new sketch book. "My create every day" sketch book !!

Spooky Night

We gave out 25 lbs. of candy in about 21/2 hours this year. Finally just turned off the porch light.I have no idea how much we would have to buy to take care of all of the trick or treaters. Most of the " little" goblins came out early, so that is good. It is fun to see how some of the adults dress; you can see that there were some pretty weird characters roaming the streets. Buzz Light Year was a hit this year, and hundreds of little "Marios" were running around collecting their candy.
The orange lights are coming down, and soon it will be time for the Christmas lights.
Time seems to fly by, and as we get older, it flys faster. Why do you think it happens that way?
I hope all of the younger people will realize this, and stop and enjoy each  moment.

Metal Collage

I call this piece" metal collage" because I used various thin papers to collage on a black background, overlapping here and there.
I then sectioned it off using some of the collage lines, as well as adding my own to make a good design.
I then painted the areas, with various "metal" paints, steel, copper, brass, etc.
While they were still wet, I applied a Verde green patina to the copper, a rapid rust to the steel, etc.
I like surprises, so I just set it aside and let it do its thing. I was amazed, and pleased with the result.

I wonder what else I could do with this paint?? Any ideas??

Create every day

This promise to create every day is keeping me busy, but I love it !!!
I am attending a Demo/Critique class every Monday. It is sooo interesting, and so much fun.
We watch a demo by Nancy Brown and Sue Gray, (our instructors), as they talk about the important elements of making art, etc. I have learned so much, and every person chimes in with new thoughts and ideas.
Our classes are about over, however I think they will offer the class again after the holidays. Sure hope so!
This piece, I created after seeing and hearing some ideas that were presented in class.
I took an idea from here, and one from there, and this is what my piece looks like. It was so much fun that I made 2 of them.

Solder weather

I have been waiting for a nice cool day so that I can work outside with solder. 
I get so discouraged every time I try this; the solder never seems to go on evenly.
I have read books, but there must be some magic to it. :.)
Does anyone out there have some good advice for me to make it go on smoother ??
This is my original painting, reduced, and put between glass. I love my pendant, and I've received lots of compliments, so I wanted to make some more. I love the hand made look, but mine seem a bit rough around the edges, as they say.

Trees

I'm still painting trees. These are Louisiana cypress. They have a very distinct look. This is a 12X12 canvas. I painted most of it with my fingers. It was so much fun, I may do more finger painting.

Creative Every Day

I am posting my "Earth", which is a challenge for Creative Every Day web site. This is a bit late for October, however I have also joined the challenge to do something creative every day in Nov.
 Now, thankfully, you don't get your knuckles rapped with a ruler for missing a day or two; this is just to give incentive to do something creative every day. Should be fun.

K.C. Willis

This morning as I was prowling around on the Internet, I found this exciting news. K.C. Willis is an artist from Colorado who does the most interesting fabric and paper collages, among other artistic endeavors. She sometimes uses photos of women in her work. She is currently planning two retreats that certainly piqued my interest, especially the" Imagination Congregation", that will be held in March, 2011. She is having well known guest speakers at these conferences/retreats. All of the details are on her website; check it out. Colorado is beautiful anytime of year.
http://www.studioretreats.ning.com/

Memories

That ride in the country on Sunday reminded me about our ride through the countryside while we were visiting in Washington State. We saw an old rusty truck sitting in the field. It had trees and plants growing in the back where the bed of the truck use to be. Being an artist, I thought it was a beautiful sight, and my husband loved it because it was a R190, just like he drove for a summer job in college. He would actually love one of these, however I have discouraged it, because I just can't see us going to the grocery store, or church, in our big R190 truck. :>) My brother-in-law had his camera along, so we brought home pictures and  memories, instead of a truck. I couldn't wait to try painting all of the colors in the rust. This is about a 11X14 watercolor. I like the painting, but hubby is still looking at truck ads.

A ride in the country

On Sunday we drove with some friends out to Walburg, TX to Dale's Essenhaus, to celebrate October, and to eat a Walburger. (The biggest hamburger I have ever seen.) As we drove through the country side we enjoyed the quiet of the farm land. A few field grasses were in bloom, but you could tell that Fall is approaching, even though it was 80 degrees. There were a lot of fields that had already been plowed under, to rest before the next planting. Large round bales of hay were here and there in the fields.
We crossed a few creeks along the way; these have a beauty all their own. All in all it was a great day.
"If a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you...rejoice, for your soul is alive".
Eleonora Duse
I guess my soul is alive, and I hope that yours is also.

Amazing !

I"ll be you have never seen anything quite like this. This lovely collage created by my friend Addie, was made with lids that she has been collecting for many years. She is an amazing lady that really thinks "out of the box" She had several of us over one day and challenged us to create something with her lids. I tried, but had to hide my creation in the closet. I have not seen anything to compare to her masterpiece.

Music

Last evening I spent time with good friends, and  Good For the Soul Music. It was definitely " good for my soul". David Kauffman has a beautiful tenor voice, and along with guitar and piano gave a great concert.
On the web site you are able to read about their journey, and listen to some of their music. It really blessed my day after suffering from allergies all day.
Ever since I accepted an Adobe update, I cannot put images on my blog, so I have been on the Google forum trying to find an answer. A lot of people are having trouble with images, however, I'm not really sure what caused it to change over night. Everyone has a different opinion. I guess I will sit tight until the geeks at blogger figure it out. I feel like a picture is worth a thousand words, so I will have a difficult time blogging without them.

Fall decor

I spent the morning yesterday getting ready for Fall, and especially the many Halloween visitors we will have on Main Street. Many of the homes are decorated with orange lights, pumpkins, skeletons, yard blow ups, tombstones, and on and on. I never really felt the urge to do all that, so I hung a wreath with berries on it, filled the pots with greenery and big net bows, put out Ms. Scarecrow, and bought 25 pounds of assorted candy. The kids and parents come from all over the area to stop by every house on Main Street to get their treats. Hubby and I sit on the steps with our huge basket between us, and take turns dropping candy in the trick or treat containers. I am anxious to see what the favorite costume is this year. There are always plenty of fairies with wings, and hobos. The parents get real creative also with their costumes. This keeps us entertained for a few hours, amazed to see the variety, and the fun everyone is having.

Creativity in our life

The question posed over at Spring this week is: How do you use creativity in your everyday "mundane" life?
You can use creativity by thinking of something, or someone, to be thankful for.
You can also use your creative genius to make something for someone.
I try to appreciate each moment, and make the day special in some way.
Sonya, has 7 very creative, and practical ideas on her blog. I agree with all of them, and they made me feel better just reading them. I'm off to have a very creative fun filled day! Blessings to everyone.

Flowers are still pretty

Had to condense the bouquet, just like I always do when some flowers start to wilt. I have several old bottles, and some new ones, that I keep on the kitchen window sill for those single  blooms that are left.
I enjoy them all the time; it doesn't have to be a special occasion to have flowers.
I especially like the old colored bottles that I'm always on the look out for.

Photo Styling

I am still working with all that I learned in the e course "Blogging Your Way", given by Holly Becker and Leslie Shewring. The course is over, but we are still sending in homework.
Leslie gave us a lot of great information about styling items for photography. She also included a lesson on flower arranging. I used one of my favorite crystal bowls to practice my arranging, The flowers are from the grocery store, and I went out in the yard to gather a few greens to go with them. I took pictures, but still have a lot to learn. I need to work on the area where best to show off my items for photographing. We have an old house with 27 windows, so I should be able to figure out a good spot.
Today is a lazy Sunday. I have spent a good part of the day right here in the swing. The weather is beautiful!