Sweet Repeats

Sweet Moments

2008-08-18T20:58:00.005-04:00

Do you remember all the dreams you had as a child? The thrill of the first days of summer and all the possibilities the days ahead had in store?

Do you have someone in your life that's been with you through thick or thin? A Sister, a friend who has your laugh and watches your back even when you keep falling to the ground?

Have you taken time out today to play a bit, create a bit, dream a lot?

What adventures have you taken lately? A walk to the park, a swim in the lake, have you taken the time to enjoy the little things? The little ones?

When all hope is gone you can still hold on to this.

The innocence of a child. The deep thoughts of a small mind that knows much more than we give him credit to understand.

If today you haven't started to live, there's no better moment than now.

Take a breath. Soak it all in. The wonder, the unknown, will be come clear before to long.

It's there. Deep down inside. It all always was.

Creativity brings smiles, it brings laughter, it spreads joy.

There is no greater truth than this.

For this, I was put here. To raise my sons, to guide and nuture.

But the truth is, they are the ones who are guiding me.

And showing me what life is all about.

And sooo much laughter is born amongst the tears.

It's my hope that I have done enough so we all can soar.

(((Photos from my sister Sherry's visit, our trip to the lake, crafting together making these magnets, and Josh's birthday)))

Time Flies When You Are Having Fun

2008-08-18T10:26:00.003-04:00

Where does summer go? Next week the kids go back to school, it's hard to believe we are coming to the end of another season.
Here's one of the many pictures taken last week during my sister's visit. My nephew, Matthew sitting peacefully looking at the little lake we visited.

Just posting and running. Lots to do today, but I'll be back later with more pics to share of the visit and my son's 8th birthday. Yikes. 8. I remember CLEARLY the day he was born :)

Blue Creek Print now Available!

2008-08-12T21:01:00.005-04:00

NEW Prints in my Etsy Shop:

"Blue Creek" one of my newest pieces, now available as an 8 x 10 print!!
Price: 15.00
This WEEK Only (Ends August 15th, 2008) 2.00 off as part of my Anniversary in August sale.
I will adjust the price if you convo me first before purchase or re-invoice you after purchase via paypal.
All other prints also 2.00 off this week!!

Don't delay--all of my prints are VERY limited!!

****

Has anyone seen the new Artful Blogger? I just love this magazine. I have been reading it, or rather just soaking in all the beauty within this book. I'm so inspired by every story in the magazine. The world truly has become smaller with the invention of blogging. It's comforting to know that there are many, many kindred spirits in this world just like you and me just waiting to be found, waiting to be heard, and enjoying life when something we say or feel resonates with another like minded individual.

In another one of Stampington's magazines, Life Images, a local artist & photographer who is also part of our Carolina Mixed Media guild, has the cover shot!! Isn't it lovely??? Congratulations Chrysti!

Hope you find a bit of inspiration in your day today!

Swank in Southern Pines, North Carolina

2008-08-10T19:43:00.012-04:00

First and foremost, I want to announce my winner of my 1 year Etsy shop anniversary drawing:

Leah, from Creative Everyday is my 1st place winner....yes, first place winner....because I had so manywonderful and inspiring comments, I decided to draw again for a second name and that winner is:

Patti, from Altered Attic. Please send my your mail addy to johl3 at windstream dot net, and I'll get your prints out to you later this week. :)

Thank you everyone again for taking the time out to enter my drawing and for leaving such sweet comments!

Here's a little tour of the shop where I have several of my pieces featured. It's a delightful coffee shop and handmade market which features the artwork and fine crafts of several local residents who have the 'Etsy' look and live in the Moore County area of North Carolina, called Swank. I brought the WHOLE crew down there to check out my wares. Five boys who like coffee drinks and smoothies. They actually were very impressed to see their Aunt's art hanging on the walls.
How cool is this? I get a 'Hot New Item tag' :)

My "Things Are Looking Up" series, up high on the front wall :)

City Life

My Home

Don't you wish you had funky handwriting like this?

House on the Hill

One of my collages from last fall....In The Shadow

Sweet HeART in Pink

Thanks Ladies of Swank for allowing me to take pictures and for making it easy to do business with. I appreciate the partnership :) If you are ever in Southern Pines, NC--you must stop by the shop off of Pennsyvania Avenue in the Belvedere Plaze and visit Swank and meander around all the other lovely shops that dot Broad Street and surrounding streets, you won't be disappointed!

Two More Days To Enter!!!

2008-08-06T21:55:00.008-04:00

I've started to list a few of the prints I just received this week and wanted to share with you some of the features. I still have several more to go yet but may not get them listed until next week because.....

I got some good news that my Sister Sherry and her boys will be dropping by for a visit this weekend on their way home to Florida from their summer stay up in New York!! I'll be honest, I am panicky about getting my nest in order. I just got done mowing 1/2 my lawn, doing laundry, ran the dishwasher, swept the floors, cleared off 1 of my craft tables so we have at least one table to eat at, took the garbage to the dump, cleaned the kitchen.....and there's still more to do.

Now, don't go thinking I'm a slob or anything..lol..I just well, don't do the white glove every week so when guests come I feel the need to go over board and make sure the palace is in spit shine condition. Not to mention the fact that since I've taken on my part time job as an artist, I have more craft supplies then one can probably use in a lifetime at this point (that's not to say I couldn't take on more..lol) and not enough storage to put everything up properly and beautifully (like I see some of your studios when you feature them...I know 'you' are out there)!

It'll be nice to have a visit with the fam though, it's something that happens not enough with all of my family. Tis the price we pay for chasing after our dreams, it has put a very real physical distance between us. I happen to live in the middle of everyone so at least I get the benefit of 1/2 way drive thrus when the fam travels from NY to Florida or Florida to NY. My house in NC is pretty much the halfway point, funny how that worked out isn't it?

Don't forget, the last day to get your name in the drawing for one of my new prints (could be one of these or one of the 3 or 4 more I have yet to list) plus goody box I have started to compile (you don't want to miss out now, do you???))!!

Simply make a comment on one of my posts from August 1st on and you'll be automatically entered my very scientific drawing (cut up names and draw out of a hat)! LOL

Thank you for all your support, kind words and encouragement! My blog readers are the best!!
xoxo

lucy

Anniversary Celebration Continues--Featuring The Artist Alley

2008-08-03T19:17:00.013-04:00

The 1 year anniversary on Etsy continues....remember to leave a comment for a chance to win one of my new prints coming out this week. Contest ends on Friday, August 8th!!

(((new work in progress--one of my largest yet. 24 x 30))
I don't have a title for it yet. I'm sure though, something will come to me in my dreams..lol.

One of the best things that I have done this year is to join the Carolina Mixed Media Artist Guild which although membership is open throughout the Carolina's, the most active members are from Central Carolina and meet monthly in Raleigh or a nearby area for play dates. I can't tell you how much inspiration I've acquired through this group and the new friends I've made.

(Amy, Olivia, and Jean in the background)
I stumbled upon this group when I happened to visit a local shop called Artist Alley which is located in downtown Southern Pines. Artist Alley displays a variety of art in just about every genre you could imagine, from jewelry, to painting, fabric art, mixed media, metal, and pottery to name just a few. I believe it was Penny that I met first that invited me to join the group, and if anyone has ever met Penny before, her personality is as lingering and delightful as her soaps and candles she creates. Jean, the owner of Artist Alley is warm and friendly. I've never seen her without a smile on her face. She also extended the welcome to join the group and I started to feel like, yes maybe I could do this even though it was moving far and away from my comfort zone. I'm glad I joined though as the meetings have evolved from a once a month visit to a complete network of not just peers, but inspiring woman I also consider friends.

I visited Jean's shop again on Friday of this week to take part in the First Friday Celebration. I think First Friday is a fantastic idea. Not sure who thought of it but what better way to advertise your shop and rub elbows with those that create the beautiful works of art. Normally at least one artisan is featured on the First Friday opening and is on site to discuss what it is that they do up close and personal. In a store like this, you must go back, and back, and back again because it is forever changing.

I'd be remiss not to mention one of my favorite artists featured at Artist Alley, the wonderfully talented Amy Smith. Amy has an entire wall of her artwork displayed as you can see from the snapshot above. She is fearless with color and creates work that has many layers incorporated into her whimsical pieces. I just adore what she does and am finally a proud owner of one her lovely pieces! Amy has been extremely supportive of my development as a mixed media artist, even going so far as to introducing me to many different mediums such as tar gel, molding paste, and golden fluid acrylics when she graciously allowed me to purchase some of her overstock and duplicate supplies.

Doesn't this flower just sing happiness?

Some more of Amy's mini's on the right.

I wish I would have wrote down the name of the last several artists I took photos of but I didn't. I just love the vibrant colors of these flowers and animals which are created on wood.

Talk about inventive and imaginative, bet you didn't know that shovels and cast iron pans could be so funky!

I'm not sure what this sculpture is made out of, I think some sort of blade or farm equipment? I have no idea and it really doesn't matter because it's now a person strumming the guitar and dancing to the beat of their own drum. Amazing.
After the First Friday celebration all the ladies mentioned as well another dear friend who is a mixed media fiber artist, Nanette, went out for some snacks and a drink. We couldn't hear each other to save our lives, but it was fun. Being in the company of such wonderfully talented individuals motivates me to forge ahead and continue on this journey. Nanette has been instrumental in guiding me on the writing portion of my next phase of my own personal journey which is to achieve being published in art magazine(s). She's taught me several things about writing and the process of how to submit work and so one. If I do achieve this next goal, I know it won't be because of what I have done by myself. The goal will be achieved because many had their hands outstretched, guiding me along the way.

Thank you all for joining me on my little tour today. Hope you have someone(s) in your life that have been instrumental in help you achieve your dreams and goals. If not, open yourself up to the opportunity. You'll never know when walking through a strange door will open yourself up to a whole new world!

***
Update--after posting this, I saw that I was featured in a post from my online mixed media team from Etsy-'Metsy'. The blog author, Yin, asked for feature ideas and after writing to her about my anniversary giveaway, she suggested doing a post about my first year on the site. Thank you Yin for the feature!

*****
Don't forget--contest ends Friday, August 8th!!!

Anniversary Celebration at Sweet Repeats Studio Shoppe

2008-08-01T12:19:00.002-04:00

"City Life"
Many heartfelt thanks for the positive feedback on my new blog look and new artwork! You don't know how tickled I was to see the many comments come through and such kind words. You all made my week and it was a difficult week, so it was good timing. :)

Here's a snapshot on a piece I completed that I have featured in a shop downtown Southern Pines called Swank. I've actually put several pieces in their shop recently. It's fun to go into a store and see your work featured! I'll have to see if the owners would mind me taking a few pictures and feature them on my blog so you all can see what they look like hanging up.

Don't mean to post an run but I'm on my lunch break--however, I did want to give my faithful readers and friends a heads up on a giveaway I'm going to do next week to celebrate my one year on ETSY! My anniversary is at the end of August but I"m going to do the giveaway this next week when I get more prints in.

So...for now, anyone that leaves a comment between today and next Friday August 8th, will be entered into a grand giveaway from Sweet Repeats including one of my fine art prints and several other goodies I've set aside.

Thank you for your support and inspiration!

Blue Creek

2008-07-26T22:32:00.008-04:00

She's been busy visiting a town far, far away.

Blue Creek, I believe is the name.

A place where there are buildings that have a personality and can speak of a day gone by,

whispering of times when life was so much more simple and anything could be possible and as real as our dreams.

Treasury Galore :)

2008-07-24T18:37:00.001-04:00

Don't you just love Etsy Treasuries? Even better when you find one that you are featured in!! Now that I figured out how to do screen shots, I'm good to go and can savor them a bit longer then the few hours/days they are up.

To see the full size treasury--click here.

The piece that is featured is one of my recent favs--click here to see the full size piece.

The curator, Alisa--has a great store herself, full of sweet collages and mixed media soldered pendants (I would love to learn to solder----I've had a soldering gun since my birthday last year but I'm too scared to pull it out and give it a shot!!))
Good news--I finished my article with a little help with some friends who have done this sort of thing before and I sent it off last night. Phew--now I have to send my pieces and pray they make it on time. I'm kinda down to the wire but I think I did a good job considering I had to recreated 6 pieces (only sending 3 of them but I made a few for back ups just in case) as well as for the the fact I've never written an article before..LOL. Should be interesting to hear their feedback! Hopefully they still like it and the deal doesn't fall through. I'd have shame face if that happened!!!

**************
On the money saving front, I've taken Selena's suggestion and stayed out of the grocery store this week. I was tempted as there isn't anything quick to eat here and DS is staying in Myrtle Beach so I really hate making food for myself and having it go to waste so I normally opted for a restaurant take out of a quick frozen dinner. Instead I made a steak I had in the freezer and then made stir fry veggies and mixed it altogether after the steak was cooked and it was delicious. I wish I had rice to go with it but all I had was broccoli and cheese rice and that just didn't seem right....lol. Oh well, saved on the carbs anyway. It really is a good idea to do meal planning and less grocery shopping. I know that I have very little restraint when walking into a store. I'm perfectly fine when I stay the heck away but the minute I go inside, that one item turns into twenty! 10 dollars turns into 60 dollars that I end up spending. Just say no...just say no.. Okay. Until this weekend, then I really need to go to the store, I can only last so long :)

Hope everyone is having a good week!

Stepping out of the Zone

2008-07-21T20:12:00.008-04:00

Is it Monday already?

Having a few days off really spoils oneself, doesn't it? I had Wednesday through Sunday off and got a whole bunch, a WHOLE BUNCH of artwork done, 7 pieces altogether would you believe?!
I also was whittling away at my article during my days off. I figured I would take the creative approach to keeping notes about my process and put them in the big BIG HUGE journal I have that I received during our Paris Swap. I totally made note keeping fun. If I only could have brought my markers and stamps to college, life would have been so much easier! I wish I had beautiful handwriting, I have a tendency to scrunch up my words together, sometimes barely even waiting to finish one word before moving on to the next.

During this time off, I day dreamed about what it would be like to throw the corporate world away and turn to my hands as well as my mind to make my living.
What was my conclusion?
I need a sugar Daddy. LOL
No seriously, I'm a modern woman here. I can take care of myself--but not yet by myself. I still need my day job, but I do believe I could make a decent living if I could focus the majority of my day on my artistic life. I might be a skinnier gal and have to take a few less trips to Starbucks--but hey, I'm about to have to make that choice anyway with the rising prices so what the heck. Well, what the heck is Insurance money. That's pretty much the only reason why I won't quit my day job truth be told.
Well until that day comes along, I'm satisfied to create on the side and have fun in my own little world. I'm hoping soon it's going to branch off into bigger things--time will tell!

In my last post, we ( meaning me) started a discussion about what you are doing to save money these days. Be sure to check back in the comments and read what others are doing--and please share yours if you missed the post!
Several of you mentioned using what you have, ENJOYING what you have whether it be the food you already do have or utilizing the (art) supplies you own before going out to the store to by more. That's a great tip. The picture above denotes pieces of scrap I use over and over again in my pieces to create texture and use as stencils. Nothing fancy and probably mostly things you have in your stash. I've been doing good at saving things that I think will work in my art. Almost too good. I've got a growing stash of 'texture' tools as well as papers that I can pull from at a moments notice. That's saving and recycling, right?
Although, I must admit, I did visit an Etsy shop recently of a new friend called Remember Yesterday and bought some cool vintage goodies to use in my collages. I received them today and the shop owner through in some goodies from her art store--Kathy's collages and assembleages are wonderfully crafted. You must visit!! Very reasonable I might mention (as we are trying to save $$)

See here--I'm working on my 'secret projects'(which are completed now), utilizing one of my used up gift cards! I've used the credit cards and gift cards before to spread on paint on my collages, but only recently started working with modeling paste and found that the cards are perfect for laying on this medium as well. Who needs an expensive palette knife??

I need to do a few touch up on these pieces before I list them, but they are pretty much completed. I had a coffee shop in town in mind when I made these, I even used their cups they use for inspiration. I doodled and journaled on the background using a brown charcoal pencil. That's the first time I used a brown charcoal pencil.

I love the distressed look it generates as I worked the yellows, creams, and oranges in to create the warm and funky background.

Makes me want to grab a cuppa Joe...something I drink entirely too much of. I do get a lot done every day thanks to my pal Joe.
In other good news, I prospected two more shops that I potentially can put my art in. One is going to be perfect for a couple of bigger pieces. The other, my friend Amy put in a good word for me to one of her friends that owns a shop and I am going to chat with her about potentially being a featured artist for August. It's all very exciting. I'm glad I've started to network and get to know other people and artists in my area. It's taking a big step for me because outside of work, I'm pretty much a loner....making friends and getting out in the world pretty much doesn't happen for me so it's definitely outside of my comfort zone. I'm fine once I get to know people, but generally I'm not the social butterfly that gets involved in a lot of things. Amy is helping me along with ideas on how to feature myself in galleries or shops, and I'm doing my best to encourage her to send her work off for publication, too.
I'm hoping this last 5 months of the year brings many good things to those of us who step outside of our comfort zone and just try...just try something new and brave and scary all at the same time. You never know where that road may lead. It leads no where if you don't at least attempt the journey. That's one thing for sure.

Until next time, be good--and be thinking of new ways to enjoy what we have and or save a little bread for Sunday dinner. :)

Sale at the Sweet Repeats Studio Shoppe!

2008-07-16T23:47:00.004-04:00

just playin with photo shop again :)

I'm officially on vacation for a few days and spent the whole entire day playing with my paint and glue. It felt good to immerse myself in my project with the only thing looming over my head was my lawn that sorely needs mowing and packing that needs to be attended to. I could get used to this.....hmmmm...though I don't know if I could handle the stress of having to make up the salary that I have no with no guarantee of a sale each week let alone each day...lol. It's something that is worth thinking about down the road anyway..when I'm collecting social security ;)
I slept in today which is unusual for me. My body must be telling me that I need to rest but my head is telling me other wise. So many things I want to do. So many things I need to do. Work has been really wearing me thin, worrying about the economy has me stressed, thinking about the rising prices of everything has got me in almost a panic attack--and the thought of us all being held hostage by this economic crisis has got me mad as all get out. I don't want to think about all that but I do, and I'm sure most everyone out there isn't much different.

Working on my artwork helps me escape but I know I can't escape forever so I want to look for ways to save, to cut back, to do things differently and share the ideas here so that it may help others as much as it will help myself. Sarah has started a Frugal Friday post and I definitely want to join in as soon as I find frugal worthy ideas to share. I think a weekly post of how we are saving our pennies is a great idea!

It's apparent that we all need to start taking action before the going gets really rough. There is strength in numbers so please feel free to join in and share your thoughts, your tips and advice on how you are handling these hurricane of changes that are happening within our country and the world

What are you doing differently?

*****

To kick off the belt tightening posts I'll offer a sale in my Etsy shop, so if you must buy and I hope you must..lol....I'm offering a sale to help you out! I mentioned earlier in the post that I spent the whole day working on an art project, I actually finished my submission pieces for this magazine. I can not wait to see the pieces in print!! I'll let them dry over the weekend and then finish my article and hopefully send my babies off by Wednesday. That's my goal anyway. After that, I'm going to get busy and make a TON of new artwork in preparation for Christmas. I'm hoping there are still a few people out there with disposable income and ready and willing to buy original art for the holidays :) If not, at least I'll have something to do as I'm chained to this house because I can't afford to drive the car anywhere..LOL

I hope everyone has a great week and looking forward to any and every tip you have to share about your ways to cut back and save. I'm off to visit some friends for the weekend (frugal, well maybe not, but staying with friends so at least we are saving money there :)

New ACEO's and Some GOOD News!

2008-07-13T07:48:00.006-04:00

I wanted to share with you some of my new ACEO's that I have been working on, only a couple of which will be available on my ETSY shop-the others are already spoken for. I have only done a few cards as part of my artistic endeavors so I felt the need to get this book to guide me along. They have one on Amazon for only 4.95 used so I definitely suggest anyone interested in this miniature art form to pick it up and learn more about it, there are some very cool techniques listed within the book. One of these days, I'd love to write a book on mixed media art techniques. Of course, I'll have to get better at what I do but I'm adding having a book published to my "bucket list".

Another thing I really wanted to do this year was to submit some of my work to a national magazine to be published. It's a scary thought to even do that because there's a good chance I'll be rejected but then again, I thought to myself--well it's really 50/50....they'll either say yes or say no. The odds aren't really bad when you think of them it those terms. It's definitely a NO if you don't do it, so why not? Well, I finally worked up the courage to put myself out there with the help of some friends encouraging me to do so. A new 'online' friend who was recently published (actually published several times) gave me additional guidance before and after my submission that really has helped me.

....and the good news is: My first submission was accepted and I am now working on an article for a large magazine in the art world!!! Whoooooohooooooooo!!! I'll give more details and issue date once everything is set in stone as I suppose anything can change between now and then, but as it stands right now, I should have something(s) published before the holidays!!!!!!! You have no idea how tickled I am but how scared I am that I will fall on my face..LOL. Debbie Doubter talking right now but her sister Positive Polly is the stronger of the two twins so I am going to plug away as if it's a done deal and do my best to make the August 1st deadline!
The moral of the story is, you must at least try--and sometimes try and try again if you really want something to happen. Inaction leads to sure failure; Action and motivation leads to accomplishments and achievements. I am so glad I bought the book The Secret as it really changed my mindset and has shown me how to believe in what I'm doing and live my life as if my goals are already achieved or on their way.
So maybe writing an art book isn't sooooo out of my reach. There are several online artists that have really catapulted their career over the last couple of years, one of which also has a book coming out early this fall. If you haven't ever checked out Kelly Rae's work, do so now!! You'll love her whimsical woman who are so very inspiring.
I love the name of her book....Taking Flight. I can totally relate to the meaning behind it.
Stay tuned for the rest of the story :)
Until then, have an artfully good week!

Sweet Goodness Swaps: Pink Lemonade, Parasols, and Polka Dots

2008-07-10T19:49:00.015-04:00

I have met a lot of wonderful people via this blog--many coming into my world just when I needed them most. It's amazing how things do happen just when you need them to, for whatever reason. The list is long for those of you have touched my life, hopefully you know who you are, but if you don't, know that your comments and friendship mean the world to me.
Having faith is what it's all about, faith in the Lord above, faith in yourself, and faith in those around you. This week has been a trying week for me. I feel like my world is spinning out of control and I'm going grayer and grayer by the minute! A lot of it is good, some of it stressful--and then just when I needed a little pick me up, here it comes, my wonderful swap gift for the Sweet Goodness Swap: Pink Lemonade, Parasols and Polka Dot swap from my lovely and talented partner, Katie. Katie is fabulously talented, and extremely generous as you are about to see.....but most of all, I really enjoyed getting to know Katie. She was a great partner right out of the gates, sending an email to me sharing a bit about herself, asking me about my life, commenting on my blog and just genuinely showing interest in getting to know me. I hope I reciprocated in a way that makes her glad to have joined this swap. I can truly say, I've had some wonderful partners in all of our swaps!!

And on to all the goodies:

Would you look at all the bountiful goodies!! Katie stuffed this box like a master packer with an artistic and creative flair. I WISH I could wrap and decorate so cutely like Katie did!

She obviously paid attention to our 20 questions list, as she made these sooooo cute hanging name plates in my nickname Lucy, adding 'Juicy' which was lovely coined by the thriftiest of all blog friends I have, Miss Shara.

Awwww....Lucy... :) Sooooo cute, I love it!! (I love the pink and brown polka dots in this background)!

Revealing my real name...lol...I know I have an identity crisis going on. But isn't this just the cutes set of name tags?? So much detail, and so inspiring!

Katie made the most wonderful set of tags I have ever seen! These are a few of my favorites!

Wowza, right?!

A cute little paper doll...all of these lovelies are adorning my 'studio' as we speak.

A vintage handkerchief, a thrifted pocket mirro and some lovely ribbon...the list goes on and on!

Summer drinks and parasols abound. She packed more stickers than you could imagine in this fabulous box!

Candies and summer drinks, including a gift card to my favorite coffee shop! DS and I enjoyed a frozen drink Sunday together, Thank you Katie!

The box was never ending with joyful surprises at every turn. I could hardly contain myself!! I'm going to have sooo much fun playing with all my new toys and simply enjoying my beautiful goodies, all the while thinking of how lucky I am to have met such a kind and generous soul in my new friend, Katie.....Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart! You brightened my day beyond words when I needed it most.

:)

******

Next post...exciting news and some awards!!!!!!!!!!! WHOOOOOHOOOOO

Some Things Change, Some Things Stay The Same

2008-07-06T06:17:00.009-04:00

"Hometown Friends"
6 x 6 on deep edged stretched canvas

I almost hesitated on posting this little new piece as the colors didn't come out as vibrant in the photos as they are in real life. I did take them outside but perhaps the sun light was not in the best position for me to capture the true essence of this piece. I still have a lot to learn with photo taking. A lot. But I am getting better and I do realize the value of having great photos of your work when you are selling your wares, not to mention, I want to keep my archive of paintings for future uses of prints so I want the prints to look as closely like the originals as possible. Speaking of archives...I need to get my tail busy moving my pictures to cd before this computer blows up from all the abuse I've given her, loading her with picture after picture after picture!!

This weekend has been pretty laid back for me. 4th of July came and went with little fanfare. I opted not to go anywhere this year. Instead we ran errands in the morning, went grocery shopping for some grillin' goodies, came home and relaxed outside with the new Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine, DS played with the neighbor girls with the slip and slide, the went with his Dad to the fireworks (it seems to have become a routine that his Dad takes him to the fireworks each year....I guess it's a guy thing and the new wife doesn't like me taggin along so I stay home..lol), and then a friend of mine came over for some grillin out and some wine. All in all not a bad 4th, but I do miss the bigger get togethers my family used to have each year and then all of us walking down to the lake for the fireworks show.

After my friend Linda left at about 11, I settled in for bed but was rudely awoken about 1 am by furious knocking and the dog barking. I go to the front door and there's no one....but there is a taxi in my driveway??? huh??? The dog is still barking and so I go to the back door....and yep, it's What's His Face. Drunk. Just came from the "DANCE" Club. I say Dance loosely, or nudely rather. He wants to stay here AND for me to pay for the taxi because he is out of money!!! The taxi won't take him to where he lives because it's too far.
Did you hear me when I say he WANTED ME TO PAY for the taxi after he spent all HIS money at the club????

Oh my goodnesss...well since this is a family show, you don't want to know what came out of my mouth.
Needless to say, the night was not good. Yesterday morning wasn't good either since I had to end up paying for gas to take him home and I was ill from the night before, mad as all get out at the audacity of him to actually think I was going to pay for the f***ing taxi!! No Bleepity bleep bleep bleep Way!!!

The bright side to the story is that he is actually working and can pay to go to the club himself.
He is still begging me to take him back because he has done everything I wanted him to do. Got a job, got his own place, and not doing drugs anymore. That doesn't erase all the pain and suffering I had gone through though. Nights like the one described above is a scaled down night like it used to be alllll the blessed time. Ridiculous.
There is still the looming issue of the drinking that I can't get passed either. Not that I'm a prude and detest everyone that drinks. I enjoy a cocktail from time to time. I can't be around alcoholics though. Too many bad memories from my past relationships and other events in my life with alcoholics in other close people's lives. You never know when that switch is going to be flipped and the happy fun person is turned into a monster from hell.
It doesn't take much for that switch to be flipped.

I do have to say though, the bright side of this whole adventure is the amount of artwork that my experience has inspired me to create. It's that escape that I started with to get away from all the sadness, anxiety, and depression that I have turned into a gateway for my new passion. Not everything I create has come from this experience, but the the idea of painting and creating is rooted in that need to go to another place and escape in my mind.
Now it's become a way of life.
I believe it's time to move. Over 3 rooms in our house as well as just about every storage area and built in cabinet houses my artwork and supplies. I need a bigger place for the rest of us to live, but then again, I like to create out in the open, not in a separate room.
I can only imagine what someone would say if I did start dating again about all of my art supplies in the area that used to be my dining room. LOL I'm not sure they would understand the journey I've taken to get to where I am today and why it is that I do what I do.

Then again, I could always point them to my blog and just say read it.....you may just begin to understand me from my posts and artwork.
There's still a lot yet to discover yet. I'm just not so sure I'm ready yet to open up to anyone else to join this journey with me.
No, I'm prepared to walk alone for a while yet longer.

This last piece feature is called:

"Through the Window of His Eye" which is the 3rd in my Faith Collection. This one depicts the window to which I am looking at as I see myself and the approval I"m looking for, for using the new skills I've been honing. The gifts HE gave me. I'm hoping they are being put to good use in His eyes.

It has helped to save me and my sanity.
(((((UPDATE-I have mounted this now and it is currently available in my Etsy shop. Mounted on a 12 x 12 black and gold masonite board. It looks striking on this 'frame'!))))))
*****

Next post--my FANTaBuLouS swap package from Katie!!!!!! You won't believe all the wonderful goodies she had in store for me!!

Spoiler Katie--don't look! Inspiration Abounds

2008-07-01T19:48:00.005-04:00

Isn't that saying so true? We need to be able to laugh with those we love...for those that we can never laugh with, are they really someone we are meant to love?

I'm sharing with you a sneak peek at my swap gift to Katie for our Sweet Goodness Swap: Parasols, Pink Lemonade and Polka Dots swap. I found this swap harder to find things to fit the qualifications then other swaps, not because of my partner--no Katie is a doll, wonderfully sweet, kind and so friendly....no I was just making it harder than it needed to be plus I had a hard time getting out to go thrifting or shopping other than at Michael's. This item fits into the recycled and partially polka dot portion of the swap as the cigar box was acquired through free cycle, many of the embellishments are tidbits given to me from other swaps, and the polka dots are positioned throughout the sides with affirmation sayings on it. Even though I do mixed media collage--I don't really do a whole lot regular collage so hopefully Katie likes this piece and finds use of it.

This vintage image was aquired from a dear Etsy and METSY friend of mine (and a published collage/mixed media artist herself, Miss Glenda)...do check out her shop if you're looking for some cool photos to use in your work. Right now, all of her images are 1.99 a sheet!!!! Hurry and pick up a BUNCH before she changes her mind!! :)

Other artful news--I have now sold the last 5 paintings that I have completed--Whooohooo! June was a fabulous month for my etsy shop and my other networks that I travel and have achieved sales through!! Very exciting. Now Ihave lots of restocking to do and inspiration to get from my head to the canvas. Now if work would just chill out, it would be all good and I could play a lot more..LOL

Hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July!

Deadlines and Crisis's

2008-06-29T15:58:00.003-04:00

Just a quick post to remind all the Sweet Goodness Swappers that the send out is tomorrow, June 3oth for our latest swap. Phew--that time went by so quickly!! If there are any issues with the send out, please advise your partner asap!
****

Is anyone out there concerned about the latest predictions about gas going to 7.00 a gallon as soon as the end of the summer? What are your thoughts on that? I'm very nervous about that prospect, especially living in an area where there is NO public transportation what so ever. One thing is for sure, the trickle down effect is going to hit our economy in all aspects of our lives for the next several years. I need to really sit down and think about how we do our shopping, entertaining, cooking, transportation etc and figure out ways to cut back significantly.
I'm not an expert on economics by any means, but the speed at which this gas increase has occurred really seems a little too contrived to be coming from the laws of supply and demand. What exactly has changed over this last year that caused this change? Someone needs to enlighten me. I was watching a news program the other day and the commentator was mentioning the fact that Americans are smart. The American people will be able to cut back and revise their shopping and spending habits enough to absorb the price increase at the pumps and the stores. I wanted to reach through the screen and slap her upside the head. Families will be able to absorb the costs at the pump? Maybe so, but at what cost? Our government needs to act quickly to react to this situation before our economy collapses from the trickle down affect of the surging oil prices.
We need to react quickly as well. We need to start buckling up now and cutting back on our consumption of EVERYTHING now. If there's something you really need that's a large purchase, best buy it this summer as the cost of goods, especially electronic items will be going up exponentially by summer's end. We really need to recycle better in all ways, shapes and forms. Using what you have is going to take on a new meaning soon, it's not going to be a choice, it's going to be a necessity. Perhaps some of this is not a bad thing. I thing the part that scares me is that things are happening so quickly and there isn't much choice available for those of us who live an work in rural America as far as transportation and housing goes. Going green and becoming more self sustaining is not a bad thing at all. Figuring out how to make it all happen and be able to afford everything financially now and into retirement is the scary part. One that we must face and react to sooner rather than later.

Let's hope the new administration takes on this challenge head on before we slide into another depression as a country!
*****
Okay--off my soap box. Back on to my more creative and less whiney side in our next post :)

Be sure to check out my new sale section in my Etsy shop. New items will be rotated in and out each Sunday from now until Christmas.
If we must buy things, supporting hand made items by artists and crafters is a good thing!

Project 2 Using Alcohol Ink to Distress Backgrounds

2008-06-23T19:06:00.015-04:00

A week or so I posted about how to use alcohol inks on glossy papers to create interesting backgrounds in multitude of colors. For today's post, I wanted to share another project where I used the inks to create backgrounds of different sorts on regular paper.
You may have noticed my new blog banner for the month, it's featuring my latest set of Sweet HeART magnets in a series I'm calling "Love Letters". Why love letters? Well, the main reason is that the background is actually a black and white photo copy of a love letter & envelope I have in my stash of papers from 1944. Pretty cool, huh? If you are a paper collector, it's time to utilize your stash into something other than just collecting dust in a box somewhere!

These magnets are made on recycled wood particles made into molding, which I recruited my trusty family handy man to cut up into about 2 1/2 by 1 1/2 pieces. I sanded them, then painted with white gesso, then painted black.
Other material used for this project:
distress ink
alcohol ink
soft charcoal pencil in black, white, and tan
affirmation words cut from a book
decorative scrapbook paper
acrylic paint
stencils such as drywall tape and sequin waste
heavy duty magnets

Here you can see the main colors I used-butterscotch, rust, vintage photo and antique linen.

I wish I had taken a photo of the plain black and white copy after adhering to the wood, but I didn't. After I did adhere the paper, I took the alcohol ink and dabbed it onto the wood piece. I then rubbed the distress ink pad on the magnet and spritzed with water. This gives you the aged affect. No two are alike. That's a beautiful thing. We like unique, right?

Here's a shot of the black and white photo copy of the love letter from Roger....oooohhh Roger dear, he was such a romantic! Makes my heart swoon :)
At this pint, I added on swipes of green, brown, and white acrylic paint and used my stencils.

Add on your cut hearts and affirmation sayings.

Out line and decorate further, then I took the black paint and fixed up the sides and did a color wash over some of the edges.

Walah.
Here's the finished product in all her glory.

I did varnish both sides prior to adhering the magnet so that the charcoal doesn't rub off and they are protected for your enjoyment.

Many many magnets. If you try this at home, you will soon realize that I am selling these for way tooo cheap..LOL.
The littlest projects sometimes take forever to do and it's hard to recoup the time and effort to put in them. I can't help myself though, they are fun to make and even cuter and more precious in person.

Last but not least, here are some grubby tags I made using a similar concept with the addition of embossing powders and some inspirational stamping. They make great adornments to your gifts, or even bookmarks as these are the big tags.
The underlying distressing came from soaking in tea and spices then baking on low heat for a short time to dry.

Did I tell you all that I have a crush on Tim Holtz? LOL I do. I bet we could make beautiful magnets together ;)

Have a creative and wonderful week!

Yart Sale on Etsy!

2008-06-18T20:25:00.003-04:00

Be sure to check out my YART Sale--only 2 more days left on these awesome prices.

Items priced between 1.50 to 60 dollars!

Have an Artfully good night :)

In The Village

2008-06-16T23:03:00.000-04:00

Newest Mini Collection:

"In The Village"

I'm definitely in my blue period lately. I'm not sure if I'm trying to reach out to you for help or shouting out loud that I love my blue paint! These 3 pieces are my latest in my on going collections of three mini canvases collections. Featured is my whimsical home town I so dearly love.

Has anyone moved away from where they grew up?

I moved 660 miles away from my hometown back in 1998. It seems like eternity. It seems like yesterday. I'm not sure I'll ever capture the same sense of belonging like I did back home. Home will always be where I grew up.

I wonder if my boys will feel that way one day when they grow up and move away (if they do move away...which I hope they don't, but I can't stop them if that's what they decide to do). That's what children do. Fly away and make new homes. New nests. Hopefully they will remember fondly the place they grew up.

It saddens me that I have lost touch with my child hood friends.
I guess that happens. People grow up and move on, move away and loose touch.

I do have some wonderful memories of my dear friends and all the fun we had during high school and college. I remember many difficult times, too. Times that as they were happening, I wondered if I'd make it another day. Those times, both good and bad shaped me into the person I am today-for better or worse, it's who I am.

This new town that I live in, is starting to feel a bit more like home but still--it's lacking many things that I had back in NY.

The biggest thing it's lacking in, is family. I do miss having my clan so close at hand. Being 600 or so miles away from those that you were born from and entangled with through blood, bond, memories and love--is more difficult than one might imagine. The beautiful thing is though that my memories are still very clear of my days,

"In The Village"

As I look out at the sunset, I remember fondly how there was once a beautiful glistening lake holding her hands out to the warm golden ball as she said good night to me each day. Some things, you never forget.