restoration and creation

... took 2 new pieces in this week and dug out an existing one. I LOVE this garden Saint Francis, he's almost as tall as I am and has suffered some extensive woodpecker damage ... it was love at first sight for me, so Robin graciously gave him up - I knew he could be saved. Wish I knew who created him, but that will probably remain a mystery.

cleaned the garage last week and dug out this old ironing board that I had squirreled away a long time ago. The darn thing is 108 years old! It's going to be repurposed ... anything around for 108 years deserves another chance at purpose!

she's very sturdy for 108 years

(unfortunately she smells like 108 years old

so we will see what some fresh air can do for her)

vintage burn ...

... also have an old Singer sewing machine table that I've been commissioned to paint. Thank you Michelle and Laura!

i better get to work :)

Paint Party Friday #11 & what will you be?

so here is my finished piece (my 2nd attempt at mixed media collage, i learned a lot, but boy do i have a lot to learn) ... maybe i should have taken a class ... i call it "what will you be?", it's sort of a mixed media self portrait little story. That's me in the pink dress (my legs haven't changed a bit). I'm pushing a vintage carriage with 2.5 children (my 2 boys and me), there is a picket fence and a dog and a cat. That's my mom on the right in the vintage pic of the 3 little girls ... she wanted to be a nurse (my grandpa wanted her to be a teacher), she was an incredible R.N. and her patients loved her! That's my dad and my aunt when they were kids in the upper right hand pic, he wanted to be a priest ... well obviously he changed his mind ...

my clouds are old sheet music from the song, "Prayer for Peace", because PEACE would be awesome. I added some dried pressed flowers, because flowers are fun.
and more words from sheet music ... because they worked with what was going on.
it's pretty busy and the ink that i used (which was supposed to be waterproof and permanent) for the stamped letters ran when I finished the piece with Gel Medium ... maybe I didn't wait long enough.

the edge

well back to the drawing board!

Maddy Rose:

Thank you for my Versatile Blogger Award! I appreciate your faith in me :) SEVEN things about me .... hmmm ... since I was a little girl, I always wanted 2.5 kids and a cat and a dog and a picket fence (my mom made me get married 1st). I've been a foster mom to at least 50 babies (baby squirrels, mice and woodchucks that is, my husband is a wildlife rehabber). I love the beach and Christmas. I say my prayers everyday. I wanted to be a ballerina ... but that didn't happen. I love to repurpose articles destined for the dump. And last but not least, wish I had baby chicks and ducklings like Anne at my giant strawberry!
passing this Versatile Blogger Award on to Anne, Kerri, Collette, Gloria and Mary ... check out their blogs ... they ARE (versatile bloggers) and very talented! Thx again Maddy Rose!

So there ya go ... enough about me .... what will you be?

... keep in touch ...: poppies

... keep in touch ...: poppies: "the squirrels and the rain and the lack of sun have been messing with my poppies. the squirrels romp around the flowers and leap up and lop..."

Paint Party Friday #10 - WIP ... "realize your dreams"

... my 2nd formal attempt at a mixed media collage on canvas ... have all my family paper dolls (mom,dad, me and my boys), and (music) clouds, cat and dog cut out. placed them precariously on a white canvas ... need to pick some WORDS too!

started painting my canvas last night, but that is as far as I got ... off to WORK today (again). If you don't know by now, I spend too much time at work and that is my biggest distraction at this point in my life from my creativity :(

There's a party going on at Paint Party Friday! It will likely last into the wee hours and even throughout the weekend. You've just got to go!

Thanks so much for the visit! ... would love to hear your thoughts ... comments appreciated!

confessions of an art supply addict ...

... well not really ... but it sort of felt like it this week ... everything sort of showed up at once. i shopped at Scarlet Lime
and Beads Gone Wild

and took my 40% off coupon to my local Blick Art Materials store and i am a repeat shopper at ARTchix Studio too!

I can see all these incredible projects and pieces just coming together as I add each object to my shopping cart. I have plans for all these things and know exactly how they will work together, and then a day goes by and a week and a month and then I wonder ... what was I going to do with that? NOT THIS TIME ... I PROMISE.

Great products and customer service at all these locations,

check them out!

who wouldn't want to receive a package sent

"To the wonderful ... YOU"

Thank YOU Helga!

PPF check-in #9 ... one more time :)

:( blogger ate my stuff ... will be back soon!
in the meantime visit a collection of talented artists at

Paint Party Friday !

PPF #8 - got RED?

head on over to Paint Party Friday to visit with some incredible artists who will share their work and talk about their favourite colours. My favorite color has always been yellow ... but looks like RED in my portfolio ...



Santa RED

helping hands for JAPAN Red

Watermelon RED

more Santa RED

Winnie the Pooh RED

Bird House Gourd RED

Heart RED

LOVE Santa RED












RED Hat Society RED!

"Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You cannot get there by bus, only by hard work, risking and by not quite knowing what you are doing. What you will discover will be wonderful; yourself."

~ Alan Alda

tidying up His creations

worked all weekend in the yard, tidying up HIS creations.

weeding

mowing

digging

and planting ...

chopped this root out of the ground with my shovel ... amazed at how it had grown and how i had chosen where to place my shovel ...

when i twisted a tiny root that was growing from where the roots came together ... it sort of looked like a crown of thorns.

... the amazing beauty in GOD'S creations