Look!

     Look at this adorable post office! What a lovely little piece of history. It is currently open for business but is at risk of closure.

     You, my friends, can help save this post office with the simple and affordable act of sending a postcard. How easy is that? Rather than tell you all the details here on my blog, let me guide you to the owner's page.

     Jane Davies is a fellow blogger and wonderful artist. Check out her post HERE. You can read about the post office, how you can help, and how being one of the first 200 to join in would make you the proud recipient of an art postcard. Oh, and make sure to check the bottom of her post for an adorable video of chickens chillin' at the office. Perhaps they should rename Rupert "Quaint City".  

     ♡Love

I Lost My Groove

I can't believe I lost my blog groove! I've looked everywhere! One simple hiatus followed by a trip to Florida and it is gone, gone, gone. I guess I'll have to fake it to make it. Come up with a new groove. Head in a new direction. Play around. 

In order to get the ball rolling, I am starting off with a post of random "stuff" (I love random)...



Florida

stingrays at the aquarium in Tampa

lovely little flowers at Saddlebrook Resort

palm with ferns growing on it - cool!

cypress trees (always wondered what they looked like - here are the bottoms!)

tootsie meets gator

Information

I picked up a book at the library a few days ago.

The Collage Workbook

by Randel Plowman

It's fun, colorful and easy to read. It's also full of good information!

For instance, the author shares some great online resources for downloadable images to use in your art. Some are completely copyright free, others supply notes and restrictions on how the images may be used. I can't wait to check them out!

Library of Congress Image Database (has notes on restrictions & copyright use)

Library of Congress' Flickr Photostream (no known copyright restrictions)

Reusable Art (copyright free in the US)

Karen's Whimsy (free images courtesy of the author)

Public Domain Pictures (royalty-free stock photos)

Artists

Here are a few I have been enjoying lately.

David O'Keefe has so much fun and whimsy in his paintings, one cannot help but spread a smile across one's face while indulging in his art.

Chasing the Moon - an up and coming jewelry artist who just happens to be holding a give-a-way!

Jenni Horne whom I have been a fan of for many years now. She paints, she makes jewelry, she teaches art to young children, she inspires! I just love her whimsical style and her cheery use of color. I always feel good after spending time in her space.

I love her even more now that she has introduced me to these delicious paints! I must get my hands on some. Pronto!

Alrighty. Enough random time wasting. Back to work for me. Now... where did I put that 'to-do' list anyway... (shuffle shuffle shuffle).

Hey you! You still here? Well bless your heart for staying through to the end. I want you to know how much I truly appreciate you, my dear reader. I truly, truly do. Thank you for making me feel even a wee bit worthy of your time. What a precious gift you have given me. Thank you!

Bah Humblog

Not feeling very bloggy the last few days.

Can't seem to capture those elusive things called thoughts.

Instead, I am sharing a few Christmas Carvings the hubs has for sale.

He's pretty clever, that man of mine!

Conditioned Thinking vs. Freedom

 

con·di·tioned

[kuhn-dish-uhnd]

adjective

1. existing under or subject to conditions.

2. characterized by a predictable or consistent pattern of behavior or thought as a result of having been subjected to certain circumstances or conditions.

3. Psychology . proceeding from or dependent on a conditioning of the individual; learned; acquired: conditioned behavior patterns.

think·ing

[thing-king]

adjective

1. rational; reasoning: People are thinking animals.

2. thoughtful; reflective: Any thinking person would reject that plan.

I struggle daily with discovering my authentic self.

Darling Daughter IS her authentic self.

She is creative, caring, generous, gentle.

She is fearless with her self-expression.

What an example.

What a teacher!

She creates and often...

it is hard for Husband and I

to allow her freedom of expression.

"Why?" you may ask, "would you ever STOP

her from freely expressing herself?"

 

Conditioned Thinking

We were taught there is a right and a wrong way 'to be'.

There is an acceptable and an inappropriate way 'to be'.

We were taught to fear judgment.

We were taught to fit in.

We were taught embarrassment, limits, conformity.

Our struggle to allow her to express herself freely

is an internal struggle. We do NOT halt her creativity

nor do we stop her from expressing that creativity

(unless of course, there would be some REAL danger,

not the man-made, fear monger, judgment danger).

 

She's young. I want to support her freedom.

I want to support her amazing creative mind.

She has no fear and no worry of judgment.

NONE

I could put it in her head, but why?

If someone doesn't like what she creates it doesn't seem to phase her. If I try to nudge her toward a different way, she takes or leaves my opinion, so why should I push?

 

You may disagree with my way of parenting.

You may worry she will be hurt by others (words/judgments).

I say, "so what?".

I fret and worry and conform and use my conditioned thinking to care about what others think entirely too much

and I am hurt all the time FOR it.

If she hears negative comments, who doesn't?

Everyone deals with negativity in life.

There are so many Negative Nellies out there

just dying to give their opinion.

Why let them win?

 

No. I will let her be.

She is an artist. She is a free spirit. She is creative.

She is my teacher.

I am learning from her. I am learning freedom of expression.

I am learning sheer joy and happiness.

I am learning how to "be" me

by watching the master.

 

Don't worry. I will always protect her from harm.

I would never let her do anything that was

genuinely dangerous or absurd.

 

 

 

Darling Daughter decided she wanted to create an outfit. I told her I would sign us up for a class as I have zero sewing experience (minus the attempted pillow case or straight curtain). She had her own idea in mind (pattern and all). We went in the basement and sought out some fabric. Why I have fabric when I don't know how to sew? Because I LOVE fabric and hope to someday learn. So down we went. She found some suitable flannel. I ironed it and she went to work. First with a skirt. She hand sewed the sides and I stitched them over with the machine (her request). I folded the hem in the bottom and sewed. We sewed a big hem(?) on the top for a ribbon waist. We figured that if we had a square skirt and pulled it in at the waist, perhaps it would look skirt-like. Guess what? I forgot to leave holes for the ribbon! We cut holes and found an appropriate ribbon in my ribbon stash. She insisted on a shirt to make it "dress-like". I begged her to wait for a class as I have NO CLUE how to sew a shirt. She said She knew what to do! She cut two holes for arms. I then saw her vision as she wrapped it around herself so I helped her lay it out, make the holes uniform and cut the edges so they were all straight and even. She proceeded to go back to my ribbon stash and cut an appropriate length pink ribbon to tie the shirt on. Little did I know she had plans to wear it to school today!!!! Yikes!!! I told her that probably wasn't a good idea in case it didn't hold together. "That's okay," she said. "I'll wear a shirt and shorts underneath in case I need to take it off." She was dead set on wearing it. I had to admit it was a little a lot adorable. What was I to do? She was dead set on wearing it and Oh So Proud of her creation. She had back-up clothes. It wasn't a nightmare outfit (or I would have drawn the line - I'm not a heartless monster you know!) So... off to school she went this morning in her handmade outfit. My little fashion designer. Cute, eh?

skirt (obviously)

 

(skirt + top = complete ensemble   *    notice the added matching cloth choker)

 

(back of outfit with cloth choker draping)

 

(every outfit must be tested with a twirl!)

 

My Man

This is my man.

Scott Retzlaff - chainsaw artist - www.loraxcarving.com

He used to fear social situations.

Now he is one.

He used to hide his art.

Now he shows it.

He used to be a lost boy.

Now he's a grown man.

He used to dream.

Now he acts on those dreams.

I am so very proud of my man.

 

He amped up the wattage in my bulb from first encounter.

My bulb is still glowing hot for him.

I love my man.

I think I'll go tell him that right now.

Have you hugged your loved one today?

Go on. Tell 'em how you feel.

Let's make it an ooey gooey love fest Thursday.

SWAK!

Wood Spirit

Hubby is a chainsaw carver.

We started Lorax Carving.

He's been carving for two years now.

Sometimes he carves what he sees in the wood

and sometimes he carves what others request.

One day I asked him to carve me a wood spirit.

He didn't know what I was talking about.

"I want a face coming out of the wood.

As if you are pulling the spirit out of the wood

so we can see it."

He picked a piece of wood.

He had no plan.

He just carved.

As he reached the left eye, the sap ran from the wood.

It was a spiritual moment for him.

He carves, the wood shows him the way.

This is what it showed him that day.

Smitten

I am absolutely smitten!

I created a piece of art today and I actually love it!

Not sure how long the love affair will last but for now,

I am super puffy heart, head over heels smitten with the piece.

It started as a vision.

Laying in bed, this image came to mind.

It clicked in my brain with an energy that said,

"I can do that. I must do that."

I have never had a vision of art.

Normally, I sit down and play and wonder where the inspiration is.

How is the process supposed to work?

Is it different for everyone?

This piece stuck with me.

It waited two days while I gathered supplies.

While I searched for the proper tools.

My mind worked and tweaked it slightly.

There was no worry if it would look exactly right.

There was no stress.

No Gertrude.

Just excitement.

I worked on the piece all day today.

It waited for me to be ready,

therefore it deserved my attention all day.

Oh joy of joys.

It's done!

And I love it!

A

HUGE 

Thank You

to all of you

who showered me

with support and love

after this post.

You validated the importance to

keep on keepin' on

even when faced with our worst critics.

(ahem.... Gertrude! I'm talking about you!)

Here it is.

I call it Torn.

Life

Stay tuned.

Story to follow on Friday.

Artist Link

I am not much of a doll person.

Never have been.

Sure, I can tell a good doll from a bad,

a cute one from one less adoring,

and I can certainly tell good craftsmanship vs. mass produced in China,

but I have never really been a "doll person".

A bit ago I came across a doll artist whose work

Drew Me In!!!!

Her dolls are so unusual, so unique,

so haunting,

intriguing.

They are dolls like I have never seen before.

Those expressions, those eyes.

The clothing.

I keep going back and revisiting her blog

just to stare at her amazing creations.

Something about them draws me in.

They have stories to tell.

They are not your average girly doll.

See for yourself

HERE

Stunning

I wonder why I didn't find this amazing song and performance sooner?

No matter!

I am thrilled to have found it now.

Will be on my iPod and etched in my brain soon.

Beautiful.

Enjoy!

Have a blessed weekend.

You Will Never Find Me List-less

Having trouble getting into the blog groove lately.

My fibro is flaring and I'm suffering something fierce!

Anyone out there with fibro?

Man, would I love to talk to you!

Anywho, Amy from Artsyville has saved the day

by giving me something to blog about today.

Lists!!!!

I'm a list-a-holic.

I have so many lists running rampant in my home

I need a list to keep track of my lists!

It's a sickness, really, but one I have found no cure for.

Truth be told? 

I enjoy them :)

The two tablets to the right

are a couple of the ongoing lists

that are milling about my desk.

Sadly, the lists are not just the pages that are showing their faces,

but many pages before are covered in list matter as well.

The Oh So Colorful list to the left

was made especially for this fine Tuesday List posting.

This would all sound more coherent if it weren't for the 

To-do list in my head

that is blocking my train of thought

as it sits untouched today

again due to the fibro.

Seriously, anyone? 

Anyone else deal with the mind-sucking,

body depleting,

pain-inducing,

frustrating condition of fibromyalsia?

Think I'll add that to one of my "to-do" lists.

+ find fibro support group and resources

(p.s. I've been a follower of Artsyville for some time

and thoroughly enjoy every minute spent there.)



UPDATE:

My 12 y/o son spotted my list for today and wanted to do the same.
How brilliantly splendid!!!
I love inspiration and it's that much more beautiful
passed on
and on
and on!

Here is B's list...

Thank you Amy, for starting Tuesday's List.
Thank you all who have visited.
Do you have a list you would like to share?

Hands

The man really knows how to use his hands!

er...

um.....

did I just say that out loud?

I meant to say...

my husband is soooo talented!

Get your heads out of the gutters!

Ha!

(some carvings for sale, some now spoken for)

Darling Husband

God gave you a gift

I am so glad you are finally using it.

 

The day I met you

is the day I knew

there really is good in the world

and some of that good is meant for me

;)

Featured Artist

Mondays don't seem to hold

"favorite day"

title with too many.

 

Today will be different.

 

This Monday is a special day

as I am going to introduce you (if you don't know him already)

to a wonderful artist, fellow blogger

and cyber friend of mine.

Today's Featured Artist is John Gibson!

John lives on the Canary Islands of Spain.

He is a talented artist whose work you can find

here and here.

You can learn lots about him through his blog

"John - The Healing Seed".

I was lucky enough to find John in the blog-o-sphere where

I have been enjoying getting to know him and his art better.

He is caring, wise and talented.

This past Friday I received a much anticipated package from John. 

It contained an original piece of art

along with a print of another.

The colors are wonderful, the words brilliant,

the pieces precious.

I am currently admiring them propped on a chair

near my desk so I can meditate on the words each morning.

Soon they will find a more permanent place in my home

where they will be shared with all who enter.

Thank You So Much John!

~ Blessings To You and Yours ~

 

p.s. John - Lennon thanks you for the fun packaging!

My First Give-a-Way!

I apologize in advance for the scattered condition of this post (words & pics). I have picked up a childcare job to try to make ends meet here and with four of my own and now an extra (1 year old), I am really scrambling to find time for everything.
I joined Shannon at Free Spirit Knits in her "reduce clutter create space" campaign (see button right hand column). This month's theme is "The Basement".
Oy Vay!
The basement. (breathes in heavily and sighs)
Feng Shui has it that the basement represents the past. Getting that baby cleared out not only helps your household function better, but your spirit and mind. It's a hard area as it's often "out of sight, out of mind".
A few years back my husband finished the once concrete basement (I think I may have posted about it before, but no time to look!). My "studio" is also in the basement. During construction, everything in the entire basement ended up in my studio. Since completion I have gotten some items purged, some organized and a lot still remains to be done.
I use the term "studio" loosely as it is also the laundry room, the furnace room, the storage room etc...

Working on my de-cluttering project and being faced with the monthly topic of basement, I can no longer ignore my area as the rest of the basement is clutter free and minimalist already.

Care to see my before pictures? If you are faint of heart, you may wish to look away!

Aaak! and... Egads!
I need to organize and purge as is quite obvious!
In the spirit of Shannon's Generosity at purging,
I am holding my first ever give-a-way.
It is aimed at a mixed media artist, a collector of antique/vintage, or any other creative, collective soul.
I am giving away a vintage collection of Finds.
 
Included in the give-a-way...

1. Page (front & back pictured) out of a vintage scrapbook of someone revering fine art.
2. Vintage book
3. scrap assortment of various papers (only thing not vintage)
4. Vintage Bingo card, game money, keys
5. Page from sketchbook (painted w/ lady) from a deceased art school teacher (wish I knew his name, but I only know a bit of his story)
6. Vintage stamps from around the globe

I am offering these items out of appreciation for my blog readers and also to get a kick start on selling and using my collection of vintage finds.

I will be drawing a name on Sunday. If you would like a chance to win, please leave a comment and share a little about what you think of my first give-a-way.
Is it inspiring? Interesting? What are some ideas of what you might do with some of the items? What's your favorite?
Please pass along the link to this post if you know of someone who would be interested in giving new life to these little pieces of history.

Thank you so much!!!!

Introducing...

I would like to introduce you to a talented, sweet, generous artist.

Her name is Julie Haymaker Thomas.

She is a mixed media artist and teacher.

You can find her website here.

Her blog is here.

Etsy here.

I love her blog profile pic. It's the cutest!

And here is something I won from her blog!

It hangs above my stove.

Isn't it sweet? 

I was trying to decide if it was a spoon full of magic, wishes, or perhaps love.

Better yet, a spoon full of generosity as Julie mad it with her own hands

and offered it as a give-a-way on her blog.

I decided it was a spoon full of goodness which covers it all ;)

She simply calls it "A Spoon Full of Stars".

She offers a tutorial here.

There were kits offered as well.

I must be off to seek her guidance on how to purchase.

Have a wonderful day

with a spoon full of goodness

on the side!

~ thank you as always for visiting ~

Noisy Art

We're heading off to a chainsaw carving event today. There will be 18 chainsaw carving, food, and fun!

My uberly talented husband picked up this hobby a little over a year ago. He is one of the most talented people I have ever met. He can draw, sculpt, build, you name it and he can do it! Never quite finding the right outlet, he came across a chainsaw carver a few years back and was absolutely taken. He studied the internet, borrowed library books and absorbed all the information he could find. Starting out with a borrowed chainsaw, he eventually built up his arsenal to include a couple of his own carving saws along with a plethora of other helpful tools.

His carvings were instantly beautiful and professional. He sells them from home, has a few displayed in a local shop and has given them as gifts.

I'm hoping this event will be inspiring, educational and confidence building for him. As far as the rest of us? It will be just plain fun!!!

Here are a few of my darling husband's carvings. I know, brilliant, right????

To: Me From: Me

I did it!
I splurged!
Got a little something for me!

How could I resist?

I love her work, have been a follower of her blog for some time and fell in love with this piece!

~artist: Beth Billups~
her etsy store
her blog
her website

Isn't it marvelous?

I am so absolutely thrilled to own a piece of her work!

The purchase was a gift to myself...
... for inspiration.

To awaken
my creativity
my dreams
my self.

To allow myself
to live
to act

to fly!!!!!!

Check it out! I won!

I won! I won! I really won! (jumping up and down)

A bit ago I actually won something on a blog give-a-way. My first ever win! I was so excited!
The blogger offering the give-a-way is none other than artist Alisa Burke. She is an artist, author, blogger who also teaches some great online classes. I am a regular follower of her blog and lucked out on a give-a-way of one rad art mini-journal. See me win here!

Saturday was the lucky day that the journal arrived in the mail. It was so fun to open it up and share the experience with the kids.

"See?", I say. "This piece of art came from an artist all the way across the country. It was created by her hands and lovingly offered to me. Isn't that neat? Now we have a bit of her color, creativity and generosity to display in our house."

The journal has many "pieces" of Alisa's pieces of art. Some on white paper, some canvas, some brown, crunchy paper. It's a treat for the eyes, ears and hands!

Here are some pictures of my prize. Enjoy! :)