Yarn Bombing

I love yarn.  I crochet constantly.  I just found these pix at Street Art Utopia.com.  One of these days, I'm going to do this in my yard.

The Perfect Find

Yesterday, I took a trip to Goodwill.  I was looking for things to paint, or glue, or cover, or whatever that can be transformed from an old, yucky item into something amazing.  I did find a couple things to work on, but I also found the perfect holder for my rubber stamps.  Usually when you happen upon one of these little shadowboxes, they are made out of something just slightly thicker than balsa wood.  But this is solid wood and the little compartments are almost perfect!  Now I just need to find 4 or 5 more of them for the rest of my stamps.

Thank you Ladies!

Three perfect eggs from my little chickens today. Thank you Rhodey, Molly, and Zebra.

The Chickens are Back in Action!

Things are looking up again around here.  About a year ago, my husband got 3 chickens, Rhodey, Molly, and Zebra.  For months, they were laying the most beautiful eggs.  We had more eggs than we could ever consume so our family and friends had lots of "farm fresh" eggs.

However, a couple months ago the molting started.  Evidently, chickens "molt" in the fall, which means they lose their feathers and get new ones.  During this time it really takes a lot out of the poor little things.  Their eggs (when they were even laying them) were tall and thin.  I don't know about you, but I wasn't going to eat a skinny egg.  After some research on the computer, my husband found out that they need more calcium during the molting season, so he started supplementing their regular food.  And, TA DAH, beautiful eggs again.

My Art Journal

I've been meaning to start an art journal for a long time.  So I actually worked on my first page.

You know it's funny.  All of my llife I have worked with numbers.  Right out of high school, I went to work at a bank, then moved into real estate for 25 years.  I did a short stint as a mortgage broker and an insurance agent before I stopped working full time.  A couple months ago, I left the part-time bookkeeping job that I've had for the past 2 1/2 years.  It's always been NUMBERS!!

Even though I've been surrounded by closing statements and spreadsheets most of my life, I have always dreamed of a more artistic life.  So, it's time for a change.  I'm trying to create something (no matter how simple or small) every day.  I have found, however, that I'm much more comfortable with more linear or geometric designs (it's that "numbers" thing again), but I'm pushing myself to be more free with it.

Here's the front and back of a folder that I made to hold my pieces of art.  I got the idea for this from Mary Ann Moss at dispatchfromla.typepad.com.  I've tried stenciling a few times and I stumbled upon this blog.  She offers an online course in stenciling.  The first thing that she has you do is make one of these files for your work.  Here's the link to the stencilry class:  http://dispatchfromla.typepad.com/dispatch_from_la/online-class-information-for-pure-experimentation-stencilry-.html

 And then, I had to get my fix by drawing some lines:

I'm kind of proud of my cute little leaves!

Greeting Cards!

Here are a few cards that I've made.

I would like to make a series of cards and try to sell them on Etsy.com.  We'll see.

The Painting that Never Ends

I've been working on this painting since December 26th.  I paint a little bit, then let it hang around for awhile. Then, after starting at it for a few days, I'll go back to it, trying something different.  I have a real "painter's block" with this one.

I started out in a geometric mode - 

then I tried a little pallet knife action -

today, I decided there was too much pallet knife and that from now on, whenever I don't like something, I'm just going to paint it black.

Now, of course, this reminds me of a Rolling Stones song

"I see a red door and I want it painted black

No colors anymore, I want them to turn black"

So, we'll let this version hang around for a few days and see how it goes.

A Bedroom with a View

I am very fortunate to live in a natural setting. My husband and I live on 5 acres in north Florida. When my husband purchased the property 35 years ago, there wasn't a tree in sight. Over the years, he planted cedars, sycamores, magnolias, oaks, and pines. Now our yard is home to lots of birds, squirrels, rabbits, turtles, a couple racoons, a fox, and our chickens. We have also had a couple cows, 6 goats, and a pig. (the pig was before my time).

Every day, I enjoy my morning coffee from my bedroom balcony. It's much more entertaining than TV. There are so many birds and they are so close to me in the tree branches. This morning I saw 2 beautiful little birds that I had never seen before. Tiny little birds with bright blue backs and bright red fronts - adorable. Then I heard the familiar knocking sound so I knew that there was a woodpecker nearby. Actually, there were two. I have two types of woodpeckers in my yard - the small brown ones and the large "woody woodpecker" ones. This morning I had two "woody woodpeckers" about 12 inches tall with large, bright red plumes. They were going crazy on the same tree. Bark was flying everywhere.

Then "the three stooges" came onto the scene. I have lots of squirrels all the time, but there are 3 squirrels in particular that seem to hang together in the mornings and they are crazy little daredevils. They will hang by one tiny fingernail off the end of a branch to reach a nut. They fly from tree to tree without any hesitation at all. I guess they are just as used to the trees as I am to my house.

The first time that I visited New York City, I knew that I had lived there in another life. Everything felt so familiar to me. I just automatically knew which way to go. I have always wanted to live there. But, if I lived in NYC, I would never experience the joy that I feel every morning from the porch off my bedroom.

Have a beautiful Saturday!

The View from my Room

My Favorite Christmas Present

My father is very handy.  Actually, that's putting it lightly.  He has always been very talented and knowledgeable.  Having a father that can fix anything, makes a young girl feel like all guys are that way.  It's funny because through the years, all of my relationships have been with men that know how to do the dirty work.  I know that this is not the norm because some of my friends' husbands and partners don't know which end of the hammer to use, but they know how to dial a handyman's phone number, which is just fine.

Several months ago, I caught wind that my sister had asked my father to build an easel for her because she planned to start painting.  Sibling rivalry being what it is (even at 52), I immediately told him that I'd like to have one too.  I didn't say or hear anything more about it.

Then.............on Christmas morning, when my husband and I arrived at my parent's home, there were 2 beautiful easels on display as we walked in the door.  My parents had put big Merry Christmas signs on them for me and my sister.

Being the perfectionist, the wood was beautifully stained, every bolt, screw, chain, etc. was painted to match, and a pretty light was attached to the top.  I was so surprised and pleased.  Thanks, Dad!

Don't look at my messy art room!

My first paintng on my new easel - don't judge, I've still got a long way to go with it!

Look Up, Look Down

Here we are - 2013!  Wow!  As usual, the beginning of a new year makes me think.

As far as thoughts go, there's the old reliable - "I need to lose weight, I need to get organized,  I need to get healthy, I need to be a kindler, gentler person, and so on, and so on.  And, like year's past, I will try a few different things, then fall back into "just plain me".

How does one really change?  Can one really change?  Should one really change?  Should I be saying "one" instead of "we" or "me"?

Obviously, people grow.  As time passes, we gain more and more experiences which cause us to look at, or react, to a situation in a different way than you would have 20 years prior.  But can a person change something that has been a part of their personality their entire life?  Let's say you have someone (okay, it's me) that has a hard time keeping their mouth shut when they think someone is wrong.  How do you change that?

Why do some people have exactly the same fears in their adult life that they had as children.  I've heard many successful people say that while they are in a boardroom with business associates, seemingly confident,  that inside they feel the same feelings they endured on the playground as a child.

Maybe no one ever really changes - we just become better actors.

So much for my "beginning of the year thoughts on change".

This is what a saw in the sky the other day -














and this is what I saw when I looked down -

Both of these subjects made a pretty picture, but the one on top is kind of scary.

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!