Back in the Studio

Good News!  I received an email from the girls at "Under The Cherry Blossoms", telling me that I've sold most of the collage art that they have of mine!  In fact, one lady bought FIVE of them!  Woo Hoo!

Now, they are requesting that I send down some more art!  So, in keeping with what has been popular, I'm making new 6" x 6" collages - using mostly bird themes, and this is the first.

I must admit, it's fun to sell art, but making art on demand, not so much!  So, we'll see how I go about churning them out!

New Year's Blah

I just realized that I haven't been in the studio, or made any kind of art in 2013!  It's not just that I'm not feeling creative - I think it has a lot to do with the fact that my studio is a wholy mess, and I don't feel like cleaning it!

Sooner or later, I will have to get in there and clean it up, and maybe then I'll get the urge to put paint to canvas.

Do you ever get in this funk?  How do you get out?  Help me, please!

Finally, a solution!

Well, well - I had to install Google Chrome in order to finally upload photos from my computer to my blog. (Thanks for the hint, JoyfulArtist!)  Not sure how I feel about this, but as long as nothing weird happens, I guess it's ok.

So, here is where you can find my coasters, bowls and art in Mount Dora - "Under the Cherry Blossoms"!

Very cute shop and sweet sisters who own it!  I should do very well here!  Below is Lori with some of my products - and below that are art prints and cards.

Fun Day Trip

Well, I was going to post some photos of our trip to Mount Dora today, but Blogger no longer lets me add a photo from my photo program!  What's up with this!?

Don't know what I'll do about this -- I guess I'll have to contact Blogger -- and you know how rewarding that is!  If I'm not able to upload photos from my computer, I might as well stop blogging.  If anyone has any hints about this, please share!

Some days .....

Some days, I wish I could be more like my cat!  Nice and curled up, sleeping in the sun!

I went to sleep last night feeling kinda sick - I was coughing, and my throat felt icky.  I woke up feeling about the same.

Now, most folks, feeling like this, would spend the day in bed - resting and sleeping.  But me?  Unfortunately, I've never been able to nap in bed.  As soon as I lie down, I'm wide awake!  And, of course, there's the tinnitus.  I have this horrible high pitched whine in my head at all times.  It's such a curse for someone like me, who LOVES peace and quiet!  It's about to drive me crazy.  I'm told there is no cure - but if you happened to know of one, please let me know!

Mount Dora Update

Unfortunately, Hart & Soul (the shop that offers my things for sale) is closing next week.  But, the good news is that Under The Cherry Blossoms (another darling shop) is going to be selling my artworks and crafts there!

So, if you ever find yourself in Mount Dora, FL - please check out this cute store in the wonderful Downtown area!

Home is where the cat is

Here's a little grunge art piece I made in my art journal.  It's a photo of me and our first cat, Silky, in 1949 (I was 2)!  I have never lived in a home without a cat since I was born - well, except for a couple of months in my early 30's, because of a boyfriend!  I truly thank my mother for that - I think that's why I've never had high blood pressure.

I hope you and your fluffies and furrys have a wonderful Christmas!

Oh Bamboo Tree .....

Since we moved to Florida, and left the grandkids behind - I no longer feel the need to "decorate" for the holidays.  In fact, usally, we treat Christmas like just another day!  I have this silk bamboo that I got when we first moved in here, and I started thinking that it would be fun to put some twinkling lights in it this year.

We live in a very small town - so yesterday, when we were at Walmart, I looked for some tree lights.  Of course, they were out!  So, then I decided to run to the Dollar Tree - and Eureka!  They had some little boxes of lights, so I bought a couple.  OF COURSE, it wasn't enough, and they were put together kind of strange.  So, off I go - this time to Walgreen's.  Yay!  They had a box of 70 twinkling lights AND they had the green extension cord, too!  Got home, and OF COURSE, only half of the lights lit up!  Boy, now I'm really glad that I live in a small town.  Back to Walgreen's, and finally got the right lights (this time I checked them BEFORE I left the store).  Then, OF COURSE, 70 weren't enough lights.  Luckily, I had the other ones that I got at the Dollar Tree!  Finally got them all hooked up and Voila!  Now if you look at my house at night, you could be fooled into thinking that I actually have a Christmas Tree!

After telling this story to my daughter this morning, she reminded me that this was why I never liked decorating in the first place! OF COURSE!

More Grunge!

 

 

So here are a couple of new little paintings that I finished today.  They're only 6" square with 1.5" sides, so they sit nicely on a shelf or bookcase.

 

 

I know that a lot of my friends and family don't care for this kind of painting - but I'm loving it!  They look old and weathered - and the freedom to not have to have them look like any one thing is amazing!  Who knows if this is something I will do forever - I just know that I love learning - and will continue to try all sorts of ways of painting, and see what sticks!

 

 

Christmas Cactus and a New Idea

Last summer, my sister, Barbara, and her husband bought a home in Michigan, David's home state.  So now they are officially Snowbirds - coming back to Florida in the Winter.  So, she gave me her gorgeous Christmas Cactus last summer as they left - and I was sure that I would kill it before it got a chance to bloom this year.  My Black Thumb is legendary!  What a nice surprise!  It LIVES!  And, it has been blooming for a couple of weeks!

There are so many colors in this plant!  There are blooms in Coral, Hot Pink, Softer Pink and almost White at the bottom!

Now for the New Idea!  While I was making bookmarks, I was wondering what else I could use to collage on them.  Well, I happen to have a huge stash of paper napkins, that I love to use for collage - so I decided to try them on the bookmarks.  And, I think they turned out really cute!  Especially for those who don't like abstracts, but want to see familiar objects!  After I collaged them, I outlined some things in gold paint, and did some stamping on the backs.  They make me smile!