100th Post & Merry Christmas!

How fitting that my 100th post is on Christmas Eve....a time of glad tidings, generous spirits and universal wishes for Peace on Earth (it is my sincere HOPE that all parts of the world can experience even just a little bit at this time of year).

I am filled with gratitude for all my blessings, one of them being my lovely visitors who have taken the time to visit me here on my blog and leave inspirational words, encouraging feedback and wonderful support for my work. You are all exceptional & AMAZING in your own unique way!

That said, after the hustle & bustle is over, I will be hosting a GIVEAWAY because I've been wanting to do one for awhile now. As well, I can't think of a better time than a fresh, new year and being recently featured in this publication. It was such a thrill for me to see that one of my cards had a cameo spot!

inside of card reads: "there's also wine & cheese"

Remember to drop back in to register for my GIVEAWAY. Until then, I wish you and your loved ones a peaceful & safe holiday season.

See y'all in the New Year!!!

Illustration Friday - "Voices"

“Solitude is such a potential thing. We hear voices in solitude, we never hear in the hurry and turmoil of life; we receive counsels and comforts, we get under no other condition . . .”

Amelia E. Barr, 1831-1919 English Writer, Journalist. She wrote historical fiction such as Remember the Alamo (1888)

I've been going at such a pace these past few weeks, as many of you have I'm sure. However, at this time of year when all the presents have been bought & wrapped, and packages are bundled up and sent off to loved ones and any baking I managed to get done is tucked away in the freezer from the innocent nibblers around here *smile*, I tend to get introspective and seek solitude to look back over the past year.....did I achieve my goals? did I offer my time and talent when asked? what do I need to work on? where can I make improvements and finally.....will it matter in five years?

The answer to the last question is yes and no - working towards personal and professional goals does matter. Helping others and making a difference by giving of yourself (when you can't give monetarily, you can give in other ways) matters too. It makes you accountable, helps to give you direction and it's good karma. However, sweating the small stuff - everyone's 'stuff' is different, so whatever it means for you - won't matter much in five years. Give it a try.

Thanks for taking the time to visit - wishing everyone safe, healthy and Happy Holidays!

Illustration Friday & Inspire Me Thursday

ram⋅bunc⋅tious [ram-buhngk-shuhs] –adjective
1. difficult to control or handle; wildly boisterous: a rambunctious child.
2. turbulently active and noisy: a social gathering that became rambunctious and out of hand.

dress [dres] noun, adjective, verb, dressed or drest, dress⋅ing. –noun
1. an outer garment for women and girls, consisting of bodice and skirt in one piece.
2. clothing; apparel; garb: The dress of the 18th century was colorful.
3. a particular form of appearance; guise.


moleskine, pen & colored pencil

Dug up my journal and decided to sketch a bit, I forgot how good it feels to just play with pencils & paper - I need to do that more...

By the way, have you heard of Junk Gypsy? I discovered this Texas family owned business when we put down some roots here earlier this year. I love their rock meets country-western meets gypsy-goth style and attitude. Did I mention attitude? :> And yes, a Junk Gypsy is most definitely rambunctious, even when she's wearing her petticoat dress.

Do check them out and get the goods on everything from jewelry (some of its pricey) & tees to purses and pillows and don't forget to poke around in their vintage stash....

Thanks y'all for taking the time to visit. Have a great weekend!

Blog Giveaway Mentions

The Holiday Spirit is alive and well in blogland these days! I'm amazed at all the wonderful artists out there who are 'sharing the love' and hosting some fabulous giveaways of their work!

First up is Susan Tuttle who's giving away a copy of her book shown below - Exhibition 36 Mixed-Media Demonstrations + Explorations which is now available for purchase through Amazon. I was lucky enough to finally meet this dear and beautiful soul in August and can't wait till we meet again :> Anyhow, do pick up a copy of this extraordinary book as a gift to yourself or for an artist friend or relative for Christmas, this book is sure to INSPIRE!!!

Next up is Catherine Holman whose blog I stumbled on the other day. She is an accomplished Folk Art painter who sells her work through Ebay as well as Etsy and showcases her work so beautifully on her blog. I just love her style which can only be described as charming, whimsical and inspiring! She's giving away this painting and I sure hope I'm lucky enough to have this piece grace the walls in my studio:

photo copyright Catherine Holman

Anyhow I do have a few other giveaway links to point out and will be adding them as soon as possible so check back soon!

Altered Ornie - 'Show & Tell'

Here's the altered ornie I mentioned the other day - the supplies pic didn't turn out very clear but you can see the basic supplies I used. I tried to keep this a quick & simple project...



...and here's the flipside w/ some silver ribbon tied on and turquoise /mint heart pins tucked in, just need to slip one of those metal hangers discreetly in the back of the ribbon and hang it on our tree (as soon as we get one, we tossed our old fake one out when we moved - not sure whether to go real or faux this year, gotta make up my mind soon!)

Supplies:
- ornament to alter
- German glass glitter
- strong glue (i used metal/glass glue)
- patterned artist paper and/or vintage music sheet
- piece of illustration board
- glass beads, pearls or any other embellishment
- small piece of sandpaper (to remove existing store glitter or glue bits)
- distress ink (I used Tim Holz's, 'tea dye')

Remove all unwanted items (plastic beads and multi-color fine glitter in this case). Sand away parts to look like they are timeworn - we're going for a vintage distressed and aged look here :>

Dab on glue and sprinkle glass glitter on, patting carefully (that stuff has some sharp edges!) For the cage liner/bottom, place the cage on top of your papers/illo board and trace - you may have to adjust so check it after cutting out. Glue your patterned paper and music sheet on either side of the board. When dry, pop it into place (don't glue it or it'll be a struggle when you want to flip it around!)

To finish, straighten out the curlicue hanger and thread on the glass bead, then twist it back into place. For the bird, use a bit of diluted distress ink and with your fingers or a paintbrush add some age where it would occur naturally - underneath the bird where's it's attached and along the wings and neck area. I also lightly brushed the feathers with the diluted ink to age them a bit too. That's it!

Dec. 3rd: Silver Love

I gathered up all things silver within reach of my work table and heaped them all onto silver crepe paper - I love that stuff, bought it a few years ago by the roll and have used it for giftwrapping and also for making the most sumptuous ruffles for paper ornaments.

I think our tree will be silver & aqua with touches of pink this year. I want to try to create an icy wonderland look because I am missing the snow that used to herald in the season every year for my family :<

I've decided to post festive photos, artwork or delish recipes every day leading up to Christmas and in the spirit of the season, I'll also be hostessing a GIVEAWAY. This week I'll be posting a 'show & tell' on how I altered a storebought ornament (you can just make it out in t he pic above, top left, it's the bird & cage orament) so c'mon back!

Faith and Giving Thanks

I've been thinking of 'faith' these days (and trust) as the holidays approach and the start of Thanksgiving weekend tomorrow. Our family moved cross-country this year to a land of eternal (well almost) sunshine and warm weather. I was ok with it until about a month ago when the Autumn I was used to back home came and went with hardly a blink here - no cold winds, no crunchy leaves, no misty breaths in the cold morning air as I sent my daughter off to school. And to think that there will be no snow here for Christmas is almost unbearable. I have known only snowy winters my entire life save for a vacation here and there to a warm climate. Don't get me wrong though - I won't miss the blizzards and snow drifts and the novelty does wear off after about 3 months of the white stuff!! Still.....

Which brings me back to the 'faith' part of my post and the little piece above, which I created today. I believe that we all end up being where we need to be at certain times in our lives and that when we start to question things we need to remember to have 'faith'.

'faith':
- that a higher power is at work
- that the universe has good things in store for us and to hang in there
- in our short-term and long range goals & decisions
- to follow our hearts

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Christmas Market, Limited Edition 'Adornies'

Hello friends! I feel like I've been away from blogland FOREVER - even though it's only been a few weeks :> I hope life is treating you well these days and I wish all of you health, happiness and an abundance of whatever it is that FEEDS YOUR SOUL and PUTS A SONG IN YOUR HEART.

As I mentioned awhile back, I had set some goals to achieve before the end of the year. I've actually met about 1/2 of them but it has been only with some discipline and concentrated effort that I was able to do so.

One of my goals was to participate in our local Main Street Market and also the Christmas Arts & Crafts Show coming up in a few short weeks (yipes, I still have so much more to do!) My offerings will include these new festive pieces as well as prints of my original artwork on blank greeting cards which I've titled and signed.



'Adornies' can either be used as ornaments or pendants. I have other themes that I'm working on for these mini-collages on wood which measure 1.25" x 3" but started out with this Santa-stamp themed edition. Each piece is comprised of real cancelled postage stamps, vintage & artist papers, ink, letter stamps, paint and a semi-matte sealer. As a finishing touch, I 'iced' them with German glass glitter (which as some of you may know acquires a beautiful patina when it's exposed to light over time) and also signed & numbered each one on the back.

Each of the 'Adornies' dangles from a silver or gold ball chain hanger. However, the jump ring I used is large enough to thread a nice, wide vintage ribbon through to wear it as a pendant for a unique, festive necklace if you so desire. I'm currently working on packaging and pricing as I'll be updating my Etsy shop soon, so please stay tuned for that as my show date grows closer.

Cheers!

EDIT: 11/23/08 Don't forget to check out some beautiful ornaments created by Mixed Media Monday members HERE

Illustration Friday - 'Repair'

WIP 'The Key', acrylic on 12x12 wood panel
(view full pic here)

When I seen this week's IF prompt 'repair', I didn't think I'd have anything to offer but as it turns out, I do.

This piece wasn't moving in the direction that I wanted so I wet down areas to remove and started to wipe away what I could. After drying it completely, I went in with fine grit sandpaper, a little too vigorously, and took off more than I planned. To repair it and slowly bring the layers back up took some time & patience. It's been quite the experience working on these wood panels - every mistake fixed or problem solved is another step forward on the learning curve :>

I think I'm going to put this aside before I finish it up, her dress isn't detailed and I'm not completely happy with her hair, it's not as free flowing as my sketch reference. I've heard that procrastination is part of the creative process, that it works its' magic in the background of our lives - that works for me, at least right now.

Here's to growing as an artist - go learn something new this week!

Illustration Friday - 'Late'

'Gypsy Soul' handmade paperbag journal, watercolor, ink

Just a quick offering as I'm late in posting anything for this week's IF :> A simple pencil sketch that I drew last night, then filled in w/ watercolor in my paperbag journal this a.m. This is my reference for a painting I just started working on.

I've missed visiting y'all since I set up a new studio schedule for myself. I've basically decided that I need to 'show up' everyday and do the work that needs to be done, sounds simple right? Wrong! Sometimes my muse is off playing elsewhere, so on those days I clean or organize, listen to some fave music and try not to think about deadlines, being late, or getting behind with my plans and just.enjoy.being.in.the.moment.

Soulful Saturday - Gratitude & Good times

This is another Soulful Saturday post, a day late as I was having waaayy too much fun yesterday. What a glorious time I had schmoozing, shopping with and chatting up a wonderful friend of mine, Vanessa, hey girlfriend! I feel blessed to know her, she is such a sweet person -from her lovely southern accent to her infectious smile :>

The piece below is one of a series of 12x12 wood panels that I'm working on. I had a lot of FUN with this one - hammering, distressing and digging into my new & vintage finds. I'm going to add the same corner treatments that I used on this to the 'Cowgirls' sign I picked up yesterday (scroll down to see my goodies!)

'A Cowgirl knows...' mixed media 12x12 birch panel

Not only did we have a great time, check out the stuff I scored below. Some items were purchased at the Fiesta de Amistad tents and booths, and others at nearby junking & antique shops. I love the vintage photo I found, the inscription on the back reads: "Mrs. Geo. Dolligerice & daughter of Stillwater, Texas". And both of us were thrilled when we stumbled across a box of rusty horseshoes and decided to buy one for each other for good luck :> I also love, LOVE the birdcage I snapped up, the shape and size of it are perfect!

We capped off the day by taking a quick trip over to a local winery celebrating its' 125th anniversary with free tours & tastings - yum! I made sure to jot down the ones she liked to bring as a gift for her & her hubby as a housewarming gift for their new home.

I am filled with gratitude for wonderful days and wonderful friends. It makes the not-so-wonderful days seem a million miles away. May the sweet feeling of gratitude be one you embrace and feel often.

Inspire Me Thursday - 'A Poem by Rumi...'

'Free Spirit' acrylic on 12x12 birch panel

I just finished this painting yesterday so this is a very timely prompt for me. I only came to know of this Mystic Poet's teachings a few years ago when I set out to 'find myself ' through art. It is said that his work transcends national and ethnic borders, I believe that is true. The first quote is my favorite (ok one of!) and the others seemed particularly fitting alongside this piece.
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Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.

You were born with wings. Why prefer to crawl through life?

We come spinning out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust.

Something opens our wings. Something makes boredom and hurt disappear. Someone fills the cup in front of us: We taste only sacredness.

Oh soul, you worry too much.
You have seen your own strength.
You have seen your own beauty.
You have seen your golden wings.
Of anything less, why do you worry?
You are in truth the soul, of the soul, of the soul.
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Thanks for taking the time to visit - have an illuminating weekend.