I needed a mental health day today, so took a vacation. Slept in, had lunch out, lazed around and did nothing. Finsished cleaning up the studio and reorganizing. I have a great day. The picture is my friend Sandy, she is much better looking than that, but she started her new job today.....and was not even nervous. Am i the only one who would be nervous starting a new job.
I got a couple of snaps of the studio, just little bits to keep you interested. Hope you like them..
What do you desire that you are lacking and someone else has? If you could have it would you really want it or is it just a notion? How come you want to have it? What can you do to still that desire so that there is no need to be envious of any thing or anybody? 
Well today is 1 year since I started this blog and a few thousand visits, so no complaining from me. But i think it time to change it up a bit. I visit blogs regularly and have a few favourites, I like to see what they do with their blogs. One I visit regular is Oceans and Forest Walks(and if I knew how to put in a link I would) has a great blog with lots of cool things, pictures that move in and out and create visual interest, songs etc. This is the year or the month I should say (May) I have dedicated to updating my blog with cool things, I think it will add interest ,so stay tuned for a few new things. Some of the same old ones, me, art, and chatter....I am excited to try outand learn these new techniques....Well post later tonight my Studio Friday (Iam just a day behind)..
This week, let’s take a look at words. Words found in the pages of a book, on a sign, in a handwritten note. Let the words inspire you — not just the meaning of the words, but also the appearance of the words and the relationships between the letters.
Well all is quiet in the house, hubby is in bed, the daughter is still at work and I just came up from the studio. I am working on painting, as you can see by the picture, I need to improve my painting and drawing skills, and as I have said many times prat ice, practice only gets you better. Other than that, a quiet weekend which is just what I needed after a hetic week at work. Sunday you will find me and hubby putting up the shelf I got at Ikea that I got for my birthday and organizing the studio. It seems that is all I do, I cannot create in a mess, but can make a mess while creating. Having my mom over for roast tommorow night and thats the weekend in a nutshell. Hope you like my painting...and talk to you tommorow.
Well this is a picture I drew a few weeks ago, I saw a picture in the paper of a "turkey vulture" and it got my eye and I sketched it. I think I need practice in the animal drawing department. But you only get better with practice. I want to thank you for the nice comments about my blog and keeping it up. I was really having a bad couple of weeks, but I am feeling better now. Sometimes the stuff you write you look back and read it and think who wants to read that crap. Now I could talk about stuff that really doesn't interest me, and I think if you read my stuff you must like what I talk about, even if it is about nothing. I am in the process of creating a book called "Bertha's Closet" she is my grandmother born and bred in England hence the name. I have been in the planning stages of this collage book, I have pictures, and I am going to draw garments from the time period etc. I am excited about this project, it will take awhile but Its something to work on, when other art projects are going badly...Well must go my shows are almost on, greys antomy, etc. I don't watch to much TV but I do like my shows. Talk to you tomorrow.....and think good thoughts...
Well I know I have been away awhile, but I am back. Since the trip I have been down in the dumps and wondering if I should give up the blog and even my art....which hasnt been going that well. So I took a little break from blogging and just puttered around in the studio and I feel much better, I created this peice from an old medical book my mom gave me. It still has some work needed, but I like the way it turned out. I did it on a canvas. I have let things slide around here, and in the studio, but I definitely am feeling better and ready to take on some stuff. So thanks for reading.....
1. Today was great, my daughter got accepted into College. She doesnt really know what she wanted to take, so decided to take alot of computer courses, to start which will serve her well in the working world and the school world. One further step into independance I hope I can handle this next step she will move away. I told her where she goes we go.
Yep, still have not gone back to work yet. Tuesday is my first official back to work day. Am I looking forward to it, no. Always after a holiday the first week is the worst, at least its not a full week, plus I will have alot of cathching up to do, so the day will go by fast. Hope you all had a great easter weekend, I did. We have a family get together at the mother inlaws and had turkey and ham and the whole works, and took alot of great pictures and played board games. The weather still is not geat it is going to be 0 tommorow that celsuis. Today I went out and bought myself a new book Collage by Claudine Hellmuth, I have been wanting this book and so I treated myself to it today.Gotta go talk to you tommorow.
Well its is Saturday and I had a great day today. With my buddies we made Soccoer people. My friend is a soccer coach to a bunch of ladies and made them all soccer pins for the end of the year. We all helped and got the job done. I must say I did not help, as I just got my nails done in arizona and frankly cant do a thing with them yet, I can type. What a Diva i am (lol). I put my two cents in, I also helped with the clean up after lunch so they could finish the job and acted as offical photographer. Beads are not my thing, but I do like the finished product. The picture has alot of white space I know but I wanted you to the pins are they cool or what. One of the legs has a slilver soccer ball.
Other than that tonight I am going to do some art I have decided on the project and you will probably get to see it tommorow. We are off to the mother in laws for turkey tommorow, I am bringing a ham, and the vegetables, the daugther is bringing salad, and dessert. So not to much for the mother inlaw to do. Well should go, am cooking ribs for supper and I hear them calling me. Have a great Saturday and hope the Easter Bunny is good to you, I will talk to you tommorow...
I want to live in a place where orange trees grow on the blvd and you can just pick them. But since that isn't happening in the near future here is a picture of one in Arizona.
Made it home safe and sound, a long plane ride, first at 9:00 PM to Las Vegas and then at 12:00 to home. I did play the slots at the airport and won about 50.00 with a 20 so reall won 30.00 then I left. Well am all settled in at home, except have not unpacked the suitcase, done any of the laundry or done any art. I am going done to the studio tonight I am itching to do some art. The picture above is of the first mission in scottsdale, it was in the process of being redone. Love the design and the colour which is white, I like clean bright colours.....Hubby was glad for us to be home,for some home cooking, I dont know what he survived on while we were gone but no cooking was done at our house. Well gotta go, I might post later on....
1. Just a little art I created last night in the studio along with a story. 
1. Cleaned the studio when we got home from dinner, did not put the shelf up. But was able to do some fooling around and here is one of them.
1. The weather has been beautiful really spring like yesterday and today. I was out cleaning out the car, vacuming, washing the windows, and trying to take it to the carwash but the line up was about a mile long. Thats what happens when it is nice weather in Canada, the first place you want to go is the carwash, though I have washed it a few times over the winter.
1. Today I was thinking alot about how people perceive me, do they see me or just the outside shell. Do they want to really see me and that means just getting past the surface stuff. 
Yep next Thursday the 29 I am going on a trip for 5 days to Phoneix, kind of a spur of the moment thing. Just a mother daughter trip. Shopping, resting in the sun, and just seeing the sights. Can hardly wait. The weekend was great, had a great birthday. Not much art created in the studio this weekend so gotta get busy, but it is in turmoil down there, I have moved everything to set up the new cabinet that I got for my birthday. I just cant create in a mess, but I can make a mess....lol.
Well i woke up today didn't feel any different, not older that for sure. Yep you guessed it its my birthday, and I am not even irish. So I did this in honour of my birthday. Next year is the last year for celebrating birthdays, from then on I stay the same age 29 and not counting....lol. Today I plan on doing me things, I having lunch with my mom, going out hubby and friends for dinner. Hubby bought me a new cabinet that I wanted for the studio, all he has to do is put it together. Well I am off talk to all later and drink some green beer....
What gives you hope? How do you keep it up? What or who guides you through the rough patches and makes you keep on going no matter what 
5 things I want to do tonight:
still doing that sketch a day, trying to get better each day, the eyes need some work. Well not much has happened this weekend. On Friday all was fine at my desk, still a little wet but managed. Went out for the lunch with all the women who work with me. Back after lunch we walk into a diaster zone. Our whole area is marked off with tape. A pipe in my office had exploded and water up over your ankle. Plus it had come out of the pipe so hard it blew the cement cap off which would have hit me if I had been there, They would not let us in to see the mess so Monday we will see it. We all got the afternoon off.... Other than that not much is new.....I finally got enough nerve to apply to the University to enter there fine arts program, and I have to supply my marks (high school) 35 years ago, different province. I emailed my old high school in Vancouver, and they emailed me back how to get them. So gotto do that now to get them.
I love triangles, the pyramids were trangles, our city hall is traiangle, our gardens are triangles. These structures are all glass and steel and I felt they should be all about colour, stanined glass colour, bright colours, life colours.
Hi, been working in my studio tonight, I had this postcard I saved from the mail from ages ago, and i decided to try to use it in a different way. I painted it, made a border,words and here it is. I actually think it turned out pretty good. I have been busy at work, and at home, and trying to squeeze in time in the studio. It is hard to juggle a job, a house, family and an art interest. But I quess until I win the Lotto that's what I will be doing. Now if I won the lotto, i would get my own studio out of the house and have no distractions around. Well its a short post tonight as I have to go watch my favourite shfow HOUSE and its on. So talk to you all soon./
This is a sketch that I am thinking of doing in my women series. I think thatall women of the world have the same wants and desires . Whats important to us, family, home, safety is important to everyone. 
My next sketch I dont know, i was just fooling around and here it is pretty scary. I didnt have any white paper at my fingertips so both these sketches are on green paper. Well gotta go talk to you soon...
I thought long and hard about Inspriation Thursday theme Home. I came up with this, I bought this at junk sale, it in its former life was a grain house, I painted it, sanded and came up with this. I love my home, because to me it is a safe haven full of love and warmth. A place to come home to and just be me....Plus its looks much better in real life. The scanner just doesnt cut it..
I love this song it was originally done by Freda Payne, but re-recorded by Jan Arden. I bought her new CD today and listened to it on the way home. I immediately knew what I wanted to do, this is my grandfather, and I had a blast making this. I crashed a paper bag, inked it, inked the paper found some images and there it is....I just finished watching Jericho. Well March is birthday month and I will be an unnamed number and I have been thinking long and hard if I want to retire from my job this year or next. At this moment it is today but then sanity returns and I think okay just 12 more months and I am a free agent, able to rise when I want, do what I want..I can do that is what I keep telling myself. Next year I will have been there 35 years ...I know what is wrong with this girl, was there no other jobs out there for me. Well as it happened I loved my job and actually still do. I am the boss, and I love that part of it.....well thats enough philospy for one night ....talk to you tommorow...
I was down in the studio tonight just doing some painting techniques practising, colours. I used an old coaster from a restaurant and painted on it, it took the paint really well and this is what I came up with, I am also practising my printing skills. Today was not productive day for me in the studio or at work. It was a blah day, a day where really you should have just stayed home and slept in. Hopefully I will be feeling more like my oldself tommorow. Today I feel like i should pack in this blog, as really not to much interesting stuff happens in my life. So right now I am signing off for today...hopefully tommorow will be better...
Just a quick note to say I am off to the art gallery with my picture (not this one) I will post the picture tonight. Talk to you then.
This is a picture of my Grandpa (in the middle) going off to war, notice the price of the paper in the background 3 cents. I have been going through some old black and white pictures of my mothers and scanning them in hopes of making some projects out of them. My other grandfather was a chauffer ( i have a picture of that as well) i am going to post tommorow night. I have not been creating to much in the studio just really going down and playing around with my paint and paper making a few cards, throwing them away trying to get the creative mojo working, but its seems to be sadly lacking lately. Must be a blue period I am going through trying to sort out my life. In my goals for 2007 one of them was to take a course. Well I have been mulling that over lately and thinking about taking a University Certificate program in fine arts. What is holding me back, well a number of things:
Haven't had much time to post as work as been quite busy.....I dont know why I was thinking about a snail (just a glimpse into this mind of mine) but thought I would make a great weight loss card. So here it is....I have been in the studio a little, trying to work on some paint techniques, trying to get it right so I can create layout with it. Well gotta go make my lunch talk to you hopefully longer tommorow night.
Ever give up on a piece of art that just did not turn out as expected? Sometimes there’s no choice but to throw it away, but other times we might hold on to it with hope that someday we might get inspired to finish it. Your challenge this week is to search your studio for those abandoned pieces of art that are beckoning you to finish them! It might be fun to show a before and after photo of the piece of art.
It's my friends birthday this month, and I wanted to do something special for her. I decided to paint a picture on canvas an get it framed. Now I know when you look at you are probably thinking its since childlike, and I hope you think that because I painted it to look like that. I thought long and hard on this one and fished it out of the garbage a few times. You are the first to see it, I still have not decided fully that I am going to give it to her. As you can see we have been friends forever, we both grew up on an airforce base and that is where our friendship developed and we have remained close friends ever since. Diane doesnt look at the computer so she doesnt look at my blog so its okay to post the picture here. She has had many health problems and manages to cope with them daily and still has time to smile. I value our friendship and cherish everyday that I am with her. Well we are having a long weekend in Alberta, as Monday is family day, and I dont have to work. I am going to clean up the studio and work on some cards. Well must go talk to you tommorow.
Well hello!!!! I havent posted in a few days, been busy creating in the studio, sketching ideas, and trying out new techniques. Here is a peak at something I am working on at present, its just a quick sketch...more to come later. It feels like spring here today after the deep freeze we have been in, so its made me quite happy. I lost a pound and that made me happy. Other than that nothing new around here. I read other people blogs and they have these important things to say and then I reread mine and think why would anyone read this ...but I do have a few family members who read it. Speaking of family, we are off to dinner at the mother in laws to meet up with our niece and newphew (2 parts of triplets the third could not come) they went to ski in the mountains and are on there way home, I think with 6 friends, so should be quite the night, full of laughter and fun, and Ian and Linda if your reading this I will post some photos. (Linda and Ian are in Guyana at present ministering...Well hopefullyyou will see some art work tomorrow, once I know what Inspire me Thursday is about...
Am I big on valentines day, no I am not. We might go out for dinner, buy each other a card with lotto tickets, but thats about it. This year hubby is away on business. This is my card for my weight loss challenge, this is my favourite choclate bar ( only 100 calories, when I feel like something sweet), I usually have some in my fridge. Well today was freezing here and snowing, same tommorow, its not suppose to warm up until Thursday. Well must go and make my lunch...talk to you tommorow....
A while ago while shopping at the mall, I got tired and decided to sit down have a diet coke and do what I like to do best People watch. While sitting there a woman approached me and asked if she could sit with me. Now my daughter always accuses me of being way to friendly to strangers, but that is just me. The lady and I just started talking, it started about how busy the mall was and went on from there. The lady wanted to talk to somebody (a stranger) she was wearing a turbine on her head and expalined why that she had just recently go through a bout of chemo and had lost her hair. From there on we discussed our lives, what we did and what we dreamed and what we wanted with our lives. A fairly heavy topic to do with a stranger, but I felt the need of her to talk. We talked about things we wanted to accomplish in our lives, and she told me 10 things she wanted to accomplish in 2007, she wasnt looking any further than that. I felt a connection with this stranger and we parted, we did not even tell each other our names, but we connected. Isnt that the way with some people you meet in your life just a instant connection. I didnt forget this woman and wanted to do this layout as part of my women series. This is from my memory she looked much better in person....Just wanted to share....
Found this card today well browsing through the card section at Walmart, it just made me smile so I bought It. I love cards...Well this weekend has flown by as usual, but It was great. I went did some accessorie shopping today for my house. I bought some new lamps for the family rooms. New cushions for the living room. Some small desk items for me to redo in the studio, on sale for 2.00 each and really cute. But no art, I did work on my Lab 555 book with some new ideas, things that I want to to try, paint techniques etc, but not much else. I am going to spend the afternoon in the studio working tommorow, so may be tommorow night I will have something to post. Watched the DVD Flags of the Fathers, I thought I was long and the last part dragged on, but really not a bad movie. Well must hit the road and hopefully talk to you all tommorow.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, this week’s challenge is Hearts. Heart-shaped art… the symbolism of the heart… hearts folded, cut up, torn, broken… the anatomy of a heart. Be creative in your interpretation!
No I am not moving...I am moving on, I have not been good on my diet lately, and I am getting over it, and moving on, I will lose weight, I am back on program as of today. You just have to let it go and say alright I cheated and get right back on the horse. So that is what I am doing. Well no studio tonight I had some major cleaning up to do around here, so its all done so I dont have to do it on the weekend. So the weekend is free for me.....I love this picture (even if I must say so myself) doesnt everyone woman has something that she wants to wear and it just doesnt look right on her and she says oh just a few more pounds. Well mine is jeans, designer jeans, expensive jeans. Oprahs skinny jeans....So there you have it my secret wish to fit in skinny designer jeans, one pound at time....
Tonight I just went down to the studio and played. I have a few ideas kicking around and I wanted to play around with them. This is one of them, Pretty Boys is going to be a piece, so I did a rough sketch and wrote down a few ideas. That's the way I have to do things, I envy people that can get an idea and just create it, I do not work like that. I have to actually sketch out the idea with the message. I also worked on another card, which you will see tommorow night. I just went and the flow happened, you got to go when that happens. Well tonight my favourite show is on Heroes so this will not be a long drawn out blog. Just had a great day and a great night and wanted to share, hope you all had a great weekend, and I will talk to you on Tuesday....
Inspire me Thursday was to create a portrait using any medium we wished. So here is mine, I used paint, some magazine words, drawings etc. This is me, not really what I look like but an abstract part of me. I enjoyed making it, I actually made it a while ago, as part of an ongoing art journal on women. Thanks for looking
Happy February 1. Here is my week 5, I drew the apple, painted it with acrylics, and use graphite for the edges, and my trusty sharpie for the writing. I did not get to the meeting tonight..I know there should be no excuse, but I was at a work retreat all day from 7:00 to 4:00 and I had enough of listening to talking. I came home and had a little nap, and a little peace and quiet. I enjoyed the retreat but sometimes it is just easier to go to work. Well my mom got home safe and sound from her trip and she enjoyed herself. She came back to cold weather, gosh I wish it was april. I have been thinking quite a bit about my art, I am having a bit of a creative block, it is bothering me, nothing turns out the way I see it, I am sure it will pass and something will inspire me. Lab 555 has inspired me, and gottomakesomething has also inspired me. Well I am going to bed early because I was exhausted this morning. Talk to you on Friday...
