July 1, hit the beach -if you can

July 1, 2010, Summertime.  I love summer, the beach, fish and chips, cold lemonade, or diet coke.  Sand in toes, getting a tan, sitting on the deck with an icy cold beer and watching the sunset.  This is the summer I am going to do all of those things.  I am ready for summer.  My mom is home, no more hospital.  I am getting the cleaning lady in next week. and then its fun in the sun.  Okay I don't live anywhere close to a beach, but I plan on going for a few days with the girls to one in BC.  but I am going to do all the rest, starting now, I am going to the deck and having a cool one.  What are your doing?

Navigating thru life

4x6 hardboard, pitt artist pens, hand drawn fish, and

scrapbook paper of a map, colored with sharpies

elements from scrapbook paper

I was thinking yesterday how I navigate through my life, it has many twists and turns.  Many ups and downs.  This is how I came up with this little dittie.  I know my mind works very oddly.  I am quite happy with the way it turned out.  I am going to change the little arrow thingy and the wording, I like the way it looks there, but not how it was done, so I am going to change that today , and I will re post it
with the change done.
Yesterday was my Mothers 82 birthday, I had a little cake and birthday presents, and we celebrated at
the hospital.  But she had some good news she is being released on Thursday....I might actually feel like going into my studio soon.

Well I am off to navigate my way thru my life today so I will see you in July.  Can you believe the month of June is just about done.

Lulu has a summer vacation

I am doing a fun little booklet on Lulu, this is the start of

it.  Don't ask me why, I have no idea, I just want to do

it.  Maybe if I ever have grandchildren they will look

keep it and pass it on to their grandchildren.

Technique Sunday

Dont know if your interested but here is how I created this 6x6 collage,

 thetext on tree branch was added last with white out pen

6x6 covered with text, using matt medium

covered with gesso to lighten the text you can use white paint also

More text and pictures added not the bottom I messed it up

So I fixed it with white paint and some text add some sketches

Colored them in with marker and more detail fooled

around with it until I was happy, here it had a nest

with a egg, I was not happy with that, took out the

nest and added a heart and egg

Final product, the tree could have used some work, but in

the end it said what needed saying

6x6 Collage swap art-some of the ones that have been posted

These were done for the 6x6 collage swap

These two were done by the fabulously talented Carmelina of

http://creativecarmelina.blogspot.com/

her work is always amazing and if you have not visited her

please hop over and have a look

The next two were done by me, for Robyn in

Austrialia

These two were done by Robyn in Austrialia

are they not beautiful, I am the proud owner of them,

go have a visit a Robyn beautiful site

http://talesofinglewood.blogspot.com/

Hey Friday its about time.....

weather:  perfect

wearing: flip flops, tshirt, shorts

going: to the art store, staples, Michael's, scrapbook store, hospital

eating:  bbq hamburgers tonight for dinner, with corn on the cob

buying:  whatever comes to mind from the above stores

reading: digital expressions by Susan Tuttle

big purchase:  thinking about getting my very own laptop

art:  making some atc's for fun, small art doesn't take alot to time

project around house to be done:  supervising hubby painting deck if it doesn't rain on Saturday

Wondering:  What are you going to do this weekend?

Heres to Summer in all its glory

 

Well I know I missed the first day of summer, so here's to summer a few days late.  I had a blast making this page, even though I screwed up the text at the end.  But its my visual journal, and mistakes are allowed, even though it bugs me and I will have to fix it.  Today I rode around with the windows, sunglasses on the beach boys on the cd player.  I love summer, even if its to hot, because before long, we will have our long johns  on.  Here's to diet coke, watermelon, bbq and flip flips, or from my generation thongs.  I have various pairs and colours, compliments of the shopper, who has a love for flip flops and thinks her mother should have one to.  Do you have flip flops how many pairs.

Its 1961 where were you...or were you even born

I have been wanting to make this page in my journal, and decided today was the day, I had a blast making it, and could have gone on and on.  I love this picture of us, my sister and I.  I remember that day, we were getting christened in the Anglican church, my grandmother right from England and Anglican.  Since we were always living everywhere else but Vancouver, when we came home on Vacation they had the christening set up, and we had a big party afterward.  I think I remember us saying the best part was getting the present from our parents, the bracelets we have on.

Truthfully, I want to remember more, I don't recall much of my childhood.  My sister always was the keeper of the memories but now she is gone.  My younger sister was not around when we were growing up, and sadly my mom memory is failing.  Do you have a best memory of your childhood.

Happy Fathers day....

Meet Mr. Owl, ok he not a regular looking guy.  I have a thing for kooky guys, don't let tell hubby, after all he thinks he is normal (lol).  Mr. Owl likes to spy  into windows to see whats going on, and low and behold he finds he is at a birdseed factory.  This took me about 5 minutes to do, looks like it, but it was a fun thing to do and colour with sharpies and it will go in my fun projects file.  Then I might take it out again and look at it, and refine Mr. Owl and refine again, and he wont be so kooky anymore.

Tonight we are having friends for a bbq, I made potato salad, we are having ribs on the bbq, Caesar salad, corn on the cob, strawberries and ice cream, and watermelon.  Its hot here today, and it feels like summer is starting....what makes you feel like summer.

The studio visit without the blogland

 Last night I was working away on my photos for the blogland visits, the computer or the site was acting up, and it was not working, and its not easy to get the pictures in order in blogger, (hey blogger you need to work on that).  I got frustrated and decided to hell with it, nobody needs to see my studio mess that bad.  So I gave it up and went to bed, tonight I went set up a slide show and put it on the side of my blog, you the regular readers can see the mess I create in.  So have a look on the side, I even put captions on it.  I love that piknic or however you spell it, I even went prem for 24.95....nothing but the best for me so says hubby.  Well today was all about going out to lunch with hubby, the shopper and the boyfriend, we took him out for fathers day, because tommorow the shopper has to work.  Then visited Mama in the hospital.  We invited friends over for dinner tommorow night, so tonight was about getting stuff made ahead of time, cleaning the house, watching the movie Celluar on the TV, hubby cut the lawn, and helped, so not to much to do tommorow when I get home....what are you doing on fathers day????

A feeling sorry for myself moment is now gone

Okay , I must apologize for that last post, feeling sorry for myself.  Do you ever have those moments in your life, where its no loves me, I do everything nobody appreciates me, and on on .  I get over them, but every now and then I need them.  So thanks for the nice comments, they made me feel much better.  I did not encounter any deep thoughts well out today, and this will not  be a deep thinkers blog.  This is about me and my art, my mangy dog and family and friends, and you seem to like it, so I don't mind telling you about it.  I did get a pedicure today, and bought some new foot lotion, and had lunch out, spending money is like therapy and much cheaper that's what I tell the hubby.  Tomorrow its show and tell, I don't know what I am going to show and tell but it will be something, to come on back and see.  And thanks again for being there for me when I am feeling sorry for myself.

lee

Deep Thoughts....do i need them

Tommorow (Thursday) where I live, I am taking time for myself for a few hours.  I have begun to feel burned out, with my life, my art, my blog and doubting if I should continue on with this.  Usually I take a small vacation from blogland to recharge my batteries .  I am still debating this, but when I take this break I miss my blog.  I run out of things to say and sometimes its just as I put dribble drabble.  I read other blogs and they have important things to say, deep things to say.  And how come I dont, dont I have deep thoughts, important things to say apparently not, because at this moment not one comes into my head (lol) Do you get sick hearing about my life, and what I do.  I think I need new things to say, and I need to start going out more to have something to say.  So I am off to get a pedicure and we will see what Majay has to say (that's if I can understand her).  I am going to report back any important things that happen to me tomorrow.  After all I have to go to the bank, I will talk to the teller.  Yesterday we talked about all the hunky soccer  players on the Italian team and how good they looked in those little white shirts, and that they should be made to wear them all the team.  This time we will talk about the interest rate (not to interesting).  I then go to the hospital and before visiting my mother, I visit all my favourite people there, the lady that sits in the hall asking me to hand her the phone, which happens to be my purse, we have quite the conversation.  The nurses who know me, we talk about the weather, also the soccer players and of course some of the good looking doctors my mother has.  Then its off to the vet to see about devil dog stitches, then the store, then home.  I know that the riveting conversations I will have will illicit from you my dear readers a flurry of questions like where do those deep thoughts come from?

Street Team Challenge - Grids

This month I decided to participate in Street Team challenge grid lock http://michelleward.typepad.com/how_cool_is_that/ you know I am all about grids from the grid I posted awhile ago, I had fun with it, but now they have taken it a step further

This is the one I posted awhile ago, I had fun with this one to.


                         

So this is how it happened, I wanted a picture underneath so I sketched the bird, used sharpies and colored the squares, easy peasy

Then  I used what ever I had on hand a covered the grid

so that when you opened it a bird appeared, I messed a few scrapbook pages the way they open so I will fix that and you would be able to see the bird better, they are squares you can write on.  It was fun, so many possibilities.  So go over there right now, what are your waiting for, I see you thinking about it, its fun, easy fast, and you made art today.

A week in review

An old family picture, my mom is in the middle, sister and brother either side,

printed out in black and white, coloured with water colour, and sanded.  Oldie but goodies shown on blog before.

Well its been a busy week here...to and from the hospital, picking up birthday presents, trying to get the deck in order so we can enjoy the weather (pictures next week).  Trying to clean the house, and keep up with my art, which keeps me sane, and hubby gone for a few days.  Well tonight we are off to

have Chinese food with the hubby's family, his sisters family flew in for the birthday, so we have all

the family here.  Should be in for a rousing good time.  Well here's to next week and better times ahead.

I have finished my 6x6 collages and plan to get them in the mail tomorrows.

lee

A mixed up friday

A sketch done while in the emergency room, does not really look to

much like her, but she was very sad.....

Today was a mixed up day, the weather was mixed up cloudy, cold, rainy, sunny it didn't really know what it wanted to be.  I was mixed up today as well, torn between two places, one I needed to be at the hospital with my mother, and I wanted to be at home doing what needed to be done, so really neither of them got alot of me.  So tomorrow I need to get things done and spend more quality time with my mom in the hospital.  It is a very lonely place when your 82 and your sick. 

Well on a brighter note, its going to be nice tomorrow and we are going to a barbecue at about 5:00 for hubby mothers 80th birthday, all kids (hubby and his sisters are throwing a party),  So I have to get my end of this done in the morning before the hospital, it is part surprise so I am excited.  I think when you reach 80 you should partly like theres no tomorrow.  She is in really great shape and you would not know she is 80.

Its Time to Mix things up

Redoing:  my blog trying out new things

Dinner:  out at Tokyo Express, beef with vegetable rice, and 2 onion cakes

ex cerise:  a long walk with devil dog

family member's:  out of the house

watching: no tv

listening:  book on tape as I look at my fave blogs

weather:  clearing up after a rainy day

reading:  a Russian textile book very interesting

art:  doodling this while waiting for my mothers "team" to come at the hospital

An Oldie but goodies

postcards1
Originally uploaded by pat54lee
This week is retro week here at Defining Me, I am busy creating art to send out, so we are going to go back and visit some of favourites. I created this one for the postcard swap. It reminded me of my mom and her friends and I loved doing. I loved the postcards so much that I send them in and had prints made of them.

Talk about Swap of all Swaps

Yes that right, the partners have been picked, by the highly technical Janet , by pulling names out of a hat.  They all have been notified.  If you notice at the sidebar I have set up a 6x6 collage with names of all the participants blogs.  You should all take a look at there blogs as they are all so talented.  Only one person did not have a blog, but she still is participating .  I bet you all kicking your butts wishing you could have joined.  Don't worry we are going to do this again, as it is fun....All that is left now is to make the collages and put them in the mail.  When I figure out about flickr they are going to post them them and on their blogs...so keep checking. I have just about finished mine.

This art at top the lite house was I think one of my first pieces of art I created, I think for Inspiration Thursday, and now look at me co hosting a swap ...if you think you cant do it, you can.  Anyone can make art, if you have the passion, that's all you need.

Happy creating

lee

Poka dots and spray paint as combo????

This afternoon I stayed home and made some art.  I am working on making a booklet, 6x6 for the exchange Janet and I are having, and experimenting.  This is one of my experiments.  It does look better in person.  I spray painted the background added black lines in the circle with black pen and drew in the faces, with black artist Pitt pen, and used whiteout for the white accents.  I decided to use some of

the elements on this sample of mine in my 6x6 but other than that it just doesn't work for me.  I am probably going to paint over it and try something else.  What do you do with your art, when you don't like it or it doesn't turn out?

Who wears short short, I wear short short

I wear short hair, because I am hair challenged.  Yes that's right, I cant do my hair.  I am a wash and wear type of girl.  My sister was the girlie girl in the family when growing up.  She would spend hours on her hair, back then backcombing, hair spraying.  I would jump out of the shower and let my hair dry naturally (back then I had long hair) and put it in a ponytail.  I still jump out of the shower, dry my hair with the towel, and comb my hair and I am done.  What about you?

Travelling in your mind

Is there one place in the world you have always wanted to visit.  I have always wanted to visit Hong Kong and Australia, I know that two places.  But I could possibly hit both places on one airplane ride.  I will get to these two places before it get to old and cant do it.  That is on my bucket list of things that I must do before I die.  Do you have something you want to do before you get to old and cant do it anymore.  Lets hear it

Snippets of time......

dinner:  no time for cooking hubby picking up Lasagna

spending: devil dog is having surgery, I will not be able to spend for years to come, the vet costs more than my house (lol)

saving:  I have a 50% of coupon for Michael's for June 5, saving it to buy

Tulip paints (that spending does not count because I have a coupon, that is my

theory and I am sticking to it.

watching:  bad TV, Glee was a repeat

reading: old Cloth Paper Scissor Magazines

wearing: my apron, which I constantly wear when in the house, I have been known to forget it was on and wear it out, the shopper was mortified.

art:  working on a new 6x6 trying to work the kinks out and make it cohesive

Well what have you been up to?