art day

yesterday was a red letter day all around. 

1.  the streets in my community were plowed to the cement, no more

getting stuck

2.  I had a an art date at my house today with my blog friend Gayle.

who I met on this blog, and we became friends

.

3.  Both Gayle and I created a journal page, mine is above. I

forgot to get a picture of Gayle's, but it was fabulous

4.  It was my first real piece of art created by me in so long, and it felt great

4. We had vegetarian pizza, not made by me

a green salad and balsamic vinegar

fruit salad and a delicious chocolate cookie brought by Gayle

5. I met the new neighbour across the street

And I feel almost like my old self, which I haven't felt like in so long, so it was a perfect day.

It takes two to tango

This is an old one again, still no art to show, lots of sketches but no art.  Well I am just on my way out the door to do some Saturday morning roaming.  I am off to get some citrasolve I finally got a lead on where I could get it, on the hunt for the new art journal ling magazine, maybe stop and have a diet coke and a muffin at my favourite coffee place.  I am loving my e reader, just fits in my purse and I can take it anywhere.  I still like books, I like the feel of them in my hand, I still go to the library, but its handy if you are going on holidays and don't want to take alot of books etc.  Well I better go and get spending some money I feel it burning a hole in my pocket.

lee

The case of the 2 headed chicken

Here I was last night watching TV (Flipping out) with Jeff Lewis and making stamps, doodling ideas and decided that I would try to make some kind of bird, doodled the bird with one head and it just called to me that this chicken needed two heads.  So now I need to make the stamp.

Tonight is EAT OUT OF THE FRIDGE night.  Whatever is in the fridge in terms of leftovers has to be eaten up,  Luckily I am not home tonight so don't have to suffer through that, but hubby does.  Oh the things that man has to do, to make me happy

Easy and hard

more practise needed

Easy:  To think and daydream about what i am going to create
Hard:  to actually go down and create something

Easy:  to spend money online on books I want to order
Hard:  to spend money online

Easy:  To sleep in and not do anything all day long
Hard;  To actually do this without feeling guilt ridden all day long

Easy:  To carve stamps at night while watching TV
Hard:  To carve stamps without cutting the crap out of my fingers

Easy:  To think of great meals to cook for the family
Hard:  To actually cook great meals

Easy:  To clean out the closets and let go of things that you have not used in over a year
Hard:  To actually let them go, without thinking that you will eventually fit into them

Easy:  To think up great blog posts in your mind
Hard:  Hard to actually do one

front and back

 I wont be setting outside and barbecuing  for awhile.  It still is snowing out and the roads are bad

keeping my options open

even though I say I don't make art everyday, I do something art wise daily.  For example, just finished reading a book by Nick Bantock.  I loved it and got plenty of great information on collage.  I ordered some art books from the library.  I have ordered online Pam Carrikers new book which should be out this month.  The new cloth paper scissors magazine has a great project which I am making, the little book made from a file folder.  I watch the art videos at Millandes, might not make any art, but still am engaged and thinking what could I make, how could I do that.  I have been doing the Strathmore classes, not ready to show anything yet, but still doing it.  I have been tidying up the studio trying to make it easier for me, mo oving stuff, getting organizational stuff.  But what or how does everyone store there stuff they cut out or find, empheria, I spelled that wrong I know.  I have them in bins, sorted, images, backgrounds, words, but there must be another way.  I have been purging stuff that I have not used in over a year. Good stuff the good will, or a school. So I might say I don't make art everyday, but I do something artful every day, right now I am making some stamps.  What do you do every day to stay artful.

comfort foods

sketching bad attempts at charlie Chaplin new art

cooking corned beef in crockpot\

fresh rye bread and harvita cheese on deck

homemade mushroom soup

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen-blog/2010/02/a-tasty-recipe-the-mushroom-soup/
a cold windy snowy day is is always a good day for comfort foods
what's on your menu

Seeing spots

cold and windy

fireplace on watching jay Leno

pjs and sketch book

realized I was doing spots before millande just call me style setter

out for dinner with hubby

reading my ereader yes I have one

house bound ends on Wednesday

talking to income tax people about death benefits

trying to get to bed earlier and get to sleep before  3.00

still no new art therapy needed

what did you do today

Rooted

are you on facebook
do you know how it works

well I am on facebook my sister talked me into she said its a good way to share pictures, find people etc.  So i joined swhile ago, did not do to much on it, because in my opinion it like a blog.  But anyway I thought to myself maybe i could find people I knew when I was younger and lived in Vancouver.  But unfortunately it took me months to remember there names, don't get old people, your memory isn't as sharp as a tack anymore.  Anyway, one night I had a dream I kid you not and remember one of my friends name, his whole name. I know I should be on believe it or not..  Anyway went to face book, looked under his name and the Vancouver area, found one, and emailed him and asked him a  question, because you don't want some random person, pretending to be him.  He emailed me back and it was him.  He was I would call him a best friend, always there for me I was 16 and we hung out with the same people.  So we have been emailing each other, talking about our family and old times. He was the nicest guy, and still is.  He remembered a name of a gal we hung out with , get this he had a dream and remembered her name and a phone number.  Of course when he\
phoned her it was the wrong number.  He looked her up in the phone book and she was using her maiden name still and that's how he found her.  Small world right.  The trouble with find women, is they go by there married name, so if you don't know who they married you cant find them. When I joined facebook, I joined up in my maiden name, just in case some long lost friend who was a millionaire was looking for me and leaving me money, it could happen.  I only wish I still had my high school yearbook, my mother was not a keeper of those things, so I could try and connect with more people.  Okay are you on face book, have you found anyone that you used to know. Oh and the picture I did not post a new picture of me, I used an old one, because that long lost millionaire, doesnt know what I look like now haha

Its a PJ day today

I have been shopping on Amazon and bought two amazing books, okay I only have received one so far.  The pioneer woman cooks. http://thepioneerwoman.com/ she has a great site, i have been reading her blog for ever it seems.  She is funny,  a great cook, I love her family she is one of those women who it seems does everything so effortlessly.  I am not one of those women, everything i try usually turns out badly.  I bake cookies short bread cookies for Christmas, they turn to goop, etc that is the way my life swings, it usually takes two or three trys before it is perfected. The other book is masters collage, I heard the word from the grura http://kellykilmer.blogspot.com/ I love her site, she shows links to other great sites, and she is the best read person I know, and I dont know her.  I took out my mixed media collage book to work on and found this in it, I don't know if i posted it before or not but her it is, I used cheap watercolours on it.

Well its still snowing, and I am going to be house bound till the plows come thru I have decided, so I am in my PJs and cleaning up and blogging and drinking diet coke, and take breaks and listen ting to satellite radio, and dancing around.  The fireplace is on, and its cozy and it makes you want to do some art, so I think I might just do some today.  So you just might see some tomorrow,  so stay tuned.

I am calling a snow day

 

Well all its done for the past 2 days   is snow, and all its suppose to do for the next 3 days is snow.  I got stuck in the snow backing out of my house, and so did half the neighbourhood  hubby got the snow blower going and cleaned off the driveway and did the neighbourhood walks, the snow was so heavy you could not use the shovel.

Well after being unstuck I went off to the mall, nothing stops me, just like the mail.  I went with the shopper, and i bought myself a new daily planner, and some stuff from the body shop.  Then it was home because the weather was getting worse.  I have not been creating much art, but I am taking the Strathmore Art free courses and am doing the one with Pam, where you remake a new page using your old art.  I am enjoying doing it.  I also signed up for Alisha's sketch class, I like to sketch and Id think she is a great artist and has a great style of her own.

Well this is enough exciting information for one night.  Stay tuned I might have some new art soon, keep your fingers crossed.

A paintover

This is a paintover of a favourite old picture of mine, (another oldie but goodie I promise new art soon) my mom is in the middle

today was at staples making copies of my journal pages

took the bottles back to the bottle depot

hair cut

dog walk

pork chops in oven with golden mushroom soup and onions

mashed potatoes

mixed vegetable

weather above zero

muck and slush everywhere the down side of a above zero day

watched Millandes video day 5

going down to the studio to create

what are you doing today?

Get your motor running

Well I am a wee bit late, but hope 2011 is going to be a great year for everybody.  Working on some new art but nothing to show yet, so you will have to make do with some old art for now.  I have spaghetti sauce cooking in the slow cooker, just made some banana bread, and some taco salad for lunch.  I have been following along with the http://kollaj.typepad.com/kollaj/ art journal ling tips daily on Traci's blog,
the yearlong sketchbook challenge over at  http://sketchbookchallenge.blogspot.com/ and the weekly challenge over at http://www.strathmoreartist.com/vj-workshop-about.html if your having a hard time getting your mojo  going this year, this is the place even if you just look, its wonderful.

I have also entered at LaWendas http://lawendula.blogspot.com/ for a paper swap, I had such fun doing the last one, that I am in for this one, this time it magazine, paper pages.  Going on over and sign up the more the merry and a better choice.

So now I have given you 4 options to go over and get that art spirit going again, work off that turkey and gravy and left over Nani mo bars (oh that's me I ate the last one today and no more in this house until next Christmas).  I am thinking of joining weight watchers online, because you know just because I don't work and have all day to go the meetings, I am just to busy (ha ha).  Well lets hear from you today back to my daily question that I need answers for.  Oh by the way just in case you are wondering what the hell is that blue thing on her head, i always wanted to work as an airline stewardess, and that is my version of a hat that I would have been wearing okay maybe in 1973 but my version, old is the new black

have you made any art this year and what has it been

Moving Forward in 2011

well its almost 2011 I am really looking forward to a new year.  I am going to try and put 2010 behind me and just move on.  This picture was shot in my friends Gayles amazing garden.  I met Gayle through the blog can you believe it and see lives in the same city as me, she is amazing and we are developing a great friendship. That was one good thing that happened in 2010, another was the shopper moved to her and er boyfriends new condo and they are so happy starting their life together.  That makes a mother happy, she is my only one, and I want her to have a happy life. She did not move to far away and comes home and calls me all the time, she is a great daughter, I could not ask for more.  As a result of my mothers death my sister and I have become closer than ever.  She was the youngest I was the middle and my older sister who passed away was the oldest.  She was 12 years younger, so most of her years growing up I was not home. She lives in another province, but we talk to each other every day.

I don't make resolution's because I never keep them, but I do set small goals, my number one goal for 2011 is be happy in my life.  I plan on accomplishing that one.  I will keep you updated on that one.

I am sitting here watching top chief they have been on all day.  I am having a new years drink and here is a toast to all you blogger and friends who follow this blog to matter what.  I say thank you and wish you all a happy 2011.  See you next year.

She got Bette Davis Eyes

and bot ox lips now that I look at the way I did her lips

First I would like to thank everyone who commented on my last post.  I was touched and made me feel better about spilling my guts.  Today I took a positive step toward being fearless, so I am going in the right direction.  This  drawing I used charcoal, and yellow crayon, and a mixed media background.  She is suppose to be me Fearless, I always thought Bette Davis was fearless, she was her own woman..  I am waiting for January 1 because I am taking the free sketching class if you don't know about it here is the link, and here is another link to another free class from strathmore,

http://sketchbookchallenge.blogspot.com/

http://www.strathmoreartiststudio.com/

hope you all join in...

and again thanks for being there for me, I promise to try not to be a crybaby to often

lee

FEARLESS"

watching Private chefs of Beverly hills, with a glass of wine and my pjs
thinking about my life and what I am what to do and accomplish for 2011
thinking about having a turkey sandwich on caraway bread with cranberries delish
thought long and hard about my word for the 2011 it is     fearless

i want to be fearless in my life
fearless in my art
fearless in my relationships

this year has taught me alot - I looked after my mom for a year, and now I feel berfet like a big chunk of my life is goine, and I am just floating around.  Because I was so busy looking after my mom I let other parts of my life slip away or just ignored for the sake of my sanity..i let things go on in my life that had I been on it, wouldnt have happened.  So this year I am ready to tackle my  life.  I still feel fragile and unsteady and wonder If  i am strong enough to tackle something head on.  But truthfully I am ready I have put up with shit to long.

I was not going to say anything, I didn't tell you the issue, I am not that open in the cyber world just  knowing that I said something is a step for me. So this is all you will hear about this from me. 
Issues in my life affect me and my art, they tire me out and consequently making art has not been a big priority in life lately.  But I have been missing it and feel ready to do something creative anything with my hands to make me happy.

I have been like Julia Roberts, in EAT PRAY LOVE  I have been trying to mediate its not coming easy for me, my head wont stop and be still, but I am determined and keep trying.

Well this pity party is over for today, hope I did not scare you away with all this heavy stuff.  I promise to try and be more upbeat from now on

Lee


                   

Things I like

This is the chair tht the shopper bought for her new place, I love red dont you

things I like most of the time 

i like blue skies
i like not using capitals when keyboarding
i like old school things, like watching  A summer place last night on tv and crying through it
i like seeing the moon eclipse tonight becuase i wont see it in my lifetime again get up at 12:40am to see
i like the shopper is coming home tonight from Las Vegas because I have been a crybaby lately and need my family around me
i like that devil dog is going for a bath tommorow and wont smell like popcorn anymore
i like that hubby is off work till after the holidays  starting tomorrow afternoon
i like that I am having a Christmas lunch out with one of my friends tomorrow
i like that I am wearing my new coat that I got in Arizona and getting lots of nice comments when in it
i like blogging when I have nothing to say and you still read it
i like take online classes because I can do it in my pj's
i like being retired because life is short and there still is so much to do
i like visiting sites and seeing new and amazing art
i like my blog buddies that I have met online
i like that my facebook page I met a good friend from 40 years ago amazing amazing
i like the housewives of new york (okay I just like all the bitching)
i like that the shopper is happy with her new job and her life and that she loves me as much as I love her
and I love that you read this till the end

so what to you like

Weekend Madness

another page from my 2008 christmas journal.  Its always fun to look back over the years and see what you have created.

Well last weekend before Christmas, have you got it all done.At my house its as good as its going to get.  Though today I just need a few more little things, but am not going near the malls.  Just a few speciality stores, and then done.  Okay still the tree is not decorated, but tonight for sure.  Its hubby birthday today, I did the most practical thing for him bought him a new toque to wear while shovelling the snow.  After so many years of marriage you just have what you want or you get it.  Its very hard to buy things.  Now me I could tell you a thousand things I would like but just am to cheap to buy.
We just went out this week and had to buy a new computer, so went and bought it, a new 21 inch screen, feels like I am in the movies when I am on it.  Still getting used to the new keyboard, and the wireless mouse which is nice.  So I guess that was our big present to each other.  I did buy him a few things when I was on the trip, and he got me a few things while I was away.  But the majority of the presents under the tree are the shoppers. 

The only thing that asked for was an e-reader , the amazon one I couldn't get, they did not have any when I was looking, so I did a comparison of that one and the Kobe one in Canada, the Kobe one would suit me fine, now we wait to see if he bought it.  Is there anything that you would really want, tell me I want to know.

Friday mish mash

.I am recyling images,  I made this album about 2 years ago.  The album I am making this year, is a work in progress, that means its laying on the work table  in the studio not being worked on.  You will see it next year.

Today is a go day for me.I have a lot of running around to do and its not pleasant driving the roads after  a major snowfall and the roads are not cleaned yet.  I went to the doctor about this rash I have had now for 3 weeks, not really a rash more like chicken pox marks all over my body.  She said have \i had a sore thoart lately, I mentioned I had a little bit of a cold before I went to Arizona.  So this is what I have usually 10-35 year old get this viral infection after having a sore throat, usually if your immune system is run down. The name is really weird, but it goes away after 8 weeks, it usually will cover most of your body, except your face but not always.  \ok if this thing gets on my face, nobody will see me.  Because at the moment it is everywhere and itchy as hell.  She gave me a prescription for cortisone cream which I get today.

Number 2 tradition in my family is:   I buy an ornament every year since the shopper was born and give it to her as a Christmas present, so she can take these ornaments to her home and know that these are special ornaments that came from her family.  I would hope she will then start that tradition with her family when she gets one.

Question of the day:  Every year I have made something for Christmas, it might be a wreath, or an ornament but something.  Do you make anything for Christmas?

A tradition continues

This is a tradition that my family carried out each year, and my family carries on this tradition.  We have a receipt envelope set up and put in the kitchen cupboard.  And everytime some  one buys a gift they put the receipt in the envelope.  Then when all the unwrapping is done, and the presents re looked at and you don't really like it because its not your taste (the shopper) or it does not fit (the mother), or something is wrong with it.  You can just go to the Christmas return envelope and find the bill and not stress over where you put that bill.  The rule of the house is nobody looks in the envelope when putting there receipts in there.  Tell me one of your traditions.