Are we really alone out there....

This collage postcard  made for the exchange, there was no theme.  It started with the words and went from there.  Well today is Saturday, I am off to look for a winter coat, yes I said winter coat, before you know it , winter has come, and also I  have a 50 percent coupon to Michaels to spend, only trouble, when I go there I don't see anything I want to buy could it be I have to much, god I hope not, I enjoy spending money on things on don't need (that's what hubby says) sometimes I like to do it just to piss him off) Oh the joys of being married 39 years.

Black and White

I created three postcards for a swap by http://mailmesomeart.blogspot.ca/

there are always ongoing swaps there, one of them was black and white, so when I sat down all I knew was that I had some black and white paper, and this turned up.  I sort of like it,  The other two I will show on Saturday and Sunday.  I like practising my collage, and trying to tell a story.  Do you like collage?

Today is hot and sunny, hubby is taking the dryer apart and getting all the fluff and stuff from the back, apparently you should do this once a year to prevent fire.  I told him he should rent himself out , not only is he doing the dryer, he washed the floor by hand, cleaned out the laundry cupboard and sink.  I tell he needs a job, I am starting to feel guility, (remember i said starting to)

A she/ he

I made this one out of tissue paper and book paper, and drew her and used markers.  Only one thing she looks like she has a small penis.  I think I need to fix that.  I had fun doing this one, was just playing around on lined paper and this came out of it.  

My House is a very very fine house

I made this postcard for my Nephew he just moved into a new house, I then put the other houses of his siblings and his mother.  I hope he likes it, it looks way better in person.

Tonight the shopper (aka the daughter) is coming over for dinner, so we are having stir fry.

She is watching her weight like I am, so I try to cook healthy when she comes over.  I received the coolest postcard yesterday and once I get my camera back from the shopper I will take a photo of it and show you.

bird attack

this is an ATC that I made over my break, I just used whatever was on hand, you know me and my birds and flowers, I must broaden my horizons and draw other things.  Well today is the first day of school, even though I don't have any kids going to school, I still get that first day of school feeling, I wonder if that ever goes away.

The many faces of Lee

Well on my blog break, I saw a painter I think on you tube who painted all kinds of women on a wall.  Now i don't think hubby would appreciate me painting women all over the family room, so instead I did it on paper. My women do not resemble the women of the painter, he was wonderful painter and his women were amazing, I wish I had bookmarked it to show you.  Anyway here is my version, of Lees many faces

She was missing but now she's back

the above was created on watercolour paper that I had painted before hand

drew the bird with black pen and white-out pen

white eggs white-out pen

and a piece of old material I had laying around

I am back.  I enjoyed my time off from the blog.  I dithered about coming back at all, depending on how I was feel that day, i was coming and then I wasn't.  But I am back, and glad to see you all.  Didn't do what I set out to do, work big, something is holding me back from doing that.  But I did do:

lots of postcards

got a brand new car

had some health scares but am all clear now

read a ton of books

went swimming just about every day

lost some more weight

signed up for some online classes

cooked light

read light cooking light cookbooks till I knew them backwards

ate some fattening food (after all it is the holidays)

bought a few new art supplies

and MISSED ALL OF YOU

Travel envy

Well not long now and I will be back in the saddle again, what have I been doing on my blog break.  Well lets see not much.  Watched the Tour De France, watching the Olympics, basking in the sun, reading books and magazines.  Read all three books of the Fifty Shades of Grey, practice needed (lol). and generally enjoying myself.  Getting used to hubby being home, we have cleaned every nook and cranny in this house, I am sure he is going to suggest cleaning the neighbours houses next. So that's it till my next post which will be  September 4, missing you all.

Just some new art

Some new collages that I have been working on, still on blog break but wanted to show you, missing you all, but needed the break, see you in September

Some news for you....

I have decided that I need to take a break from the blog.  So I am going to start that break starting today.  I wont be back till September.  I am taking a long break, some of things that I am going to do, is try to change up my art.  I feel the need to do something different, than , this art that I am creating, is this  who I really am.  Who am I as an artist I don't  know, but I intend to find out,

I am going to work bigger than an ICAD, I want to work big, I want my art to flow, to tell a story.  I don't know if I can do this but I am going to try.  Another thing is I keep taking courses, but you know something I never have made anything from a course I have taken.  So I am going to revisit all the courses I have taken, and try and make something from each one.  And as you know hubby has retired, so we have to figure out things around here, to make our lives work.  Its hard on him, and harder on me, I have had 4 years of retirement and figured out a schedule, now he is in the mix, and I have to remix the schedule to include him.  So I have my hand fulls, for awhile.  I wont be away from the computer, I will still be visiting you but I just wont be blogging.  So watch for me in September.   

Lee

Come get happy....

I made this using hand painted paper

a peice of corrugated cardboard I had laying around

a quick sketch and marker gal

the word "happy"  and the |numbers on the side

came from a free collage sheet from http://aweebitwarped.blogspot.ca/2012/05/for-amy-and-you-too.html

 Shelly Massey who is an amazing artist you should check out

Were you one of those people in high school who was always happy, you never saw them in a bad mood, always had a good word for everyone?  I was not , I was quiet, had a good group of friends who were the same as me, you know what and I hate to say this "we stayed clear of those happy people"  Now that i am older and wiser, it's nice to see people who have a great attitude towards everything.  So I guess the lesson I learned was don't judge people....

The dark ages.....

Just in case you wanted to know what I used here is the breakdown:

I had a faux piece of paper that had this typewriter on it

I then had some scrapbook scraps (the circles)

the cardboard, I had on my worktable I had paint splatters on it

and the hi sign came from a pair of Hurley jeans my daughter had

and I cut it down to fit

then I aged the paper with some Tim Holtz distress ink

Do you know I learned how to type in high school.  When I was in high school back in the dark ages, if you could type you could be assured of a job.  Another item that has gone the way of the not made any more.  But let me tell you learning how to type was one of the best things I ever did.  I can't imagine typing with two fingers.

Starry Eyed

I read that quote somewhere and wrote it down, and now can't remember

where it came from?  First day of hubby's retirement, I think I need a stiff drink.....

smile your on candid camera

This is a picture of my old camera that I drew and used sharpie markers to color, I had some old film by Tim Holtz,and this old picture, dont know where it came from.  I save words in a folder just in case I ever want to use them, and I thought this one fit perfectly.  Have a great Sunday.

He's at the post

This happens to be my favorite so far.  I happen to love the horse races, (see something new you now know about me).  I don't go very often, but I do watch all the big races on TV.  We have the horse racing here everyday of the week and on the weekend.  So I will go once in awhile, I dont  bet big but I always bet to to win.  I must have got the horse race bug from my MOM she loved the races.

Hello June and ICAD Challenge

This is number 1 in the ICAD challenge.  So far I am moving right along creating these cards, but I know its going to come, when I dont have any ideas left.  So I am going to try to make it for the month of June, and we will see after that.   I will tell you a bit about this one, I used painted paper by me.  The words tiles are from Tim Holtz has this word booklet, the clock that says me, is from Athnropoligie that I got in the mail for my birthday.  And the June calender is from Selvage Stickers.

I had the time of my life...and I owe it all to you

Well its the end of the challenge, and I probably wont draw flowers for at least a couple of days (lol).  I had fun.  But now its on to the ICAD challenge, I have been creating them I think I have done 10 now.  So today its off to the airport driving the neighbour, creating some ICAD's, cleaning the house and enjoying my day  I decided this flower looked boring so in Photoshop Elements which I know little about, I created some texture.

Moleskine love

Another little sketch in my moles kine.  I was timing myself, I gave myself 10 minutes to sketch and get some colour down.  I was also practising my lettering which needs help.

A new Challenge in June

Well I have decided to join the ICAD challenge again this year, we will see how long I can create an ICAD everyday, did it the full two months last year but it was hard, the idea well was empty by the end of the Challenge, why don't you play along with me, here is the link, its starts June 1.

http://daisyyellow.squarespace.com/icad/icad-faq.html

only two days left for this challenge

Hello my name is Calli Lily

Well meet Calli Lily she got that blank stare from smelling to many flowers.

I see that now I need to change up the facial expressions of these girls, they all look the same.

So from now on more expressions on these faces.

Flower Dazed

It's something had in my sketchbook, but its flowers.

Only 4 more days left, then what?

Chicks gone wild

I dont know if i have shown this one before, its a little old sketch I did awhile ago.  I was just playing around trying to develop my own style of art.  I see that when I scanned it, the bookmark thingie got in the way. Well its Saturday, its sunny and its about the yard and sitting on the deck today, so I am going to get to it.  Do you have a Saturday routine?

Tape Background

wanted to try something a bit different , tape background

on board today

aqua size

Michaels to use coupon

walking the dog

lunch with a friend

planting my window box with herbs

dinner with hubby

what's your day look like?

Balancing Act

Lately I am finding life to be a balancing act.  I know I have said this before, but I need to organize myself so I have time for everything I want to do and accomplish.  I need time to keep the house at least tidy, I need time to exercise, and  walk the dog, cook the meals, make ART , and to communicate with the hubby.  I have made exercise a priority in life, and swim daily, at the same time, allow myself 1 hour of swim time, do the  errands that need doing on the way home from the pool, when I get home I walk the dog, and then its 12:00 so this is when my life gets screwed up, I want to create art, but the house needs attention, and when hubby retires at the end of the month, what then.  I think he needs to get his own schedule, I do expect him to pitch in with the housework, so that should lighten my load.  So I guess I need to set a time to go to the studio and play.  At night I sit with the hubby and watch TV and usually sketch or read art magazines.  He goes to bed pretty early, and I am a night owl, so I could go to the studio then. I guess it will all work out in the wash but its going to be a new experience after 39 years of marriage to be home with the person 24 x7.

Maybe I need to get a part time job (lol)

Overworked, overthink

Another page out of my Teesha Booklet.  I think its finished i am just going to journal on it.  I have left it sitting for about a month now, and nothing more has come to me.  Sometimes i have a habit of overworking a page.  Do you think sometimes you overwork or overthink things?

As you can see still keeping with the flower theme, day 23.

Old is new

You might have seen this one a few months ago, I am bringing it back.  I have more flowers that I have recently done, but I have to scan them yet.  No time today as soon as I am done posting, I am gone swimming, and returning some stuff.  So some old new art for now.

Stuck in the seventies

When I started "Judy" that's what I am calling her.  She did not have such wild hair, but she took on a life of her own, the way it seems all my art does.  So she is a girl stuck in the seventies, with the big hair, and all the flower power.  So today is holiday Monday here, so I am keeping it short and sweet.

I wear my sunglasses at night

Get out your sunglasses, its the long weekend in Canada, the sun is shining, the grass is finally green, the barbeque is gassed up it;s time to plant those flowers, and time to Party.....So here;s a pop of red ,for your Sunday.

Spring Cleanup

I decided it was time for some Spring Clean-up on the Blog.  I decided it needed a new header.  I also cleaned up some old links that had not posted in  awhile. Still got a few more things I want to do.  Still with the May Challenge, this one now that I look at it looks like a Christmas tree, I assure you it is not.

I also have been busy making a couple of art journals, and some ATC's.  The one above is an ATC.

I always thing of Spring Time as a renewal, and like to spring clean my house and now the blog, do you spring clean?

Air Mail

I made this air mail envelope into a postcard.  All I did was cut it to postcard size, put a blank card inside, sew up one side, and put the post card info on the back side, and here it is.  I can't say the airmail

envelope was my original idea I saw it here      http://blogdelanine.blogspot.ca/2012/05/via-air.html as an envelope  , and thought that would make a really cool

postcard, and then I also put flowers on it for the May Challenge.  What's on your schedule today, its raining, so no deck sitting for me, so I guess I will go grocery shopping instead, a girl's gotta eat.

Okay have a great Friday and see back here on Saturday for more flowers, its almost done.

lee

Pan Pastels

This picture started out as a magazine page of a bowl of flowers.  The first thing I did was use pan pastels, they didn't take to well, to the glossy page.  The next thing I did was use a fan brush, and paint white for the flowers, keeping a flower shape, and out line the base of the vase, and the background.  Then i reused the pan pastels.  The only thing I forgot to do, was show you the before picture, but to late now.  

16 shades of flower

well its day 16 I believe and I am still creating flower pictures.  Though I did join an online class and am really enjoying it, only 30.00  it is at http://artjournaling.ning.com/ and its called

Eclectic Art Journal ling w Gulfspirte.  She has a great teaching style, she shows you a different way to alter your journal pages, and different books that you maybe would never use,

Well today I am wearing a different hat, its the cleaning hat, got some laundry to do, dusting, things to return to the library, a dog to take for shots to the vet.  A mother in law to take to the doctor.  

For mother;s day I got a new book that I wanted from the Shopper called 50 shades of Grey, lets just say it's not for you if you don't like reading about sex. ,  Sot, far I like it, i am not the least bit intimidated by a book that has a ton of sex in  it.  If it's good enough for the bestseller list it's good enough for me.

I feel pretty.....or so pretty....

Well hello, what's up with you today? Today is a go day.  I am just going to post this blog,  then I am outta here, like a shot of lightning.  I am on my way to meet a friend for lunch, then to the art store and then i might take my camera and go wandering.  I am free and clear today, hubby is out of town, so no supper to make, only grazing will be allowed.  You know where you stand in front of the fridge and wonder what you have in there that's healthy and good for you, and doesn't require you to work up a sweat in the kitchen.  I might even have time to dance around the art table and try and make something.  So i better go and get this day started.

P.S. I am wearing a new shirt i bought as a celebration of my weight loss.  I have on my blue jean capris, and red leather flip flops, so i am feeling gooooood.  

A day of ATC's

I have been making ATC, here are a few samples of what I have been up to.  The bear is not quite finished yet.  I signed up for an ATC swap and decided to practice making a few.  I have not made any for a long time.  I am going to try and make some today, where I don't draw on them, more collage like. Other than that, I had a great mother's day, out for lunch with the mother in-law, the shopper and the hubby.  The shopper bought me the Book "Fifty Shades of Grey| a trilogy, some flowers, so all in all I had a great day.  I hope you all had a great day, now its back to business.  The top two ATC's i had some clear acrylic with a small circle design on it, and cut it to fit the egg, and the other ATC.  I thought it added another dimension.

P.S still keeping with the flower challenge, I added flowers to the bird picture.

Lee

Matisse Inspired

Underneath this postcard, there is all kinds of paper, and stuff, then I spray painted it all different colours, and added white paint.  I wanted it to look like a Matisse garden.  OK, here is my question, should I put stems and stuff on the flower heads, or just leave them.  When the girl who gets this postcard, know i meant it to look like that, or will she think she got a piece of crap?

Its a beautiful morning....

Another day another flower, only this time on a head of a woman.  I started out with only charcoal, and the flower was going to be the only colour, but it didn't work for me.  So added to much colour.  hence the to pink cheeks. Well its a beautiful Saturday morning, and hubby and i are going to work out in the yard together and bond, ah doesn't that give you a warm feeling in the pit of your stomach.  So now I am going to go and get my work clothes on and get out of these high heels, and i will talk to you tomorrow

Friday Share

Did you know I took a lettering course from  http://joannezsharpe.blogspot.ca/       and this was one of my practice pages and of course could not just write on it, had to draw leaves and a flower.

Today since it is Friday I am going to link you to a few favourites of mine..

http://www.origamichicken.com/

http://papierenavonturen.blogspot.ca/

http://traceyfletcherking.blogspot.ca/

Well hope you enjoy your Friday .....its out to dinner tonight with hubby.

lee

Painting style

As you can tell I love bright colours , and i love  drawing these flowers (cant remember what they are called) and those things are suppose to be vases, (lol).

Well yesterday I had a surprise in the mail I received a new painting book I had ordered.   .  I loved the look of the book, the pictures, but it was short on technique and long on getting into the mood to paint.  Truthfully it must be very hard to write a book and explain how you do something, especially painting, because its all kinda spur of the moment.  She paint beautifully, and lots of wild colour, and her technique is her own you couldn't duplicate that even if you wanted to.    So the painter is Flora Blowley and the book is Brave Intuitive Painting overall I really enjoyed it.

Pod Love

you know I love to sketch, and draw, and i mostly use my favourite black pen

from staples, just some cheapo pen, and when you add water it runs, I like that about it.

So this is just a picture from my sketch book, in tune with the challenge, flowers.

Today was one of those crazy days, i am sure you all have had them, where it seems you run around and get nothing accomplished, I seem to  have alot of  those days.  Right now I am simmering some chicken stock for soup tom tomorrow, so I don't have to worry about it Thursday's dinner, and its suppose to rain, so sounds like a soup day to me. Question of the day, what is your favourite rainy day meal.

Okay talk to you all Thursday.

to do

1.  take devil dog for short walk
2. take car for oil change
3. swim
4. pants to tailor
5. walk devil dog
6. lunch with neighbour
7. set up spray paint station in garage
8. inventory spray paint
9. stop at store for Salmon
10. load of laundry
11. wash kitchen floor
12. sit outside and enjoy the sunshine 
13. blog

What;s on your to do list this Tuesday?

Just going with it

I decided it was time to change it up and today made a small collage first it was just black and white, then I tore the square to rough it up some, because it looked boring.  Then I decided to use some colour, which I had a small leftover square of some painted papers, and then decided it was off centre, its all better go with odd numbers so used a stamp . I always worry while making a collage about the balance.  So here's the question of the day, if you make a collage, do you just go with it, or do you plan it out?

mother earth

Meet mother earth, she takes care of the plants and flowers, so she should be yellow right?  I dont know what I was thinking but here she is in all her yellow glory.  Well that's it for today, longer posts during the week, i like to keep them short and sweet and leaving you wanting more (lol)

Short and sweet

decided to change it up today, used only painted paper, and tape, and bluey markers.

So truthfully it looks way better in person.  Since its the weekend and nobody likes  long posts that is it for today.

Blog Talk

. 

This is a 2fer, its a postcard I made for a swap, and since its flowers, its for the Flower Challenge.  I use a painted background that I did in acrylics, and the flowers and the outline of the bowl was done in markers, they worked the best on this pre painted paper I found.

 Today i have been blog surfing and reading some new and old blogs, and learning some new art techniques. I  was reading a blog about blogging, ( i would give you the link but I cant find it now) , and gave some tips on blogging and not getting burnt out.  Because don't you sometimes say to yourself , geez why do I blog,  So her advice  was step back, and remember why you first started to blog.  Why doesn't it bring you joy now, what have you been doing different since you started your blog to make you think you want to quit .  It might be your expectations have not been met. 

 When I first started my blog five years ago, i started it for me, to document my life and my journey into an artful life.  A life i wanted now that I was not working.  I had no expectations on how many people would read my blog.  Now five years later, I feel that I am doing what I set out to do.  And still feel joy when people comment on my blog, but don't get me wrong there are some days that I wake up and think i should quit that blog.  But i know that if I did i would miss it and all of you.  So today s question is when you started your blog what expectations did you have?

Are you a visual artist

Are you sick of my flowers yet? I went to the library and got a flower book, so i could amp up my flowers.  Since I am not much of a flower person I thought I better start drawing some different flowers.  You can take pictures of flowers, but alas the flowers around here dont start coming up until at least June.  The weather been so cold (i have the heat on today) that it might be July.  I saw picture of some flower pots at this blog

http://dustyd-flyawayhome.blogspot.ca/search?updated-max=2012-04-21T10:08:00-07:00

Mine didn;t turn out quite as nice as the real ones, i changed it up a bit, used watercolour crayons, which dont really give you that pop of colour, but Sandy was so nice and let me print out the picture, so thanks Sandy once again.  I am not the kind of artist that can draw from my mind, some things yes but most things I visually have to see.  Question of the day, are you a visual artist, or an institutive artist ?.

Couch Potato

  Hello, how are you all doing?  Today's flowers need a little love and attention they are looking a little droopy.  Maybe its the pot I am not to happy with oh well, here's to tomorrow.  What have you all been doing?  I have not been doing much, I participated in a postcard swap over at  http://flutterbye.ning.com/, and am looking at maybe taking another online course.  Went to Chapters books today, and picked up the new Somerset Studio magazine.  Other than that here's to laying on the couch and reading art magazines today , what's your day look like? 

May Flowers

April showers  snow bring May Flowers

I love drawing flowers, I love flowers, but I am no gardener, I buy my flowers.  So I loved entering this challenge of having some sort of flower in my posts for May.  We will see if I can keep it up for the month , but I will give it a try.  If you want to challenge yourself here is the link to the site.

http://lorimoonstudio.blogspot.ca/