Oh wow. So many ideas!

So I have a few ideas. Since the kids started school I have had some time alone. Its nice. And actually its not four hours.. I actually only get like 21/2. That is okay too! That is more than I have had in years! I have been making stuff. Lots of stuff. I actually took out my sewing machine! I pulled it out of the closet and dusted it off. Turned it on and it still purrs wonderfully. I am not really good with the machine but its really fun to use and try new stuff on.  So the first thing that I have made on it since I got it out yesterday is a cat collar! And that is what you see here.

I really wasn't sure if I wanted a bell on it or not so I just tacked one on with a tiny safety pin. Its a little rocky but its a start. My cats do not go outside so its just fastened with a button. I was just grabbing whatever I had handy!  I am going to make my dog a collar but I am going to use the pant legs from the jeans that all my girls cut this summer for shorts. I told them to save them for me incase I felt "crafty". Well I do.  Since last thursday I have made two hair clips for my girls, three necklaces out of thread, two pins and a cat collar! Wow. I did not know I had it in me! So I was thinking that

I should work on my "The Art Of Necking" blog. Then I can add all of my projects and even add some projects for others to do as well. I love blogs like that. This I just keep leaving to the painting. But really its more than that. It's just "ME" in general. So when I think I have to keep it to just painting I tend to stay away if I am not painting. That is not the way it should be done. So I will keep you all informed on my blog when I start adding things. I will link it here.   

Those are the other things I have made. I am off to the store now to see what I can find. Hope you all have a great day! Talk to you all soon!



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One of these days I will figure it out. Maybe!

My little Emmie was poking me in a place I did not appreciate being poked. I asked her to stop but instead she giggled and did it again. I wanted to tell her that if she did not stop I would break her finger. How could I say that to a little princess who kisses me on the cheek and tells me that she loves me and I am her favorite mommy? She trusts me to take care of her and to protect her. So instead I said "If you do it one more time I am going to break your... TOYS!"   She looked shocked - then her eyes filled with  tears and she began to pout. Uhh.  That is not what I expected at all. So I said, "Okay I will not break your toys  but I will break your finger?".  She looked up , smiled and then started to laugh.  I just do not get it!  She is getting ready to start preschool and she said that she can not go.  I asked her why and she threw her arms in the air and said " Because I do not know anything!" She makes me smile.  

They all go back to school this week and I am very curious what I am going to do with those 4 hours that I will have to myself for the first time in many years. I am almost nervous about it. But I know I will get used to it and most likely enjoy it. 

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Today is Trash Day!

Happy Birthday George Bellows! You 1800's American Painter, you! I am glad that you were influenced by Robert Henri, your teacher who was another American Painter at the same time. Shall we checkout one of your more famous paintings? Oh look there is one now! I believe you called it "Stag at Sharkey's"  Very nice.. Very nice! 

I called this post trash day because its Friday. Friday is one of our trash days. It was all I could come up with! I am reading a book right now that is called Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives (its a 1.50 if you follow this link actually). I have heard good things about the author and bad things. So far I have not read anything that I think is shocking or negative. I like it. Here is a quote out of the book that I thought was worth sharing -

 "Start dreaming...it doesn't necessarily have to come to pass. The dreams I've had changed. But it's important that you dream. Because if you can dream for your future, it means you believe in yourself now."

I think the book is useful. I have been taking bits and pieces from it and putting them in my pocket. 

So my 8 year old daughter has a friend over spending the night. She wanted to watch her favorite cartoon and share it with her friend. Lucky friend because its "Bleach". An anime series where they do not speak a lick of English. Only Japanese. Of course there are subtitles. But we are talking about 8 years and under watching this show. My kids are all sitting there laughing their heads off while this poor girl has not a clue what to do. She doesn't understand anything that is happening. Neither do my kids but they laugh so hard every time. So she is watching them and then she will look over at the show when they laugh and burst out laughing in the super fake laugh. Its making me smile to watch it. 

Nothing really going on today. Its supposed to rain again. All week it has rained! Yea! I have been loving it. I am ready for fall. The heat has been way too much for me this year. However.. I did get a rockin tan! ;) First time since I lived in Hawaii over 10 years ago. 

Now I need to start working on my stuff for my shop. I need to put new things in there. Crocheting just really takes a lot of time. Not that painting doesn't but Its all in the way you look at it *wink*. 

Well if I come up with anything else to rap about - I will come back. For now.. I am basically sitting here searching for things to talk about. ;)   

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Celebrating the life of a bully.

Last week I found out that my long time child hood bully passed away.  At first when I found out - my stomach sank and I felt sick and sleepy. Then I started to cry. I couldn't talk about him. Every time I tried to explain our relationship and how I felt about him, I would break down and cry. I could not think of anything good between us. Nothing. But yet I broke down and cried a lot. I really needed to figure it out. I was starting to think I was losing my mind. Maybe it was because I am over sensitive and death is not a comfortable subject for me? Who knows? Maybe because I have known him for so long that I actually cared about him? Yes I can see that as true. But how much did I care about him?  If you have some time I would like to give you a little history on our life. He made me cry a lot. He made me hate school. He made me feel so ugly when he would call me "Skankie Frankie". I hated going to PE because if you were on his team - he was so mean if you messed up. He would yell in my face and call me stupid. I think he teased me so much because we lived in a small town and they all knew my life at home. They knew my brother and I were not as fortunate as them. Kids can be so cruel. Everyone laughed at him of course because I believe they feared him. Its easy to get away from the bully if you laugh at him right? Wrong? He will still get you! I was not his only victim. There are others who remember him as I do. So he found me on Facebook recently. When I saw his friend request - I just stared at it for a while. At one point I had thought I forgave him because I thought I saw him weak. I was wrong. His friend request made me a little neurotic. I would go and creep his page over and over. I would follow all his conversations to see what he was saying to others. I wanted him to notice me so when I would leave any type of post I would think of him and wonder if he was reading it and if it made me sound "cool" to him. (Its funny because I did the same thing to a guy who I had known for so long and cared so much for. Him and his family. I ended up not caring as much as I had always thought. Nice to let that go finally.) Facebook is bad enough - Who needs this? I felt like I was in highschool all over again. So I ended up making a new Facebook. One for my friends and then the one I have now for all my close friends and family. I had a small conversation with him and the whole time I was obsessed about it. I was so careful not to say anything that he could use against me or make fun of me. So I joked with him. Seemed to work and I felt a little better. He really had not changed much by what I read and the things he was doing. He still seemed to be someone who made jokes at others expense.  And its so weird because all of those who used to laugh at him to escape him, were doing it on Facebook still!  So why was I crying so much? Well I was not sure why for a couple of hours. Then I figured it out. I was in mourning for this person because I could no longer tell him how much he hurt me! My chance was gone. I could have told him on Facebook and I thought about it - but I was so afraid he would make jokes about it and not care. So I avoided it.  I was on Facebook about 8 days ago and I found myself looking at his page again. So dumb. So I got off. A couple of days later my friend sent me a text and said "that is so weird about MH dying!" I had no clue who she was talking about. Then after I sent "who is MH" I said his name in my head. And that is when I felt sick and sleepy. She confirmed it with her next text.    So why am I telling you all this? Because I can not tell my old friend and peers. They all laughed with him and I think they would just be rude to me. So I am telling you. Whom I trust to just listen. So let me close this off as to how I feel today.   I am not angry. As a matter of fact when I was crying I found myself talking to God about him. Asking him to seek him out if possible and chat with him. Just give him a chance. Saying that right now makes me want to cry again. Yep. I am upset. Anyway - I do not want bad things for him. He taught me a very valuable lesson in life. "Treat others the way you want to be treated". That is a big lesson in my house. My children are constantly reminded to take care of those who are weaker or smaller. This includes other children at school, animals all the way down to ants and spiders. Maybe I have taken it too far with the spiders but still - We have to take care of each other with kindness and love. And for that lesson - I thank you MH! It helps me to celebrate our relationship that we had and accept it as something positive. I pray for peace for his family and for him to Rest Peacefully as well.                                  Life is what we make it. I just want to make it. 


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Mona Lisa

I was reading my art magazines today and I came across this interesting factoid about the Mona Lisa. It reads in "The Artist Magazine" :

Did you know there was a forced two year vacation from the Louvre that helped Mona Lisa achieve widespread fame? In 1911 a former employee stuck the portrait under his shirt and walked out. They found him in 1213 when he was trying to sell the painting to a dealer.   Now the most interesting part for me was the part where is says: "Meanwhile, people lined up to walk by the bar spot normally occupied by the Mona Lisa."  Wow. :) Here are a few more that I found around the net that made me say wow also. 

The Louvre build a room for this painting alone. And it cost them over 7 million dollars. There is even bullet proof glass in front of it. It is valued as priceless and that is why they went to such extremes. 

I never realized she did not have eyebrows but they think that maybe a long time ago a restoration went wrong and they ended up rubbing them out. Or perhaps Leo was just as lazy as they say he was and never finished her eyebrows. Maybe he forgot!? I remember in an art card I painted once of two blue whales.. Mommy and baby.. I was finished.. Gave it away and then realized.. I never painted in the eyes! So I can see it happening!

By the way.. Are any of you working on ACEO cards by chance? I need to do a few. I was looking around the kitchen for inspiration today. Maybe I will paint one of popcorn.. and another of a watermelon. Two of my favorites. Also.. you might enjoy this blog that I came across today http://art.jerryandmartha.com/ Martha's art history blog. 

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I read this book a couple of months ago - and I encourage you to read it too! I loved it. :):) I found a new respect for the impressionist and learned something along the way. Manet is now one of my favorite aritist. The book even made me cry.. Twice!

I have been gone for too long!

Wow. It seems like it has been forever since I was last here. I think I have been lost! A lot of little things have happened to slow me down. I have not been very productive "art" wise if you have not noticed. However tonight  I was sketching. I have been reading and studying up on certain things. I guess I can tell you what the big deal has been with me and art. Well I have been wanting to learn how to glaze. So I had tried with the last painting that I posted about. FLOPPED! I ended up painting white over her. Then I tried to paint her again.. No. Complete failure. So there went the self confidence. Funny thing about this all is I have painted people before! I did not think about it when I was doing it and they turned out fine! So I have a hang up now because I did not finish her. I will carry her weight until I do. I know I know. :) And when I do finish her or finally get it done.. I will fly! I know I know. I am going to do it a third time. I just need to start it. Canvas is ready and waiting...               So for now.. I was sketching... I am wanting to learn the facial features without the aid of graphs. Yes. I draw all my faces with graphs because it takes about 8 hours less time. I can do it without... but.. it takes me so long!   

So I want to work on that. This is the sketch I did tonight. A very fast one mind you. 

Either way its nice to be so loose with things and just do it instead of trying to be perfect! 

Oh and I almost forgot! I actually did do a painting in the last couple of weeks. This one. They are Apricots. I made them a little brighter and the table is much better but this is the basics of the painting. I painted it because I got some apricots from the store and I ate one and so many child hood memories came back. My cousin (might as well be my sister) had an Apricot tree in her yard. Before they were even ripe we would take them off the tree and eat them or have a war with them. I have not really eaten them since then. Sooo.. I ate them.. and I painted this because I miss her. She was going to come and visit me this summer but it has been way to hot for her. We are in the 110s this summer. Its not normal. Its way to hot! We do not go anywhere between noon and 8pm. No joke. Its depressing! My husband wanted to put it in a charity auction but I did not want him to because I did not feel it was really a nice enough painting to do something like that with and I have not painted in months. So I chose this one instead. They loved it so much they were thinking they would buy it for their offices but then decided they are going to raffle it off because they think it will make a lot more money that way. Whatever - its for charity. :) 

I am curious how much it will go for. I do not know how much the raffle tickets are going to be but maybe I will buy one and try to win it back! Wouldn't that be something? 

Anyways.. I will try not to stay away so much this time. :) I am probably going to totally dump the whole Avon Gig. Its really not working out for me and I have not really been trying very hard lately anyway! ;) 

Hope you are all having a great night! 

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