KNOTTYNEEDLE

The Cat is Out of the Bag

2012-01-25T17:42:00.001-05:00

Every artist and craftster will tell you there are certain tricks to the trade. One of the hardest things is to pick out colors for any project you might be working on. This can be especially tricky for fiber artist working on ‘scrap’ projects. The problem with using up your leftovers, is often you don’t know what color to select next.

So I am here to spill the beans on how true artists pick the next color in their project………

CAT!

First, you put your work down somewhere, like the top of a desk or table, thinking no one will bother it there. Then you take one cat.

Who knows you were not referring to her about staying out of stuff. After all, she’s a ‘MUSE’.

And before long, with a little sorting and figuring…..

You have the next color you need to use on your project……if you are quick enough.

Being Brave–Latest Homework Assignment

2012-01-23T11:56:00.001-05:00

First off, let me say….I HATE HAVING MY PICTURE TAKEN!

My main objection I feel, is that I have memories from past life's. Therefore, when I look at myself in the mirror or in a picture, I am always shocked by what I see. That is not how I see myself. The shock as gotten bigger as I have gotten older. I don’t think I should be aging, but somehow I have gotten body parts from my grandmother and father. I am sure a shrink would find years of therapy in these revelations.

So anyway, my latest homework assignment was to draw a self-portrait. You might have gone ahead and told me to run naked down the road, because I would have probably done that before drawing myself. But we had the freedom to do it in any medium. After I thought of how I wanted to do it, I was looking at the self-portraits submitted by my classmates. Nice pencil or charcoal drawings, mostly from a picture of themselves. Everyone is pretty in my class!

And then there is me!

Yep, this is as good as it gets! Actually I think it’s better than reality. I am going for the Picasso or Frida Kahlo look here.

I took a 16 X 20 canvas and covered with torn book pages. On top of that, with a black Sharpie, I wrote out all the things I am….mother, employee, artist, writer, nurse, cook, etc. Then I covered it with a thin layer of white gesso.

And with Savvy’s box of acrylics I committed artistic suicide! After I finished, I glued the frames from an old pair of glasses I had laying around (with only 1 lens in it – don’t ask why I still had it). Actually, I think the glasses make a statement. I have been wearing them since I was 2, so lots of glasses over the years.

But here I am in all my glory. I think I’m going to go run naked down the road now.

Mer-mess

2012-01-18T11:16:00.001-05:00

I am loving this semester at school. My graphic arts classes are all so interrelated that what I learn in one class applies to another. In one class in particular, Illustration, we are getting some hands on art. Last week’s assignment was to take a set of words and make a paper mache sculpture to illustrate those words. The words I selected were – Under the sea, fat, tranquil, mischief, sorry. The first thing that came to mind was Ariel, in The Little Mermaid.

So I started out making a mermaid. A fat mermaid.

So I started out with foil and masking tape. She is laying on the foil I covered with alcohol inks to become her scales later on. Then I covered her in muck.

And I put her in the oven to dry. Along with some masks I made from molds I had on hand. The faces are all very serene and was going to use the mask to portray ‘tranquil’.

I made several different faces and sizes because I wasn’t sure which one I would need. So she baked all day long. Unfortunately, since it was cool outside, it was taking the paper mache a while to dry.

So she dried. I then painted her top half with acrylic paints, mixing to a semi-flesh color.

The bottom half I cut the foil into strips and scalloped one side and adhered with double sided tape on her tail. I cut strips of yarn and used some strips of paper that came in a package box for her hair. That went on with a glue gun and I only burned myself one time!

For the mischief I had her poking a shell with a stick.

So here is “Mermess”……

Last Day of Vacation

2012-01-16T07:52:00.001-05:00

After having almost a month off on vacation, I can now understand why my grandparents took their vacation in one chunk in the summer. I enjoyed the holidays without worrying about doing things around work. Then I had plenty of time afterwards with the start of school to get all organized and ease into the classes. I have rearranged and organized rooms. But unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

So this is the sunrise on my last day of vacation.

It is cold this morning and after getting up several mornings to take pictures, still forgot my gloves. But the mist was skimming the water. I was standing on the apron of the dam in order to take a picture straight across lake.

And this awaits me today.

My paper mache mermaid in the making. This is my project today. Want to get her finished before going back to work as she is due on Wednesday. So going to fix some breakfast and then work on my mermaid and enjoy my last day of vacation…..until March.

Fragrant (Fantastic) Pears

2012-01-14T08:23:00.001-05:00

If you are an Eddy Izzard fan, you will remember in one of his shows he did a bit on pears. Basically, it was about how one minute the pear is too hard to eat. You could use it for a hammer. Turn you back and they are mush. And tasteless. Not really any good flavor. Growing on on basically Bosc-type pears it is a theory I can hold with. One of my favorite ‘salads’ mom would do would be to take canned pears, lay a couple of halves on a Bibb lettuce leave and put some grated cheddar cheese on it. That, and making pear honey or pear preserves are about the only way I like pears and they aren’t either hard or mushy.

Last year, Savvy and I were at Grand Asia market in town. She has a close friend whose grandmother is from Japan and taught Savvy about some Asia foods (particularly candy), and we stop in occasionally. We found these pears and she wanted ‘fruit’ , so we picked up a couple to try. Went we got home she sliced it up (braces won’t allow her to bite). I managed to get 1 small sliver out of the deal. They were so, so good. Crispy, without being hard. And tasty. Unbelievably yummy.

So yesterday I was out running errands (i.e. paying bills) and stopped by Grand Asia market. I had dual duty. First, I wanted to get some salmon. They have a fish market which is unbelievable to our Western eyes. Tanks with fish swimming around in it. They had a bin with live blue shell crabs you could pick out the exact ones you wanted. When you get your fish, they will put it in a plastic bag and if you need it, they will fix a little bag of ice to go in there to keep it cold until you get home. How cool is that! Secondly, and really more importantly, I wanted to check and see if they have Kit Kat bars. Not the Kit Kats we have here in the States, but rather the flavored Kit Kat bars you can get in Japan. Unfortunately, they didn’t have them.

But it is “Fragrant Pear” season!

They wrap each little pear in tissue paper and a protective sleeve. Just the right size for a snack. So sweet and crisp, but not hard. Flavorful. So Tuesday went I go back to work, on my way home I will have to make a detour by Grand Asia and pick up some more. Hopefully, the fragrant pear season will last for another month when Savvy comes back so she can have some too.

Savvy as a PS Experiment

2012-01-12T15:03:00.001-05:00

Practicing with Photoshop and some tutorials I found so that I can expand my abilities with using it. So, fortunately or unfortunately, Savvy and Texter have become victims of my practice. I have tried to be kind in what I ‘do’ to them.

This is a watercolor technique using this photo of Savvy.

So I cropped the picture and started from there. Between inverting colors, adding masks, some cloning, this is the final result.

The tutorial I was working from had text on the image, but I didn’t like the look of adding any text to it. I beginning to figure this out and feel more comfortable with it. More experiments to come!

Photoshop–Glass Orb

2012-01-10T16:16:00.001-05:00

In one of my classes we had to suggest a Photoshop Tutorial site for our classmates. I selected this site, because of the number of tutorials listed. I then decided I wanted to give one a try since I was suggesting it, and went to this tutorial on creating a glass orb. I thought I would give it a try on one of my background pieces. I got about halfway through and got stuck. But I wanted to make a glass ball!

Sssssoooooo……..

off I go to YouTube for help. There I found a ton of tutorials and used one created by Digital Goulash. And by following his clear instructions, I created this…….

I even remember to put my shadow on the opposite side of where the sun was coming up. I can’t wait to run through more of these tutorials, because they are giving me the chance to do with Photoshop what I wanted to do all along….play with my pictures.

New Technique and Homework Redone

2012-01-08T08:08:00.001-05:00

I was going through YouTube for something else and came across a technique I wanted to explore a little further. I must say I can get lost in watching YouTube. I started out looking for one thing, and if I am not careful, I am on something else entirely. Or have about 3 hours worth of videos to watch.

The purple and green is ink. The black leaves is Sharpie. I am going to utilize this technique on my postcards in the swap coming up. I already have the background laid and the cards cut out of a larger piece of foam core into 5 X 7 postcards. Light, but sturdy.

Now I have to go back and redo a homework assignment on “doodles”. If I read the instructions better, it was to be a set of thumbnails of 25 different doodles, not one big piece. Oh well, I want to watch “Labyrinth” again today after Savvy showed me a David Bowie look alike.

One of the Benefits of Vacation

2012-01-07T15:03:00.002-05:00

Normally, I am heading to work when the sun comes up. My chance at seeing the sunrise is through the windows of my car. So it has been very nice to greet the sunrise with a cup of coffee and planning out my day (or not planning out my day).
So this is the sight that greeted me today as the sun rose and I walked down to the lake for some pictures.
I can’t wait for the full moon in a couple of days. I was out yesterday as the moon rose to snap some pictures. My goal is to catch the heron that makes this his/her territory. It seems there is a pair here.
See him/her in the tree? I would really like a camera with a lens where I could take some close-ups of wildlife. But unfortunately, those are way, way down on my list of wants and needs.
I need to get my birdwatchers manual out and find out exactly what kind of water fowl these are. I can identify geese and mallards.
So I’ll wait for another chance for a picture of the herons. And the full moon.

Week 1 Homework in Illustration

2012-01-06T07:47:00.001-05:00

One of my classes this semester is Illustration – as it pertains to Graphic Arts and Web Design. After reading the syllabus, I am really excited because it reads more like an art class than a business class. Huzzah!

Anyway…..

one of our first assignments is to ‘doodle’. We had to fill a page with at least 25 different doodles. Just about broke my heart, I can tell you. Being forced to sit for a couple of hours, in front of the television, ‘doodling’. May all my assignments be this fun. Now if I can just figure out ‘stroke’ as it pertains to an illustration in Photoshop.

Buddha

2012-01-03T08:10:00.001-05:00

I was raised in the Methodist church. Mainly, I think, because (1) in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s this is what you did – go to church and (2) my mother was the church secretary. Anyway, at one time in my life I was always at church. But it never seemed a spiritual thing, it was strictly social. And since then, after watching the church politics, I have been very disenchanted with ‘organized Protestant’ religions.

As I got older, my search of spiritual roots have waxed and waned. Does the ‘waxing and waning’ give you a clue as to where my leaning are these days?

Anyway, I took a World Religion class last semester and was intrigued by religions, like Islam, Buddhism and the Jewish religion, where religion was more than just 1 day a week. How their religion played into their everyday life and it was more of a culture than a religion. How things like your diet played into your religion. So since then I have been interested in Buddhism – mainly because it seems so peaceful.

Now all of this was leading up to this….

I am loving the purple Buddha. He was part of a purple garden display at the North Carolina State Fair this year.

And then tucked away in a corner was this Buddha.

Both Buddha’s want to make me sit down, take a deep breath and close my eyes and fall into myself and the moment.

Sewing I Want to Do

2012-01-01T08:21:00.001-05:00

I need to get my sewing machine tuned up. I have some sewing I want to do. This is both for me and the girls for Spring/Summer.

I saw the cutest black and white kitty print for Savvy.

And these look so comfortable for work and easy to make. Really would like a serger to work with knits, but will use my machine.

I want the wide legged ones. Who cares if my butt looks just as wide in them!

And there are these pants. I need to get away from jeans.

And a pair or two of shorts for the summer.

I have been looking for a pattern similar to this since last year and an Anthropologie catalog came out with a similar dress. Their collar was beaded and cost almost $300. I’m not going that fancy.

I feel I could dress this up or down for work and for home.

So, I have sewing plans. This time it’s for me and maybe the girls. But no heavy fabrics for Ren Faire costumes. I do have one order for Savvy for her cosplay outfit, but that is a simple sundress and some arm and leg things. Now come on machine and cooperate!

End of the Year, Start of the New Year

2011-12-31T07:02:00.001-05:00

The girls have come and gone. And the house seems really quiet at times. However, there is a lot going on under the surface.

First off, I am in a panic. I can’t find my camera! I know I had it recently and downloaded pictures. But what has happened to it since then I don’t know. And with classes starting in a few days I know I will need it for my drawing class to send in pictures of my work. But hopefully, what I have planned over the next couple of days will allow me to find it.

Today is my bedroom. Moving all the ‘extra’ stuff out, like craft supplies and junk. Bringing in a larger bookcase for all my favorite books….Laurell K Hamilton, Jim Butcher, Anne Bishop to name a few. My rocking chair will go in there also. And setting up my altar again. My bedroom will be a place of sleeping and meditating.

Then, onto the guest room. It will house my crafts and work areas. My how-to books will go in here. The living room will be last, along with my desk area.

Hopefully, I can get this all done in the next day or two. Then I will have two days before school starts again to pile on the couch and watch ‘stuff’ and knit.

Twenty One Years Ago

2011-12-28T06:28:00.001-05:00

This time 21 years ago I was a new mother. I had never expected to have children. But here I was, the first time I had ever spent Christmas away from my family, in the hospital, having given birth to my first daughter.

Luckily, despite me, she has grown up to be a fantastic person. One of whom I am pleased to be around, even if she isn’t my daughter.

From a joyous child who loved, and still loves, to dress up and pretend.

To a young woman of many moods.

She is smart, talented, resourceful, witty….many things I don’t know how she came about having and being.

And she has promised to take care of me during the coming Zombie Apocalypse.

Happy Birthday, sweetheart.

Christmas Morning Update

2011-12-27T19:20:00.001-05:00

So, still running a little slow after Christmas. But I did have my ‘buns’ in gear for Christmas morning.

My ‘buns’ were, to the left, orange non-cinnamon rolls. And to the right, apple non-cinnamon rolls. Texter is allergic to cinnamon. Which is a pity because I like cinnamon. But now that she is gone I can have cinnamon in the house!

Anyway…..

then my buns were done. No bun pun intended. Then the cream cheese icing for the buns.

Of the two types, the apple were by far the favorite. I do have to say, Pillsbury has the orange cinnamon rolls down. There is nothing like popping that can of rolls, but the apple I made…..yummy. I did put allspice in them, but with cinnamon they would be way good. You use apple cider in the batter and then reduce cider down for the frosting. Chopped apples in the roll also. The recipe is from here.

Savvy felt this way about someone getting her roll….

Afghan in Progress

2011-12-26T06:45:00.001-05:00

One of the things I wanted to do during my long vacation period was to do a ‘Lost’ Marathon. Gibbs (Texter’s boyfriend and a Marine, hence the Gibbs nickname) has all 6 seasons on DVD. I had started the show when it was on TV, but got behind during the second season. This was one show I had to be anal about and watched from start to finish or it just got too weird to follow.

Anyway, my plan is to relax, do a few things around the house, get a good start on next semester’s schooling and watch ‘Lost’. And since I can’t just sit and watch TV, I am using up the rest of my scrap yarn and creating an afghan.

The pattern I got out of a recent knitting magazine. I am going to have to say I am really bad in that I copied down the basic instructions and forgot to list the magazine I got it from. But if you have knitted washcloths in the past, this is the basic idea. Start with 2 stitches, increase to 40 and then decrease to 2, changing colors at the 40 stitch marker. Yes, there are a lot of long tails on these squares, but I am going to have to join them together and it seemed leaving long tails would make it easier.

Currently, I have 12 done. The fun is going to be once I have all these squares done, flipping and turning to see if I just want it really random or to make some sort of pattern. I figured to make a decent size afghan I need 36 more squares. Then in the middle of the night I had this idea of making half squares (ok, triangles) to go around the edge.

This square has the advantage of being a no brainer to knit. So I can definitely pick up and put down at will and while knitting don’t have to remember any complicated pattern. Also has the advantage of being able to use little bits and pieces. Between my scarf (which I will take some pictures of today, I promise) and this afghan, but scrap bag will be down to nothing.

Happy Holidays

2011-12-25T08:10:00.001-05:00

Christmas Day dawned here cold (ok, in the mid-30’s) and foggy. Since all the ‘children’, two and four legged, where still slumbering, I bundled up and went to the water to take some pictures of the sunrise and fog.

This was the scene when I arrived. Still a little gloomy. But very quiet and peaceful. I could hear the water running over the dam and the traffic in the distance.

Then the sun started to make it’s appearance over the top of the trees and between the clouds and fog.

A couple of ducks joined my morning meditation.

The birch on the far bank looked ghostly in the fog. Very surreal. At times I was almost expecting to see an old canoe being paddled silently through the waters by a couple of Native Americans. Or maybe that was just my wishful thinking.

The air was so still the clouds and trees were perfectly reflected on the water.

What a great way to celebrate the day.

Just Rollin’ Along

2011-12-24T06:16:00.001-05:00

Did get up and take a break from my ‘Lost’ marathon in order to give this recipe a try. As much as I love crusty bread, I also love soft, yeast rolls. The kind you get in restaurants. Texter also is a big roll love too. I had come across a couple of Texas Roadhouse roll recipes, but finally decided to give this Honey Roll recipe a try. Another thing that interested me was that it was also for the bread machine. I don’t have the knack for kneading down yet.

Needless to say, rising was not an issue. So much so, it remind me of a big belly. And it smelled really great just rising. So after punching down and letting it rest in the fridge since I had a few hours until dinner, this was the outcome.

Ok, so I need to work on my uniformity with crafting rolls. And unfortunately, I forgot, in the heat of the moment, so to speak, to take a picture of the final product. But they were definitely of the texture I was looking for. Needed to pull out of the oven just a minute or two earlier or cover the top of the rolls, because they did get a little over baked and crunchy. But this is definitely a keeper. And a recipe I can half easily. Doing it again I would probably have some honey butter made up to butter the rolls with while eating. I have a big jar of local honey I bought at the farmer’s market just begging to be used.

Honey Rolls for the Bread Machine

1 cup lukewarm milk
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
2 tablespoons honey
3 1/2 cups bread flour (I did use all purpose in my trial)
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

Topping

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

Put in bread machine in order given. When adding the yeast, make a hole in flour and put yeast in the hole.

Put on dough cycle.

On lightly floured surface, divide dough into 20 equal parts and shape into smooth balls.

Place balls in greased 9 X 13 pan.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cover with clean cloth/towel and let rise in warm place until double in size (20 to 30 minutes).

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until light golden brown.

Heat butter and honey in microwave and brush over rolls.

Remove immediately from pan.

First Project

2011-12-23T13:27:00.001-05:00

While I am doing all my moving and switching around (and school work), I am participating in this swap.

I figure it will be a fun way to start the new year. And as I move stuff, I will definitely be able to pull mixed media out of bins and boxes.

But I love postcards. Need to get active again on Postcrossing. It’s fun to get a beautiful card in the mail. Beats bills in the mail.

Winter Solstice

2011-12-22T05:36:00.001-05:00

December 22 is the Winter Solstice. I took a few pictures of the moon when it was full a few days ago.

I live near a branch of a river and there is an area which has been dammed to form a small lake. It’s private and quiet. So I waited in the cold and stillness to take some pictures.

I would like a tripod to be better able to take some ‘moon shots’. I live in an area where the moon coming up through the trees is beautiful.

Of course, big difference in walking to the water in the freezing temps (at least that night) of December versus the summer is about the length of a snake in the dark. This night I only had to worry about a beaver which scared the pee out of me as it whacked it’s tail on the water as I walked by.

This night did teach me stillness and peace. It felt good.

Being Still

2011-12-21T06:17:00.001-05:00

I would put my activity level, if asked, at higher than a slug and lower than a tree sloth. I do have 2 two dogs to walk a few times a day, but overall, physical activity is not high on my list of things to do each day. What I do find myself doing is a lot of computer work, reading, needlework, crafts – all of which find me sitting.

Therefore, when I came across this site the other day, I was very surprised.

Do Nothing for 2 Minutes

So I clicked and sat…….

for about 5 seconds. Then I started squirming. I had ‘stuff’ to do.

At thirty seconds, I was about ready to come out of my skin. I needed to change out the load of wash. I needed to finish cleaning Texter’s old room. There was some cooking to do. I needed to do this and that.

I last a whole minute! I couldn’t sit still for two minutes.

So…….

As I am cleaning and moving stuff around the house during this vacation time, a space to sit and be still is going to be important.

Bookmarks and a Small, Small World

2011-12-11T13:41:00.001-05:00

I stumbled upon this blog, The Vintage Lemon . Some of the most beautiful photography going on here. Anyway, she was having a giveaway for 2 bookmarks. And since I have a ton of books I read, I entered the contest.

I entered the giveaway, saying if I won them I would give one to Savvy because she was my reading buddy and had recently moved 2300 miles away. It would be a way to stay connected every time we used the bookmarks. And I won! This was the end of November and with all the holiday stuff going on I actually forgot I had won them.

Sooooo……..

I worked for someone on Saturday and got home after dark and didn’t check the mail. So, once again working for someone today (Sunday), I stopped by the mail boxes on my way out at 5am and pulled out this little padded envelope. Glanced at the return address and it was for San Tan Valley. Hhhhmmmmmm. Why would Savvy be mailing me anything when she is going to be here in 10 days? Besides the writing was way to neat to be hers.

Got to work (and light) and looked at the package. Didn’t recognize the name (short memory here) and opened up the package. I pulled out this lovely gauze bag and two beautiful marks were inside. (Unfortunately, I left them at work so I will take pictures tomorrow.) But what intrigued me more was the address. In all the United States, what are the odds of winning something, from a random blog, based in the same town as my daughter?

Once I got home this afternoon, I google mapped the address. THEY LIVE 1 MILE APART! Ok, I am officially blown away by the odds of all of this. But everyone needs to visit Marci’s blog. Right now she has me looking for some cute skirts to wear floral tights with. Might be getting out the sewing machine on vacation.

Empty Nester

2011-12-10T06:24:00.001-05:00

Well, Texter moved out last night with her boyfriend. Of course, this is after advising me she didn’t like to do dishes and when I asked who would do the dishes then…”J will”…Ok, let’s see how long that will last.

However, after viewing this….

I don’t think I am really an ‘empty nester’. They require just as much attention and care. And there are 3 cats, too.

But I am ssooooo looking forward to this. No more freezer with cheap pizzas and bagel bites in there. I can really watch what I eat. In fact, when I go into work today there will be a box of grapefruit and oranges waiting for me to pick up.

However, both girls will be coming home for Christmas. Savvy for about 10 days and Texter for a couple of days. So I won’t be by myself for long.

More Homework

2011-11-27T18:50:00.001-05:00

Still working with charcoal and light and dark values. It has been interesting to ‘erase’ charcoal to get the light values and add more to get the darker values. I did get some vine charcoal for this exercise. It looks like a small vine turned into charcoal, but it gives me more flexibility than the sticks I think.

Here is the still life I set up.

Actually, I was pleased with the lighting on this picture itself. Very dramatic and almost an Old Master’s look to it in my opinion.

This is my sketch. Not quite as dramatic, but adequate I think. It does look better in person than in this picture.

I Have Decorated for Christmas

2011-11-26T20:30:00.001-05:00

Pulled out a bit of this and that and a bit of glue and silver spray paint and glitter and my Christmas decorations are finished.

This is the tree I created out of branches from the yard, silver spray paint, glitter spray, and a few little plastic snowflakes and a small string of blue lights.

I will dig up a piece of blue fabric to drape the top of the dresser in the living room to cover the box the vase is sitting on. I can’t have a ‘real’ tree with the dogs and cats, so this is my alternative. You can’t really see the branches are silver and glittery in the dark.

My favorite is the finished wreath I started a few weeks back. I had to wait until foil wrapping paper came out. This is my completed wreath.

While the original instructions had balls in the center, I expanded on the idea and included a small string of white lights and pulled the cord through the back. I also lightly sprayed the cones with glitter spray. I also combined a few balls with multi-colored bells in the colors of blue and silver. I have to let the wreath set up overnight so the glue will hold when hung up on the wall. But it is a large wreath. The backing is two pieces of foam core taped together. If I make more I will use smaller pages to make the wreath a little more manageable. I am pleased with how it turned out.

Ok, my Christmas is done now. All except the cooking. I promised Savvy we would bake when she comes for Christmas.

Thanksgiving Goodies

2011-11-25T18:18:00.001-05:00

I did the regular, traditional foods for Thanksgiving and added a couple of new dessert recipes.

The first is a Paula Dean recipe, Pecan S’more Bars….yep, a zillion calories later….

But my favorite, and the simplest, was the Apple Slab from Pillsbury. I made half a recipe and did it in a round cake pan. I lined the pan with parchment paper and slid it out onto a plate.

Which, by the way, is good for breakfast.

From Lady to Zombie

2011-11-17T05:13:00.001-05:00

This is the results of a homework assignment in one of my classes. I used pictures of Savvy for my animated slide show.

I did enlarge it for this site. I will probably pull it in a month when class is over. And the quality, since I enlarged it for this site, is not great. But it was fun.

I Know, but….

2011-11-06T19:51:00.001-05:00

It seems like it has to be an all or nothing situation with regard to television programs. You can go along for ages, flipping channels or just plain ignoring what’s on and then WHAM! Here is a crop of worth watching programs. Normally, I only really care about NCIS (love my Gibbs) and Big Bang Theory. Now, unfortunately, I have to add three new shows to my list. The thing is they could all be group in the same genre, which is really surprising.

The first is ONCE UPON A TIME. A story within a story retelling of Snow White and all the other fairy tales we have grown up with. The Evil Queen (who has a fantastic black outfit) has cursed Snow White and the Prince and now they are in modern day, not knowing who they are. And a little boy knows what is going on and is trying to get Emma Swan, who is the daughter of Snow White and the Prince, to help save the day. Problem is Emma is the little boy’s biological mother who gave him up at birth and then there is Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin, played by Robert Carlyle, who I have to say is hot. Ok, I like Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister too!

Really good story line, all twisted up on itself like it is. But how come the bad guys know what the situation is and the good guys never do?

And following the story tale there is GRIMM. Now this storyline is a little less convoluted. The main character, Nick, is the last Grimm and can see things no one else can see it seems. He is a police detective and crimes are not what they seem to be. Unfortunately, the only person who can really tell him about his heritage, can’t, so he has to learn it on his own. Two shows down and it is interesting.

The third, talk about convoluted and odd…..AMERICAN HORROR STORY. Don’t try to multitask during this show or you will be lost. Creepy house which had bad things go on in in it the past. People who other people see as being different ages, ghosts,….well, let’s just say it’s weird. And good.

So, fortunately, I can watch the shows when I want to, but…..yep….3 less hours of sleep!

School Work

2011-10-30T10:01:00.001-05:00

This is one type of homework I have been doing recently.

A drawing of my hand for my sketchbook assignment. And this is my major assignment for the week….in charcoal.

This is a drawing of this……

Not the whole thing, just a portion of it are we suppose to focus on. I like my plaid scarf portion.

And this is some Photoshop work I did with some images for an assignment last week.

I really need to have the horse blend in a little better, or remove entirely, but we needed to use 3 pictures. I am also working on logos for Savvy Clay and my ‘web design’ portfolio. Those coming this afternoon.

So this is where my time is spent these days.

Bragging Rights

2011-10-29T14:28:00.001-05:00

I have to brag a little……

No, I have to brag a lot.

Savvy has created “Savvy Clay” and is producing tiny, polymer clay items, mainly food.

These are the earrings she did for me…which I have gotten a ton of compliments on.

And a cheeseburger…….

So, while my active art production has slowed to a stand still for school, she is going full tilt. Commissions are taken, so check out Savvy Clay on Facebook.

Hopefully, part of my schoolwork will be creating an actual website for her.

Green Woman

2011-10-25T08:14:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite images is that of the Green Man.

This drawing, from Spirit and Flesh, typifies the idea of the Green Man. A symbol of rebirth, sometimes called the Oak King, a favorite of mine for years.

So, as we were leaving the fair, a Green Lady appeared out of the bushes surrounding the garden displays.

Isn’t she lovely. The performer had was on stilts on her legs and arms. She almost had a spider effect. But she was completely covered in vines and leaves and grape clusters.

She did have such a peaceful countenance. So now I have a Green Lady to go with my Green Man.

Purple Garden

2011-10-23T17:34:00.001-05:00

This past week I went with Savvy and her boyfriend to the state fair. I haven’t been in years. But my final stop of the day is the garden area. I love the mini-gardens they design and implement. This year there was a beautiful purple garden.

And of this garden, my favorite part was the purple Buddha.

The beads in the background are suppose to be a ‘water’ feature and the whole design really struck a chord with me. But then I also liked the other water features in the garden.

I want water and a purple garden!

Christmas Wreath Project

2011-10-19T07:36:00.001-05:00

I have been doing bits and pieces of art. Some for class, some for myself. I started this wreath and hope to get some orders from people at work for Christmas. Just have to finish it up in the next day or two and do a second one that I will try and spray paint.

It’s made out of pages from an old book and rolled into a cone. Lots of them! And you build three layers of them to finally come up with this…..

It’s not finished yet. I have to mount it on a colored foil covered foam core board and put a bow or Christmas balls in the center. But I used an old dictionary for the pages and they are larger than the normal page you would find in a hardback book. So the wreath is HUGE! It will make a great focal point in a room.

I have a couple of ideas beyond what was given in the original instructions. I am thinking of spraying the wreath with “snow” and making it white. On a dark blue background, with white, blue and silver balls in the center. And then too, since it will be mounted on foam core, I am thinking of taking a string of lights and putting in the center. I could either do a hole in the center of the board for the wire, or with all the cones, a wire coming down would be pretty well hidden. We will see.

Of course, the cones are just the right size for Maki to stick his head in each one, checking it out. When finished, I will show pictures of the final wreath.

There’s a Different Light

2011-10-09T06:03:00.001-05:00

Besides the dip in the thermometer, there is another sure-fire way to know it’s autumn. There is a change in the light.

There seems to be s softness to it. Not the crisp, bright light of spring or the strong beam of summer, but a gentle light. There is a bit of a glow to it. Almost a sadness.

The light as I walk the dogs seems a little tired, like it has used up all it’s energy to warm us and it apologizing for the cold bit of winter to come.

I love the light in fall. It’s peaceful. Spring has that energy to it. Summer just plain wants to boil you. Winter bites at you. But fall just wraps you in a warm shawl about your shoulders.

Homework and More Homework

2011-10-02T09:01:00.001-05:00

I go to work. I come home and do homework. I take homework to work with me. All I seem to do is homework these days. But that’s fine, because I enjoy school and don’t mind the homework. However, I have had some assistance which is a little more assistance than I need.

Macchiato, or Maki for short, has emerged from my bedroom into the rest of the house. Especially if I am at the big desk working.

Maki feels it is his responsibility to assist…by getting into any and everything on top of my desk.

Helping with the computer is another favorite activity. Usually punctuated by walking across the keyboard several times. Luckily, I usually lock my touch pad and use a mouse, so not much damage is done.

And when Maki is not on the desk, then the top of my chair is a favorite perch. That way my hair can be eaten. That activity earned him his first claw trimming as kitty acupuncture was not what I had in mind.

I think, like diving in the Olympics, I should get extra credit for the difficulty of my task. This is worse than a child. At least they will settle down and watch a DVD.

Points Will Be De-“Ducted”

2011-09-25T17:20:00.001-05:00

Ok, I’m playing hooky from school so to speak. I need a non-school art fix and got it this weekend. The first rush is over, so now I will settle down and get back to school work. But in the meantime, here is the proof of my non-homework.

Yep, I’m making duct tape roses on the end of pens.

I have done 5 so far. Gave one to my supervisor and the 5th one is still in process.

They are a little time consuming, but very easy. Guess that is what my wee mind needed. I find it fascinating what patterns and colors duct tape comes in these days. And all the things you can do with duct tape. I am going to make a bunch of these for gifts for co-workers where I want to do a little something and not spend a lot of money. The leopard print one (not shown) is being saved for Savvy. Or at least one of them. A roll tape will make a bunch of pens. So back to school work and then I can make some more pens.

Boat Shoes -- Check

2011-09-22T13:53:00.001-05:00

I had stated earlier I want a pair of Sperry Topsiders and a pair of Bass Penny Loafers. Well, I got my Topsiders yesterday, or at least a very reasonable likeness. In fact, they are on my feet right now.

There’s my little shoe. Little…ha…I wear a size 10! And have since middle school. Mine are a little darker brown, more milk chocolate than caramel. However, the funny part is that Texter bought this color. Mom’s not so out of it fashion wise after all it seems. But they were really, deeply on sale at Kohl’s as we were wondering through. And since I have exactly 2 pairs of tennis shoes and that’s it…..the $27 didn’t seem to bad.

Playing in Photoshop

2011-09-17T18:10:00.001-05:00

I am slowly, but surely, learning more and more about Photoshop. I could have played with in on my own and learned as I went, but I am having more fun learning it in a systematic way. Here is my first collage I made up that is not homework.

I know I still need to work on resizing and cutting pictures out of other pictures, but it’s fun!

The background is part of a group of pictures I took of our flagstone walkway at work. I know I looked at little weird one day, all bent over, taking pictures of the rock. But they make some really interesting textures.

Of course, since I was working on this one, Texter happened by and demanded one of her. She doesn’t like me to take her pictures and I advised her I didn’t have too many pictures of her. I was then informed I could pull some off of her facebook page. So off I go to create a Texter collage.

Loving My Coffee, Prince

2011-09-16T17:53:00.001-05:00

Quite by accident I stumbled across this Korean TV show on Hulu. It involved a coffee shop so I thought I would give it a try. I have watched Asian movies in the past and don’t have a problem with watching something with subtitles. Big mistake!

For a little over 17 hours (each episode is a little over an hour), I have been glued to my laptop, watching Coffee Prince.

It’s hard to tell from the pictures, but the guy on the far left is “hunky”! The girl, who is the center of the show, is next to him. The second from the left is the guy from Japan who came to Korea looking for a lost love, and he’s dreamy too.

Despite being in glasses, the guy on the left is great looking and has a wonderful voice.

The eye candy aside, the story is cute. Eun-Chan is a 24 year old girl who has been supporting her family for 8 years now, since her father died. She does so by working several part time jobs, delivering food, milk, peeling chestnuts, making dolls. Half the time people can’t tell if she is a boy or a girl. Enter Choi Han Kyul who is the rich son who is forced to take over the running of this café in order for his grandmother not to disinherit him. He and Eun-Chan run into each other in a series of mishaps and he employs her as his ‘gay’ boyfriend to scare away potential blind dates his grandmother sets up for him. He thinks Eun-Chan is a guy. And so it goes for 17 hours.

It is not a comedy, although there are some funny moments. It’s not a heavy drama either. It’s damn riveting! Savvy calls me Fangirl now. The only problems with the show is that (1) it ran for only 1 season and (2) because I have to read the subtitles I can’t knit or do anything but stare at the screen.

Luckily, I have finished the show. Unfortunately, one of the characters has another show, Pasta, which I have bookmarked to watch. Drat!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Pounds!

2011-09-12T03:40:00.001-05:00

Well, maybe not a thousand, but the picture on the cover of the September issue of Southern LIving was enough to inspire me to make that cake. Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake with a Praline Frosting.

Now my cake is not as ‘pretty’ as theirs is. I couldn’t contain my cream cheese filling like they said, so I have a band of lighter cake all the way around. But does that affect how it tastes….not at all.

How many crunches will I have to do? I really don’t care. Cake for breakfast anyone?

Savvy….Red Mushrooms!

2011-09-06T16:52:00.001-05:00

Yes, every child must grow up and fly the nest. And I endorse that policy. However, there are times I really do miss Savvy being 2200 miles away. Like today. When it's rainy and humid and there is fungus and mushrooms everywhere.

Why does Savvy and mushrooms go together. Well, a while back we watched this foreign Asian film in which the hero and his mentor are on their journey and it takes them bounding through a forest. Now everywhere they ‘bounded’ (and they were bounding) there were these bright red mushrooms. We got to laughing that they were partaking of the ‘shrooms and not just running through the woods.

And what is popping up now that we have had some rain? RED MUSHROOMS!

To be completely honest, they are more of a bright orange, leaning toward red, than the mushrooms in the movie. Those mushrooms were the candy red in a children’s book …. right before the wicked witch eats them. But these little jewels are popping up all over the area I walk by with the dogs. Plenty of leaves and pine straw for spores to grow in. However, with a little internet research I don’t think I’m going to be chowing down on them anytime soon.

There are also these little gems.

They are also bright, bright orange and about the size of my thumbnail. There is a whole ‘patch’ of them in one area. These are apparently Red chanterelles. There is a whole big patch of them. If I knew of someplace to take the mushrooms for identification, I might do so. But I don’t love mushrooms enough to give them a try out of the wild.

I really do believe in brownies and fairies and toad stools, so there is some enchantment going on around here. Especially since they are making my mushrooms red in honor of Savvy.

August in Review

2011-09-04T07:59:00.001-05:00

When I start my ‘new year’ in August, I promised myself I would review the month once it was finished and see what was happening. August, my first month…..well, not quite what I had in mind.

Only wrote about 1200 words in August (before school started). and my exercise and eating, let’s say that sucks too. No real meditation, unless you count a few minutes in bed before I drift of to sleep, trying to clear my monkey mind so I can sleep.

My problem lies, I think, in trying to get in sync with the school schedule, studying, working and juggling them all until they fit into a flow. I feel that I’m finally getting there. All the classes have different ‘weeks’, so that has thrown me of a bit.

I have started a new piece of work though – a large canvas. Well, large for me. But more of that to come. Trying to get September in shape now.

Four Hour Cabbage

2011-09-03T18:17:00.001-05:00

Yep, four hours later I have a sketch of a cabbage cut up in chunks for my latest Basic Drawing class assignment. I now really, really hate cabbage. The actual page size is 18 X 24, so this is NOT a small drawing. I have 3 inch borders on the page. Who knew cabbage was so complex.

Really Great Quote

2011-09-01T16:40:00.001-05:00

With school being in session, my recreational reading is severely limited. But that’s ok because I am slowly making my way through A Dance with Dragons. Currently I am on page 459 of 1016 pages. Well, really 959 pages because the last few are devoted to listing who’s who in the book.

In my break from studying today, I was reading along in the 450’s where Bran is talking to Jojen. Jojen is asking Bran (a young boy) if he likes books. Brans says he does, '”fighting stories”. Jojen responds, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”

Wow. That’s going up on my wall. How many lives have you lived?

Some Days….

2011-08-31T14:02:00.001-05:00

Well, school is in session and I swear not one of my classes look at the ‘week’ as beginning and ending on the same day. I just can’t get in step yet with when things are due, so feeling a little unorganized. And unfortunately, the key to online classes is organization. Some days I just want to come home and do this…..

Yep, just sack out on the bed and be comfy.

(If you look really close, she has a little green line on her belly. She has a tattoo, like Texter and I. Except she got hers because she’s fixed. I think that’s cute.)

So, back to work for me. Have some stuff with Dreamweaver and Photoshop I need to do tonight. That way if I have problems I can go to the learning lab tomorrow if I have questions. Then it’s Beowulf and Chaucer. But I haven’t forgotten my other artwork. I have my first canvas on the wall, working on it in bits and pieces. I’m pleased so far and don’t want to rush it.

Hare Today, Goon Tomorrow

2011-08-27T13:14:00.001-05:00

No, that was Little Bunny Foo-Foo.

It was a dark and stormy night….

No, no, that’s Snoopy.

Ok, so I am walking out to the trash can just as it gets dark to dump the empty bags of kitty litter, dog food and cat food. I was preparing for the approaching Hurricane Irene and the storms we were suppose to start getting later that evening and most of Saturday. I had put my bags in the trash can and turned to come back inside and I hear a little ‘thump’ and then the sound of an animal crying. At first I thought it was a hawk that had caught something up under the trees by the house and I walked around my car to see if I could catch sight of it in the dark (ok, I’m weird like that).

I zeroed in on the site by the crying. About 20 feet from the end of our trailer and about 10 feet from the car, on the ground is a baby squirrel, all flattened out on it’s stomach where it had fallen. I go inside and grab a towel and come back out and pick it up in the towel and take it inside. By the way, the one time I really want Texter home in a hurry (she was checking out the drug bust a couple of blocks over) and her phone is dead. And yes, the next morning we looked up at the nest and it had been destroyed by the wind.

So she gets home and we looked up ‘baby squirrels’ on the internet. God bless the internet. I know there are people who don’t like it, but at 8pm on a soon-to-be stormy night, it is a miracle. We get a cage and put ‘Zazu’ (as Texter named it—I was going for Harry Nuts myself) in it with some towels to stay warm.

Texter was all for trying to rehab Zazu herself until…..hahaha….it keep her awake all night crying and chattering.

I will admit it was cute and we figured right about 5 weeks old based on the ‘furrage’.

What I am proudest about is Texter’s ability to do something even advanced adults would not want to do. She was on the phone all morning, going from person to person, to see about finding a rehabilator to take the squirrel. Finally she found one with an opening and drove about 30 minutes away, in the rain, to turn over Zazu/Harry Nuts. It was a boy, by the way.

So my plan of coming home Friday after work and just staying inside, out of the storm, no problems, work on homework until I go into work on Sunday morning have been shot to hell. Because, on the way home Friday night, we stopped at the store, and as we were coming out, there sat a toddler and an infant in the back of a car, windows rolled up, hot and muggy outside. They were there alone at least 10 minutes because we remember the mother coming into the store. As I walked back into the store to get the mother, she comes running out saying she was only in there 2 minutes. Texter took down her license plate number and called it into the police. Turns out they have had other reports of the same thing on this woman.

My stormy weekend has been more than just the rain. I’m tired and going for a nap now.

Exercise Is Going to the Dogs

2011-08-21T06:42:00.001-05:00

Now of all the inhabitants of my household, I am the one in most need of exercise. And since we started school, Amani is in a kennel during the day since otherwise she will pee, pooh and destroy the house. So, I ‘try’ to take the dogs for a walk in the evenings. But with it still being 90 degrees and 70% humidity at 8pm, it’s really hard to get motivated.

So the past few days the weather has been a little kinder in the evenings and I have been taking the dogs on my “Soccer Fields” walk. In other words, I walk them out of our park, up to the stop sign by the soccer fields and back. The trip, door-to-door, is 1.28 miles.

Noel and Amani take off like sled dogs in a race, hauling me behind them. Actually, I want to get a little cart and hitch them to it. And about a quarter of the way through the walk, they settle down, have peed and poohed and are settling down to sniffing and walking. They have to keep moving, I don’t stop after they have taken care of business.

On the last quarter of the walk, with the heat and humidity, their tongues are hanging out and they are just shuffling along (until they see one of the feral cats and then they try and take off like a rocket). I look like hell, all ‘glowing’ and my hair hanging all wet and limp.

Amani has proven she has some brains. She comes in and looks at the air vents and if the air comes one, she plops down on top of it. Not a dummy. But we all retire to my room. I am usually doing the last little computer stuff, getting ready for a shower and bed. And this is what Amani does…..

Yep, she sprawls out, taking up the whole bed and gets into her ‘position’.

Actually, this is how she will sleep most nights if she can get away with it. Noel, on the other hand, is a neat, tidy, little 40 pound package.

But something is wrong with this. They are dogs, they should still be ready to go after a little walk, not going to bed to sleep the night away. Wait. Hummmmmm…..doesn’t seem such a bad outcome after all.

Orange Watermelon

2011-08-19T14:55:00.001-05:00

I love the Farmer’s Market. And every year there is always something I haven’t seen or tasted before. This year it is a staple of our summer dining – watermelon – but with a twist. An orange twist.

Virtually seedless, this is probably the best watermelon I have had all year. It is sweet and juicy and a delight. Savvy scarfed down a bunch before she headed back to Arizona. Hopefully, this next Friday I can go by the market and find another one.

Ok, back to studying. Texter is making hash browns for dinner. Just hash browns. But at least I don’t have to cook!

Nature in the House

2011-08-13T16:13:00.001-05:00

From an early age, I introduced the girls to nature, or at least tried to. If nothing else, I wanted them to be a bit more observant about their surroundings. So even now, when they are young adults, they still bring me ‘things’.

Texter’s contribution last week was this cicada. You don’t really appreciate how big they really are until you get to pick one up. Granted this one is dead, but it’s still fun to check it out.

The wings are so amazing. It makes me think of Cinderella with glass wings rather than a glass slipper. And they are a lot heavier than you might think, even deceased.

Savvy’s contribution before she left was the following…

a piece of shed snakeskin. Apparently she knows the hole when Mr. Snake lives and this was outside of it. I am hoping and thinking this is just Mr. Non-Poisonous Snake, like a black snake, but looking at the skin up close it amazing. Of course, if you forget you draped it across a pencil box at the back of the desk and scare yourself one morning, it’s your own fault.

And then, if you take a picture of it using your new camera you can play with it a bit…

Snakeskin is still inside, Mr. Bug has been removed from outside and I spared everyone pictures of the dead beaver. Count yourself lucky.

Art and Cupcakes

2011-08-12T06:37:00.001-05:00

I ran by Askew-Taylor the other day after work to ‘plot’ some of the art supply purchases I would be making for my classes. I have mentioned Askew-Taylor in the past and it is such a fun place to go beyond the tons of art supplies they carry.

This is an organized section of the store. When I go in I have to leave my purse in the car and carry my money and list in hand as the aisles and piles get really tight. Upstairs is even more cluttered. But what a joy to delve into. I don’t think there is anything they don’t carry and if you can’t find it, you can ask a clerk and they can lay their hands on it immediately.

Since my art purchases are on hold until I get the actual list from the instructors, I soothed my soul by going up the block to this store…..

This store is almost as good as Askew-Taylor, but for completely different reasons. They sit there, taunting you, calling your name in whispers in flavors of peanut butter and coconut and lemon. And “Plain Jane”, a simple, all vanilla cupcake, is a stunner.

Yep, drool away. And all the way home, they taunted me from the front seat.

Since I couldn’t decide on what flavors to get, I bought 4 different ones for Texter and I to share.

There is red velvet (which Savvy couldn’t eat if she were here), brownie, chocolate mint and mocha. Hhhmmmmm, seems to be a chocolate theme here. The red velvet is Texter’s. The brownie and chocolate mint are up for grabs. We will probably half them so we can sample them both.

Poor little Mocha is the first to ‘bite the dust’ so to speak. I had a salad. I was justifying the calories in Mocha by eating a salad beforehand.

Ah, the joys of shopping for art supplies!

Savvy Was Here

2011-08-11T16:43:00.001-05:00

Savvy came back to North Carolina for the first time from her new home in Arizona. She is (hopefully) at the end of her ordeal with braces and flies back for her appointments. Thank goodness I work for an airline. So last week was her first visit home. Despite the fact I had to reroute her to an airport 3 hours away and drive and pick her up at midnight and get home at 3am and still go to work the next day at 6am, it worked out fine.

Now when she comes to visit we have to share a room. And in returning order to my ‘personal space’ after she departed, there were tell-tale signs she was here.

First, evidence of braces….

Rubber bands left on my ‘desk’ in the room

Then there were the piles…..

and….

Believe me, although I am trying to ‘think young’ the fuzzy, pink purse is NOT mine.

And in my closet, on top of my dresser, I find a jacket she wore while here (she thinks the bedroom gets too cold)…

It wasn’t all just clothing and accessories either.

She came for a new phone and left with the phone. However, all the packaging remains on MY shelf and not the trash can.

Eyeglass case (and yes, she left it here even after we had to go get her glasses straightened), boarding passes from her trip here (which will be used in a further art journaling project probably), and a cup she was drinking out of.

The ultimate remnant of her visit….

A headless manga character and……

My little Fluttershy will be back in September for her next appointment. And it just happens to be right at my birthday. Maybe I’ll get my room back to normal by then!

(By the way, she was complaining all I ever write about is Texter, Texter, Texter, so now this one is all about her!)

Ghost Story by Jim Butcher

2011-08-10T00:58:00.001-05:00

I am a huge Harry Dresden fan. Actually, I started with the TV series (bummer, no more), enjoyed it so much, I then picked up the books. Jim Butcher is one of those authors who can’t write fast enough as far as I am concerned. But I love me some Harry.

Anyway, I got the latest book, Ghost Story, and wedged it between The Deed of Paksenarrion and A Dance With Dragons. I needed something a little less than 1000 pages to read. At first, I was a little disappointed in the story. Can’t really tell you why without giving away the premise of the book. Needless to say, I kept on and once again I am in Happy Harry Land.

But there have been a couple of quotes which really had me chuckling (I like humor in my reading….all those doom and gloom books – I can enough of that in real life!). The first was about cats. You have to admire a cat even if you don’t love them. I basically like cats because they can tell you to take a hike without saying a word.

This scene starts with Dresden and a ghost, Sir Stuart, looking in a window at a meeting at Murphy’s home.

“And dogs,” Sir Stuart added. “Maybe one in ten of them seem to have a talent for sensing us. Probably why they’re always barking.”

“What about cats?” I asked. Mister had fled the living room upon the arrival of other people and wasn’t in sight.

“Of course cats,” Sir Stuart said, his voice faintly amused. “As far as I can tell, all cats. But they aren’t terribly impressed with the fact that we’re dead and still present. One rarely gets a reaction from them.”

Further into the book, Harry describes himself and his feeling about himself and his relationship to people. OOOOOHHHHHHH. HHHMMMMMM. Wait, he’s describing me! Boy, does that hit close to home. I have always wished I could be like Harry, and now it seems I am more like him than I thought.

I always considered myself a loner.

I mean, not like a poor-me, Byron-esque, I-should-have-brought-a-swimming-buddy loner. I mean the sort of person who doesn’t feel too upset about the prospect of a weekend spent seeing no one, and reading good books on the couch. It wasn’t like I was a people hater or anything. I enjoyed activities and the company of friends. But they were a side dish. I always thought I would also be happy without them.

Now if I could just channel a little Anita Blake and her men!

Sketchbook Challenge Update

2011-08-07T04:43:00.001-05:00

I am still toodling along with the challenge. Not everyday, but when I do sit down to sketch, I generally do 2-3 at a time. My productivity I am expecting to pick up as my art classes start mid-August.

Can you tell I was at work when I did this? But I like how the words pop out from the tangles in the background. I did a little shading on it, but wish I had a chance to do some more.

July’s theme was elements and this was my rendition of ‘Air’. I do think it does look like it’s blowing in the wind, if I say so myself.

And another random tangle sketch.

I am not doing just tangles, but I am working on my watercolors. I sketched my little traveling case of watercolors and some other watercolors and sketched them. Then I used part of the page to wipe off my brush after I filled in the colors on the palette.

Some flowers. I put down some dabs of color and then drew over it when dry to make the flower head and the leaves. Still want to work on this some more. I would like to put a little more detail into the flowers themselves.

And trying out my new Sharpies with a new tangle I learned.

So I am maintaining my sketchbook. Maybe not everyday, but I am still out there doing it. August’s theme is Everyday Items, so I will try to do more sketching on what is sitting around me. Especially when it rains and my internet connection goes kaput.

Not Your Mother’s Lipton Tea

2011-08-06T07:24:00.001-05:00

I am a good ol’ Southern Iced Tea drinker. Please note the caps. And it is sweetened (my daughters’ say waaayy to much). But for 50-something years it has been Lipton or Louisanne tea bags, boiling water. Let it seep. Add sugar. Store in refrigerator until pitcher is finished. Repeat. This is the routine regardless of season and temperatures.

Now Savvy comes along and gets interested in hot teas. I have had hot tea in the home of tea drinkers – England – and sorry, but tea DOES NOT have milk in it. But I have slowly branched out. I have a recipe for Russian Tea which I enjoy during the winter, especially when I feel like I have a cold coming on. But with the amount of lemonade and Tang on top of the instant tea, I am not sure real tea people would consider that tea. I have discovered I enjoy a fruity based tea if I am doing to deviate from my norm.

So, while out getting Texter’s Batman shoes a few weeks ago, I came across Teavana. In sticking my nose in the store, I was obliged to sample about 8 different teas. Youthberry/Orange blend took me by surprise and I couldn’t wait until Savvy came into town to take her there.

When she came into town and we were out running errands, we stopped by Teavana and sampled teas. Now her little eyes just lit right on up. Better than a jewelry store for her. But the highlight of the trip was sampling the Blueberry Bliss/Strawberry Lemonade combo served cold. It was great. And probably one of the most important parts, is very little sugar. In fact, they sweeten it with their German Rock Sugar.

It looks like gravel and actually to suck on a piece of it will cure a craving for something sweet. The rock sugar is suppose to be better and not kill the beneficial ‘stuff’ in the tea.

If nothing else, how can you not like something that looks like this….

This is the blueberry bliss, if you haven’t guessed already. I was really impressed with all the chunks of ingredients instead of it all being ground to a fine powder. And then the Strawberry Bliss looks like you could just add milk and eat.

Of course, this is loose tea and I sent all the empty teabags to Arizona with Savvy. So my tea brewing for a large pot of tea is very ‘ghetto’ according to the girls, but it works for now. Savvy and I are suppose to be dividing up the tea so she can take some back to Arizona with her, long with the rock sugar. Oops, I can’t seem to find it right now. Oh, darn.

Week in Review July 30–August 5

2011-08-06T06:42:00.001-05:00

Prepared for Savvy’s homecoming (changed the sheets on the bed)

Picked up Savvy in Charlotte, rather than Raleigh, 3 hours away so she could get here

Set Savvy up with new cell phone

Bought some wonderful blueberry/strawberry blend of tea from Teavana along with their German Rock Sugar to drink iced

Set up my Year 2011-2012 planner

Bought an armload of fruit from Farmer’s market, including an orange watermelon

Received notice Texter’s and my Pell Grant approved and for how much.

Picked up books needed for this semester and got a new camera.

Two blog postings written.

Driving Savvy to and from seeing friends while she is here in addition to her orthodontist appointment

Took Texter to first night of Inkfest (tattoo convention).

School Books for the Fall

2011-08-05T19:38:00.001-05:00

I am such a school junkie. I could go to school for the rest of my life. This semester I am finishing up my Associate of Arts and getting my Web and Graphic Arts certification. I should finish the two of them up in the spring. And these should be two really fun semesters – hectic and busy as all get out, but fun. Lots of art, both by hand and by computer.

So today was spent getting my books for the semester. It’s a nice impressive stack.

And one of my purchases was a new camera. There are stories behind the cameras I was using. My original digital camera was given to me by a friend and is about 8-9 years old. It is bulky compared to today’s cameras. Of course, the battery door has been held in place by duct tape all these years. Savvy dropped it at her first Animazement and it broke the closure. I liked it and it took very good pictures, but I could only download pictures via my old desktop because the memory card was too big for my new laptop. Of course, I remember when floppy discs were 9 inches square.

Then, about 4 years ago, Savvy got a camera for Christmas and I used it for most of my pictures. However, too much zombie blood this spring and it is….well, zombie camera. So, with the financial aid I received I got us both new cameras. Since she is now 2000 miles away, it is a little hard to share a camera anymore. Besides, I need pictures of the scorpions she is combatting.

So now I am playing with my new camera, which by the way I do need for my classes. The shot above is ‘pinhole camera’.

And this is one of my favorites ones – Drawing. Isn’t it so neat! Like I drew the scene. And then the ‘Punk’ version.

There will be a lot more pictures in the future. Some of them of the work I am going to have to do for my classes. I can’t wait to not only have a new camera to work with, but learn Photoshop in depth. Yep, it should be a fun semester.

Year In Review

2011-08-03T13:44:00.001-05:00

With the advent of the start of school this year, I realized my “New Year” actually starts in August and not January. That is the natural flow of my year. The frenzy of buying new school supplies has always been more meaningful and fun than New Year’s Eve parties to me. Give me a new box of 64 crayons over a glass of champagne any day! As I prepared to start school again after my summer off, I realized “this” is when my year starts – with the start of the school year, not the lull after the holiday season. So with the inspiration of Lisa Sonora Beam and her 2010 Creativity Plan, I decided to sit down and do my own goals for 2011-2012. I also threw in some guidelines and inspiration from The Art of Nonconformity and Chris Gillebeau’s yearly review plan. But before I started on the plan itself, I had to create my binder to keep my goals and progress in.

First off, I took some Japanese prints I got on sale at Borders for next to nothing. I didn’t want to frame them (too boring) and they had been just laying around waiting for me to find something to do with them. So I used them for some of my dividers. I added some of the postcards I received, adhered with my new paper tape. Most of the postcards I received from a friend when he goes to Thailand. The other dividers I covered with 2-3 layers of acrylic paint. All the dividers I made from watercolor paper because I wanted them larger than regular dividers. Right now all the dividers are in a photo album binder I am recycling from the decluttering of albums I did a couple of weeks ago. I plan to add some collage work to the binder itself shortly.

The areas I am concentrating on for this year are writing, school, art/web/journaling, finances, spirituality, exercise/health, home/style, and travel. I have set goals within each category for the coming year and will review them on a regular basis. There is a big part of the Virgo in me which loves organizing and plans. It’s the artistic side of Virgo in me which has issues with the follow-through. Hopefully, will help. There is also a section for Ideas and Notes which I added to the back of the binder for future use. It was very interesting to sit down and decide what it was that I really wanted to concentrate on and how those “things” could be broken down into steps or goals which were much more realistic than normal ‘resolutions’. So my word of the year, RENEW, can very well be applied to my plans now.

The basics for both Lisa Sonora Beam’s plan and for Chris Gillebeau’s plan is setting a measurable goal and then breaking it down into smaller steps. So under writing, for example, I have three major goals – Attend a writing workshop, enter a writing contest, and completing a rough draft of Dragon Earth.

As you can see, I have a lot of notes, partial outlines, ‘stuff’ for my Dragon Earth trilogy. Now it is time to get it in gear. So under completing a rough draft of the books, my first step is to take everything I have on paper and put in onto the computer. As I do that I will have my notepad open for ideas and thoughts as they come about so that I can jot them down rather than forgetting them or going off on a tangent. One of the programs I am using more and more is OneNote from Microsoft. It is really fun and interesting to have a ‘notebook’ on my computer which actually feels like a real paper notebook in many ways. I have several different notebooks set up for different topics.

But this is my plan. I am on day three of my new year and how am I doing? Well, Savvy came home on the first from Arizona and unfortunately, as she travels standby I had to bring her into an airport 3 hours away at the last minute. There went day one and two…..Day 1 waiting to get her here, Day 2 hung over no sleep and still having to go to work. Day 3 is better. I traded my Wednesday off to work for someone on Saturday (while Savvy is off with friends and Texter is at Inkfest) and we did a little errand running. So now, she is off with friends and I am settling in for some ‘work’ time.

Week in Review July 23-29

2011-07-30T05:12:00.001-05:00

Oral surgeon consult to remove Texter’s wisdom teeth.

Wisdom teeth removed

Car ‘broken’ again and then fixed.

Worked Saturday through Wednesday (had Sunday off)

3 blog postings

Went through photo albums and trashed what didn’t need

Wrote up my 2011-2012 goals

Started organizing my writing – spent 2 hours on it

Waiting on Texter with soft food and drinks

Today There is a Mango….

2011-07-30T05:04:00.001-05:00

Today

There is a mango

On my monitor,

All red and green and plump.

Inches from my fingers

A kiwi rests on my keyboard.

Beside the desk

Sits a salad on the scanner

And a pineapple on the printer.

Hanging from the hard drive

Is a huge hunk of herbs,

Green, leafy and fragrant.

Faxing won't cure this fixation.

The diet must go.

Sharpies and Flairs–Back to School Delight

2011-07-29T15:06:00.001-05:00

Texter and I went on a back-to-school shopping trip today. I already have a stash of notebook paper and a ton of pencils, but always can use a binder and always, always NEED markers. They are kind of a grown-ups version of crayons (although, I will love you forever for a 64 count box of crayons.)

So these were my ‘new products’ for back to school. Ok, they are for my artwork, but that’s back to school too.

Yep, we discovered the new Twin Tip Sharpies – thin and thick tip. I have these three colors, 1 black and these two colors….

Aren’t they great! Can’t wait to try some of my tangles with with different colors.

But, my bit of nostalgia, and a place in my heart remains with my FLAIR pens.

These were the colored pens of my youth and I still love my flairs. These 16 colors came in their own carrying case.

So all my new pens are in a bigger pencil box with my Prismacolor pens (which also have thick/thin ends). And I found some tracing paper on sale at Office Max which will be used on some art journaling pages I’m sure. Love my new supplies. I’m going to play now.

Tai Chi or Tired Chi?

2011-07-28T06:17:00.001-05:00

I purchased several yoga, walking, ballywood and tai chi dvd’s when Borders had their first round of closing their stores. They have been sitting on my shelf because my DVD player was not hooked up correctly so I could play DVD’s on my TV. Are you believing the excuse? Worked for me for several months.

So Monday I decided to plug the Tai Chi DVD into my computer and work through program – give it a trial run so to speak. Tuesday morning I woke up and my arms hurt! No one told me you used your arms so much in Tai Chi. My arm flab hasn’t swung in the breeze that much in years!

But I know who I can blame….

Yep, I freely admit, I was too busy admiring Mr. Cole’s abs to really pay attention to how much I was going with my arms. Tricky, tricky. Put some nice chest on a beach and fool those old ladies into exercising! This is as bad as watching Rodney Yee on the beach doing yoga.

HIs abs not as sculpted, but he has great hair. Ok, so this dirty old woman likes to admire the scenery while exercising.

Anyway, those flowing, soft moves you see when people are doing Tai Chi….forget it. Wild Geese Flying, Waves, Monkey Bear….well, let’s say today my wild geese crashed and burned. But I can still admire Scott’s abs.

Memories

2011-07-24T10:24:00.002-05:00

I have a whole shelf on a bookcase crammed full of old – I mean 3-4 decades old – photo albums. Those wonderful photo albums you stuck your pictures into – literally. Since I haven’t touched them in all that time, other than to move them and after watching several episodes of “Hoarders” I decided to spend the day, scanning and/or saving what I felt was really important and trashing the whole lot of them. My only regret – I can’t dispose of them in a green way.
So I am sharing some of those memories.
This is the colt I raised. His name was Fool’s Tax as he was born on April’s Fool Day and I had used my tax refund for stud fees. (By the way, the ONLY time I paid for sex!) I hated his mother. I had bought her strictly to breed and she was an obnoxious mare. But then I was never fond of mares anyway. He was all white with navy blue eyes. We sold her and keep him for a few years. Later, sold him back to the people who owned his father, since I was then in North Carolina and at 17 hands plus (means really tall horse), he was more of a handful for my mom to handle.
Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s I had a couple of pen pals. One, Julian Pickard, was a drummer with a rock band in the Soviet Union. Go figure. So I have several stamps and postcards from the Soviet Union. I love the artwork style of this region.

This was in the late 70’s remember, when Julian and I first started writing to each other. Unfortunately, I don’t have any of the letters. However, this was the picture he sent me. It did appeal to the part of me which was into brooding Russians.

Actually, I think the picture could have been taken in the 50’s based on the décor alone. I am sure he was popular as he was a drummer in a rock band. I remember I couldn’t send chewing gum, but I sent a pair of graphite drumsticks to him for his birthday one year. He loved them.
Can we get more brooding Russian than this. My twenty year old heart sighed.

I actually got to meet one of my pen pals. Mike was a barrister in England. He and his friend, Peter, came and stayed with my roommate, Leta, and I for a few days.

No, Leta is not short, they are that tall. Mike was 6’6”. I loved his visit as this was one of the few times I could hang around guys taller than me!
Remember the TV show ‘Dallas’. One of the stops we made was at Southfork (I lived in Dallas at the time).
Peter, Mike and one of our apartment neighbors, Jimmy out in front of Southfork.
One of my early crushes and why I still like Baskin-Robbins…..
Jamocha Almond Fudge #1 choice and then Pecan Praline on a sugar cone.

Even back then I was interested in ‘art’ photography. Of course, pre-digital cameras it was a little expensive to do. I love digital cameras now and the ability to take literally 100’s of pictures somewhere and not worry about having to pay to get them developed.
This was made at Disney World about 1986. By some fluke, when developed, this ‘rainbow’ appeared. I like to think this is how flamingoes really get their color.
This is at one of North Carolina’s aquariums. I loved the colors, shapes and textures of the seashells.
And this is actually a moon rise. One of these days I will get some really great moon pictures.

Well, I am through the albums. I have a stack of postcards I purchased at various locations over the years and will use them in art projects. Some ephemera from trips to recycle. There is a pile of Soviet stamps, postcards with the stamps, and small sheets of stamps. Before I use them in artwork I am going to see if they are worth anything. Some of them are from the 1980 Olympics the U.S. did not participate in. So now it’s lunch time and nap time. All this ‘work’ is tiring.

Week In Review July 16-23

2011-07-24T07:20:00.001-05:00

I wonder why I feel tired, mentally and physically. I had decided to start reviewing what I have accomplished and what has gone on during my week as I prepare for the week ahead. Part of the Virgo in me, I’m sure.

This was yesterday’s sketchbook challenge drawing. I mean ‘zen’ in the “watch my breathing/chill-out” way, not that I need to zentangle. But that helps too.

So my week went like this…..

- Texter in to have her wisdom teeth possibly removed. Too bad for the dentist, so next week is an oral surgeon consultation. They put her on vicodin and antibiotics. Result, this is not a good combination for her. So a trip to emergency room for extreme nausea and a different set of drugs for pay and swelling.

- 3 Sketchbook Challenge pictures

- Made dividers for a project I’m working on. Several pages of writing out guides for that project.

- 3 Blog postings

- 41.3 work week (46 scheduled for next week)

- Watched several hours of Tour de France on TV after I got home from work to unwind.

- 200 pages into a 1024 page book

So my project for my only day off today is actually something a little relaxing – watch the last day of the Tour de France live and scan in pictures from old photo albums, saving what is worth it and tossing the albums. They are from the 70’s and 80’s and the only time I’ve looked at them is to regret the space they occupy and to move them. So time to say bye to them.

It’s Not Selfish

2011-07-20T19:02:00.001-05:00

Like the majority of parents, mothers in particular, it seems on the list of things to do for, we come at the bottom of the list. For some reason, there is that nagging feeling if the kids are put first, then you are a bad parent. Now not saying in case of fire, we should throw ourselves out the door first, but it seems if there is a new pair of shoes, a new outfit, new comforter to be gotten, we seem to come last.

The reason for this introspection? I have been reading 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women and have been reading Secret 5: Committing to Self-Focus today. I have been looking at a new comforter for ages now. I put off getting one until Savvy moved out and my bedroom moved into a real room. Texter has had a new comforter set in the past couple of years. So I am in the market for one to go with my purple curtains. I haven’t had a new comforter in decades! Yep, decades. Ok, squishy pillow is selfishly mine, but new bedclothes haven’t graced my bed in ages.

I know it seems silly to focus on something as mundane as a new comforter, but that has become my new touchstone. I am slowly at least putting my doings on an equal par with the girls. One of the quotes which stood out for me is by Marianne Williamson – “And no one will listen to us until we listen to ourselves. The Goddess awakens in our hearts before she awakens in the world.”

Until I started taking myself seriously as an artist and writer, no one else would either. Once I said these things were important to me, then others treated them as important also. People often wondered how, when the girls were little, I could leave out my needlework and they never touched it. They respected my efforts and my tools, even at a very young age. Because, at that time, needlework was my important creative outlet. As I have expanded my areas of creativity, and treating it as important to me, then others around me start taking it seriously also.

Sometimes it’s not selfish to put yourself first.

First Day of School Clothes

2011-07-18T16:55:00.001-05:00

Growing up, for the first day of school each year, we always had a new outfit. That included new shoes. Now if you are in middle school in the late 60’s and wear a size 10 shoe, there really wasn’t much of a choice. Saddle oxfords or penny loafers were basically it. Of course, if was also a time you had to dress up in ‘school clothes’ to go to school. But as a new school year looms around the corner, thoughts turn once again to back-to-school clothes.

Texter jumped on the bandwagon (and my paycheck) early. Actually, she has this pair of slouchy, black suede boots which were being held together by prayer alone. I offered her a replacement for them. She searched the internet and came up with these as a replacement for her black boots….

Yep, Converse High-top Batman shoe. Her laces are black and yellow dotted. No black boots, it’s Batman. So since she had also just gotten a couple of pair of running shoes and a pair of sandals, she is set for back to school.

Now, I, on the other hand, am leaning toward more traditional footwear. One time, a long, long ago, I had a pair of Sperry Topsiders. The “real” Sperry’s and they lasted for ages.

There is the traditional Sperry….. or one with a little different look….

Currently, I’m leaning toward the more traditional one. And, of course, what is school without a penny loafer?

I have been through several pairs of these over the years.

Ok, they are not ‘exciting’ shoes. They are not ‘fun’ or ‘funky’. But wear them and in a few weeks they are like an old friend, easing your feet over the miles. And they hold up being caught out in the rain, tiptoeing through slush, going from jeans to skirts to slacks and back again.

So I might treat myself to one Sperry and one Bass. I haven’t had some good shoes in ages. This might be the year of the shoes!

PS….I never had a pair of saddle oxfords. With big feet at 12, the last thing you needed was big shoes on them!

101 Things Redux

2011-07-17T16:43:00.001-05:00

In April of 2009, with the inspiration of a couple of top bloggers, I made my list of 101 things I would do in 1000 days. My end date is December 31, 2011. Oops….that’s just around the corner!

In an effort not to be too much of a wiener, I finally remembered the list and decided it was time to revisit it. In the meantime, I have moved a copy of it onto OneNote so it will be on the top of my computer to check out. And since December 31 is ssssoooooo close, I will probably give myself an extension on items. Or formulate a new list, as many things have changed.

So here is an update of my list…..

101. Keep updating my 1001 things list. – don’t really have a list anymore, other than this one. I need to pull it out of obscurity and reactivate.

100. Review my list every 3 months and report back on my progress. – well, we all know the status of this one!

99. Knit a lace shawl. – I have knit Charlotte’s Web, but I don’t really have that in mind as the lace shawl I want to knit. In fact, I have all the materials to knit a lacy beaded shawl for a friend. I can get to row 8 and then it all goes to hell in a hand basket. I think it is going to be something I shut myself in a closet and concentrate on nothing else for about a month. Frankly, it’s not happening anytime soon.

98. Learn Tai Chi. – I now have a DVD as I can’t ever schedule time and money for a local class. Have I watched the DVD yet? No, but I only got my DVD player hooked up correctly this week after being out of commission for several months.

97. Visit all the thrift stores in the area and make a list of the ones worth revisiting. – Another no. However, Savvy is due home the first week in August and we have a play day, so it might be happening then. But I need to get my sewing machine in for a tune up, as what I would like to do is some altered clothing.

96. Learn to sharpen my knives or have them professionally sharpened. Mine barely cut butter right now. – On my calendar is August 10 when a knife class is being given nearby. Hopefully, I will be able to attend.

95. Put OD’s writing and Texter’s drawing into book form. – I have it all pulled together into folders, but haven’t done anything to make an official book out of it.

94. Visit the waterfalls in North Carolina. – Not scheduled anytime in the foreseeable future, but I would still like to do it.

93. Explore my spirituality more fully. – Not coming along as meaningful as I would like it to be. But the goal is still there. Looking more and more into Buddhism.

~~92. Put curtains on all the windows (tastefully).~~ – Yep, got curtains now. Love it because the bedrooms are now nice and dark so went I have to be in bed at 8pm in the summer, the room is dark.

91. Join a garden co-op or community garden. – Didn’t join this year, but I have looked into different CSA’s in the area. Still not out of the question for next year.

90. Plan my menus and shopping lists for better eating. – Doing better and better with this. Not 100%, but I can definitely tell a difference with my grocery bill when I spend a few minutes planning.

89. Get a digital camera with interchangeable lens and learn to really use it. – This will probably happen with the remainder of my school money in the fall, especially since we killed Savvy’s camera with zombie blood making the movie. I have been looking at some different options and will schedule a trip to a local camera shop to ask questions and do some looking in the near future.

88. Treat myself to new fountain pens. – No new fountain pens. Sadly. My desire is still there, but find my extra dollars going to other pens and inks for my artwork. I am open to donations though!

87. Do some RAK to other artist’s with my unused art supplies. – Does giving a ton of my supplies to Savvy for her art classes count? If not, then haven’t yet.

86. Go on a “picnic” at least once a month, inside or outside. – No.

~~85. Set up better study areas for all of us.~~ – Yep, in fact I have 2 study/art areas for myself and Texter has a desk in her room for her studies.

84. Wear earrings and lipstick every day for a month. – No.

83. Walk at least 10 different trails in North Carolina. – No.

~~82. Create a garden on the balcony for herbs~~. – Actually, since I am now in a trailer I have a garden in my front yard, complete with dill, several types of mints, 3 types of basil and thyme, sage and still adding to it.

81. Have a spa weekend at home. – No.

80. Take Noel to dog obedience class so I can take her with me more on walks. – No, but then I now have two dogs who could go and Noel will be moving to Arizona at Christmas.

79. Visit the art museum in Charlotte. – No.

78. Finish my doll, “Luna”. – Nothing I think I want to do to her feels ‘right’. Maybe she is incomplete for a reason, just as I fell I’m not complete.

~~77. Carry a notebook and pen wherever I go.~~ – Yep, have writing stuff with me all the time. In fact, in my work bag, I have my sketchbook challenge books and a couple of composition books. I am really working on keeping a pad/pencil by the bed so I can jot down ideas as I go to bed.

76. Join a writing group. – Yes and no. I joined a writing group. But my work/school schedule didn’t allow me to participate. Plus I didn’t get a really good ‘this is going to work’ vibe – probably all on my side.

75. Make a quilt for each of the girls. – No and it probably won’t happen. However, Savvy did ask for a piece of my artwork for Christmas.

74. Do a craft table at work. – No and once again this will probably be removed from my next list of 101 things. I just don’t have the time to make items for a table.

~~73. Lean a new technique for my journal every 2 months.~~ – I have been pretty good about this I must say.

72. Yoga more. Attend a yoga workshop. – I do have several DVD’s and have taken a couple of classes. There are about three classes I will probably be attending before the end of the year.

71. Save my old photos. Save those worth saving and trash the rest. – Doing it as we speak. I have gotten all the old negatives and slides I had onto my computer. Now I am working on my old photo albums from the 70’s and 80’s I haven’t looked at in decades. I will scan what I can and trash the rest. And recycle all the old binders for art journals.

70. Take care of my nails for 30 days. – No.

69. Do a facial once a month, at home or at beauty school. – Well maybe not monthly, but have done more at the beauty school. In fact, I have one scheduled for August when Savvy is home.

68. Visit all the botanical gardens in North Carolina and draw and/or take pictures there. – Not yet, but with my new camera……

67. Blog at least weekly. – Doing pretty good on this one.

66. Update my wardrobe to suit “me”. – Getting there, but still not as far along as I want to be.

65. Do at least 1 challenge a month on the different groups I belong to. – Due to my school schedule I have had to drop out of most of the groups I had joined. I just didn’t have the time to commit to them. Maybe after I am finished with school.

64. Get published somewhere, whether it be writing or art. – Not yet.

63. Reconnect with an old friend. – Maybe in January when I drive Savvy and Noel to Arizona I will stop by and see a couple of old friends on the way home.

62. Make a vision board. – Not yet.

61. Have nice bookshelves in my living room. – Not yet.

60. Send a card/postcard or surprise to a friend every month. – Actually at one point had it up to once a week and that seems to be pretty consistent.

59. Get a henna tattoo on my hand. – Not yet. What I really want is another tattoo on my left arm. On the inside between the wrist and elbow – a hand holding a quill with the word ‘Create” under it.

58. Stick to my budget and record my expenses. Be sure updated every paycheck. – Not as formal as I want, but getting there.

57. Save $10,000 for emergency fund. – Everyday seems like an emergency, but still striving toward that goal. Might need it when I retire and become a team member of the Team Radioshack cycling team.

56. Complete a Nanowrimo. – 10,152 words last year, hopefully, will do better this year.

55. Have fresh flowers or plant in the house once a month. – Often, but not good enough.

54. Make a will. – Sadly, no.

53. Decorate my home with art I know where it comes from. – Yes, all my art that is currently hanging (minus Savvy’s and Texter’s art they have up) either I made it or I got from an artist I know.

52. Wear biking shorts and not be embarrassed. – Still need to work on that a bit.

51. Do a gift advent calendar for the girls. – Not last year, but since Savvy is not at home, will do one this year.

50. Get new living room furniture (haven’t had any since 1984). – Also in the works. Especially since Amani’s pastime seems to be eating my current couch.

49. Get a birding guide and start a list of birds I’ve seen. – No.

48. Have my makeup done by a professional and wear it to work every day for a month. – No.

47. Get fitted for a bra and have 2-3 good bras on hand. Get some sports bras. – Didn’t get them professionally fitted, but do have several now.

46. Take a watercolor class. – Hopefully this will happen in November.

45. Meditate more. Create a space to do it in. – Have the space now, just need to take the time.

44. Make a set of Soul Collage cards. – No.

43. Set up a more functional area for my art and sewing. – Carving it out now. With my art classes for next semester, it is especially important now.

42. Set up an alter and have a candle on it every day to burn. Have a water feature. – I did have an altar set up and then had to dismantle it when I took over Savvy’s old room. Need to set it up again. And I want a water feature like I saw at Dancing Moon.

~~41. Pick a month and do a picture a day.~~ – I have actually done several months of this with the Sketchbook Challenge.

40. Do something active at least 30 minutes every day. This does not include the quickie “pee and pooh” trips with the dog. – Have my ups and downs with this. Maybe if it wasn’t 100 degrees outside.

39. Offer a giveaway on my blog. – No yet.

38. Lean to make illuminated letters and do the complete alphabet. – No.

~~37. Have an art-journaling-to-go bag.~~ – It’s sad looking, but in my work bag are a couple of quart-size ziplock bags with pens, pencils, watercolors and glue stick.

36. Scrapbook my high school stuff. – Not yet.

~~35. Create a garden area at the new Renaissance Faire area.~~ – Unless something changes, the Ren Faire group we belonged to is split and there is not a permanent location.

34. Find my “scent”. Wear perfume every day for 30 days. – No.

33. Cook a new dish once a week. – Like keeping my menus, this is up and down. Actually, Texter is very encouraging with this idea.

32. Finish my family cookbook. – Have it all together, the recipes that is. I am reformatting the cookbook to be more of a memoire than a cookbook.

31. Canoe down the Eno River. – No

30. Go visit a new or long-lost friend in another state.- Didn’t realize this was basically a redo of Number 63.

29. Go to the theater in NYC. – No.

28. Buy a new towel every pay day. My current towels are spiritual, as in very holey. – Started, stopped, need to start up and continue. Also need to add sheets to this.

27. Finish up on the family history. Visit and take pictures of some sites. – Better organized, but still in the very beginning stages.

~~26. Buy or make a white, gauzy dress~~. – Done. In fact, I wore it so much I have to repair the straps.

25. Attend a goddess workshop/gathering. – Not yet.

24. Learn more about aromatherapy. – No.

23. Get Photoshop and learn more about digital photography. – This will happen this semester in school and I am ssooo looking forward to it.

22. Walk/run a half marathon. – HA HA HA

21. Get a good bike for myself. – Still planning and drooling, especially since it’s TDF time.

20. Learn to spin wool. – Not yet, but I still want to learn.

19. Learn calligraphy. – Not yet.

18. Get my college degree in Creative Writing, English or History. – I will finish up my Associates in Arts in 2012 and then transfer onto another school for my BA. I could finish up this semester, but I am adding Web and Graphic Art certification onto my schedule.

17. Work on botanical drawing certificate. – Postponed for a bit.

16. Visit another Ren Faire in another state. – Arizona actually looks doable since Savvy lives there and there is a big one in February each year.

15. Learn to read tarot better. – Not yet.

14. Go through and index my journals. – I know where they all are, but feel this is a project better suited to a later date.

13. Get another tattoo, possibly the one Texter drew for me. – My henna tattoo I want will probably turn into this. Already have two designs I want to get done and Texter is really getting into tattoos.

12. Enter a writing contest. – Not yet.

11. Finish a pair of knitted socks. – Does one count?

10. Take a fiber arts class. – Not yet.

9. Have acupuncture done. – Not yet.

8. Write everyday. – Getting better and better at it, even if it is a blog posting only.

7. Go on a silent retreat. – Not yet.

6. Visit Biltmore Estate. – Maybe in December. Some people from work want to go and I may join in.

5. Design my own Christmas cards. – This year might be a good year for it since I will have Photoshop experience and several good snow pictures from last year.

4. Write the first of my novels. – Working on it now.

3. Learn belly dancing. – Not yet, but have a Ballywood DVD.

2. Take some art journaling classes. – Plan on taking some art journaling classes in November.

1. Take a writing workshop. – Not yet.

So there is a recap of my 101 things and hopefully I will have a new list by December 31, 2011 to replace this one with. I have realized what seemed important to me 2 years ago, is not that important anymore. So standby for an updated goal list coming soon. There is a plan there too!

Hypocritical Snob on Her Artist Date

2011-07-16T07:00:00.001-05:00

Those who have read any of Julia Cameron’s books will recognize the term “Artist Date”. This is a date with yourself to play, recharge your creativity, have fun. And that it what I did yesterday. I will post more about that later.

However, I treated myself to a couple of items. The first is paper tape. Sometimes it is called Japanese Wasabi Tape. Regardless, it is a patterned tape and used in scrapbooking and art journaling. I have wanted some for myself and took myself to Archiver’s in Raleigh. I have never been there and it is essentially right around the corner from me now. And that is where I discovered I am really a hypocritical snob.

The store is lovely. However, it is the home to ‘scrapbookers’ and I have this thing about scrapbooking. Ok, I’m a snob, even having done a couple of journal scrapbooks myself. I just do. I think it is because they are too cutsie for me. In fact, Archiver’s tag line is “The Photo Memory Store”.

Now this store is the other end of the spectrum from Askew-Taylor near downtown Raleigh.

Askew-Taylor is in a what feels like an old house (and is right next door to this killer cupcake bakery). However, when you go into their store, leave your purse behind. The aisles are just wide enough for one person to squeeze through and you better not be carrying too many extra pounds. Things are stacked practically to the ceiling. It is organized by art supply types, but the rest of the time you are poking and peering and exploring. Whether you are pen and ink, watercolors, book binding, print making, sketchbook searching, they have it in there somewhere. The staff can reach in and lay their hands on anything you need, like magicians. In my opinion, the perfect store for artists of all kinds.

On the other hand, Archiver’s is organized by category….papers – divided into themes, stamps, punches….all neatly categorized. And the staff is so helpful and nice. You can enter the store and go right to what you need without having to look for it. There is a lot of things I can use for art journaling and creating in general. There are stamps, inks, patterned papers I fondled and fingered. However, I only walked out with some 7 Gypsies paper tape and a couple of Uni-ball white gel pens.

Their uses will be discussed later.

Which store will I be going back to? Well, with my Art Materials and Methods class and a Basic Drawing class this semester, Askew-Taylor is the hands-up winner. Of course, I will have to wander around Jerry’s Artrama too. They are a half-way point between Archiver’s and Askew-Taylor. Neat, organized, knowledgeable staff, but definitely an ‘artist’ store. And, keep your fingers crossed, I might be taking some classes through them in November.

A.C. Moore and Michael’s? They are ok. And if you know exactly what you need and have your 50% off coupons, they are acceptable. But honestly, I don’t think 90% of their staff knows are darn thing about anything in the store. I’ve given more advise to customers while I was in there. They are my last-minute, need something and they are literally right around the corner store. They are not my give me a gift certificate, shopping experience store.

So, yes, I am a snob. And a hypocritical one at that. So while my nose will be in the air when I walk into Archiver’s, I hope I don’t hurt myself walking around and shopping there. I’ll probably get a crick in my neck.

2000 Pages Plus and Only 1 Month

2011-07-15T19:08:00.001-05:00

I picked up a couple of books today. One was a book I had been waiting for, and in fact, thought it was not out until September. The second was one recommended by one of Savvy’s friends. When Poogles says a book is good, I usually enjoy it. She turned me onto Anne Bishop for one thing.

So I have 2000 pages sitting on my bedside table and need to finish them by August 17. The first one is the fifth book in the series by George R. R. Martin, Dance of Dragons.

This book is suppose to take up the storyline of half of the characters in the book and then blends them back toward the end. I am sure this is going to be an ‘exhausting’ read, as his other four books have been page turners.

The other book is by Elizabeth Moon, The Deed of Paksenarrion. What I gather from the book it is actually the combination of three books. I have read Elizabeth Mon in the past when she has written with Ann McCaffrey, so this should be interesting. But like I said, if Poogles likes it, it has to be good.

Of course, tomorrow is my cleaning day and fight the cockroaches day. I also want to declutter and straighten a couple of bookshelves. And there is the Tour de France to watch, but I can do that while cleaning. But hopefully, I will have a chance to get started on my reading for the next month.

By the way, as much as I want to strangle Amani (the dog), I do have to say if she can get out of the puppy, I-will-eat-your-furniture stage, she will be a pretty good dog. She is smart. She knows if she is hot to lay on top of the air vents. Doesn’t do too much for me getting any air, especially when she’s gassy, but shows a little intelligence on her part.

The Tour Crashes, I Splashes

2011-07-11T15:55:00.001-05:00

Well, the Tour is getting a bit too dangerous for my liking. I like the thrill of man and bike against 199 other men and bikes, but this year’s Tour has had more than it’s share of crashes and they have been a more severe than usual. Broken collarbones seem like just a boo-boo now compared to the broken pelvis and getting knocked off your bike at 30 miles an hour and sliding down the road and tossing another rider into a barbed wire fence. Luckily, today is rest day, so maybe every one can rest up and stop playing bumper cars when the race starts again Tuesday.

So I got out the watercolors and started splashing some color around. Tangles are run, but feeling a need for something a little different – adding a little color seemed the way to go. I splashed on some colors and then drew over the colors once dry. A sunflower-type flower in honor of the Tour.

But this is my favorite. Not only is it purple, but I am really pleased with how it turned out.

The bottom left flower is the first one I drew and it’s petals are more rounded. I like the feel and look of the more squared off petals on my purple flowers.

Since the temperatures are suppose to start hitting triple digits again, I think some indoor ‘gardening’ is called for.

More Sketchbook Catch-up

2011-07-10T15:26:00.001-05:00

I decided in March I would do the alphabet and add a little color to the tangles. I particularly like the holes I left for the color to show through.

I also did not want them to just be centered in the middle of the page and static. I wanted move of a feel of movement to them.

This is actually a ‘C’ although it looks more like a G. I also like the perspective on the ends of the letter. It does give it some depth.

Switched from capital letters to lower case letters.

This was just the letter and some flowers. Between this circle flowers and my zinnias I have some florals going on in my pictures.

I have made it to ‘g’ so far. I have to go back and do other letters and some numbers to fill out March.

One thing I have noticed with these sketches is that I am not finding the ‘bad’, but rather the ‘good’ in them. I am looking at them and saying “I could have done that differently”, but my inner critic I am managing to keep quieter these days. Maybe she’s on vacation!

Larry Crowne Affair

2011-07-08T17:22:00.001-05:00

Ok, I will admit going to watch Larry Crowne was not my first choice. It’s not that I am not a Tom Hanks or Julia Roberts fan, but without the CG, I didn’t see the point in seeing it on the big screen. However, I needed to bomb my house for bugs, the dogs were going to be on a friend’s porch and she is a huge Tom Hanks fan and wanted to see it. So after depositing dogs on her porch, setting off the bug bombs, we left for the theater for an afternoon showing.

First off, I must have the most magnetic personality in the world. We were the first people in the place. The next dozen people that came into the theater all sat right in front of us, beside us, behind us. Everyone was within about a 4 row radius….what gives?

What I liked most about the film was Hanks or Roberts were not romanticized. They were likeable, everyday people who were not perfect. Shit happens to them. They have to go on day by day, just like the rest of us. I think that is what made it most appealing to me – they were me. I have experienced some of the things they were going through.

Hanks is a 20 year navy veteran who is let go from his job due to not having a college education. He realizes he has to do something to move forward, so off to his local community college. Roberts is a college professor who is supporting her blog-writing, porn ogling husband. Hanks is bewildered with the new directions in his life, Roberts is bitchy about hers. And the two meet for an 8am class, 3 days a week.

Now for those of us who have been to college (my seated class days were back in the 70’s), those early classes are not always the best for students who really care about taking the class. Coincidence, my speech class was at 7am. Luckily, the Vietnamese couple who owned the local donut shop opened at 6am and they had the best cinnamon rolls.

One of the best parts of the movie was George Takei as the Economics professor, author of Econ Prime, the textbook for the class. He was actually a little scary. Makes you wonder how much Botox and plastic surgery he has endured.

Hanks is taken under the wing of a cute co-ed who helps him navigate the waters of community college, the scooter gang, and his new life. Some people might feel that is a little far-fetched some young 20 something hanging with a 50 something, but I can see it. Those young whippersnappers will actually socialize with us old fossils and fun can be had on both sides.

Hanks is just the nice guy who comes into Roberts world at a time when she is getting rid of the old. And slowly, but surely, they both realize it. Like I said, a nice movie. No wild action scenes, no CG, just a nice, feel-good movie, one that you can go back and watch time and time again.

Spoiler Alert: cute scene…when Larry tells Talia her new tattoo in Chinese characters does not say what she thinks it says, but rather is Chinese for soy sauce.

Will I buy the DVD, probably. And watch it with ‘Runaway Bride’ for a feel good weekend.

By the way, I now want to take seated classes at my local community college and ride around on a scooter.

Sketchbook Challenge Update

2011-07-05T16:56:00.001-05:00

It’s been awhile, but I have not forgotten the Sketchbook Challenge. And yes, there are some gaps in my drawings. One of the advantages of 3 weeks of watching the Tour de France is that I can play catch-up on my drawing. Plus, I do have to say there has been some improvement in my drawing. Most of what I am doing now leans toward zentangles, but there are some other sketches intermingled in there.

So to give an idea of what I have been up to, here are some selections from February. My theme for February was mandalas, and for the most part that is what I drew.

I was aiming toward a floral mandala here. In fact, I got on this whole zinnia-looking for awhile.

Was going for a compass rose style with this mandala.

And this is one of my zentangle mandalas. It’s not symmetrical, but I like it any way.

I didn’t realize this one looked a little Celtic.

I was really pleased with how this one turned out.

And another one I particularly I like.

Getting better I do believe.

Another attempt at a mandala, which I am pleased with. I think I am getting a little better at judging size and getting things the same size and shape.

The sketches through May are all 6 x 6 in size. Starting in June I graduated to 9 x 9 and I have some nice sketches yet to debut.

Happy Fourth of July

2011-07-04T05:48:00.001-05:00

I have been lucky in my life to not have someone I know directly involved in military actions around the world. In my teens, my dad was too old for Vietnam. He had been in the National Guard when I was little, and I remember him going off for training during the summer, but that was my involvement with actual one-on-one military duty.

However, thanks to Texter, I have been fortunate to entertain some of the young men in our military service. One of them just returned from seven months in Afghanistan – safely, I might add.

So this is for all those who have chosen to go into military service for our country – Thank you!

Without them over the years I would not be sitting on my butt this Fourth of July, in my air conditioning, watching a million channels on my television and sipping iced tea while writing this entry.