Done Russian

Well, it's super late, or verrrry early depending on how you look at it (1:30am to be exact). I'm just not very tired which is unusual since I am normally in the sack by 11pm or so. So I figured I'll post about an ATC I finally finished up yesterday. I started it a couple weeks ago and never thought I'd finish it, I've had many large scale paintings that took less time. It was for a "Russia" swap so I did a detail of some of the onion domes of St. Basils in Moscow - all I got to say is it was a booger. Here again, the shiny gold trim on the domes cannot be seen on the scan.
 
I've got a super busy next couple of weeks. This weekend we are having the family+others over for our annual family BBQ, Tom's kids and families and the rest will be here, my mom and sister will be driving up from Georgia. There looks to be about 30 and thank goodness the forecast looks to be a perfect day. Lets hope it stays that way.
 
Then I'm taking a trip July 8-12 to Philly/NJ/NYC to meet up with some friends from high school, nearly 30 years since we've seen each other. Will post all the gory details once I get back.

This post got me thinking about that movie "National Lampoons Family Vacation" and the following song, if you've never seen it get out from under that rock you live under and check it out! And while we're in Chevy Chase mode...you ever see "Funny Farm"? That was hysterical to me, not too sure how many agree but it cracked me up!

I might be ready to sleep now.................at the Shores

It's Fontastic!

hew - it's been a bit since I've posted here. Just busy I suppose. 

I just finished up an ATC where your partner chooses a word and you are to use a nice font to write it out on the front. I chose to draw it using the Baveuse font on mine and I sure don't have to tell you what her word is. I hope she doesn't mind a bit of whimsey - I have been doing such serious stuff lately! I couldn't scan it because of the paper curl I have on the billboard and it's stormy outside so an indoor photo will have to do(you know what kind of crappy camera I have if you've ever been here before I complain all the time about it)

I also finished a
new book for my
shop I call it
"Daisy Dreams",
not the shop -
the book!
I used yellow lined
paper for the two
pads on the inside,
some may
want one with lines,
right??

I love this song - and such a sweet video - maybe you do too?
Dreaming........................at the Shores

For Annie O

I just finished a book for my friend Annie in San Diego, her birthday is Sunday and for once I might actually have a shot of getting someones gift to them on their actual birthday - or at least very close to it! I put a picture of her sweet dog, Mudslide on the cover with birthday wishes from her to her momma. I swiped the picture off her Facebook profile and printed it onto fabric. Most of us have grown to love her pets even though we only know them from what Annie posts online! 

I also got some more plants dug up from the old house and brought here today. I managed to get 5 hydrangeas, 3 sea thrift, 3 lenten roses and another phlox...and they've all been replanted. I'm beat, but I've also started an ATC of a closeup of a few of the domes of St. Basils in Moscow, hopefully I can finish that up tonight. 

This song had me dancing with the people in the video - it just couldn't be helped!

Groooovin'............at the Shores

18 x 24 Divided By 4

Aiiiiiiii!! I just spent half an hour on this post and blogger had "troubles"  and it's gone - please, why have the save button if it isn't anywhere to be found?!? 
Ok, that off my chest.  

I am swapping art papers, you paint or alter a large piece of paper, I used an 18 x 24  then cut it into 4 pieces for 4 different people, none are to be smaller than 7 x 10. Well, after some gesso and pieces for texture, more gesso, more texture, some paint (and more gesso)  I even broke out the shoe polish and got.................mud? I keep looking at them thinking maybe it's ok. I mean if I got this piece of paper I think I could rip it up to be used for something cool - eh?  Perhaps I'll work on them yet. Whats worse is I have 3 more to do. I think I'll stick with my acrylics for the rest.

So upon feeling a bit defeated in the art department my husband placed a request for a trip to the local farm & fleet (Tractor Supply...whatever it's called in your neck of the woods) and I went simply because I decided I needed to step away from the art supplies.

As some know who have been here in the last weeks it's been warm enough to get into my garden for a bit of work. Well, I prefer to be sans shoes almost all the time if I can get away with it - not good for digging in the dirt.
So on our trip to this farmers haven (we do not live on a farm and I have no idea why my husband likes to visit this store) I found these pink rubber clogs! On SALE! Yes, some days can turn out perfectly.

So to honor my sweet pink goodies that slip off with a flick of the ankle might I entertain you with a bit of other pink - Pink Floyd perhaps??

Tickled pink and wishing you were here.................at the Shores

This Monday Was For The Birds

Today I painted, I painted 2 ATC's both of which were for a WTA (winner takes all). The first was for my friend, Rebecca, she has been getting a lot of my art the past couple months but she doesn't seem to mind. She's a bird watcher and had a list of birds that visit her yard. I chose the goldfinch. 
The second one was for another friend, Brenda, she didn't really give a theme but likes symbols of peace so I did a detail of a Olympic Auditorium (in LA) 1969 New Years Eve concert poster. The original was done by Bonnie MacLean Graham.
You could say I killed 2 birds with one Monday! *snort*

And the songbirds are singing, like they know the score..........................at the Shores 
By the way - add your link to the bloghop on my sidebar --> then put it on your blog! Those on the bloghop are so talented, you can wander for days.........you've been warned!

Me -1 Weeds - 0

Since moving in to this house a year ago I've really done little in the yard. I decided yesterday that I'd try to tackle it one bed at a time. My first victim was riddled with weeds and huge clover clumps so I methodically started at one side and battled them to the other. The winner is now writing this post! I knew I wanted to go to the old house and dig up some of my perennials that have been with me for years now so I loaded up a tarp to protect the cargo area of my SUV and a shovel and headed 'round the corner. Upon looking at them I realized I was several weeks late in this task - the plants were huge. I set to dig......and dig........and grunt.....and dig some more (in the noonday sun I might add so I was sweating like crazy). The ginormous hosta must have weighed more than 50lbs. I only got 3 echinecea, 3 phlox and a couple delphinium and the monster hosta before I gave up but it's a start and looks lovely compared to what it did just yesterday! You can see how big that beast is, the statue is about 3 feet tall.

I've got a lot more to dig up at the old house and still have more room in this particular bed but I'm pleased. I also got some cucumbers and dill planted this afternoon too. 
I'm calling it a day, time to clean up and work on something inside - like the kitchen maybe? What a mess if I'm not on it diligently, I sometimes feel like I live with a teenager.
Another garden song for your listening pleasure from my favorite Van the Man, I couldn't find a good video but turn it up anyway!

No Guru, no method, no teacher just you and I and nature and the father in the garden...............at the Shores

Come Sail Away

Sunny day here but verry windy, we are on the windy side of the lake but that's ok - we never have to fire up the AC...maybe we did once last year, I forget. I posted this on Facebook, if it's windy enough the few people that own sailboats have a blast with them. This guy was just whipping around the lake...looks like too much work for me! 

My latest ATC was for a winner takes all and her theme was vintage sewing. I used a bit of everything on it, fabric, Prismacolor pencils (love 'em!), Micron pen, acrylics...yadda, yadda. I hope it is vintage enough for her - if it were a real pattern it'd be from the 50's or 60's y'think? 

I got my hot pepper plants planted and the flowers potted for the wishing well out front (it came with the house, so I figured why not make it pretty) and pressure washed my paddleboat. I had great plans to do more but I'm just not jumping too high today. Hopefully we'll drop it into the water tomorrow and Chance and I can peddle around the lake a bit - lord knows I need the exercise.

Gonna pedal my boat.................at the Shores

Rain, Rain Go AWAY!

Pooh! It's raining again and I'm sick of it! But on the bright side look what the rain has helped bring me....

My Key limes I wrote about last night.

 And teeny bell peppers.

The the sun may not be shining but that ain't getting this happy little girl down!                             

Puddle splashin' ..................................at the Shores

Cool Gig

Waahooooooo! I've sold 3 books - I mean it counts even if they were purchased by friends doesn't it?? I can't thank Susan enough, after she bought one she posted her find on Facebook which led to 2 more sold. My friend Jamie posted my shop link on her profile as well......I am eternally grateful for my friends. My shop has been viewed by people in 41 states and 24 countries as of this morning, what a cool gig my life is. Do stop by Susan's blog and have a look at some of her artwork and photos, I love to have a look at the world through her eyes! Jamie works photo wonders with her iPhone these days, some can be seen here.

I had my first Caprese salad tonight with my homegrown basil (I eat them like crazy all summer long)  - sure wish I had my own tomatoes, they're still just 8 small plants but they DO have flowers on them, crossing my fingers I get a better crop than last year. In my "garden" I have some bell peppers, two of which have 2 small gonna-be-peppers on them about the size of a marble, my lettuce is growing very well too! And tomorrow I will plant 7 different peppers in varying degrees of hotness since Tom loves cooking spicy. Oh - and my poor little key lime tree that I have drug in and out of the house now for several years has a bumper crop of a couple dozen limes on it, normally I only get enough to squeeze into a beer or two!

In honor of my little garden heres a ditty for you, not sung by Ricky Nelson, but his 3 sons and what a fine job they did - I think dad would be proud . 

 
Diggin' in the dirt....................at the Shores

Prickly Subject

I was just downstairs having a look at my cacti in the garden window...I love these guys, I marvel at them every day. They grow pretty fast too! My mother gave me my first ones as a housewarming gift, some are even from of her own collection. Every time I am at a store that carries them I just have to have a look, they come in so many shapes, sizes and colors.

There are fuzzy ones that have lil babies like mad!

Some are sort of creepy

I suppose this post is really all about procrastination if I'm honest with myself, I really came upstairs to see if I can find something nice to wear to a wedding Saturday that doesn't have paint all over it. Ever since I quit working "out there" I paint in whatever I wanna paint in - I guess my good clothes really haven't even been taken out of the closet in ages so I'm very sure they're good to go. Time to go sit and pout on the closet floor and look up wondering which will be my choice. I guess it could be worse, I could be out shopping for a bathing suit *shudder*.
             

Will she find the right thing straight away or end up with mounds of clothes on the closet floor?....................................at the Shores

Walk Like An Egyptian

Yesterday I sent off the first in what I think will be a world tour series in ATC's. I think most of the artists are more interested in countries that are less common - so hopefully after Egypt and Russia which is already underway we can head to lesser known places like Gabon, Palau, Seychelles, Togo, Isle of Man, Macau, Vanuatu...you get the picture. I enjoy doing research for an ATC subject.

So, back to my ATC (Rebecca, if you are reading this you're gonna ruin the surprise for yourself!)the country is Egypt, I decided I wanted to do one of the queens, specifically Nefertiti - I realize it is hardly a unique Egyptian subject but I've always wondered what ever happened to her. She just disappeared from history in the earlier years of 1300BC, whether the remains have been found or which ones they are is the ongoing battle of the Egyptologists!

Ok, ok, sorry if I've made you a little drowsy explaining why I picked Nefertiti as my ATC subject.Well, there she is - so very sad that the scanner cannot pick up all it's shiny metallic goodness...the golds, silvers and coppers, so much prettier to see it in person, I used rust (real rust) for the background, gave it that nice oldish look, eh?

I'd though for about 2 seconds about putting "Walk Like an Egyptian" video here but man, I really don't like that song so instead how's about something from the talented Queen Freddie instead?   

Queen...................at the Shores

Holiday Weekend

I was forced to do very little this past Memorial Day weekend, I had a cold that I thought was steamrolling it's way into my body but midway through the day on Monday I felt all better - it never went full blown but I did have lots of quality book and hammock time trying to prevent it from doing so. The cushion was being washed so I had to settle for a blanket which suited me ok but was hard to keep in place!

As some of you may know, my Etsy shop has finally gone online - no sales yet but I have had views from 26 states and 8 countries in the 6 days which is encouraging - maybe the prices are too high, I don't know, but after taking into consideration the cost of materials I'm getting only about $5 per hour for my time LOL! Crazy really. I did manage to get 2 more done and listed in spite of feeling crappy. Maybe after I have a decent stock built up I might find a GOOD art/craft show and drag them out and see if I have better luck there....but that'll be awhile at the rate I'm going!

This video is hard for me to watch because it looks like they're lip syncing, but it's what I'm listening to right now on my iPod :o)

Letting my Soulshine.......................at the Shores