IT'S JUNE ! Where Are the Fireflies!!

 It's hot out! And humid!! Thank goodness for air conditioning!! The vegetables are growing well and we've enjoyed 2 days of our own lettuce! Very satisfying!!
 I've actually been working on art, mainly Griffins portrait, but also a drawing I originally started in pencil and now am trying in charcoal.
 I'm beginning to work on a outline for drawing classes I'd like to start teaching here, at home. One will be the basic foundation that, I really believe, EVERY artist should know in order to succeed in whatever direction they go as artists. The other will be portraiture, in pencil/charcoal for now. These are my strengths and with art funding once again going out the window in the school systems, maybe I can help a creative child and their family continue to create. 
 I think I have some "not very good" photos of the works in progress to post. I'll let you know if we see any fireflies!!
 I also promise to keep working on better photos,too! The paper is actually white.

The Child Is Alive!!

  You have to look VERY closely at the pots to understand this. I planted a variety of lettuce, onions, green beans and zuchinni yesterday and today in these pots and egg cartons. So whats the big deal? I've been running out every few minutes since I planted them to see if anything has started to come up!!!
  Now, the point is....the me who pays the bills, worries about feeding us, keeping the house, and all those other responsible grown up type things would never do this. But, here I am, looking for miracles, instant plants, just like a child would do!! This is the me I'm bringing out from behind the walls, from under the bed, or wherever else she's been hiding. THE ARTIST!!
 There is hope!! :)

Green

Primrose Lilac

Drawing the Ivy growing out back.



Ferns add a surreal beauty to flowers.



 I can't get over all the different greens outside. Everytime I look there's more: deeper, brighter, more blues, more yellows. I was SO hungry for Spring and she's finally arrived. Hope everyone has time to enjoy....put the cell phone away and really LOOK!!

Fairie chair





Tulips and Ferns may be my favorite combination.



Snowman in Spring

Well, here he is!! I'm so happy I've finally finished SOMETHING!! He is made of paperclay over styrofoam balls. Even the berries in the greens were made of paperclay. I have a doll I shall work on next. She's a tad frightening right now...teeheeee!
  I've started selling Avon, again, just to bring in a little extra cash. The unemployement just isn't enough and yet, unless I find a job that I truely love I'm not working for anyone again!! There is no such thing as job security, that I see all around me. And I have a pissy attitude about anything "corporate". I feel that if we all stopped working for people who take everything we have to give, including our joy, and then toss us, maybe they'd see that without us they wouldn't exist!! Okay, I'll step down off the box now. But, since I have gotten involved on the computer, blogging, FB, and just browsing, I am constantly amazed at all the talent out in our world. And these people are living at home, raising children, helping animals, AND selling their work. And they're HAPPY!!! Bravo to all of you!! There definitely is a better and happier way to live and I'm now striving for that balance in my life. I hope you all have it in yours! I really do!

Snowman in Spring

Snowman

My little snowman is coming along, just need to glue berries, sew hat and cut greens and then go at it with the glitter and mica flakes. I will add photos shortley!!

Happy Birthday to my first love and ongoing crush, George Harrison. You will be forever remembered.

Little Portraits By Me

Little Portraits By Me

Today I rejoined the Berks Art Alliance. I now longer need to worry about getting Thursdays off, so I can now focus on the creative muses I need around me. I have a doll in the making and am now a member of Cloth and Clay.ning. The organizer of this group has put together a doll selling site as well called Doll Town and they will have their grand opening on February 27th at 7:00 p.m., so you can check out the amazingly creative folk on these sites.
I am ready for Spring, but I know mother nature knows what she's doing. I am looking forard to watching my Spring movies: Twister, Fairy Tale, Practical Magic, and The Good Witchs Garden!!!
I found this pen and ink I drew a while back and really like the mood, so I thought I'd share.

Ramblings...

Jeni and I are working on sorting and organizing the basement. This will make our lives so much easier when we both get crazy busy again. It's amazing how many empty boxes we had that just needed to be cut up and put out!
I brought up the 2 boxes of my parents stuff my brothers sent me after Dad died. It's so strange going through the stuff, I can't describe it. I hadn't seen them in SO long. They saved the weirdest things...but I am so glad the pocket watch was in there. I remember loving it as a child and hoping that someday it would come to me. I just loved the engraving on the back.......hmmmm. One good thing is that there are some names of relatives that were in Holland and hopefully I'll be able to do some family research. I didn't have much to go on because we were the first to come from Holland to America in 1957. I remember a few things but not much and they never talked about it.
I am working on a doll, just found my acrylic paints to paint the snowman with and am anxious about getting to it, which is a good creative sign.
The fact that I no longer have a job is beginning to sink in and I have moments of sheer panic! I try to get myself busy or out the door at those times. I know we'll be fine, but having worked since the age of 13 with brief moments of unemployment, it's a tad rattling.
Okay. I rambled enough!

Again!!!

I've done this how many times? But, I've been laid off work and I'm in a bit of shock! But, there's also the happy me that , hopefully, now, will get a chance to play!
I still want to do portraits, but I've taken the pressure of myself. I was making myself sick forcing it. I ended up ripping the portrait of Jackson Rathbone to shreds and wondering what the hell is wrong with me!! So I did nothing. My job became more and more stress filled, I wasn't enjoying ANYTHING!
Then I found out my thyroid had gone hyper, again, and realized that was part of the problem and little by little I started pulling myself together (with the help of Doctors and medications).
So, here I sit, I lost my job last Thursday due to downsizing. This was after we were told the store was closing in December and two weeks later being told we were staying open.......nuts, hu?
I have been sending for more Stampington Press magazines: Artful Blogger, Where Women Create, Prims, Digital Studio and for my daughter, STUFFED!! These arent just magazines they're pages of color and dreams come true and happy!! All things I need very badly. These people play!! They raise thier children and create, many from home, and I can't get enough!! It's as if I'm meeting myself on each page!!
So, I've started playing with paperclay...A little snowman is in the making, I've joined a group of doll makers at Cloth and Clay Dolls, and I'm having fun. And from there, who knows!!! Hopefully I'll start keeping up with this blog, too!! It really is one of my dreams to share and create here, too!
The little snowman is ready to be painted now. He's designed by Nancy Malay and you can find him plus instructions in the 2010 Holiday Crafts magazine. LOVE IT!! So Much fun!!