Share Time

So I want to take the time to share a new painting with you! And it's of some of my favorite subjects to paint, birdies and nests. I really like painting with the waxes. I do. And like I said in an earlier post the waxes were staring me down in a jar on the art desk (like $100's worth of staring). But although I love the textures, the smell and the end results of encaustics, I really miss my little mixed media paintings. I am ready to dig out the paper, glue and acrylics. The 3 paintings I finished up though I am really proud of. And intend to list them in Etsy by Monday. So check back to see when. They are all 8x10" framed in salvage wood.

Such a sweet little tweet. She's nurturing her little babies in the nest. The word Nurture was painted using a masking technique.

I hope you have a lovely weekend. Taking it easy and getting my ducks in a row for some new traveling paintings. I see VW campers and vintage trucks on the desk soon!

Friday Favs

So today you have to indulge me a bit. It's my son's 10th birthday. Wow. He's grown so fast. So today's Friday favs are going to be my favorite things about.....well, him. 1. He gives amazing bear hugs. 2. He has an amazing smile. One of his front teeth is behind the rest, and I really like that about him. 3. He has an angel's kiss birthmark on his back. 4. He is MORE than patient with his little sister. 4. He has the uncanny ability to play any sport. 5. He has a competitive spirit and doesn't allow anyone to run him over. 6. He's an amazing artist. 7. He has big dreams already for himself. 8. He's a good friend. 9. He's a great son. 10. He loves me unconditionally (I can tell it in his heart he does).

Well, after my rug and floor got all patched up I was given a lovely stomach bug. Hope to be back to normal soon. It's amazing how much weight you can loose in two days when you don't eat though. I got on the scale today and 5 pounds went somewhere (you really don't want to know where, it's a little graphic) between Wednesday and today. Ick is right. So Lily and I are going back to bed now. See ya hopefully on Monday.

Trust Your Heart

Monday afternoon I got busy with paintings. And it was such a nice relief from jewelry making. I pulled out the wax that was staring me down in a jar on the art desk. And melted and painted away. It was so freeing in a way to try something different. Now the wax is put away and the canvases are out and ready to be painted. I just had to get it out of my system I suppose. Prove something to myself maybe? And then the rug was pulled out from under me on Tuesday, and then the floor got pulled out from under me yesterday. So today I am going to do just this:And pull myself up. And trust that my heart knows the right thing to do.

JUST IN: Part of the floor has been fixed. My van which last night I thought was going to the dump to become scrap metal JUST needed at $20 hose. I can breath now......I can breath now.....

All Done!

Whew. 3 days straight...even in my dreams. And all have been either packed to fly over to Birmingham, or anxiously awaiting their flight into your jewelry box. See HERE! Now I can go to bed and have sweet dreams of painting. Because that's next. And I have lots of ideas up my baggy sweatshirt sleeves!

Jewelry Making 101

So, I am now on the downhill side of a serious jewelry 101 making session. I am by no means proficient at this art form, yet. And man my right hand is reminding me of this. I find myself drawn to the process of making jewelry though. And after creating about 100 new pieces, I am feeling pretty, well, good. Half the stash is headed to The Naked Art Gallery in Birmingham...the other half to my etsy shop. The photos have all been taken, and the cropping is about to begin. So check here in etsyland tomorrow and scoop yours up!

Sometimes I am too......

Sensitive. I just plain can't help it. I wear a giant heart on my sleeve that I let get all holey and tattered. It's just a part of who I am, always have been. I've gotten better about expressing this. And being an artist really allows me to express this without even knowing it. And today was just one of those days of very creative expression. Nest. I actually looked it up in the dictionary today and found that nests are not just places where birds lay their eggs to hatch, but it's also defined as "a group of similar things, a place of rest, a retreat, a group of objects made to fit close together or within one another." It's kind of what I do while creating.....I make a restful place, group lots of ideas together and create a tightly woven body of work. I know I didn't invent the woven nest pendant, but I do believe that how I have altered into into my own little "nest" is quite beautiful and a wonderful expression of my sensitivities. Last weekend I wove together about 20 nests. Today I woke and decided it was time to put the nests together with the words that needed to come right on out of that tattered sleeve. I really enjoyed hand dyeing all my own pieces this time. It's rewarding in many ways to see the fruits of your labor produce materials so very unique.

I also ordered my own stamps, finally. The fonts I chose are lower case typewriter and tiny uppcase gothic. I got a hold of those little metal letters, put on my I-pod, and stamped away. It was seriously like I was pounding out all those anxieties I've had about my creativity lately. And the words, well they just kept coming....nuture them, unlock potential, u can fly, my heart is full, and more. Ok, now I am not just talking to Mommies right now. You know nurturing can encompass a realm of people who foster the development of others. Heck, my little blog here may be nurturing you. Unlocking potential.....man I feel like there is so much of that in me right now and why I can't just let it go is where I perhaps, need to be nurtured.

So these pendants are all done and ready to make their way into new jewelry boxes. Maybe one of them will speak to you as it did me while creating it. I can't really explain this, but I really got emotional today. Especially while stamping this one below:

And really, I was not thinking about Mailey and William while making it. I was thinking about you.

Friday Favs

So today I thought I'd share a few of my favorite FOODS. And of course there is a cute story to go along with my favorite food ever.......COOKIES. More specifically homemade chocolate chip cookies. I crave cookies, and most important, the cookie dough. I can eat a whole bowl of the darn stuff if given an opportunity to get away with it. My first real job was at the Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Company in Brookwood Mall at age 16. Not that their cookie dough was any good, really it was yucky. But those cookies. Man, I think Suzan and I both gained 15 pounds working there. They are that good. So, back to cookie making at our house. As a general rule, when I have a craving for yummy dough and a few cookies, all I have to say is, "Kids, wanna make some cookies?" "Yeah Mom!!" And they both come running, jam their cooking stools into the tiny kitchen and wait their turns putting the magic ingredients into the mixing bowl. This week however, when I asked, "Hey kids, wanna make cookies?" This was my only taker: Yep. Lily was ready on William's cooking stool. So together, she and I made a yummy batch of dough (she got to lick the beaters since the kids were "otherwise engaged"). Onto the pan the dough goes.......

And out they come....golden brown after just 8 minutes. I ate my fair share of the dough, and of course the kids got a spoon hand delivered by Mom. Something about the texture and yumminess of the dough is my favorite part. Today the last morsel was eaten and William asked, can we make more Mom? I just looked at Lily whose ears went perky and laughed.

Okay, so seriously if asked my favorite food it would be homemade chocolate chip cookies. But here are some other favs:

1- meal to make for my family: my Grandmother's black gravy roast and mashed potatoes

2- fast food: sausage McMuffin from McDonald's

3- dinner out with family: Alfredo's Italian in Atlanta

4- food I think I could eat everyday that I can NOT cook: Thai

5- local haunt: The Redneck Gourmet- just about anything on the menu!

6- always in the fridge: lots of pickles and olives

7- favorite snack: riceworks/brown rice crisps/ sea salt flavored

8-favorite cooking ingredient: GOOOOOD balsamic vinegar

So there ya have it. Some of my favs. I am all about a yummy meal. And lately I've been really trying new things with the family and loving it. And I think they have too. Have a great weekend....and happy cooking!

Yes, I did it again....

Updated the Etsy shop that is! It's getting big fat puffy heart love this week! And I am not even done. Just felt like I was on a merry-go-round after listing 14 medium sized glass pendants. So I had to take a breather. They turned out so very pretty. Each image has been carefully cut and decoupaged onto the 1", 1 1/5", or 2" glass tile. I added some really thick gloss glaze to the backs, which of course have a fun pattern!
I have 2 sizes and rings to add to the shop. The pendants will come with a 24" ball chain. Such a great gift, or happy for yourself. And the 2" pendant, well it's a true show stopper. It's like wearing a little piece of art right around your neck or finger.

ETSY Shop Updated!

Okay folks. I am not very good at updating the Etsy shop. Nope, I'm not (tisk, tisk). Last night I had a nice sale from the shop so I headed over and literally gasped. I had only 2 items left! Oopsy. So I quickly updated all the print listings including these below: My PLAN is to update it with the jewelry by Sunday. And now that I've told you, I am accountable. I've got a pile of new glass pendants and stamping to do. It's gonna be like a giant Etsy love bomb landed in my little shop. Promise. I'll be sure to post when I do! Gotta go create!

Look What I Cleaned Up!

Wow. The long weekend flew by here in the Horne household. And what a pleasant one it was! Mailey and I had our first Brownie trip to real Girl Scout Camp on Saturday. The entire day was about Fairies. And for a little girl (and Mommy) with giant imaginations, it was awesome. I know, to many of you it sounds a weeeee bit silly, but seriously I think Holly and I enjoyed the day as much as the 6 little Brownies we took along. After church and yummy lunch on Sunday I spent much of the day cleaning this room: This is a peek into my art studio. It's a 10'x10" sunroom right off our kitchen. I love it. It's so homey and fun, and inspiring. Except it wasn't so inspiring on Sunday when I entered to work and saw the piles and piles of junk. And I really can't be creative with piles of stuff everywhere. It took Sunday and Monday to get everything cleaned out and cleaned up. I have a luv relationship with my spray bottle of Lysol, and it was really put to the test. The cabinet above....well I found dust particles that seriously I wonder how they made their way in. Magazines were tossed, and I didn't even look through them first. Tossed a ton of scrap papers, junk paint brushes, old paints and more. 4 kitchen trash bags later and a new area rug put into place it was sparkly. And I said ahhhhh....

I also found this handy rolling file holder at Office Depot. And of course some robin's egg blue hanging file folders to place inside. Now everything is filed and labeled. No excuses to miss a deadline! It was also fun to purge though all the old ideas I had filed away. Some are not my style anymore, while others made a spot on the inspiration board above. Now, I have to admit, it didn't take like 2 days straight to clean the room up. I did take breaks. I recently found this channel on our TV called LMN (Lifetime Movie Network). If you have this channel then you know where I am going with this......it totally sucks you in. These low budget films, some based on true stories, some not, are like total time warping to me. I usually say, I'm just going to see what this one is about, then 2 freakin' hours later I am like, now that was a waste of time!

While on my "breaks" however, I didn't totally waste time. I made a series of little wirey nests for a new jewelry line idea. Mailey came in last night and said, "What is all that on your bedside table Mom?". "My little nests, come see." "Oooooo...Mom can I make one?" "Sure. " And today she is wearing her little nesty ring. So sweet.

Yep, lots of little nests waiting to be attached to their chains. Can't wait to start, in my newly cleaned up studio. And what are some ideas for these? Looky here:

So the blue egg is William, the pink egg Mailey. And yes, my heart is VERY full.

Friday Favs

Hey again! So this week I want to share a few of my favorite TOOLS. You know, tools aren't just for men. I bet I know my way around Lowe's much better than my dear husband. Even though he calls the shiny red toolbox in the garage his, everyone in this household knows who uses the contents more frequently (and tends to misplace them more frequently too, oopsy!). Anyhoo.....who doesn't love a new cordless drill. Which has not left the kitchen island since I got it for Christmas. Love it. So does Ellie it appears. These are tools that I use in my artwork. The left item is a dry point needle. Originally I used it to etch into metal plates like Durer did during the Renaissance times. Being a modern renaissance woman, I use mine for carving into the goo on my wood before painting. Durer probably is rolling in his grave right now. hehehe... Middle is a new favorite, a wood burning tool. Which has never gotten to burn wood. It's used for line carving in roofing felt and soon into some wax. And last, the Dremel. Oh....the tools in my caddy for this could just about do anything. Seriously. Great tool for every artist. So many more....but these are the top 4 right now. BTW, the wood, roofing felt and goo also all come from Lowe's. I have a really big puffy heart spot for that place.

And lastly a tool that was not purchased at Lowe's, and really is not mine. I borrowed these from Valerie awhile back and said to her just this week, "I may need to think about paying you some rent on those letter stamps, or maybe just buy them from you." I really enjoy stamping. Not that I do that much, but when I find something I really like, and can combine it with my words, birds and nests, I am all over it. And right now I am all over these bracelet samples I made.

So here they are...ta da! Oh, and the fabulous mallet helped make these too, can't forget him, and I don't mean the rubber kind either.

So my motto of the year...be incredible and artsy mom. I am in love with this design, and have all sorts of ideas to make more. Just anxiously awaiting the blank ID tags to arrive. I plan to put all sorts of fun words on them. I'll be listing them in my etsy shop and will be sure to give you an update when I do!!

Good Things Do Happen

I truly believe that good things happen to people each and everyday. Even on the worst of days, something good has happened, you may simply have overlooked it because bad things tend to make more noise. Sure, it's easier to dwell on the bad, but seriously, the good you have in your life is a much greater influence. Try and focus on one thing a day that is truly good, something to be thankful for. Write it down on a sticky note and attach it to your steering wheel, bathroom mirror, just somewhere as a gentle reminder. You'll find that as days go by, you'll start adding to the list, or noticing a pattern. Sometimes as a family we sit around the dinner table and say our high and low points of the day. I want my children to recognize as well that life has plenty of uck, but it has plenty of wonderful. And again, seeing patterns as to what gives you joy and pain is good to understand. Somerset magazines has started a publication about this subject, life. Living life, and seeing the good there is to be had when you open your heart and mind up to it. Simple things are featured in this issue, like taking a bath outside. Hey, I've used outdoor showers at the beach and seriously it is a very good thing. So this week has been one of those weeks where good and happy things are seeping from my pores, and it's only Tuesday. I find that really BIG good things, well they tend to travel in 3's. And I'd like to share those with you. So here are my 3 for this week.....ooooo...weeeeee....it's a good one!

1. I got to meet Kelly Rae Roberts at the Demdaco showroom. You'd have thought I was meeting the President I was so excited and flushed. Okay, well not the best example for me....maybe the last president. Anyhoo..... 2. I met a lovely lady named Anne. I don't want to jinx anything. But let's just say that was a really good, good. 3. At Barnes and Noble yesterday the new Somerset Life Magazine was on the shelves. And in it was my newest article. sigh...

My son William while checking out was beaming.....he kept saying to the check out clerk, "My Mommy is in that magazine." She did not hear him though because she was too busy trying to sell me on that darn club thingy that's $25. Finally I stopped her and said, he's trying to tell you something. Then she oooed and ahhhhed over the article. And yes, I was happy, but man William was beaming! You see, this article was all about the two with me, Mailey and William, complete with super pics of them. Which he thought was way cool. I hope you'll pick the magazine up soon. In it are many thoughtful articles on living a life that includes being silly sometimes. There were articles by many people I recognized, which always gives me tummy butterflies. I noted one from the Swirly Girl and Kelly Rae. Both of which are represented by Demdaco too. Small world. Well, doors are opening here in this studio and I am excited about the potential that lies ahead. I hope that you see some GOOD today in your life too and aren't afraid to share it.

Meeting a Stranger

Yesterday afternoon Valerie and I headed up the the Atlanta Merchandise mart for a little shopping for her store. It's the HUGE gift show right now. And boy do the vendors have amazing merchandise this year. The mart is the largest in the world....3 huge buildings with at least 15 floors each and a new west wing. Lots to take in, and lots to buy. Only buyers can enter, and since Valerie has kept me on the list for the Flea, I get to tag along and help her spend money, it's loads of fun. The other reason I really wanted to tag along yesterday was because I noticed on one of my favorite artist blogs, Kelly Rae Roberts, she was going to be doing a wall plaque signing at Demdaco. A lovely show room that represents her work. Now. Seriously, she is no stranger to me as my title eludes. I found Kelly 2 years ago when I left the Vintage-Flea to pursue art full-time. I was in the bookstore picking out some "inspirational" books to get myself started on this creative journey. That day I found this lovely book entitled, Taking Flight. And was immediately smitten with her. And have been following her creative flight ever since. Last year Demdaco debuted her line and I was thrilled for her. To see an artist succeed in this matter, especially one with as wholesome of heart as Kelly, you can not help but feel a part of her joy. This year the new line debuted and she was going to be here, in Atlanta, to sign a wall plaque and meet the merchants who purchase her line to sell in their shops. There were a few of us (um Tiffin and Joy) who were there simply because we wanted to meet......well an artist star. And let me tell you, she is just as adorable and genuine in person as in her blog and artwork. I had only the camera phone, but still, the moment is captured. Her work speaks volumes...you should go here now and see for yourself.

Today I am soaking it all in and reflecting. The Demdaco the showroom that is. I was amazed to find so many of my favorite artists right in that showroom. And the creative team does an amazing job of displaying the products. The products themselves really are beautiful. So yep, I am inspired to mush on and keep working towards the pinnacle that these lovely ladies have reached. Maybe, just maybe, my opportunity is around the corner. Just maybe.

Friday Favs

I've been working on ideas for my blog lately. And one idea is to show some of my favs. Favorite things in the house, supplies, junkin haunts, artists, etc. So every Friday I'll be here to share a little with you! I hope you enjoy and get a little incite into why I create what I do. It's always nice to see a little personal side of those I follow. So here goes! I am a collector of many things. One of my favorite and most diverse collections is that of typography. I've always loved writing....so maybe this is where the love of letters comes into play. In my junkin' trips I am always drawn to the piles of old store letters, letterpress blocks, game pieces and more. So here is a peek at some of the words around my house (yes there are more......I had to edit down a little). It's always fun to see what words I can come up with when a pile of letters presents itself.

This is my collection of letterpress letters. I also have some super cool image blocks. I was a printing major in college. So these are really special top me. It's all our names.

Yes, I do have to remind my children of this. It's a fun addition to their bathroom.

Boy do I luv my Lily. These are old store letters perhaps? They are tin.

Nestled in with all the clay projects the kiddos have made, IMAGINE is made of plastic. I think they are old toddler toys because they can stack vertical as well.

I think these letters are some of my favorites to date. They are metal. I have ART above the door to the garage and HORNE above the front door.

In the kitchen window.....of course it says hungry. This is a mix of store tin letters and license plate letters.

So that's about it for this week. Come back next week for another sneak peek into my creative home!

Snow Day!

At exactly 5:41am our house phone rang. It was the county calling to say that all Coweta County schools have been closed due to inclement weather. See the inclement that canceled school: I love my zebra rain boots. This snow is like sand really. Cold, sparkly sand. No snow balls or snowmen with this powder. We all bundled up, spent about 20 minutes outside, and now are in our various rooms playing. William playing wii in the den, Mailey playing Barbie in her room and me.....well I'm playing on the computer in my bed under the covers (Lily nestled up too in bed!).

This is Mailey's playhouse. I'd love to have a giant house just like this. Super cute. It'll be a long lazy day here. I plan to work on the studio. I've got a PILE of organizing to do. And as you know if you've read my blog in the past, I absolutely can not create unless all is in order. It's a really bad creative blocker for me to see piles.

I love this eagle statue. And in the snow, he looks extra important. Mailey let me snap one fun pic before heading in to warm her little fingers. The rabbit vest was mine as a child BTW. She loves it as much as I did. Well, hope you have a cozy creative day where you are!!

A Sneaky Peaky at My Fav Junkin' Spot

This past weekend the kiddos and I went for a jaunt to Birmingham and Harpersville to see family and friends. Every time I head to Harpersville the kids and I get siked up for a trip to this spot here: It's a little gem. Yep. Can't you tell?? We spent 2 hours in here yesterday morning. And I left with a pot of gold. I've got some new ideas for my booth at the Flea, and with my whole vision as an artist really. And this spot was just the inspiration I needed to get me started. Since my trusty camera was in the car, I decided to take a few shots to make you drool over the junk heaven right on HWY 280.

There is a front building that is more like an old hardware store. I think you can buy just about ANYTHING in this place. As long as you don't read expiration labels and such. The back room is an airplane hanger size. No heat.....no heat......but that really did not stop us.

Everything is organized beyond belief. If you want a bird figurine, it's with the bird figurines. Christmas with Christmas, clothes with clothes, hot curlers with hot curlers, all the way through rabbit ears for you TV set (or wings on dragon fly sculptures). It's unbelievable.

Small appliance aisle. I find things I really had no idea I needed here. The Tupperware isle is a favorite for finding that sort of thing.

This is the figurine isle. They have a tons of clothes, which I usually never peek through. I did however see some vintagey ice skating costumes and lovely prom gowns. There's also a giant box of zippers in the sewing notions area. If someone knows of an idea with those, send it my way. Every time I go here I see them and ponder, then pass on them. But I know there's got to be a magical idea with a box of zippers. I forgot to snap some pics of the gems I found. So I'll do that later today. Valerie and I are headed to the Altanta Gift Show at the mart this morning, so I have to run now. Have a cozy day!!