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!