Life as Art

Flip-Flap pages

2012-02-10T18:23:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more experiments in painted backgrounds. This has been a lot of fun and a real learning experience.

Sick, sick, sick...

2012-02-10T06:54:00.000-08:00

...for the past 8 days. Grumpy, exhausted (unable to sleep), pitiful. This morning I have glimmerings of the end (of the illness, not my life -- although that was up for grabs earlier in the week). Wouldn't it be nice to feel good for the weekend so I can work in the yard? That's what I'm hoping for...

New Stuff

2012-02-01T12:56:00.000-08:00

Here's what I made from the background cardboard that I posted about the other day:

new mixed media background

2012-01-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

Here's one of the backgrounds I've been working on. It's a piece of cardboard that came in a package I got at school. I used a gesso base, and added watercolor (from tubes because you get a richer color). Then I used a clear embossing powder with a paisley flourish stamp and went over the whole thing with liquid acrylic mixed with glazing medium. Happy :)

Valentine class

2012-01-30T06:55:00.000-08:00

Here are the valentines we made in class yesterday:

I think they turned out beautifully. Now, if only I had time to do valentines for myself...
Why is it that no matter how early I get up or how long I work, I can never get everything done???

Big News

2012-01-22T17:58:00.000-08:00

OK, I say this with a mixture of excitement and trepidation: I have rented a wall at the gallery where I'm teaching classes and am officially putting my stuff out there for public consumption. The wall that was available is perfectly hideous:

But Morgan and I covered the whole thing in burlap and it looks much better:

We also added pegboard, as you can see. Today, before my class, I brought in a bunch of things that I've been working on, so now it looks loved, sort of:

Every spare second has been spent in creating stuff for this wall. I'm telling you what, this is work. People think artists just sit around and color; I've got news for them. It's exhausting. But fun. First Friday is coming up soon (the monthly event in the Arts District), so that will be an indication of the saleability (is that a word?) of my stuff. Keeping my fingers crossed...

I'm really into the idea of upcycling -- using things in my art that would otherwise be thrown away. In fact, here's a picture of a sign I made to hang on my wall:

I used a styrofoam tray, a piece of an old National Geographic map, burlap, and a gel medium transfer to make it.

New mixed media

2012-01-22T09:06:00.000-08:00

OK, so I'm a couple of weeks behind in this class. But here is my work from week two. I've already cut it up and created journal covers. I really enjoyed doing this piece.

Life has been so crazy busy that I haven't had a chance to keep up with posting. After today's class I'll post the latest BIG NEWS, with pictures.

Altered Book Class

2012-01-15T20:31:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from today's class:

What a marvelous time we had -- along with working diligently, we also laughed a lot. That might have been the best part, since everyone had a really stressful week. I count myself very fortunate that these creative, wonderful women found their way to my classes. I think we need just one week more and our altered board books will be finished!

New Doodling Page

2012-01-15T20:20:00.000-08:00

Here's my latest mixed media doodling page from the Traci Bautista class:

I really enjoy this technique. The first doodle page I did is now the cover of a mini journal (more pictures to follow).

Fun Online Class

2012-01-13T04:53:00.000-08:00

I'm taking a FREE online class on mixed media through Strathmore Artists Studio.
Traci Bautista is the teacher, and I really like her techniques. I learned about the class from Linda's blog .
Here's a picture of my first attempt:

I have since added a few more doodles to it, but you get the idea. I think I may use this as a mini journal cover.

Altered Book Class

2012-01-09T06:09:00.000-08:00

I had seven students attend my first Altered Book class yesterday! We got a really good start on our books. The first step is sanding down all the pages -- a messy, not terribly fun activity. Then we applied gesso to prime the pages. While the gesso was drying, we made tape transfers. Then we spongepainted the pages. Our final activity was to make plastic wrap webbing embellishments. As usual, I forgot to take pictures until we were well into the process. I did manage to get these:

The afternoon was filled with laughter, creativity, and munching (thanks for bringing the goodies, Julie! The hummus was delicious :) Those three hours just flew by. I hope everyone had as good a time as I did. Next Sunday we'll continue the process. And I'll try to remember to take more pictures...

New Classes for January

2012-01-02T19:36:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd post my new schedule of classes, just in case any of you are in the neighborhood this month!

Sunday 1/8: Altered Books - Puzzle Board Books, part 1
Using a variety of mixed media, students will alter board books which contain puzzles. All materials supplied, however, if you have ephemera you would like to use, by all means bring it. 1-4 p.m. $35

Sunday 1/15: Altered Books - Puzzle Board Books, part 2Using a variety of mixed media, students will continue/finish altering board books which contain puzzles. All materials supplied, however, if you have ephemera you would like to use, by all means bring it. 1-4 p.m. $35

Sunday 1/22: Upcycled Art JournalHave you ever wanted to create an art journal, but felt intimidated by the blank page? Fear no more, because we'll be making these journals from old magazines. This is the first in a series of workshops where you'll learn a variety of techniques using mixed media to create your own visual art journal. All materials are supplied. 1-3 p.m. $25

Sunday 1/29: Mixed Media Valentine
Use paper, paint, fiber and a variety of embellishments to create a one-of-a-kind tag card and slipcover "envelope". All materials supplied. 1-3p.m. $25

Tuesday 1/17: Mail Art: Envelopes
Learn to make several kinds of envelopes of different shapes and sizes using a variety of media. All materials supplied. 5:30-8:30 p.m. $35

Tuesday 1/24: Mail Art: Postcards
Use a variety of mixed media techniques to make several different postcards. All materials supplied. 5:30-8:30 p.m. $35

Tuesday 1/31: Mail Art: Tiny Treasures - Inchies, ATCs, Tags and Bookmarks
Use a variety of mixed media techniques to make miniature works of art that you can send through the mail. All materials supplied. 5:30-8:30 p.m. $35

Janus

2011-12-30T11:39:00.000-08:00

Janus is the Roman god of thresholds, gateways, beginnings, endings, transitions, and time. It was high time that I finished this plaque (begun about three years ago) and put it in its place of honor outside our front door.

Wheels

2011-12-29T18:26:00.000-08:00

We got our daughter her first car today. She is floating on air. I'm so happy and excited for her. It's a joy to see her moving toward independence and adulthood.

The parent part of me is absolutely terrified. Every time she's out and I hear a siren, my heart goes into panic attack mode. She just called to ask me something, but when I looked at the phone and saw it was her, my blood turned to ice. The Husband says I need to go meditate. I think I need to go have a drink. Or two...

101 Things in 1001 Days

2011-12-27T16:25:00.000-08:00

You know how everybody starts planning out their New Year's Resolutions right around now? And how they're forgotten, ignored, swept under the couch with the dust bunnies by the second week of January? Well, this year, I'm not doing that. This year, I've made a list of 101 Things I Want to Accomplish in 1001 Days. I learned about it from Lynda at The Holistic Knitter's Blog. Seems there's a website, Day Zero Project where lots of other folks are creating their own lists of 101 things to do. I like the idea so well that I'm creating a journal to keep track of it all. I love this journal because I made it from old magazines that I bound together and covered with a Trader Joe's shopping bag. Here are the first two pages:

Of course, after I began using it, I found things I didn't like (the spaces are too small, for one thing). So now I'm revising the calendar pages into a two-page spread. I'll add more pictures over time. I'm also in the process of creating a page on this blog with my list of 101 Things, which I'll edit as I make progress on/complete items. To be continued...

Boxing Day and other stuff...

2011-12-26T13:24:00.000-08:00

So...Boxing Day. What is that? Some sort of pugilistic festival? A special day for packing things away? Should my ears be worried? Can anyone enlighten me on this???

Here's what I've been doing today:

Thank you cards, 2011! Yep, that and laundry and housekeeping. Oh, I am putting clothes in boxes for storage, so I guess I am participating in the festivities of the day...

What's everyone else up to?

Tiny Treasures Class

2011-12-24T07:39:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of the beautiful creations from my latest mail art class:

This is a background for a series of autumn-inspired ATCs I'm working on (watercolor).

Here are some lovely ATCs in progress by the women who attended.

These are inchies done on black paper with metallic gel pens. Quick fun. Other things not captured on camera (because we were too busy laughing and talking and creating AND I didn't think about it until too late!) were bookmarks and watercolor inchies and ATCs. As usual, I overplanned and we didn't get to finish everything, but I think a good time was had by all.

In January, I'll be repeating this series, probably on Wednesday evenings and will be doing an Altered Book series on Sunday afternoons. I'd love to see you there!

Merry Yule

2011-12-22T23:14:00.000-08:00

May the gifts of the season fill your lives with warmth, love and laughter. Merry Yule, everyone!

More from the Mail Art Class

2011-12-17T15:19:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post to show off some wonderful postcards made by the artists who attended last week's mail art class. Tomorrow we'll be creating inchies, ATCs, bookmarks, and tags. Now I'm off to finish the examples for tomorrow's class.

Am I ever going to have time to decorate for the holidays???

Snowy Night Envelopes

2011-12-07T17:37:00.001-08:00

Here is one of my completed envelopes. The color is kind of wonky, but you get the idea. Going down to 29 degrees tonight. Wishing for snow...

Envelopes!

2011-12-07T06:35:00.001-08:00

Got up super early to work on a series of mail art envelopes. It's gotten down into the 20's at night and I'm feeling wistful about snow. So I decided to make my own "snowy nights" to send through the mail. I'll post a picture of the finished items soon.

Mail Art Class

2011-12-06T05:00:00.001-08:00

My first class this past Sunday went so well. I had three students and we spent the afternoon creating some beautiful envelopes. Below, you can see the back of one of Sara's envelopes:

I wish I'd taken more pictures, because the ladies who participated made lovely work. But we were so busy creating that I didn't think about the camera until it was too late. Those three hours flew by. Just a reminder to anyone in the Las Vegas area that this coming Sunday we'll be making post cards. I'd love to see you there!

a new blog

2011-11-28T18:40:00.001-08:00

Hello, all! Just wanted to let you know that I've created another blog for my mail art adventure. You can find it here: http://pansdaughter.blogspot.com/. I'll be posting pictures of mail art that I send out and art that I receive. If you'd like to join in the postal revolution, just ask me how. The more the merrier!

Hello!

2011-11-27T15:20:00.001-08:00

I have spent the weekend cleaning out my art studio/guest room. What began as a quick clean-up (my husband has a friend coming into town this Friday) has turned into a major overhaul. I'm in the process of going through every single box, bin, and bag and sorting, dumping and setting aside for the "Great American Yard Sale". Good grief! How in the world I've managed to amass such a load of stuff I cannot tell you. My shelves are now filled with boxes that are neatly labeled and I can see a large part of the floor. Thought I'd post something while I took a break to eat, and then get back to it. Hope everyone's Thanksgiving was filled with laughter and good company and that you've all recovered from the feast!

A New Adventure

2011-11-18T05:55:00.001-08:00

Well here's a cautionary tale about being careful of what you ask for...for quite a while now, I've been thinking that I'd like to try my hand at teaching art workshops to adults (read as: people who want to be there, not a captive audience). A few weeks ago, I mentioned this to a friend and it seems like the universe just took me at my word because last week there was a call for teachers at a local gallery (CITY OF THE WORLD in the arts district here in Las Vegas). I spoke with Roz Knight (an amazing artistic force in this city) and within minutes I found myself "signed up" to teach classes there! I'm excited and slightly terrified as I begin preparing for three 3-hour workshops to be held on the first three Sundays of December. We'll be doing "Mail Art". Each session will consist of different techniques and ideas. I finished a couple of flyers and will begin hanging/handing them out this weekend. Woo-hoo! Hopefully people will show up...

A Time For Letting Go

2011-10-31T05:52:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about what I wanted to say in my 100th post. At this time of year there is much focus on honoring the lives of those who have gone before. This is a big part of my celebration of the holiday. But I have also been thinking about letting go of those things that no longer serve me. It's a bit of "fall housekeeping" -- physical, emotional, and spiritual. It has always made sense to me that if you are inviting the ancestors in for the dark half of the year, then you should do so with a clean house, both literally and figuratively. Thus, I have been clearing out a LOT of baggage in every sense of the word. The amount of physical stuff I have acquired over a lifetime is staggering. And embarrassing. Every time I send another box or bag out the door, I feel just a bit lighter. Obviously, this culling is going to take some time, but now that the process has been set in motion I hope to have things pretty much cleared out by spring. There is absolutely no reason for me to have all this stuff (there probably never was a good reason).

I have also been thinking about my interior life. Cleaning out the cobwebs here is a bit more challenging, as it requires serious reflection on who I was, who I am now and who I am becoming. I find letting go of old notions of personal identity somewhat uncomfortable. As silly as it may sound, my hair was one of those things. I know intellectually that my hair isn't me, but for most of my life I've thought of it as an outward manifestation of who I was. However, that shaggy mess looked bad, was hard to take care of and spent most of it's time pinned to the top of my head. Now that I've cut it off, my life suddenly became a bit easier -- no more fussing, drying, styling. Now I can hop out of the shower, towel it off and go. Easy. It occurs to me that this is a metaphor for all of life's baggage. I spend so much time hanging onto "stuff" and once I let it fall away, life becomes much easier. The path is cleared to move on. In letting go of "old me" things, the "new me" rushes in to fill that space. Rather than being scary, I find it a relief.

May the season bestow its gifts upon us all. May we have the courage and grace to receive them. Blessed Samhain, everyone.

Weekend Fun

2011-10-16T17:15:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a weekend conference put on by the Art Educators of Nevada. It was held in Boulder City, a wonderful small town about a half hour drive from my house. It really felt like a vacation. Boulder City is so different from Las Vegas; it reminds me of small towns in Ohio, where I grew up. I spent the weekend with other art teachers from around the state. We made beautiful things, talked about how to advocate for the arts, and went on a walking tour to see the sculptures on display around the town. It was very difficult to choose what classes to take because they were all interesting.

These little cuties are made from pumpkin and sesame seeds. One is a pin, the other a magnet. My second graders are going to love making these.

This is a wine bottle that's been fingerpainted with acrylics. After it dried, the silhouettes were painted on with a brush (fingers just don't do details that well :).

It took two hours to learn to do copper tooling, and because I can't do anything simple, I didn't finish the other copper dangles that I'd cut out. I brought them home and will finish later.

I think this is my favorite. We learned about Tiffany and his stained glass. This is embossed on very thin black foil paper. We used metallic colored pencils and Gelly Roll pens. Then we covered a square of cardboard with it (we were supposed to make two, but again, I can't do anything simple, so I brought home my other square to do later). After the squares were covered, we used them as covers for this folded paper book:

I'm really tired and not looking forward to getting up early tomorrow to go to work (I need another weekend to recover!), but it was well worth it.

When I got home, I found that my scarlet runner beans have started to bloom!

My garden is really happy that the nights are cooler and the days are warm. Actually, we all are!

Pine Straw

2011-10-09T20:33:00.000-07:00

I really scored this weekend. While driving to give blood on Saturday, I noticed a grounds crew was raking up pine straw all along the street I was traveling on. I pulled over and asked one of the workers what they did with it once they'd bagged it up and he said they throw it away. I asked if I could come back and take some for my garden and he said absolutely. So I got four huge bags of pine straw to mulch my garden for free. I wish I'd been able to get more, but it wouldn't fit in my car. I'll have to keep my eyes open for the next time the crews are out!

More Hogwarts Friends

2011-10-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

Here are two more zettified Hogwarts professors. These are great fun to do and I'll be making them into postcards to send off to folks who are Harry Potter fans.

Welcome, October!

2011-10-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

Once October arrives, I know it's truly autumn, regardless of what's happening outside. This morning started off quite cloudy, (wonderful for drinking coffee in the "morning room") but it got hotter and sunny in the afternoon. I cleaned out the bed with my poor corn stalks and used them to make two wreaths and two shocks which will fit perfectly on my outdoor altar. Pictures of those to come, as I haven't finished decorating them...

Here's what's growing:

Now, this might not look like much to those of you in more temperate climes, but to have this much robust color in the Mojave Desert just tickles me to no end.

Here we have beans (3 kinds - scarlet runner, purple, and yellow bush beans), radishes, and shelling peas.

Today, Morgan and I were going to decorate the house (once October hits, it's Halloween all month as far as we're concerned), but we were waylaid by the creative impulse. The dining room table was clean this morning but now...

Hmmm...well, we got a lot of stuff done. I worked on my zettified Hogwarts friends, did a section in my sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project 2012:

and made this postcard for one of Morgan's friends who is on the other side of the country and needs some good mail days:

Any Twin Peaks fans out there? I also worked on making a new art journal, using old magazines which I bound together with E-6000 and then covered with a brown paper bag from Trader Joe's. Talk about repurposing! I got the idea from Paula at Journal Artista (http://www.journalartistaart.com/2011/09/magazine-art-journal.html). She doesn't give any directions, but I thought it was cool enough to give it a go myself. The glue isn't dry yet and no embellishments, so I'll wait until I play with it and then I'll post some pictures.

That's what's going on around here. Now off to make chicken fajitas...

Rain, Glorious Rain

2011-09-14T20:25:00.001-07:00

For three days!!! My skin is happy, my hair is happy, my garden is happy. I think there is a fundamental difference between water that comes from the sky and that which comes from the end of a garden hose. The world smells so much better, and strange things appear over night from the ground. The radishes are up!

I'm sorry I didn't get out with my camera this morning. There were strange little blue mushrooms that sprang up in clumps in every bed of my garden. They withered away to nothing by this afternoon. However, these little gems were waiting for me when I arrived home today:

Who says Mother Nature doesn't have a sense of humor? There is nothing more I could add to this. I think the picture says it all...

Postcards!

2011-09-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

After planting this weekend, I was left with some empty seed packages, so I decided to make them into postcards. (I thought the packets were too pretty to throw away.) I cut them open, tore off the fronts and glued them to 6"x4" index cards. Then I added some fruit/veggie stickers (we have a huge page of them hanging on our refrigerator -- we just stick them on there when we wash the produce). And I added some machine stitching. Fun, yes? Hopefully fun for people receiving them, too!

Second Season Planting

2011-09-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

The weather today is so beautiful -- a hint of what is to come. We were able to leave the windows open last night. Such a treat to have "real" air in the house. This morning I cleaned out a couple of beds and made this tepee for the scarlet runner beans I planted. (The tepee is made from old torches that were unusable. I love to re-purpose!) I don't know if we'll get beans before cold weather sets in, but hopefully we'll get some flowers for the bees. I noticed a very happy bee hanging out around my cucumber flowers today. Perhaps she'll invite her friends...

Also in the ground: yellow wax beans, purple bush beans, radishes and peas. I'll put in lettuces and kale in the next few days. So happy to be outside working without heat exhaustion!

Moon Bed

2011-09-04T09:23:00.000-07:00

Woo-hoo!!! I was determined to get this finished this weekend. And here it is, only Saturday morning.

I still need to sew elastic bands on the cover so it won't slip off and make the pillow covers. Planning to get those done today. Then, hurray! Another project completed. If only the weather would cool off so we can enjoy it...

Repurposing Furniture

2011-08-23T17:38:00.000-07:00

My daughter has outgrown several pieces of her bedroom furniture. Here's her old dresser:

Too icky to sell in a yard sale, so I painted it...

And turned it into an altar in our courtyard:

This weekend, I'll paint the bunk bed frame and turn it into the "moon bed". I went to the fabric store last weekend and purchased the fabric and pillow forms for it. Won't it be lovely on cool autumn evenings? I can't wait!

Junk Mail Book

2011-08-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of my junk mail book from Carla's last summer camp class. This was a lot of fun to make and put together. Tomorrow we add illustrations and I guess Friday we add finishing touches. I see all kinds of potential for future art projects!

Another project finished...

2011-08-14T05:53:00.000-07:00

This is my wool peddler's shawl that I finished knitting quite a while ago, but didn't get around to blocking until yesterday. I pulled the pins out this morning and am so pleased with how it turned out. Why didn't I block it ages ago when I finished it? Because I'm lazy and hate doing nit-picky stuff like weaving in ends, hemming, sewing on buttons and blocking. Now I have not one, but TWO "new" shawls to wear this autumn. C'mon North Wind, bring on the chill!

It's Done!

2011-08-13T05:56:00.001-07:00

The shawl that took less than a century to finish! There it is, laid out and pinned while it dries. I unpinned it last night and it is so light and flowing. Now for some cold weather, so I can wear it...

Steppin' Out

2011-08-07T10:05:00.000-07:00

Isn't she funny? I'm rather proud of myself -- I actually completed this class! I have other things from the class that I can work on in all my spare time (what's THAT?), but I did all the assignments and got them all posted. Whew! Just in time to begin Faces 101 tomorrow...

Finished Creatures

2011-08-06T05:50:00.000-07:00

Remember my little critters from the beginning of the week? Well, here they are, all finished. This was such a great class. I learned a lot about technique and also about allowing intuition to drive your work. Who would have thought that these guys were wandering around in the corners of my mind?

Another group...

2011-08-02T06:31:00.000-07:00

As you can probably tell, I'm having great fun with this class! It's so amazing how these things just "appear" from blops of paint...

More Creatures...

2011-08-01T11:57:00.000-07:00

Here is my first painting assignment for the Imaginary Creatures class. My daughter has pronounced them "terrifying." I loved creating them! They are done in watercolor and pencil.

Imaginary Creatures - day 1

2011-08-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

Here are two of my drawings for the Imaginary Creatures class. I did both with my non-dominant hand. I discovered something interesting about myself while doing this assignment. While I felt comfortable and in control drawing with my dominant hand, I really didn't like the end result. So I switched to my right hand, and although it was really emotionally uncomfortable (i.e. not in control), I like the results much better. It was as if I had "permission" to just draw without expectations for the outcome, since it was done with the "wrong" hand. Sometimes not being in control is a good thing.

Potions, anyone?

2011-07-27T22:02:00.000-07:00

Here is my take on the "I've Been Zettied" challenge over at Three Muses
(http://thethreemuseschallenge.blogspot.com/2011/07/three-muses-ive-been-zettied.html):

Professor Snape probably would not be amused, but I surely was. This was fun to do!

Summer Camp

2011-07-27T11:46:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to be participating in Carla Sonheim's Summer Camp Classes (click the badge on the right for more info). Here is the "test" worksheet that I completed for the first class, Imaginary Creatures.

Class begins on Monday, so it's not too late to sign up if you're interested.

Mother Nature

2011-07-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

I ordered a statue of Mother Nature a couple of weeks ago and it arrived yesterday. I think she is beautiful.

I've placed her in the "morning room" (a.k.a. front yard) in the niche I originally created for Murnie. Of course, once I formalized the place where she always snoozed, she no longer cares for it and has chosen a different location. So I created an altar to honor the Goddess.

Sketchbook Project 2012

2011-07-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

Here are two spreads I've completed for this project.

Palma (http://athena-myfirstbloggy.blogspot.com/2011/07/disappointing-sketchbook-project.html) was talking about how disappointed she was in the quality of the sketchbook, and I have to agree. It's difficult to layer or even add paint of any kind without it bleeding through to the other side and getting wrinkly. Since I've not done this project before, I have nothing to compare it with, but it does make me a little grrrr-ish. I will press on with it though, as the whole idea appeals to me and also because I've already paid for it. But I will most likely not play again in the future...

Murnie the Dog

2011-07-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

This is Murnie, my 10-year-old long haired Dachshund. She's usually got a great sense of humor about things, as you can see.

However, there is one thing about which she does NOT have a sense of humor. This is Murnie after I suggested it was well past time for her to have a bath:

Apparently, she'd rather be in jail. We got her upstairs into the tub.

These show her "oh, woe is me" face to great effect, I think. I must add that all of this was closely supervised by Sophy, who made sure we didn't do permanent damage to her dog. After the bath came the toweling off and blow dry. Definitely not amused:

But now she's a beautiful, fluffy girl, ready for her treat!

Afterward, I went upstairs to clean the tub, and look who I found, waiting for HER bath!

Sunday Morning

2011-07-10T10:15:00.000-07:00

Quite a few things have gotten done around here lately. The husband and I finally moved that ugly dirt pile and I added another garden bed and walkway:

Not the best picture, because it was (of all things) cloudy this morning. You might recall my ambitious plan to reclaim all that old gravel from the corner of the yard to make room for a firepit.

Yeah. That was a colossal pain in the butt. So I decided to throw a hundred bucks at it and had some new gravel delivered. The wonderful husband spent an entire morning shoveling it into a wheelbarrow and moved it into the yard. (The gravel guys only drop it on the street, not where you want it on your property.) Now it looks great, but it's too hot outside to have a fire.

Perhaps a small one for Lughnasadh...

Remember the corn and pumpkins from not too long ago?

Here they are now:

Every time I walk by them, I swear they've grown an inch.

And finally, I've picked up my knitting needles again after a long, long hiatus. I have an inordinate amount of unfinished projects lying about. This year, one of my resolutions was to get some of them finished. One of these is a shawl that I began I don't know how many years ago (really, I don't) based on a pattern from Elizabeth Zimmerman's book.

I got the shawl itself made relatively quickly. The problem was in how to finish it off. At first, I thought a lacy, crocheted edging. Started that, didn't like it, pulled it out. Then, aha! It's done in fall colors, so why not knit little leaves all around the edge? Hmm...did about 40 of those and couldn't stand it anymore. How about knitting a separate, leafy border and then attaching it? Got about 20" of that done and abandoned it. Really, this project has been the source of unending harassment and derision on the part of all my knitting friends for, well, seems like forever. (How's that leaf shawl coming? Whatever happened to that shawl you started ___ years ago?) Last night, while watching Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, I pulled it out and took off all the leaves and unraveled the separate border. Then I went back to Elizabeth and found that she had directions for a perfectly acceptable, simple garter stitch border that you knit on and bind off the shawl at the same time. Why didn't I do this in the first place??? I'm now about a quarter of the way around and feeling so happy that I will actually be able to wear my shawl this fall instead of having it be my burial shroud.

I know it looks rather much like a pillow cover because it's on circular needles. But once finished, it will spread out into a lovely circular shawl. Here is a close up of the garter stitch edging:

I have decided that I'm working toward simplicity and completion. Time to get all these things done so I can use them, rather than have them lying around collecting dust!

Coming soon: pictures from my sketchbook project.

What the heck?

2011-07-07T18:07:00.000-07:00

What have they done to Blogger in Draft??? I just got on to type a new post and it's a mess. I can't find anything. Most annoying. Grrrr....

Weirdness in the Garden

2011-07-05T13:49:00.000-07:00

Imagine my surprise when I went out to the garden this morning and found this in my tomato bed:

What IS this??? Some sort of weird fungus thing. Out of nowhere. Overnight. It freaks me out.

Word of the Day...

2011-07-05T05:36:00.000-07:00

PEACHES. I got 25 pounds of them from the co-op on Saturday. Yesterday, I made peach pie (wonderful with vanilla ice cream) and 13 pints of peach "honey". Today I'll be drying, freezing, and making peach ice cream. And I won't forget to hold back a few just for eating!

About half are left...

Mmmmmm....(about half is left!)

Peach "honey" in the pot

And in the jars.

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T06:04:00.000-07:00

The BEST fireworks came last night in the form of a huge thunderstorm that moved through the valley. I haven't seen so much rain and lightning in years. The best part was that it occurred during our drum circle. Having Mother Nature drumming along with us was an incredible gift. The worst part was the drive home. The streets were dangerously flooded and there were several times I was tempted to turn back. Flash flooding is nothing you want to mess with around here. But we all moved slowly and cautiously and everyone got through without mishaps -- at least where I was driving. This morning there is a delightful humidity in the air and everything looks so green. Thank you, Mama!

My corn is not knee high (anyone else out there grow up with the "knee high by the 4th of July" saying?), but it is holding its own, along with the pumpkins:

May your celebrations of independence bring you profound appreciation of freedom and what it means in all areas of your life!

I can't wait...

2011-07-02T08:17:00.000-07:00

...for July 15th! You'll need to scroll down to the bottom and pause the music before you watch the trailer above.

Woman with heavy machinery...

2011-07-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

I decided it was time to do something about the copper pinwheels I started a while back. So off I went to Home Depot (my home away from home) looking for a soldering iron. Once I explained to the woman in the tools department what I wanted to do, she said I didn't need a soldering iron, I needed a

torch.

Well. That was a little daunting. She explained how to use it and that it was much more versatile than a soldering iron. I mentioned that after I'd soldered the pinwheels to the copper tubes, I could then make creme brulee and she said indeed, I could. So I got it. I've always wanted to make creme brulee...

I finished adding wires to the pinwheels,

then sallied forth into the yard, torch in hand to attach them. And you know what? It worked!

They aren't super-fancy, but I can always add to them later.

They even twirl in the breeze :)

And the really great thing is, THEY'RE OFF MY DINING ROOM TABLE AND IN THE GARDEN!

Now all I need is a good creme brulee recipe...

Free at last!

2011-07-01T06:01:00.000-07:00

After watching her curl herself up into a little ball and leverage the cone against her belly so she could reach her incision, I decided to remove the dreaded/dreadful cone. After all, if she could reach the incision with it on, there's really no point to her wearing it. Poor little thing! What a relief to be able to scratch her neck and wash her face, as well as the rest of her body! She was so happy. And this morning, her incision looks clean and healthy. No more conehead! Here she is sitting on the monster rug that I finally finished last night:

I got the idea for the rug from a book called Mason-Dixon Knitting. It's made from those loops that are used to weave potholders (remember, on those square looms?) I had a bunch of them that wouldn't stretch enough to fit the loom, so I figured, why not? The rug ended up being really thick and it weighs a TON. Heaven forbid if I ever need to wash it. It measures a little over 2' x 4'. I could have made it bigger, but it was so heavy that it became uncomfortable to work on. I have no idea where I'll put it (a giant bathmat? indestructible kitchen rug?) And I can make more because my supply of potholder loops is inexhaustible! But I probably won't...

Grapes and Sophy the Cat

2011-06-30T08:34:00.000-07:00

Every year, our grape vines look like they've given up the ghost. And every year they manage to give us a few bunches of sweet, tiny grapes. These are still hard and sour, but will be delicious in a few weeks. I hope to get them before the birds do...

This is Sophy, our little rescue kitty. A student brought her to my husband's school when she was only 3 weeks old. She was handed around the school the entire day with no food and was pretty traumatized by the time David got her. She was so tiny, she fit in the palm of my hand. I took her to school with me every day for two weeks because she had to be bottle fed every few hours.

Now she's 5 months old and one of the Wild Things. I think it has something to do with being orange. She is extremely affectionate, which also may have to do with orangeness. (She behaves exactly like Teacake, another orange cat we had years ago.) We had her spayed on Monday and she must wear the dreaded cone because she keeps fussing with the incision:

Poor kitty! I wonder how many channels she picks up with that thing...

Antiques and Tea

2011-06-26T11:23:00.000-07:00

My daughter, Morgan and I escaped the heat this week and visited the antique mall and Market Tea Room. We had fun poking around in all the different stalls and wondering about the people who owned the things that now reside in this building. I found some beautiful cobalt blue glass bowls that I could easily live with, but resisted. If they are there the next time I visit, perhaps they are meant to come home with me. Instead I found the perfect birthday present for my dear friend. (Randall, if you're reading this, you'll just have to wait until July to find out what it is!)

Morgan made a friend:

Then we rounded the corner and discovered this dramatic lady:

She was obviously ready for her close-up, so I took it:

Then we went to the tea room and had a delicious lunch of sandwiches and soup (the soups there are incredible and different every day). There was still a little room left, so we split a carrot cake.

All in all, it was a splendid day!

Happy Litha, Everyone!

2011-06-21T06:52:00.000-07:00

At this time of celebration, may the blessings of the God/dess manifest abundance in your life!

Garden Surprise

2011-06-19T14:18:00.000-07:00

I went out this morning and discovered that the pumpkins and cucumbers have sprouted! I guess I won't doubt the master gardening guide again. I purchased a couple of watermelon plants along with a couple of penstemon yesterday. They're in the ground and looking happy. Pruned the olive tree this morning, and -- wonder of wonders! -- there's actually a space now to plant things. This seems to be my mantra this summer: plant more things, plant more things, plant more things...

R.I.P.

2011-06-18T18:46:00.000-07:00

Clarence Clemons, what would Bruce have done without you? You will be sorely missed...

The Market Tea Room

2011-06-18T06:41:00.000-07:00

My aunt, daughter, and I lunched the other day at a lovely place nestled in an antiques mall. It is locally owned and operated, which I think is important in this day of chains and big business. Everything is made from scratch and delicious. I had a chicken salad sandwich with cranberry mayo and lemongrass soup (heavenly!). They also serve high tea (my daughter and I are already planning to come back for that). We even got to meet the chef, Carolyn Geiger (how often do you get to meet the owner/chef of the place where you eat?).

If you live in, or are traveling to Las Vegas, I recommend The Market Tea Room located at 6665 S. Eastern Avenue. And when you've finished eating, there's the antiques mall to explore!

Art Stuff

2011-06-17T02:16:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything lately about the art I'm doing, because until school ended, I'd been too busy tending to my students' art. But now the summer stretches in front of me, and I have a few things that I want to work on.

Is anyone else doing The Sketchbook Project 2012? You can read more about it here: http://www.arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject?utm_source=Art+House+Co-op+List&utm_campaign=332ae80465-Sketchbook_2012_launch&utm_medium=email. I learned about this last year, but too late to sign up. I'm intrigued by the idea and have already begun work on mine. I chose the theme "Time Traveler" which applies to so many different aspects of my life (drumming, dancing, gardening, evolving...). As things progress a bit more, I'll post pictures.

As I was watering the garden yesterday morning, I came up with an idea to use some copper sheeting that I inherited from somewhere ages ago. I'm going to try to make some pinwheels to put in the garden. The copper is thin enough that I can emboss, cut, and bend it easily into a pinwheel shape. I might need to get a soldering iron to attach the bits and pieces to a metal rod. Or perhaps I can put them on a wooden dowel, except that wood doesn't last too long in the desert. Just kind of thinking out loud here. This is a "to be continued" thing, too.

And summer is the time to think about winter, specifically my holiday cards, which I always make during the summer. I finish them, tuck them away, and then it's so nice to pull them out around Thanksgiving and address them. No ideas for these, yet, but the summer is young...

And I'll be finishing up odds and ends of projects that I've neglected. I'm feeling pretty energized about all this because it's the first time in 4 years I've had the summer off. I wasn't happy about the pay cut I took when they changed the schools from 12 to 9 months, but now I'm thankful to have this large chunk of time in which to rejuvenate on so many levels.

Succulents

2011-06-17T01:52:00.000-07:00

How is this for an odd looking group of plants? Succulents come in such an amazing variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. They remind me of things that might grow on distant planets. Invasion of the Body Snatchers, anyone? I find myself alternately attracted and repelled by them. I have them sitting by our front gate, so if they begin to "pod" perhaps they'll get the pigeons instead of us...

I saw a bee...

2011-06-16T20:52:00.000-07:00

this morning, buzzing around my volunteer squash plants. I was excited and depressed at the same time. Depressed that I should be excited by the appearance of one bee. Excited by the fact that there was one. I remember bees by the hundreds when I was a child. Now they are so rare. Last year, when I went camping in the Valley of Fire, the desert was a-buzz everywhere I went. This year, there were so few. It makes me want to take up bee keeping, but I don't have the first clue about such a thing. Here are my lovely squash plants that appeared out of nowhere this spring.

Welcome to the south side of hell...

2011-06-15T21:05:00.000-07:00

The outside temperature gauge on my car said 108 degrees today when I was driving to the store. Every year I wonder the same thing: WHY am I living here??? Of course, there are a multitude of answers to that question, which I won't go into here. Suffice it to say that the three month battle to keep everything in my garden alive has begun.

This is the view from my kitchen window (I love having a window over my sink!):

My aunt and I went to the nursery today and purchased a number of succulents to put in a planter, which I will do tomorrow morning when it is still relatively cool. I planted cucumber and pumpkin seeds yesterday and will plant some corn tomorrow. I don't know how much luck I'll have, but it's worth a try. It seems crazy to be planting stuff in a blast furnace, but my master gardening guide says now is the time. Updates to follow...

Desert Blooms

2011-06-07T06:22:00.000-07:00

This is a cleome, or spider flower. I remember seeing them in my great-grandmother's garden when I was a child. I thought they were so strange and exotic looking. Years passed, as they do, and I forgot about these funny flowers until I saw them one day in a seed catalog. Well, nothing would do but that I had to have some for my garden. And best of all, they are drought tolerant! So I sent away for some seedlings this spring and now they are beginning to bloom. I love it when the past reaches into the present...

The Farm Report - end of May

2011-05-30T15:47:00.000-07:00

The weather this spring has been unbelievable. Only a few really hot days and many, many days in the low 80's. The past two have been downright chilly in the morning and the highs have been in the upper 70's. Is this really Las Vegas? I am NOT complaining. It'll be 150 degrees in the shade all too soon...New things happening in the garden: I'm in the process of adding walkways between the beds. After much deliberating, I decided to use cedar mulch rather than stone, even though our long-haired dog collects it and brings it into the house. Stone absorbs too much heat and being that this city is mostly made of concrete, I thought I'd go for something a little less, well, hard. Besides, when we water, the mulch absorbs water and adds a little humidity to things. (Nice in a place where there's only about 2% humidity on good days).

I am in the process of creating a space for a fire pit in the corner of the yard. This is an irksome chore which involves digging up old gravelly rocks, cleaning out all the debris, adding new weed block fabric, then putting all the cleaned gravelly rocks on top of it. Above, left, you can see where I began this morning. Above, right is where I left off this afternoon. The dark line toward the back is the weed block fabric that hasn't been covered. I know it looks like the whole area has been covered with the rocks; I WISH the whole area was covered with rocks, but it ISN'T, Blanche. I do have enough covered that I could begin lugging wood from the back yard and pile it up. But I was too tired to think about it when I left off.

The husband (wonderful man) dug a new bed a few weeks ago and I have filled half of it with peppers. (The other half still hasn't been filled in with the dirt that was dug out, nor have I been to the nursery to purchase soil with which to amend said dirt. There are only so many hours in the day.) And I am pleased to report that there are baby peppers growing on almost all the plants. The tomatoes (9 plants in all, scattered about the place) are thriving and many have tomatoes in various stages. Exciting.

And finally, here is the place where the husband and I take our morning coffee. We've been able to do this only a few times, since school isn't out yet and the wind has been something hideous on the weekends of late. However, we're looking forward to summer mornings and dining al fresco in the evenings. It almost makes one forget that it's Las Vegas...

Amazing Corn Chowder

2011-05-22T20:58:00.000-07:00

I just made the most wonderful corn chowder. Among all the lovely goodies we received from the food co-op yesterday, there were six ears of corn (there are some advantages to living in Las Vegas; one is that we get produce from California and their first corn crop is in!) Not wanting it to go bad, I looked for a new recipe and found it here: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/corn_chowder/. I added an Anaheim pepper (also from the co-op) and some cilantro (from my garden). Delicious.

And more kitchen goodness:

Key lime pie is my favorite. The co-op sent along key limes and I decided to make a pie. The results were far superior to the chain restaurant that is famous for pies and soooo inexpensive (well under $5). I find it deplorable that the above mentioned restaurant sells theirs for $18 each. This is extortion, as far as I'm concerned. But I guess people must pay it, because they're still in business. (I only bought mine when they were having their $6.99 per pie sale. Hurray! My pies are better (according to my family) and much less expensive. Plus, I know exactly what goes into them. Here is my pie, earlier today:

More dead people...

2010-10-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

My little princess now has two more friends.

Vintage Jacks

2010-10-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

These were fun to make, except that my hands got covered in matte medium and now I look like one of the undead. Peel-y greyish "skin"...eeewwwwww!

Dia de los Muertos

2010-10-14T06:20:00.000-07:00

Here's what I've been up to lately. Found a great idea in the latest issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors telling how to create calacas from cake toppers. I used my daughter's plastic figurines that she got from McDonald's when she was little. The cool thing about some of them is that they twirl around when you move them. I cut off the heads and added skulls that I got at the local dollar store, then painted with acrylics and added (of course) glitter glue embellishments. Such fun to make!

Popcorn Art

2010-09-11T18:25:00.000-07:00

Here is a piece I just completed for the annual art challenge I have at the elementary school where I teach. Last year, the PTA kindly gave me about 150 pounds of popcorn that had reached its expiration date. It sat around all year and the kids kept wondering why I had it in my classroom. At the beginning of this school year I challenged everyone in the school (adults included) to create a piece of art using popcorn in some way. They've begun coming in and some of them are absolutely fantastic. A fifth grade girl made a huge volcano, spouting popped corn and a dragon busily munching it. A fourth grade boy brought in a drawing of Rodin's "The Thinker" and had used popcorn and seeds to fill him in like a mosaic. A kindergartener used popped corn that she dyed fall colors and created an autumn tree. The challenge runs until next Friday, so I can't wait to see more. My mosaic is made with popcorn, green lentils, flax seeds, rye, white and red rice, and glass pieces. The areas are divided with wire, which I painted copper. The face is also painted with copper.

2010-09-11T13:12:00.000-07:00

Paintbrushes Meet Power Tools

2010-08-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

This is what I've been up to the last few days. I wanted to have a mailbox outside my classroom door this year. My students are always bringing me pictures and "love notes", and I thought they'd get a kick out of mailing them to me. Plus, it's a sneaky way of encouraging literacy! I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out. The next challenge will be hoisting the thing into and out of the car to get it to school. Concrete weighs a lot!

Autumn Goddess

2010-08-09T10:53:00.000-07:00

Here is my finished doll for a swap through Milliande. The theme was Nature/Goddess dolls. The body is fabric, painted with acrylic paints, and gold leaf embellishment. The hair is felted wool with pieces of raffia, beads, and feathers.

I'm back...sort of

2010-07-30T05:45:00.000-07:00

We spent four marvelous days in Venice Beach, California, where I drummed on the beach every day and pretty much hung out. It was wonderful to just let my mind breathe. But now I need to get busy doing some art. I'm currently working on an altered book I started quite a while ago, then abandoned. A passing comment from a friend re-energized me and now I've got some new ideas for it. Hope to be posting some pictures of new stuff soon!

Three Muses Challenge - Rust

2010-07-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

This is my entry for the challenge, "Rust". I used the glue and alcohol ink technique that Willy mentioned in her post. Of course, I couldn't find the "rust" colored alcohol ink anywhere, so I used a combination of ginger, latte, caramel, cranberry and gold on a piece of chipboard that I cut using a Sizzix die cutter. Acrylic paints, stamps and dye inks were used on the background and the word "play" came from a package of words I got on clearance somewhere. I made this piece as a birthday present for my best friend to remind him that there's more to life than work!
http://thethreemuseschallenge.blogspot.com/2010/07/three-muses-58-tuse.html

Macabre Monday - HDH046

2010-07-11T07:25:00.000-07:00

Here is an ATC I did for Macabre Monday's Wacko Jacko challenge. I used stamps on the background, pumpkin, and moon. A little glitter glue around the edges and some raffia "cornstalks." It's hard to get in the autumn spirit when it's 105 degrees outside. How in the world did I ever end up living in the desert...

http://haunteddesignhouse.blogspot.com/2010/07/hdh046-wacko-jackos.html

Three Muses Challenge - Steampunk

2010-07-06T06:17:00.000-07:00

Here is my entry for the Three Muses challenge: Steampunk. The substrate is corrugated cardboard. I used various papers, stamps, alcohol inks, acrylic paints, raffia and metal "stuff". You can see more detail if you click the enlarge button...
http://thethreemuseschallenge.blogspot.com/2010/06/three-muses-challenge-steampunk.html

Grapes!

2010-07-05T08:03:00.000-07:00

After 15 years of living in our home and mostly ignoring the grape vines in our courtyard, I decided to give them some attention. And they have reciprocated. A small harvest, certainly, but sweet and lovely, with the promise of more to be had in coming years...

No Time...

2010-07-03T09:29:00.000-07:00

to do challenges this week. Ack! I've missed it. But I have been busy with fun stuff. I've gotten back into Middle Eastern dancing (at the request of my daughter, who decided she wanted to learn). Plus, I've been drumming a lot. I recently joined Milliande and am participating in a Nature Goddess/Spirit Doll swap, so my creative energy has been focused there. And it's getting toward the end of the school year, so I've had lots of busy work going on for that. Hopefully, with this three day weekend, I can get some challenge work done and be back online. Be safe, everyone...

Sunday Post Card Art

2010-06-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

"I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by..."

(Sea-Fever, John Masefield)

I have loved that poem since I was a little girl and my aunt recited it to me. In fact, you can't really tell, but the first layer on this card is that poem, which I wrote out in black marker. This is my entry for the challenge "Sea Voyages" for Sunday Post Card Art. I used acrylic paints, black ink, stamps, a photocopy of a ship, and a faux jewel for the star.

http://sundaypostcardart.wordpress.com/2010/06/20/sea-voyages/

TIO - Scene in the Garden

2010-06-17T13:57:00.000-07:00

Well now, there's nothing quite like making a scene in the garden, is there? I know it isn't in keeping with a garden handfasting, but I couldn't get the image of a big fuss in the garden out of my head. Layered acrylic paints & stamping, the image is from an old Dover book, antique lace, ribbon roses and cording.
http://dragon-dragonsdream.blogspot.com/

4x4 Friday - Shakespeare

2010-06-16T19:21:00.000-07:00

Here is my offering for this week's challenge:

"Lord, what fools these mortals be!" (Puck, A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare) The gulf oil spill grows more catastrophic with each passing day. I am filled alternately with unspeakable rage and complete despair. The pictures of the wildlife rip my heart out. How can we, as a species, be so stupid?
http://4x4friday.blogspot.com/2010/06/4x4-friday-challenge-all-things.html

TIO - Acetate and Alcohol

2010-06-15T15:22:00.000-07:00

Here is my entry for this week's challenge. Alcohol ink...hmmmm...well, let me say that I LOVE the intensity of the colors BUT I found this stuff hideously hard to manipulate. As in, I was ready to be drinking the alcohol long before I was done working with it. Any tips that you can offer as to how to work with this stuff would be so appreciated. The face is a stamp and after I got the ink the way I wanted it, I cut the piece out and used grommets to attach it to a piece of newspaper. Then I attached it with wire to a piece of cardboard that I had painted ages ago and did nothing with. There are bits of broken glass attached, too. Thanks for visiting and taking a look!
http://dragon-dragonsdream.blogspot.com/2010/06/tio-42-acetate-and-alcohol.html

"Dress It Up"

2010-06-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

Over at The Artist Trading Card club ( http://chriss-rollins.blogspot.com/ ) the theme is "Dress It Up." I'm excited to be participating in this challenge, as it is my first venture into ATC's and I had a great time making these. Here they are:

Here is each one by itself:

Thanks so much for stopping by to look!

Sunday Post Card Art - Roses

2010-06-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

Here is my entry for this week's challenge. I did this for my husband who directed a film with some of his high school students this past spring. The film was called "Red Rose in a Yellow Moon." How lovely to be able to use it for this week's challenge. Thanks for stopping by to see! http://sundaypostcardart.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/roses/

Art on the Darkside Challenges

2010-06-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

Here is my first digital art attempt, and although I'm not completely satisfied, it was an interesting experience trying to figure out how to do this. This is my entry for the "Jack the Ripper" challenge. I used a picture of the "Dear Boss" letter that was sent to Scotland Yard, supposedly by Jack the Ripper. The "doctor" and woman were taken from Dover. This was not an easy piece of work, mostly due to not understanding the technology. But it makes me want to find a class that will show me how to manipulate this kind of thing.
http://artonthedarkside.blogspot.com/

Touch the water, heal Mother Earth

2010-06-10T06:47:00.000-07:00

I found this over at Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom http://www.confessionsofapagansoccermom.com/ and thought I'd pass it along. I have been filled with such unspeakable rage and despair over this situation; at least this is a positive channeling of power...

4x4 Friday - Eclectic

2010-06-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

Here is my entry for this week's 4x4 Friday challenge: Eclectic. Kokopelli is a pretty friendly sort who pops up a lot in the American Southwest. I think of him as the desert's version of Pan. This began with a brown paper bag and some newspaper. I added distress ink, some acrylic paint on bubble wrap, the Kokopelli stamp, beads, raffia and a piece of turquoise.
http://4x4friday.blogspot.com/2010/06/4x4-friday-challenge-eclectic.html

Gardening on the South Side of Hell...

2010-06-08T09:34:00.000-07:00

We've had temperatures in excess of 105 degrees for the past week and a half. Needless to say, it's been all about keeping everything watered morning and evening and hiding out in the a/c for the rest of the day. My husband, David dug a new bed around our other olive tree yesterday and I've been cleaning it out and prepping it a little at a time the past two mornings. This will be my day lily bed and I have gotten two of them planted so far, as you can see here:

By Thursday, everything should be planted and I'll have mulch on the bed, in a desperate attempt to keep the soil cool and moist. When we were at the nursery, we discovered a day lily named "Witches' Wink" that David insisted I purchase since our last name is Winkler and I follow the pagan spiritual path. I also found one called "Crimson Pirate" which resonates with a persona of mine from a life a long time ago and far, far away in the SCA. So they will be nestled in comfortably with a yellow lily and one called "Raspberry Fairy." My hope is that after a few years, they will all spread out and fill the bed.

Here is a pic of my crazy tomato plant, complete with a ripe tomato, which I'm sure my daughter will eat the moment she realizes it's out there:

And here is a zucchini, with blossom:

Finally, a picture of my morning glories. The idea here is that they will cover the fence with beautiful blooms. Thus far, they don't seem too interested in blooming, but they are climbing the fence.

Theme Thursday - Bright Colors

2010-06-07T22:12:00.000-07:00

Here is my entry for this week's Theme Thursday challenge. Several layers of Astrobrite paper and doodles with a black marker form the background for figures that came from a stamp, but were cut apart. You can't really tell, but I used different thicknesses of double-sided mounting tape to adhere the figures to the card. Thanks for visiting my blog!
http://themethursday.wordpress.com/2010/06/03/theme-thursday-bright-colors/

Time Flies

2010-06-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

It surely does...once again, I'm sliding in under the wire. I've submitted this tag to two challenges, TIO's "Steampunk Influences" and Three Muses "Time."

http://dragon-dragonsdream.blogspot.com/2010/06/tio-41-steampunk-influences.html
http://thethreemuseschallenge.blogspot.com/2010/06/three-muses-challenge-53-time.html

HDH041 - Vile Vintage

2010-06-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

Here are my three little ghouls. Images are from Blanca at http://magicmoonlightfreeimages.blogspot.com/ (thank you, Blanca!), and only slightly retouched by me. A little paper, a little ribbon, a little gold ink stamping, and just a bit of red glitter glue. These were fiendish fun to make!

http://haunteddesignhouse.blogspot.com/

4x4 Friday - Wings

2010-05-31T13:16:00.000-07:00

Here is my entry for "Wings." I redid this four times because I wasn't happy with it. Very aggravating for such a simple piece. Thanks for visiting!
http://4x4friday.blogspot.com/2010/05/4x4-friday-challenge-wings.html

Sunday Post Card Art - Insects

2010-05-30T20:47:00.000-07:00

Here is my entry for the Insects challenge. I did this on some textured paper and really like the effect in person; I'm not sure it shows up as well here. I used pigment and dye inks, acrylic paint and some new clear stamps that I got today. I'm really loving those clear stamps! What took me so long to discover them, I wonder?
http://sundaypostcardart.wordpress.com/

The Farm Report

2010-05-29T21:09:00.000-07:00

Here is today's harvest from my garden! I'm so excited --I am really growing food in the desert. Had a lovely salad for dinner this evening.

Theme Thursday - Beauty

2010-05-29T17:55:00.000-07:00

Here is my piece for the Theme Thursday challenge: Beauty. I think this man is so beautiful it hurts. http://themethursday.wordpress.com/

TIO #40 - What's on my desk?

2010-05-28T06:41:00.000-07:00

As usual, a ton of stuff all over my desk...paint, that paisley paper napkin I didn't put away, the new flourish stamps I just bought (I'd never used those clear stamps before and now I LOVE them!) AND the quote stamp that I had taken out several days ago thinking that I wanted to do something with it. Is that synchronicity, or what?
http://dragon-dragonsdream.blogspot.com/