STUDIO CAT

Willie, Willie, Willie....what are you doing in my fabric stash?  Well, it is a quiet, cozy spot for a long winter's nap.  Snowing outside, too cold for any cat fancies, and so he is perfectly happy to be nested in for the morning. I just went to get some fabric and was surprised to find a squatter!  He is looking at me and saying.... "whaaaat.......?"  you know, the cat attitude that says, I have every right to be here, so what is your problem? 

We have had lots of snow.  Yesterday, IT. SNOWED. ALL. DAY.   It's lightly snowing now, but the blue sky is trying to peek through.  Every night this week, we have had deer in our yard.  A buck and a doe seem to come in the driveway every evening to see if the bird feeder has been filled for their delight.  I snapped a picture of the doe feeding.  It's a bit grainy, it was taken out the window with only my camera flash, and I did have to lighten up the picture in photoshop so that you can see her.  But she is so sweet... and Marley is so
alarmed by the deer.  He wants to bark and we are trying to teach him to calm down and just let the deer
stroll around.  We are all trying to live in Harmony Marley...

  They bump the bird feeder and then lick out the seeds.  I kept refilling the feeder... every other day, thinking the birds were chowing down, but then of course, it dawned on me, it was the deer!  I have been putting out our apples that we have stored in the garage from our apple tree.  They are softening and really only good for pies.. and so the ones that are ready to be tossed, I am feeding to the deer. 
   peace and love on the last day of the year...  ta

ONCE IN A BLUE MOON

It's the end of a decade.  And it's a Blue Moon month as well.  So let's hold hands and dance.  Let's

celebrate under the New Year's  Blue Moon and hold tight to each other.  Because with all the turmoil, all the craziness that is happening around us, we can believe still in each other. 

 Happy 2010!  Here's to Good Health and Good Prosperity!!!! 

HOME AGAIN

What a heartwarming surprise I had for Christmas!  My daughter-in-law took one of my most

treasured paintings and turned it into a quilt!  What makes this even more amazing to me, is I sold this

painting last summer.  This is my grandmother's house. You can read the story here. 

It was with some reluctance that I put that piece in the Wild Women show last summer.  And of course, when it's a piece you would like to not sell, it sells.  Murphy's Law.  I still have images scanned into my art files, but the actual painting is now living in a friend's house. I have learned to let go of my art, even the ones I really love.  I look at it as a good way to let my art live outside my studio, plus it means more room for me to create more art!!!!

  So I was thrilled beyond words when I opened this gift and found this piece recreated in a quilt form!

In a wonderful magical way, this art came back to me through a loving gift.  It's just icing on the cake!

SEE???   Isn't it great how she even found the buttons I used in the orginal?  wow.

 Heather really outdid herself.  She choose perfect fabrics that were amazingly close to the original.  So this meaningful art has come back to me in a new form from a very sweet and thoughtful person.  Thank you Heather.  It's just beautiful.  You are very talented with fabric. 

She also did a mountain quilt for her Dad..

Dan's quilt is titled Purple Mountain Majesties and mine is Grandmother's House

Here they are are hanging in our family room.  I temporarily tacked them up till I can get my husband to make

wooden quilt hangers for them....

He especially loves the kissing fishes swimming in the mountain stream...( that's me and Dan by the way!)

Just lovely... thank you so much Heather!

ta

ENCHANTED LADY CAN COME OUT OF HIDING NOW

She arrived safe and sound and now that she has a new home, I can show her pictures here. 

I am planning to do more of these.  I love using the license plates.  I now am looking for

old dolls to use their parts.  It's always fun to be on the lookout.  I do find some cool things on ebay,

but also like to cruise the old thrift shops. 

Wrapping and sipping some wine this evening.. It's snowing.  And Santa is loading up his sleigh.

Jolly time of the year.  And I am POOPED!!!!  phew. 

night night

IMAGINE

As Christmas nears, I am so wishing I had my loved ones nearby.  I miss my Dad.. it wil be our 2nd Christmas without him.  I miss my daughter, and Emalie and Robert.  I am blessed with many pictures they send and know they too missing us.  It's a hard time to be seperated from those you love.  I miss my son and his girlfriend and know they will have their own sweet Christmas with their little furry family.  It's the tenderest time of the year, and in between the dashing and shopping, the baking and wrapping, I take the time to

to reflect on all my blessings.  And I keep the Spirit of Christmas deep in my heart.  And I continue to pray and hope and imagine PEACE ON EARTH. 

just imagine...

ta

STUDIO CRAZIES

Looking at my studio this morning..  holy moly, it  looks like a bomb went off in here.  I am going to have to bust into some cleaning/organizing today.  No one can say this is a boring studio!  I am trying to see this in a postive light.. you know, it's all just lovely creative juicy explosions rather than a big ole mess.  I have to admit, I am really messy when I create whether it's art or cooking... but I do get into the spirit! 
  so here's to a great day.. may the cleaning jujus plow through the studio and by evening, I will be
happy to take off my goggles and enjoy the CLEAN!
  ta

A BATCH OF ANGELS

I woke to angels waiting to be finished!  So in a few hours, I was able to do these gals.  I will give these

out to my friends for the holidays.  I like that they can be hung any time of the year, rather than just at Christmas.  Using the inspiration of the light bulb, I used the word Light in all the little messages on the angels.

I love their little scalloped petticoats that hang just below their skirt hemlines.  Now I want to make a big one, using a larger bulb, as a tree top angel for our Christmas tree.  So stay tuned! 

off to work, ho ho!

ta

and hope an angel lights your way today!!!!!!

ANGELS IN THE WINGS

My paper mache angel... and more in the WINGS!

I don't work with paper mache nearly enough.  It's so fun to get all gooey and play!

My first angel flew away yesterday, so I decided to make a batch this morning.

Because one is never enough!!!!

ENCHANTED LADY

It's a peek.  Because I can't really show more or I will ruin the surprise.  But oh the Enchanted Lady turned out really wonderful.  I was elated with the final result.  And I love, really love,  how life can be serendipitously delicious!!!!

I worked on this art doll on Saturday and my day flew by in joyous creating.  Then this morning, I was wrapping presents for the recipient of this Enchanted Lady., and this afternoon I get a little sweet card from
the art doll's future owner who wrote " to my 'enchanting' friends" !!!! 

  Surprised?  Yes. But no.  I believe in ENCHANTMENT and when souls align in the universe, then connection is as real and easy as taking a breath.  Magical but there with every intake of air. 

So breathe in and be enchanted with the Magic of the season.
ta

BIRD SEED WREATHS

Don't you love this?   I found this here and if I get TIME, I would love to try my hand at this.  Among my local friends, we exchange simple gifts.  One year we all received ice buckets.. with candles.  They created the ice frozen candle holders with big 5 gallon buckets with a hollow center to add a candle to. They were really lovely at night with the warm candles glowing in the night through the crystal ice. 
  Anyway,  I am busting through my orders and hoping to get some time to get to my pile of wrapping presents and baking cookies this weekend. And perhaps some birdseed wreaths!  It's a beautiful morning, the sky is show stopping blue, the sun is shining on all our snow and it's wonderful Friday. 
 ta

FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS

Here we are.... ready for the bliss-filled holidays!  I just finished our holiday cards.  Every year, I  try to create our own cards complete with our little family.  Might add a bit more to this but will let it sit in the studio today.   And I have a lot of orders waiting on me.  I am trying to focus on the  seasons joy and not let the the

long list of todos make me crazy.  It can just over take your holidays and you can start to forget the

joy that this time of year should bring. 

Hope you are enjoying your busy day too!  HO HO

 art note:

I did the paper doll cut out shapes using recycled paper.  Dan's pants are cut from the inside of a business envelope.  Those patterns are wonderful to save and use in art, so many patterns. His sweater is cut from dictionary paper painted red.  My pants are cut from a scrap of paper that I had used to clean off ( smearing) my letter stamps of black ink.  Also used  some fabric.  I love doing art like this.. good ole cut and paste.  oh and of course Photoshop arranged and sized it .. love Photoshop for that.

off to work I go.. no more play for me!

DEEP IN SNOW AND FABRIC

looking out my studio window on our back patio.

and looking in my fabric strip basket!

 Our snow storm has moved on and we are STILL DIGGING OUT!  Okay I am not a big lover of winter and snow.  A few inches is fine for ambiance for the holidays.  But our little mountain town got 18 inches while the Aspen mtn got 5.  Someone got the message crossed on this storm.  Big snow up on the mtn please! But the snow gods had other ideas. This morning we have our clear blue skies back and it's
freakin' cold, but the sun will shine and all this snow will be melting someday.  It is quite beautiful.. as long as I am inside my warm studio looking out!!!!  Working outside in this brutal cold weather.. oh my poor husband.
He won't start his ski job till a week before Christmas.. so only a few more days of excavation work. 
Skiing in the cold weather is more fun than working obviously. 
  Dashing through orders to get caught up so I can start focusing on my holiday todos... I had to rip a pile of strips this morning and love the colors piled in the basket.  I use these strips to tie on to my Lunar Designs
products.  It's colorful and fun.  I used to use ribbons, but I like the more oganic look of the fabric strips.  And of course, these strips have been finding their way into my side art.  When you rip a lot of fabric, you end up with a lot of threads.  So I save them as well.  And they have been fun to use in art too. 
  Okay work is calling me! 

Have a colorful blessed day!
ta

PILES OF SNOW

These were taken about 6:30 this morning.. OMG we got at least a foot overnight and yesterday a good 6 inches.. that adds up to a foot and a half!!!!!  Marley was romping and running around in the snow while Dan and I worked out butts off to clear the snow this morning, which is already covering all we did.  Dan runs the
snowplow on the 4 wheeler and I use the hand shovels!  Lots of work!  The ski mountain only got a few inches and down here in town we get bombarded with deep snow.  Crazy huh?  It is still snowing and is supposed to snow all day.  And the wind is howling.. a real blizzard.  I am glad to have my studio here at home!  No crazy snow commute for me, thank goodness!
  ahhh the winter blizzards.. makes me want to bake cookies and wrap presents.  And watch the old favorite Christmas movies like "It's a Wonderful Life" (I never tire of that move.. and cry every time I watch it) and get in the mood.  Because it's snowing big time, I might as well love it!  It is beautiful.
As I write this,  outside our window, the birds are clustering around the bird feeder, snow howling and gobbling up food for energy.  Beautiful.  Peaceful.  It is a Wonderful Life.
ta

BIG ART SALE!

MY ART RUNNETH OVER!!!!
BIG SALE AT MY ETSY SHOP!!!!  click here!!!!
keep me on your fav list and keep checking back as I will
be adding more everyday!

I am going to spend my weeeeeekend listing a lot of my art on sale and at big discounts plus added bonus FREE SHIPPING!!!  I need to clear the studio to make room for new art on the horizon.  So this is your chance to score some great ART done by  a REAL WORKING ARTIST instead of some mass produced big box China imported stuff that
really doesn't support our US economy. (don't get me started...)

I try to buy locally as much as possible, especially from local PEOPLE!   It keeps the dollars in your own community
plus supports your area.  There are a bunch of local shows
that always pop up this time of year and I always try to hit  a few of them when I can.  I do the same in the summer-- hitting the local farmer markets. 

Can you believe how fast the holiays are approaching!!!!?????  It seems to just roar in faster every year.

ta for now!

RECYCLED HOLIDAY ORNAMENTS

These are going up for sale on my etsy site this morning.

They are "GREEN" and sweet ready for the holidays.

Cut from old license plates with soda pop can aluminum

wings and dangling bead/found objects for their legs, they

all are carrying little bells and even one a basket of eggs.

They measure 5 x 5 inches and are light and sturdy to hang on your tree!
$20 each with FREE SHIPPING!  Don't wait!  These will go fast!

ta.....