Love

Ξ September 29th, 2011 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Art-tastic, ATC, Big Eyed Girls, Les Petite Dolls, The Great Outdoors! |

♥ Love ♥

This is my fifth in the Autumn Owl series of ACEOs that I’ll be listing on Etsy tomorrow. Next I think I’ll play with a larger owl painting that’s been brewing in my head. I’m also finishing up this….

The painting under the owl is coming along nicely. It’s now pinks, reds and black… and white. I have more to do on it today but also need to hit the grocery today so I have limited time today. I’m also working on a series of small paintings that I plan to make prints for for Christmas postcards and such. Something to celebrate the upcoming holidays. I “should” have done this in July but it seems I’m always behind schedule.

My desk is a Hazmat zone right now so I have to run and suit up so I can get it cleaned up before heading out for my weekly shopping trip.

See you back here tomorrow for more mayhem and madness!

 

H’Owl’-O-Ween

Ξ September 28th, 2011 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Around The House, Art-tastic, ATC, Etsy, Photography, The Great Outdoors!, Whispering Wednesday |

I couldn’t resist! I always think of Halloween when the smell of autumn tickles my nose. It’s a definite change. You can feel in on your skin, smell it in the air and feel it in your heart. It a warm feeling amidst the new chill that hits the air… and I LOVE it. It makes me think of the safety of home. Warm cocoa, nights in pajamas watching TV, family, dessert after dinner, the warm feeling that I’m safe. It very could be the way I grew up…nevertheless, this is how I feel at the first rush of autumn air.

This ATC is done layers a small corner of decorative napkin and building on top of it with the painted owl and embellishments. Admitidly I likely spent way to much time on this ATC but it was really a fun and involved process… and the results are well worth it. I’ll be posting this little treasure on Etsy on Friday when I post a few more I’ve completed.

Since we’re on the subject of birds… I can’t help but give you a shot from my backyard window at the bird feeder. It’s been packed lately 4 deep each time I take a gander! (birds… goose… gander… see what I did there!?)

This is as about as focused as I can get using partial zoom with my little portable pocket cam.

This is what I’m talking bout! NOM NOM!

Whispering Wednesday - Yay!

  • I harvested my very first homegrown potatoes yesterday
  • I’m cooking them tonight with sausages
  • I’ve taken an interest in houseplants again and will share my mini indoor garden soon.
  • I’ve picked out my birthday present… tune it Friday for a look-see.

 

Swinging in the Breeze

Ξ September 27th, 2011 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Art-tastic, ATC, Fun with Food, Tammy's Toys, The Great Outdoors!, The Healing Garden |


I know… ATCs right! They are more than just an addiction. They can become a way of life. What I really love about them is their versatility. You can can do ANYTHING on them. This is a little painted doodle that I thought would be fun to send summer off with a smile. It holds promise for next years green shoots on the trees and opens the door for autumn to make a grand entrance… also.. since this was done yesterday it celebrated our massive wind storm. The last traces of summer truly did get blown away yesterday.

Now we open the door for fall. Tomorrow you’ll see one of the things that I think of when fall begins to approach, but for today… yep, it’s 2sday again and I have a brand new toy from my parents. It’s a bit of humorous eye candy to make you smile.

♥ Tuesday’s Toys ♥

What a gardenista right! …Eggactly!

 

All Legs

Ξ September 26th, 2011 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Art-tastic, ATC, The Great Outdoors! |

Number two in my fall series of owl ACEOs. I layered a bit with decorative napkins that I’ve been buying and storing regularly. The majority of the circles are from the napkin and the rest are from rubber-stamping a circle with acrylic paints. I did a faint purple wash for the background and sponged the edges with black ink. I added a couple of layers of sparkle glaze to the larger circles to add some depth and texture to the card.

He’s just a fun guy hanging out waiting for nightfall so he can head off hunting. Owls can be an intriguing bird if you get the opportunity to see them. My great grandpa had a barn owl in his old barn. He ran a dairy farm for years and my grandpa (his son) delivered the milk in glass bottles to doorsteps all over the county. Oh for the days of such wonderful customer service. If my grandpa hadn’t been delivering milk he never would have met my grandma and I wouldn’t be here. So I’ll Owl-ways be thankful for that dairy farm.

 

Toys, Toys, and more Toys!

Ξ August 9th, 2011 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Around The House, Art-tastic, ATC, Journal Jazz, Supplies/Techniques, Tammy's Toys |

♥ This Just In! ♥

YAY! Just in time for a play date! I’m very excited about all of these goodies. I’ve been eying these art journals for about a year now and found them on sale at Jerry’s so I plucked two from the heap and tossed them in my online cart! What a joy. I’ve not been journaling at all since finished my last journal. I tried a Moleskin journal but I really was unimpressed. I favor the spiral journals for their versatility and ease of use, and now I have two to keep me busy for a good long while.

I’m in the middle of packaging and varnishing some orders that I got over night so I’m rather rushed. I do have a toy to share today other than the ones I just got via UPS. I bought this to varnish for my hubs boss… He makes large scale model airplanes… this is a thank you as he gave us a beautiful antique desk that will be used by our college boarder come autumn. I’ll take a picture of the gorgeous desk tomorrow. =)

Until then…. Come fly with me! Come fly, come fly away!  See you tomorrow with more chatter.  =)

 

Laguna Ice Poppies

Ξ August 3rd, 2011 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Around The House, Art-tastic, ATC, Etsy, Supplies/Techniques, The Great Outdoors!, Whispering Wednesday |

♥ Laguna Ice Poppies ♥

Here’s the ACEO of the day. This is done with illustration board, paints, papers, tissues, texture medium, silver tinsel glitter, gesso and a glass of cold iced tea (for the creator!) I absolutely love this one! The colors just speak to me. I’m taking this to a bigger level today too. I grabbed a big flat canvas I’ve had for …ever… and started in. I’ll photograph as I go.. it’s drying right now… see!

This is 16″ x 12″ and it’s going to be a very beautiful mess while I create… I have had blues and greens and yellows on my hands for the past few days… it’s gotten down into the beds of my fingernails…yep, I DO fingerpaint! Sometimes the fingers are the best blender brushes  you’ll ever find. And their always on hand! See what I did there? That would earn a much deserved groan in my house. But they’re used to me and actually wait for comments like that now. They know I’m out of sorts if I don’t make an odd comment now and again…. and again, and again.

I doubt this will be framed as it’s somewhat of a shabby chic style so I’ll likely drill holes and use fibers to hang it. I’ll probably put some fringe around the bottom too. I just love the textures of fibers, ribbons, stings and jutes, and yum! I think you know what I mean.

My Whispering Wednesday entry this week has arrived!

  • I’m taking a nap for lunch today. I was up REALLY late due to some ‘kids’ in the back area parking lot causing a ruckus.
  • My anxiety has been reeling it’s ugly head the past few weeks. I hope it’s not a sign of more to come.


 

Jazzy Poppy

Ξ August 2nd, 2011 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Around The House, Art-tastic, ATC, Etsy, For The Kingdom, Photography, Tammy's Toys, The Great Outdoors!, The Healing Garden |

♥ Jazzy Poppy ♥

Today’s installment of my 2011 summer series is Jazzy Poppy. I used a mix of blues and greens with brown and golden accents. These ACEOs are very therapeutic and extremely fun to make. I’m really enjoying the process… I can’t wait to show you what I’m working on for tomorrow. =) I layered the illustration board with a text page from a cheesy romantic novel about a woman and her werewolf lover. (I warned you it was cheesy.) I added a strip of collage paper and then topped the card with crinkled tissue paper. Next comes layers of paint, the circles for the flowers and some imagination. Then… whala! Another finished mini work of art. The green on this reminds me of lime sherbet. It’s very summery indeed.

I told you I was going to share with you something about seeds. Here’s the ‘dirt!’ Sunday morning while laying in bed I said to my hubs… “isn’t it amazing how God has given man the ability to make a machine that will pit cherries…” This lead to a conversation about how birds carry seeds to far away places and renew the earth and we benefit from the plants as well as the seeds and the beauty of the birds. We got up and went downstairs to listen to our Sunday morning Church programs. I especially like Bayless Conley and his message was all about seeds this week. I smiled and said to my hubs… isn’t it funny that we were just talking about that? God knows what he’s doing. There really are no coincidences.  ~~ After I had made breakfast and did some late-morning chores we went about doing things around the house. I found my hubs outside cutting down limbs from the Maple tree that were scraping the neighbors house. I started picking the little “winged seeds” from the branches and setting them aside. I had over two handfuls when I found one that had three seed pods on it. I have never in my life seen a 3-sided Maple seed and joyfully shared it with my hubs. “Look! It’s the Trinity I said.” It seemed to bring our morning into a circle and we finished up our tasks.

Later that night I was watching a show on TV and a gal on the show had a cherry-pitter and I knew that God had just completed the day with me… and he did so with a cherry on top!

Here’s a look at the seeds. (God will tell me something creative to do with them!)

Pretty amazing if you ask me. I’m going to save this and do something special with it. =)~~

I bet you thought I forgot that it’s 2sday’s Toys… Not at all. I have something awesome to share. It’s not a seed though. It is however a wish and/or a dream! I’ve had this packed away for too long and can’t wait to start making little stars to flatten and put in my art. You can bet I’ll be handing them out to family too … they are just so precious.
Check out Wishing Stars here!

 

Yellow Fellow

Ξ August 1st, 2011 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Art-tastic, ATC, For The Kingdom, The Great Outdoors!, The Healing Garden |

♥ Yellow Fellow ♥

Here’s the next poppy ACEO collaged flowers series. I think they are perfect for a summer project. Something you can hang onto into autumn and winter to remind of the gorgeous blooms of spring and summer. I think I’ll be doing a few birds soon as well. I ordered myself a tabletop easel yesterday along with two visual journals by Strathmore and some precut ATCs made from illustration board. I also ordered a couple of tiny canvases with mini easels for displaying them on. I am really excited about that package arriving! Until then I’ll be playing and experimenting with different techniques and being a brave girl and just diving in and thanking God for gesso… in case I make mistakes … I’ll just paint over my surface with gesso and try again. I hate throwing away anything I’m working on. I take it as a personal challenge to fix something I’m creating that I don’t like.

It’s breezy and beautiful in the Pacific Northwest this morning. The temperature is supposed to get to about 77° today so that’s not too bad. I can take that much heat. I’m a complete and utter heat wimp. I curl up in wet tee-shirts and take lots of cold showers when it gets too warm. I was born overheated and it just gets worse over time! I’m glad God planted me in Washington state where the rain is a common occurrence so I can run out and chill off very easily! Heee!

Well, I’m off to start a potato salad to go with dinner… something nice and summery. It’s August and looks like our few weeks of summer has arrived! I’ll see you again tomorrow to share something amazing about seeds and seeds of faith.


 

Want to Paint Mon Cheri?

Ξ July 29th, 2011 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Around The House, Art-tastic, ATC, Fun with Food, Photography |

Look who showed up outside my studio window! He’s ready and willing to paint AND he brought his own supplies. What could be better. Let’s get some paint on those feet and walk em across a canvas. He even sits next to his lunch. Nom! I wish I were tall enough to grab a few of those acorns. =)

Yesterday I finished two ATCs with my Poppy theme. Here’s the first one…  You’ll see the second one tomorrow.

I’m calling this one Poppin’ Purple Poppy.  I tried to scan this yesterday and came across some glitches in my system… so my hubs fixed it last night and it scanned fairly fine. I ‘should’ have saved it then. Instead, because I was very tired I waited till this morning to scan and now I can’t get my printer/scanner to scan AT all. Sheesh. Union scanners… Grrrr! I don’t know what’s wrong. We had a brief power outage and now everything wants a raise to be reset. We’re even having Internet issues. ~ Extremely low bandwidth… so I have to wait around for the tech to come today to check out the issues. Bleh!  The good thing is it’s cloudy and cool today. Yeah… you know me.. I’m *the sunshine is evil kind of gal*. I might change my mind next summer when I have a full fledged garden growing.

I bought Tuna steaks yesterday at Winco for dinner tonight. Nom! I’m debating between a salad or wild rice pilaf to go with. I’ll probably go with the salad so the hubs won’t feel bad about ice cream for dessert! That reminds me… I need to stick some of my yogurt in the freeze so I can have an ice dessert as well. =) I’ll save the wild rice pilaf for next week when I cook the Swai fish I bought. They say it’s the new Tilapia, and extremely affordable, so buy it while you can. I’m buying it vacuum packed and stocking up! NOM!

Speaking of fish….
I’ll *catch* up with you tomorrow with a fixed scanner… I pray! God Bless until then… and think…*Mocha!*

 

More ATC Fun

Ξ July 21st, 2011 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Around The House, Art-tastic, ATC, Etsy, Psalm Sunday, The Great Outdoors! |

 ♥ Butterfly Poppies ♥

Between household projects and painting shelves and whatnots I take ice water breaks and sit in my studio and play with small art projects. This week it’s been prepping TP Treasure surfaces for Psalm Sunday entries and playing with ATCs. I have yet to post these on Etsy as I’m having a busy week, but I’ll have them up soon and let you know.

Yesterday I sold a sock monkey necklace on Etsy and it made me smile. The original painting was done for my hubs for one of his birthdays and I scanned the image to have it on hand for making crafty creations for others to enjoy! I just love the printing process and creating cards, bookmarks, pins and other treasures using the images I’ve painted in the past. Drop in to check out my tiny tiles and bookmarks… I’ll be doing postcards soon too!

We’ll it’s my grocery day again so I need to go make myself look somewhat presentable and see if I can find a shirt that doesn’t have paint stains on it…. Yeah… Rrrright!

 

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