Saturday, September 26, 2009

A Bit of New...




Here's a look at what kept me busy today....well, this and helping my mother-in-law move houses in the rain. But she's a great lady! Hope everybody's having a great weekend!

The little chicken is actually a softie.

P.S. I just found out that I won a Pikaland giveaway! Yeah!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

What I've been up to....






The top picks are a not-so-recent thrift store find and the last photo is some new paintings that I've been doing lately in preparation for an art show with my friend Sherry! These I think I will sell. It will be my first time trying to sell originals.....I can't wait to see how they do! I'd love to know what you guys think!

Tomorrow I'm headed past B'ham to teach kiddos animation and it looks like it's going to be a blast. But....the 4-hour drive there and back does not sound fun......

Oh, well.....I hope you guys all have a great weekend!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Changing.....

Mushrooms grow thick in circles outside.....circles.....Life is full of circles. I feel my own life circling again and again. Focusing on one aspect of my life and then moving forward onto something else and ultimately finding myself back where I began, but somehow different, somehow bigger and more confident.

Rings of mushrooms where once thought to be where fairies danced...pulling in an unwary mortal, pulling them into the spinning, frantic dance until the mortal falls exhausted from the reel and finda life around them had changed.....lovers aged and gone, children grown old. It's strange sometimes how our modern life can be like a fairy's dance.....we move faster and faster until we fall exhausted and discover what was really important is gone......

Circles, around and around forever. Changing seasons, time moving forward from birth to maturing to aging to dying.....only to repeat itself again and again. The sun, the moon, water, everything moves in circles. So, why do we fear them? Why do we fear the slow times, the dying times? Can we not remember that after death, comes birth, something new and shining.

The creative life is full of circles, trying one thing, pushing past, letting something die for it to be reborn as something new.....
I find so many people are afraid of the circular nature of creating.....afraid of the dry spells, the creative block.....afraid that nothing new will be born.....

I think of these things as the seasons change. Autumn is my favorite season......a season of harvesting and gathering, but it can also be seen as a season of waiting, of declining gracefully into winter's sleeping embrace.....Autumn has many things to teach us....it teaches us to gather our creative thoughts and ideas to prepare for a creative winter.....so that the new, better ideas, images, songs, stories can emerge in the spring of our creativity.......

Hmmmm, this post is a bit different, but I suppose that I'm in an Autumn mood in some ways.....and this post has nothing to do with the image posted which is simply my newest work....


Well, I hope your cycles roll gently and encourage you to new things....at least that it gives you enough energy to rejoin the fairies! :)

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Do people even do this anymore?






So, I have a particular......case (I refuse to call it a problem!) I have entirely too much vintage paper ephemera. Now.... most of this comes from two huge scrapbooks where someone has diligently cut magazine clippings, greeting cards and all sorts of pictures from various sources. Some of it has come from various yard sale finds. Talk about recycling!

I love going through and picking out images that are making a come back today. But what to do with all this treasure? I'm thinking of creating mixed media books that incorporate some of these images, framing some, etc.... but there'll be no way for me to use them all. And their wonderful! Do you think they would sell in packets on Etsy in the vintage category? Any other suggestions?

I've got tons of this stuff......and if you see anything in particular that you like and would like to get or are wondering if I have any particular images, just let me know and we'll go from there....of course some of the images shown are mine, all mine....hahahaha!

Sometimes after storms there will be rainbows....

This rainbow was so bright and colorful....you could even see a double arc.

Monday, September 14, 2009

New Obsessions...





So, a chance encounter with a blogger acquaintance made me realize it's been a dreadfully long time since my last post....so here are some recently thrifted goodies and some new dolls which are becoming quite an obsession! My, my, how the days just slip away some times.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Bat, Beagle and Few Other Things...






So, if I've been quiet lately, it's because I've decided to hide from the world a little bit. I think it's necessary to hide occasionally, but that doesn't mean that I've done nothing. Quite the contrary. For instance, Friday I had another wonderful opportunity to have lunch with Mr. Peter S. Beagle before hearing him speak and read aloud at our local library. I also took the chance to show Mr. Beagle the working reproduction at the museum where I work and let him try his hand at printing. It was wonderful and as always Mr. Beagle was delightful!

Later, Friday night I set up shop in the museum for the city's monthly First Friday and peddled my wares. I also found a tiny, adorable bat that proved to be somewhat wary of motorcycles.

Saturday found me thrifting with my friend Nicole and scoring a load of books and fabric.

Sunday found me celebrating a family birthday and Monday found me sewing and painting and generally creating and getting ready for an weekend art show with my friend Sherry.

http://www.sherrymatthews.net/

I also have seemed to have used all my links!

So, now I go to hide again and prepare for the return to work tomorrow.....until later.....Have a wonderful week!