The Magpie's Nest

Paint Party Friday

2012-01-27T11:04:00.000-05:00

More SBP Pages...

A couple of posts ago, I was lamenting not having a title for my

Sketchbook Project journal. I couldn't see how my random drawings

fit any kind of theme. The theme given to me by the SBP people

was "Encyclopedia of..."

Readers left so many wonderful suggestions,

my mind was dancing! But one idea really spoke to me

and it was from Tracey Fletcher King (her blog is here).

She suggested "encyclopedia of memories or dreams".

I loved the idea of dreams...

all of my pages so far seemed like something I may have dreamed.

This is the inside cover spread. I haven't actually done the cover yet.

Here it is flipped so you don't have to turn your computer around lol...

Hopefully it will be less of a problem with the book in one's hands :)

Still working crazily to get finished by the end of the month,

but it's proving to be lots of fun.

Someone commented that I probably work better under pressure.

After giving it some thought, I've decided perhaps it's more accurate to say

I ONLY work under pressure. I get very little done unless

there is a deadline looming. Just ask my husband :)

Taking a back seat to all this is balancing the checkbook, organizing taxes

for the accountant, housework of course....and many other chores that

theoretically I have more time to do so they are my chores.

My son has inherited this tendency to procrastinate

and I'm not sure I approve. But it gives his father, who is early

for the most minor event, quite a few anxious and irritated moments.

So, anyway, I've gotten off the track...

Other than this spread, I don't know if I've completed anything else

since my last post. Some pages are partly done.

I guess that means I'd better get busy.

Just having the title off my mind is a HUGE relief!

Thank you Tracey!

I'm posting this for Paint Party Friday.

I hope you'll head over to see the awesome artwork that has been posted.

So many talented artists...I never do get to everyone's blog

but I can just try to do better each week.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Butterflies at Inspiration Avenue

2012-01-22T09:27:00.000-05:00

The Butterfly Garland

Butterflies under the sea?

But of course! Where did you think butterflies come from?

Besides from caterpillars, that is.

It's like the old chicken and the egg puzzle.

Which came first, the caterpillar or the butterfly?

Well, mermaids are in charge of gathering the lost butterflies

and making sure they return to land to lay the eggs,

that will become the caterpillars,

that will become . . . now you understand.

Without the mermaids' help, there would be many less butterflies.

Of course the mermaids can't accomplish this without a little assistance.

They enlist their sea creature friends to pitch in from time to time :)

Be sure to head over to Inspiration Avenue on Sunday

to see the Gallery of Butterflies.

I believe we have a record number of entries this week.

"Butterflies" is a subject that speaks to the creative soul!

Deadline fast approaching...panic

2012-01-20T08:23:00.001-05:00

The Sketchbook Project

I'm frantically trying to get my sketchbook completed

by the deadline of January 31.

Okay, not "frantically" or I would be finished by now. lol.

The one thing that does not make much of an appearance

in my sketchbook is sketching. I've always hated my sketches...

maybe I should take a drawing class.

The theme given to me by the Sketchbook People

(okay that's a lie, I did choose it myself)

is "Encyclopedia of..."

and for the life of me I can't figure out what my book is an encyclopedia of.

There seem to be a lot of trees, clothing, and some elves and fairies.

How on earth are these related?

I would like to do the cover in something clever

relating to my theme but . . . maybe the word is "hodgepodge".

A word I don't like at all.

So, enough of my problems. If anyone has a suggestion

about how these things are related, I would be grateful to know!

In the meantime, I am posting this for Paint Party Friday.

I hope you will visit the wonderful entries that are posted there!

Have a happy weekend!

It's a dreary winter day...

2012-01-18T16:40:00.001-05:00

I haven't even thought about art in the past 3 days...

Guess I will get busy and/or inspired tomorrow :)

But.

There is a 20% off sale in my Etsy shop!

Heart of the Magpie

And.

A treasury I made honoring Edgar Allan Poe.

January 19 is his birthday!

Click and comment if you're a fan!

Weekly Art Challenge

2012-01-15T11:05:00.000-05:00

Paper Dolls

Yesterday I was thinking I wouldn't have an entry

for this week's challenge at Inspiration Avenue.

I adored the theme of paper dolls and thought it would be a fun challenge.

The execution proved more problematic than the idea!

I started 2 different entries. Not happy with either.

It was harder than I thought it would be! Just not my thing, I thought.

I was expecting to have the best time doing this.

Instead I was stressing over it...

So, today I made myself complete both.

I don't hate either one as much as I thought I did,

and I'm glad they are finished!

The first one...

Her name is Apolline, a high wire artist at the circus.

When she's not high above the crowd in the big top, she

loves shopping for everything pink! Occasionally

she will include something light green or another pale color.

She loves walking her puppy, Amaroo,

and is searching for the perfect pet bird

for the lovely vintage cage she found today.

For the second one, I fell back on some digital creations

that I mostly had already done, but added some new dresses and colors:

I was inspired by the yummy sixties fashions in Mad Men.

I confess I have never watched Mad Men, but I looked at the pictures!

It's on my to-do list to watch an episode.

Pop over to Inspiration Avenue Sunday afternoon

(if you are in the US eastern time zone,

or adjust accordingly for your location!)

The entries will be displayed in the Gallery of Paper Dolls :)

Weekly Challenge Inspiration Avenue

2012-01-08T10:54:00.003-05:00

BFFs

New best friends.

Okay, here's the conversation.

"I like your hair." "I like YOUR hair!"

"Yay! Let's go play in the damask!"
"I love damask. What's damask?"
"I don't know but I love it too!"

"Okay!!"

I wish I had a better story :)

But I'm rushing to get this posted in time for the

challenge at Inspiration Avenue, which is

Damask

a quite interesting and challenging one brought to us by Shelly of Pics by Shel!

I have some foam stamps which I thought resembled damask.

I used them to create a background on black Canson paper,

but now I don't think they do justice to the beauty of damask.

But the BFFs don't know the difference, so it's all good lol!

Off to post my link on IA...

Be sure to visit later today to see all of the entries!

Paint Party Friday

2012-01-05T18:22:00.001-05:00

Work in progress

First of all.

I hope 2012 is off to a beautiful start for all of you!

Which means inspiring, creative,

and with your muses present and lending a helping hand!

So, I have a long way to go on this.

I became even more convinced when I snapped a pic in bad light

and put it on the computer. Funny how you see things differently

on a computer screen.

This was going to be my entry at Inspiration Avenue for

the Something old, Something new challenge.

(2 challenges ago)

What is old is that I always start something ambitious

with only a day or so to complete it.

What was new is that this is a very different size for me

(12 x 24 as opposed to my usual 8 x 10's)

So those things combined meant there wasn't a chance in hell

I would get it finished in time. Ha. It's still not finished.

Alright, enough whinging and whining,

here is the story.

I modeled her after John Waterhouse's Psyche painting.

I love John Waterhouse ~ his figures look so graceful and solid,

like they could walk right off the canvas.

I thought this painting

was Pandora, but apparently it is Psyche.

And this

is Pandora.

I am still calling mine Pandora.

I don't see anywhere in the story of Psyche where she has a box.

According to http://www.pantheon.org

this is the story of Psyche:

Psyche is the youngest of three daughters. She was of such extraordinary beauty that Aphrodite herself became jealous of her. The goddess then sent her son Eros to make Psyche fall in love with an ugly man. She was meant to fall in love with the first man she saw, which Eros would make sure was the ugliest man on earth. However, the god himself fell in love with her when he got pricked with his own poison arrow. He visited her every night, but forbade her to see his face, so she did not know who her lover was. On her sisters' instigation she tried to discover the true identity of her beloved. When he lay asleep in her bed, she lit an oil lamp but when she bent over to see Eros' face, a drop of oil from her lamp fell on him and he awakened. When he noticed her intent, he left her. Psyche wandered the earth in search of her lover, until she was finally reunited with him.

Zeus himself reunited and married the lovers.

A nice story, but where is the box??

If anyone knows, please tell me :)

and here is the story of Pandora:

Pandora was the first woman on earth. Zeus ordered Hephaestus, the god of craftsmanship, to create her and he did, using water and earth. The gods endowed her with many talents; Aphrodite gave her beauty, Apollo music, Hermes persuasion, and so forth. Hence her name: Pandora, "all-gifted".

When Prometheus stole fire from heaven, Zeus took vengeance by presenting Pandora to Epimetheus, Prometheus' brother. With her, Pandora had a jar which she was not to open under any circumstance. Impelled by her natural curiosity, Pandora opened the jar, and all evil contained escaped and spread over the earth. She hastened to close the lid, but the whole contents of the jar had escaped, except for one thing which lay at the bottom, and that was Hope.

Not as nice a story, except the part about Hope.

Interesting, the parallels between this story and that of Eve...

Oh, and the stories all say Pandora had a jar, not a box.
I'm still going with a box because who ever heard of
"Pandora's Jar"?

So Happy Paint Party Friday!

And Happy 2012!

Don't forget to visit the party:

Paint Party Friday

2011-12-23T08:24:00.001-05:00

Just a few more ACEOs...

Happy Paint Party Friday!

I hope everyone is healthy and happy this holiday season.

I don't have any holiday-related art to post

(too busy to create anything :)

but I have done some more ACEOs recently.

I've been reading about Elizabeth I, so I must have royalty on my mind.

My princess doesn't have red hair like Elizabeth,

and, unlike Elizabeth, she thinks being a princess is very tiresome.

So many duties, and not enough fun!

It's not easy, you know.

The second ACEO is a re-creation of another piece I did a while ago.

This one:

I haven't decided whether I enjoy recreating a painting...

I think I have too many new ideas fighting to be put on paper.

My thought was to redo something to make it better than the original.

But I like the first one more, oh well.

I'm wishing a wonderful

Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwaanza, Yule,

or any and everything you celebrate to everyone!

And an inspiring, healthy, and creative 2012!

Oh, and can't forget,

Happy Paint Party Friday!

IA Weekly Art Challenge

2011-12-18T10:20:00.001-05:00

Festive!

I think the image of the Christmas tree conjures up holiday festivity

for me almost better than anything else. And snowflakes. And angels.

And best of all, sparkly lights.

So this digital image of our tree (probably the last year we had a real one)

and one of my angel ornaments is my contribution to

Inspiration Avenue's Festive challenge.

My own topic for the week, I might add. And I also might add,

another topic that I had a hard time with, geez.

As always, visit Inspiration Avenue Sunday afternoon

to see the gallery of festive entries!

Happy Week Before Christmas!

IA Weekly Challenge and some holiday treasuries

2011-12-10T16:39:00.000-05:00

Peace on Earth

Shelly of Pics by Shel asks a question

for the challenge this week at Inspiration Avenue.

The question is

What is in your Christmas Ball?

I put a wish in mine . . . the hope for peace on earth.

Another hope ~ that everyone is enjoying the holiday season

no matter what you celebrate!

Visit Inspiration Avenue on Sunday afternoon to see

the gallery of bright Christmas balls.

It's sure to be festive!

*************

Here are a few Etsy treasuries I've made recently . . .
Click and visit some awesome shops!
Leave a comment on the treasury if you'd like!

Click here for A Sugarplum Christmas

Click here for A Cozy Home

Click here for Gift Ideas for Soft Sculpture Lovers

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

2011-12-04T10:05:00.002-05:00

Shakespeare?
It may not be a midsummer night, but it's Puck and the Fairies!

This is not the painting I originally intended to enter
in the weekly challenge at Inspiration Avenue.
But I rather like the way it came out and I had fun as it evolved.

The challenge theme is
English Literature
the choice of Lisa at The Wright Stuff, and a jolly good choice it is!

My theme of Shakespeare and that mischievous Puck is still the same.
Just a different version than the painting I still intend to finish...

It's a spread in my SBP journal. I'm so happy to get 2 more pages
finished because the deadline to send in my sketchbook is fast approaching.
You may be seeing more SBP pages as December flies along.

I just flat ran out of time for my original idea.
Hmmm, perhaps because I had a little too much help?

Oliver is never shy about voicing his opinions...

“Hmmm...I think I could have done a much better job on this.
The background resembles something I tore up in my kitten days.
Maybe she's saved it all this time and is just sticking it to me
now that I am all grown up and dignified-like.

Is that supposed to be a human version of me?
If so, I think I enjoy being a cat thank you very much.
Although there IS something, maybe around the eyes,
that reminds me of myself...”

“There must be more to this. She can't be serious.
Anything on the back?...Nope”

“I was holding a little grudge against her
for all the time she spends in this so-called
*ART ROOM which really should be MY room*
instead of feeding me treats
whenever I feel my blood sugar dropping.
but now I think I just feel a bit sorry for her.
I guess I'll have to come around more often
to offer my assistance. *sigh*”

Thank you, Oliver.
Alas, time to close this post, methinks.

Paint Party Friday

2011-12-02T07:13:00.001-05:00

Work in Progress...

A page in my SBP journal.

A study for my entry in the Inspiration Avenue weekly challenge,

English Literature.

I picked that rascally little character Puck for my

interpretation of Shakespeare's

A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Why I chose Shakespeare... I don't know.

I find my eyes closing and my brain twirling like a

troupe of dancing fairies when I try to read his plays.

I've tried, but I just can't read him.

Thank goodness I'm no longer in school lol.

But I do love the story,

if someone else would just write it in everyday English.

Actually someone probably has.

I love Puck.

He appears in other stories also, such as

Puck of Pook's Hill by Rudyard Kipling.

... and some ACEOs

that are in my Etsy shop ...

I used colored pencil on watercolor paper.

(Note to self ~

How about using WATERCOLOR on watercolor paper

and colored pencil on something smooooth.

Ugh. I just think I would like that much better.)

Happy Paint Party Friday!

Go see what's new over there!

Take a little challenge...

2011-11-29T07:03:00.004-05:00

The challenge for the week at Inspiration Avenue is

English Literature

brought to us by our own English author Lisa of Wright Stuff.

While pondering what to do for the challenge,

I came across another fun little challenge:

A Little Gallery of Famous British Authors

Click the link above to take the challenge!

How well do you know the works and faces of these and other English authors?

I thought I would do dismally, but I surprised myself.

Give it a try!

Happy Holidays!

2011-11-22T11:28:00.003-05:00

A Coupon Sale

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday...

Take 15% off anything in my Etsy shop.

Note: this sale has expired, but may be back

before Christmas! Thank you for looking!

If I may make a suggestion, here are a few ideas...

and a few more...

As you can see, my inventory is taking over the house,

and I need to make room for more!

I know. I sound like a commercial for a car dealership.

(Apologies to anyone who is actually a car dealer :)

Sale will go thru Cyber Monday and then I will rethink everything.

I feel so powerful saying that lol

Anyway.

Happy Thanksgiving

to all who are celebrating it on Thursday.

And since I am so thankful for all of my blogging friends,

Happy Thanksgiving to EVERYONE

no matter where you are :)

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

2011-11-20T11:38:00.000-05:00

The Happy Court Jester

Harlequin ~ one of my favorite patterns ~ is the theme this week

at Inspiration Avenue, chosen by Stephanie of Dragonfly Design Studios.

A fun theme, and open to many interpretations!

Check out the gallery of entries later on Sunday at Inspiration Avenue.

This carefree kitten is cavorting happily throughout the court.

I hope he is not tried for treason for having King Edward's head on a stick.

Beware, Kitty!

Pray his antics will be so pleasing that the King will

overlook the infraction. Better dance and sing for your life, Kitty!

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Can you tell I've been reading historical novels again?

I just finished reading about King Philippe IV of France.

Now there was a king who believed in getting what he wanted.

And had the henchmen to carry out his wishes.

The book is The Crown and the Kingdom by Jeannette Angell.

I enjoyed it very much. If you like historical novels, this is a good one!

Paint Party Friday and the butterfly effect

2011-11-11T11:38:00.004-05:00

A page from my Sketchbook Project journal

I wanted to have something for PPF even though I am late.

This is a page I am still working on in my

long-neglected Sketchbook Project journal.

Not as much actual "paint" as I usually use,

since I am exploring the art of needlework for the

Inspiration Avenue weekly challenge.

Also not much "needle" work here since I caved

and used a lot of glue! Love glue...so much quicker and *safer*

than pricking your finger with a needle every few seconds :D

For the IA challenge, I am going to try to do a little

actual sewing in my piece. Friday already, and I

haven't started it yet...but I'll think of something.

In the meantime, visit Paint Party Friday

and check out what's new there!

One more thing to post.
I am linking this portion to the butterfly effect where
the theme is cats this week, go check it out!

Since I am obsessed with fabric right now,

here is a little brooch that was fun to make.

Not much painting here though, just the green background :)

{I have noticed that I seem to feature quite a few ginger cats

in my art. Neither of my current kitties is orange.

I had a ginger cat named "Boy" when I was twenty-something.

Perhaps I have never gotten over that I let him outside one day,

and never saw him again. Yep, I still grieve when I think of him.}

Here is Boy

(yikes, this is over 30 years old.)

Our current kitties do not go outside.

Art Nouveau Challenge ~ IA

2011-11-05T23:24:00.000-04:00

Klimt? Or Mucha? Maybe neither one . . .

Once again, I stumped myself with my own challenge.
I think I just pick a subject that sounds wonderful
without pausing to think if it will be near impossible to draw or paint.
And worry about it later.

I'm not sure if this emulates the art nouveau style.
Maybe with a bit of my own style thrown in for good measure.
The patterns are a bit Klimt, the flowing hair and outlining are a bit Mucha.
But of course nothing like their masterful works.
It's based on Klimt's "Mother and Child" painting,
with the "child" being a little ginger cat :)

While looking at Klimt's paintings, I was enthralled with
the patterns he used in the backgrounds and in the women's clothing.
Come to find out, his lifelong friend, Emilie Floge,
was a Viennese fashion designer and Klimt himself was very
interested in women's fashion. Together, they designed
loose-fitting dresses called “reformkleid” which freed women—
and men like Klimt, who wore them—from the constricting clothes of the day.
Now why can't the shops be filled with Klimt's clothing?
I would love to wear his dresses :)

Portrait of Emilie Floge by Klimt (1902)

Klimt in "reformkleid" dress

“I have never painted a self-portrait. I am less interested in myself
as a subject for a painting than I am in other people,
above all women...There is nothing special about me.
I am a painter who paints day after day from morning to night...
Who ever wants to know something about me...
ought to look carefully at my pictures.”
— Gustav Klimt

Stop by Inspiration Avenue on Sunday afternoon
to gaze upon all the pretty Art Nouveau!

Oh, on a different note ~
I have proclaimed my WIP "finished" ~
before I work it to fussiness.

It's a bit different than Friday's post, but I hope not overworked.

Paint Party Friday

2011-11-03T21:50:00.000-04:00

WIP

Doing something a little different

(for me)

I have a bunch of 4 x 4 chunky canvases

that I'd like to do some kind of a series with.

And *Faces* just popped into my head.

Not so amazing or different though, since it's what I like to

draw and paint better than anything. Okay, so it's actually predictable.

I'd like to keep the style different from my usual whimsical faces.

Easier said than done, but I'll see how it goes :)

This first one is far from finished, but I wanted to post it for

Paint Party Friday

I don't want to over work it though...I'd like to achieve

a happy medium between over done and just plain messy.

It's kinda messy now.

Why is it that painting the sides of a canvas is so tedious?

Because it's boring, maybe...but I think people

like the sides to be painted, so I'll keep doing it.

Happy PPF, don't forget to visit the party!

IA Weekly Challenge

2011-10-29T19:47:00.001-04:00

Masquerade

Marie has arrived at the masquerade ball . . .

has she gotten the date wrong? It seems she is the only one here.

No . . . she's just preparing for a grand entrance

and is waiting to enter the ballroom fashionably late.

In truth, her up-swept pink hairdo is to blame,

as it got tangled in the cherry tree outside the palace

and had to be redone. But no matter, her dance card is full

and the bits of twig and cherries stuck in her hair

will not keep her from having a splendid time!

Besides, she heard they have cake!

The theme this week at Inspiration Avenue,

if you haven't guessed, is

Masquerade Ball

This was a fun topic, and appropriate

with Halloween just days away.

I immediately thought of Marie Antoinette

since I am just a tiny bit obsessed

and love all the over-the-top

ornate opulence. Not that that's my style

but I just love looking at it :)

Be sure to check out all the entries in the challenge

which will be posted at Inspiration Avenue

on Sunday afternoon.

Have a lovely weekend and a spooky Halloween!

Paint Party Friday

2011-10-27T21:10:00.000-04:00

Things that go Bump in the Night

How can a girl be afraid of the bogeyman when

she has her trusty companion by her side?

Well, maybe just a teensy bit...

This was actually going to be my entry in

Inspiration Avenue's Fear challenge.

But when you have a wonky computer

calling the shots, very few things

work out the way you planned. Now I've got a

new computer up and running, I can post

this for Paint Party Friday :)

Are you ready for the witchery and ghoulishness

of Halloween night? How do you spend the evening?

I will be handing out sweet treats to the tiny tots of the neighborhood,

as well as the great big ones and everybody in between.

We get scads of trick-or-treaters :)

My own little "goblin" is grown and probably will stay at school

for the weekend ~ lots of Halloween parties around campus, you know.

After all, what's the use of attending a "party school" if you don't

attend the parties? Just kidding, I'm happy he's having fun

as long as his grades are good...hmmm, now

if I can just see some grades...

Go check out Paint Party Friday if you haven't already!

Blog Party Giveaway!

2011-10-11T19:39:00.000-04:00

Giveaway #4

What a time for my computer to get temperamental.

While it is finally agreeing to run for more than 2 minutes,

I am hurrying to post my giveaway in the

"On the Wings of Inspiration Blog Party".

Here is the front of my altered journal.

It's got layers of watercolor, tissue paper, collage papers

with a message to "Stay Inspired". The little art girl

has arms and legs of paper beads, which I

just learned how to make. Easy peasy, and very addicting!

The back will be finished too, but not only is it not completed,

but I don't want to press my luck with this (very annoying) computer.

So I'm posting it as is, and will add photos (hopefully)

at a later time. All will be ready to go to the winner whose name is

drawn from the entries in the October 16 art challenge at Inspiration Avenue.

It's got 240 blank acid-free pages inside just waiting for

your amazing artwork! Or your amazing words!

Or anything you'd like to fill it with.

Don't forget to visit the page with Giveaways 1, 2 and 3

as well as some freebies for you to use right now!

And be ready to enter the art challenge on October 16

to be eligible to win one of seven prizes.

Stay tuned to Inspiration Avenue for nos. 5, 6, and 7!

Paint Party Friday and IA Art Challenge

2011-10-06T22:55:00.001-04:00

The Owl and the Pussycat . . .

went to sea

In a beautiful pea green boat.

They took some honey, and plenty of money,

Wrapped up in a five pound note. . .

It does go on and on, and I've heard that Edward Lear

had nearly completed a sequel to the poem at the time of his death.

It begins:

The Children of the Owl and the Pussycat
Our mother was the Pussycat,
our father was the Owl,
And so we're partly little beasts
and partly little fowl,

The brothers of our family
have feathers and they hoot,
While all the sisters dress in fur
and have long tails to boot.

The theme this week at Inspiration Avenue is

OWLS

Somehow it took me by surprise.

If it had been cats, I would have said Oh Yeah.

But I haven't thought much about owls since my mom's

owl collection in the 70's. And it was just too cutesy for words,

so I must have blocked it out. So looking them up

on Google, I was amazed to see just how many

different species of owl there are.

Too many for me to keep track of.

But now I see why so many people are in love with owls.

They're quite incredible creatures.

Since we're on the topic of owls and cats,

here is something fun to watch:

The gallery of owl creations will be up on Sunday

at Inspiration Avenue.

Paint Party Friday is, of course,

in full swing on Friday!

Visit them both!

Blog Party Freebies!

2011-10-03T12:59:00.001-04:00

Some Digital Freebies from me,

Here are some ACEO-size (2.5" x 3.5") backgrounds.

(Click to get the full-size image and download to your computer.)

Two mini sheets of inchies

(Again, click to get the full-size images and download to your computer.)

You're invited to a party!

2011-10-02T12:25:00.000-04:00

Join us at Inspiration Avenue . . .

It's time to finally share with you the event we have been

planning at Inspiration Avenue for some time now!

We were so excited to realize we had gained 500 followers

(plus a few more now) that we decided to hold a

week-long blog party in honor of all those fabulous

people who have enriched our lives.

Many of you we see each and every week as you

participate in our art challenges,

and we have come to know you and your blogs

(and of course your art). We so appreciate your dedication

to visiting and entering the challenges!

Pop over to Inspiration Avenue to join the party!

There will be
FREEBIES
like digital images, tutorials, and more, plus

GIVEAWAYS
that will be revealed every few days from

October 3rd to the 20th.

Get ready to enter the weekly challenge on October 16, because

the giveaway winners will be drawn from the challenge entries!

The theme will be 'On the Wings of Inspiration', of course!
(The challenges on October 3 and 10 will proceed as usual)

Grab a party badge to put on your blog and

help spread the word!
See you there!

Paint Party Friday . . . Journal Cover

2011-09-29T19:55:00.000-04:00

Stay Inspired

I decided to spiff up the cover of one of my

moleskine journals, something I've been meaning to do

but never took the time. I like it so much better than

the original black...not that black doesn't have its place ~

but looks better on a little cocktail dress :)

Or really any article of clothing; I wear too much black, really.

All the more reason not to have it on my journals.

Somehow, looking at a colorful cover helps me

stay inspired.

So, not to give too much away, but the real reason I took the

time to spruce up my journal is that it's a tesT.

Inspiration Avenue is planning something ultra fun

in the coming days, complete with multiple giveaways!

Can't say much more about it yet :)

I'm thinking of an altered art journal as my contribution

and I needed to practice a bit as I'm an altered book newbie.

But I kind of like how this one is shaping up...

I still have a little more work to do on it.

The one I will give away will have blank pages inside

to do anything at all with if one wins it.

Hopefully fill it with thoughts and pictures

and make it totally awesome and one of a kind :)

I thought I would use this for Paint Party Friday.

I haven't had time lately to do anything new for Fridays

so I'm happy to have something this week!

Happy PPF!

Happy weekend!

IA Weekly Challenge

2011-09-24T12:38:00.001-04:00

The Key to Her Heart

I love circus pictures! So I decided to paint one.

The circus is mysterious and intriguing.

Such adventure and daring!

Lights and excitement!

Life in the circus is close knit and contained,

I guess because of the constant moving on;

no time to put down roots or get to know new people.

So the little acrobat girl has hidden

the key to her heart but can't remember where.

Not surprising, considering the weighty crown

she wears...it must put a strain on her memory.

With all that traveling around, perhaps

it has fallen out on the road somewhere.

Perhaps she gave it to the handsome Pierrot

and he won't give it back?

Perhaps it's just misplaced...

The theme of the week at Inspiration Avenue

is Keys, an intriguing and many-faceted topic.

Just think of all the meanings of the word "key"...

from piano keys to island keys to keys with locks.

Like the key to one's heart.

Stop by Inspiration Avenue on Sunday

to see all of the entries for the Keys theme.

If you're so inclined, enter this or any upcoming challenge.

New challenge themes are posted every Monday.

It's open to anyone with a blog, and a creative idea!

IA Weekly Challenge

2011-09-18T09:29:00.001-04:00

Autumn

We're still hanging on to summer here.

Although the temperatures have turned cool, there is still

predominant green from all the rain we've had lately.

And I'll be happy to have the green around a bit longer.

But painting a girl named Autumn has put me

in the mood for Fall's stunning colors.

I've been seeing pumpkins, mums, and cornstalks

appearing in the markets. There is always a

sense of anticipation and abundance in the Fall.

Suddenly I'm longing to replace my tired potted

summer flowers with something orange or yellow!

I don't have a story for this painting.

It's probably just too obvious that the girl

is daydreaming on the porch with a cup of tea.

Has the book she's reading caused the dreaming?

Or is she having a hard time concentrating on her

book because of the dreams circling in her mind?

The challenge at Inspiration Avenue this week is

Autumn Splendor.

Be sure to pop over there to see the entries in the challenge!

They'll all be posted Sunday afternoon.

"Autumn" will be in my Etsy shop.

Have a wonderful Sunday whatever season it is ~

whether it's still summer where you live

or if you have moved on to autumn . . .

. . . or, like our friends waaay down south,

you are beginning to enjoy the springtime ;-)

National Cupcake Week!

2011-09-13T09:48:00.001-04:00

I've just heard it's National Cupcake Week in the UK.

How have I come across this bit of delicious info?

One of my Etsy teams, Digital Designers, has a new blog

and has showcased some of the many talented designers

that are featuring digital cupcake art on Etsy...

Alas, I don't have a single cupcake collage sheet in my shop

(missing the boat for sure)

but there are plenty of yummy ones above to take up that slack :)

But I do have my little purple cupcake girl,

plus a cupcake tag (first pic)

and a rather silly

witch-who-turned-herself-into-a-cupcake

Halloween card in my HeartoftheMagpie Etsy shop.

All of these paper creations somehow just

don't satisfy my wicked sweet tooth . . . I may

have to get in the kitchen and bake something.

I hope you enjoy this excuse to indulge in a sweet treat . . .

or to indulge someone you love with

your own homemade version of this favorite dessert.

After all, you've got all week!

Patterns at IA

2011-09-10T17:29:00.001-04:00

The theme is

Patterns

this week at Inspiration Avenue.

I've been mulling this topic around in my mind

ever since I saw that someone had added it

to the ideas list on our backroom blog.

So, *Thank You* to whomever had the original idea!

Between Color and Patterns, I don't know which

I like better. But luckily I don't have to choose...

I can have both, unlike with other yummy delights :)

At first I thought I would use my witchy girl

for the challenge. There are patterns floating here and there,

and she even has a patterned cat.

But I've been doodling around with painting on

book pages, and these are really my obsession right now...

As luck would have it, I have a bunch of garments

on hangers, all with patterns!

The challenge is to paint the pages without

making a buckled mess of the paper.

Water + book paper is really not a happy combination.

I've had to resort to scanning all but the above picture.

See how the text is waving here and there

because the paper just wouldn't lay flat for the camera.

My scanner likes to change colors to the ones it prefers,

and we don't see eye to eye :)

When I figure out how to keep the color accurate in the scans,

I will put some of these in my shop.

The Witchy Girl with her cat is already there!

Thanks for visiting!

Hope the weekend is treating you well!

Beach Treasures at IA

2011-09-01T21:51:00.001-04:00

Forgotten Treasure

Angie of Artangel really sent me

out of my comfort zone on this IA challenge.

Beach Treasures is the theme this week.

I love beach treasures.

I collect beach treasures.

I have a humongous basket of sea shells,

and enough sand dollars to open a sand dollar store.

But since the days too long ago to count,

when I lived at the beach and painted

watercolors of beach scenes,

I haven't painted any beach treasures.

Practice makes perfect,

and no practice makes a mess.

After a few false starts, this is my

beach treasure painting.

I was intrigued by the idea of the

splendid treasures we pick up and then

leave lying around forgotten when we think

maybe they're not that special after all.

Like this conch shell sitting forgotten on the chair arm.

In my mind, it's autumn and the beachcomber has

gone home (to the big city maybe), totally

forgetting the beautiful conch shell.

Perhaps while daydreaming in her little cubical

she realizes she never packed the shell

and wonders if it's still sitting there

on the arm of the chair.

Hmmm...well right now it is.

In the top photo, sunlight was streaming in

the window, and I don't normally photo my

paintings that way, but I couldn't resist.

The pic above is without the sunshine,

rather more boring.

Now that I have opened my new Etsy shop,

HeARToftheMagpie

I can say the painting is in my shop! Yay!

When I said I was out of my comfort zone,

it's apparent when I see this in my shop.

This one has no whimsy, no cute girls,

no bright colors, nothing humorous...

it's the exact opposite of everything else there.

Which is a good thing, because

variety is the spice of life!

They say.

Please check out all the beach treasure art

at Inspiration Avenue. You'll be glad you did!

I will be linking this up with

Paint Party Friday also

since I finally completed something in time :)

Go see the incredible artists' work there too!

2011-08-19T22:41:00.004-04:00

Lost

This week we've come full circle at Inspiration Avenue,

from sun kissed to

Icy

The theme is courtesy of Lisa of The Write Stuff.

I enjoyed thinking cool thoughts even though

I'm not quite longing for winter. Not yet.

Autumn, maybe. . .

I'm hoping to get this posted in time for

Paint Party Friday also.

It IS still Friday here, although just barely.
Go there and check out all the wonderful art bloggers
that have left a link for this week.

I don't have a story for this painting.

I don't know why the poor little fairy

has found herself lost and alone in a snowstorm.

Freezing cold without her coat.

At least she hasn't forgotten her mittens

like those naughty kittens.

If she speaks to you and tells you why she's

trudging through the snow, would you let me know?

You may be stuck in a heat wave like so much of

the Northern Hemisphere. If you are,

go see all of the ICY entries at Inspiration Avenue.
Guaranteed to be refreshing!

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

2011-08-14T11:42:00.002-04:00

Sun Kissed

Poor little mermaid is sun kissed,

but she's sad because she never gets a suntan.

All that sun and she is as white as can be.

Her old grandmother tells her,

"Just think how young you will look

when you are 150 like me."

This doesn't make her feel happier.

She wants to sit on the rocks above and soak up the sun's rays.

Her mother thinks she will become involved with the

nasty sailors who cruise by every day if she goes up to the rocks.

"Stay away from there," her mother says.

"Those sailors are nobody you want to meet!"

The little mermaid is just sooo bored.

She's thinking about sneaking up to sit in the

summer sunshine, anyway. What could be so bad about

those sailors? Her girlfriends say they are trés handsome and

very tan from being on the ship's deck all day.

Besides, she's looking forward to creating an
awesome new hairstyle while sunning on the rocks.
She's had enough of all these bad hair days...

Visit Inspiration Avenue to see all of the
Sun Kissed entries!
This week's theme is brought to us by the talented
Stephanie of Dragonfly Design Studios.

Paint Party Friday

2011-08-12T07:55:00.002-04:00

Friday once again!

When I worked 9 to 5 in my little cubicle, I looked forward to Fridays.

I'm no longer punching the clock (at least for now)

but there's a new reason to love Fridays.

Paint Party Friday of course!

My sunflower was going to be for Inspiration Avenue's

"Sun Kissed" theme, but now I have another idea for that.

It involves something I started a long time ago,

and I'm hoping to have time to finish it before Sunday.

The sunflower needs some more work.

I'm not really happy with it.

It's acrylic paint on bristol board...

I think I can add a bit more paint

without the paper breaking down.

Visit Kristin's and Eva's

Paint Party Friday

to see some amazing art of every description!

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

2011-08-06T13:11:00.003-04:00

November

The theme this week at Inspiration Avenue is

The Forest for the Trees

the inspiration of Judy, from Judy Goddard, Artisan.

I love trees, and got to thinking about them.

I know it's easy to miss the big picture

by concentrating too much on the details.

But.

The opposite is also true. Sometimes we miss

something important by taking too broad a view.

Imagine . . . you're walking through the forest,

a chill wind blowing on a brisk November afternoon.

Leaves are underfoot, but none remain on the trees.

Easy to miss the entrance to a fairy domicile

tucked among the roots of an ancient oak tree. . .

Even though the lights are blazing and smoke

from the cooking fire is pouring out of the chimney?

You might think the tiny lights and the moss-green door

are some last bright autumn foliage.

And that pungent, smoky aroma . . . isn't that just

the smell of burning leaves in the November dusk?

Look a little closer. . .

If you knocked on the door to beg for some warmth

in the autumn chill, would you be invited in?

2011-08-05T12:39:00.000-04:00

Lost and Found


Anthony of Padua with the Infant Jesus by Antonio de Pereda

I've always believed that miracles can and do happen.

I've even witnessed one or two.

But I can't say I've been one to pray to any given saint to

help me resolve a problem. Not since I was a student

at St. Thomas More School, anyway (back when dirt was new:).

Yesterday I lost my Sketchbook Project sketchbook.

Tore my art room apart looking for it and finally when

I was looking in the same hundred places for the

third time, I said to myself, how ridiculous is this...

if it wasn't there the first 2 times, it won't be there now.

So I gave up, and said a prayer to

St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost articles.

Not having any idea how or if my sketchbook would appear...

...skeptical, but hopeful and desperate enough to believe.

Some 15 minutes later, as I sat at my computer concentrating
on something else, a thought popped into my head from nowhere,

of one final place I hadn't looked.

You guessed it...there was my book sandwiched inside a stack of
Christmas CDs that I had quickly shoved into a drawer

with a bunch of camera paraphernalia. The book is small.

(come on Sketchbook Project People,

couldn't you have sold us a slightly bigger sketchbook??)

I must not have seen that it was buried among the CDs.

This has truly amazed me, because I know for certain

I would not have found that book except by accident

at some much later date. When it was too late to

fill all the pages by the deadline.

Hmmm...has anyone else had such an amazing

experience with St. Anthony? Or, as I believe,

been allowed to tap into the power we have in our

brains by the energy that is "St. Anthony"?

****************

OK, now for some BIGGER news than my lost sketchbook.

(Saving the best for last :)

Last Saturday, I was able to meet up with Lisa,

(of Priti.Studio) in Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania, US,

for those who live far far away).

Lisa had to travel here to pick up her daughter Mia,

who, amazingly, has been studying dance

in Pittsburgh for the past six weeks.

It started with a chair which sadly wasn't able

to come because of size issues :)

But it was still a chance to meet up with one of my

Inspiration Avenue buddies and favorite artists.

Yay! Here we are in Oakland

checking out the shops and restaurants.

Photo was taken by Lisa's friend Deb,

whom it was also a pleasure to meet!
Deb is full of energy and kept us moving along.
(Lisa and I might just have stayed in the
used book shop 'til nightfall :)

The morning went quickly, and soon it was time for

Lisa and Deb to go to Mia's performance.

So off they went, and off I went, picking up some
fresh corn for dinner on the way home.

All in all, a lovely Saturday!

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

2011-07-31T14:43:00.001-04:00

Tea Party

Well, I've set a new record for myself in being late

with the weekly challenge at Inspiration Avenue.

Never been THIS late before...but finally here I am.

No excuses, but I will just say I was running hideously late already,

and then spilled a huge vat of paint water all over the

newly refinished floor in my art room...

which flowed behind and underneath a heavy storage unit,

which had to be emptied out,

and moved with help from my son,

and all the icky water cleaned up.

Ugh. And I'm sure everyone is waiting anxiously

at Inspiration Avenue to see the week's entries

for Tea Time, since I am the host this week.

So no more wordiness, but I will hastily get over there

and post the entries. I've seen them all,

and each one is fabulous!

(I could surely use a cup of tea right about now :)

Paint Party Friday

2011-07-29T11:46:00.001-04:00

The Fairy Kiss

I'm happy to have finally remembered to get something

completed by Friday so as to enter it in Paint Party Friday.

Paint Party Friday is great because there is no theme (other than painting).

NOT that I don't love themes, don't get me wrong :)

But I love the "anything goes" opportunity.

This is a little (4" x 5") canvas based loosely on

Richard Doyle's fairy paintings from 1870 or thereabouts.

I am planning to add the dreaded beeswax, which I have

decided not to use much anymore, except on this,

which I think could benefit from a little softening.

Here is Doyle's Fairy Kiss painting:

I love his painting so much more...

At first I was wishing it was a little more colorful,

but I realize I love it just as it is ~ so soft and whimsical.

Here is one of my favorites:

His style is so recognizable.

****************

You may remember from another post I discovered a lily

in my garden that I don't think I planted.

Well, here is another one:

I have an asiatic lily in the front garden,

but this and another one showed up in the back garden.

Hmmm. Maybe they were planted by the fairies.

It's been a very interesting summer in the garden.

Some things I expected to do well were very poor.

Other plants, like this calla lily were astonishing.

I've had this plant for 5 or 6 years, and it has

never gotten more than one or two blooms per summer.

This year it had six gorgeous blooms. I wish I had photographed it

when it was at its peak...it only has a few blooms left in this photo.

Happy Paint Party Friday!

Don't forget to visit the Party!

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

2011-07-22T20:21:00.000-04:00

Wings

Sometimes when you feel like giving up. . .

a little encouragement is all you need.

Who knows what could happen?

Inspiration Avenue's theme this week is “Wings”,

a welcome and fun-filled topic from Kat of Wright Story.

This is a tiny mixed media piece, done on a 4" x 4" x 1"

block of wood. Everyone should have a little bluebird

to tell them to keep going sometimes.

Just, hopefully it's a wise little bluebird who

will also point out if you're wasting your time :)

It's a fine line. . .

See all of the Wings submissions at

Inspiration Avenue posted on Sunday afternoon.

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

2011-07-16T21:07:00.000-04:00

Eve

It's nice to be able to enter the IA challenge again.

I'm just about settled back in my art space.

All my supplies are creating a cozy little nest

around me *big sigh of relief* like a security blanket :)

*Someone* plopped a filing cabinet right in

the only empty spot where my chair

will be going, but we'll see how quickly that

finds a new home when (if?) the time comes.

So the theme at Inspiration Avenue is Picasso.

This is my attempt at cubism, and I can see

that I will have to do a lot more practicing and studying

if I ever want to master the technique.

I'm calling her Eve.

She looks a bit like she is coveting something

on that branch, and is thinking about

plucking it off. Naughty Eve.

Thanks to Tammy of Art and Inspirations for the challenge!

It's fun to do something a little bit different.

La la la....

2011-07-13T08:59:00.002-04:00

New Things

I'm always enchanted by Suzi Blu's artwork and classes,

so being at loose ends (waiting to get back into my art room)

and searching for some Inspiration,

I jumped right into her new class,

enigmatically entitled

La La La!

I'm downloading videos at the glacial speed of my internet connection,

so all I know is these little pieces will be

Cute (ala Suzi Blu), Tiny (hopefully making them sell-able),

and A Lot of Fun (the whole point, right?).

I just ordered some vintage book pages from

Katie Blue at Blue Green Arts on Etsy

(What is this fascination with the color BLUE?

It's not even my favorite color.)

Not sure exactly what I will do with them,

but I can't wait for them to arrive.

So,

when I started this post, I thought I would just put down

random things that are going on,

but now I see that it has a theme, which is

Waiting.
=-)

Listing My Art on Etsy!

2011-07-09T11:27:00.007-04:00

Finally, A Milestone!

My forced hiatus from creating art is still ongoing,

but something positive has resulted:

I've taken the time to begin listing some of my

original art in my Etsy shop. Yay!

One of the sticking points keeping me from doing this was:

To open a new shop or add to my existing shop?

I could dither about that for a year, but finally decided ~

a few people already visit my shop...that's better than no people lol!

I hope to add much more, plus prints.

Prints are available now, I just don't have them listed.

I'd love to have all of you lovelies visit me there!

If you've noticed, like I have just noticed,

in the screen shot above ~ my last Google search was

"climbing hydrangea not blooming".

I await (not patiently) every summer for the hydrangea

to bloom. I have other hydrangeas that bloom profusely,

but this climbing one just climbs and climbs,

with nary a flower. I have read that it can be 7 years

or more before they grace us with a bloom.

We are quickly leaving 7 years behind,

so I think I've waited long enough!

Does anyone have a trick to make

a climbing hydrangea bloom?

I'd be so happy to hear of it!

The floors are all finished in the hallway and my art room,

but we cannot begin moving furniture in for another week.

This room, that is barely the size of some people's

walk-in closets, has 4 doors, 2 windows, and

a funky little L-shape at the entrance that is unusable.

But it's MY little space, and for that I'm grateful :)

Now that it has had its transformation, I am

hankering for a comfortable chair to add

to the chaos that is usually my creative space.

What better place to meditate on the subject of Inspiration?

(If I get this chair, I promise I will keep the space less chaotic :)

So, all I need is:

a) The chair.

b) A way to fit it into this tiny space.

I'll be happy to get back to entering the challenges at

Inspiration Avenue, when I can spread out with my

art supplies again. Right now I am restricted to pencils

and sketchbooks, with nowhere to make a mess with paint.

I'd Rather be Reading (Poetry)

I thought to do a drawing of some kind for the challenge

this week, which is "Poetry". But I'm not liking this much.

I may turn it into a painting later, and maybe I will like it better.

Stop by Inspiration Avenue ~ there are some amazing

entries for the Poetry theme, brought to us by

Priti.Lisa! I love the artwork I've seen, as well as

the poetry that inspired them.

I hope you're having a lovely summer weekend!

2011-06-28T23:33:00.001-04:00

What's Going On

Things have been happening underfoot,

and by that I mean literally under our feet.

A couple months ago, hubby decided to do something about our

upstairs floors, which were badly in need of help.

We decided to sand, stain and seal the ugly painted wood.

Sounds good in theory, but my advice to you is:

Never do this if you are living in the house.

Before and after

When I say "we", I mean my husband; this was his project

and he did all the work with some help from our son.

It was nasty, stinky, dusty work, but they did a great job.

I have to say, the first two rooms turned out awesome.

The trouble is, the room that's left is my office/creative space.

I've begged, argued, procrastinated, used logic,

and threatened to get them to leave my space alone.

After all, you can barely even see the floor in there.

What a waste of all that work!

But I have finally run out of arguments,

and I will be packing up all of this and more

by the end of the week and putting it . . . somewhere else.

This includes my computer. I'm hoping I will still

be able to visit blogs etc., but it's going to seriously curtail

any attempt at artsy-type work (or play).

Ugh, I imagine I'll find some stuff I didn't even know I had.

Plus, in a cruel twist of fate,

the stairs to my bedroom on the third floor

are inside this room, and it's the only way to get up there.

I'll be losing my bedroom, bathroom, and office/art room

all at the same time. The first rooms were off-limits

for about two weeks. I feel almost homeless!

Alright, chin up and quit whinging and whining.

Better go find some boxes . . .

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

2011-06-25T18:00:00.000-04:00

Summer Sunrise

I'm not sure what prompted me to begin painting this picture.

Maybe I've been reading too many historical novels

and have a yearning to live in Medieval times.

But being a woman in the middle ages would just s-u-c-k.

So never mind that.

I didn't set out to do it for the Summer Sun challenge,

in fact I added the rising sun on the right side so I

could use it for the challenge, eeek. But I'm

rather happy I put it in ~ I like the idea of the forest girl

with her owl standing on the edge of the woods as the sun comes up.

It's painted on rather rough wood,

and I wish I had used a smoother surface.

But I think I may just give it a coating of beeswax so that:

a) it smoothes out a bit, and

b) I have to stop fiddling with it.

Beeswax is so final isn't it. . .once it's on there,

you are truly finished. Unless anyone knows how to

get it off so more paint can be added?

I have another painting of a woman, and I am dying to

re-do her mouth, but alas, she is coated with beeswax. . .

Stop over at Inspiration Avenue on Sunday afternoon ~

the Summer Sun entries will be posted there.

Hope the weekend is treating you well!

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

2011-06-18T22:57:00.000-04:00

Love is in the Air

So Romantic is the theme this week at Inspiration Avenue,

prompted by the lovely Stephanie of Dragonfly Design Studios.

What could be more romantic than love in a garden?

I'm not sure, exactly, since I am the most unromantic person I know.

But with the sweet-smelling peonies, and kisses, and smoldering looks,

surely romance is in the air.

The peonies are from my garden, and the luvver-ly lovers

are from vintage pictures, of which I have tons.

I had started a painting for this challenge, but it soon

became apparent that no-way was I going to finish it by Sunday,

and a bit of digital was the way to go.

Eeee, I should learn to start something before Friday.

Go to Inspiration Avenue this Sunday afternoon

to get your romantic fix!

Paint Party Friday

2011-06-16T23:31:00.000-04:00

Following the Creek

I was thinking of summers past and present, and remembered

a post from a couple of years ago about summer days in the 60s.

We had tons of fun in our unstructured, disorganized way.

One of the activities that kept us busy was following the

neighborhood creek to its end. But, as we discovered, it

had no end! Or none that was closer than miles and miles

from our neighborhood, I'm sure. But being 10 years old,

we actually thought if we set out to follow it, we would

eventually come to the end. Never mind tangled undergrowth

that was impossible to walk through, or that it might take us

until well past dinnertime or even into the next day!

Ending up hopelessly lost in unfamiliar territory?

Never entered our minds.

What were we hoping to see at the end?

Nothing in particular. Just the end of the creek,

and then we could move on to the next challenge.

But, as I said, we never made it to the end. Truth be told,

what we were calling the end was actually the beginning

(since we were walking upstream, sheesh) and the water probably

trickled out of a rock or an underground spring somewhere far away.

Too far to walk, but we didn't care about that!

ANYWAY.

When I was putting together this mixed media collage,

I thought of those summer days. I had no other purpose in mind

than putting together images that I liked. It's a bit messy,

but I don't think I'll clean it up. I'll leave it as-is, just like those

memories of our long ago summer days.

***************

Wow, where did this come from?

This beauty popped open yesterday amid all of the

plain red and yellow lilies (as if any lily could be called 'plain').

If I planted this, it has never bloomed before.

And if I didn't plant it. . . who did?

I love lilies, and I try to enjoy them during the short time they

are blooming. Will have to give some extra time to this one!

Happy Paint Party Friday!

Please visit the party to see what has inspired the entrants this week.

Have a lovely weekend!

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

2011-06-12T09:13:00.001-04:00

Bake-r

The theme this week is BAKE.
Leave it to Lisa of The Wright Stuff to give us a challenge
that really makes you think. The first thought
I had was to paint a luscious pie or some other sweet treat.
Which I was perfectly excited to do until I realized
that I have no idea how to transfer all that
scrumptiousness onto paper. Hmmm.

Something a little easier to draw
is the Baker instead of the Baked Goods.

I had fun painting my little Baker Girl.
To me she looks quite serious about her confections
which, I hope, means they are quite yummy.

Since this is another journal entry,
I had a blank page to fill beside the baker.
So here is a sentiment that caught my attention
right away. Someday soon I hope to put this into practice:

Stop by Inspiration Avenue on Sunday afternoon
to see what others have cooked up for the theme "Bake"!

Ta Ta! I'm off to have a slice of the apple pie I baked last night...

Rainbow Challenge

2011-06-05T11:15:00.003-04:00

Somewhere...

Over the Rainbow

was the theme at Inspiration Avenue this week.

Shelly at Pics by Shel stepped up and brought us this brilliant theme!

It is very difficult to find a fairy who will pose for a picture,

especially when they are so seldom seen. If you see one,

their image will only be stored in your memory for an instant.

Since they enchant you right on the spot, your

memory of them is erased as soon as they fly away.

I was lucky to spot a rainbow fairy who could be persuaded to pose.

I tempted her with some delectable rare truffles

that were given to me a long time ago by another fairy.

Being very vain, as fairies mostly are,
(and also possessing a voracious appetite for truffles)
she was concerned about being placed on the right sort of
background to show off her brilliant rainbow finery.

Many, many backgrounds later, this is what I came up with,

and that is why I am late again with my entry for the weekly challenge.

She really wanted a much more colorful (rainbow) background

and disappeared in a huff when I told her this was the

final, absolute end. Good riddance!

But, HA, I do have her image permanently down on paper!
(Funny, I can't remember her at all
unless I'm looking at the picture ;)

Please visit Inspiration Avenue on Sunday afternoon

to see all of the colorful rainbow entries!

Paint Party Friday . . . Journal Pages

2011-06-03T07:10:00.001-04:00

Carnival

Another journal spread...

I started with ink blobs again, red, purple, and yellow.

It's kind of fun to randomly drip the ink and

then wait for something to come to mind as you gaze at the splotches.
I think it was the intense color with the slight suggestion of
a face that made me think "carnival".

After it was finished, I thought this is kind of
what a migraine headache looks (feels) like to me also.
I used to get bad, bad headaches, but fortunately
I get far fewer and less intense ones now :)
So it's a party or a headache, or maybe both!

Visit Paint Party Friday
to get in on the party!

Journal Pages...Tropical

2011-05-22T13:00:00.002-04:00

Tropical

Ever get the feeling . . .
somebody’s watching you?

I don't know why I decided to make this a journal spread.

I think I may have had more luck with a different surface.

I started with blobs of ink: purple and blue.
Then added acrylics, watercolor crayons,
colored pencil, and more ink until I had
a right good mess. Tried to clean it up
with more white colored pencil and now
have officially given up. I may try this again
on canvas or something...

The theme at Inspiration Avenue this week is Tropical,

and I have proved my theory once again that

I have the most trouble on the weeks I host the challenge.

I am so late with my entry that I am typing
this post before the paint is dry.

Will have to scan it quickly as soon as it dries... Sheesh.

See all the awesome Tropical entries Sunday afternoon
on Inspiration Avenue!
Have a happy Sunday :)

2011-05-19T23:47:00.001-04:00

Paint Party Friday

I've been doing a lot of journal pages lately, maybe

because of all the delicious workshops offered in

21 Secrets. I'm loving 21 Secrets!

This is a journal spread I finished recently.

I hate my handwriting in general and specifically

in my artwork, and can't wait to cover it up with gesso!

So the quote which you can't read says:

“Childhood is the world of miracle and wonder;

as if creation rose, bathed in the light,

out of darkness, utterly new and

fresh and astonishing.

The end of childhood is when things

cease to astonish us.”

~Eugene Ionesco

I'm happy to say, I'm usually astonished by something

on a daily basis . . . so much for growing up :)

Visit here for some astonishing talent!

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

2011-05-14T22:19:00.000-04:00

Sacred / Ancient / Symbolic Art

The challenge this week is bought to us

by Kat of Wright Story.

A thought-provoking theme

with so many directions to go!

I've always been intrigued by mandalas,

and have never drawn one before,

so this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Drawing the design was fun, relaxing

and meditative, and seemed to just evolve by itself.

BUT then came the color ~

I don't think I've concentrated so hard on

staying inside the lines since the third grade!

My head came very close to exploding!

How do people do the really complicated ones??

This one is relatively simple.

Maybe I should have been meditating while I colored.

Actually, maybe I was, and that's how I got through it.

Still, I think it's a pretty little design and I rather enjoy

looking at it now that all the coloring is done :)

It's colored pencils and water color, just to list the FYI stuff.

Stop over at Inspiration Avenue on Sunday afternoon

to see all the inspiring sacred and symbolic art!

Work in Progress

2011-05-06T08:47:00.000-04:00

Paint Party Friday

This was a fun mixed media project inspired by
Tam's "Collage, Paint, and Soul" workshop

on the 21 Secrets Workshop.

We were to include a human figure and an animal,

both originating with magazine photos which

we then painted over. It's amazing how the finished

figures don't resemble the photos!

This is my deer totem painting.

Some of the words associated with

a deer in animal symbolism are

beauty

grace

regrowth

peace

creativity

swiftness

benevolence

and watchfulness

I always have the most trouble adding words
to my painting. Something I have to work on.
Putting paint on the page seems to come intuitively,
but adding words is something I think too long on
and over-analyze until I'm never happy with the result.
I guess, like with anything, practice is the key!

Hop over to PAINT PARTY FRIDAY

and take a look at what people are working on!

Charity Art Auction at Inspiration Avenue

2011-04-30T11:09:00.002-04:00

Up for Bid!

Charity Art Auction starting Sunday, May 1, 2011

on the Inspiration Avenue blog

I'm offering two 8 x 10 inch gallery-wrapped canvases

in the Inspiration Avenue Charity Art Auction,

each offered separately. My Blue Angel

is a mixed media piece.

The wrapped-canvas sides are painted, so you can

frame it if you wish, or hang as is!

She's waiting for a home,

just wishing for someone to watch over!

The second piece is an 8 x 10 acrylic painting.

I'm so excited about Spring finally coming

that I got a little carried away in planning my summer garden.

I say a garden can never be too colorful!

If the flowers don't cheer you up, the little

bluebird will sing you a sweet song!

(The color in the main photo is accurate;

this close up is a bit washed out)

Again, the sides are painted, although

the flowers themselves end just a bit over the edges :)

I hope you will find something that you can't live without

from the wonderful selection over at Inspiration Avenue!

All items will be posted there by Sunday, May 1.

Here are the fine print details,

although I won't make you read fine print :)

Bidding will take place in the comments section

of each posted item (bid only on Inspiration Avenue,

not on the artists' individual blogs).

When you bid, remember to leave your email address

so we can contact you if you are the winner.

Many items will have a starting bid suggested;

please bid in 1 US Dollar increments (no pennies please)

Shipping is paid by the artists, so a winning bid

delivers your item right to your door!

Bidding will end at midnight on Saturday, May 7, 2011.

All proceeds will go to Angel Faces ~

read about their wonderful work HERE.

Here is a look at the items available
on Inspiration Avenue. Go see!

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

2011-04-29T20:33:00.000-04:00

Happily Ever After

When Lisa of The Wright Stuff announced

that the theme this week would be Royal Wedding,

I couldn't resist creating this picture of

Wills and Kate settling into their little nest.

This is the happy couple at home when

the world does not have them under a

microscope. Of course Kate will be giving

William a little fashion advice in the

days to come. That plaid with those

stripes, tsk tsk.

I admit I was awake this morning at 5 a.m.

anxiously awaiting the arrival of all

the royal guests, and of course the

bride and groom. I think it was the sense of

history being made that intrigued me.

I was thinking about other royal weddings

through the centuries taking place in a

similar fashion to this one.

My wish for William and Kate is that

things will turn out better for them

than for some others.

Tomorrow I will be attending a real live

wedding, as my nephew and his longtime

girlfriend say their vows.

I have the same wish for them . . . they seem

perfectly matched, so perhaps the wish will be fulfilled!

The challenge at Inspiration Avenue ends on

Saturday this week (not Sunday)

because Sunday is the start of the

Auction for Angel Faces!

So check out the Royal Wedding entries

and be sure to stop back to bid on some

wonderful art pieces! It's all for a

tremendously good cause!

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

2011-04-23T17:22:00.000-04:00

Angels

A lofty theme over at Inspiration Avenue this week, the wonderful idea of Tammy at Art and Inspirations! I'm putting my mixed media piece, Angel in Blue in the IA challenge this week, although I have a bit more to do on her.

Visit Inspiration Avenue on Sunday afternoon to check out the entries for the week. There are already some great entries.

And stay tuned to Inspiration Avenue this week as we prepare for the Charity Art Auction that will begin May 1! Read about the auction here.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Charity Art Auction at Inspiration Avenue

2011-04-20T10:19:00.001-04:00

A Very Special Event!

It's almost time for an event near and dear to our hearts

over at Inspiration Avenue. It's our second annual

charity art auction and it's

once again benefiting Angel Faces,

the amazing organization that makes such a difference

in the lives of teen girls who have suffered

traumatic burn accidents. If you are not familiar

with Angel Faces, read about them here.

Guaranteed you will be moved by these courageous girls

and the people at Angel Faces who do wonderful work

to help them cope with the challenges they face everyday.

Currently there are more than ten artists donating

their work for the auction which begins May 1!

Stay tuned for a sneak peek at the items up for bid!

Read more about the auction over at Inspiration Avenue

by clicking here.

We'd be so happy if you'd help spread the word by posting the

auction button in your sidebar, if you have a blog.

Here is the code to post it as an html gadget:

Thanks so much! Hope to see you at the auction!

Happy Mothers Day...

2011-04-16T19:54:00.002-04:00

The Challenge Theme This Week: MOTHER

A wonderful theme this week hosted by Priti.Lisa!

I chose to do an acrylic painting of a

young mother and baby.

I had some technical difficulties with this one,

to do with the paint and (watercolor) paper

not getting along. So I may use this as a study

and attempt it again on canvas. Or not...

Ugh, my attention span has been very flighty lately.

(Adult onset ADHD? IS there such a thing? If so,

I think I have it. Or maybe it's Spring Fever).

But rather than stick with this, I'm antsy to

move on to the Next Big Thing.

Got to come up with a piece to put in the

Inspiration Avenue

Charity Auction

starting on the first of May!

I don't have a piece yet to put in the auction,

but I have several ideas...

Go to Inspiration Avenue on Sunday afternoon

to see the interpretations of the word Mother.

I'm sure there will be a variety of amazing

entries, since the artists never disappoint!

Paint Party Friday

2011-04-15T08:35:00.004-04:00

The Red Dress

I've been wanting to participate in Paint Party Friday for awhile now ~ well, since the beginning....but something always intervenes.

Today I am finally able to post something. Although, I posted my newest piece yesterday. Like the distracted person that I am, I forgot about PPF ... So this is a watercolor that I painted a while ago.

I really enjoy the quickness of watercolor...no time to futz around, it is what it is. And then you just move on to another piece. I've always rather liked this one, maybe because I like red dresses, wild hair, and boots :D

Off to visit some Paint Party blogs....Have a great Friday!

2011-04-14T15:55:00.002-04:00

Trying Something New

I've been having so much fun with the 21 Secrets workshops

(and I admit I'm a little overwhelmed because I don't know which

project to attempt next...I know, not much of a problem,

I'd rather be overwhelmed any day than underwhelmed, hehe.)

So I attempted the "Playing with Patterns" one because

it looked easy. Just stamp images in some kind of order, right?

Ha, it proved much more difficult than I thought,

and I was only semi-pleased with a few.

This one is not even finished, needs lots more stamping,

but I think it's off to a good start. I can't wait to have enough

to use as journal pages or book covers.

I'm off to try to kill 2 birds with one stone

(that's a horrible saying, like a lot of old sayings.

And what about nursery rhymes? If you really

examine them, they are filled with murder and mayhem,

ghouls, witches, ogres, and heinous stepmothers. Ugh.)

But I digress. I'm off to begin something for this week's

Inspiration Avenue challenge, "Mothers".

No mean, ugly stepmother though, I promise.

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

2011-04-09T12:00:00.000-04:00

Roald Dahl

~ from James and the Giant Peach ~

A wonderful challenge this week,

the brainstorm of Lisa at The Wright Stuff:

Roald Dahl

This one was really stumping me, but of course

that's what a challenge is all about . . . hopefully :)

I was reading some of James and the Giant Peach

and suddenly got an image in my head of

poor little James, living with his horrible aunts,

and longing for his parents and the life they had before.

So this is my version of the aunts' ramshackle house and

James in the garden gazing toward his former home.

I wanted it to be simple, more like an illustration,

so I used watercolor and graphite pencil

(with a hint of prismacolor pencils because I always go

running for my colored pencils when I get in trouble).

> ^_^ <

The entries will be posted on Sunday as usual

on the Inspiration Avenue blog.

Go there! See all the amazing stuff!

Stay tuned to INSPIRATION AVENUE to learn about the

Charity Art Auction

COMING SOON!

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

2011-04-03T11:40:00.000-04:00

Self Portrait

I was sure I would have a hard time with this challenge,

since I haven't done a self portrait since I was in school.

I started a painting,

hated it,

especially the background,

so I cut it out

and hated it more.

I dithered around all week and

by Friday it was time to begin:

and lo and behold!

Of the 21 classes,

one was titled "The Self Portrait Experience"

taught by the amazing Barbara Nigg.

I immediately checked that one out first.

It's the only one I have investigated so far,

but IMHO the $59 fee for 21 classes

by 21 talented teachers seems well worth it!

Click the link...it will take you to Tam's Willowing

site where she has all the information,

since she is one of the teachers. (!!)

So back to the self portrait.

I got some ideas from Barbara's class,

and I rather like the result,

since I am not front and center

in the middle of the page anymore.

Of course I had to screw up my courage and

ask my hubby, "Do you think this looks like me?"

Because he is honest as the day is long,

and won't hesitate to burst my bubble

if my bubble needs to be burst.

As I held my breath, he said,

"You made yourself a bit younger..."

I said, "Of course I did!

Look ~ Jesse standing on top of my head

is 20 years younger!"

He grudgingly admitted that was true,

so I am assuming it does look somewhat like me.

Or he would have burst my bubble.

My head is feeling a bit cluttered now,

so I have to run.

Check out all the amazing entries

at Inspiration Avenue later on Sunday.

I have seen most of them, so I can tell you

they are quite wonderful!

Hello, Spring

2011-03-26T17:01:00.001-04:00

Sisters

An appropriate theme this week at Inspiration Avenue,

hosted by Stephanie of Dragonfly Design Studios.

Even though it doesn't look much like spring around

here yet, we are all anxious to say Hello when it arrives!

This is a mixed media canvas (acrylic paint, paper, and graphite)

called Sisters. I don't have a sister *sigh* but if I did

this is what it would be like ~ sharing love, fantastical flowers,

and fun in the spring sunshine.

Of course "I" am the big one, and "she" would be the little one
Hehee.

Ha! I know things are not always perfect between sisters,

but since I am dreaming . . .

(The "flowers" are from my

Red Medallions collage sheet :)

Visit the Avenue on Sunday to see

all of the entries in the Hello Spring challenge!

Enjoy what's left of the weekend!

An Irish Mermaid

2011-03-19T15:59:00.001-04:00

It's a Happy St. Patrick's Day

green theme this week!

This is a Merrow...an Irish mermaid-like sea nymph.

Merrows have been around for millenia ~

they are quite beautiful with lovely long hair,

white webs between their fingers,

and the lower body of a fish. They have a

gentle disposition, and are known to lure young men

beneath the waves, where they live

in an enchanted state.

A merrow wears a red cap which allows her to swim beneath

the waves. If she loses her cap, she cannot return to the water.

Merrows have been known to inter-marry with handsome

Irish fisherman...since male merrows are said to be

extremely ugly, who can blame them?

If their husbands hide their red caps,

they will live happily with their human family.

But if a merrow should recover her cap, she will

be compelled to return to the sea, leaving

husband and children behind, and never be seen again.

I've been wanting to paint a mermaid,

since I never completed one while I was

taking Suzi Blu's Mermaids class.

I was hoping to have it completed by

St. Paddy's Day, but 'twas not to be.

The Irish theme this week was brought to us by Pat

of Photogenic Gallery.

Check out her awesome photography!

Also visit Inspiration Avenue on Sunday

to see all of the green entries.

Journal pages...Parasol

2011-03-13T12:11:00.002-04:00

I always think of pink as a girly girl's favorite color

so what came to mind for this challenge was exactly that!

I was never a girly girl...

Okay maybe for 5 minutes when I was three...

But this is a serious girly girl, the serious part I can relate to.

The (very cool) elephant came from a

Martha Stewart magazine article. Wish I could remember what

the article was about...no doubt something amazing that

no one could afford to own except Martha.

The girly girl drawing is mine, and the butterflies are from

a collage sheet in my shop (hint hint).

Black White and Pink was a fun challenge,

thanks to Shelly of Pics by Shel.

I hope I am in time to post it, gotta run.

Check out the entries at Inspiration Avenue

on Sunday afternoon!

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

2011-03-06T10:29:00.000-05:00

Night View

The theme at Inspiration Avenue this week is "Celestial".

Two reasons I put this together quickly:

One, I was short of time (of course)

and two, I wanted to paint something looser without

getting caught up in painstaking details.

Just let it flow, so to speak :)

So I slapped on the sky with watercolor crayons

and added the leaves in the foreground the same way.

I think the leaves would have benefitted from

some more painstaking-ness...

But, it is what it is hah.

In Photoshop I added a few more stars and the angel.

I think, all considered, it makes me want to

experiment more with some quick paintings.

It was fun, and with not a lot of time invested,

doesn't have to be "perfect".

This week the entries in the challenge are awesome!

I've seen most of them, and if you visit Inspiration Avenue

Sunday afternoon, you are in for a treat!

2011-02-25T17:08:00.001-05:00

Impatiently Waiting...

I'll be so happy when...

I can walk outside without getting nipped by a biting wind.

I can wear no socks and only one shirt.

I can open all the windows and let the breeze float through.

I can watch the green unfold and smell the flowers.

What's your favorite memory of spring?

One of my favorite sights is the return of the robins.

[credit]
I never realized it before, but the American robin
and the European robin are not related.

The American robin was named
for the European variety only because of his red breast.

[credit]
The European robin ~ isn't he cute?

The American robin is my favorite bird,
but I would not label him cute like the fellow above.

The American robin is cheerful,
entertaining (they have so much fun splashing in the bird bath
it's a wonder they don't knock the smaller birds out),
industrious (he's the early bird who got the worm), and
never flies when he can hop (just my own observation).
I love to watch them hopping across the backyard...
Hop hop hop, and stop. Hop hop hop, and stop.

So much easier than watching birds that fly everywhere.

Speaking of not so cute

Only a mother robin could love this little dude.

To be fair though, all baby birds have that rugged look about them.

For the life of me, I can't remember where I got the robin pictures.
The apple blossoms are my own, but I didn't photograph the robins.
Just applied some Photoshop textures.
So much fun, which is probably why I forgot the photo credits.
I will find out who they belong to and add a credit...

I'm taking Kim Klassen's "Skinny Mini" Photoshop class,
which is why I'm obsessed with textures right now.
Check out her blog, if you haven't already!

Have a lovely weekend!

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

2011-02-18T11:48:00.000-05:00

Faded

Faded...the Inspiration Avenue prompt for this week.

From the imagination of the talented Angie,

otherwise known as Artangel!

The greatest poem ever known
Is one all poets have outgrown:
The poetry, innate, untold,
Of being only four years old.

~Christopher Morley, To a Child

Sweet childish days, that were as long
As twenty days are now.

~William Wordsworth, To a Butterfly

The garden gate photo is available

to download on my other blog

if anyone would like to play with it

or store it for future use!

Visit Inspiration Avenue to see the entries

in this week's challenge.

They will all be displayed on Sunday afternoon.

We're having a spate of warm windy weather,

more like March than February.

It's all coming to an end this weekend,

so I'm off to enjoy some of it now!

Enjoy your weekend!

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

2011-02-11T09:32:00.001-05:00

The Furry Stalker

The challenge this week at Inspiration Avenue is "Furry"

brought to us by Lisa of Priti Studio.

Lisa always has good ideas!

Visit Priti.Studio to see her challenge entry as well as

the other inspiring art she creates

...saints, angels and other beauty...

I've just joined a brand new Etsy team called

Digital Artists. So many wonderful artists

have joined already. If you love digital art, check it out

here

The gorgeous blue-green background in my entry above

was provided by the generous Digital Kiss, team captain.

When I saw this background with all its lovely texture,

I was already thinking about my furriest cat, DeeDee.

Somehow, the two images seemed to compliment

each other, so, voila, I put them together.

This absolved me neatly of my original thought,

which was to attempt to paint a cat.

Bleh, even though I know cats so well,

look at them every day,

I can never draw one that I'm happy with.

Visit Inspiration Avenue on Sunday to see

all of the "furry" entries in this week's challenge.

And check back every Monday to see

the week's new challenge theme.

Have a great weekend!

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

2011-01-30T12:14:00.003-05:00

Broken Pieces

I found out after I came up with this challenge last week

that I have far less broken items than I thought I did.

Though I'm a saver of things I might need someday,

apparently I only save what's still in one piece!

I have been saving this broken plate for years though

because it was far too pretty to throw away.

It was sent to me (unbroken!) by my aunt
along with 3 others, wrapped in a quilt.
Either she didn't write me a note to

say the plates were in the quilt, or I neglected to read it,

and the plates came crashing out on the floor.

Three of them shattered on the spot.
I guess I'm lucky one is still intact.

Anyway, I finally found a use for the pieces.

This is my brokenhearted princess, surrounded by

cold stone, snow, and with darkness descending.

But there is hope for the future in the tiny red roses

still blooming among the stones.

Plus, with a red camellia in her hair, how could

she be completely brokenhearted!

I've been so amazed by the beautiful,

creative entries this week at Inspiration Avenue.

Stop over and check them out.

They will all be posted Sunday afternoon,

as soon as I finish this post here and pop on over there.

Thanks for looking!

:-)

Pittsburgh's Going to the Super Bowl!

2011-01-24T23:15:00.001-05:00

Travels of the Terrible Towel

In case you are wondering what the splashy yellow dish towel at the top of my sidebar is, let me elaborate. Anyone from Pittsburgh would recognize it in an instant, and maybe even fans of other football teams besides the Steelers would know it's Myron Cope's Terrible Towel.

First let me tell you about Myron Cope. Cope was an American sportscaster and journalist who is best known as “the voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers”. According to Wikipedia, “Cope was a color commentator for the Steelers’ radio broadcasts for 35 years. With his distinctive, nasally voice and an identifiable Pittsburgh accent...he celebrated a level of excitement rarely exhibited in the broadcast booth.”

He is much beloved by Pittsburghers, who mourned his death in 2008. In 1987, he was named by the Hearst Corporation as a noted literary achiever, along with Mark Twain, Jack London, Frederic Remington, Walter Winchell, and Sidney Sheldon. At its 50th Anniversary, Sports Illustrated selected Cope’s profile of Howard Cosell as one of the 50 best written works ever published in the magazine.

So what's with the Terrible Towel?

Before a playoff game in 1975, Myron was looking for something to excite the fans. In his own words:

“I said, what we need is something that everybody already has, so it doesn't cost a dime. So I says, ‘We'll urge people to bring out to the game gold or black towels,’ then I’ll tell people if you don't have a yellow, black or gold towel, buy one. And if you don't want to buy one, dye one. We'll call this the Terrible Towel.”

And so the Terrible Towel was born.

It became possibly the best-known fan symbol

of any major pro sports team.

In 1996, Cope gave the rights to The Terrible Towel to the Allegheny Valley School in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. The school provides care for more than 900 people with mental retardation and physical disabilities, including Cope's autistic son. Proceeds from the Terrible Towel have helped raise $3 million for the school.

When the Steelers won the playoff game against the Jets on Sunday night, thus advancing to the Super Bowl, plenty of people give credit to the thousands of fans in the stadium waving their Terrible Towels.

And it didn't hurt that January 23, the day the game was played,
was Myron's birthday.

Alright, on to the travels of the Terrible Towel.

Steelers fans are everywhere.

See you in Dallas!

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

2011-01-23T12:29:00.004-05:00

Waiting for June

Another fun challenge over at Inspiration Avenue,

this time brought to us by Judy.

What month is your favorite above all others?

I had to think a bit about this which is why I am late.

In fact, this piece is not finished but I'm hoping I can

squeeze it in under the wire and work on it some more later.

It's a spread in a board book I am working on.

I scanned it rather than photographing it to save time,

and it doesn't fit completely in the scanner.

Ugh, I am such a dweeb.

June

is clearly my favorite month

now that I have given it some thought.

I can not find anything wrong with June, at all!

It's a wonderful time in the garden dreaming about

all the delicious things you have planted.

Savoring the flowers, which you know will look

even better in July. Listening to the bees

busily buzzing around, doing their work.

May is my birthday month, but I arrived a bit

early (last time I've been early for anything ha)

and I was meant to be born in June.

Meant to be a Gemini rather than a Taurus.

But as it is, Gemini is my rising sign.

May is sometimes lovely, but I remember

so many Mother's Days when the weather

has been trying to go right back to winter.

In June, the cold weather is pretty much over.

G-O-N-E.

So, June comes out on top as my

favorite month of all time.

Update on January 24:

I forgot to mention something about June.

It's really my absolute favorite thing about it...

my mind must have been weighted down

under the January darkness to have forgotten it:

all of that wonderful daylight during the

longest days of the year! Divine!

What's your favorite month?

Visit Inspiration Avenue to see

lots of other favorite months!

It promises to be intriguing!

What's New on Etsy

2011-01-21T11:54:00.002-05:00

What I've Been Doing Lately

It seems I've spent more time since the new year filling

up my Etsy shop than working on my art.

I thought I'd post some of my new digital sheets

and then get busy with some painting or mixed media project.

At least I hope to...maybe if I clear off my art table

so I can at least see the top I'll be more inspired.

Hmmm. Maybe my muse is asleep under there.

I shall go look.

In the mean time...

Here are some new sheets available in my shop:

You can see them HERE.

Have a cozy weekend!

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

2011-01-14T12:58:00.000-05:00

Coming Up for Air and Inspiration

This week over at Inspiration Avenue, the question is:

What inspires you? brought to us by Shelly of Pics by Shel. A very tricky question indeed, since I have been "under the weather" this week both literally and figuratively and haven't been too inspired at all.

Above is the view from my third floor window...

early morning, snowy, serene, looking over the rooftops of our little town. Just on the other side of those trees is the mall and the hustle and bustle of Route 30. But it's much more inspiring to add a little photoshop filter and imagine it's an impressionistic painting by one of my favorite artists...maybe Monet...it's a little too serene for Van Gogh.

While I've been sniffling, moaning and sneezing inside the house all week, this is what's been going on outside:

I'm surprised I'm even showing you this, I was a very bad gardener and forgot to clean up my pots for the winter. I do like the way the garden light has grown a mushroom cap!

Inside, is quite a contrast. Being sick with a nasty cold is the perfect excuse to accomplish very little besides reading books. I've become addicted to Philippa Gregory's books. Luckily, she's written many of them! No chance of running out soon!

Here is my cohort Oliver, who likes neither coffee nor books, but never passes up a chance to sit in a basket. In fact, he's been very uncomplimentary about my choice of reading material.

"*sniff* yes I read that...I was not impressed. Her historical facts are inaccurate. Tsk tsk," he said.

Well, who cares about being accurate, I say. It's a rollicking good story! If you want accuracy, go read a history book! (And even then, good luck getting the true story.)

So, I'll stay immersed in Tudor England for a while longer. I'm actually feeling a bit better but I'm practicing my sniffles and sneezes in order to stay under the covers a little longer.

If you like historical novels, here are a few others I've read, and they kept me thoroughly engrossed.

The Other Boleyn Girl, the story of Mary Boleyn, Anne's sister; The Red Queen, the story of Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VII; The Constant Princess, the story of Katherine of Aragon; and The White Queen, (from her series The Cousins' War about the Wars of the Roses) the story of Elizabeth Woodville, the mother of Queen Elizabeth who was married to Henry VII.

I cannot remember whether book titles are to be boldface, underlined, or italic, something that concerned me in my graphic design days, but which I am happily uncaring of now, heehee. So if I got it wrong, sorry! If you let me know, I'll fix it...see, I do still care!

Take a moment to visit Inspiration Avenue here to see the entries in the challenge for this week. Take a peek at what inspires creative people! You still have time to enter your own "inspiration" for this week ~ and you'll be entered in the monthly drawing as a bonus incentive!

Ta ta for now...I'm only about half through The Constant Princess, so must get back to it :)