Words of Wisdom

“When my daughter was about seven years old, she asked me one day what I did at work. I told her I worked at the college—that my job was to teach people how to draw. She stared at me, incredulous, and said ‘You mean they forget?”

--- Howard Ikemoto

This is one of the BEST quotes I have ever read! 

Why is it we ‘forget’ how to draw? Or is it we just bury it?

Remember how you felt when you were a kid and just drew for the fun of it? Before people criticized what you drew? Before you learned to criticize yourself?

Do you still get that unadulterated joy and feeling of freedom when you create?

My Father Had Magical Powers

I believed this for the longest time growing up.

He used to say “I’ll make it snow tonight so you won’t have to go to school tomorrow.”

The next morning he would wake me to a world bathed in glistening white snow and say. “See, I kept my promise. No school today!”

He also had power over the brook that ran through our backyard.

It was called Troublesome Brook (a fact I was forbidden to mention when we were trying to sell the house, LOL) because when we had heavy rains it would rise and flood the neighborhood.

It would fill our backyard like a lake, threatening to flood the lower level of the house.

One time he took a piece of chalk, drew a line in front of the garage, pointed to it and said to the rising water, “You will NOT cross that line!” 

And it didn’t!

I was in awe!

Ups and Downs

Some days I’m mired in self doubt and inaction. Other days I can’t get things down on paper fast enough!

Ain’t that always the way? LOL

He Likes Me, He Really Likes Me!

Have I mentioned I have an older brother?

Growing up I idolized him. All I wanted was to please him. (A fact he took full advantage of!)

As we grew (and I wised up) his approval became less important to me.

Or so I thought.

He called the other day and as we were chatting he mentioned that he read my blog. (I was pleased and just a little surprised.)

He went on to say that he enjoyed it. He liked my style and thought the family stories were quite amusing. He said he was PROUD of me!

ME!

My big brother is proud of me!

I feel like Sally Field at the Academy Awards “He likes me, he really likes me!” (Paraphrasing, of course.)

Every 63 years my brother compliments me!

(Disclaimer: That is HIS age, not mine! Just to clarify! LOL)

Opinions Please!

I’m making Christmas cards for the upcoming sale and I need your opinion.

I think this is funny (but we all know my sense of humor is a bit twisted, LOL.) 

Husband says people who aren’t in the Sketchbook Challenge won’t 'get it’.

What do you think?

Funny or not so much?

Any and all opinions are greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Paint by Numbers

When I was about twelve I was bitten by the ‘paint by numbers’ bug. I liked the paints in the little plastic pots. Go figure!

I was really enjoying the whole process so I was taking my time.

At night I would very carefully put the wet canvas board safely under my desk in order to protect it. From what I have no idea. (It’s no use to ponder the actions of a thirteen year old girl so don’t try!)

One morning I retrieved the painting from its sheltered confines and found …….

it was covered with teeny tiny little PAW PRINTS!

I don’t know which was more upsetting, the fact that my painting was ruined or that there was a mouse in my room!

EEEEEK!

It’s a Wonderful Life

Is anybody else as much of a sap about this movie as I am?

All you have to do is say “To my big brother George, the richest man in town,” and I’m bawling uncontrollably!

I don’t often cry in real life but let me watch this movie and I blubber like a baby!

(And Publix commercials too! If you live in an area that has Publix supermarkets you know what I mean! LOL)

Snow Peeps

I’ve been working on ‘Snow Peeps’.

I’m covered in glitter, glue and feathers!

The exhibitions coordinator from The Alliance for the Arts called two days ago and asked if I would be interested in participating in an expanded sale in the main gallery.

She paid me the nicest compliment saying I was one of their best sellers!

How nice was that?

Anyway, I need to have enough ‘stuff’ to display on a six foot table.

Now, I know that doesn’t sound like much, but the timing has caught me off guard.

She specifically asked for more journals, and I don’t have any on hand!

So…..I’m madly slaving away!

In the meantime I thought maybe these little cuties could help fill in the bare spots. It’s not an original idea (I think it’s from an old issue of Cloth Paper Scissors) but still has my ‘spin’ on them. I’m thinking of maybe naming them and adding a little tag on each one with their own stories.

What do you think? Too much? (LOL)

old bottles (courtesy of son2) filled with faux pearls, or glitter and embellished with bits and bobs and this and that

 

I'm kind of proud of these (sorry, shameless boasting!)  I chew an inordinate amount of gum  and have way too many old plastic gum containers. I've been racking my brain, trying to think of something to do with them. I came up with these, 'snow peep luminaries'. A little glitter, a boa and a battery operated tea light and violà!

Time Suckers

Don’t you just hate these guys?

I wish there was a way to get rid of them. But, alas (parenthetically; how often do you get to use the word ‘alas’! LOL) they are the necessities of life.

But I have decided that ‘they’ will no longer take priority. 

I don’t really care anymore if my house is dusty.

Or if I haven’t vacuumed in several days.

The laundry won’t get up and leave (unfortunately) if I don’t get to it today!

But that idea that just popped into my head will wilt and fade away if I don’t work on it RIGHT NOW! 

I'll be right back!

The Domino Effect

We have lived in this house for some time now. And there are things we would like to do to improve it and make it more our own.

But finances and the economy being what they are……

So we look for little inexpensive things we can do.

Like getting rid of the plant shelf that visually separates the foyer/hallway from the living room.

So begins the domino effect.

The plant shelf is mostly a dust collector anyway.

We don’t display anything up there because it IS such a dust collector and just too much of a pain to clean.

So we thought it would be a relatively easy thing to take it down.

Except then….

The floor tiles would need replacing because we don’t have any more of the original tile or grout to patch where the columns are.

The tile runs from the laundry room through the foyer and hallway and into the kitchen. And under the kitchen cabinets, as it should.

This would mean removing the cabinets to do it properly. 

And since we’re taking out the cabinets anyway why not replace them? 

They are the original builder’s cabinets. We could upgrade them. 

This would mean replacing the lovely PINK countertops. (No kidding, they’re PINK!) 

Then of course, if we’re doing all of this work, why not reconfigure the layout to make it more to our liking. Better lighting, new hardware, new appliances, replace the rather unfortunate wallpaper………..

Isn’t that the loveliest plant shelf you’ve ever seen? I wonder what should we display up there? LOL