Sunday, September 23, 2012

Paint Like a Five Year Old

You know they say, whoever they are.  I think I have always wondered who "they" are but on with my thought.   They say that you are only as young as you feel.   Now I do totally agree with "they", someday I feel spry and can whip the world and other days  like the old man time at New Years.   

I have told you before I am taking Life Book with Tammy L.   This past week's class was Paint Fearless with  Connie Horvicka of Dirty Footprints-Studio.  We were to paint fearlessly, like a 5 year old.  How sweet and innocent they are, no hang ups just paint and how your feel.   Trusting our inner wisdom.


SOOOOOO with lots of texture on the page and here I went.  Lots of spreading and mushing around.   It did feel good, I swished paint around with wild dance steps gliding around my page like Connie said we would do.    

So here you go,  my page for my Life Book.

 
I love this saying to stop and smell the roses.  So many times in life we do not do this simple thing in life.   We get so busy with life that we forget to literally stop and smell the roses of life.   So here is the school of little fishies and they are all floating around thinking whatever fish think about and then one of them thinks-----Oh I need to stop and visit with a fellow fishie.  Seeing what is going on in their life and what they are doing.   Some can call it nosey but I call it caring. 
 
So there you go my take on painting fearless and hope you can see the texture going on there.  
 
Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.
 
XOXO
Annette
 

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Will it stay on the Bed or Do we sleep on the floor?

We are still having the discussion of the BEAST.  Do we need sun glasses to view it, do we get a hoist to lift it because I put so many pretties on it, does it get it's own shrine when not on the bed during the day OR do we sleep on the floor while it stays on the bed?   You guessed it my friends, the PILLOW is finished.   It is done, just like a cake fresh out of the oven.   Well maybe after I look at it a few days I may  add more. 

I have been playing with this crazy quilt pillow and having fun doing it.   Now my friend Janet Ghio had a part in this creation and Pat Winter , Shannon and Kathy with their lace and goodies.  I cannot forget Geraldine and her flower buttons. 

 
Here it is in it's glory.  Eldon aka DH looked and looked at it for a long time and said it is very pretty .  To me that is the ultimate approval of DH.
 
I even got the sewing machine out into my art room so I could line the pillow  and put some batting on it and sew it all together.  The hard part was the trim, lace or fringe or what around the edges so I opted for lace.  Might as well girlie it up good. 
 
 
This was part of the little teaser I posted early in the week.  It may be one of my favorite parts. 


I had to add one of my  bead bees, that Pat taught us to make, to fly in the garden here and the spider that is a pretty blue.  Kind of reminds me of the blue eyes of Charlotte in Charlotte's Web.    The first time I saw that movie was with all three of our daughters and one of them said look mom is crying.  Yep when Charlotte went away I did.



Ciggie on this pillow- first I did some pretty birds, then a lady with a hat she was to small and now this gal got to hang around the garden flowers.  The bird got taken off but the lady with the hat is underneath.  I had gotten to far along to take it apart.  Sorry hat lady.   So to celebrate the winner  being the center of all this she got a necklace with a heart around her neck.



A lot going on in this picture and you know even though it is finished it still may not be, I may still add some goodies.  the bottom pretty lace was an aplique but I cut it apart to make a design that would fit my area and of course had to embelish it.  


 
Just had to use this beautiful butterfly it was a last minute addition and the buttons.  I have never used buttons before but Geraldine sent me some, the pink flower ones and just had to try.  I could go on and on of where I got all the lace and beads and pretties.  The other ones also came from Pat.  What would we do without that lady?  So patient with us all.

 

More lace and pretties, like I said it may weigh a million pounds.


 
Had to have a close up of the pretty flower with the humming bird, guess it is time for them to go south and flutter their little wings so fast.   I wonder how in the world they do it.  I never know if to put the feeders in so they will go south or make sure there is plenty so they can get their energy up. 



On the bed the pillow proudly sits.  Now the other pillows may be jealous and muttering to themselves what about me?  Why can't I be so pretty?  Well my pillows we will see what we can do so you will be pretty also.  Can't have a bed with ugly pillows. 

There you go the beast of a pillow now is finished and I have more projects to tackle.  Baseball is not over yet and this is when I do my beading.

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.
                                   
                                                          XOXOXOXO
                                                            Annette



 

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Love Fairy

I do love fairies, in my world they are here, flitting around spreading love and hope and good thoughts.  Kind of like miniature angels I suppose, possibly the angels helpers, they do have wings.  I can imagine them riding the dragonflies around when their little wings get tired.  OK this is a stretch but it could happen.  It could.  I do have a book though where they can be mischievous also.   So you know when children accidental do something they shouldn't do and blame an imaginary friend, possibly it is a fairy being mischievous. 

I am taking Life Book, lots of exercises in art techniques from several sharing artists.  I am totally caught up, oh guess that is a stretch.  How about only 22 lessons behind?  That is more like it but it lasts all year and I think if I can do two a week plus all my other fun interests I might can catch up.  If not, I think I will be alright.  Isn't it funny how we put pressures and dead lines on ourselves?  I do it all the time and then stop and think why am I doing this to myself anyway?   I am retired, I can play and goof off all I want and still be alright in the world.  

The week 31 I just finished is with Adriana Almanza, such cute big eyed girls and fairies.  Her teaching is priceless and she shares all with you.  I have been so lucky in every art adventure I have done this year, sharing teachers that come from the heart with what they create.  Our little fairy is suppose to be a Hope Fairy but I had thought how great all my teachers have been,  so I had to make her a Love Fairy. 


Here she is, now this gal has some eyelashes to die for.  One thing people don't tell you is when you get older?  The eyelashes get thinner as does the hair, so I like to do eyelashes and hair on my gals.  The lesson did have us do eyelashes like this so I love this technique.  I think all of  Adriana's gals have the eyes and lashes like she taught.  Pretty cute. 

  I used a new set of pens with this technique, we were suppose to use matt but I was lucky to find any of them, but all they had was gloss.   Deco Color pens, you have to prime them by shaking and then push the little point down a few times to get the ink to flow.  TRUST me it will flow, well not flow but just flat makes the red sea of ink.   After you clean that up and go on with your drawing with the pen, if you don't push down on it hard it works wonderfully.   I only have five colors but enough to get me into trouble with my other art supplies. 

Oh did you notice?  I figured out how to make links to websites?   I figured OK can't be to hard, so after a couple of attempts it is done.  TA DA  Sorry just had to share that also. 

Thanks for stopping in and seeing what is going on in my world today.  Oh the Beast of a Pillow is 75% finished, I can't wait for Pat and you to see it.  Just finished my garden spider and almost good to go.  One more Texas Ranger game and I should be ready to assemble it into a pillow.

                                                                XOXOXOXO
                                                                Annette


Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Beauty and the Beast

I am doing a Crazy Quilt Pillow which I am naming the beast at the moment.   It is bigger than I thought and will be beautiful I think. Hence Beauty and the Beast all in one here.   DH says we will need sunglasses to view it, it will need it's own shrine when not decorating our bed, we will have to roll it off of the bed because I am making it so heavy and we will need a hoist to lift it off of the bed.  Who know we may even sleep on the floor so as not to disturb it in it's place of honor.    He was on a roll when I was showing it to him.  

I work on it nightly as the Texas Rangers play, so still have a few nights to go before the season is over. 

I thought I would give you a peek at what I am doing.   I am so excited to learn this art from from Pat Winter and it is so much of an Obsession.  

 
Here you go, as you can see I have a long way to go.  I guess I may add a lot to emblish but that is me. 
 
Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.
 
XOX
Annette


Sunday, September 9, 2012

When Pigs Fly

I have heard the phrase when pigs fly and even seen some advertisements about them.  A cute little pig on the roof of a house equipped with wings.  Getting instructions on what to do with it's little beanie propeller  hat on.   It is pretty cute to see.  But have you ever seen a Buffalo fly?  I kid you not.  We did see one this morning.

I have shared with you that our fur babies protect us from the things at night that prowl around and the early morning predators like dragons disguised as trash trucks.  We have yet found a dragon in the yard.  Even the bunnies and gophers stay away.  

This morning, yes morning-me up in the morning about 7:30.   I don't think we should have to get ready to greet the world before 10 AM.  I mean the hair done and makeup on.    We heard Libby give a bark like she was going to tear a dragon up into a million pieces.  We both looked at each other and I thought well maybe DH  (dear hubby) put a cap on or something like that.  Something that startled Libby, well DH went outside and said come here Annette ---hurry.   Well I ran out and saw a balloon  in the sky, I kid you not.   This is not an everyday occurrence here, in Albuquerque New Mexico yes but not here.   I stood there like a goofess for a minute looking at it.   Like a pure tourist.  Then I  thought oh the camera.   The first one got away from us,  it was basically in our back yard air space but I captured some of the first one we saw floating away.  There were not many because I guess the wind, the wind that always blows here, was not doing it's job.  



This is part of our back yard-dragon free-that we woke up to this morning. Or I should say I woke up to, DH wakes up a lot earlier than me,myself and I. 


 
Here is one we saw, as you can see it was cloudy and the leaves on the trees are not at a 90 degree angle or the trees bending over.  Hence no wind.  

 
This was the last one we say, a ways off but still not very high. 


 
The first one that came over, gee I wish I hadn't been a tourist and just stood there and watched it.  It was literally in our yard air space. 
 

 
The Buffalo coming around  to the empty lot close by -lower and lower and lower.
 


A two headed Buffalo at that.  This was his home for a while and then he just deflated.   He is two houses over.  

Now not every day did the fur babies see this so as I said they were excited and neighbors were out in their yards and I could hear them all.  Not an everyday occurrence here, in fact you wouldn't even know anyone lived in the neighborhood during the day. 

I woke up this morning  thinking what am I going to blog about today?   I watched the Sunday morning show or some of it and taa daa the balloons.   Just had to share  with you.

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today. 
                                                                   
                                                                   XOXOXX
                                                                    Annette

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

September, CPFs and ATC

September is here, the feel of Fall/Autumn is in the air.   Now I wonder what makes Fall Fall and Autumn Autumn?   Not sure on this one I thought it was the same but possibly the part of the country you are in?   Don't know for sure but you can fell it in the air when we were mowing today.  I could count up how many more mowings we have til it freezes but then again that would be inviting Winter to come soon and it will just blow in one day and I will tell you well my friends Old Man Winter is here.   We will just whisper  that little tid bit of news then.  

As you know or not know I have finished up the classes in Artful Gathering and one was the Crazy Quilting class.  Oh me it has certainly gotten under my skin.   I remember when I use to sew wedding gowns and how peaceful the beading felt so I guess that is one thing I like about Crazy quilting besides using the CPFs   ( The creative pieces of fabric)  I do not call the little pieces scraps that sounds like something you might feed your fur baby.     Well the beading and the CPFs and gathering all the pretties and touching them and showing them to DH ( dear hubby).   You know, I don't think he gets as excited about them as I do, he does look at them and makes a comment about something.   He does like seeing the finished work though.  He will pick the piece up and look and look at it. 

I have just finished another little accessory purse, colors of exploration for me and hummmm wonder if I might branch out with the different colors?  Time will only tell.  I used my CPFs and some pieces of antique lace and just created.  The CQ doesn't do for me if I plan it out, I just let it create it's self.  



A quick glance of the Accessory Purse with SRE ( silk ribbon embroidery)  man I am full of letters today aren't I?   I feel like I have eaten a whole can of alphabet soup or something educational like that.    Oh be sure and click on the image and will get larger.   Magical isn't it?   I could go into the computer  jargon but I could tell you everything I know about computers in say-------- one minute? 


 
Close up of the end of the little purse, from this view almost looks like a ballerina toe shoe. 
 
Now I have been sort of on a vacation on the messy work as I call it, mixed media journaling and what all goes with that.   At Roses on my Table there is a group called ATC, now there you go Annette more letters.   I think these stand for Artist Trading Cards.  I joined it and made my first set of 6 cards and have mailed them off to Janet and then we trade and I get 6 back.   
 
What subject did I use?  Well the prompt is furry friends and we happen to have two furry friends built right into our family.   Of course I had to use  Jewel and Libby  and being as they sleep  A LOT  --  I thought why not do some of what I think they dream of ?    Now I know they dream you can see their feet moving or some muffled barks which sound really different is the word I will use.
 
 
Here they are and I did do some without them sleeping. 
 
Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.
 
xoxox
Annette