Sparkle

Hello and we are celebrating.  We got 1/8th of an inch of rain.  Now I know that isn't much but they gave us a chance of sprinkles.  So to us that is a deluge.  The patio and drive way even got wet and some water standing.   Come on rain we can never have to much, well unless it is the great flood like Noah is associated with.   Our little playa lakes are low low and the Canadian geese that come to visit  for the winter are not happy.  Sometimes the little lakes are packed with the geese, I mean like little sardines.   

We thought of doing a Rain Dance  but just going to deep water the trees.   Now we found this little ring that attaches to the water hose and waters like 12 inches deep to the trees.  The underground water system just does not water deep so we think SAVE THE TREES.   Now Bermuda grass just keeps ticking like a Timex watch.  Just can't kill it even it the grass is brown it is just waiting to spring alive, especially if it is a flower bed.  And it will grow like crazy over the drive way and you have to use the edger.   We use to have blue grass that takes lots of water in another house.  When I bought the seed they said it will never over seed we have to till the grass us and start from scratch.  Well guess what?  I over seeded and it looked like hair and thick oh my.  So don't always pay attention to  THEY.    We are fortunate to have a water well but still would water the trees deep even if we didn't.  In West Texas Trees are far and few between and what we plant is what we have. 

I remember once we were coming in on a plane and I was sitting next to a young man coming to Lubbock to play football or basketball, forgot now, but he looked out of the window and said it is so flat.  Yep that is West Texas, but we love it. Flat and brown and wind blowing all the while.  It has great people though and that counts for a lot.    

I thought in celebration of the rain  I would go ahead and post Sparkle.  A sweet little faerie I drew and painted a while back.  I did make a ciggie out of her and thought of doing softer colors but these colors just screamed at me. I have a little 9 drawer cabinet we bought at Hobby Lobby and painted it RED of course.  It proudly holds my colors for CQ and my threads.   So I pull out each color and see who yells at me.  They do speak to us you know if you let them. 

 

Meet Sparkle,  I had to give her a head band with sparkles in it.  The upper right is a fabulous button that I was told about on FB and the lower button is a depression glass I think copy.  Not sure haven't tried to break it to see if plastic or glass.   The rest just kind of grew to where it wants to be.  I never plan a thing with these little gals and I just start and see where things want to go.   Guess that is called creating.   This is for CQJP 2014.   Just a self motivated  project.  I put these in a book and one did find it's way to the Princess Giget in Hawaii.  Now the reddish color is more magenta, sometimes it and purple photograph different.  LOL I am to lazy to set up lights to take it's pic so you get the picture I bet.  

 

It is hard to name these little gals, one I painted I named Mother Nature.  Not looking the friendliest in the world, hummmm maybe I should have made her looking not so stern?

 

Sparkle is one of my Essence faeries, I took her essence from a dear friend's granddaughter.   But added bangs and the hair color is definitely not hers.  Just wanted a little look of her granddaughter.  

 

I have 4 more blocks ready to embellish.  I need to do some more before we get busy, our Relaxed Retirement is a job.  Baseball season is fixin to start and I have to be ready to have some busy work to do while we watch them.   You know there is down time with Baseball and there are 162 games in a season before the world series.  We are going to have to root for two teams this year, some of our favorite players have gone to the Boston Red Sox from our Texas Rangers.  Whew a job indeed.   

 

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

 

OXOXXO

Annette

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Wow am I behind here friends.  Well I don't like excuses but we have been under the weather AGAIN!!!!  Funny sometimes when you get the "crud" as I call it and it lingers and you get over it--surprise it comes to visit you again.   Guess it liked it here and just didn't want to die.  So sort of back in the saddle again.  Nope not a real saddle we don't have a horse.  Well the steel stallion we drive. 

Now I haven't been a bum totally while under the weather.  I have been "trapped" in my art room.  A good trap but my little sanctuary.  Hubby knows when I don't feel 100% not to really talk to me.  I just want to be breathing and arting and the crud will go away.  Do any of you feel that way when you get sickish?  He says I am a good sick person though, just leave me alone !!!!!

Now get a cup of coffee, hot tea or good and yummy Iced tea because this is a long post.  No kidding.  Might even need a sleeping bag or take a break, go run around the house, go get the clothes out of the washer into the dryer.  

Life Book  2014    http://www.willowing.org/life-book-2014/  has been keeping me busy.  They have a new exercise each week and you can do it if you want and I wanted so here is some that I have done.    This is the third year I have taken it.  Last year shouldn't count though I think I only did like 6 or 8 exercises, we had a lot going on.   I wasn't going to do it this year but wow am I ever glad I did.  I just keep learning things, so the saying of teaching an old dog new tricks is true.   I am a living testament of it.  Bow Wow. 

 

This was a class by Anna Dabrowska,    http://tworzysko.blogspot.com/wow  what a talented young lady.  She made it on canvas but I used 140 lb. watercolor paper.  That stuff is tough and with enough gesso and stuff on the paper it holds up well.   This was up my alley,  lots of pretties and goodies to our hearts content.  I do have to mention Anna is an awesome teacher.  I know lots of artists that teach but don't really share their secrets.  This little gal told it all.   Now I have the first one under my belt I am anxious to start another one.

 

 

This little girl, Tammy taught it.  It was fun to stray away to just do a whimsy little person.  she does them so well and love hearing her visit while she demos what she does.  I forgot why we did, possibly to have a tree hug or encircle us,  it but in 100 years it won't matter will it?  I did collage some tissue for her dress that came in some shoes I purchased.  Don't throw a thing away do  I?   I don't hoard I just recycle or repurpose things. 

 

I forgot now what this one was for and it wasn't a thing like it was suppose to be but I enjoyed it and kept me out of Hubby's hair.  It is the Basketball playoffs you know.

 

One more exercise, instead of a whimsy gal I just did a sketch I had drawn and for some reasons the redheads are coming to visit me and the horses.  They were some knapkins I had and I dissected them down to one thin layer and they work like a charm with the collage. 

 

Now I am not finished, I have a lot of catching up to do my friends.  In the Spring we have a few sand storms and wind.  We know when the weather gets warm that is what comes with it.  I feel for our Northeast friends and all that snow they are getting.   Mother nature has indeed cleared her throat this year. 

 

 

This was taken from the air, of course, on one of the sand storms coming to visit us. 

 

A close up of the sand.   Now I can remember in the 50's and the early 60's we would have some hum dingers like this.   Sand gets everywhere and I mean everywhere but it has been dry here and I hope this was the one and only one like this.   Usually just the sand is in the air and you just live with it.  That is just the way it is not from neglect of the land.   A strong strong front came in , it chilled and gave the East havoc with snow and blizzards
AGAIN.  I say it is population control for our part of the world.  I do have to add a PS to this paragraph.  Farmers are the stewards of the land, they take pride in taking care of the land and love their land.     The reason it is like this right now is we have had a terrible drought a terrible one like in the 30's.   I am saying NO rain.  They put the hopes and dreams on the line just as farmers do today.   You have not idea how loose the dirt is and it is the future for us all.   This is where the food comes from.   I know of not one farmer anywhere that neglects or abuses their land.    

 

The mermaid did make it to Hawaii.  Our warrior granddaughter as I refer to her.  She is brave and I don't know if I could have sold my car and moved that far away to Hawaii by herself.   She has met some great and good people and I think that says something of the Islands.    Sometimes I feel you have a calling and you should do it while you can. We encouraged her and said do it and enjoy yourself. 

 

She wanted the mermaid so I redid a matt I had and painted on it and framed it and off it went.  Of course had to make some Amish friendship bread to send also. That stuff is so good and weighs a ton. She and brother love it and of course we do also.  I like to give it away and people don't seem to mind it at all.  I included enough of course for her and her co-workers. 

 

I know she will say NANA!!!!! because of the pic but I love it shows her giant personality. 

 

Now here she is doing Tandem surfing.  I didn't even know there was such a thing, but hey I am land locked as she was.  Auggie, an artist   https://www.facebook.com/CostantinoArt  beside being a surfer taught her this fun sport.  He has a beautiful wife and family and from what I can tell loving Hawaii to the most a person can.  

 

So there you go, I hope you haven't gone snow blind or sand blind or anything or gotten eye cramps from all of this.  Just had to catch you up and give you hugs.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today, well the last few days.  

 

XOXOXO

Annette

 

A Football Player, A Magazine Lady, A Faerie and A Mermaid

Hello and Happy March.   I'm wondering if I do a post on the first of the month if Winter will say ok off I go and make ready for Spring?  Worth a try anyway.

Now my title got carried away today, as you know sometimes I do get carried away.  My fingers just sort of fly over the key board trying to keep up what is wandering around in my head.   Hurry fingers hurry.  I know you all do that at times, think of things and just trying to get them out on paper or a canvas or even an idea for a little yard work.  At times I think oh I will remember that, HA HA, what a joke that is.  Nope, no remembering at all what was such a great idea.  Case in point.  I think it was last year Hubby and I were in the car on a little trip and thought of some wonderful idea we could do to our backsplash in the kitchen.  Not the same ole same ole but something artsy.  Didn't write it down and guess what?  It is still wandering around in our heads like hide and seek. We still can't remember between us what we were going to do.   Maybe we just need to take another car trip to jog our memory?  Bet that might do the trick. Maybe.

Now my title has a lot in store for you today. So here goes.

The Football Player--- In the Sunday's paper there are always ads in there with people.  Pretty people doing things like showing off the hair and how it shines and the color that you try and it never really really turns out like in the pictures?    Well this football player was in an ad about Shampoo and how it can make your hair thicker.  Wow if only it would make my hair thicker like his.  This guy has awesome hair. So I had to sketch him and his glorious hair.  The photo was a tad bigger than a thumbnail and after throwing two of the sketches away I thought goofy, go to the internet and get a bigger photo.   So that is what I did.  This is my rendition of Troy Polamalu #43 of the Pittsburg Steelers.  Now I didn't know all of this had to Google it and Hubby knew about him.  I had just remember seeing all this hair under a helmet.   I did remember seeing this glorious hair is insured for $1,000,000.00.  Yep I think I got enough zeros in that amount. 

 

Now this is not a perfect sketch but I think you got the picture .  The sketch itself is pencil and lots of erasing and blending.  The hair, seem like pencil just didn't give it enough justice so I got out my trusty soft pastels and had a blast.   So Mr. Palamalu hats off to you young man. 

 

 

THE MAGAZINE LADY

 

 

The pretty magazine lady, after taking her photo I did correct that "far" eye.  It is funny after taking a photo of your work you can see many little things you should have corrected.  Kind of like turning them upside down and looking at them also or giving the ole squinting eye trick.  Seeing what else you need to do to your art piece.  Just sketched her in my sketch book while watching TV.



                                                                 THE FAERIE

 

Now not to be outdone this little faerie just had to be painted.   I wanted to do something a little different with the light and airy backgrounds.  Well this little gal didn't want that.  I had put her away to mellow or whatever they do when I am not happy with them.  I added some "knapkin art"  just pieces of knapkins glued on  the art piece.  still not happy,  so thought ok you want the background more dramatic so dramatic it got.  They do have minds of their own you know.   I have done a few more things to her after this photo but she is basically done. 

 

 

                                                      THE MERMAID

 

Now the finishing touch of the post here on my blog.  The mermaid.  Such a group of people together and I bet they are having a party together.  I had been wanting to do some sort of a really whimsy Crazy Quilting piece so forever ago I had done an art journal page of some mermaids.  So I just photographed one of the mermaids and put her on the computer to resize and printed this little thing on fabric.  

 

 

 

Here she is, I did get carried away adding and adding and adding pretties to her.  The star fish was a charm from Tisha's Treadworks  810-678-8191.  A fun place to shop over the phone.   The starfish was metal and I just glued beads, many beads on it.  I just had to have it with bling on it, we are in Texas you know.    The best part is granddaughter wants it and I have made a funky matt for it and will mail it to her.  Best compliment ever. 

 

So there you go what a group of doings but it was fun to see what I could do with them.  No telling what this week will turn up.   Come on Muse get to working.

 

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

 

                                                                         XOXOXO

                                                                          Annette