Pretty maidens all in a row

     When we went to Dallas in October, Lane and I went to a mall and she knew of this wonderful store.  I don't even remember the name of it but I am sure it does remember it's name so I guess that is all that counts.  It had a wonderful assortment of goodies to keep us occupied looking for a while.  Well lo and behold but there was this stand filled with wonderful knobs.  Yep knobs.  I had no idea what I was going to use them for, but had to think fast to justify why I should buy some.  Ladies do have to be able to justify their purchases you know.   OK, I quickly thought, I have this little cabinet thingy that I use to hold some of my jewelry in.  Not really a jewelry ( whatever the fancy French name for cabinet is ) but just a little thingy.  So that is where they were going to go.  Lane helped me pick them out and off I went with the knobs in hand and I was  happy as a lark knowing they will be in a happy place. 

I got home and put the knobs by the cabinet and there they sat, something in the back of my head kept saying is this really where you want to put these jewel of knobs ?  Guess not, because they sat for a couple of months.   Every time I looked at them I thought poor little things they don't have a home except for sitting in the closet at the fancy smancy dressing area.  

If you remember we bought this wonderful black scrapbooking cabinet.  It had and you notice I said had, plain black knobs and just plain black fronts.   Well not any more.  The knobs are proudly displaying themselves on the cabinet where I can enjoy them daily along with my shoes I bought that are just to cool but way to big for me.  

Here they are all lined up ready to be attached and shown off.   The fronts of the cabinets are still plain but hopefully that won't be for long. 

There you go the pretty maidens all in a row. 

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in Annette's world.  

A Paper Painting or Collage or just a spot of Tea

Painting in any media is a challenge sometimes.  You have this wonderful idea , sketch it on you surface and think oh man this is going to be so fun.    It started out that way and then just kind of grew into a two or three headed monster.   First I was going to make it just a pure painted paper, then go on from there.   

I blocked the painting in, that was a good thing.   Martha Stewart sorry that I used that phrase for a painting but it was for the moment.   I was getting a little sure of myself and thought hey hey this is going to work. 

Got the painted started and was having a good time and then one morning came in and looked at it and thought OMG,  texting slang there and sometimes it just works OMG.  That background or something is not working.  Now it has been years since I have done traditional art and remembered to turn it upside down.  Well at this point upside down, sideways or just the backside of it wasn't going to help.  A friend, Marilyn suggested to hold it up to the mirror.  I had forgotten that, thanks Marilyn.  

I was tearing paper, remembering that in scrapbooking if you tear a certain way you don't get the white edges.   Then I thought OK, how about some lace and a dryer sheet ?  That would work.  So that came next.  I knew the dryer sheets were good for something else. I don't really use them but had read somewhere that you could use them.   so now I proudly have a box of them in the utility room ready to do their job of softening something and then to the art room.   I did use one to make my fairy Gossamer Moon Dancer.  So why not a teapot ?   

I then found a broken  Christmas star thingy and cut it up.  It was like a capiz shell or whatever you call it  and thought that would work also.   I just glued and cut to my little hearts content. 

Here is the sketch, it is on a recycled canvas.  I did have a cupcake on there and thought no don't want that, might make me hungry while painting it. 

The blocked in painting, still a cupcake but not for long.   When you block them in sometimes you can see your problems.  I guess I just was not  looking good enough or my eyes were looking at the cupcake wondering what wonderful flavor it was. 

A close up of the shell that I added to the painting.   Now remember these things don't look to spiffy up close.  

A close up of the lace and dryer sheet.  Don't you know it thinks it is the cat's meow for not ending up in the trash and on a painting.  Well, if dryer sheets think that is.  I don't think they do. 

Here you go the finished painting.  I changed part of the background and left some pink showing thru and thought that was the culprit.  It just had to much reddish going on in it.  Needed some more of the foreground color somewhere else in the painting. 

OK, that is it for now.  I have another one in the works and it should be fun.  I know this was suppose to be also, but this next one should be.  Well, if I don't get to detailed with it.    I do have to remember when I painted traditionally that I use to work on the smooth side of masonite to get  a super real looking still life with my oil paint and a wonderful sable brush.   Oh that felt good to paint with a sable brush and was so nice and smooth.  I painted forever on a subject.  We are talking layers and layers.  I keep reminding myself if I painted this digitally I could just delete the layer and go on my merry way.

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in Annette's world.  You just never know.

A few more Zentangles

Happy February, we have to write and read fast.  This month, even though it is  just two days short seems to just fly by.  It is a good time to trim roses , usually valentines day it the target day and then you get beautiful roses in about 6 weeks or so.  If you miss it by a day or so I don't think they will know the difference.  I have not noticed them wearing a watch or checking the calendar. 


OK, I know these calming pieces of art work are fun and so habit forming but I just had to post a couple more of them.  I am doing several a night.   Every time I get by the TV watching chair, that pad and pen just jump in my hand.  Now grant you other activities happen in the chair besides watching TV.  The list starts with petting our fur babies, eating a snack, petting the fur babies, reading my art magazines,  doing Zentangles and petting the fur babies.  Now these babies are not inside dogs but we let them in to get love while Eldon fixes their food and of course getting a snack for them.

The last few nights have been so cold, I mean massive cold---like zero, 5, and 6 ish.  that is to cold even for them to go to their tropical hideaway.  Which we don't tell them is the back garage for the plants and have a couple of heaters in there for the plants.  We just disguise  it as a tropical hideaway.   

Back on track here, so I am showing you a few more Zentangles.  If you haven't tried it you really need to, I know you are saying I can't do it.  Yes you can and after the first one is done you think hey that was OK and I need to do more.  

The leaf, well it started out as a leaf.  If you really look you can tell it is there. 

This one may be one of my faves, if just started growing and finished up all on it's own.   They do that, just take their own little personalities.

The little dragon flies, I love them in the late summer.  When I am mowing the back, Eldon does the front, they just follow me around.  Not sure why, maybe the hat I wear with the hot pink and lime green hatband.  Maybe they like those colors also.    This one I started with the little dragon flies and built around them.   The little curly ques are just so easy and cute.

OK, I promised not to get to carried away.   I hope you try some of these.  Remember just paper and a micron or fine tip pen and you have all the supplies you need.  These in real life are 4 inches or so, no bigger.   I have tried a few bigger ones last night.    My friend Suzanne is doing full page ones, she is the brave one. 

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

GOD, Mandala and Paula Deen

There is a bible verse..... "Be still and know that I am God"  Psalms 46:10.   Now I am thinking that this is prayer or can be meditating.  Right ?  To keep our minds focused and clear of clutter.

A Mandala is a circular design .   It is a pattern to which to meditate.     They express completeness and invite us to experience ourselves as a whole being, an individual.   I took this partial sentence from a book of Susanne F. Fincher.    She has some coloring books, if you will, of different Mandalas and you may color them any way you chose and it very relaxing.  I have not colored any but have studied the book.  Susanne's Madalas are beautiful and help with Balance, Harmony and Spiritual Well-Being.  

  Eldon has another book with natural Mandalas in it.   A beautiful one with nature all intertwinded as nature is.  The title is Natural Mandalas all of nature to help find Peace and Awareness in the beauty of nature.  This book is by Lisa Tenzin-Dolma.   

Now I wanted to share this little bit of info with you to help explain just what in the world is Annette doing ? 

I first started out with one Mandala drawn and then went a whole and totally different direction with the creation of it.  I used my new art friend ' painted papers '   and just played,  This is what developed.   The words I used in it all talk about Mandalas.  It first started out simple with hearts, like with the compasses you played with in school and one of the assignments was to make a design and color it with the awful map colors.  They were so pastel.     I did love doing those also and usually would do several for different ones in the classes because they didn't want to do them.  I wonder if the teacher ever noticed they were all kind of alike but with different students names on them  ?   Probably but I never got into trouble doing that.   This one definately is not pastel, it did change colors many times until I felt good about it.  

 I just wanted to share this one with you and intend on making more, probably with the 'painted papers' and some with pastel and acrylics.  Just playing with them feels good. 

Close up of the center of the Mandala.  

The whole painting of the Mandala.   I loved the colors and just wanted you to wander around in it for a while. Oh, the little T's at each corner do not stand for Texas Tech.   Just a little FYI.   

That is if for now, just wanted to share another paper painting with you.

Oh and what does Paula Deen have to do with this ?  She has a quote or saying that I love and I think we all should go with it-------" A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand "   --Paula Deen.

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.   Looks like I have made January a happy month and now it can stand proudly with the other months getting several blogs in under it's belt.

New Sketch Pad Needed

Here are a few more Zentangles.  My goodness this is habit forming and now I need to go buy another sketch pad and pen.  I ran out of paper in my pad and ink in my pen.  This is so relaxing especially when watching TV.   I found the Zentangles blog and they had lots of pretties on there.  

Hope you enjoy this, I am ready to go to another step with these now.

It amazes me how different they all are and all have such a calming feel about them.

One more Zentangle

I  tried a rectangle one here with the new little prompt from Zentangles blog.

I know this is a short blog and not to long winded from me.   It is really Annette doing this one, believe it or not.   I'll post the blog for Zentangles on my side bar.

Now off to do a new journal page for Roses on My Table.   Whew, I am going to wear my little fingers to the bone.  Well, not really, just enjoying myself.

Thanks for stopping by Annette's World.

Doodles or Zentangles

Sometimes you doodle on a piece of paper and some call it doodling and sometimes you can call it art.  A friend of mine a couple of years introduced me to Zentangles.  It is not a new idea and has been around for a while.   I just wanted to share with you the fun thing to do even while watching TV.   I got a wild hair the other day to do the alphabet.   Why ?  Don't know,  just seemed like the thing to do.  Maybe I can use it in some of my paper painting collages I am doing right now.   It could happen. 


The supplies ?   A pen (fine tip type is preferred ) and a piece of paper.  That is it.   There are several sites to go to  just type in Zentangles and see what all comes up.    There is a lady on youtube, her name is Milliande.  Wow she is good and makes it look so easy, I need to remind myself to watch her videos more often.    Her site is  http://www.zentangle.com/gallery.php or just type in youtube milliande.   Such inspiration to see and spark your pen to just mess and play.  There is no right or wrong with it---so just play my friends. 

Here are a few of the letters I did, nothing fancy and the first round one I did forever ago.   Hope you try it and just escape into your playing.

Here you go the letter A, now I feel like Big Bird telling the alphabet to you, but you get the picture and I am not even yellow

Guess who is next ? Yep the letter B.   Some of the little do hickies look like someone with hair.

Now after doing 27 of these little things I was running out of ideas and should have watched milliande's videos, but I was not near a computer.  Just pen and paper.  I know how can I function without a computer with me at all times.   Guess what, we don't even keep a phone-gasp-with us at all time.  

Now this piece of work was my basically first one and you can tell I did get inspired by milliande, some are her designs.   I didn't have a black pen can ya tell ?   

Well, that is what is going on in my world for today.   I do have another paper painting to post but will save for another day.  

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

A Journaling Discovery

Here we are into the new year.  January is a month that seems to fly by,  I don't know why but it always seems to, for me anyway.  It is kind of tucked away after Christmas and before spring.  I know that is called winter but that is how January feels to me.

Journaling, now I have always thought journaling as something like a dairy and you write your thoughts and hopes and fears in this prized little book.  Also hoping that when you are a teenager no one finds it or even worse reads the thing.    It can also mean like a journalist who writes exciting and not so exciting stories about what is happening in the world today.  That is a giant undertaking, being as so much is happening now in our world.   I have a friend in Australia- Bev-she is into journaling and suggested to me that I might like it.  Thinking OK, I would have to write but to my pleasant surprise it is art journaling.  I didn't even know there was such an animal as this out there in the world.  Granted I have been out of touch with this part of the art world for several years, 24 to be almost nearly exact.   Now trying to find my place in it again, I do digital art and love it and the gratification it brings but sometimes you just have to gob and goop and get the hands messy.  Guess like finger painting when a child.

You draw or not and just play in the journal to your little hearts content.  There is no right or wrong to do it.  I looked on the Internet and it is a whole world out there about it.   There are many many techniques and on you tube and different web sites.  The whole world is out there waiting to help you.  Here you can create your hopes, dreams, feelings or whatever you want to do at the time.   Spending as much time or little as you want.   Mine is little but that is OK.   You don't have to share it with anyone if you don't want to, you can keep several if you want to ---it is yours to do with what you want.

Many of the tools, if you will call them tools, you use are the scrapbooking supplies/tools I use when I scrapbook.  To me that is like a picture journal of my life and what is going on in it at the time.  Not the feelings though of what life gives and does to you.   Granted now that the wonderful grandchildren are grown it has turned a little differently but I do find it relaxing and like a first grader who  cuts and paste.  OK, guess that is what I am liking about art journaling is the cutting, drawing and pasting.

I joined a group  Roses On My Table  ( on my side bar ) and a talented group of ladies on there and there is willowing.ning also.  These are just a scratch in the bucket of what is out there in cyber world.  Zinnia on the Roses gives prompts a couple of times a month, which is good gets the old mind to cranking and I don't have to stare at a blank 5x7 piece of paper.  Which sometimes is just scary, how can a blank canvas be so daunting ? 

 The first page done, was very scrapbookie looking but drew, cut and pasted and was just a fun page with layers of little surprises in it.  Even some Tim Holtz ink dripped on it.

Opposites or contrasts or something like that was the prompt on this one, I figured can't get much more contrasty than black and white but did like the paper and pretties on here.   

I don't think this was a prompt, I had made some paper with shaving soap and paint and wanted to play with it, my friend Cat told me about that little adventure. 

This prompt was door or windows so I have a little sparkle door knob into my fairy land world that I drew with my pencils and oil pastels.  The oil pastels are a new toy for me. I did go back and water colored some light blue over the little windows of the door and liked that better.

This prompt was color, I stared with my new oil pastels and didn't have a clue where I was going, just started at the top and colored very helter skelter.  Like a first grader.  Then it just evolved into this,   I did cut and paste the flowers and leaves then uses acrylic paint and played with it and of course some bling.  Ladies do like bling. 

Last but not least there is a site and if you type your name in it will give you a fairy name.  So here is mine.  I didn't know what I was going to make the front of my journal but here it is.  Miss Gossamer Moondancer.   With real feathers for wings and all and of course glitter and bling.    I will put her site on my side bar if you would like to see what your fairy name is.  Fun !!! 

O.K. that is it for me right now and on my art quest.   I am working on another paper painting at the moment.  Still a wonderful find for me. 

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in Annette's world.