Really HOT

The weekend ended with a swelter y day. It was 107 degrees and believe me I knew it. I can remember as a kid running around all summer long without any shoes and today I wondered how on earth I ever did that.
I decided to try my hand at doodling. I found a site that gives instructions on how to doodle. I am surprised to find that doodling requires lessons. After I read the instructions I knew why lessons were necessary. I don't think I ever put much thought into doodling until recently. That is because I never looked at it as an art form before. I have hopes that it will help my drawing. I'm not much of an artist with a pencil and have always wanted to be able to draw. I have come to the conclusion that I have been too lazy to adapt to drawing. It takes some practice and anyone can draw with practice being the key word here. We will see what I can accomplish with my trusty pencil.
I did make make a card to welcome our new neighbor to the hood. I decided I would introduce my self and the family and not be like I was for 4 years while living in Oxnard. In 4 years I couldn't tell you the name of any of my neighbors except for one right next to us. It seems that was the way of living in the suburbs. We seem to have cultured the distance and aloneness for an awfully long time and I think that has caused our society some terrible problems. It always surprises me when I read about someone found dead after not being seen for 6 months by their next door neighbor. That is a sad circumstance. We seem to have distanced ourselves from each other until we are alone in a crowd. Change subjects quick, I don't want to write a research paper on the social problems of America.
For those of you that hate Mondays, bring out the pencil and doodle. Until next time.

Summer is here.

Yesterday I visited our local museum for the T-Rex and the Lego exhibit. In a little town like I live in (90,000) a T-Rex is a really big thing, of course it is a really big thing no matter where it is. The picture is of life size characters made totally of Legos. The artist is amazing to say the least. I will post more pictures this week.
I finally finished my shrine I started over the weekend. Once it was completed I had no idea what to dedicate it to. Well, as you can see I found a worthy creature to dedicate the shrine to, a Blue Footed Booby. He looks so majestic in his spot with a sand dollar behind him. I think he is just charming.
It has finally turned to summer. It has been about 100 degrees every day this week. My little garden, shared with my daughter, will be so very happy. We have picked one pepper, one squash and a hand full of green beans. It is city gardening at its best. My yard is about 40x40 feet and I have every spot filled with something that grows except for a footpath that gets smaller each year. My actual garden is 4 feet wide and 10 feet long with a healthy group of Cosmos ready to bloom and 2 tomato plants along with 2 Basil and 2 peppers. I had to stick my squash outside of the garden area. They like a lot of room. Every thing looks beautiful and healthy which I attribute to my talking to them and stroking their leaves. They love it! Of course my husband claims that I'm loony and the tomatoes are growing well because of Miracle Grow. But, what does he know?

Smearing all over

I have been painting on my assignment even thou the class has ended. I really enjoyed the class and learned how to smear paint the right way and get the looks I want. Thank you Julie.
I have had a little box around here for almost a year and finally decided to make a shrine. I thought I would look on the net and see what examples I could find. I have been living in the bowels of ignorance when it comes to shrines. I even found one made from a split walnut shell. It was actually very nice. I think my problem is I have no defined person, place, or thing to make the shrine for. I just want a generic shrine. This is going to be one of those fly by the seat of my pants things. What better way to learn than by the seat of my pants.
I have new neighbors moving in on both sides of me. It has been a really quiet place for about a year and boom both condos sold the same time. No more running out to the mail box in my boxer shorts and holey Tshirt. I don't want to scare them off before I meet them.
Last night about 2am my daughter came in from out front and said we had a Coyote casing the neighborhood. We've had a couple young gray squirrels frolicking around on the front lawn and I bet that canine wise guy is checking out a quick dinner of furry little meatballs. If you are wondering why my daughter was outside at 2am, she studies out side by the street light. We just call her the neighborhood watch.
Well, back to my projects. I am slow but steady. It must be the weather!

Beautiful day

I just can't believe the weather. It is just beautiful. A high of 90 degrees for the middle of June is almost unheard of. We are really lucky that we don't have tornados like they are having in the midwest states.
I worked some more on my pink assignment today. I guess I'm just not a pink person. I have added crackle paste, collage elements, and even stamped on it. All of that and it is still pink. What is one to do? I am posting a collage I did a few months ago. I really liked it but my daughter said it was questionable for good taste. Nope, I like it. Even an elephant can have intruders. Tomorrow is TGIF and I hope you all enjoy it.

Rough to do

This is my first attempt at drawing a face on a collage background. I am looking for better. The card I did with Versafine ink and a great sunflower stamp. Can't remember who made the stamp right now.

In the past week I have had my surgical schedule finalized. The closer it gets to the time for surgery the queasier I get. Then a day like today comes along and I want to run and hide under the bed. Of course the giant dust bunnies would over take me in seconds. It doesn't matter much what or how many pain meds I take........I still hurt and not in a small area but an all over one. Which leaves me with wishing my surgical date was sooner. I have been dealing with this pain thing for 5 years now and each year it gets worse. It is really nasty now when the weather changes. Add a few high clouds or a thunderstorm or two and every joint and muscle in my body hurts. I can see why trying to treat Fibromyalgia is like digging a hole in the desert. Hard and useless. My symptoms of pain from my back have created a fibromyalgia type syndrom. My GP is against me having my surgery stating that he has seen very few that worked. Right now I would settle for 50% less pain than I have now and think it was wonderful. Maybe that is the key....start hurting and let it expand and consume your body and any relief is wonderful.
I have been really slow in my painting class. I haven't started lesson 7 yet. That was my ambition for the day and it has fallen to the wayside. Maybe tomorrow. It is a good thing Julie is so understanding. She is a great teacher if anyone wants to learn backgrounds. I am totally dependant on art to distract me from myself. Some days it works and some it doesn't. I am hoping to expand my art to doing some actual drawing on my backgrounds.
I must end this writing and have a rest. Enjoy your midweek.

Sally

Beautiful Clouds

Is there anything more beautiful or smell any nicer than a Gardenia? These are by my front door and they are heavenly.
We have had the most beautiful cloud formations the last week I have ever seen. So unusual for California to have thunderstorms in June, or any month as far as that goes. The most magnificent thunder and huge bolts of lightening. I know that you people that live in the midwest aren't very impressed with our thunderstorms but I just love them. We had those deep blue/black clouds boil up and move right over us with really big rain drops and lots of noise. We live a mile from downtown Redding and we had about 1/2 inch of rain and downtown had about 8 inches of rain. Mother nature is just splendid.
I have been painting my back grounds for my class. They are really a lot of fun. I always have problems keeping up with the instructions but at least I can watch the videos any time of day or night. I am a night owl and painting at night is very relaxing. I am going to have a collection of these background papers to play with and that will keep me busy after my surgery.
I was informed today that I have 3 grandchildren that are pregnant. Talk about something in the water........I think it is carried in the wind. Great grand children are such a blast. I just love counting all of those little baby toes and fingers and the smell of babies is just heavenly. I like being a great grandma. Probably better than my kids like being grandparents. Each generation is more beautiful and precious than the last and that is how it should be. It all makes me feel so special and right with the universe.

This is the results of having a bunch of used stamps and a need to glue something down. I saw on another site a bird done similarly and decided that would be kind of cute. I glued a bunch of used stamps down and cut out the bird image and glued it over the stamps. It looked a bit funny so I glued it's feet back on. Funny how birds look so strange without feet. It isn't a great work of art but it was fun to do. My scanner didn't do it justice, since the colors are real bright.
I'm off to read some more of "In This House." It is really a neat book for collage fans. I just love glueing stuff. When I look at what artist do with paper I cringe and then decide I can do that......a ream of paper later I have a great appreciation for the artist.

Sally

Finally a decision

My neurologist office called and they finally have every thing they need to go ahead and do my spinal reconstruction. The way my thumbs feel they will be next.
I have often wondered how people could get every thing done they had to do when they were so mangled with arthritis. Well, in the last 5 years, believe me, I know how. Not only is it difficult to hold a jar of pickles but it is almost impossible to open them. I am lucky I have very strong and large hands so I can put a grip on things. Or at least I thought I could. I have been using a very thick rubber band on the jar lids in order to open them. I think I paid about $5.00 for the band a few years ago as a donation to the Alzheimer's association. My mind is in tact but without the rubber band I would be screwed.
I wanted to take some real close shots of a few flowers I have growing in my yard. I got down on both knees and managed to get the shots but quickly found out I couldn't get up. No, I didn't fall and can't get up........I kind of dropped down but then I was stuck. I crawled around for a minute and then found something I could use to boost me back up. That board on the deck isn't so stable anymore. I must have gained a tad to much weight in the 5 years of non physical activity.
I will have to wear a brace, boob to butt type for 3-4 months when I'm up that is so I am hoping to be able to do my art projects. It is going to be a very long and hot summer with that brace on. There is one good thing about it, I don't have to cook............how did I get so tired of cooking?? I don't cook now either. I can't stand up right that long a period of time. Oh how my HD struggles with cooking for us. He is good at opening jars of spaghetti sauce but how many times a week can I eat spaghetti?
I bought a couple of CDs from Jessica so I can enhance my computer skills while I am stuck inside this summer. Her classes are excellent and I would advise anyone to use her excellent teaching skills. She makes learning to use Photoshop a joy.
Well, I am off to practice more art. I will eventually have more to post.
Sally

Dulled Imagination

It has been a very slow and stunted weekend so far. I woke with enthusiasm which quickly waned when my feet hit the floor. There is that damn pain in my hip again. This time it was without any exertion other than dropping my feet off of the bed. It is getting worse every week. When is my surgical date? I see the cardiologist on Monday to finalize my OK for surgery. The closer I get to a date the more my stomach fills up with butterflies. I have to wonder what I am going to do with a date set in stone. Maybe the butterflies will procreate so much that I will lift off the ground. With my weight I won't lift much but the thought is rather funny. There I go, roughly six inches above the ground, just flying along. With just enough altitude to fall off of my feet and go "crunch" on the ground. Flying low like that isn't all it's cracked up to be. Hitting all of those speed bumps has got to hurt.
I did get a nice box today. I got 1# of stamps for $5.00 from Addicted to Rubber Stamps. I'm not sure what I was expecting but the stamps are in great shape. I found a little flaw in one of them and trimmed it off. Stamping is seldom perfect anyway. Or at least when I do it. I will be able to use all of the stamps. I kind of like those grab bag thingys you run into once in a while.
I guess I will toddle over and try to finish my little booklet I am making. I like easy things to putter with. After taking morphine for pain all day long my brain is pretty floppy by midnight. Not fit for acute thinking. Maybe I need a Tshirt with that on the front.
I am adding a picture of my layered background from my painting class. I have a lot of fun with that class and I am finally doing something I like. Gray isn't such a bad color and it will make a great background for collage.

Trial and Errors

Don't get me wrong I really am enjoying my painting lessons. But Julia makes it look so easy and when I step up to the plate it looks like a wild black bear has been on a rampage. Practice for perfection........isn't that the way it goes?
We have been having perfect June weather. Thunder storm every day and the clouds are just spectacular. To be able to paint clouds like mother nature paints would be wonderful. Oh, to have the talent of A Wyeth. Now that is talent. I could sit under the thunderheads and paint with abandon. I can picture that scene in my head and I really like it.
I have recently received some new stamps from Club Scrap and I really do want to try them out. The products I receive from Club Scrap and GinaK Designs are just almost perfect. If you want really unusual card stock try Club Scrap and if you want beautiful stamps and products in general go to GinaK Designs. I am so happy I found them. I can cruise the web looking for things to stimulate my creativity and then come back to those papers and stamps and the only thing I can really say is "perfect."

Don't you just love the smile of this camel? He makes me want to smile.
I hope every one is having a good middle of the week.
I wish you all well.
Sally