First Doll, how I love her.

For all the broken babies in this world.

Starving artists starve for a reason!

There’s just FAR to many fun toys to play with in the art world…..put the damn bank card away woman and WALK AWAY from the shiny beads…..

Sunday morning and and a KICK A$$ haul at Ollie’s!

So, I’m working from home now full time and that means I need better office furniture! Perhaps you saw earlier my set up at my kitchen table..half office/half art studio? Yeah….not working out like I hoped! I just need MORE SPACE! I need to have a safe, unadulterated place to play with art and a place to work where I have room to take notes without knocking something over and creating havoc.

So my plans are to move my art supplies upstairs to the second room up there. To do that I need a table. Preferably large enough to support a sewing area as well because I own a sewing machine, a GOOD one! I just don’t have the space set up now to use it! I' also need a file cabinet and some comfortable seating. I’ve been surfing craigslist but so far, I’m not seeing what I need. I might have to break down and hit the stores. Furniture stores make me nervous though….or perhaps just the price tags do!

I stopped at Ollie’s on Friday Evening in the hopes they’d have a cheap version of what I want. They didn’t but they had some KILLER finds instead. For those of you who don’t know Ollie’s…they’re a buy out, bargain basement type store. Apparently they recently got a haul from some big box craft store because I found some fun buys! I got a paper pack of card stock from K and Company. You know? The stuff that’s $14.99 at Michaels? Yeah….$4 bucks! I got some drawing pads for $2 and some brads…which I don’t know how to use yet but never fear, I WILL! I got some sand paper for my Suzi class and some other odds and ends I needed for around the house, including a pie pan for quiche! (Quiche without the crust! I’m still low carbing it! 25 pounds down, 150 to go! go go GO me!)

But the really big finds? BOOKS!

I found: Socks a la carte 2 for $3.99! And The Complete Guide to Altered Imagery for $6! (WONDERFUL book, on initial flip through! SO many techniques and ideas! LOVE it!) I also found Collage Playground for $4! Another REALLY fun book with fun ideas! Then there were two books on making creatures from left over socks and some paperback novels I’d been wanting….ah. Heaven!

So, it’s Sunday morning and I’ve had time to rest and restock my refrigerator. I’m snuggled on the couch with a cup of coffee (Atkins friendly with Da Vinci chocolate syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon! mmmmmmm) I’m watching Anne Burrell on the Food Network and just relaxing. (I love Anne….I LOVE it when she says “Brown food tastes GOOOOOOD!” I can’t make anything she’s cooking today, but she’s still fun to watch! I’d love to have coffee with her and just listen to her growl out random phrases.) The plans for the rest of the day are to drive down to Harrisburg with my folks and my son. We’re going to my BFF’s daughters concert! She’s FIRST CHAIR for the Hershey festival strings! I love this kid, she’s so talented and so bright and she’s a bright spot in the world! We’re going to have supper afterwards and maybe hit a few craft stores because I need to pick up the rest of my supply list for the Petite Dolls class. (Beeswax anyone?) It promises to be a fun day! I hope yours is as well!

T.G.I.F.

I spent my first full week as a telecommuter this week and let me just say….I LOVED IT! Some things that I MUST do though, I must get up and get dressed and showered every day before I start work. It helps me feel human and fully functional. I MUST eat breakfast. I’ve been skipping it almost everyday this week! BAD! I must take my lunch break away from the computer. It’s to easy to just shift over to my home computer and surf…I need to get out or something.

 

And here’s what I’ve been working on. She’s done in sharpie pen and crayola crayon, while I wait for the arrival of my prisma color pencils for Suzi Blu’s Petite Dolls class:

Not terrible, eh? For crayon anyway…

You showed me your love in the light of the stars

Dante’s prayer

When the dark wood fell before me
And all the paths were overgrown
When the priests of pride say there is no other way
I tilled the sorrows of stone
I did not believe because I could not see
Though you came to me in the night
When the dawn seemed forever lost
You showed me your love in the light of the stars
Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me
Then the mountain rose before me
By the deep well of desire
From the fountain of forgiveness
Beyond the ice and the fire
Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me
Though we share this humble path, alone
How fragile is the heart
Oh give these clay feet wings to fly
To touch the face of the stars
Breathe life into this feeble heart
Lift this mortal veil of fear
Take these crumbled hopes, etched with tears
We'll rise above these earthly cares
Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me...

I want to live my life, not must pretend to

Finished Collage piece “Confessions of the Ice Queen”. If you try to read the journaling behind it..more power to you. Be kind!

I thought this was finished, but turns out it’s not. I’m still doodling on it and adding to it. I’ll repost it later. Just a little collage piece with abstract book poetry.

Bad picture, but you get the idea. Not sure if this is finished or not. Time will tell.

So , the meat of this post. I got the book “Collage Lab” from Amazon.com and I’m in LOVE with it. This is fantastic for ideas! While I’m playing with sketches little dolls thanks to Suzi Blu (love Suzi!) I’m in love with Collage as well. It’s all good for me, right?

Speaking of sketches….Hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day!

Another brick in the wall

I signed up for two classes online with http://suziblu.typepad.com/ Suzi Blu. I enrolled in "Les Petite Dolls" and Portraits. I am SO EXCITED! As in...bounding around my house excited. I've been in total love with the folk art/big headed girls I've been seeing around lately like Danita's: http://danitaart.blogspot.com/ and Tascha's http://timewithtascha.blogspot.com/ and of course...SUZI! LOVE. love love love the big headed beauties! The make me seriously HAPPY. And now, thanks to Suzi, I'm going to be learning how to make some! If I was more coordinated, I'd dance around and do cartwheels. Since I'm not....I'll skip that and just post my joy here!

Crochet and cats

I’m working on a ripple afghan with the “Neat Ripple Along” group, on Ravelry. it’s my first crochet project and I’m very proud of how it’s coming along! It’s not the same pattern as the group but it’s one my mom knows and loves, and as she’s helping me along, this is what I’m using!

And just because it’s to damn cute…here’s Valkryie with the love of her life, the “Pillow Pet” I got for Christmas:

 

As you can see, she’s in love!

Some things will never be

A finished spread in my visual journal

The day goes on when I close my eyes....

So I've not blogged a few days. I've been over with my folks, working on my crochet blanket (pictures to come) and hanging out here. I did sign up for an online class that I'm really excited about though! Here: http://suziblu.ning.com/ (I signed up for stylized portraits and petite dolls). I've been wanting to take this for a while! I ADORE Suzi's big eyed beautiful girls! I can't wait to begin!

Also I ordered a new book from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1592535658/ref=oss_product

I can't wait for this either! I love the other book I got on collage, Collage Journey by Jane Davies! It's beautiful. I feel comfortable with Collage, it's art I feel free with, where drawing to me is awkward still and I'm never happy with the results. So, a good week with several treats for myself!

Because I needed a new project…

…like I need a hole in the head!

I’m starting a ripple blanket, crochet project! I’m amazed by how fast crochet goes for blankets and I want to be part of it! I FEEL THE NEED, THE NEED FOR SPEED!

Okay, enough of  that, here’s the yarn: