A Three Minute Tour

The signed, limited edition print that I won in the One World-One Heart giveaway on Jo's blog (The Cart Before The Horse) came in the mail on Saturday.



As is usually the case, it's even better 'in person'. It is such a sweet and whimsical piece. I framed it yesterday afternoon and hung it on a wall over one of the work tables in my craft room. That spot has been begging for something and the print works perfectly there! Thanks, again, Jo!

Since I had the camera out taking pictures of my new "Moon and Star" print, I thought I would show you a picture of Emma, my.....hmmm, my.....well, my 17 year old Siamese/Himalayan cat. I was thinking of calling her "my assistant" or "my helper", something like that, but she really isn't. She thinks her main job is to sit there looking pretty.



Now here, she looks like she's in a guard-cat position, but I seriously doubt her skill in that regard since she hides even when we have friendly company.



She is a good listener, and also a good talker at times. Hey, that sounds like a friend, a companion, a confidante---but, whoa! How about, simply, "Emma, my cat chum".

Next, is a picture of what I have been working on in the little 18" space that is left on one of my two work tables. The rest of the tabletop space is covered with piles of stuff and I am comforted to say that I know I am not alone in this affliction.



I've been playing with some really cool rubber stamps that I bought from Artgirlz and have been having the best time making paper dolls. I bought three different sets of rubber stamps and have been mixing and matching heads, arms and legs; skirts, pants and tops; wings, sunglasses, corsages, etc. I stamped them on different colors of cardstock and have been snip, snip, snipping away! I took some glitter pens to some of the pieces last night, ooooo!

OK, time's up. This concludes today's tour of the ol' craft room. I think it was kinda fun...thank you for coming along!

Marilyn

Glad I Found Out

I just received this in an e-mail from one of my daughters and I had to share it with you!

How to weigh yourself:


I can't believe I was doing it wrong all these years.
We must get the word out.


Marilyn

Mother Nature's Showy Snow

So, Thursday afternoon, I looked outside and the falling snow was incredibly beautiful!

The snowflakes were HUGE and looked like pieces of cotton candy. They FLOATED to the ground, kinda the way feathers do in the old cartoons when the cat eats a bird and one of the bird's feathers pops out of the cat's mouth and floats in a zigzag motion to the floor, thus alerting sweet kitty's owner that something is amiss. Geez, guess I could have just said that the snowflakes floated in a zigzag motion to the ground, but apparently I have a need for you to get a truly accurate "mind's eye" picture of my snow-watching experience.

Actually, I don't remember seeing snow like it before and for me to say that it was incredibly beautiful in late February when I've really had enough of it weeks ago (all right, already!) is really saying something.

So let's hear it for Mother Nature! She's pulling new tricks out of her bag even when we thought we'd seen every possible cold weather combination--this winter in particular.

Applause, applause!

Marilyn

The Cart Before The Horse

Did I mention how excited I am about a signed, limited edition print that I won?! Jo (The Cart Before The Horse) was a participant in the One World-One Heart blogger event. I entered my name in her drawing for a moon and star 'mixed media collage-drawing thingy' (her words, he-hee) and was one of the lucky five to win! I suggest you hop over to her blog and take a look. You'll see why I'm excited...she is an incredible artist! Jo's dolls are fabulous, and coincidentally, she is in an art group with my dollmaker friend, Karen/Cookie (Curds-and-Whey), another amazing artist, who also happens to be a Kansas City gal like me. Small world, huh?

Thanks, Jo, for your generosity...I really am thrilled!

Marilyn

Happy Valentine's Day!

Every day of the year, Rick treats me like a QUEEN! Yes, I know I'm lucky and I try hard not to take it for granted. So, on Valentine's Day it's good for me to remember all the love in my life. The love I receive and the love I give--it's pretty huge and amazing if you think about it. So amazing that I believe it calls for a celebration!

And celebrate I will...a romantic dinner for two with my hubby in our favorite place...at home. Rick is an excellent cook and has our meal planned--it's still a secret but I bet it will be yummy! And do you know one of the reasons we like to celebrate at home? Warning: this gets a bit steamy (he-hee!)...it's because we can wear our t-shirts and sweatpants, LOL! Maybe it's a sign of aging but we like to be comfortable. (Don't tell that to Stacy and Clinton on "What Not to Wear", they don't buy it!) Anyhow, let the celebration begin! For me, it just doesn't get any better than a yummy dinner at home with my babe and treating each other like royalty, even in our comfortable clothes!

Here's hoping that your Valentine's Day is full of love, too!

Marilyn

"the pink artist"

Back on the 1st of February, I stopped by Chel's blog (she's the founder of ZNE) and noticed that she was participating in ONE World-ONE Heart, a giveaway event that originated in 2007 with the idea of bringing bloggers together from around the world who may never meet ordinarily. It was quite successful last year and even more so this year with over 3 times the number of participants. It sounded like a fun time to me so I started visiting some of the blogs and was pleased to discover a number of artists that I will most definitely check in on again!

There's one that would have been a real shame to miss...Monica Magness...it was there that I learned about Monica's "the pink artist" community art doll project for charity. She created a 37 inch doll and is collecting 2" x 2" squares from artists, using their chosen medium, that she will hand sew to a piece of fabric and then add to the doll as the main focal point. The doll was recently named "Love Squared" and is eventually to be auctioned off with all proceeds to benefit "Susan G. Komen for the Cure" for the fight against breast cancer.

As of February 8th, there were 122 creative souls signed up to participate. As one of those 122, there is much that I love about this opportunity: 1. You just gotta love finding a place where personal passion can be a part of a bigger cause, a place to help make a difference...2.  the "Susan G. Komen for the Cure" and their dedication to many issues surrounding breast cancer through research, education, empowerment and much more...and 3. Being part of an art collaboration will surely be fun...not only the anticipation of seeing the completed art doll, but also seeing the incredible art squares as they come in.  There are several squares already posted on Monica's blog and it's an amazing sight! You can follow the progress of "Love Squared" on her blog, too.

So, here's my part...the four squares I'll be sending off to Monica tomorrow:

What a fun project--I'm thrilled to have found it! What else do you suppose is out there awaiting discovery?

Marilyn

This is for YOU!

Yes, it's for YOU...read it and believe it.

But that innocent looking candy in the "complementary" bowl? Do not believe that! It's anything but innocent! The taunting, the flirting-it's impossible to ignore.

And so, I give in.

But I know the last word will be mine!

Because with each fistful I take, the temptress dwindles. And one day there will be nothing left and I will be free!

Until the Easter jelly beans hit the store shelves!

Marilyn

Gallery Show Opening

Our son-in-law's father, among other things, is a painter. We attended his gallery show opening last night. Apparently, this is his first show in 20 years. It was at the encouragement of his wife and the gallery owner that he did it and I'm glad he obliged! His paintings are large in scale. The one pictured below (Sunday Page, Dalton Howard, 1980) is 68 x 60 inches. Not only the scale, but the vibrancy and depth of color in the ten (or so) pieces currently showing, produced an amazing energy in the gallery!


Our daughter and son-in-law are just about two of his biggest fans. They have several of his works hanging in their home. (I've helped to hang some of them and it involves more than hammering a nail in the wall. Oh, but the effort is worth it.) And I must tell you that for as long as we have known our son-in-law, he frequently expresses a wish for his dad to paint again. No, not because they need more art for their walls...he always speaks in an encouraging and loving way, and I think the desire comes simply because his dad is good at it.

It was such a pleasure seeing the paintings, all were new to me--I hadn't seen any of the pieces before last night. But, just as pleasurable (maybe more) was speaking with "l'artiste" and hearing him mention that the experience was making him want to take out his 4-inch brush again and get back at it. I saw a sparkle in his eyes (you know the one!) and based on that sparkle, I'm betting he just might do that. And don't you know there are at least a few people who would be thrilled if he does!

Marilyn