Well I finally did it! I have my Etsy Shop at omies.etsy.com up and running. I had my Grand Opening on April 1st and have been really busy. I am so proud and happy and thankful for everyone that has visited me and especially the customers that have made me feel like it is all worth it. I had been gathering things for months thinking I can do this, I can do this and now I think I really can. It has been a lot of work gathering, taking pictures, writing my descriptions but the most fun has been packing and sending things to others that like my little things too. Thanks to Kelly Rae Roberts and her magnificent ecourse, Flying Lessons: Tips + Tricks To Help Your Creative Business Soar, I am beginning to get the hang of the marketing job that goes along with selling too.
I have so many things still to add to the shop. I have found items of mine from when I was a child and items I have picked up along the way. And I have things that have been my Mother's and my Grandmother's. I have found things that have been in the top of the cupboards and in the bottom of drawers for years. And with it all has come the memories too. So many years and so many memories. I just love it now that someone else will enjoy these things I love too. So I hope everyone will keep coming back.
Something I am planning to add to my blog posts are articles about some of the items in my shop to give some history about the items so others will know more about these little things I love too. So again thank you everybody for making this new journey such fun!
Omies Place
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
What a wonderful life
I didn't know life could be so good. This retirement thing suits me real good. My days are filled with busy work that I love. I have been able to paint more, clean more, organize more, relax more, enjoy my family more, Wow! what a great feeling!
I think I told you about opening my Esty Shop soon and I have been working hard to go through boxes and drawers and closets to get things put on the shelves. I will be able to make an announcement soon for my grand opening so watch out, here I come, ready or not.
I and a few other classmates are taking the Get Your Paint On Class again on our own so this will keep me painting. And I will be taking another mixed media class in April that I am excited about. It is with Christy Tomlinson at Scarletlime. I'm taking her She Art Workshop. Her mixed media is so cute and colorful. Really fun! I can't wait to see how someone else makes their art. I love mixed media and hope one day I can find my way into the mixed media world with my own color and style.
Weather has been wonderful here and I am so much enjoying breakfast on the patio! Wishing you all warm and sunny Spring mornings.
talk soon,
Omie
I think I told you about opening my Esty Shop soon and I have been working hard to go through boxes and drawers and closets to get things put on the shelves. I will be able to make an announcement soon for my grand opening so watch out, here I come, ready or not.
I and a few other classmates are taking the Get Your Paint On Class again on our own so this will keep me painting. And I will be taking another mixed media class in April that I am excited about. It is with Christy Tomlinson at Scarletlime. I'm taking her She Art Workshop. Her mixed media is so cute and colorful. Really fun! I can't wait to see how someone else makes their art. I love mixed media and hope one day I can find my way into the mixed media world with my own color and style.
Weather has been wonderful here and I am so much enjoying breakfast on the patio! Wishing you all warm and sunny Spring mornings.
talk soon,
Omie
Friday, March 11, 2011
How I finished...
I have a little story to tell you about how I finished my paintings for the Get Your Paint On class given by Mati McDonough and Lisa Congdon I have been taking. I didn't realize that I would be finishing something in this class that I actually started 2 years ago. The painting I worked on in Week 4 and finished in Week 5 of class I began in my first art retreat.
I went to my first art retreat 2 years ago in beautiful Utah given by the lovely Julie Collings and Candice Elton called the The Art Nest. I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful a retreat these two ladies offer. If you ever have a chance to go to one of their retreats, grab at it. Anyway, I had been following Kelly Rae Roberts for a while (love her art!) and I wanted to take a class from her. Kelly Rae, and 2 other artists, Jane Wynn (she makes beautiful mixed media jewelry) and Mati was also teaching there. So I took my very first painting class at my very first art retreat from Mati McDonough. I had never put a paint brush to a blank canvas before so it was a little scary for me. But Mati was so gentle to those of us that had never painted before. As a starting point she had us write some special words or our thoughts on the gesso canvas first to help us start forming our ideas of what to paint and so...I had just left my son that had been through a very heartbreaking divorce so needless to say my feelings were very raw and close to the surface and I let them spill out. It was such a good time for me to just be alone and let my heart try to heal too. And so without knowing it my Week 5 painting of GYPO began but it was not completed in that first class. Since then I have revisited this canvas several times, covering the whole thing with a new layer of gesso at one time, except for the tree. The tree seem to be the only thing that would always make it through, maybe it stood as the roots of love that we have as a family. So in our class 4 assignment I picked it up again, this time with more determination. I am happy with it now and I am going to give it to my son. I feel so good that this painting is finished because I feel like it represents a difficult part of life for my son and myself is over also. Thanks for listening.
I went to my first art retreat 2 years ago in beautiful Utah given by the lovely Julie Collings and Candice Elton called the The Art Nest. I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful a retreat these two ladies offer. If you ever have a chance to go to one of their retreats, grab at it. Anyway, I had been following Kelly Rae Roberts for a while (love her art!) and I wanted to take a class from her. Kelly Rae, and 2 other artists, Jane Wynn (she makes beautiful mixed media jewelry) and Mati was also teaching there. So I took my very first painting class at my very first art retreat from Mati McDonough. I had never put a paint brush to a blank canvas before so it was a little scary for me. But Mati was so gentle to those of us that had never painted before. As a starting point she had us write some special words or our thoughts on the gesso canvas first to help us start forming our ideas of what to paint and so...I had just left my son that had been through a very heartbreaking divorce so needless to say my feelings were very raw and close to the surface and I let them spill out. It was such a good time for me to just be alone and let my heart try to heal too. And so without knowing it my Week 5 painting of GYPO began but it was not completed in that first class. Since then I have revisited this canvas several times, covering the whole thing with a new layer of gesso at one time, except for the tree. The tree seem to be the only thing that would always make it through, maybe it stood as the roots of love that we have as a family. So in our class 4 assignment I picked it up again, this time with more determination. I am happy with it now and I am going to give it to my son. I feel so good that this painting is finished because I feel like it represents a difficult part of life for my son and myself is over also. Thanks for listening.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Week 3 of the Get Your Paint On class
This week of painting has been real interesting. I am learning so much about myself and paint as a whole in this class. The instructors, Mati and Lisa, are great! Only through painting have I discovered more truths about myself. I recently read a real good book about my Chinese symbol, the Cat, and it fits me to a tee. It has also opened my eyes about who I am and what I am about and it has made me feel better about accepting that self more. I am who I am and that's OK. I like me! Painting has helped me see those things about myself even clearer. And I want to explore more of me and my painting.
This week's assignment was on color and we learned to mix colors to match colors that we like. Another discovery! It was not easy for me. I am a learner of basics first. I have to understand the basic first before I seem to be able to go to the next step. So I searched the internet, read all I could, ran to the library until I had some basics to start from. I have a grey palette made by Jack Richeson & Co that I use and the inside cover gives some color basics and mixing basics. I wanted to share a few things that I thought were useful.
3 parts to color: hue, chroma, and value
1. Value is the lightness or darkness of a color.
2. Chroma is a measure of how pure or saturated of a color.
3. Hue is the name of the color, such as; red, blue, green, etc.
- Adding white to a color lightens the value, makes the color temperature cooler, and sometimes changes the hue.
- Adding black will the darken the color and alters it's hue.
- Mixing a color with its complementary color "greys" or neutralizes the color (I thought this was interesting since I have made a lot of "grey" in my mixing sessions).
- Placing a color's complement near it in a painting will add visual interest.
Here is my week 3 painting. I used the colors of my loveseat as my inspiration for this week's assignment. Even though I love my loveseat, I have discovered that I love red better in paintings so I want to try my hand with red next week.
Get Your Whatever On next week for yourself...
This week's assignment was on color and we learned to mix colors to match colors that we like. Another discovery! It was not easy for me. I am a learner of basics first. I have to understand the basic first before I seem to be able to go to the next step. So I searched the internet, read all I could, ran to the library until I had some basics to start from. I have a grey palette made by Jack Richeson & Co that I use and the inside cover gives some color basics and mixing basics. I wanted to share a few things that I thought were useful.
3 parts to color: hue, chroma, and value
1. Value is the lightness or darkness of a color.
2. Chroma is a measure of how pure or saturated of a color.
3. Hue is the name of the color, such as; red, blue, green, etc.
- Adding white to a color lightens the value, makes the color temperature cooler, and sometimes changes the hue.
- Adding black will the darken the color and alters it's hue.
- Mixing a color with its complementary color "greys" or neutralizes the color (I thought this was interesting since I have made a lot of "grey" in my mixing sessions).
- Placing a color's complement near it in a painting will add visual interest.
Here is my week 3 painting. I used the colors of my loveseat as my inspiration for this week's assignment. Even though I love my loveseat, I have discovered that I love red better in paintings so I want to try my hand with red next week.
Get Your Whatever On next week for yourself...
Monday, February 14, 2011
My paintings
Well I am going to post my first 2 paintings to show everyone what I have been doing. This class has been so FUN! The best thing is that it has made me take time to play each week.
My first week painting includes a picture of my Grandmother and Grandfather with my brothers and myself in a quilt painted framework.
The 2nd week's painting was based on finding our subject matter and mine was houses. I love to draw houses. I think it goes with my love of home, my home, and being home. I loved playing around with the details of this painting. This reminds me of making your house a home.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Hello 2011
Someone pulled the trigger on the starter gun January 1st and I haven't quit running sense...this first month has been really busy for me so I am sorry I have waited so long to journal. Just everyday living has kept me running. I think I am ready now to get back to my creative list. I have begun to sort through boxes of paper and other things to start my first Etsy Shop. I hope to have an announcement for all of you soon. I hope to have a great shop loaded with old papers, old pictures, old studio photographs, and other goodies for collages. I have found old jewelry, watches, old lace collars, and other sewing notions. I have gathered for years and need to clean it out. Watch for my opening in February. I will give notice on my Facebook and Twitter account too.
This month I have started out taking Mati McDonough and Lisa Congdon "Get Your Paint On" ecourse. Just the first week's assignment has set me on my heels, made me think about painting with a whole new light, and I am so looking forward to what is next...if I do something I like I will post a picture.
I love winter, the snow, coats, scarfs and gloves, warm fires, hot cup of tea, a blanket on my lap, a dog laying next to me and another one at my feet, time to read, snooze, plan, and dream. The change of the seasons, changes our way of life, our moods, our appetites, our wants and needs, and too even our dreams. We seem to slow down during the winter months just as nature seems to slow down, regroup, and recoup. Here is to another month of wishing and dreaming and rest.
This month I have started out taking Mati McDonough and Lisa Congdon "Get Your Paint On" ecourse. Just the first week's assignment has set me on my heels, made me think about painting with a whole new light, and I am so looking forward to what is next...if I do something I like I will post a picture.
I love winter, the snow, coats, scarfs and gloves, warm fires, hot cup of tea, a blanket on my lap, a dog laying next to me and another one at my feet, time to read, snooze, plan, and dream. The change of the seasons, changes our way of life, our moods, our appetites, our wants and needs, and too even our dreams. We seem to slow down during the winter months just as nature seems to slow down, regroup, and recoup. Here is to another month of wishing and dreaming and rest.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Thanksgiving this year.
My how time flys. I should have had pictures for Thanksgiving this year, we had such a good time. The boys got lots of birds. We went goose hunting in the pits which I always love. The pits where you hunt from are down in the ground so that when you stand up you are looking straight across the horizon and up into the sky. Of course this is perfect for watching for geese but it is also beautiful to watch the world from too. You just listen for the sounds of the geese flying. It is such a peaceful time. I'll try to take some pictures from the pits next time we go. Sitting there looking into the sky makes me so aware of everything I have to be thankful for...my family especially and all the good times we spend together. We are so lucky that our kids like to spend time with us. We enjoy them too so much.
Now we are down to crunch time, those short weeks before Christmas, when you are checking your lists once a day to make sure you haven't forgotten anything. All my Christmas is bought or made and mailed and I am doing my baking this week for friends. And we are ready to see the grandkids in their school Christmas activities. That is the best time. We will make our rounds at Christmas this year to see what Santa has brought everyone. We will be missing one this year, our oldest grandson is in his Navy boot camp for the holidays and my heart will be with him too. And all our wonderful service men and women who are spending the holidays away from their families.
This is my favorite time of the year, with all the warm memories from the past and the ones that we are making everyday. Merry Christmas to everyone and a Happy New Year.
Now we are down to crunch time, those short weeks before Christmas, when you are checking your lists once a day to make sure you haven't forgotten anything. All my Christmas is bought or made and mailed and I am doing my baking this week for friends. And we are ready to see the grandkids in their school Christmas activities. That is the best time. We will make our rounds at Christmas this year to see what Santa has brought everyone. We will be missing one this year, our oldest grandson is in his Navy boot camp for the holidays and my heart will be with him too. And all our wonderful service men and women who are spending the holidays away from their families.
This is my favorite time of the year, with all the warm memories from the past and the ones that we are making everyday. Merry Christmas to everyone and a Happy New Year.
Monday, November 22, 2010
I love old houses
During my Friday dates with my husband we have been just driving through the countryside. The weather has begun to change from Fall to Winter and it has been so nice just to relax before the busy holidays. This week we found a great big house standing all alone up on a little knoll, in the cold wind but bright sunshine, still standing after all the years. I can't even imagine what this house has held in it's lifetime. I could see the summer breeze blowing through the windows with the white curtains blowing in the breeze. Little kids running around the yard playing while their Mother was working inside and their Dad was out in the field. It almost made me cry to see this house standing all by itself, empty and alone, after all the shelter it has provided for so many years. It doesn't seem right that it should be left to die alone. I wonder what has happened to a family that would make them leave their home to just fall apart. I can't seem to get this house out of my mind...I wish I could save it.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Friday Date
My husband and I have been trying to take every Friday and go on a date for the day. Usually it is breakfast and a drive through the countryside. We try to take off a different direction, a road we haven't been down before, or a little town we haven't seen yet. I love to take pictures and what's is down the road and of course we look for little junk stores to see what we can find (and I usually find something).
This week I saw a little house that just caught my eye. It always breaks my heart to see a house empty. I always wonder how it looked when someone lived there. And how excited maybe a man and his wife and children were the first day they moved into their new home. I used to know a poem about just this and I think about it every time I see something like this.
In our part of the country they are bringing in the harvest and the colors of the grains are unbelievable.
It is opening day for pheasant hunting season and my boys will be home soon hungry for supper so I had better get busy on the mashed potatoes for supper...enjoy.
This week I saw a little house that just caught my eye. It always breaks my heart to see a house empty. I always wonder how it looked when someone lived there. And how excited maybe a man and his wife and children were the first day they moved into their new home. I used to know a poem about just this and I think about it every time I see something like this.
What a cute little house.
Even empty I love the mossy green color that it has take on with age.
In our part of the country they are bringing in the harvest and the colors of the grains are unbelievable.
It is opening day for pheasant hunting season and my boys will be home soon hungry for supper so I had better get busy on the mashed potatoes for supper...enjoy.
My postcard
I made another postcard "thank you" for my mother-in-law but I didn't think of taking a picture. duh! I also used this last week to drop picture postcards in the mail to my grandkids just to say hi! and I miss you! Everybody loves getting something in the mail...it's like a little Christmas.
Speaking of Christmas and getting something in the mail. I got my early Christmas this week too. I ordered myself some patterns to use for rubbings with my "paintstiks". I found a beautiful cape made of silk that was done with "paintstiks" that I would like to make for someone. I just want to make it, I don't wear things like that, don't go anywhere, but I just want to make it. Or maybe a lap quilt would be fun too. No sure just love the patterns and colors. I also ordered some beautiful craft metal to emboss and use in some jewelry. Fun stuff to do!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
New Old Sewing Machine
I have signed up for "The Great Big Stitched Postcard Swap being done by Beth Nicholls on her blog at aspecialjourneyofmyown.blogspot.com. I have my idea in my head and I hope to set at my new old sewing machine tomorrow and sew. I will add a picture when I am done. Come see.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Getting ready for Winter
It has been a while since I wrote but I have been settling in for the winter months here. Fall weather has set in and the evenings have been wonderful. I know this sounds crazy but my husband and I were wishing for a rainy weekend to set around the house. Hasn't happened yet but I know it will soon enough. Our old bed has gotten a new paint job probably for the last time and it looks so nice and clean. This bed my husband built for me before we were married some 30 years ago. The corner posts are made from cyclone fence posts and he made the rest himself. It is so heavy I can't move it so where it is set up it stays. I have a trip to make this week but when I get back I am going to make new curtains (using old quilts) for the bedroom too. I have my idea in my head I just hope I can make it work and it looks ok.
I am working on setting up my sewing room. Shelves, tack board, thread holder, ribbon holder, etc. I want to make it as organized as I can to help me put all my "stuff" out in front of me for inspiration and ease for projects to come. I know it is a "job in progress" to get it just right and I am looking forward to that too. I love organizing.
Soon it will be bird hunting season and the kids will be here on the weekends so I will be cooking and cleaning but laughing and loving every minute of it. Warm homemade bread, pots of soup, chili, chicken and dumplings, yummmm. And then the holidays...so looking forward to them this year.
I am working on setting up my sewing room. Shelves, tack board, thread holder, ribbon holder, etc. I want to make it as organized as I can to help me put all my "stuff" out in front of me for inspiration and ease for projects to come. I know it is a "job in progress" to get it just right and I am looking forward to that too. I love organizing.
Soon it will be bird hunting season and the kids will be here on the weekends so I will be cooking and cleaning but laughing and loving every minute of it. Warm homemade bread, pots of soup, chili, chicken and dumplings, yummmm. And then the holidays...so looking forward to them this year.
Monday, August 30, 2010
New life adventure to begin!
Almost Home Texas again...with lots of things running around in my head. At long last, plans that we have been making for retirement are going to be put into action. Time to organize, sort, hang, and get ready for my pursuit of happiness in my art projects. I have been reading the latest Where Women Create magazine looking for jumping off points for my work stations and everything I have seen is swimming in my head so i have decided to start a list of items/projects/dreams to work from or inspire for to stay on track and what better place to wish from then my blog. Any ideas you want to share I would love to hear them and hopefully I will be able to keep you up to date over the next year with pictures too.
...sewing space in ks house
...paint/paper space in ks house
...jewelry space in ks house
...take Lexy for a walk everyday I can
...join a photo group and enter a photo challenge this winter
...finish at least 1 quilt I have already started by next spring
...recipe book for my niece
...1 photo book organized and ordered a month
...make Christmas gifts for my freinds and family this year
...make my Christmas cards this year and actually mail them this year too
...make a ribbon holder
...make a thread holder
...have an artist date with my husband each week
...visit every junk/thrift store near our home in ks that we can manage
...reconnect our love of exploring every nook and cranny of a junk store
...lace, lace, lace, make a lace book
...quilt, quilt, quilt
Bare with me here...it is a wish list
...inspiration board for my sewing space in ks
...paint and wallpaper (large floral) in my jewelry space in ks
...button embroidery picture
...work on repairs to my grandmother's crazy quilt
...scarfs from sewn flowers, felted pinwheels, old hankies
...need more old jars for sewing notions
...quote a week to a friend
...more, more, more vintage material
...list old papers and pics on easy
...stamp/paint buttons
...be more free with my color!
...material bib necklace for my girls
...skirts,skirts, skirts
...1 assemblage piece this winter
...hang all my pics
...use an old window to frame pics in a group
...1 set of earrings and a necklace made from my metalsmithing class
...black background/silver and gold leaf paper drawing
...make chandelier for my painting space in kc
...license plate(s) pic
...mud boots for ks
..........ok I quit for today. I will be dreaming about all these things tonight!
I have a lot to do in the next month to get me ready to go back to KS for hunting season, pack, prepare for sale on etsy, clean my house in TX. I have been looking forward to this for so long I am so excited but it is going to be some work and fun to get both my houses ready so that I my things in both places as I travel back and forth. Wish me luck!!!
Talk to you all soon.
...
mt
...sewing space in ks house
...paint/paper space in ks house
...jewelry space in ks house
...take Lexy for a walk everyday I can
...join a photo group and enter a photo challenge this winter
...finish at least 1 quilt I have already started by next spring
...recipe book for my niece
...1 photo book organized and ordered a month
...make Christmas gifts for my freinds and family this year
...make my Christmas cards this year and actually mail them this year too
...make a ribbon holder
...make a thread holder
...have an artist date with my husband each week
...visit every junk/thrift store near our home in ks that we can manage
...reconnect our love of exploring every nook and cranny of a junk store
...lace, lace, lace, make a lace book
...quilt, quilt, quilt
Bare with me here...it is a wish list
...inspiration board for my sewing space in ks
...paint and wallpaper (large floral) in my jewelry space in ks
...button embroidery picture
...work on repairs to my grandmother's crazy quilt
...scarfs from sewn flowers, felted pinwheels, old hankies
...need more old jars for sewing notions
...quote a week to a friend
...more, more, more vintage material
...list old papers and pics on easy
...stamp/paint buttons
...be more free with my color!
...material bib necklace for my girls
...skirts,skirts, skirts
...1 assemblage piece this winter
...hang all my pics
...use an old window to frame pics in a group
...1 set of earrings and a necklace made from my metalsmithing class
...black background/silver and gold leaf paper drawing
...make chandelier for my painting space in kc
...license plate(s) pic
...mud boots for ks
..........ok I quit for today. I will be dreaming about all these things tonight!
I have a lot to do in the next month to get me ready to go back to KS for hunting season, pack, prepare for sale on etsy, clean my house in TX. I have been looking forward to this for so long I am so excited but it is going to be some work and fun to get both my houses ready so that I my things in both places as I travel back and forth. Wish me luck!!!
Talk to you all soon.
...
mt
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Brooklyn Library Sketchbook Project
Hello everyone from Kansas. We have been at our home in Kansas for the last month so I have been busy with some of my projects. It has been hot outside but it has kept me inside busy setting up a new sewing room for myself getting ready for wintertime. I hope to be able to maybe finish a quilt this winter that I started years ago.
But I really wanted to tell you about the Brooklyn Library Sketchbook Project I heard about from another blogger. It is so neat!!! You receive a blank sketchbook from the library and send back a full sketchbook that you have made and it becomes a part of the library's catalog of books. They will tour the books before they return to the library to remain so that anyone can check them out. Such a neat thing to be a part of...check out their website and all about it from the button on the right side.
Talk to you soon.
But I really wanted to tell you about the Brooklyn Library Sketchbook Project I heard about from another blogger. It is so neat!!! You receive a blank sketchbook from the library and send back a full sketchbook that you have made and it becomes a part of the library's catalog of books. They will tour the books before they return to the library to remain so that anyone can check them out. Such a neat thing to be a part of...check out their website and all about it from the button on the right side.
Talk to you soon.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Gathered and Sown
Dear Friends, Just a little post to introduce you to my beautiful niece's (and her friend)etsy shop called Gathered and Sown. It is a shop of fun bags and other accessories that are hand made and wonderfully done. I have one myself and I get so many compliments. Please check it out. More soon!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Buzy Summer
Hello Everyone,
It has been a long time and I have so much to tell you. So have a seat and stay a while. Well first the e-course I took from Kelly Rae Roberts on making a creative business is over and I am still soaking up all the information she shared in her course. I would love to think that I can keep up with her standards and I am going to work hard to accomplish my goals, share my thoughts honestly with others, be more open to the wonderful artist community out there, and start my Esty Shop. I have a list a mile long but it is a good list and I am looking forward to it. Starting with making my blog an enjoyable space for others to visit. As Kelly Rae would say, come in to my kitchen and set awhile. I have always lived in the country and have never had close neighbors so I am looking forward to having good fiends stop by and chat for a while. Be sure to leave me your side of the conversation so we can get to know each other. I will put on some tea and we will have a nice visit, so stop often. I love company!
My daughter and I took our first vacation together since she has grown into a wonderful Mother and Woman. We had a blast! We drove from Kansas across beautiful Colorada into Utah. We talked and sang and laughed for 2 days. And then the fun started again when we made it to The Art Nest Retreat put on by Julie Collings and Candice Elton. They are the best! If you ever have a chance to go to one of their retreats I would highly recommend it. The whole experience is so nuturing. They cook and cuddle you the whole time. And this time we were high in the mountains of Utah in a beautiful log home and we had special visitors, a momma moose and her 2 babies. It was beautiful. I will have pictures to share when I learn how to add pictures to my posts. I had visited a previous retreat they did and I wanted my daughter to know the same experience in her life.
Ruth Rae, an awesome altered mix media fabric designer, showed us her way with fabric legacy books. She is amazing. My daughter had not sit at a sewing machine since she was in the 6th grade and she fell in love all over again. It was so neat to watch her have so much fun sewing again. And Stephanie Lee, found object jewelery designer, found her way into our hearts with a simple but really cool book cover that is never ending. The book covers (front and back) are tied together with ribbon so your pages can be added as you want. I loved that idea because I never have all my stuff together at once anyway. And she also spent time with us about journaling. I had always wanted to write or journal but always had an excuse to start. She gave us nice hints to help us get started on our own. My Mother wrote a journal for over 12 years and I take them out once in a while and read through a few pages. She is gone now but it helps me feel like she is still very close to me. We had a wonderful time in our week of travel and it was nice to get closer to my daughter again.
Now that my traveling is over for the summer and it is so hot in Texas that all my work outside is done in the first hour in the morning, I am taking a box of family momentos each day and sorting through years of living with my Grandfather and Grandmother, and Uncle, and my Mother that has been gone for over 24 years now. Being the only girl with 3 brothers, I seem to have gathered the family treasures to deal with. I don't really mind, it is fun and sometimes sad to go through their lives in boxes. But it is also amazing how much I have learned about them too. These are the items I mentioned in my earlier post about sharing items with others. I will be posting soon about my Esty Shop.
I am addicted to art magazines, I admit it. I can look, look, look, wish, wish, and wish...but I talk about making art but I can make more excuses than art it seems. So...I am giving my self a challenge to take a magazine and start from the beginning and do each project that is showed in that magazine. Mixed Media Artists are so giving of their art and I want to show my appreciation to them by using what they have shared so graciously. So I will be sharing pictures with you as I finish a project.
Which brings up another subject, pictures. I will be loading pictures to my flickr account this week too so that I can share my life through pictures with you too.
Well if I haven't run you off by now, I will say so long for a while but please come back soon. I will have lots to talk about always and hope you will too.
Have a good Monday.
Debbie
It has been a long time and I have so much to tell you. So have a seat and stay a while. Well first the e-course I took from Kelly Rae Roberts on making a creative business is over and I am still soaking up all the information she shared in her course. I would love to think that I can keep up with her standards and I am going to work hard to accomplish my goals, share my thoughts honestly with others, be more open to the wonderful artist community out there, and start my Esty Shop. I have a list a mile long but it is a good list and I am looking forward to it. Starting with making my blog an enjoyable space for others to visit. As Kelly Rae would say, come in to my kitchen and set awhile. I have always lived in the country and have never had close neighbors so I am looking forward to having good fiends stop by and chat for a while. Be sure to leave me your side of the conversation so we can get to know each other. I will put on some tea and we will have a nice visit, so stop often. I love company!
My daughter and I took our first vacation together since she has grown into a wonderful Mother and Woman. We had a blast! We drove from Kansas across beautiful Colorada into Utah. We talked and sang and laughed for 2 days. And then the fun started again when we made it to The Art Nest Retreat put on by Julie Collings and Candice Elton. They are the best! If you ever have a chance to go to one of their retreats I would highly recommend it. The whole experience is so nuturing. They cook and cuddle you the whole time. And this time we were high in the mountains of Utah in a beautiful log home and we had special visitors, a momma moose and her 2 babies. It was beautiful. I will have pictures to share when I learn how to add pictures to my posts. I had visited a previous retreat they did and I wanted my daughter to know the same experience in her life.
Ruth Rae, an awesome altered mix media fabric designer, showed us her way with fabric legacy books. She is amazing. My daughter had not sit at a sewing machine since she was in the 6th grade and she fell in love all over again. It was so neat to watch her have so much fun sewing again. And Stephanie Lee, found object jewelery designer, found her way into our hearts with a simple but really cool book cover that is never ending. The book covers (front and back) are tied together with ribbon so your pages can be added as you want. I loved that idea because I never have all my stuff together at once anyway. And she also spent time with us about journaling. I had always wanted to write or journal but always had an excuse to start. She gave us nice hints to help us get started on our own. My Mother wrote a journal for over 12 years and I take them out once in a while and read through a few pages. She is gone now but it helps me feel like she is still very close to me. We had a wonderful time in our week of travel and it was nice to get closer to my daughter again.
Now that my traveling is over for the summer and it is so hot in Texas that all my work outside is done in the first hour in the morning, I am taking a box of family momentos each day and sorting through years of living with my Grandfather and Grandmother, and Uncle, and my Mother that has been gone for over 24 years now. Being the only girl with 3 brothers, I seem to have gathered the family treasures to deal with. I don't really mind, it is fun and sometimes sad to go through their lives in boxes. But it is also amazing how much I have learned about them too. These are the items I mentioned in my earlier post about sharing items with others. I will be posting soon about my Esty Shop.
I am addicted to art magazines, I admit it. I can look, look, look, wish, wish, and wish...but I talk about making art but I can make more excuses than art it seems. So...I am giving my self a challenge to take a magazine and start from the beginning and do each project that is showed in that magazine. Mixed Media Artists are so giving of their art and I want to show my appreciation to them by using what they have shared so graciously. So I will be sharing pictures with you as I finish a project.
Which brings up another subject, pictures. I will be loading pictures to my flickr account this week too so that I can share my life through pictures with you too.
Well if I haven't run you off by now, I will say so long for a while but please come back soon. I will have lots to talk about always and hope you will too.
Have a good Monday.
Debbie
Monday, May 24, 2010
I'm so Excited!
May 30th I am beginning my first e-course done by Kelly Rae Roberts. The course is going to be full of information to make your business grow. I am looking toward retirement to be able to do what I want to do and I think I have what I am looking for. My husband and I have been in antiques for 20 years and I love the small things that get left in the bottom of the drawers when you clean out an old dresser or little treasures that you find in dresser bowls or in the bottom of boxes in your bottom drawer. You know, the little trinkets that a penny or nickel would buy with a piece of gum. All the little things in life that mean so much for the moment as they are held in your hand or put in your pocket and then washed. All the little things that we remember having but don't remember what happened to them. These are the things that I like to collect and I want to do something with them. I want to be able to share them with others. I have to because I can't do something with everything I have and I want them to have another life.
So I am hoping through this wonderful class that Kelley Rae is offering I can find a way to share my ideas and love of these little things.
This is going to be such a wonderful way to take a class. You can pick a quiet time to read and absorb the material and yet have plenty of time to ask questions and then read everyone else's questions too.
Class is still open but it starts May 30th so hurry if you are interested. Go to www.kellyraeroberts.com and look under e-courses. Kelly Rae is great!
And I am starting to gather and pack for The Art Nest in June. It will be here in no time. My daughter and I will be driving from Texas to Utah. I think the trip will be so fun too. I will take lots of pics to show everyone what we did.
Until another time...
So I am hoping through this wonderful class that Kelley Rae is offering I can find a way to share my ideas and love of these little things.
This is going to be such a wonderful way to take a class. You can pick a quiet time to read and absorb the material and yet have plenty of time to ask questions and then read everyone else's questions too.
Class is still open but it starts May 30th so hurry if you are interested. Go to www.kellyraeroberts.com and look under e-courses. Kelly Rae is great!
And I am starting to gather and pack for The Art Nest in June. It will be here in no time. My daughter and I will be driving from Texas to Utah. I think the trip will be so fun too. I will take lots of pics to show everyone what we did.
Until another time...
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Another Month is gone.
Here we are in May already. I am just about done with my job and will be fully retired soon...yea!!! I have a busy summer planned. Next month my daughter and I are going to Utah for the Art Retreat with Julie and Candice. I am so excited about taking a class with Ruth Rae and Stephanie Lee and working with my sewing machine again. I made all my daughter's clothes before she started school but that was almost 35 years ago. WOW! I can't believe it. Then I helped my girls sew when they were in Blue Birds and home economics classes in jr high school. Hand sewing has been my passion more than anything over the years. I love to quilt, embroidery, cross-stitch, anything with a needle and in my lap but I have also missed the machine. I have a feeling a new machine is in my future, ha. I hope to have pictures of the class when I get back to put on my site.
July we are on our way to travel the East Coast. I want to go to Maine and eat lobster, New York and see Niagra Falls and everywhere in between. So I will have lots of pictures to share with everyone when I get back.
It has been so nice to spend time in my home, cleaning, organizing, and going through lots of things I have collected along my pathway. I still have boxes from 5 years ago when I cleaned out my father's home to go through. But now I have all the time I want to do what I want. Enjoy whatever you are planning for your summer and please come back and see me. I want to tell you everything.
July we are on our way to travel the East Coast. I want to go to Maine and eat lobster, New York and see Niagra Falls and everywhere in between. So I will have lots of pictures to share with everyone when I get back.
It has been so nice to spend time in my home, cleaning, organizing, and going through lots of things I have collected along my pathway. I still have boxes from 5 years ago when I cleaned out my father's home to go through. But now I have all the time I want to do what I want. Enjoy whatever you are planning for your summer and please come back and see me. I want to tell you everything.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Happy Birthday to Me
Well, I'm not sure that this is my favorite birthday but getting close to 59 1/2 is one milestone I don't mind...retirement here I come. I am ready to play now. My husband, family, and art are going to be my full time job, in that order, from now on.
I am starting out with a trip to Utah with my daughter to the Art Nest in June. They treat you like a queen while you are there. I cannot believe that my daughter has an interest in art now. She was never interested in any of my "crafty things" until now and I am excited to take this trip with her. Then my husband and I are planning a trip to Nova Scotia this summer. This is part of the country I have always wanted to see.
I just had a wonderful visit with my cousin and her husband. I saw her for the first time last year and they came back again this year. We have just become so connected after all these years. Now we are planning a cruise together for next March. It is so nice to have family. Family is special!!
I have an easy day planned tomorrow for myself to paint and spend time with my favorite friend, Lexy, my black lab. She loves my company. Wishing everyone happy days until next time....
I am starting out with a trip to Utah with my daughter to the Art Nest in June. They treat you like a queen while you are there. I cannot believe that my daughter has an interest in art now. She was never interested in any of my "crafty things" until now and I am excited to take this trip with her. Then my husband and I are planning a trip to Nova Scotia this summer. This is part of the country I have always wanted to see.
I just had a wonderful visit with my cousin and her husband. I saw her for the first time last year and they came back again this year. We have just become so connected after all these years. Now we are planning a cruise together for next March. It is so nice to have family. Family is special!!
I have an easy day planned tomorrow for myself to paint and spend time with my favorite friend, Lexy, my black lab. She loves my company. Wishing everyone happy days until next time....
Sunday, April 4, 2010
April already
I can't believe it is April already but it sure is nice to see Spring come at last. My brother and wife has been here for a nice visit and the weather has been perfect. We have been able to sit outside each evening on the patio with our wine and a snack. We went to The Oasis in Austin last night and it was a perfect night too, beautiful weather and Lake Travis was full, the boats were out, margaritas and food were great! Great time with family that are good friends too.
Thinking now of my list of "wanta do's" Now that the weather is nice I want to start my foundation mosaic, I have flowers to plant, I have my walkway to finish to my greenhouse, and I want to start painting my outbuildings. I will take pictures during my projects so that I am sure to keep it going.
I have 3 outbuildings to clean out and I want to get my cellar cleaned out so that I can paint down there this summer when it is hot outside but cool in the cellar. I am so excited about retiring and having time to do all the projects I want to work on.
So for tonight I can have good dreams about playing with my home again.
Good night to all and Happy Easter.
Thinking now of my list of "wanta do's" Now that the weather is nice I want to start my foundation mosaic, I have flowers to plant, I have my walkway to finish to my greenhouse, and I want to start painting my outbuildings. I will take pictures during my projects so that I am sure to keep it going.
I have 3 outbuildings to clean out and I want to get my cellar cleaned out so that I can paint down there this summer when it is hot outside but cool in the cellar. I am so excited about retiring and having time to do all the projects I want to work on.
So for tonight I can have good dreams about playing with my home again.
Good night to all and Happy Easter.
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