Digital Art

It has been a very long and difficult week, but I am hopeful things are looking up. I have tomorrow off and am being picked up early by a girl friend and we are going out to breakfast and then doing some late Christmas shopping. I would also like to stop in at some second hand stores and maybe Big Lots.

I came into my art room late this evening and started playing around with Photoshop. I haven't been into digital art much lately and it felt good to play. I really like how this playing turned out. I think I am going to have to mix some digital into my mixed media art. I'd forgotten how powerful and surprising and fun Photoshop can be.



It's late and I'd better turn in. I'll post tomorrow after the shopping trip and hope to have more goodies to put up then. For now, don't forget to live in the moment.

I'm Back - Been Sick

I don't know if I have shared this weakness of mine, but I am severely lactose intolerant. I have been very careful for much of my adult life. I guess I have gotten complacent, but somehow in the past week I must not have been vigilant enough. I was so sick I could hardly stand up yesterday and am still a bit raw today. But I am surely on the mend. The penalty for ingesting milk products is severe and certain, but luckily nonlethal (although, sometimes in the midst of it I wish for any release).

At any rate, before the onset of symptoms, I spent time in my art room cutting up the many cardboard boxes I have been saving from the landfill. I cut them into 8 x 10, 4 x 6, 5 x 7, 2 x 2, and of course 2.5 x 3.5 sizes. It is so wonderful to see the empty space under the table that houses my printer and my huge guillotine style cutter.




I haven't gotten any art done, but I have spent some very precious time with my little ones. I also spent several hours in ER with the hubster on Monday. He had been experiencing some tightness in his chest and has a family history of heart problems. Scary, but all the tests came back fine. He did a follow up visit at his doctor's office the next day and is scheduled for an echocardiogram next week.

The hubster has a three day craft show this weekend and the daughter works. That puts me home with two little girls. P doesn't have school tomorrow so a long 3 days looms. I will try to find time to do some art, but no promises.

Until next time, remember to live in the moment.

It's Monday and A Day Off - Sorta

I have the day off, but since the daughter and her two little ones live with us unless either I or they go off somewhere for the day, it is not quite a free day.

The hubster and I went into town this morning. We browsed the dollar store for craft items and little girl stocking stuffers, went to Michael's for more little girl stocking stuffers and some Snow-Tex to finish my altered LP with, and then to Lowe's for a furnace filter, an extension cord for daughter's lighted village that we put up on the entertainment center and some super glue for me so that I can securely attach metal and other heavier objects to ATCs.




We then had lunch at the Ground Round. I had the lunch special - a cup of chicken noodle soup and half a TBLT wrap. It was delicious and left room for the apple pie and coffee that I planned on having when we got home. The hubster had a Asian Chicken Salad with dark greens and assured me that it was delicious. He, too, saved room for the pie and coffee.

Both daughter and baby were sleeping when we got home. The 5 year old was in school. The daughter had lots of running to do before picking up the 5 year old for ballet class, so I helped her get the baby ready and they were out the door.

I think I just need some very light colored letters saying something like "I've got your number".

And this one is done.

I am now trying to decide whether I should take advantage of their absence to play in my art room or pick up the living room and do dishes and sweep the kitchen. Maybe I can actually do all three.

I am trying with all my might to live in the moment, and you should too!

Kid Crafts

I found the cutest templates for reindeer and sleighs on a blog that has all kinds of wonderful ideas, not just kid crafts. Actually I am not sure these were meant for children to make, but the little one and I had great fun making them. The only thing I need to rethink is the paper I am making them out of. I need something more substantial. These are quite flimsy. I think when I decide on another material for them, we will make more and make them into tree decorations.

Of course, I made the mistake of saying to her, "You will want to color them brown with some black markings." She replied, "Nana, I am the artist and the artist is always right. I am going to color them all different colors and they will be beautiful." She was right, again!



These would make really cute gifts. She is thinking of making one for my Mom (Rena the great) and her Dad (he is working in another state and she misses him terribly).

Meanwhile, I am still not certain how I am going to finish my altered LP. I am thinking I want to come up with a material that looks like snow - either granulated looking or tiny little snow flakes-to tie all the different pictures together. I need to go shopping, but am still babysitting every day this week and I really can't do serious looking and browsing with a 1 year old and 5 year old in tow.



We have Monday off and I am thinking maybe the two of us (the hubster and I) could go into town and do a little shopping and maybe out to lunch.

Meanwhile, I have to get through the weekend. That's it for now; don't forget to live in the moment.

So Much To Do, So Little Time

This time of year is such a mixture of excitement and dread for me. With little girls around, I can't help but get caught up in the excitement, but for some reason there is a heavy feeling in me as well. I don't know for sure from whence this comes - the past, fearing that I will not live up to expectations, upset schedules, trying to fit another large piece into the living room (tree)....I really don't know.

I am trying to focus on the excitement and for that reason I have been looking for and have found some very cool templates to make Christmas ornaments. Actually the tuts are more for decorative elements to be on a table or shelf, but I will adapt them. My grandgirl who is in kindergarten would love to make something that will hang on the tree, so I am planning to spend the next couple of hours getting things ready for an ornament making session for this afternoon when she gets home from school.

Meanwhile, I have begun again on the altered LP I was working on earlier in the week. It is becoming a winter/Christmas themed piece. I don't have any of the pieces glued down yet and I haven't decided how to bring them all together so that they aren't just pieces of paper glued down, but I will perhaps have some time this evening to work on it more. I am very happy with the background and the chosen pix (I am recycling last year's Christmas cards), but need to do some serious thinking about making it gel and look coordinated and not random. I'm not sure I have expressed this very well, but I think I know what I mean. &-)


Better get to work on those templates for later with the 5 year old. That's it for now. Don't forget to live in the moment.