Letting off steam!

Dad came by today with a gauge for the furnace, more money trickling out! He also said a few leaks in some of the old welds would need to be repaired. I told him in person that he hurt my feelings yesterday and he apologized in his own way. That felt good. I don't want my dad to die some day thinking that I am hopeless and a disappointment. I also don't want to remember him for all the negative comments he spits at me.
Grandma used to tell me " If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" I wonder if she ever told him that?
I do know he is only trying to help us and he wants good things for us. We are so grateful, but we don't want to have him thinking we don't measure up.

I did get to work in my art studio tonight and had me some fun ; ) It just feels good to play! I made another Geek Fish card tonight and It brought back memories of my school days when I was considered a strange duck. I never really fit in. I remember a pair of turquoise blue jeans I had gotten at a thrift store and I sewed yellow buttons and beads all over them. I remember having a boy friend who told me he hated those pants because I looked like a dork in them.
Well he could just as well have called me a Geek. I think I like being a Geek and I always have.
I never needed to fit into everyone else's ideals and I don't intend to start now. So if I am not good enough in others eyes, so be it. I am PERFECT in my own eyes.
So now for my art creations of the day.

Not Everyone can be Perfect!

Gosh I need an art fix! I am wiped out emotionally again tonight. Furnace frustrations going on again. Why can't things just go smoothly? The money keeps trickling out. My father was his usual critical self today. Seems no matter how good I think I am doing, it is never good enough. Today, it was the condition of our broken down house. He couldn't live like this he says! Well you know what, he doesn't have to and not everyone has to have everything as perfect as he likes it. If he would ever be proud of me for being a good mother, who doesn't smoke, or drink.... Or the fact that we are saving monthly for our kids college education, that we are investing in our daughters education now, that we are saving for our own retirement. That we don't spend money on lavish extravagances. We are quite thrifty in fact. We buy used furniture, clothing and we are able to pay cash for our home remodel projects. We paid cash for our son's braces... Sure we may not be making the same money choices as he would, but that doesn't make us wrong. We make choices based on our needs at the time. Sometimes getting things you want is a deserved reward. It is the rewards that make struggling along day by day bearable. Sometimes other things just need to wait! What I really want from my dad is for him to be proud of me and to tell me so on occaision. Yes I know you may be reading this dad and if so, then you know how you make me feel. Maybe it will make a difference.
On another note, my sweet little dog smidgie got Spayed today and I was on pins and needles all day. We had a bad surgery experience in the past with our other Shih Tzu. I got my baby home by about 4 and she was very tired and was a little agitated whimpering. I was told to give her a pain killer tonight and shortly after I did that, she had a bad allergic reaction. She was rubbing her face frantically on the carpet and whimpering some more. When I looked at her face, her eyes were nearly swelled shut. I tried to call the clinic, but no answer. There was a message giving a number to call of emergencies only. So here I sit, wondering if my poor dog is going to stop breathing from the reaction. I didn't call and continued to hold her so I could keep a close eye on her. She seems better now, but she is sleeping. I hope she will sleep through the night OK and I will call the vet in the morning before I give her another pill.
Daycare kids have not been sleeping well with all the work going on and they continue to give me a workout. So no artwork again today. I am hoping tomorrow I will get some time, my boys are all going to a football draft! That leaves me home alone.
I hope I can get a good night sleep with my little dog, Nightie Night all.

Monday Monday

Well here it is Monday morning and another week begins. The good thing about this week, is that I get to look forward to the long weekend coming up.
No artwork for me yesterday, began the day by volunteering at the nursing home. Then ran errands and got projects done. I finished the trim work in Marshall's room, ran to Sam's and Menard's, put curtains back on the windows. Doors are hung with Knobs. Trim on steps got stained, new light fixture installed in kitchen, silverware door repaired, 3 door stops properly placed, cleaned up work area in basement and toilet handle fixed! WHEW, hubby and I had a good day!

A nasty day is unfolding here today. The furnace work begins again. Dad realized he had forgotten to put some bleeding valves in the system. So that took all day and a few choice words to help the job along ; )
I had hoped for some art time tonight, but it doesn't look like it is gonna happen. Tonight smidge needed to have bloodwork drawn for surgery tomorrow. Hubby donated plasma and I ran to the local Boys Ranch with a donation and also looked at a furniture store for a Kitchenette.
I found a wonderfully fun book for altering at the thrift store. No luck finding the perfect dinette set. The twin children had a moment of conflict when suddenly some very offensive words blurted from my sweet daughters mouth! I tried to remedy the situation by forcing them to hold hands facing each other and talk pleasantly together for a good 20 mins or so.
It went so well, I may make it a nightly ritual between my 3 teens ; )

No art for me! Other than a few sketches I have in mind for an upcoming Altered book project. I am emotionally drained and definitely ready for bed. Furnace inspection first thing in the morning, fingers crossed!

Serendipity

SERENDIPITY = (by definition of my dictionary)
The faculty of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for.

Well it has been a loungy kind of lazy day. I spent most of the day in my P.J.'s, sitting here, or piddling around in my art area. I had great fun, but didn't get near enough done.
Even when I am going for freedom with my art I still seem to mull it over and over analyze. Adding a stroke here, a swirl there...
I did one piece today from an image that appeared in the bathroom. hehehe
One of my sons, walked by the bathroom as I was sitting on the floor and asks why I am doing art sitting on the bathroom floor? ; ) I just smiled at him. He looks at what I am doing and says "oh Great, now she is painting the bathroom drain!" WELL, I saw art!
I did another piece from a simple paint swish. I've even got to admit I like both pieces.
I am planning to issue a serendipity challenge for the month of September on the collage group I run. I want to loosen up my collage techniques a bit also. I think most of my art is so stuffy. Even though I do try to find humor in most of my art, I think it still has that rigid formal feel to it.
I hope to do some collage tonight after we return from a birthday party. Not really looking forward to the party, It is for a co-worker of my husbands.

Well as suspected, the party was a bomb! However, once we got home I was not in the mood for art. So no collage work today, but here are my 2 painted cards.

Crazy 8

Here it is after midnight and I did get inspired to get down to my art room.
The card I made seems to reflect the feelings I am having about some situations going on around me. Sometimes you just wish you had a wild card to play when the going gets tough. I have a couple friends, who are going through rough times and I would give anything if I could help out somehow. Wouldn't it be grand if we could play a crazy 8 card and change things up in midstream ; ) taking us in a whole new direction?
Getting back to artwork here, I tried my hand at a bit of Serendipity collage tonight and came up with the Crazy 8 card. I have done Serendipity on a larger scale in the past and it is much easier than this small scale. Though I am not totally unhappy with how this came out.
But here I am back at collage again, I did incorporate paint into the mix. Making progress I guess.
I made a mess and I let loose ; )

Just a doodle

Soooo glad it's Friday! I hung the oak doors back in the jam's today and they look wonderful.
Worth the torture, I guess. Now for hubby to put the knobs and locks back on. My pair of (terrible two's) daycare bugs are sure giving me a challenge. They have both suddenly become so strong willed and struggling with me for the role of BOSS.

My goal for tonight was to spend the evening in my studio doing art. But I couldn't seem to get in the mood. I wanted to explore some doodling and shading with some pencils I received as a gift. Why is it that when I look at other artists abstract, free form art, I love it. But mine always looks like scribbles and junk to me. I know that in order for me to really let loose and allow that inner child come out and play, I will have to just do it, and then I will have to share what I have done. Most times I want to crumple it up and throw it away before anyone see's it.
I haven't done any drawing or painting for quite a while now, because I really am out of my comfort Zone there. I think I might try again to explore that area of art. But I really want to allow myself the freedom to make a mess, instead of being so neat and tidy and perfect. I don't know why when I try to paint or draw I feel it needs to be so precise. The perfectionist in me coming out, I am guessing. Somebody should push her down the stairs ; )

I did fiddle with the pencils just a bit and assembled a card I titled "Tunneling"

Hanging from Strings

I am physically and emotionally exhausted! The kids were absolutely crazy and crabby today. Made me crazy to boot! It rained pretty much all day. Some pretty nasty thunder storms! That could explain the moods. I had been preparing myself to varnish the door jam's all day and it was weighing heavy on me. I did force myself to get it done and now I feel good about it.
I just can't stand that job. My dad thinks I should do all the woodwork in the whole house. I must admit it needs it terribly. It is all dull and dried out. Still waiting on that final furnace inspection. I guess Monday is the day now?
Hubby is bummed as he missed out on another truck he was interested in. Called about our airline tickets for our Vacation in Oct. We are a bit worried about the flight because of the current strike. Neither hubby or I have ever flown before! Life just seems up in the air right now. Lots of things seem to be Hanging from Strings...

After supper I ran a few errands with hubby, I always enjoy that time with him. He is organizing his work bench in the basement; we were on the hunt for a storage container for all his nuts, bolts, screws and nails. We found the perfect thing at Walmart, but there was only one and it was broken! That is the way it always happens for us! I am so thankful tomorrow is Friday! Even though I have a busy weekend planned.
I created one card today, and was itching to do more, but no time. Gosh if I had my way, I know I could spend days at a time in my art studio.
Today's card is titled "Hanging from Strings" It is intended to be a political statement.

No Art Happening today

Today was a pretty busy day, in that my Dad put the final touches on the furnace (and yes I say final)
The boys both had football, Mandy had Sylvan testing today and we had her review meeting. She tested great! At the beginning of summer she was testing at grade level 5 or 6. Now only 3 months later she is testing all 8th grade levels! We are very very happy. She still has some work to do. You might ask, how can that be, as she is just entering 8th grade?
Did you know that in the public school system that when you are averaging a C overall, you are considered to be working at your grade level. Well at Sylvan they aim to get a child working above grade level. So if Mandy was a B student, in the 8th grade she would be working at 9th grade level. If she was getting A's she would be working at 2 grades higher than the grade she is in. C is average and if you are getting C's you are working at grade level. That somehow seems wrong to me. Sad that our public school system considers C's and D's adequate work. I know, I know, not every child can get A's and B's. I am beginning to wonder about that? I am thinking that perhaps most can if they were taught properly!
Sylvan feels they can get Mandy working at an A/B level. I would be soooo happy for that.
What troubles me greatly is that if Sylvan Learning can get her working at an A/B level, why can't our public school system? Or better yet, why do they choose not to????
Education is everything, I personally believe it is the one thing I can do for my child to secure her future. If she can get good grades she will be able to go places and do things for herself! Without a good education, she could struggle all of her life. I don't want her to have to rely on anyone. I want her, to have the power and the skills to make her life what she wants it to be.

Mandy had soccer practice tonight, and afterwards, in order to celebrate her Sylvan success, we took her and the boys to Cold Stone Creamery ice cream. YUMMY!
So the closest thing I got to art today was having a Cold Stone Original Creation.

Is the thermostat set too high?

I am not talking about the furnace now. I seem to be having one of my hot flash sessions. Sorry if that is too much information ; ) Heck if my internal thermostat doesn't start to cool down, I may not even need the new furnace this winter! It was a perfect kind of day today, a wonderful cool breeze blowing, in the 70's and fairly quiet all around. I had no wild schedules to keep me running, the kids went to their own school orientations and I squeezed in a bit of art here and there.

Dad was here for a bit working on some wiring for the furnace. It is looking so neat and tidy compared to the mess we had down there before. We are getting so close to being done now. I know I keep saying that, but it is true. I was able to give the oak doors a light sand and I filled a few nail holes on the door Jam's. Tomorrow, I will be able to give a bit of varnish to them and the doors should be able to be hung by the weekend. I also hope to varnish down the oak trim on the staircase. I am on a roll! Lots getting done.
One of my daycare mom's brought us some sweet corn for supper. It was so succulent, sweet and Yummy. Our first corn of the year. Probably our only!

Well I worked with several bits and pieces in the art room today, but only one card came together completely. It is a different kind of art, in that, it is the kind that just happens. The card began with a fun phrase I stumbled upon and then the images just fell into place. My overheating problem even had a bit of a play in this card. I especially like this kind of art because it makes people think. I even continue to mull it over and rethink it.
So here is something to think about.

Where'd the Weekend Go?

ATC club at my house today, I had a great time. There were only 4 of us today, but I expect we will have about 6 on a regular basis. Maybe it will even grow. I think we could make more room.
The theme for today was beach, take it as you like it. I got several cards done, but somewhat struggled with the theme today. I did a couple cards of the Geek Fish theme, as that is on my mind for the swap I joined.
The boys, hubby and I went out to eat at the Royal Fork tonight for an enjoyable meal. Mandy had been out to a Birthday party. Boy weekends go way too fast, I can't believe it is over already. I am sure it will be another busy week ahead. Dentist appt. for me, meeting for Mandy, football practices, and school orientations...
OH YES and the furnace work continues!

Since I wasn't the fondest of my beach cards, I will share a Geek Fish card again.

In Search of a Money Tree

WoooHooo Saturday is here! Furnace Gas leak has been found and fixed, I am feeling more clear minded. hehehe This has been a long week and I am happy to just have the weekend to myself. I fiddled around last night in my studio cleaning up and sticking odd bits together. I did make an art doll with the new rubber stamps I got and one of the embellishments that was in my trinket cup from our last ATC club. Now I have a full blue page finished for trades. Dad cleaned up so nice so that I could have my club down in the basement like I wanted. I got the table set up and it is looking nice down there. Life is good, now if only we could win the lottery or find ourselves a money tree. Hubby watched the Vikings last night and worked on the pipe project Dad assigned and he seems happy enough, meaning I didn't hear too much cussing or grumbling, so all must have gone OK. I gave those oak doors the final coat today and I am so glad they are done now except a final very light sand and buff. I enjoyed coffee with my cousin Karen today and I got the new Stampin Up catalog and a few old magazines. There were a lot of ATC's in one of them, so that will be some inspiration.
I didn't do any art really today, but pulled out some stamp images for club tomorrow.
Here is the art doll I made last night with my new stamp images plus one of the old ATC dolls I made a while back. They look different sizes, but they are really both ATC size, it is just the way they were scanned in.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Yep, my Dad's birthday today! He is 20 years older than me, that makes him 64. He looks much younger than that. Hope I look as good at 64! He took the day off today, which was well deserved. It seems we have overworked him, as his wrist is swollen from all the pipe work.
So no furnace work today, but the official furnace guy stopped by for a look. He brought his gas sniffer device along and found the leak. I knew I smelled gas! He says things are looking good, just as I knew they would.
My oldest son Marshall, has begun football training this week and I am getting pumped up for watching my boys play. Marshall is starting senior high this year! We have told him, he will need to prove himself to get equal play time, I hope he works hard, so momma can watch him play. He says their are 50 freshman out for football this year. YIKES, that will make competition tough.
One of my stamp orders arrived today, that made me very happy. I got them all cut out and put into their cases. Hoping for the other order tomorrow. I made one card today, which was an art doll ATC. Hadn't done a doll in a while and have been feeling the urge. I had quite a creative stretch of art dolls a while back, perhaps I will post a few of them in the coming days, so those of you, who may have missed it can have a peek. Now for today's effort.

Hot Topics

I am waiting on 2 stamp orders that I placed last week. They have both been shipped priority mail and should have certainly been here by now. This is a hot topic in our household because I feel like that is false advertising and in a sense theft! Hubby works for the postal service so you can see why the subject is a hot one. I am hoping for the stamps for my ATC club this weekend.
Speaking of hot topics, the furnace work continues to move along. When Dad arrived today he mentioned he had seen my blog post about almost blowing up the house when I was young ; ) He defended himself by claiming that where there is a furnace there is fire ; ) It is certainly looking nice down there. Everything is going to be so much more organized and compact. Gotta love that!
I gave another coat of varnish to the ominous oak doors. 1 more varnish session to go ; )
I still smell gas! I know I do!
Well I didn't get much art time today, cut a few images and glued a few things in place.
But I have another Geek Fish card to share. Finished it last night.

Aftermath of a Chinese Dinner

I smell Gas! hehehe I made a funny! Seriously now, yes today was another furnace day and I am feeling creepy and kind of crabby. Dad had the gas to the house turned off today so he could work and when he turned it back on, he purged the system and some got into the house. PEEEW! Now I keep thinking I smell gas. YES THE WINDOWS ARE OPEN! We also went and purchased a carbon monoxide/gas detector.
Things are progressing slowly it seems, but I know that Dad is doing a professional job, something we wouldn't be getting had we hired the so called professionals ; )
I did make an ATC today and now you will see why I chose my title for today's entry.

E is for Egg

Not much going on today ; ) More furnace work of coarse and it seems to be coming together nicely. Dad is a marvel! I am constantly amazed at his incredible knowledge and ability to do just about anything.
I did give those Oak doors another coat of varnish today. I am so glad that both sides of the 2nd coat are done. The second coat seems to be the hardest, because the sanding is critical at this point. The first coat kind of fuzzes up and or bubbles somewhat. The wood is drinking in the first coat of varnish and sealing itself. After the second coat you are not likely to have as much sanding. So the worst of it is done. I will let this second coat dry nicely and then I can sand and give the final coat. 2 more sessions. Counting them down. I just hate this job, but will love the beautiful doors. My goal is to change all doors in the house to solid Oak. I won't do any more till next summer! I am tired tonight! I did manage to get one fun Collage ATC done today.
I kind of collect Chickens so this is one I am tempted to keep, but think I will trade it to someone else who likes chickens. We will see...

ATC? (Artist Trading Card)

It occurred to me that perhaps some of my family and non-art friends may not know what an ATC is. Well as stated above, they are artist trading cards. Same size as the traditional sports trading cards. Anything goes as long as they are the regulation size. You can draw, collage, sew, all of the above... Fun to collect other artists work and to show off your collection.
Someone on the Zetti ATC group asked why we like ATC's, here is what I said.
"I like ATC's because when I was making and swapping greeting cards I didn't know what to do with the swapped ones. We swapped mostly to get someone else's idea's. I enjoyed making them but hanging on to someone else's greeting cards just wasn't very appealing to me. NOW TRADING CARDS, that is a whole other story. I feel like I am collecting ARTWORK! It is so much fun to get these little collectibles and to arrange and sort them into their binders. Also I am somewhat conceited and I love my own work. This gives me a bit of a reason to keep some of my own stuff ; )
I currently have 4 ATC binders going. One with just my own work in it, ; ) one for fabric ATC's, one for general collage, and one for strictly hand painted or drawn ATC's. I may need to begin a Zetti binder now!
Maybe some day I will have the artwork of someone who has become famous? You just never know. Maybe it will even be ME!"
They are so popular that some are selling them on Ebay. That is big controversy as people are worried that their art may be sold. I would feel pretty sad about that myself. I don't mind artists selling their own work, but please not mine! If someone should profit from my work, it should be me.

So now that you know what they are, you might understand my art a little better.
I had a wonderful day of art. It seems I got a lot done and had tons of fun. I worked up a bunch more Geek Fish cards for that swap I joined. I need to do 9 cards.
Here is my favorite one from today.

"What's a Geek Fish?" you say

Well today was just one of those wasted days where you really never get anything done. Started out by just lounging around and when we finally got going, we stopped by the second hand store, and an auction. No great finds today. Came home for lunch, then did our weekly Sam's club shopping and browsing for a dinette set.
Saw a couple options, but not the perfect set. No money right now anyway ; )
Decided that I had better get working on those oak doors, or they will never get done.
OH I hate those fumes! Gave myself a nice headache again. 3 coats left till they are done.
I didn't feel much like art tonight because of the headache, but I decided to revamp a few ATC cards to use for a (Geek Fish) themed swap.
What is a Geek Fish you say??? Well that is the million dollar question. It is a fish with a Geek hat ; ) I am sure you are all thinking I am off my rocker, with all of the pointy hats and weirdness lately, no it's not the varnish fumes, but a fad in the art world, some refer to it as "Zetti". So you see I am perfectly normal and just following a trend!
So here is one of my recreated Geek Fish ATC's.

Up on the Roof Top!

Well it was another furnace day at the Van Hoecke house. The goal of the day was to run 3 (25 foot pipes) down the chimney. One for exhaust, one for cold air return and one for venting for the hot water heater. Doesn't sound too difficult, right! HAHA! What made it quite the challenge of coarse was that in order to get it started down the hole, the 2 PVC pipes had to be perfectly vertical. HMMM, just imagine my hubby and my boys on the roof with that 25 foot piping??? Seeing my 3 men on the roof wielding that monster pipe over their heads was enough to send me into panic mode, and it also brought out our elderly neighbor man to work in his garden more than usual today ; )
I could see the whole thing flinging them into the air like human catapults! This little project took several attempts and the whole day. First trial was one pipe down the hole just to see how it went down? hmmm ran into a few snags, take a break to go get a heavy duty pipe to run down for knocking off excess cement from inside the chimney! Try again. Goes in better, now try 2 pipes. OH good they fit. The 3rd pipe they are attempting is a flexy slinky type hose pipe, they try taping it to the end of the pipe to shove it down. NOT! OK take it out and another break to get a different style duct piping. Screw together about 10 pieces of that, tape joints according to codes. MUST FOLLOW CODES! Lets give that a try, after 2 attempts at that, it is in. Whew, it is 6:45! Man am I glad that is done, I can breathe easy again! At least till tomorrow. Anyway to take my mind off of the worry today, I was scouring through magazines looking for images that I could use to depict the whole story. It was too much for an ATC, so it is done as an Artists Postcard. I think this little work of art turned out hilarious and pretty true to life!

Need a new outlook? Put on a hat!

Well it was one of those days all around. Dad had trouble with the furnace, Wrong one! So he had to take that back, furnace is expected to be in next week. I was working on the sanding of my beautiful oak doors and I think it was too muggy and I rushed the job. Can you see me pulling my hair out ; ) Not sure what I will do now. Going to wait a day or so to see if a little more sanding will help matters. Jim is having a hard day also, lost out on a truck he was interested in, spilled his freshly organized nuts and bolts container all over the work bench... And the beat goes on...
Went shopping for a pair of shoes for oldest son, Marshall, we searched the whole mall and ended up back at the store we began in.
Good Gracious, my Baby is wearing a men's size 12 shoe these days!
After all of that, I just had to get down in my art area and create something to soothe my irritations of the day.
Perhaps instead of buying shoes for my son, I should have been looking for the perfect HAT!
Here is the fun ATC I cranked out tonight.

Run for your Lives

Yikes, I like to be in bed by 10:00 on week nights. Another wild day in a wild week. Furnace install preparations have begun. We will be installing a new furnace beginning tomorrow. So clean up and moving things around took place today. A MESS to say the least. OK, get this, my dad is going to install the furnace. He is just a regular kind of guy who knows how to do everything.
But I remember as a child my father doing a furnace job at our house and he almost blew up the house ; ) Yes, the furnace tech was there and they were in clean up mode and the furnace tech wants to vacuum out the left over fuel oil. Dear old Dad says "I will just light it and burn it off"
Can you say run for your lives! Fire was shooting out of the chimney! And the neighbors were gathering around wondering what in the world was going on. Yes, I did say my father was going to be doing this furnace install for us. Well what can I say, he is going to save us a thousand dollars and hopefully he has learned a thing or two. hehehe
We had church directory pictures taken tonight and I am very pleased with how they came out. Will share them at a later date, after we get them back.
I just now finished the Zodiac Goddess swap that needs to get in the mail tomorrow!
Here is my version of a Leo Goddess.

Out with the Old, in with the New

Well it was the start of another wild week. School is approaching soon so that means tons of back to school appointments and errands. Today I checked on sports physicals, called the school for schedule info, sorted out kids old clothes for school. Out with the old and in with the new. Sent DD to the optometrist to get glasses fixed. Hubby had an oral surgery today and I nearly effixiated myself in the garage varnishing 2 solid oak doors.
Some days just seem hectic! But I am still going.... Went shopping after supper and got all the school clothes except one pair of shoes bought! Yippee.
I even managed a smidge of artwork today. I printed out the overlay for A Zodiac swap I am doing, and got one prototype done. Leo Goddess this month. It is my month so it has been a fun one. I will get the cards assembled tomorrow for sure, was hoping for today because they are due to the hostess by the 15th. I am cutting it close. I also did get that altered book project packaged and ready to go out in the mail with hubby tomorrow. Yippee, that RR is now done!
Just going to bed to lay my head down and recoup before a new day tomorrow. Church directory pictures! Yippee!
Nighty night.

Zetti or Not?

A while back I discovered a style of art referred to as Zetti. I think it is the ultimate in cool, zany, and wild... I joined a yahoo group specific to this style of art, in hopes of learning more about it and to try my hand at it. Well my brain didn't seem to know how to operate in Zetti style (so I thought). When I had tried my hand at it in the past, I felt like a failure most of the time. However I have a dear friend (hi Sanna) who claims I have done Zetti style things when I haven't even been trying to. She sent me some Zetti style rubber stamps for my birthday recently and so I have been playing with them; and to my surprise I think I created something Zetti. So perhaps it is not my inability to think Zetti, but to find the Zetti images. I am a natural born stamper so I think that is why these came easier for me. It is my drawing skills I need to be working on. Thanks also for the pencils Sanna ; ) So without further delay, here are my Zetti attempts from last night and this morning.

Watch your Step

Here is a picture of the kick plates I did for our upper level steps. The picture is a bit light but you get the idea. The colors are much more crisp and clear in person.

Creative space

Not sure how much art I will have time for today so I thought perhaps you all might like to see my creative space. This may look like a huge mess, but trust me, this is orgainzed. The main work table reflects my effort from the last project and it will all be cleaned up prior to new work. My goal is to try and stay organized. That is a hard task for us genius artists ; )
Now for the Unveiling!






















I did manage to stamp out a few words on some kick plates today. I am making them for my newly painted staircase. I also did kick plates for another staircase area in our home. I like the look. I am trying to decorate my home with some words in every room. Also in an Americana feel. I hope to manage a few ATC's yet tonight. I have a swap coming up, I need to get it put together and sent out. But if I keep fiddling with this silly Blog, I will never get any art done ; )

1st Blog Day

Here I am in the Flesh!
I decided that today was the day for me to jump in and try my hand at a blog. I have tried in the past to create a website for myself with no luck. It appears that everyone is doing the blog thing, and that it might be within my capabilities ; )
I plan to used this site to display and share my art activities with friends and family. Just maybe I will even be discovered and become FAMOUS! HaHa!


I have been working on an altered book Round Robin which is coming to an end.
I just finished the last assignment, which was to cut a niche. The owner of the book is from Australia and her theme was Wild and Wicked.
I was very nervous about cutting into the book, but am pretty happy with the outcome of the spread.




















You can't really see the words on the niche, but they are, (Australian "Winged Keel" Gold Pan)
Inside the niche are a few pieces of fools gold.
The tag tells a little about the West and the gold mining.