Shopping list with a bit of product review

I guess I have been doing a fair bit of work in the studio, otherwise, I wouldn't be out of or running low on so many things! I know some folks don't like reading blogs with lists, but too bad- this is what is on my mind today.

1. More soy silk roving. For now, I will content myself with someone else's dye choices. Here is what I am looking at- one of every color she has- I wish!

2. Dye-na-flow paints. The last time I bought these, I did so in the 2.25 oz. size, as I hadn't used them much and I wanted to sample the bright colors. The next time I order, it will be in the 8 oz. size at the smallest. I need more bright greens and more blues. These have proven to be a very versatile paint, that works well on silk, cottons, and the good-quality homemade papers.

3. Lumiere Paint in Citron. I use this color more than any other. (Side note: If anyone had told me 20 years ago that I would fall in love with the lime green color family, I would have laughed in their face. I used to be so married to blues, and told myself I hated greens. Now not only do I love lime green, but there really isn't a color I would label as ugly- not one.) I also love the Halo colors- blue gold, pink-gold, and violet-gold. I was recently introduced to Stewart Gill paints- specifically the Byzantia and Metamica lines, and told they compared to Lumiere. I bought a couple colors of each line and have been playing with them a bit. They are nice-very rich colors in a thick paint, but the colors are very similar, so for the price, I think Lumiere is the best deal.

4. What I do want to try from Stewart Gill are their Bijoux Blends and Fresco Flakes. I think these would be fun to experiment with, on some of the big panels I want to do. These are pricey too, but I think they might be worth it. I will let you know if I get some.

5. Another thing I need in larger quantities are some gel mediums. I am very disappointed in Michael's. They stopped carrying all Golden products in favor of the Liquitex brand. I am not nearly as satisfied with Liquitex- it is cheaper (which was Michael's excuse for carrying it versus Golden), but it shows. The quality is just not near what Golden's is. To be honest, I could have been getting my gels and mediums online at cheaper prices for some time, but I was being nice by buying locally from Michael's. Not anymore. Funny thing is, the day I went in, the man who helped me said that I was the THIRD person that day to ask what happened to the Golden products. I think they may seriously regret the decision to not carry them. Rant over.

I need fine garnet gel (I can't wait to try this!), more fine and coarse pumice gels, and some Micaceous iron oxide, which I hear is fabu to use with water pastels and crayons. I really want to try this, as I have discovered that they don't work too well with gesso. I also need some self-leveling clear gel, and some more molding paste, both of which you can read about here. These last two items are used with the acrylic paints I love so much, mostly for collage techniques.

6. Some other things I need but am not sure where to get them are good quality (but not too expensive) stencil brushes and also some stencils and stamps. I really, really love the inexpensive abstract (a pattern, but not a duck or a star) foam stamps you can get at Joanne's and Michael's, but have all the ones they sell already. I am thinking of checking out the dollar stores.

7. Another type of product I have tried recently and fallen in love with are the color wash sprays. These are wonderful ways to add color to the fabric paper I have been making.

I have tried the Radiant Rain misters by Luminarte, which are bright and very sparkly, but have a distinct and icky odor that lasts after it has dried. Luminarte is the company that makes the fabu Twinkling H2O's that I love so much, so I was surprised how unimpressed I was with the misters.

Another color wash spray I tried recently is the Adirondack color wash spray. The colors are interesting on these, but the sprayer doesn't work well, and I keep ending up with drips and dribbles instead of a nice even spray. I put some into a cheap spray bottle, but if I am going to spend money on these, I think they should come in a better quality spray bottle.

I have also tried the Tattered Angels Glimmer mists. I really love the colors on these, and want more. The coverage was great, the colors bright, and no yucky smell when using them. I want many more of these colors. They are a bit pricey, but the colors are amazing, the bottles large and the sprayers are good quality.

When I was in Alabama visiting Dy, we went to a HobbyLobby store, where I convinced her to spend a lot more money on art supplies for the kids than was probably necessary, but you know already what an enabler I am when it comes to kids and art, right? Anyhow, while there I came across a Memories Mist spray in a lovely blue, that was almost half off the price. I should have grabbed them all. This has become one of my faves, and I want to order some more colors of it too. The only even slightly negative thing about these is that the mist area is quite small. That you can control it that much is good for some applications, but it made it hard to cover a large area of paper or fabric without using a lot of spray.

That is all I can think of for now. I have been researching online and looking for the best prices. I wish there was one store that had everything for the lowest prices. Joggles has almost everything I need as well as exquisite service, but their prices are not low. Dick Blick and Jerry's run head to head on prices, varying only a few cents from product to product, but Dick Blick is more likely to have the larger sizes. Jerry's sends out email coupons all the time, but you usually have to spend a minimum of $85. to use them. Dharma Trading company has the best prices on the fabric paints, but you have to order in quantities of ten or more to get those good prices. Not always worth it, and not always possible to do when each container of paint costs $10. or more.

So in order to get everything I need at the best prices, I will most likely have to do 4 or 5 orders. This will take me some time. I think it is time to start a price book for art supplies. To keep track of who has what for the best price. Like I don't have enough to do!

Talk soon,
LB

Wow! Where did that week go?

Uh oh. It has been almost a week since I posted again. Where did this week go? Life has been so very full and busy, and we have done lots of good stuff, but it is hard to remember it all. In no particular order, just to catch you up a bit, since last Saturday:

We have seen Gramma twice- On Sunday the Girl mowed her lawn while I pulled weeds and talked to my big sister, and the Dude walked around the yard with Gramma, trimming this, and cutting that. On Wed, we took her shopping and visited a bit.

We had an enjoyable visit with the B family and our group of friends there Sunday evening. Ribs and salmon, and chocolate cake (Pamela- yes, it was the same cake we made for your hunny oh so long ago- the Choc. Town Special.) were had by all. I even let myself have a Mike's.

The Girl has been catching up on her Latin and Math, and she met two new neighbor girls, with whom she has been riding bikes in the evening, while I walked around the neighborhood with the Dude. My goal (one of the many!) is to really dig in and start exercising daily. It has been nice to just have the Girl around, focusing on her, and spending time with her. She is growing up so fast, and is really showing signs of being a teenager.

I did some studio work this week. I completed all of the lessons in the online classes I was taking that involved techniques I hadn't done before. Several of the techniques in the class were not new to me, so I chose to focus on the ones that were new to me. I have also been working with silk fusion a bunch, and have started my first long panel of that. I will take pictures once it is completely dry. I made a couple of silk hankie bowls, but am not really happy with them- they just aren't appealing to me, took a lot of silk paint (need to order more Dye-na-flow paint), and just aren't very interesting or practical once finished. But I learned a lot from doing them, and that is what counts.

I have always said that I didn't want to learn to dye my own fabrics- too much effort, time and money spent- that I would rather spend time working with predyed fabrics instead, but I have been dabbling a bit with dyes and paints in these classes, on silk, and on paper. I have had a really enjoyable time painting (dyeing) the papers. One of the goals for this summer is to build up a stockpile of many surfaces- paper, fabric, lutradur, dyed paper towels, etc. that I can use this winter when I am stuck outside. I am slowly transforming the back deck into an outdoor studio- the plastic picnic table is great for dyeing, and painting; and the clothesline and water faucet are both very close to the basement/studio door.

In other studio news, I am working hard at building up a bunch of stuff to post in the Etsy shop. I met a wonderful woman last week who gave me a bunch of tips on using Etsy effectively, so I am following her advice on that. So far, I am finishing up several UFOs and getting several small projects finished. My goal is to have a bunch of stuff ready to go into the shop by the end of June. So far so good on that plan.

Speaking of the clothesline, when I got back from one of my recent travels, I discovered the kids and the Dude had rehung my clotheslines, and added more, so that I had 6 of them! I was very happy with this surprise. But the clotheslines keep falling down, so we need to get them restrung, and done stronger so that I can use them.

The Boy hasn't been in contact much this week, but I have talked to him a couple of times. Although he did not make the first cut at Nationals, he is having a good time. He is learning a great deal from watching rounds in other events. He comes home tomorrow morning, and it will be good to have him home and hear all about his trip.

The Dude and the Boy will literally be passing each other at the airport. The Boy comes in and the Dude leaves, both in the nine o'clock hour Saturday. The Dude is headed for two different island of Hawaii and will be gone all week. He is very excited (and I for him) to get to see this part of the world, and all its flora and fauna for the first time. I am only a bit nervous at the thought of parenting alone all week.

That is it for now- I need to get the Girl up and moving, and I want to do a bit of gardening before it gets too hot out (supposed to actually get into the 70's today!!), and then get some work done in the studio. I am not sure what I will work on- I need to make a list I guess.

I do just want to say that I am sorry I am not blogging regularly- I know I keep saying that, but honestly, I still haven't figured out how to get the balance right. I am no longer wasting all day away at the computer doing nothing- my house is (fairly) picked up, I am in integrity with the laundry, and I am in the studio several hours a day. So I am living life fully, and it seems I haven't figured out yet how to work the daily blogging (with photos, sigh) into that equation. But I will.

Okay, really signing off now- create a great day for yourselves!
LB

Tidbits: As the white rabbit would say........

I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date! Can't say hello, goodbye. I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!

Thank goodness the Dude called this morning, or I would have slept straight through! I didn't completely set my alarm last night, and had taken a benedryl so I would rest, and I did- a good seven hours. Way better than my usual 3 or 4 when the Dude is traveling.

We now have to leave in 30 minutes, in order to take Gramma to the Dr.'s to have her blood draw (just routine for her thyroid & cholesterol levels, no worries).

Yesterday was good- hectic but good. I am very amazed that we progressed as far as we did on our fabric journal-making project. I had a total of four kids, and they all were helpful, patient, and just delightful as they learned how to safely irons, rotary cutters, and my sewing machine. It was crazy-busy, but really good.

I didn't do much in the studio regarding my week-long warrior project, but I did rearrange the tables- we shall see if that helps some.

I did take lots of photos, but need to get dressed and ready and out the door now, so I will do my best to post them later today. Meant to get some up last night, but Blogger was being poopy.

Hugs,
LB

Weekend Warrior: Another "during" update

Hi! Thanks for all your kind comments and support so far. I am still working down here. This is quite a task! I have been taking photos as I go, and will post some tomorrow. I got through a lot of boxes and piles, only to fill other boxes and make more piles. I am keeping sight of my goal though, no matter how long this takes. Dy helped me a great deal by reminding me to think about the kind of art I want to make down here, and to really just keep the materials that will be used for that kind of art. A great deal of the stuff I have been tossing has been in our art cupboards for 5 to 10 years! I have to admit- I still have concerns about getting rid of some of it- spools and spools of ribbons, skeins of acrylic yarns by the boxful, piles of felt squares, etc. But if we haven't used it in 5 years, I am not goin gto miss it right? Right? I saved it for the kids, but that isn't the stuff they use- as long as I have tons of paints, papers, and sculpey, they are happy, so why is it so hard to give up the huge box of ribbon bits and bobs?!

The other thing I have to do is think about how I want my space arranged (thinking of moving the tables around to make more usable space), and how to best store the supplies I really do use often: fabric, paint, collage materials, fibers, paper, etc. The Dude came with me to the hardware store tonight, and I got some ideas, and he is going to help me come up with some storage solutions for the things I use the most. This is where the Studios magazine is both helping and harming- I will be happy if my after photos look as good as the before photos in the mag, lol. But the mag had lots of low-budget ideas for storing and organizing, and I do have a lot of options already.

One thing I have decided, with help from Dy, is that I want to put some of my fabric on the shelves behind the design wall. Mostly the stuff I love the most (batiks, japanese, bright colors, etc.) and want to be using for fabric collage. The unusual fabrics will still live in the plastic bins on the fabric wall, as well as some other supplies. I am not sure where I will store my books and bead boxes, but will figure that out this week.

The Dude is going to help me fix my wire baskets (I have some that don't have the side rails, that I got for free.) so I can put them under my paint table, and that will get rid of a lot of my paint table mess.

My paper cupboard is much more useable, but the little paper drawers need to be re-sorted and labeled. This is where my embellishments, and little doodads live, but they are a mess because I just throw stuff into any drawer after I use it- lots of that problem down here- little tubs and boxes with misc. stuff from a finished or set-aside project. Gotta get a handle on that.

Funny thing- it is hard to do this organizing and live my regular life too! As for what happened today that didn't involve the studio: I worshiped at the church of flannel sheets again this morning- sigh- this is getting to be a habit as I haven't been in 6 weeks, but I only got about 4 hours of sleep last night, being wide awake until 4 am.

After a nice brekky of avacado and bacon on toast, and a hot bath, I fetched Mama and she folded an entire couchful of laundry (I really should have taken a before photo of THAT!), helped with the dishes, and scrubbing of the kitchen, kept Piano Girl company while she baked bread and banana bread, and chatted with me while I made homemade chicken rice soup. We sent her home with two tupperwares of soup, half a loaf of bread, and lots of kisses.

The Dude and the Boy started the patio project, too. I will get photos of that tomorrow. I also owe the ladies on the WTM boards a photo of what I see from my front door. I better go charge my camera battery.

That's all for now- the Dude leaves for a trip tomorrow, so I want to go snuggle with him while I can, and get some rest tonight. See you tomorrow with photos. Not sure when I will post, as the Girls come for art playdate at 1 pm, I still have to get the studio ready for our big project, and I do want the kids to do some school tomorrow- it is Spring break at the high school, so the Boy will be able to focus on Green Dragon classes for a while.

TTFN,
LB

Weekend Warrior: A "during" update

Well, I am pooping out, and don't feel like I got half as much done down here as I would have liked. I filled 3 boxes and a black garbage bag with stuff to donate, and half a black plastic bag with garbage. I cleared out many rubbermaid tubs, large and small, and decluttered the storage shelves in the little pantry under the stairs. I put supplies I don't use often but don't want to get rid of in those shelves, and labeled as I went. I cleaned up the paper cupboard, and there is room now to put other papers as I come across them.

I also made supper- we had roasted chicken, rice, green and yellow beans and carrots, and baked squash. I think part of my being tired is that there were various bouts of yelling and frustration on all parts, as the Dude and I tried to do our own projects in addition to supervising (read nagging) the kids getting last month's jobs done- The Boy finished up his wood stacking/chopping chore, and cleaned the moss off the roof and cleaned the gutters; the Girl got her baby chickens moved to the garage, and then cleaned up from them being in her room- all floors mopped, doorknobs sanitized, room aired out, etc.

I am tired, my feet really hurt, and my heart is heavy, but I guess it is some progress after all. I think I will keep going a little bit here- at least take some photos to post tomorrow.

Weekend Warriors: before pics part 2

More before pics. Scroll down to the post before this one if you don't know to what I am referring. Much of the problem is how much stuff I am trying to store, and the fact that like items are not being stored with like items. Lack of labels is another issue I will try to deal with this weekend. Can you tell I was also inspired by the special issue of Studios magazine?

Weekend Warrior: before pics part 1

Okay folks, both Miz Booshay, and Amy (there is a link to Weekend Warriors at Amy's blog) are participating in Weekend Warriors this weekend, and they both inspired me to take up the challenge. This was on my to do list anyhow, as I am supposed to be teaching a class in the studio on Monday, and it is horridly scary down here!

I am not going to comment on the individual photos right now, just going to post them, and then get to work. I will add comments above the photos later- if I spend time doing it now, I will never get to the hard work and there won't be after photos. I cannot believe I am saying this, but if you dare, you can click on the photos to enlarge and see all the mess, sigh.

Tidbits: Art Playdates, Graffiti, and the WASL

Hi all,
It was a low-key weekend here at the Homestead. I got to spend time with the Dude, which was nice, even if all we did was go to the market together (and of course spend waaay more money than I would have alone), and head to Target to return some Christmas gifts that didn't fit.

I rested a lot, and we cooked a lot. Not much yard work, or studio time, or housecleaning- just some good family time.

Today, two of my former Nature Study students along with Piano Girl and I, had our first Art Playdate. It isn't really a class, more of an excuse for the Girly and I to see two of our fave kids every two weeks. Keeps my foot in the door, so to speak, when it comes to teaching, too, but in a nice, low-key way. Today we started making stuffed fabric beads. This involved all three girls using my sewing machine for the first time. They all did great, and are looking forward to our next get-together. We also talked about what things they might like to work on in the future. They want to draw, paint, collage, work with polymer clay, and sew doll clothes and quilts. Works for me.

My dear, dear son did something very weird today- he spray-painted a design on my bedroom door with olive oil cooking spray. Sigh. He isn't four, he will be 16 in 6 weeks. Go ahead and laugh at my son painting graffiti on my door. I will join you in that hearty guffah maybe tomorrow. Tonight, however, I am still being just floored that a child of this age could be so unthinking! Of course when I was his age, I was responsible, and would NEVER have done something so stoopid- nope, not me. Anyhow, I have a feeling he isn't likely to do something like this again, once he repaints the door (Which will involve taking it off the hinges, and won't be easy as it is a bi-fold door.) Unless of course you can think of something that will clean the oil up- Mr. Clean Magic Erasers didn't even touch it. Sigh.

Speaking of the Boy, he is partaking in the WASL testing at the high school this year. I have never made him take it before, but for a myriad of reasons, he is this year. He has to be at the school at 7:20 every day this week, as well as a couple of days next week, and two weeks in April. He is getting a taste of how early he would have to wake daily if he were in public school full time. This is good, and I hope will help him to appreciate how good he has it at home.

The Dude just walked in, so I will go now. More later,
LB

Tidbit: Happy Thursday!

It is one of our early Thursdays. The Dude left before 5, I ran the Boy to the high school by 7 am (as he had some basketball championship at which the band is playing), and we leave for Piano Lessons at 8 am. Piano Girl has adjudications today, after her lesson and a quick lunch. Of course I am content just knowing I get some toddler time today. The kids and I apparently left my camera in the Dude's work car, which is sitting down at the airport, as the Dude is in Boise today, so I can't take photos of PG in her finery, or of Abe, who has lost so many of his baby-like qualities, and is getting to be such a little boy.

Ok, that's all I have time for, but wanted to update a tidbit or two. I have been in the studio a tiny bit, and will update (minus photos, I guess) on that soon.
T.T.F.N.,
L.B.

Tidbits: art is energizing, Valentines finished

Well, I said I was all tuckered out, but it was too early to sleep, and I didn't want to watch a movie (too soon after a migraine-type headache for that), so I begged the Girl to come down to the studio with me. I had to ask her repeatedly, as she was feeling tired too (Piano Lesson Days can be long and taxing for her, but today was shortened due to illness in TBPTOTP's family.), but once we both got down there, we just had a really fun time together. We listened to music, and got a fire roaring, and played. It was very energizing and enjoyable to spend that time together. We are both glad I forced us to come down!

The Girly tried out the new waterbrush we recently purchased, and played with the new colors of Twinkling H2O's. She added to my palette (so I don't buy duplicate colors) and then painted two pictures, exploring how the waterbrush works, and what you can do with different brushstrokes, and wet watercolor paper versus dry. I could probably count it as homeschooling! Here she is, completely absorbed in her work/play. (Click to enlarge as usual.)
I got the Valentines all cut out, and even wrote on some of them. Here is a photo of the card pyramid I made so you could see them all. I figured, as there is only a week till Valentine's Day, I would just send them all out, not putting any in the soon-to-be etsy shop. The bottom three are 5 X 7, and the top six are 4 x 6- postcard size. I also have enough scraps left over to make 2 ATC's and a few bookmarks. I am very, very pleased with how these came out. They are very classic and romantic. I would like to make some that had more of a modern feel, with paint, stamps, etc. but that isn't a priority at the moment.
Okay, the Dude should be home in about an hour, so I will crank the tunes, stock the stove, and work on more of the little rough paintings (like this one, but even better) till he gets home. Or maybe I will be done for tonight and crawl into bed with a book. We shall see.
T.T.F. N.
L.B.

Another Thursday

Well, as usual, I wasn't in the studio as long as I would have liked yesterday, but I did get a bit of work done prepping substrates last night. I am working on a series of the little "rough" paintings to put in a soon-to-be-open etsy shop, I am trying to keep track of how much time I spend and how much money on supplies for each piece, but it is not easy! We shall see how much work I am able to get done on these this weekend. The Girl is having a birthday/slumber party Friday- 5 girls from 11 to 16 will descend on my studio space. We will make Valentines, and do a couple of art projects (guess I should be planning those, hmm?), and then head upstairs for food (pizza?) and a movie, and they will camp out in the living room. Then I will have to get up early, and take the boy to his tournament on Saturday. The girls will go home by noon, and I will head to the tournament to watch the Boy's rounds (usually don't start till 2 pm). Sunday will bring a trip to the East Side to visit Mama, and head to Unity if I am not too tired, and a friend wants to have coffee in the afternoon on Sunday. Man, to be honest, I am tired just thinking about it. I may decide to commune with God in my dreams Sunday morning.

I have been up since 4:30, getting the Dude off to the airport. It will be so nice when we have two cars (this weekend or early next week, I hope!), so I won't have to run him to the airport anymore! I am headed to the tub here, and then we will all be getting ready for our long Thursday.

I won't see the Boy all day- he has a basketball game to play at tonight, so will just stay at the high school, and get some of his school work done there, as well as practice his HI.

The Girl and I will be heading for all day piano lessons (only 2 weeks till the Simon Fizet competition!), and I am looking forward to my toddler time. Abe is getting so big, and so vocal. He talks the entire time we are together, except when I am reading- we read for several hours every Thursday. He himself is getting closer to reading, starting to make the connection that the words on the page (that he follows with his chubby little fingers) are connected to the letter sounds he is learning. He is an amazingly bright little fellow, reminding me so much of my own Boy, who began sounding out words and reading at this age.

Okay, off we go! Enjoy your day today.
LB

UFOs

Here are a couple of finished projects- UFO no more! As usual, you can click to enlarge.

Here is a little 4 x 6 acrylic painting I did that I will be giving my sis for her birthday tomorrow. I used coarse pumice gel on gessoed canvas to give it the bumpy texture. I am hoping to do several more of these on gatorboard to put in the etsy shop. Sorry the photo is fuzzy. And here are the last of my Christmas Thank you cards. I couldn't get the camera to not flash, so sorry about the glare. The last time I posted about these, I was still adding layers.
This abstract is still a UFO, but I wanted to post it anyhow. It is acrylic on canvas. I am now adding details. Working title: The Shape of Things. Have I told you how much I love my easel, sitting down here by the fire, and painting? It doesn't even matter that I have no idea what I am doing- it is relaxing and fun.

And this may not be exciting to you, but just looking at this photo makes me smile! This is a box of leftover gatorboard, from Crissy. In her family's business, they use a ton of gatorboard, and generate a lot of scraps, and in my art, I use a lot of substrate, but canvas is so pricey, and much of my work is experimental. So, if I can use their scraps, everyone is happy. "Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle" in action!

I now need to spend some time cutting these into smaller pieces, and applying gesso, coarse and fine pumice gels, and such to get these ready to use. Fun!
That is all for now- I have about another hour to work down here, so it is time to get off this thing, stuff the woodstove, crank the tunes, and get going!
TTFN
LB

Tag! I'm it.

Chris over at Twilight and Sunrise tagged me for this Book Meme. Here is my task:

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).

2. Open the book to page 123.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the next three sentences.

5. Tag five people.

1. Okay, so I am down in the studio, and the nearest book to me is The New Creative Artist: A guide to Developing your Creative Spirit. By Nita Leland. Were you hoping for Dumas or Shakespeare? Come on, you had to know it would be an art book, lol!

2. The title on this page is Bend Reality by Changing the Rules, and is talking about creating abstractions in your art by using design to alter a literal image.

3. There are only 5 sentences total on this page, the rest being technical instructions, so I will work with what are here. The 2nd sentence is: "With every design change, the image moves further from the illusion of reality."

4. The next 3 sentences are: "The more altered the image, the more abstract the art. Eventually, it may become pure abstraction, revealing no apparent connection with the original subject. Intelligent use of design makes such a transformation work." Gosh I hope this isn't boring to you! But this is the stuff I read, and it was this or a book on acrylic techniques, and I think that would have bored you more.

5. Pick 5 folks, hmmm. Let's see how eclectic a list of folks I can come up with. The more diverse and unusual books and answers, the better! Okay.
How 'bout Mama P, Pamela (in the comments, no blog), Crissy @ Soliloquy, PattyMomBobJoanna @ WPMS, and WTMCassandra @ Lutradur & Lace Adventures. Honestly, I could think of 20 people to tag, so if you want to do this, I would love to see it. Just let me know you did it or put it in the comment section if you don't have a blog.

Okay, off to finish some UFOs. My oldest sister has a birthday tomorrow, I owe Amy a fabric post card, and I have some art that I can tidy up and photograph so I have some pieces with which to stock an Etsy shop of my very own.

And an update about the videos for up and coming talky blogs: I accidentally dropped and broke the Boy's camera when he left it laying somewhere it didn't belong, so we don't have any yet, but are working on it. Gotta get his camera repaired first.

Phooey. I goofed.

My son and I just spent the last hour filming a talky blog for you, using his new movie camera, and then I went and deleted it on accident. I will see if I can get him to help me film another one right now. But I am a bit disappointed. I guess the positive spin on it is that I will really have my "lines" down now for this fourth try!
Wish us luck! Hopefully I will have it up by Friday.
TTFN,
LB

More toddler fun, and a WIP.

Can you have such a thing as too many toddler photos? I thought not. This is my other fave toddler, the baby sister of Pony Girl. I don't have a blog nickname for her yet. Hmmm. Here she is, getting ready to "read to you".Here she is again, telling me not to pull the kitty's tail. Love that toddler-speak. Her mama needed some last minute toddler care, so I lucked out, had a fantastic evening with her, and got a nice baby fix.
And here is my latest work in progress: Thank you cards. The kids' cards are all complete, and half of them went out in today's mail. I of course, am still working on mine. How many layers of paint is too many?!?!
That is all for now, hope it keeps you busy for a bit!
LB

Tidbit: Goals

Okay. Here's the thing. We are a week into the new year, and so far, I have not been even working on my goals/intentions for the new year. I do not want to make myself wrong for this, I just want to be intentional. From this minute, with no worries about the past week.

So today I will move my body, I will spend some time on my normal household chores, and I will work on taking the Christmas decorations down and putting them away neatly. I will also work with each child to get a checklist created for the rest of their school week. If I have time (I will try to MAKE the time), I will head to the studio- I need to take photos of yesterday's mail goodies, and work on bases for thank you cards.

I will not make myself wrong if I do not get to all of these. I will just be intentional in my day.
How are you doing with your goals a week into the new year?
LB

Updated at 7:30 pm to say that I did get all the decorations sorted and put away- I even filled a brown paper sack with Christmas stuff to donate. We have washed, dried, and folded several loads of wash, swept the main floors, and the children are finishing up the dishes right now.

We didn't do much school at all, nor did we work on planning, sigh. Right now I am cranky and tired, but we will head down to the studio to try to get some thank you cards made.
LB

Updated at 10:30 to say that we did go down to the studio and had a delightful time together. The kids made some beautiful thank you post cards. I mostly supervised, but I did get some painting done on some post cards of my own- need to add more tomorrow, but it was a good start, and we had fun. Papa got home at 9, and we are all tucked into bed. I will check in tomorrow, hopefully with photos.
LB

Tidbits: Collage and book recommendation

Ok! So with that out of the way, let me tell you what I have been doing. First, I have been reading Acrylic Revolution by Nancy Reyner. I love this book, and plan to go all the way through it. So far, I have tried about 4 different techniques.They are still in process or drying, so I will take photos tomorrow.


I also bought a bunch of mediums and additives this week- Mark Golden should pay me, folks, my studio is starting to look like I am a spokesperson for Golden products. I don't mind- their acrylics are all very reliable and predictable- just what you would want them to be.


I also finished a collage that I have been working on (mostly in my head) for months. I made some of the papers, used some handmade papers I had purchased, and many of the papers are ones that I painted or created myself. I have been collecting frog images for months now, and am curious to hear what you think! (Yes, Pammy, you can click to enlarge.)


Okay, talk to you tomorrow.
LB

Tidbits: Clean studio and menus

Oh my gosh, am I tired!!!!!!! But the good news is the house looks really good!! More stuff done tonight:
*Most of the basement was swept and vacuumed (Dy, did I tell you how grateful I am for your suggestion to get a wet-dry shop vac? I love it!), with a focus on the studio and the stairwell.
*A fire has been laid in the wood stove for tomorrow, and both woodboxes are full.
*All the legos, knex, lincoln logs, and dollhouse stuff was cleaned off the toy table and put away.
*All the table surfaces in the studio have been cleared off, the supplies for all the homemade cards and gifts I didn't get around to making for Christmas have been put away, without any guilt attached.

Both kids are exhausted and tucked into bed- they have been helping me clean the house since Thursday! Such hard workers, really. There were some skirmishes, but overall, they have been helpful and obedient. They are both saving money for big things right now (Interlochen, and airfare for Speech and Debate National Comp.), so I will "pay" them each a hefty sum for all the hard work that was above and beyond their normal chores.

My big sister, her husband, and their son are coming over tomorrow at 3 pm. This is big, amazing news, and I am very excited. Their visit was the perfect excuse for this thorough deep cleaning (which I wanted to do, but really lacked the motivation for these last two months).

The menu for tomorrow afternoon's supper (thanks again Dy, for helping with this!) is as follows:
*Salmon poached in a thyme, basil,lemon, and wine concoction
*Roasted veggies (broccoli, golden beets, fennel bulb, cipoline onions, garlic, zucchini, etc.)
*Sundried tomato and garlic polenta rounds
*Homemade pesto-cream (mock)sauce
*Salad
*Rolls
*Ambrosia for dessert

I have everything done and ready, so I think I should even be able to get to church in the morning if I go to bed RIGHT NOW. Think good thoughts for our get-together tomorrow- my sister told me that if I tear up (over the loss of her youngest son in Nov.) that she wouldn't come over again, so wish me luck. My goal here is to be an open space for trust and communication for my sister and her family, and to start the healing process here.

TTFN,
LB

Merry Christmas update

Merry Christmas to you!

I have a cold, was up till 2 am wrapping gifts, and then woken up by the kids at 6 am. So I am tired, and headed to bed- we have to be up and moving tomorrow morning, as we are off to celebrate Christmas with the kids' Godparents.

But I did want to pop in and say a very merry Christmas to you, and to share with you my fabulous gift. This is pretty much what mine looks like, but it came with a canvas carry bag, brushes and an acrylic paints set. I was not expecting this, and it was an amazing surprise. It it way cool, because it means the Dude thinks of me as an artist- as someone who needs an easel. I love that.

We had a wonderful time at the Christmas eve service last night, and tonight we had an amazing meal of pork roast marinated in an orange-fig jam glaze, with roasted root veggies (long red radishes, organic baby carrots with the stems on, red and gold beets, a fennel bulb, and a whole head of garlic cloves), roasted fingerling potatoes, and homemade challah. We forgot the pie, and the butternut squash, but we had plenty of good food to enjoy without them.

It snowed a bit today, and the kids were very excited, especially Piano Girl. She is so very much a snow bunny, and thought that snow on Christmas day was just about as perfect of a gift that there ever was.

We just finished watching Stardust, one of our new movie acquisitions from Santa, and it was very enjoyable, even though I haven't read either the book or the graphic novel. The Dude has both of them in our downstairs library, so I think I will put it on my reading list for next year.

I also have some good news! I already wrote it up and posted it on the WTM boards, so go here and read how proud I am of myself!


Much love to all of you, and wishes for a Happy New Year.
LB

Tidbit: tar gel and Mama time

Between dropping the kids off at youth group, and seeing my Mama, I stopped off at Daniel Smith, and bought myself some Golden clear Tar Gel, some sepia walnut ink, and a teensy-weensy skinny brush. I am so bad. I don't want to wait to play with these new "toys", but tomorrow is our all-day piano lesson day, so I do have to wait. Sigh.

My time with my Mama was spent plucking her chin hairs (don't laugh! Someday *I* may be old and blind and need my Girl to do this for me!), and setting up her fancy-dancy new books on tape system (through the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library). Her first selection: Nathaniel Hawthorne's House With the Seven Gables. I hope she likes it. It was a great visit, and she seems to be doing well. I love her so totally, I am so blessed to be able to spend time with her and do things with/for her.

Okay, gotta get up very early, so it is off to bed with me- the whole big bed, all to myself, sans snoring. I love my man, but could do without the snoring.