Still Here.... Not Really Art Related However

Every so often I go on a blog break. Sometimes it is because I just need a break from the computer. Sometimes it's because I am having health issues. Most recently it was a death in our family that just broke our hearts. My brother's beautiful wife, Beth, passed away in August. It was, to quote another person touched by her, an epiphany, for many of us. Personally I have spent some time reevaluating my life. How I spend time daily. My blog. My art. The people I choose to have around me. I think that's probably normal when awful things happen with seemingly no rhyme or reason.Through all this I have learned to really appreciate the friends who are there when you need them. And my wonderful husband. Time is just too precious to waste a moment of it.
I had just started taking Melody Ross's Soul Restoration class and it seems to parallel many of the feelings I'm having. I'm still working on that class. I highly recommend it. I put a picture of the cover below.

I also started a photography class this week with Candace Stringham called "Oh Shoot" and boy, do I love that. The world seems to take on a new face through the eyes of a camera lense.
Here's my first class assignment. A picture from the everyday. Something you walk by without paying attention too. Oh and how to blur the background!

I can't wait to learn more and more about my camera.

So my blog has been neglected a bit but I really do enjoy it and will pick back up slowly. I was reading a fellow blogger's dilemma about posting things other than what the regular reader has come to expect. She has struggled a bit with taking her blog off course from it's original content and adding personal posts in the mix. And I can relate. I've always tried not to get too personal either. It can be hard to read about someone else's pain when you are expecting a piece of art or having a tough day yourself. Maybe time is limited and you don't want to read about non art related subjects. I can understand that. But what I've discovered is that most people can benefit from a kind or encouraging word. And I like my blogging friends and I always wonder what happened to someone when they have been posting or participating in a challenge or class and suddenly disappear so I am going to include some personal posts from now on as well as some photography....I'll just make sure my post titles reflect the content in case it's not the day you need to be reading about my latest interest or life interruptions. :) Nan

Summer Of Color - Purple Queen

I really enjoyed doing the Summer Of Color challenge this week. I have been away from my studio and didn't think I would be able to do this week's color challenge. Which is purple, a color that ranks high in my favorites! Anyway today I was leaving some comments on last weeks challenge and when I went to Lisa's blog at Sugar Creek I was so inspired by her beautiful journal work that I thought I'd get out my dusty journal that I always carry and almost never play with. So I made my first journal page in a long time. I have been singing this song , all week as it is in my car CD player and because I love it. It seemed perfect for purple. I bought some wonderful sheer polka dot tape at JoAnns while traveling and love it. It's very wide unlike washi tape and very sticky! The spirals are clear packaging of something I bought somewhere and the background paints are old tubes of Lil Davis Metallic Shades in Mint and Sweet Pea. Anyway lots of fun ! Thanks Kristin and Lisa!

I'll be visiting everyone whenever I have internet...look forward to seeing everyones as always! :) Nan

EDIT...I added the stars I forgot. Before I glue down 5 gazillion stars tell me better with or with out stars ? Also the song is Going To California by Led Zepplin. It's one of their rare acoustic song and is so pretty!

Summer Of Color Red Shoes Rerun

I'm going to be out of town for a few weeks so I'm preposting a rerun this week of one of my very favorite red altered art projects. I won't have much computer time but I promise to catch up with everyone as soon as possible! :) Nan

Summer Of Color .. Little Brown Nest

Well, I do not know where this week went. Sometimes you blink and a week has passed! It's time for Summer Of Color at Kristins and I made a small piece this week. I usually do 6x6 or 8x8 but I really felt like working smaller this week. I was originally thinking inchie but this little nest is only 2x2.... I added a pop of color in the eggs.

I have a calm ( knock on wood) week ahead so I hope to get back in my studio and back to my blog. I've missed seeing what everyone has been doing this week. :) Nan

Summer Of Color...Lemon Fairy Cupcake

Kristin's Summer Of Color challenge is all about yellow this week. Hummm...yellow....not usually my favorite color to work with. But after a few crumpled sketches I came up with this and had fun doing it. I might even like yellow, a little bit more now. Bring it on orange! ( my least favorite color of all!) I thought I'd share a bit of my creative process with you this week too. I think it's fun to see how people come up with their ideas sometimes. Can't wait to see what everyone does this week.

Wow...Missed my Internet ! Catching Up !!!

I've had very sketchy internet service for the past few days. I think all the heavy rain we've had must have caused a kink in the system....anyway I'm glad it's working now! A couple of my blog posts are showing up a few days late. I have all my ICADS / index cards of the day but I'll just post a few at a time. And I won a RAK from Trisha at Art A Day Keeps The Crazies Away ! It is a beautiful green bracelet that she made for the Summer oF Color challenge. I love bracelets and green so I am happy. Go visit her blog...you'll enjoy it!

Thrift Store Thursday ICAD 29 and 30

Today was busy but I did stop at the little thrift on my way to the big city. I found this cute box of thread and this beautiful tiny teacup. I think it will make a beautiful pin cushion, don't you? I think it's funny that I really don't sew very much at all but I keep finding these great old sewing treasures. But I do re purpose them into my creations so I'm always glad to find them.

I also wanted to post my Index Cards Of The day for 29 and 30. We had to go out of town and stopped on our way home for dinner at an amazing Thai restaurant. You know how every once in a while you have that perfect meal? We both had the best curry we've ever had so that inspired card 29. I also found out I have some tough new dietary restrictions to follow that will make me feel better but....it's a new way of life. ( probably why the one last curry was so incredible!) That inspired card 30.

ICAD 27 and 28

Summer Of Color - Pretty In Pink

Loved loved doing this fluffy frilly pretty pink piece for the Summer Of Color challenge. I used to listen to a band called the Psychedelic Furs and my favorite song was called Pretty In Pink. I got to use some of my thrift store finds like the crepe paper and cellophane twist. I also got to use Shimmerz Ruby Spritz which I love!!! I sprayed the crepe paper with it. Thank you for sending me this Stacey! Can't wait to see what you all do!

On a side note we watched Second Hand Lions for about the 5th time. If it's on we both seem unable to turn it off. A real tug at heart strings movie. They have a dog in this movie that I love. It's a french bulldog and I took a picture of the TV to show you. Sooo ugly it's cute. I keep telling Steve that that is what I want for my birthday. Really really want for my birthday! I added the little bulldog that can't get up video. It just makes me laugh every time I've seen it!
:) Nan

Come Away Oh Human Child

  

Thrift Store Thursday and ICAD 23

Well, I had about 45 minutes to kill before my weekly appointment today and went in search of a different thrift store than my usual haunts. No luck...lots of broken bits and pieces which is the norm here in our neck of the woods. Why do people give away completely broken beyond repair plastic things??? Just throw it away! So with 15 minutes left I went off to my regular stop, the Hospice thrift, and found some more sewing goodies, a wonderful old typing book and the one huge roll of pink crepe I guess I missed last week. And just in time for my Summer Of Color pink challenge on Monday. My good friend Lynn will appreciate the jingle bells. We looked everywhere for some a few weeks ago and went crazy when we found three in a dusty little corner of a shop in Lake City. Today it rained jingle bells! I would like to figure out how to age them a bit. Vinegar maybe? And I did drop off three bags of UNBROKEN things and clean clothes. Out with the old and in with the "new" old !

My Index Card Of The Day was inspired I guess by the bags of buttons I got. Pen and Inktense watercolor pencils. I think they are going to last a long time. I have used them quite a bit and still haven't had to sharpen them. They are a bit on the pricey side so that is a very good thing! I added a few sparkly bits to them too. Hope your Thursday was good and you had some fun. Sometimes you have to try hard but it's worth it! :)Nan

Oh crickets...Blogger is at it again.

WOYWW 107 My Messy Workspace

Oh my, I was awake and around for WOYWW over at Julia's blog! Things are looking slightly disastrous in my studio this week but at least I have my faithful furry night time muse Yoshi here to supervise! I have been working on several projects and have a thrift store haul on the desk too. I got lovely vintage crepe paper to work with and have been in a green mood all week thanks to the Summer Of Color challenge I've also been working on the Index Card A Day challenge. Starting on a new pink Paris piece for the pink challenge next week. Everything else is just not put away. Off to visit other desks now! Thanks for visiting. :) Nan

ICAD Dottie Summer Dress

Just playing with my InkTense pencils.... A little something for Index Card A Day...... hope everyone had a good day. :) Nan

ICAD Perhaps Collage Tonight?

I am still just making an instant decision about my index cards. I sit down and do the first thing that comes to mind. Tonight it was collage with scraps left from the weeks work on my table. The birdhouse was inspired by a scrap piece shaped like a roof. I have been singing Blackird by the Beatles all day long so there you have it.... Imperfect Index Card # 20. I am enjoying this. The link is is on my sidebar too:) Nan

Index Card A Day 19 Me And Tea

I'm just doing what ever comes to my mind when I pick up my index card for the Index Card A Day challenge...hopefully I won't over think it that way. Today I've been in slow mo, maybe my brain was thinking of a tea pick me up! Used my Derwent InkTense pencils. They are so pretty when you use them as watercolor pencils.

Summer Of Color...He Lives Behind The Green Door

In A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) Christopher Robin lives

"behind a green door in another part of the Forest" (the 100 Acre Wood).

This week's color on The Summer Of Color challenge is green and the above verse was my inspiration for this green fairy door.

Boy did I have a mental block today!!! I woke up thinking about green things but just couldn't see the end creation. Finally just sat down with some green stash and started cutting up dictionary paper and finally got moving toward a finished project. I used some of my favorite supplies like Lily Pond glimmer mist, non smear pastels (the absolute best), tissue paper,and my new favorite spray paint for chipboard and paper. It's called Design Master from Michaels. I think it was intended for silk flowers but it is wonderful on chipboard. The chipboard really looks like it came from the factory in whatever color you use. The doorknob is an old old screw back earring. It is hard to see but it is iridescent & pearly. All the things a fairy doorknob should be. I used a butterfly barrette for my pop of citron. Had to look that color up! "Citron is lemon coloured ~yellow with a slight tint of green"
I also included a picture of some of the supplies I used on this project just in case you wanted to see. Hope everyone had a great weekend and I can't wait to see all your green creations! :) Nan

Index Card A Day Hangin Out

I just saw a new daily quick art challenge that runs thru August called Index Card A Day at Daisy Yellow I know it's a good thing for me to be creative a little bit every day so I'm gonna give it a try. My attention span can be short if I feel I have to work in the same format every day but on ICAD you can do any medium on any day and NOT BE PERFECT......wow, what a concept. So here's to little sketches of life for the summer.

Today I was thinking about a little fused glass mushroom I bought when I was a teenager from a store called The Human Touch in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It hung from my rear view mirror for several years. My parents hated anything hanging in a car so the perfect tiny rebellion as a teen I guess. It got lost in a move and now I am all grown up. NOT! So I still have a little something pretty hanging on my mirror. :) Hope you all are having a great weekend. :) Nan

Thrift Store Thursday

Well, the truth is I have become a crafting pack rat...big shocker to those who know me and have seen my stash! :) Anyway I am just going to accept this and share my great finds here in the hopes I find fellow thrift store devotees. I love to see what goodies everyone else finds as well! We live pretty far away from town so when I have an errand or weekly doctor visit I try to go to Michaels or a thrift shop. It seems to make the long drive feel less dreary, worth it, so to speak. Anyway this week I got a wonderful french dictionary, a beautiful 1936 Websters dictionary with the gold leaf trim and 4 other french books. Quite the find for this area. I paid $4.50 for all my books...big smile!
I also got a Moleskine journal for 50 cents. It has musical instruments embossed on the cover. Love it. Then..pause for effect...a whole bag of vintage crepe paper (one of my favs)! I so love using that stuff and a bit of aging makes it even better. I like to spray it with Glimmer Mist or Shimmerz. last but not least a bag full of great old sewing bits and pieces. Anyway I'm $17.96 poorer but can you tell I'm happy tonight? I'm sure some of this will turn up in my next project. maybe the green theme at Summer Of Color! :) Nan

The Summer Of Color- Sweet Friends In Blue

I made this little blue piece for the Summer Of Color challenge. Sharon at Wildflowerhouse inspired my hue of blue :) with her beautiful delphinium painting. I had a bottle of Tattered Angels delphinium mist and used it on my dictionary page and the vintage crepe paper. Yum! I used an old vintage photo that I have had forever and I'm sorry but I don't have any idea where I got it. Lot's of favorite stash around here. But I have been saving it for a special project and when I found the little enamel bird I knew that this was the project. Thanks Kristin...looking forward to next week! :) Nan

The Summer Of Color

I'm looking forward to participating in a new challenge called The Summer Of Color hosted by the very creative Kristin at Twinkle Twinkle. Every week she will give us a new color theme and we will interpret it in the artform of our choice. I plan on continuing with the series of 4" to 6" mini mixed media collages that I've started recently. I've really enjoyed thinking of ideas for these and I think doing a color challenge piece every week will be lots of fun. We will start posting our art on Mondays beginning next week. Go check it out! :) Nan

Agh...Blogger Is Making Me Crazy !

Or maybe just a little crazier than usual. :) I am so appreciative of the kind comments left on my blog this week and I am reading them but have not been able to leave a comment anywhere this week except with Terry for some reason. On top of that some of the wonderful comments that you all were so kind to leave me just disappeared when I ok'ed them. Is it time to move to Typepad or somewhere else???? Would hate to leave my years of blog here behind but.... Maybe they will get this fixed for good soon. :( Nan

My First Sale On Etsy! Woo Hoo! And A Question

Wow, very excited to have my first sale on Etsy. I sold my little bird from the previous post. Bye bye birdie...I'll miss you. :) Thank you Debbie in Tennessee for being my first Etsy customer! I have just started putting things in the shop one at a time and will have to get busy so it doesn't look bare! I have to say that I think Etsy is going to be much better for me than eBay. I like the "circles" of friends and how we can promote each others shops. My friend Lynn even put my art on her Facebook page. Thank you Lynn!!!! I definitely have to learn how to utilize Facebook better because it obviously will be a great tool.

Question for all you wonderful artistic blogging friends out there...Do you think it's distracting to sell both supplies and finshed art in the same Etsy shop? Does it feel distracting or tacky to you? Or convenient? Just something I've been pondering as I'm putting together many destash kits!

I hope you all are having a great Memorial Day weekend! I will be creating and yes, still sorting through stuff. Forever and ever and ever........ I think! Sigh! :) Nan

Oh..my shop name is The Curious Little Door ......it will have more stuff soon...promise!

Three Muses Blue

When I saw the Three Muses were celebrating 2 years I had to make something blue just for that. I haven't done many challenges recently but Three Muses is one of my favorites and I appreciate all the inspiration they've given me! Thanks Bev, Ann and Marie!

A New Venture.......

Yay! Waving! Blogger is back up and running! Nothing like a few days of being denied access to your blog to make you appreciate it! Blogger has been down for a few days. This just happened to be at the same time I've really been feeling the need to get back to my blog. I've been making things and setting up my etsy shop. I'm very very good :) at buying things on etsy but this will be new to be the one selling something there. It has a whole different feel than eBay and I think it's going to be fun.

I just made this little creation for my special friend Lynn. She is one of the most generous and caring people I've ever known plus we a lot have fun together. She recently gave me a whole day to take me to the big little city to get an an MRI because I am a big fat scaredy cat drama queen when it comes to being in that machine! We did mange however to go have a lot of fun in the big little city afterwards. She just opened her shop, Ladybug's Cottage and I wanted to make her something special to celebrate. She has a knack for finding great little items to use for mixed media.

I have been making a series of these little pieces to put in my new shop. I have been working on the banner and the graphics and hope to actually have stuff in there this weekend. I'll post my "grand" opening soon. :) Nan

Ahhh...April

I love April. I grew up in Florida and the heat can get crazy hot, especially the area I live in now which has no ocean breeze to cool us down. April is the one month that we get some cool sunny spring days and I love it. I feel a bit like I'm coming out of hibernation, physically and creatively.

We clean cleaned our front porch this weekend and I am posting a few pictures to look back on in the blazing summer months to remind me of cool mornings with the door open and hearing all the birds splashing around in our mini pond.

I have been on another complete studio overhaul once again. Not quite sure I ever quite finished the first go around to be honest. When I brought home the "perfect" cabinet it never fit quite right so we ended up pulling 75% of the contents of the studio out this month and moving the cabinet into it's permanent home. Anyone who does paper crafts or mixed media of any kind will understand immediately what that means! My husband looked the amazing variety of supplies I have and asked me this rational question. "What do other artists in do? Do they buy just what they need for a project, use it and then get what they need for the next project? It seemed so much easier when you were just a painter." This IS a logical question to most people but of course explaining that why we need a little bit of everything would involve also explaining why that jar of old keys is vital for a future project. Or how the dozen dictionaries in varying stages of perfect vintage aging are crucial to, well, inspiration itself. So anyway I am in the process of learning how to be creative when there is still "some" chaos around me. I do have some physical issues which keep my progress much slower than I would like in this reorganizing project so in order not to shut down creatively I really am working on making pretty things in a messy arena!!!

I almost forgot to show you a little corner where I made some progress. This is a ribbon rack we made from rain gutters, under the cleanest neatest shelf in my studio so far. Maybe tomorrow I will post something a bit more creative. :) Nan

Green Tea...Shaken Not Stirred

Is it just me or is the world getting dumbed down??? I was recently gifted with a Starbucks gift card. Thanks Gail (waving !!!) and decided that even though I don't drink coffee they must have some incredible tea, right? I love tea and although I do seriously love sweet tea I am open minded to more exotic teas. :) Anyway I went into the church of coffee today and saw Shaken Tea on the menu. I'm thinking this must be some awesome creation and waited in great anticipation. I asked the guy "So, Starbucks guy, what is this amazing Shaken Tea?" And he says in all seriousness as only a supreme Starbucks barista can "It's concentrated tea, we add water and ice and then we SHAKE it..!" Ok you can figure the rest from there. I will only say that I waited til I got outside to start giggling and that mood carried on thru the rest of the day. And feeling giggly all day, that's a good thing. Oh and the tea was good.......

My painting class with Wyanne is still a WIP which I am enjoying. She asked us to relax and do something nice for ourselves before our next assignment and I decided to make a Valentine necklace. So here it is.

What I Did This Month :)

I've been taking a painting class called Paint Free with Wyanne. It's a wonderful class and I'm learning to stop being such a perfectionist......I think...maybe! Anyway it's been such a great learning experience and I recommend it to anyone looking to grow creatively. Wyanne is a wonderful teacher and very patient :) Anyway here's a look at my 30 minute quick painting above and my collage piece below.

Believe it or not this painting above turned into this collage piece below! I've really enjoyed this process. I was surprised to find that I like this Kitty very much, even after my struggle to create him and he sits above my art table to make me smile.

Just For Fun Cupcake Inchie

I just did this little inch art for my friends for our inchie swap group at Scrappy Papers and then I saw that Zoe and her friends have a new challenge blog called Just For Fun. The theme for the month is Wings...specifically Heartfelt Wings this week. So the last inchie I posted and this one definately fit the bill. This looks like a wonderful challenge with great themes.

I have missed doing challenges the past few months. This month I've been taking a painting class called Paint Free with Wyanne and I think I've been putting all my creative energy there. We had an abstract art assignment this week that made my heart race just a bit. So out of my comfort zone but definately firing up the create juices. Maybe I'll get brave and post some of those paintings soon!

Big smiles..Nan

weddings make me nervous

i don't want to go...recipe exange cards due... inchie due...wyanne due ... money problems getting intense...rowing a boat with one oar going in circles, wish i had a partner present to help me row

Every Inchie Monday POWERFUL

I am a bit late in getting this posted. January has been keeping me hopping ! Very interesting month....lots of falling in and popping out of rabbit holes if you know what I mean.

I'm enjoying doing the Every Inchie Monday challenge. The word this week was "powerful" and really got me thinking. That can mean so many things. I kept coming back to the thought of how powerful love is. Used a stamped image on a bit of glimmer misted dictionary page on top of a few song lyrics I typed randomly quite a while a go...hence the "love hurts" at the top.

Warm wishes! :) Nan

saturday peace

restful day... cd sorting .... started medifast....s asleep in our bed......penny is snoring

A Long Day In Gainesville

Doctors, Xrays, Vet but a wonderful lunch at Red Lobster and the perfect OPI polish called Dear Diary. Tried so hard to talk Steve into letting us adopt a kitten in need from the vet to no avail. I know it would be easier if the house were cleared up but this baby needs a home now.

Another Inchie!

It's time for our monthly inchie exchange at the shop. I picked hot cocoa and i would have like to have had some today. It was pouring rain and cold. I know we need the rain but brrr!

I used Sakura Glaze pens to do the mug and some TH Rock Candy sticles for the snow. The pearly background was a bottle of Jaquard pearl paint I found in the cleanup and decided to paint a sheet of paper with. All the ladies inchies were wonderful.

Inchie Monday

While I was blog hopping yesterday I found a new blog called Every Inchie Monday. This weeks theme is Eclectic which suits me fine. Here's my entry for week one.

This is also the week we swap inchies at my LLS Scrappy Papers so I will be in an inchie frame of mind for a few days. Happy Monday! :) Nan

A Rainy Restful Day...Ahhhh

It is a bit soggy here....no thunder or lightning, just a slow steady sleepy rain. I have been blog hopping today and catching up with everyone. I love how I start somewhere and suddenly here I am 290 blogs later reading just one more creative thing. Can only do this once in a while because I get overloaded with too much information and my brain just locks up. :)

I did spend a little time getting the rest of my little work corner cleaned up so I can start my Paint Free class with Wyanne next week. I can't wait. Love her work and have been looking forward to this since November. I wasn't able to start the class then because we were out of town and had no internet. But now I am so ready. Here's my clean corner! :) Nan