Nun painting

hi fellow bloggers! hope Santa was good to you this year, and if not, perhaps you were naughty, lol?
I see lots of you are getting hit with winter storms, please be safe, the roads can get brutal during blizzards. I'm going by memory, because I haven't seen a snowstorm in a couple of years, lol!

I thought I'd show you the painting I did for my sister's Christmas present. A few years ago I made a large folk art painting of nuns for her, and from then on, every year I would buy her a nun ornament for her tree.
My original idea was to paint 2 folk art nuns drinking coffee, but I couldn't get the sketch to look right. An image of a more gothic nun popped into my mind, so I changed direction, and here she is. My sister loved her! thank goodness, because I wasn't sure what I thought of it. I guess if you paint from the heart, it all works out for the best.

I haven't made  any resolutions for the New Year yet, but want to cut back on  sugar....well I went shopping today, and of course all the holiday chocolates were on sale half price. I walked away with 4 boxes, which I will call my emergency stash, haha! And if that's not bad enough, I went out with a friend just now, and picked up some more chocolate! See, this is why I don't do resolutions, lol!

Warm Holiday Blessings to you!

Hello dear blogging friends!
Christmas is such a magical time of year, but  it can also be  very hectic, with baking, cooking,  scrambling to find the perfect  gifts, fighting crowds in busy malls...and the million other things that can turn us into the Grinch. It's easy to get lost in all the chaos, and the lists of things to do, that you forget to stop, breath, and take in the wonder of the season. Let's be grateful for what we have in our lives, and the dear friends and loved ones who share in them.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays! My prayer is that you are blessed with happiness, and much peace.

 

hi everyone, I finished the work in progress painting from my last post. This is not quite what I had in mind. I planned to add red roses, but guess what, you cannot see red roses against red hair, lol! so I had to change my original idea, and added just one pink rose at the bottom. Oh well, not everything you try is going to come out as planned. So I just had fun and experimented, covering over the elements that didn't work. That's the beauty of mixed media on wood.


While I was on a mad hunt for a rose to stencil on her, I realized how much cool stuff I have that has never been used! I was looking through a clear container and it was filled with stencils, stickers, rub on letters, and other fun stuff. They were purchased for use in my art as well as my art journals (oops, they have been neglected, lol!).
A good New Year's Resolution will be to USE THEM UP, lol! and that includes all my Golden Fluid paints which I am 'saving' for when I'm a better artist. How silly is that? It's time to get out the good stuff, and have fun with it. So many supplies, so little time :-)


thanks for reading!

Work in Progress and another owl ACEO

hi friends, I thought I'd show you my latest work in progress, which has been sitting in my art room unfinished for a few weeks now. (sorry for the glare-it's evening).
Today I worked on her face, and must say, how relaxing the process is! I can blend, and layer skin colors for hours, and I don't notice the time passing.  I know exactly what the title of this one will be, and hopefully the finished painting will look as good as the one in my head, lol!

I'm winding down my Christmas themed ACEOs, since time is rapidly running out. This one was finished last night. I called it ''Can we keep him?"
They really are fun to do, and for those of you who haven't tried them, they are extremely addictive. If you don't know what an ACEO is, it is a small artwork you create, no larger than a baseball card. You can use any technique you desire. The sky is the limit, and the best thing is, they are much quicker than paintings, well, usually they are quicker. I've had many that took over 2 or 3 hours, since I love adding tiny details,and I'm quite finicky about making sure everything is perfect. Something I need to loosen up on, lol!

If you read my blog you may have heard my wishing for snow. Well, last night we did get a little, maybe a few inches, after it had rained all day,  and we were expecting the temperature to drop rapidly over night. No big deal right? So this morning I bundled up, and left a couple of minutes early to warm up my car....problem was I couldn't get into my car. The doors had frozen shut, and there was no possible way to get in...I'm one of the 2 people responsible for opening my building in the morning so it's important that I get there. I was one minute from going inside and calling my boss to say I couldn't come in, when the door finally opened. This is what happens when you have a flash freexe. I won't even tell you how long it took to scrape the ice off my windows, but will say it was quite the workout first thing in the morning, lol! So if you hear my complaining that we're not getting any snow, remind me of my not-so-fun start to the day...or send me a virtual kick in the pants, lol!

thanks for reading

Montreal shopping, and a Free Vintage image for you

 hi friends, a few days ago we got back from our annual shopping trip to Montreal. It's only 2 days, but we certainly shopped till we dropped, lol! This year was the best one ever. I was hoping for snow, but as the train pulled in, it was dry. However, within a few hours of our arriving, it started to snow, and snow, and snow...how perfect, a snowstorm while we were there, and it was still going on when we left.
I wish I took more photographs of the streets though. They were simply beautiful.

 

Lots of pretty displays in store windows to see...

There was a giant buddha in a store. Did you know that you are supposed to rub a buddha's belly for good luck, lol?

It was the perfect little trip, got lots of Christmas shopping done, and enjoyed good food and good sights.

I made a couple more ACEOs(small art, size of a baseball card) this past week. This one was my favorite, I put it up on Ebay last night as a Buy it Now, and woke up to it being sold.  Time is running out, so I'm happy this buyer will have it before Christmas.

I haven't added any free vintage images from my collection for a while, so I dug up this Christmas post card from 1910 for you to download, and use in your art. Click on the photo to make it larger, then download.

Well, that's it for now, I need to make a few more ACEOs, then watch a Christmas movie.

thanks for reading!

Hey, chill out!

                        Have yourself a Whimsical little Christmas

hi friends, first I thought I'd show you some Christmas eye candy. I made a treasury on Etsy for the young at heart. I love everything here! If you want a closer look at these talented artists click here to go to the treasury.
It's made up of cute and whimsical stuff to give as gifts, or keep for yourself, lol!

Well, we are in the first week of December, and before you know it, Christmas will be here, and then the New Year. I can't say I have accomplished what I wanted to this year, but isn't that belief pretty typical? We rarely think we have done enough. Must be the society we live in that keeps telling us to do more, be more, have more, buy more, no wonder so many people are stressed around this time of year.  I think we can all use a little break from the insanity.

A helpful tip is to take at least 15 minutes each day, to just sit, breathe, and recharge yourself.  Take slow, deep breaths, and concentrate on your breathing. On the inhale when your lungs are filled, hold your breath for a few seconds, then exhale. Your mind will wander but stick with it. After each exhale, feel your body sinking deeper into your chair. Keep your eyes closed, unclench your jaw, and soften your facial muscles.
After a few moments, you will realize that the chatter in your mind has slowed down, and you feel so good. Continue as long as you desire, and when you open your eyes, you may find yourself smiling and at peace.

Give it a try, and let me know what you think.  In fact, if you are sitting on your computer reading this, what a perfect time to take a few moments  and see if it's true, or if I am full of crap.
And don't say you can't spare 15 minutes for yourself.
YOU are the most important person in your life, and don't you forget it :-)

love ya!

New Christmas Angel painting

                                                      

                                              My latest painting called:   A baby changes everything. (SOLD)

Have you ever heard a song that was so beautiful that you needed to illustrate it?  I listen to all Christmas music radio these days, and I heard this song by Faith Hill called 'A baby changes everything'. I didn't pay attention to it at first, but once I did and really heard it I knew I wanted to make a Christmas Angel, and include words this time. I started it last night, and worked away until it was done. When I find inspiration  in a song, I play it over and over again while painting, hoping to convey the right feeling. I honestly don't know if I succeeded. Sometimes the image in our head is difficult to bring to fruition.
It's listed in my Etsy shop if anyone wants a very sparkly Christmas painting :-)

So are my American friends enjoying their Thanksgiving weekend? Did you all hit the malls for Black Friday? I can't even imagine what that must be like, I read about the chaos in the papers, lol! I think I'd rather stay inside and shop online. I love going into stores, but it's the line ups that drive me crazy. As I age, I find my patience wearing thinner.

This last Thursday I went to the last craft show of the season, it's called the One of a Kind show, and it features over 800 vendors. Fun, but tiring. My feet were killing me after all that walking...and as you get to the end you find yourself passing by the booths much quicker. It's hard to maintain your excitement after seeing so much. Luckily you can pick up a pass to go back later on - it's a 10 day event.  I would love to go back a second time for another look.

That's it for now, I'm off to do a bit more painting
thanks for reading

New ACEO, and A glimpse of my crazy tree

hello friends. Do you see the ACEO painting above? that's what I plan on doing for the next little while, haha!
I went to 3 craft shows the past week. The one in my city had really nice, hand crafted, and more higher end items. I fell in love with a hand painted fox pendant, and thought I'd return in the evening, and point it out to my sister as something she can buy me for Christmas. Well, just my luck, he sold it, as well as many other nice pendants. So folks, when you fall in love with something, you better pick it up right away.

Yesterday we went to another couple of craft shows, and I mostly bought cute ornaments for me 'crazy tree'.
I said I would show you some photos, so I took a few, but you really can't get a good idea of how wild it is until you see it in person. It is quite the spectacle, lol! So here are some pics... I had a hard time getting the whole tree in the photo, it's pretty tall, but this will give you an idea. It is on the hall landing as you walk up the stairs. I have a more traditional tree in my living room.

 I had to photograph it in the day time so you could see some of the decorations. At night it is lit with deep blue and purple lights.

This is a close up of some of the ornaments on the tree. I've been collecting them for years.

This is one of my favorite ornament, it's a masked mouse flashing you, lol!

That's it for today, I'm working on another Christmas painting which has been giving me trouble for the past week.
Thanks for reading!

Wee fox illustration

 

The human spirit is not dead.  It lives on in secret.... It has come to believe that compassion, in which all ethics must take root, can only attain its full breadth and depth if it embraces all living creatures and does not limit itself to mankind.  ~Albert Schweitzer, Novel Peace Prize address, "The Problem of Peace in the World Today

hello friends, this is a quick post of my latest illustration on a vintage book page.  Way back in September I happened to see 2 foxes in one day. I was going shopping with a friend to Toronto, we saw a man on a tractor of sorts, cutting hay. At the edge of a field was a wooded area, and that's where we saw a fox, standing still looking at the man.  For some reason I felt a great sadness when I saw it, maybe because I see daily more and more land being developed, leaving wildlife with nowhere to go.
On the way home driving down a country road, we saw another fox on the side of the road. I have never seen a fox in person, so imagine how strange it felt to see 2 in one day. I knew I wanted to draw them, so here is my first fun one.

I've been putting the finishing touches on my Christmas decorating as well as working on some art. The decorating is done, so I can finally relax, and get caught up on my blog reading. I will be posting photos of my funky little tree soon, it's quite the spectacle, lol!

thanks for your comments on my snow angel last post, I did a test with a sheet of clear paper with the words on it and decided I would leave it alone. I will be visiting your blogs soon :-)

Snow Angel

hi everyone, here is my first 'winter' painting for the season, the first of many I hope. Sorry for the bad photo, it's evening, and I have a crappy camera, lol.
I had to stop myself from creating too much texture which is not an easy thing to do. I love texture! but unfortunately, if you want to make prints of something, the surface needs to be relatively smooth.
Do you think I should add text to the painting? I was thinking of the words 'let it snow'...or should I leave it as is? I'm on the fence right now...

Thanks for all the sweet comments on my mermaid journal page from my last post! You've inspired me to keep at it. When I posted that page, I didn't think it was all that creative but now I know that there is room for all types of pages. It's those darn expectations that we all have to deal with. Let's keep reminding each other to just go for it, create for the sheer joy, and stop expecting our work to be like everyone else's.
My blog friends are the best!

thanks for reading, have a blessed day
betty

Mermaid Journal Page

And it only took a month to finish, haha!  This is the mermaid I showed on my blog on Oct 3rd, the plan was to add something to the left side. The problem is that I'm not too good at this journaling stuff, unless I follow someone's instructions...in the end, I added a bit of blue and white paint, and wrote some words down that I thought went with the drawing.  Not particularly creative,  but hopefully if I keep playing around in my art journal, I will get the hang of it, and be able to produce lovely, interesting  pages like a lot of you do.
This is from my portrait journal, the one I use to practice drawing different faces.

My decorating is almost done, one tree is up, the next will go up on the weekend. If I can get a good photo of my funky crazy tree I will post it. It's quite unusual, lol!
Once the decorating is finished, I can sit back and concentrate on holiday art.
Hopefully some Christmas fairies or angels...

thanks for reading!

Hang on Kitty Illustration

hello friends, here is my latest illustration on a vintage book page. The moon has a red hat, do you think I may be dreaming of Christmas already, lol? I added it to my Etsy shop, which I am slowly starting to stock up for the holidays.

Next weekend I will be bringing all my boxes upstairs, and start decorating. It is a long and tiring process, as they are stored in the basement and I'm on the top floor, yuck!

On a postive note though, once it is finished, I can sit back and create holiday themed art. It's time to start folks, if you expect to get it all done. It's only the first week of November, but time has a way of getting away from you, and before you know it, Christmas will be here.

thanks for reading!

The witch is done!

Here is the (almost) finished witch painting that I showed you in my last blog post. I say 'almost' because I like to go back in after a day or so, and add more little details. I need to lighen up, lol!
I went back over my blog because I couldn't remember the last actual painting I did....it was in June! Wow, I went that long without painting my whimsical girls!  I need to make sure that doesn't happen again.
The background gave me trouble when I started, but after a while, it seemed to flow. So much for keeping it simple, I started adding layers for some interest.  The secret is to just paint, and let it go where it wants to, and mostly, don't stress about it.  There is no right or wrong way to do art, and even if you make mistakes, you simply learn from them, and apply what you have learned the next time.
I'm looking forward to my next painting now, maybe I can get into some kind of groove, and not go another 3 months!

The last couple of days we have had some insane weather. Yesterday they were calling for a 'weather bomb', which I have never heard of. For us we had  the craziest winds  and they've lasted so far for 2 days.
According to the news it hit lots of areas hard, especially in the US.
Were any of you affected?  I'm surprised at the intensity, and how much area it has covered. Makes me think that we are in for a hell of a winter.

thanks for reading!

New ACEO and a Witch WIP

hi everyone, I've been busy creating lots of ACEOs. After doing my whimsical owls, I felt like drawing one of my girls, and stuck some kittens in there as well.  It seems like I have done so many of these miniature paintings, that my larger work has suffered. It's been probably months since I painted an actual canvas. I think about it, then I postpone doing it, waiting for the perfect time. I guess since these ACEOs are only the size of a playing card, they are easier to find time to do.

However enough is enough. Today I made myself get out a canvas and start a witch painting that I said I would do. Drawing the girl is no problem so far. It's deciding what to do with the background that always gets me. That was my problem with my older paintings, I just didn't know what to do. So, I will keep it simple this time. I am adding rust colors in the background for now, and see what happens. I can't believe a simple painting is causing me such stress, lol!

You would think with all the mixed media workshops I have done, this would finally get easy, but that's not the case.
I hear thunder in the distance, so I'm heading out to the grocery store and pick up some ju jubes. Maybe when I come back, I can be more clear about what to do next....
***************
ps- for those of you wondering how Henry the rescue cat is from last week's blog, he is still hanging in there. He was able to eat himself for the first time, and they will be taking more blood work to see if he is getting better.

Cat rescue

This is Henry. Henry is an 8 year old rescue cat, and he is now in an animal hospital fighting for his life.
Briefly this is his story:  he and 5 other cats belonged to a woman who got a new boyfriend. The boyfriend decided he didn't want the cats in the house so she dumped all  of them outside to fend for themselves for a couple of months, then gave them over to a cat rescue.  This is where my friend got involved. She took them to a barn, hoping to turn them into barn cats. After a few weeks, only 2 cats remained, the other 4 have moved on.

Last week I got a call from  my friend asking me to come with her to the animal hospital, sit in the back, and comfort Henry, who she found with his back legs paralized. The trip had me worried as he kept putting his head down. I thought he would die in the car. When the vet saw him, she told us he had been attacked by something. He had over 20 puncture wounds and was in bad shape.

It sounded like he was on the mend until today, I got an email saying his blood tests came back, and it looked like his kidneys were shutting down. My friend headed over there to be with him when he would be euthanized. She later sent an email  saying  that when they got there he perked up, and started purring.  I guess he only wanted to feel loved,  like every other living creature. So now we are waiting to see if this poor little guy makes it. He's had such a tough life, he doesn't deserve to go this way.
If he does survive, he will be an indoor cat once again.

I know alot of you  rescue cats or other animals, and I applaud you for your kindness and strength.
Thank goodness for people that take in unwanted animals, and try to give them a new chance at life.
Many times it works out beautifully, and you have a companion for life, but other times there is tragedy.
I sure hope this is not one of the latter.
***********

What a busy month it's been! I still haven't painted anything larger than an ACEO for a while. I've got a witch planned, it's just hard to find the time to do it. I'm one of these people that needs to work on something until it's done. Pretty soon Halloween will be upon us, and as soon as that's over, I start Christmas decorating.
Shhh, don't tell anyone but I played some Christmas music today while I was painting :-)

thanks for reading!

The above ACEO is called 'Ready to pounce'. Note the owl hiding in the pile of leaves, getting ready to scare the living daylights out of these trick r treaters.

Illustration Friday - Beneath

It's Halloween night, and two baby owls fearlessly move through the forest beneath the candle light.

 Hello Friends. I really wanted to illustrate this week's topic, and had a mermaid in mind, but alas, I was afraid I would run out of time. So here is an ACEO I just finished today which fits the topic perfectly I think.

It's now official, I am a terrible blogger. I keep meaning to update, but when I get here I feel there's nothing interesting to say. I'm still reading my favorite blogs, just not updating my own, lol!

The above sketch is what I was hoping to add to Illustration Friday, she is  a mermaid, but she is not done yet. I pictured in my mind a murky background, with her face obscured with color, but not sure when I can get to it. So many other things to do.

Today I started decorating for Halloween. I brought out my skeleton and ghost tealights, and a pumpking which lights up when you plug it in.. There is fall garland, and lots of seasonal candles for display. Can't forget the purple and orange lights!
In one month, the Halloween stuff gets put away, and I start preparing for my favorite holiday of all, Christmas! Would you think I was strange if I admited that I played Christmas music yesterday, haha! I stopped after 2 songs, I didn't want to get sick of them already :-)

Coming soon will be some witch paintings for Halloween.
Thanks for putting up with this absent blogger (yup, that's me).
xoxo

Art Journal Work in Progress

I'm starting to think I will never be an art journaler. I've taken some workshops, and have really enjoyed them, but I find it hard to continue. The page you see above has been sitting in my art journal for weeks, waiting for some various papers and text to be added,  but I couldn't get motivated. Finally I sat down and sketched what came naturally to me. So maybe this is how my journals will look, since there really is no right way to do them.
She's not done yet, and I think I will add song lyrics to the left hand side, even though I have terrible handwriting, lol!
Not sure what else I will do, maybe some stamping in white would be nice. I love those foam stamps you can buy in Walmart or Michaels, they're great to work with.
Once this page is done I will show it here.

thanks for reading!

A bit of this, a bit of that...

I thought I'd start by showing you some of the art supplies I picked up. They had a back to school sale at my nearest art store so how could I resist? Those round things you see are Pan Pastels, I had seen a Youtube video about them a while ago, but until now, they weren't available anywhere here. Haven't had a chance to use them yet.
The Amsterdam acrylics were picked up to use in some background experiments, and they are wonderful! Very inexpensive, but the quality and covereage are very impressive! I won't be buying anymore folk art paints after that.
 
Artwise, I have been trying to work on  portraits. If you've been reading my blog long enough you've seen lots of ACEOs and illustrations on vintage pages that I like to do. I'm feeling the need to work on a painting after a long absense.
This has been such a wonderful summer, that it was hard to stay indoors and work, that's why I have mainly been creating smaller art. I'm one of the few people that looks forward to winter coming, and the days getting shorter. My favorite time is when it is dark at 5pm, lol! That's when you want to hibernate, and that's when I am most productive.  Anyone else  looking forward to the change in seasons? Isn't it exciting when it gets darker and darker? and when the cold winds blow, and the first snow falls? Ok, I'm getting ahead of myself, lol!

Last but not least, I was sent this very inspirational Youtube video. My favorite part is when he is talking to the high school kids. He is an amazing man, and it puts our little problems into perspective.
I wish more people would take the time to talk to kids, and tell them that they are perfect as they are. A lot of them feel alone, and not good enough. They need to be told that anything is possible in this world, and to hold fast to their dreams.



Come to think of it, many of us adults could use some inspiration as well. So let me end by saying you are all beautiful, and worthy, exactly as you are. The fact that you are alive is a blessing, and every day, you have a chance to throw away the disappointments of the past, and  start fresh. Every day we are given a gift of 24 sparkling new hours, to use  as we desire. Let's keep our mind focused on the wonderful blessings we have, and try to limit the negative thoughts that tend to creep in.
Thanks for reading, and have a magical day!

An Unwelcome visitor.... and a free vintage Image

Tell me folks, how would you like to see this ugly mug on your curtains??

This poor fellow made his way into my home. I was at my desk working on a painting, when all of the sudden I saw something from the corner of my eye flying around the ceiling, and the cats came running. Of course I panicked when I realized it was a bat, and called my mom to come and get it, meanwhile screaming because it kept swooping down close to my head. Eventually I calmed down and realized it was more scared of me than I was of it, and waited patiently for it to land somewhere. And grabbed my camera, lol!
It took a while to get rid of him, he was definitely full of energy, but landed on top of my bookshelf. I quickly put a tupperware container over him, and took him outside. They are pretty ugly up close, but kind of cute too. Now I'm worried about how he got in.  Ah, the joys of owning an older home.

I have another free vintage image for you to download and use in your artwork. Isn't this such a romantic picture? It is a vintage postcard I purchased, very old, you can tell by the fading. Not sure of the date, I can't tell from their clothing. Anyway, just click on the image to bring up a larger version, then right click and download.

Thanks for reading!

The Hope of Love

hello friends! Here is my latest illustration on a vintage page from a book dated 1918. I think he turned out pretty cute, surrounded by pinks, lol!

It's been a rainy weekend, perfect for staying in and painting.
After ruining a few ACEOs I was working on,  I realized I either don't understand color theory very well, or my watercolors and acrylic paints are not the right shades.

Can anyone recommend a  particular brand of watercolors that you feel are very bright and intense? Or even inks?
I mostly use Windsor and Newton watercolors, but would like something more bold.
Is there a really bright, transparent  pink out there, that is not muted? It's my favorite color, and I can't seem to get the intensity I want. A transparent purple would be nice too. The one I've got is just too dull, I can't seem to do anything with it.
I've heard good things about Windsor and Newton's Opera pink, but don't have it yet.
The Daler-Rowney FW Acrylic inks are quite nice, and easy to use. I may have to take a trip to the art store for some more goodies :-)

thanks for reading!
xoxo

Illustration Friday - Star Gazing

Hello friends.  I couldn't resist this weeks topic at Illustration Friday. I had a great idea for last weeks, but never got to it on time, and was determined to not miss this one. I'm still working on my watercolor skills, I'd like to be more loose and playful, not always controlled.
Here's a tip for anyone wanting to practice with watercolor:   never paint on 90lb watercolor paper without stretching it first. This painting buckled big time!

Hitching a Ride Over the Moon

hello dear readers! I'm not feeling too inspired to write anything clever tonight, but here is my latest illustration on a vintage page.

Right now I'm waiting for my sister to bring me a carton of ice cream from a new shop that opened. I don't know what it is about this place, but the ice cream is addictive! Last weekend after a trip to the farmers' market for some fresh foods, we stopped by for a cone. I tried a peanut butter and banana cone, and wow!! I can't stop thinking about it, lol!

My window is open and I can hear a man whistling some old fashioned tunes, very loudly I may add. It's kind of nice, like in those old detective movies where a man dressed in a dark suit and fedora goes off whistling into the night.

Does anyone know when Project Runway will be airing in Canada? We are usually 3 weeks behind but I can't find information anywhere.

Oh my, this blog post is all over the place!  I better stop rambling now, haha!
Hope you are all enjoying your summer (or winter if you are in the Southern hemisphere).

Newest ACEOs and Free Vintage Photo for you

hello everyone. Today is Civic Holiday in Canada, so we had a nice 3 -day weekend. I can't believe it's August already, the summer seems to be flying by so quickly. The only art I seem to be doing these days are my little ACEOs. I'm just not in the mood to do anything larger. The weather has been fabulous all summer, and I'd rather be out enjoying it. Winter comes too soon here, and there will be plenty of time to stay in and create larger art once the cold temperatures arrive.

See, the little guy above is trying to stay cool during this hot summer of ours, and so is the wee mouse, lol!

Yesterday me and my friends went antiquing.  I didn't buy much, but I did pick up 2 cheap packages of various vintage ephemera to use in my art. I remembered to take my camera along, and snapped a pic of these cute monks.

Later on in the day I went with my  friend  (who googled me and discovered this blog, haha!) went to her partners farm for a wonderful barbecue.  After dinner I even got to bottle feed an orphan colt. He was so hungry he went through 5 bottles in no time. He's a cute little fellow, lol!

You know it's funny to have a friend discover your blog. I've never mentioned it to anyone since I see this as an art blog mostly, and now 2 people who know me in person have found me out.  Guess I got to be careful what I say, lol!

I'm curious about other bloggers. Do you let your friends and family know about your blog, or do you have a sort of 'secret' identity?

Last but not least, here is another free vintage photo for you to use in your art. I bought this at a store which sells vintage and antique clothes and other items. The owner figures it is from the early 1900's, before 1920.
Aren't they the cutest kids? I'd love to see what you do with this, feel free to send me a comment or link.
Don't forget when saving to your computer, click the image once to bring up the larger version. Enjoy!

Funky Cardinal and Free Vintage photo

hi everyone. Meet my latest critter done on a vintage book page. I thought since I've done so many girls, may as well draw a  cardinal. Yes I know he looks funny, but he is supposed to be a cardinal, lol!

Today I went to the Antique market  and picked up some nice vintage photos, as well as a couple of old childrens books. Here is one of the photos I purchased, that I would like to share with you.
 If you make anything with it, I'd love to see. I've been collecting things like this for a while now, but can't bring myself to use the originals in my art, even though that was the idea

Click on the image to bring up the larger size, then save it to your computer.  I will be adding more freebies in future posts. 
Can you imagine what it would have been like to be dressed like this in the summer heat? I'm pretty sure the women weren't allowed to shorts, lol!

Natalie baked you a pie...

Do you like it? The pie I mean, lol! Here is another of my ink on vintage page illustrations.

Did you all notice the nice new feature blogger has? The preview button now let's you see exactly how your post will look. Very cool!

This is a very short post as it's past midnight and I have to get up early tomorrow for work. Note to self: do NOT drink a Starbucks bold coffee a few hours before bedtime , haha! Now I'm paying for it.

have a great night!

My 7 card Draw prizes!

Every month I take part in an ACEO thread on Etsy, called the 7 -card draw, and last month I was the lucky winner! You get to choose 7 cards from the pool - there were I believe, 30 or 40 cards to choose from last month. Today the last of my winning cards came in, so here they are! it's not the greatest photo, since today after many days of sunshine, it decides to rain, lol!

Here are the links to the Etsy shops of each of these lovely people, starting from the top.

Lee Pierce
Art by Marlene
Tapestry316
AdventuresinArt
Journalartz
LD Photography
Mag Moment

Thank you to all those who participated, I am beyond thrilled at my new cards! and for any of you out there, any one can join in, just read the instructions on the first page of the thread, add something to the pool, and have fun!

Big Eye'd Mermaid Illustration.

hi everyone.  I'm still trying to figure out the best way to offer illustrations in my soon to be opened second Etsy shop. It's a lot of work! I'm not sure it's worth the effort, it's hard enough keeping one shop active. I won't bore you with all the details, lol!

Here is my latest big eyed character, with a visitor tagging along for the ride. Not sure how I would describe this illustration, it is sort of a print, but also original. The mermaid was printed on a vintage book page, then re-drew some of the lines, and added paint and other details.
I got lucky with these vintage books...they were being discarded, and I managed to get a few before that happened. This particular one is dated 1918, and I even found one dated 1890. It's nice to give old books a new life, as well as recycle. Watch for lots more illustrations on vintage pages.

It's been so hot and muggy the last few days, that it makes it quite difficult to sit in a hot little room and create. I hope you are all keeping comfortable where ever you are.
thanks for reading!

Hot and Lazy Sunday afternoon

hello everyone! It is gorgeous out these days, yet I've managed to get some new illustrations done. These are a bit different from my  last, but they are still on vintage pages. I was very lucky to salvage some old books heading for the dumpster, so I don't feel bad tearing them apart. One is from 1898, I haven't used the pages yet but I will.
These may have to be listed in my regular Etsy shop, since I haven't opened the second one yet, depends on how much time I have. It's been fun playing around with art, and being a bit more carefree.

The above piece was done on watercolor paper, and I added lots of various vintage text on top. I didn't have a plan, just let it go where it wanted to go. Sorry about the poor photos!

Today I took a drive to the Antique market that runs every Sunday, and I scored some wonderful paper to use in my art. I found 2 very old books filled with vintage wallpaper samples, and I got them for $5, for both!
Now it's a matter of figuring out how best to use them, the papers really are beautiful!
I also picked up these cute little Japanese made dolls. I know nothing about them, other than that they are story book characters.

It was a good trip. I went alone since everyone I know wanted to watch the World Cup final. Congratulations to Spain, and to the Netherlands for what I hear was a wonderful game.

I thought I'd mention a funny thing that happened to me this morning. I have a sweet little canary which I adore, named Lucas.  I took his feed dish to fill it up with seeds, and he flew out. I heard fluttering and when I looked around, he was on the floor looking at me, so I let him stay out for a bit and stretch his wings. When I went to catch him, naturally he tries to fly away. He flew into the bathroom, and I figured, no problem, this will be easy since the bathroom is so small. Before I had a chance to even walk towards him he flew right into the toilet! I quickly pulled him out, poor little guy! His belly and wings were wet so I dabbed him with a paper towel and placed him in his cage. He was perfectly fine, he's such a little trooper.

Last but not least, I mentioned buying lots of new plants in my last post and someone asked for a photo, so here is one that shows some of them. This is the stand by my kitchen window, and yes, that is a cat on top, lol! It's my sister's persian/himalayan cat.
I have to put 2 plants on the floor because she likes to lie on the shelf and watch the birds outside. The plants are throughout my home, but this is where most are.

hope you are all having a wonderful weekend
thanks for reading!