Happy Fall!

Hello friends, did you think I fell off the face of the earth? Well it sure felt like it! I took a bit of time away from my blog over the last few months. I don't do much art over the summer, as the weather beckons me outside. This year was super busy, we went to  Greece, where I enjoyed the sunshine and beach for a couple of weeks, then once home, I had to look after my parents' garden and dog for 6 weeks while they enjoyed a nice vacation too. The weather gods kept me busy, they thought it would be fun to give us a drought, which meant frequent watering, and of course, the dog can't miss his walkies!

As well, I've been in kind of an art funk. Haven't felt like creating anything for months, once again my muse decided to vanish without warning....however, I'm feeling in the mood again, and the last week, created 2 new mixed media paintings, the witch you see above (sold), and the angel below. As much as I love summer, I'm always happy to see the weather turn cooler, because it means more time indoors, and this is when I'm at my best. 

To welcome fall, I decided just yesterday, to put everything in my Etsy store 20% off. It's a good time to do a little clearing out, and making way for new art. If you are interested in anything, please use the coupon code 'Pink20' at checkout, and it will automatically take off your discount.

This has been a year of technical difficulties as well. My crappy printer decided it will no longer print black - which means I can't add new prints to my shop, and now my computer won't recognize my camera stick, so I can't take photos of my art to upload to my computer. How frustrating! Looks like I will be buying a new printer soon. I'd be happy to hear some suggestions...I'm leaning towards an Epson, but haven't done any homework yet.

That's it for now, don't want to bore you with a novel. I look forward to getting caught up on my blog reading. One of my joys for the fall and winter is to make a nice cup of coffee, sit down and read my favorite blogs. Hope you all are doing well, I missed you all! 

Art Journaling Fun

 I sure have been a bad blogger! You wouldn't believe how many times I've written notes about what I should blog about when I get home from work, but I never got to it...ah well, we all seem to be inundated with so many distractions these days. Namely Pinterest, lol! That site is the most addictive thing on the internet! but what a great source for inspiration! I have made several boards filled with colors and art I love, it's like bulletin boards but online.

Haven't been doing too much painting, instead I took a bit of a break to play with art journaling. I'm working in 3 journals, and am mostly practicing background technique. I never thought I would love it so much!Now putting words on my pages is a bit harder, as I don't know what to say,. so instead of forcing it, I will leave them alone until I feel the need to write something. Above is one of my earlier ones, and I wrote part of a poem on it. It's not the greatest page, but it was an experiment.
Below is another, this is a simple one, but I loved the oranges.

I did manage to get an owl ACEO done in time for an Earth day challenge we have going on over at the 7 card draw blog Leave it to me to wait until the last minute, lol! He's a little tree hugger :-)

On a random note, I couldn't believe that Doctor Oz talked about the 5 Tibetan rites! I wrote about these a long time ago on my blog, where I recommended them for everyone who wanted to have more energy, and to feel and look more youthful. I thought they were too esoteric for mainstream, but this is a good sign. People are tired of being unhealthy, and are looking for new ways to improve their lives.
Here is a site that explains them:  5 Tibetan Rites

Last week I even saw recipes for green smoothies on his show, which I've been doing since last summer (which helped me lose several pounds, which I had gained over the years). 
One of the recipes he had for a breakfast idea was very simple:  just take some almond milk, add a couple of tablespoons of chia seeds,  let it sit 15 minutes, then add cinnamon and vanilla. Instant breakfast! and so nutritious.

 that's it for now, sure felt good to get this blog post done!
thanks for reading friends
betty

New art, and some skywatching

Well I finally got some new art up, after taking a few weeks off to mostly play around with techniques and stuff.  The above is on a wood panel, and looks much better than the crappy scan. You know when you get something in your head, and try to recreate it? doesn't always work out as you imagined. I was hoping to give her a more circusy feel, so not sure if I accomplished that. I defintely like the plain wood background though.
Anyway, the real reason for the post was to let you  know to look outside quickly, lol!
There is a lovely show between the crescent moon, the planet Venus and Jupiter. I'd caught the tale end of some stargazing discussion on the tv, about the moon and venus, and never thought about it again until I hopped in my car to head to Michaels, and upon looking up at the sky, saw the most lovely spectacular scene. The crescent moon is just above the very bright Venus, and until I checked online, didn't realize this is something we won't see for a long time.

Here is a nice description of what's happening:   http://www.space.com/15047-venus-jupiter-moon-skywatching-tips.html.

I've been wondering the last few weeks what the  2 stars were that I could see very brightly over my house, and now I know :-).  So if you see this post on time, run to your window, lol!

that's all I got for today, thanks for reading!

Free online Documentary- Hungry for Change

hi everyone, I have been taking a mini break from my blog for a bit, as I decided to spend more time experimenting with art, rather than putting the pressure on myself to have a 'finished' product every time. It wasn't planned, but each time I wanted to update, I didn't feel like there was anything interesting to post, lol! I did notice that on a lot of blogs I follow, people are getting more busy, and the weather has been so nice! of course, as the weather gets better, we do tend to spend more time away from the computer.

However, I thought I'd post a quick link for for anyone who is interested in health.. There is a free documentary that will be shown in it's entirety starting today, until the end of the month, and it sounds very interesting. I signed up to watch, as I have seen their previous one titled 'Food Matters' and loved it.
I believe this is a life changing movie, and it will all make perfect sense.

This is the website for those of you who may want to watch it:

http://www.hungryforchange.tv/

 Please check out the trailer and see if it's something that may interest you. I truly believe we can heal ourselves and our planet by truly opening our eyes, and seeing what has been going on while we were sleeping. Our health, and the health of our loved ones depends on waking up to what has happened to our 'food'. It's time to make a change for the betterment of all mankind.

Anyway, I hope to be around soon with a more proper post, and maybe some new journal pages.
I hope you all have been keeping well, and are making the most out of every blessed day

thanks for reading!

So I played...

hi everyone. You know I have done probably hundreds of owl ACEOs, and  realized that I have never put them on anything larger than a baseball card...so here is my first painting. I wanted to really loosen up on this, and just play. I wanted to use pretty colors that drew me, and forget about realism. Folk art is one of my favorite types of art, yet it can be tricky to do (for me at least...I tend to try and control my paintings). What fun this was!  I can't wait to do another one. 
Now I would have had more art to show you, but I got sidetracked by  Pinterest, lol! Wow, that is a wonderful tool!  It's like an online bulletin board for all the good stuff you find online.  I had to join Twitter though, in order to get access.  I'm slowly being dragged into the social media world :-)

Last weekend was a complete disaster art wise, so rather than fighting it, I sat down and sketched a red riding hood character. One of my favorite things to do is faces, so this was very relaxing. Mind you it is a rough sketch, and I experimented with watercolor crayons on the face, as well as pencil marks. It was fun to just paint without needing it to be perfect.  It's a great way to try out new things, as some of you have commented. 
Well, back to work for me -if I can drag myself away from my computer
thanks for reading!

A Valentine's Day for all

Love after love

The time will come
When with elation,
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door in your own mirror,
and each will smile at the other's welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.

You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you have ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.

Derek Walcott

Happy Valentine's Day!  Not all of us have someone to share it with. I certainly don't.  Doesn't matter.

I came across this perfect poem for today. It's a poem about reuniting with your self and finding the one perfect soul that has always loved you...YOU

When everything you touch....

turns to crap!! yup, that's me this weekend. Have you ever had one of those days when you have such high hopes for your art, but nothing seems to work as you envision? It's been like that all weekend for me. I had such great ideas, leading up to this weekend  that when Saturday finally came around, I couldn't decide where to start....so after wasting hours on indecision, I started. And guess what? it was garbage! I mean really bad!  In the garbage bin it went.  Then the next idea, then the next....oh boy, maybe I should have made this a week to sit back and watch movies. Because art didn't love me this weekend. Try as I may, my art didn't feel real, it felt fake, like I was forcing it, which  I was.

So what do you do when you are ready to give up? Play.  Just play with your art, don't put limits on it, don't expect it to be pretty, or something that you can sell. Experiment, and don't be afraid to paint over the whole darn thing when you realize how bad it is. That is how we grow. Not by our successes, but by our failures. We learn how not to do something, and we make that ok. Don't ' beat yourself up, just paint, or sketch, with no goals in mind.  This is the lesson for me this weekend.  Right now I  feel like painting  little red riding hood on watercolor. I don't know if anyone will ever see it, but after scrapping so many drawings, it's the one thing I felt like doing. So I got no art to show you.

Not all was wasted this weekend, I finally joined twitter. I only joined because it was tje only way I could join Pinterest, which sounds like every artists' dream.  I have no idea what I am doing, lol! but will slowly try and figure things out.
Wherever you are, I hope you are having a lovely weekend. Be blessed, and love your life! It's the only one you got!
xoxo
betty

Does music move you?

After a bit of a dry spell, today I finally had the urge to paint a face.It's funny how music can move you. Yesterday I was shopping with a friend, and a song came on, that I remembered from many years ago. It was so haunting, that I pulled out my pocket journal, wrote a few lyrics so I wouldn't forget, and went on with my day.
Today I pulled out my journal,  googled the lyrics, and found it was an old Glen Campbell song. I cranked up the sound and let the melody take me away. In the middle of the song, I had an idea for the very last page of my Art and Music journal that I started several months ago. The last page has been blank all this time, (although I had painted the background, I couldn't decide what kind of face and lyrics to put on it). Just like that, I had the answer, and wasted no time getting my pencil out and drawing the girl. This is the end result
(sorry for the bad photo, but I had to take it indoors, with poor lighting)

Ok, can you tell I have serious issues with my handwriting?? It is beyond terrible, lol! there are a couple of online workshops on creative lettering, and I think it's time to take one of them :-)

So, months later, all it takes is the right song, to move me into action. Have you ever had a song that does that to you, that inspires you? For me, it's usually oldies, as I don't like today's music. My Youtube playlists are full of classics from the 60's and early 70's. That's just the music I seem to resonate with.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on music, and how it affects you.  Go ahead, name your idols, or your fave songs. I have too many to mention, but over the years, I've shown some art on my blog that was inspired by them.

for you young folks, if you are curious about the song, here it is:



thanks for reading!

Resolve

hey folks! I haven't forgotten about my blog, lol! but I have been a bit busy since the start of the year. I'm giving myself a short break from painting, but still creating my ACEOs.
Lots of artists choose a word for the year, something to focus on, rather than resolutions, which generally fail. As I was thinking about this, the word 'Resolve' came into my head, and it felt right at the time. For me, resolve means to be determined to do what needs to be done, to not quit, to be focused....Yes it's a boring word, lol! but it's the one that I first thought of, so I guess it stays.
Once my little art break is over, I plan to buy some of those wooden letters you can pick up in a craft store,  spell out my word, and put it somewhere in my art room as a reminder.

One big change that happened the first week of January was I finally decided to get off my butt, and take yoga classes at my gym. I 'resolved' to do 30 days of yoga, and I have kept up that commitment to myself. What took me so long?? I've been doing yoga from DVDs for probably 20 years, and my gym has always had classes in the evenings, but I felt intimidated to go alone. I wanted someone to come with me at the beginning, so I could feel comfortable...but life is not always comfortable, and that's not how you grow.
It was the 7th of January, Saturday, and I got so angry at myself for being such a wimp, I grabbed my yoga mat, drove to the gym, and walked  into my first real class.  Of course it was so packed, since this is  when most people go back to the gym, lol!  I didn't let that intimidate me, I just found a spot, and did my first class. I haven't missed a day since then :-)
This may seem like such a small thing to most of you, but I tend to be quite shy in new social situations, until I get to know people, or am more comfortable, so it was a big deal.

This has been a refreshing break, and I am so looking forward to working on a painting, perhaps this weekend. Yoga will not end, I will continue it daily for at least the 30 days I promised myself. But art is calling to me again, so it's a matter of planning my time so that everything can fit in.

Since there is no art to show you, I thought I'd leave you with this humorous/educational video on good foods and bad foods. I love me some good sarcasm, and this video has got that, lol!
If you are a parent who buys cereal for your kids, you may want to take a peak!

Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Hello my dear blogging friends, I wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year. May 2012 bring you lots of joy, good health,  success, and may it be the happiest ever for you.

It's up to us, to make life the way we want it. A little at a time, day by day, we can make the choices that bring us our dream lives, the one we have always imagined. 

If not now, when?

sending you many blessings,

 betty

"I will seek elegance rather than luxury; refinement rather than fashion. I will seek to be worthy more than respectable; wealthy and not rich. I will study hard, think quietly, talk gently and act frankly. I will listen to stars and birds, and babes and sages with an open heart. I will bear all things cheerfully, do all things bravely, await occasions and hurry never. In a word I will let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious grow up through the common." - William Ellery Channing

Merry Christmas

 I thought I'd take a moment to thank you all for your wonderful support and friendship throughout the year. We have a generous, and creative community here on Blogger, and I have met many delightful people.
I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays.  May you all have a magical season, and may you be blessed in the coming year.

Owls and Beagles

 hi friends, I couldn't think of a more creative title for this post, it's late, and I'm tired, lol!
After a busy few days, tonight was going to be a painting night (after I got my hair done), but instead watched a video that was sent to me....and then of course, had to click on another video and another....I love youtube, but it's easy to spend lots of time there.  Oh, and while watching videos, I had a plate full of the crappy  shortbread cookies I baked yesterday. I make these simple ones for the holidays, but for some reason, they were not coming out right.  Every cookie I removed from the baking sheet  cracked, so I guess that leaves them all for me, haha! They taste ok, they just don't look so pretty.
And as I was writing this post, I got up and had another...oh boy! they need to be removed from my house immediately!

Artwise, I am still creating my little owl ACEOs (see above ). I love doing them, especially the Christmas ones. So many ideas, but running out of time!
I've been wanting to try some  larger paintings and my recent trip to Montreal has really got me inspired. I'm just afraid that if I wait too long to begin,I will put it aside for another year.
There are so many ideas in my head I don't know where to start! so I don't. That's a big problem for me..I look through my sketchbook, and can't seem to settle on one thing. And because I can't decide, I go back to what's comfortable, which are my owl ACEOs, and my whimsical girls...not that there's anything wrong with that, lol! but it feels good to try something that might intimidate you at first.  We shall see....I have an idea in mind for a Christmas present, and if I ever get started on it, you will be the first to see (as the recipient doesn't read my blog).

So I will end this  post with the video that got me started tonight. It's about 9 beagles that were released from a research lab, and this is their first time outside in the sun. Having had beagles in my family for so many years, I am very partial to these beautiful creatures.
thanks for reading!

ps- please double click on the video to see the larger screen, I have no idea why it is cut off at the sides!

“Until one has loved an animal a part of one's soul remains unawakened.”

Anatole France

Two New Snow fairies

hi everyone. Did you all have a nice Thanksgiving (those of you in America)?Now the countdown to Christmas begins. Can you believe it's less than a month away?
This year I wanted to get some seasonal fairies done before the end of the year, and the one above is the first. She is on a wood panel, my favorite base, and this time I let lots of the wood show through. Maybe she will sprinkle some flurries my way, lol!
The original is listed in my Etsy shop (I'm also offering prints of her as well), and hopefully, will have some blank greeting cards as well. If I manage that, it will be the first time I've been this organized for the holidays!

For the second fairy, I think I went a bit crazy with the sparkle, but I think she will appeal to those who love fantasy, and sparkly things, lol!
Prints are offered in my Etsy shop, as well as the original.

Well, that's it for the night. I thought I'd give a quick update. Hopefully I can get some Christmas photos up next time. I was in some cute shops today, but  haven't checked  the camera yet to see if they turned out.
thanks for reading!

New Yule Witch

hi friends! still waiting for a bit of snow to come here...it's hard to feel like decorating for Christmas with green grass everywhere. At least I was smart and got my outdoor lights put up when it was mild.  Even though I don't feel like decorating, at least my muse is back, and I am anxious to fill my Etsy shop with some new art. I finished this Yuletide witch  last night, and right now finished woodburning a precocious go-go boot wearing snow fairy, lol! no traditional snow fairies for me :-)
Now let's see if I can make it work. I want glitz, and lots of sparkle! Once she is done- unless I ruin it, I will show it here on my blog.
Thanksgiving is coming up for my American friends, and from what I hear, the crazy holiday season starts right afterward.  Black Friday I think it's called? I'm excited for you, even though our Thanksgiving was over a month ago. It means countdown to Christmas, my favorite time of year.

Well, time to get back to my fairy, thanks for reading!

New Art

hi friends. Did you remember to turn back your clocks? This is so much better than in the spring when we lose an hour. However, be prepared, because it will now get dark a little after 5,  lol!

I've always loved painting shabby folk art girls, but never used beeswax as a finish. Normally I use a nice satin varnish, but for the next few, beeswax will be the way to go. It smells divine! and it really does give your paintings a glorious, dreamy finish.   I see these little canvases as experiments, where I get to play, and try out new things. 
The first one I did yesterday  looked great,  until I added the beeswax. I must have scraped off some paint, because there was dark smudges on her face, and there is no way to fix it. I should have known not to experiment on the more expensive wooden canvases,  she is now heading for the trash...oh well, live and learn.

 This angel painting is more my usual style. She was made  for an auction for charity. I can't seem to get away from putting little kittens in my angels' arms though, lol! She turned out pretty good, that I will be offering prints in my Etsy shop. With all the craziness of this world,  we can all use more angels.

I hope everything is good where you all are, thanks for reading!