Raptor Afternoon

Raptor afternoon

Redtails, Rough Legged, Coopers Hawks

Astounding display

Red Tail Hawk - eyeing the interloper with the camera.

Rough Legged Hawk - perchs at the very tip of a branch.

Coopers Hawk - viewing his domain from the corner fence post. 

Solstice Snow

It began with a canvas textured with molding paste... I applied paint in a few layers to get to this point:

I added more paint, and created a mountain peak, then attempted a snowy mist blanketing. 

Adding a whimsical tree, and bits of lace trim to the ground and as a star, and tiny beads as snow. Here is the finished piece:

Solstice Snow 

Now... go check out what the other artists at Paint Party Friday have been up to this week! 

Also sharing with Artists in Blogland

Christmas Moon

A new camera, and a break in the clouds for a shot at the moon! 

This was basically pointing, zooming and shooting. Wow!

Imagine what will happen once I read the instructions on how to do things. 

Oh, I am one happy dancing girl about now! 

Merry, merry! 

Merry Christmas!

Wishing all my friends

a day filled with love and joy. 

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all enjoy your day! We're taking a break this week from HuMp DaY Haiku. However if you have a haiku you wish to share, feel free to post it in the comments. 

Merry Christmas, everyone! 

Final Weekend

The final version of my mustard field mixed media painting, (WIP originally shown here) now offered at the Holiday Festival of the Arts.

I've sold several pieces and a lot of the ornaments so far, and last weekend sold one of my larger paintings. Woot! This weekend is the last of the show, and I hope to sell out... although I'll be happy with whatever sells.  :)

8 x 8 x 1 inch Mixed Media Painting - Mustard Field in Bloom

This little owl is also at my booth...

3 x 3 Miniature Art - Red Moon Owl

Wishing all my Paint Party Friday friends a wonderfully blessed Holiday Season! 

HuMp DaY Haiku - Funky Tree

Garden store display.

Christmas trees all quite unique!

Happy Holidays! 

We took a trip down to Skagit Valley last week, and visited Skagit Gardens Nursery. They always have a Holiday display of the most unique and fun Christmas trees. The first one especially caught my eye; I love the wagon and bathtub. The coral tree was in a "sea themed area", and the baby tree near by. What a delight to spend the afternoon wandering and viewing it all.

And on another note... welcome to Liam Jude, my new grand nephew, born Dec 17th.

We're keeping Hump Day Haiku a bit low key during the holidays... everyone is so busy! If you have time and are so inspired, do join in by either posting your haiku in the comments, or adding your blog post with Mr. Linky. 

Happy Holidays! 

 

On the Mountain

So thrilled to have sold this painting to a lovely young couple today, during the Holiday Festival of the Arts. And how awesome that they wrote to tell me how much they liked it. I'm in awe.

Thank you Bryan and Alexis! I hope you enjoy it for many years. 

Chickadee!

Playing with chickadees this week, including this new name tag for work. 

I decided to change for winter, although I really like this little fellow so he may stay around! And chickadees ARE in our yard year round. It makes me happy to have a little bird friend at work.  Some days I really need him. :)

My chickadee is on 165# cover stock, so is fairly sturdy. He's hand cut, and hand painted with acrylic paints and has a pin back attached.

He goes on this apron that I shared last May when I painted it for work. :)

Happy Friday! 

HuMp DaY Haiku - Blessings

Blessings will appear

if you focus upon them. 

Gratefulness attracts!

We're quite happy this week. We finally found a suitable (aka near perfect) apartment for our developmentally disabled son. While he's not as excited as we are... yet... we're both doing a happy dance. And sending grateful prayers to the apartment hunting gods for blessings given. *wink*

We're keeping Hump Day Haiku a bit low key during the holidays... everyone is so busy! If you have time and are so inspired, do join in by either posting your haiku in the comments, or adding your blog post with Mr. Linky. 

Happy Holidays! 

 

Tiny bird art

Winter Chickadees

I love Chickadees! This tiny 3 x 4 inch mixed media matted art piece is now available in my Etsy shop.

Keeping busy!

Still working on little art pieces (and some bigger ones too) both for my Etsy shop, AND to keep my booth full at the Allied Arts Holiday Festival of the Arts.  The show continues Wed - Sunday until Dec 24th.  I promise that next year I'll be more organized and have more pieces done ahead of time. I will!  :)

3 1/2 x 2 1/2 Canvas - Old Time Santa Beeswax collage

3 x 3 Canvas - Red Breast beeswax collage

Mixed media swallow ornaments

Happy Paint Party Friday! Thanks, Eva and Kristin for hosting! 

HuMp DaY Haiku - Hot Pink

Greenhouse visitor

delighted with the bright blooms!

Cyclamen - Hot Pink! 

A recent lunch time visit to my husband while working at the nursery gave me the opportunity to photograph some of the gorgeous cyclamen they are sending out to local stores. This hot pink one really caught my eye. I think I need one at home, to keep the dreary late fall blues away, don't you?


P.S. I realized that this post I though was scheduled to appear on Tuesday afternoon, posted immediately. oops! O.o

A year or so ago, I started doing Hump Day Haiku with Carla Sonheim's Silly classes and decided as a challenge for myself, I'd continue. I have found that creating a haiku (non rhyming poem with 5 - 7 - 5 syllables per line) feeds my soul. I especially like creating them to go with my photos and art. 

Would you like to share a haiku you have written? 

You may include a haiku in the comments, OR you may copy your blog post url (featuring a haiku) and add a link to your blog using Mr. Linky. And consider visiting other contributors blogs to see what they've created and say hello. 

Out of Space???

So, with yesterdays post, I was notified that I've exceeded my photo space. I can buy more space, if I choose. O.o

Somehow I missed that change in Blogger, and it makes me quite disgruntled.

I have two of my own blogs, and participated in another that involved a lot of photos the day's I posted, most are still in my Google photo albums. Not sure if the combined blogs are contributing, or if it applied to each one.

Anyone have suggestions, besides paying for more space? What you are doing with this interesting development? Anyone considering going to a different blog host?

Thanks, fellow bloggers, for you suggestions!

Happy Friday!

Field of flowers - WIP

I've been working on a canvas the past week or so, between other projects. This is another of my textured landscape paintings, still a work in progress. This is based on a photo I took of a field of blooming mustard on the Palouse (Eastern Washington State). Many years ago, I drove 30 miles to work every day through the Palouse area and loved the ever changing landscape.

Layers added thus far to the initial painted surface include netting, lace, torn paper as texture to the sky and field.  I have more torn paper to add in, a bit more painting and will attach buttons and other bits. More to come on this!

I am so slow when working on these textured paintings. I do layouts and think about it, and change it and think about it. Does anyone else do the same thing? I usually do have several projects going at once, and that's probably my problem. Scattered creativity.

For now, I'll be checking to see what the other Paint Party Friday artists have created this week.

Also sharing with

 

HuMp DaY Haiku - Message

Water rushing in

Crow is calling out, prepare! 

Chilly days ahead! 

Crows are quite persistent in their messages, if only we could hear. Although, I have noticed it is chilly... she says grumpily. :)

A year or so ago, I started doing Hump Day Haiku with Carla Sonheim's Silly classes and decided as a challenge for myself, I'd continue. I have found that creating a haiku (non rhyming poem with 5 - 7 - 5 syllables per line) feeds my soul. I especially like creating them to go with my photos and art. 

Would you like to share a haiku you have written? 

You may include a haiku in the comments, OR you may copy your blog post url (featuring a haiku) and add a link to your blog using Mr. Linky. And consider visiting other contributors blogs to see what they've created and say hello. 

Internet connection woes

 Well... I should actually say "laptop" woes. My fancy schmanzy laptop has this tendency to occasionally "lose connection" to the internet. Usually I can do the "troubleshooting" thing, and it connects. A bit of a pain, but only a minute or so wasted  of my "internet" time. :)

But not this time. All other computers in the house can connect through our network, but mine just is being stubborn. I'm now working on the old... like 9 years old... laptop we got working again some time ago for my hubby. He was upgraded to a speed demon a month ago and this laptop became the "studio" laptop for listening to books on CD and music and such.

And now I'm on it again so I can get my online fix... as I attempt to figure out what the heck to do to fix the freakin' fancy schmanzy laptop.

It did this once before, and the weirdest thing was that when I went to the local library branch for check the wireless, it worked just fine. What IS it's problem? *grumble*

I am quite spoiled, it appears. I want my internet, and I want it now. Of course, two Etsy shops on a busy weekend, two blogs, and being a moderator on atcsforall (not to mention keeping up with family on Facebook and email) keeps me checking in several places off and on all day.I need my internet!

Hoping your weekend is going well, and your internet connection is behaving as it should. Cheers!


Oh... PS... the photo is the dock I'm going to drop the laptop off if the bugger doesn't start working correctly soon! *she says with a laugh*

A mothers lament

Worn out from caring

Needing one who understands

A mothers lament

There are times when dealing with a disabled child is too much. There is little to no support, regardless of all the "touted" programs. It's a struggle to get help. There are no easy answers. I am so tired right now. 

I know there ARE blessings involved as well. I'm doing my best to focus on the blessings. But sometimes... I want to go hide in the woods and have natures energy restore me. 

Linking with Rebecca's Haiku My Heart today.

Thinking of Summer

Okay, I know it's Thanksgiving, and we're in the midst of chilly gray weather.
I do know this.

However, I have sunflowers on my mind!
Doesn't it just warm you up to see bright sunny yellows and golds?
I want to feel warm!
Yes, I'm whining. *laugh*

This painting is now available in my booth at the Holiday Festival of the Arts. 

 Happy Thanksgiving! Stay warm! 

HuMp DaY Haiku - grateful heart

Grateful Heart available in my Etsy Shop

Now it has begun

Season of stress and excess

Still a grateful heart

The holidays are my least favorite time of year. So many stresses. So many bittersweet memories of seasons past and those who are not here. 

I am, however, grateful for the ability to feel stress. And grateful for memories and for the love of those who are here, and for friends who listen. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

A year or so ago, I started doing Hump Day Haiku with Carla Sonheim's Silly classes and decided as a challenge for myself, I'd continue. I have found that creating a haiku (non rhyming poem with 5 - 7 - 5 syllables per line) feeds my soul. I especially like creating them to go with my photos and art. 

Would you like to share a haiku you have written? 

You may include a haiku in the comments, OR you may copy your blog post url (featuring a haiku) and add a link to your blog using Mr. Linky. And consider visiting other contributors blogs to see what they've created and say hello. 

Holiday Festival of the Arts!

My booth is finally set up for the Allied Arts Holiday Festival of the Arts, which starts Nov 16th and runs through Dec 24th. I'm exhausted! 

Final booth set up, with a small ornament tree on the left side of the shelf you can almost see... 

We found these louvered doors in a free pile last summer, the same day I saw the idea on Pinterest. My husband painted them, and made the shelf and I really like how it turned out.

Here's a closer view of the some little canvases I've been working on with their copper wire "handles" attached. 

I'm a bit freaked that my art is so tiny it doesn't take up much room in the display. But at least you can easily see what I have!  I have several pieces that got their final touches today, and will go over tomorrow morning for the show opening. 

Between the inventory and tagging and setting up, I still did some art! These were finished this afternoon. 

Four 3x3 seashell canvases 

.

and a cheery cardinal beeswax collage

And on another note... this little canvas is being included in two Etsy Treasuries this week; Give Thanks with A Grateful Heart and Colors of the Season.

Sharing today with the artists at Paint Party Friday, hosted by Eva and Kristin. I'm eager to see what other artists have worked on this week.