Picture Saturday

Water lilies done in colored pencil on watercolor paper. ATC

Jars Of Clay done with a woodburning tool on thin cork. ATC

Jackson Jester- done in Sharpies on cardstock. The jester is separate from the backing. He has been cut out, colored with Sharpies and then glued onto the backing which is also cardstock. ATC

Kiss Me Quick- done in graphite pencil on watercolor paper. I've been told this looks like Ben Stiller. It very well could be him. I'm not familiar with the man myself but I found the photograph this is drawn from in a magazine. I paid no attention to who it was though. ATC

I See You- Black gel inki pen on cardstock. Zentangle. ATC

Kansas donein acrylics on watercolor paper. ATC

Fritz done in acrylics on watercolor paper. ATC

Hubert done in acrylics on watercolor paper. ATC

Harriet done in black sharpie on cardstock. ATC

Goliath Beetle done in fine point Sharpie on cardstock. ATC

The Gunslinger done colored pencil and sharpie on cardstock. ATC

Elizabeth done in chalk and acrylics on watercolor paper. ATC

Frieda Kahlo done in pencil on sketch paper with cardstock backing. ATC

Beverly done in fine point sharpie on cardstock. ATC

Fall Tree done in acrylics on watercolor paper. ATC

Barry Manilow done in pencil on sketch paper with cardstock backing. ATC

Ava done in sharpie on cardstock. ATC

Audrey Hepburn done in pencil on charcoal paper. ATC

Hello Good People!

I thought I'd show you some drawings and paintings today. All of them are mine. Please don't use them without permission. If you would like to use one of them for some reason, please shoot me off an email and I'll gladly consider your request. Thanks!

I've been drawing since I could pick up a crayon but painting hasn't been happening quite that long. I started on acrylics about 15 years ago. One would think that after 15 years of painting I would have hundreds of paintings to my credit. I don't. I don't have hundreds of drawings either but both have been added to since last November in greater numbers than ever before. All the pieces you see here are ATCs. Artist Trading Cards. They are 2.5x3.5 inches each. I like the small canvas that ATCs give me.

Since I discovered ATCs last November, I have branched out from paintings and drawings to include collage as well. I like the small canvas for collages also, but like 4x4s (which are 4 inches square) even better for collage. I'll show you all a boatload of collages in a future post.

I've been working on collages today. I am almost finished with my sister Linda's christmas book. It is called I Love My Cat. She does love cats! All the pictures are freehand cut cats with other embellishments added. She's getting a ten page book with actually 20 pages of my cats. I hope she likes it. I've spent a good number of hours on it. I started it way before Halloween. As soon as the last four pages dry I will bind it as well.

I also finished Allison's handmade book. It has a purple sunflower painted on the front cover. That's what she wanted! Iaim to please! :) Her sister's book is almost done. It will be done tomorrow. I'm waiting for the strings to dry and the fish to dry. I'll show you all a picture of both the books after I scan them tomorrow. I'm really proud of the fish book. I used US cancelled stamps (Liberty Bell Stamps) for the fish's scales and sandpaper for his fins, tail and head. It looks really cool! Sara wanted an abstract fish on the cover of her book. This fish fits that bill! :)

Needless to say I have been a busy girl today! Christmas is going to be here before I am ready! I still have two bowls to paint decorations on. I think they will both have cats on them. And I have another little book to make for Aunt Sherry. I need to call her tomorrow, forgot to do it today, and what her favorite color is. I have the covers and the paper already cut, just need to do the artwork and bind the book.

I have gone through the closet to see what I have for gifts for everyone I am giving gifts to. I have them all strung out in my bedroom on the book shelves, the dressers and on the floor in piles of who they go to. I still have no idea what I am giving to my mother! I know I'm giving her one of my little handmade bowls but I need to find a few other things...maybe a batch of cookies in that antique footed bowl I found in the dumpster at City Hall last weekend after an auction? I haven't decided yet. Something in that bowl though.

My friend Helena has a recipe for microwave caramel popcorn. I need to call her tomorrow too and get that recipe from her.

The weather is turning for the worse this coming week is what the weather gurus are telling me. I am not ready for ice and snow in abundance but whether I am ready or not, here it comes! Saturday's high is predicted to be only 15F. That is COLD! I am going to have dress in layers when I get dressed in the morning. I am a cold blooded old thing as it is and the weather turning colder only makes me colder! I am sitting here shivering even though I have plenty of clothes on. Even got my warm housecoat on!

It is 3 a.m. and I am cooking spaghetti! I'm not only cold, I'm very hungry too! All that artwork and I forgot to eat supper. I ate at about 4 p.m. but that's been quite a few hours ago. Time for some sustenance! I made spaghetti sauce to go over some spaghetti squash I cooked a few days ago. I'll have the rest of the sauce over noodles in the next day or two.

I got my Christmas Tree put up on Thursday with Ma's help. It would have never got up without her help. I was going to put only red ornaments on the tree but I grabbed the wrong box when I hobbled out to the shed and decided the ornaments that generally go on the little tree, which I could not locate, would work just fine for the big tree. I still have ornaments to put on it and I need to go get the angel that goes on top of the tree out of the shed where I sat her down and promptly forgot her.

All the critters are doing fine. Doob just keeps getting wider! She's a chunk of a cat! I don't think she's over weight, she's just big! She's in an uproar with me right now. I am dog sitting for Pug, RJ and Terah's little dog. Doob hates the dog she has to live with, Fred, and having another one in the house just upsets her routine all to hell! She has to take time out of her naps to whoop Pug just cause Pug is in sight! Miss Blue isn't real happy about another dog in the house either though. Billy could care less. He and Pug were playing in the front yard this afternoon. He would let Pug chase him up the elm tree and then when Pug lost interest in standing there with her head pointed heavenward, Billy would come down and chase her. Those cats may have to just get used to having Pug around though cause I think I am going to keep her. The kids don't really have time to have a dog and she does like coming to my house and the kids said I could keep her if I wanted to. Fred needs a buddy anyway. Gives him something to do!

It is not official yet----but... three pregnancy tests have come up postive and I think I have a grandbaby on the way! I won't say anymore about this till Terah goes to the doctor and confirms the diagnosis. She has had trouble in the past carrying a baby to term and I want to make certain this child is actually growing. Any prayers you can offer up would be greatly appreciated. I intend to offer up quite a few myself. I'm excited to have a grandbaby. Even though I already have five grandsons, they are not my sons' biological children. That in no way means I love them less...there is goodness in a child regardless who it actually belongs to in a biological sense... I am excited though!

And with that pending news I am out of here for a day or two. I'm sure I'm going to be one busy girl for the next few days.

Peace!

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