Repetition

My art seems so repetitive at times.

My art seems so repetitive at times.

My art seems so repetitive at times.

But not always.

What can I say... I didn't know when I bought the little top knot girl stencil that I would be crazy about her. She just says so much.  Like

I'm so happy!  or

It's Friday!  or

Let's play!  or

There's less humidity today and it is not 100 degrees!!!

I got my stencil from Coffee Break, but I believe Ginny has some over here.  Go get some happy!

Name That Mini Series

It should not be hard to guess where that is from (Lonesome Dove).  Even though I haven't lived in Texas in over 20 years, I still subscribe to Texas Monthly magazine off and on.  Right now, it's one of those magazines that has dropped drastically in price and I couldn't resist a renewal.  Anyway, the cover story this month is the story behind the story of one of the most famous TV series of all time, and a 25th anniversary tribute to that series.  Even though I have seen it more than once, I don't think I have ever seen an actual map of where all the action takes place.

According to the magazine, this map was "created by production designer Cary White to show the cast and crew how the story plays out."  Anyone who loves maps and loves things hand drawn and hand lettered will love this.

Since I haven't had much play time lately, I decided while I had the magazine in my hand that I would take some things from the magazine and make something.

I tore out this ad, gathered the little cards that fall out of magazines, and for good measure grabbed a few coffee filters I've been wanting to do something with.

I pretty much ended up with a big fat nothing to show for it as my creative muse was off somewhere taking a nap I think.  The only thing I ended up with was painted cards, but maybe something will come to me later on what to do with them.

Play Your Vuvuzela

Just in case you find yourself at the World Cup soccer games, you can play along...

Summer To Do List

I know I've been a little AWOL the past week.  Lots of intense training at work and I have been wiped out every single day.  I like the part where I get to sleep in and start the day After the sun comes up instead of before, but I'm not crazy about the end of the day being later.  It will be ongoing for the rest of the month at least, plus I work this weekend.  Which means I won't have much time for my new summer reading.

Can't wait to start the novel... And the new journal book looks fantastic.  Plus it has a surprise in the back.  I vaguely remember reading about that when I ordered it, but I had forgotten.

There is a blank journal in the back pocket.  The cover is made from pre-print test pages where they do a test run to calibrate ink colors, etc. before they do the final print run. The blank pages are from the end of the rolls of paper.  These would have all been thrown away normally, and I love that they were put to use this way. 

Years ago, when we moved a lot, we used to go to the newspaper offices and ask for end-of-rolls.  These were rolls of blank newsprint from where they replaced rolls of paper when they got near the end.  They usually were happy to get rid of them and everybody won.  They clear out what they had, and we got clean newsprint to use for packing paper.  I don't know if they do that anymore.

I might also have a root beer float.  Take your best vanilla ice cream, your favorite root beer, and put it in a frosty freezer mug.  I was almost out of root beer, so there is no frothy mound sticking out the top.  But, trust me, it was yummy and hits the spot on these hot days.

I also have to go find lightning bugs soon.  Paula said so...

What I won't be doing this weekend is attending my high school reunion (the 40th.. really???)  Maybe I can make the 50th.

[3rd Grade]

I need...

I need....

(yes, I got more stencils from Coffee Break... fun fun fun!)

I need....

a number house...

(work in progress).

Can't wait to play with this some more!!

See... I had a plan for that license plate all along.

Time Flies

When I promised to post some of my goodies from the warehouse sale, my intentions were good.  You know how that goes.  I'm deep in more pressing matters right now, and I'm really missing Blogland and Artsyville.  I hope to visit them again soon!

Here are a couple of nice finds though... The license plate is from the antique mall.  I know I probably paid too much for it, but it was 75% off.  I liked the skinny size.  It is lying on one of the many magazines I got from Coffee Break, magazines I always plan to cut up for collage, but which I sometimes spend too much time reading instead.  Especially if one of the articles is about little folded up notes like the ones shown on the cover of the magazine. 

And I'm also thrilled to get some old ratty dishtowels.  Yes, I am.  Gaye had used some in a recent book she made, and it looked awesome.  We saw some at the antique mall that were between $12 and $7.  Each.  And they were not that great.  Gaye took me to an estate sale where I got a bundle of them for $1.  It pays to know people!  Even though at least one is destined for the trash, and even though others might be stained and holey, there are enough "good" months to cut off and use.  I mean, a dollar?  Can't beat it!

I also wanted to post this great picture of Ginny (of Small Studios) and Gaye taken in Indianapolis.  I think they both said it was okay to post it!!  We had such a fun day!

It went something like this...

Another great Coffee Break Warehouse Sale is now history.  I will post more of my finds from the day later, but this will hold you over.

The doors opened at 8:00 a.m., and in we went.  Hmmm, this stuff looks interesting.  Oh never mind.

Ooooh, I've always liked that cool graph paper... oh, it's not for sale either.  Step away from the screen.

I'll just take pictures of other stuff all around...

I think this sign would look good next to Gaye's word wall, pointing down into her basement studio.  But I didn't think of that until just now.  (It's a very large hand, by the way.)

Oh, so sad... no one bought Mike's favorite Halloween decoration...

On one of my trips to the car, I think the heat got to me, because I started taking pictures of the seatbelt. 

I think this loosely means:

! (Attention)

Do not place babies with floating heads

onto a curvy pillow facing the front of the car.

? (If you have questions)

! (Consult the owner's manual)

When we left the warehouse sale, we had to scratch our plans to hit a local flea market because it was starting to rain.  Instead, we headed south toward home and made a side trip to our now familiar Exit 76 Antique Mall.  Where I saw this.

I think this is an alien lifeform, with its hat covering up its Lisa Simpson cartoon-like pointy yellow hair, its eyelashes that go up on one side and down on the other.  Kinda creepy.

Then we headed out....

Encountered art....

And went home.  More pictures to come later...

As always, the best part of the trip was seeing friends from near and far, sharing laughs and fun times!

Summer Travel Hint

When on the road, always make sure you have a TomTom or other helpful GPS device.

If it's June...

I think there is something about this time of year that makes time go faster.  Here it is June already!  Seems like it was just this time last year that it was... well, June.

To distract myself from the heat wave, the killer humidity, and work schedule, I am thinking ahead to the next road trip and shopping extravaganza!  This is a good one, and if you are in a driving radius of Indianapolis, you might consider planning your own road trip this weekend.  Here is the unpaid, unsolicited information (but I did get permission!):

This is the last time for this annual sale at this location, so I'm sure there will be bargains galore.  These are some shots from last year:

I used the chart paper to make pretend charts with my sewing machine... EKG? Earthquake chart? It's up to you!


Mike and Chris also offer their regular Coffee Break goods for sale (at a discount).  Like the ATC box above.  And eyelets, and other things I can't remember right now...

This only scratches the surface.  Lots of books, graphic arts magazines, gadgets and wonders of all kinds.  Step Right Up, Ladies and Gentlemen!  As the ad says... "items of curious interest".  If you are curious like me, I'll see you there!  (Did I mention everything is marked so low you will kick yourself if you pass it up?)

Dig Deep

Don't you wish there was a new post here? 

I do too!!

For some reason, the more I have to work, the more ideas I have for play.  Right now, I am suddenly obsessed with wanting to carve stamps and make background papers.  But I'll be working all weekend.  I carved this stamp over the course of two evenings because I had to get it out of my system.

I don't understand people who get bored.  It just never happens to me... there are always a dozen things I want to do.  Even as a kid... well, let's just say there was once a little girl who could not decide whether she wanted to ride her bike or read her new library book.  Doing both at the same time is not advised.  Because you might ride you bike into a parked car.  And the car might belong to some people visiting from "up north".  And they might be cranky and mean and call the police.  And it might scare the daylights out of a little eight year old.  If that were to happen that is.....

White Pen #1,254

Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration - I have not really tried 1254 white pens.  But if you are like me, there is a never ending search for a good white pen that will write on anything.  And just when I settle on a favorite, it disappears, never to be found again.  My current favorite is the Uniball Signo White gel pen.  I know other people have favorites too.  I also like the Souffle, Latte, and Glaze pens.  Lots of people like Jelly Roll, but maybe I had some bad ones because they didn't work for me.  I think a lot also depends on whether your local environment is dry, humid, etc, whether you store them horizontal or vertical, and any number of things.  As a rule, if I have to shake and pump a pen, it is going to eventually spread a big fat blob on my page when I least expect it.  That makes me very unhappy.

So, my point here is that if I hear of something, I might give it a try.  This time, I found myself in the cosmetics aisle at Walgreen's after hearing about a Nail Art Pen.  It comes in several colors including white and metallics.  It has a fine point.  You can easily wipe it off and start over before it dries, yet it dries fairly quickly.  And I figured if it is designed to make marks on nail polish, it surely would work on acrylic pages or other art pages.  The big drawback is the price - $7.99 (I found one at Kroger for $7.95.  I'll check Walmart next as they also carry Sally Hansen products).  I debated and pondered, bit my lip and forked out $8. 

I wouldn't say this is the best thing in the universe, but it's a decent little pen.  Just shake before using.  It has to be pumped once to get it started, but I have not had to do it again so far.  The instructions say not to use it on dry fingernails, to paint them first.  So, when it is used on regular paper, it is less than impressive. 

But on any slick or glossy surfaces, it is a dream.  I tried it on metal, acetate, vellum, magazine pages, vinyl, and photos.  (And just for fun, I did try it on my fingernail.  If I had some black nail polish, I would have painted my fingernails black, then added white dots like dominoes! But I don't.)  I'm thinking acetate journal pages like the one below.  It has some possibilities!

Would I spend another $8?  I don't know.  I'll see how long this lasts and what the durability is like.  I do like the cute little flower on the cap!

Mystery

{{Sigh}}... Goodbye Lost.  (If you are not a Lost fan, just ignore this.)

Lots of Stuffs

What comes between Friday (with rain, hail, winds, and storm warnings) and Sunday (oppressive heat and humidity)?  Why, that would be Saturday - it could not have been more perfect weatherwise.  I was up early and off to Gaye's for her studio sale.  I was stationed in my usual spot, letting people in, handing them a shopping bag, and directing them to the basement, then acting as cashier as they left.  I was making a major effort to not get carried away myself when it came to shopping.  I mean, do I really need to take more stuff home??  But, of course, Gaye does find cooler stuff than most people, so I did bring home a mighty fine bag of goodies. 

I'm a sucker for old books and ledgers, especially if they have writing in them.  I got some for their pretty covers, hoping I will get around to making art journals with them.  And I got this, a ledger from Academy of Our Lady of Mercy, 1931-32 school year.

I love the beautiful penmanship inside, so carefully written.  And even though all it does is list tuition payments for that year, it does have a small glimpse into the times (Depression era).  One entry says this:

Father lost position. Not able to pay, finished year, free tuition.

And then there is this old cookbook "for brides only".  It had lots of notations, mostly referring to "mother" and a date.  I don't know what that means.  Maybe this little bride was missing her mother, or maybe those are days her mother visited.  If those pages could only talk.

And I got this teeny dictionary.  Its poor cover is falling apart, but the dictionary does have 18,000 words! 

Here is some more of my stuff... paper stuff, metal stuff, game board suff, clock stuff, leather stuff.....

My last trip downstairs, several of us were doing a last look, and I was standing there looking at the hardware.  I started picking up different pieces and putting them in and on a wooden box I was holding.  I think I have a shrine in progress!  Meantime, Gaye was playing with those long skinny clock hands.  They are so flexible, and she was making loops and hangers and all kinds of things.  Hmmmm.  Ideas were dropping from the sky!

There was even more stuff that I brought home that is not pictured here - and all for a mere $25.  What a bargain!  But honestly, the best  part of the day was just hanging out with friends I don't see much (you know who you are!!), talking and laughing and being silly at times.  Don't we all need that sometimes?  Actually, we all need lots More days like that!

Shopping Time

Are we smiling yet?

(Another splendid Gaye find - a letter opener.)

I made a fun trip to Gaye's to check out the goods she will be having at her yard sale this weekend.  Papers and stamps and books - Oh My!  I probably won't sleep tonight thinking about what I might want when I go back this weekend!  I also know her - she will probably add a whole bunch more by the weekend.  If you are "local" and want more info about her UNadvertised yard sale (especially if you are a mixed media artist who is "into" these types of things), email me privately at the email address in my blog profile.)

Here is a very small sampling:

Lots and lots of cool papers, including washi papers, wrapping papers, art papers, and collage packs.  Also, books of all kinds for altering or for using the pages for art projects. 

Found objects, game boards (great for book covers or altered art), storage containers, muslin bags.

And what is in that box that says found objects?

This kind of stuff. 

Then there are parts, letters, and art supplies.

Plus stamps and other great finds.

I know I am forgetting half of it, but you get the idea.  This is definitely "the good stuff"!