Today I see...

the rhodies are starting to bloom. Just in time for the Rhody Festival in May. Looks like a perfect spring day - and it would be if my T was home.

Oh and here's the tree that everyone loves from my old studio friday post... in color. It's a wax myrtle - it stays green and leafy all year long. It's a good tree. :)

Black Listed

Wow - what a day! Most of my yahoo groups allow comms (commercials/advertisements) on Sundays. I thought I had them sorted into folders of who allows and who doesn't but apparently I got 2 in the yes folder that didn't belong and my comm for my necklaces that I made, for sale, got in there. Holy smokes what a mess I caused. Apparently I offended everyone on the damn internet with my paris poesy necklaces for sale as a great Mother's Day gift. I got all kinds of hate mail today in response, can you believe it? One of the group leaders really had her panties in a twist and deleted me from a group that I didn't even post my comm in. Why? Because someone was looking for beeswax collage irons and I posted I had them, and offered free shipping for the members. Well - that offering got me kicked out and I've been told my web-store has been black listed!
Thanks a bunch gals.

Beach Box Assemblages

Here are 3 box shelves that I turned into beach box assemblages. I made a collage backing for each, then glued that to each shelf and added shells. Each hangs seperately. These will be for sale in the "Looking at the small picture" show at the Florence Events Center next weekend.

So how do you spend your time these days?

I am so tired of being asked what I do, since closing my store. Like that defined me and without it I have no worth because I don't 'work outside the home' now. People (family included) constantly ask me to list my daily tasks for them - what?- I don't ask you what you do all day long. When I closed the store (studio) everyone was so suportive of me to pursue my art as a career, well now that I am they have lost all respect for me I guess, because now that I have all this "free time", I apprently don't do anything all day now, except "play". So for those of you keeping score of my tasks... here is how I spent the past 2 days:
Friday
7am-put finishing touches on art for the juried art sale that will run all summer
8am-hopped in the shower to get ready for the day
9am-went to have my art evaluated by the jury committee (I made it in)
10:30am-drove Pat to work then drove up the coast to Newport to buy more papers and collage stuff
12:30pm-wandered around the nursery at Walmart deciding wether to buy plants for the front door or not (decided not to do it yet - will wait for the day I have time to replant them)
2:30pm-stopped off at some beaches on the way home for inspiration and to enjoy the day
5pm-replied to emails including writing 2 tutorials (I really need to work on my tutorial downloads for the future)
7:30pm-puttered around doing house stuff because a fairy doesn't dosn't fly in in and do the cleaning for me
9pm-made dinner 9:30pm-picked up hubby frome work-worked on collages
10pm-watched Pride & Predjuduce on dvd
12:30am-went to bed
Saturday
10:30am-had coffee with my husband & drove him to work
11am-went to post office
11:30am-went to work at my 'out of home job' (every Saturday) doing office work for an artist
3pm-returned home to do my own office work because I can't afford to hire someone and it doesn't do itself. (retrieved online orders, filled the order, packaged them for mailing, printed postage and put them in Monday's mail bucket)
5:30pm-layed down with a major migrane
7pm-made dinner (2 days in row - wow!)
7:30pm-made a game plan for new art to submit to a nationwide catalog
8:15pm-worked on my business plan
9pm-wrote up orders for new product
9:30pm-picked up hubby from work
10pm-dinner and movie on HBO
12:30am-went to bed
1:45am-couldn't sleep so I got up and worked on some emails and worked on my site
2:30am-downloaded pics off camera of latest art work and started to crop
3:30am-madey myself go back to bed
OK, so there you have it. All the little details that I didn't bother to 'clock' like feed the cats & turtle, answer phone calls, wash dishes, water plants, deal with family issues, deal with leacky plumbing, grocery shopping, etc are in there too. I'm hardly a slacker. Yes, I look forward to my 'jammie days' when I can stay in my jammies all day long and watch a good movie on tv, do whatever I want or don't want, but I'm lucky if I get that once a week, like everyone else. I work from home, but the keyword is work. I'm not 'plyaing' all day like some people think. I'm not sitting here eating bon bons while someone is fannying me.
I didn't have to justify that question with response, but I am in hopes of elimnating some doubt and being asked that over and over again. At the very least, it releases my fustrations to write it out.

Studio Friday : Working Hands

This is an altered book page that I'm working on (since the picture was taken - it's been completed). The photo was taken as part of the Studio Friday blog.

Painty fingers - but I'm holding my paintbrush so you can see that I actually use one. I don't know how I get so painty - maybe it's when I see a ripple and smooth it out with my fingers. I love the squishy paint feeling. I was never allowed to finger paint as a kid - I guess I'm getting my fill now.

Fresh Eggs for Spring

Can you tell I'm using what I have? All my collages have the same elements. I've gathered so much, I have to use it up so I can make space for more :)

Sing Your Sweet Song

Today's collage filled a dual duty... it's one of the pieces I'm entering in an upcoming small format art show called "looking at the small picture" AND good ol' art therapy. I'm still into the bird theme. This gal is wearing a glittery crown to help be belt out her song. It held off the tears for as long as I was working on it. Mission accomplished.

Once again I put my trust into my 'family' and got screwed. Nothing feels as empty and sad as being rejected from the 'new' family. I'm so sick of it. I just can't take that kind of heart ache anymore. I've given everything I can give and it's never good enough. I'm tapped out.

So what am I left with? Time I was going to devote to my son is not wanted or needed. I guess I'll find a 'real' job now, since my art has proven to be nothing more than a hobby anyway. I sound full of self pitty & pathetic but I don't care - maybe if I can cry it all out, it won't come back.

Studio Friday : Room with a View

This week's Studio Friday topic is 'room with a view'. This what I see out my window. I'm on the second floor. I get to see into the big wax myrtle tree. My "watch" cats love it - they are always chattering at the birds either in the tree or on the telephone/electrical wires and watching the cars go by. They get all jazzed when the UPS truck stops.

Of course just when my crock pot of beeswax is open and ready to go, they jump up and leap over me over my collages to get a better view of those birds - leaving me picking hair off my stuff. All in a days work, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Glass Collage Pendants/Necklaces

I put my the necklaces that I made for the show last month on Etsy. I made so many, so the space would be full and I have a lot left-over.

Today's mood has gone down-hill from yesterday even. I'm hoping to log on in a couple of days and this will be just a memory... and I'll have moved on to happier feelings.

Success is Like a Boyfriend ...

... when you're looking - it's not there. So if I 'pretend' not to care if I sell something, does that mean it might happen? Uggh. I'm feeling very down in the dumps about my artistic 'talents' or lack there of. It's been ages since something sold. Yes, it's official - I am now a starving artist.

So, my art journal. I have to just say, on record, that I hate - yes hate, journaling on paper. I could type online in my blog all night, but I only made 3 days then totally stopped. Not just because I hate writing on paper, but because I was actually busy working on my goals, not just journaling about them. I went the gym 3 times last week, and worked at creating more art (that prbably won't sell) for another upcoming show. I also got my newsletter out, put away frieght (new product for the store) and other pro-active stuff. So I guess there's that to be happy about.

I don't know, maybe it's just hormones kicking in or something, but I'm feeling downright cruddy about my little 'tinnie' on ebay. I just don't get it - not even a single bid for under 5 bucks. Teenie Tiny ATCs are selling for over $15. I hate ebay sometimes. I'm definately a better shopper than a seller.

'tinnies' : a new addiction

This cutie was once a pineapple can. I was inspired by the project in Somerset Weddings2. I had so much making this for the ZNE theme week auction that starts on Sunday. Since this turned out so well - I've squashed a bunch more cans, primed & painted them, so they are ready to go. Guess what I'm doing tomorrow? :) These babies are addicting!