Revamping & Hanging Out

I had an angel painting for sale and I removed the listing today. Every time I saw her she bothered me, I guess she was just telling me she wasn't really finished. She didn't like her hair and the background color. haha So I started working on her and she is turning out so much better. She's still not finished yet. I would paint a little, hang out a little, do a little something, then hang out some more, it's been one of those days.

I rearranged & revamped my dining room and can't believe I didn't have it like that before. Why didn't I? Weird I say. It's so much better and I have so much more room in there now. I could have a big party and the light fixture actually hangs properly over the center of the table. I took the leaves out of the table that had been in it since Thanksgiving. That was my big accomplishment for the day.

We watched the movie Righteous Kill tonight. I didn't really want to watch it. I don't like really violent movies and with De Niro & Pacino I knew it would no doubt be a little violent. They both make great bad guys don't they?! I watched anyway and surprisingly I liked it. It was violent but it sucked me in. I love a movie with a twist too but it's not a movie that I would watch twice. I must say that those two guys are awesome and still sexy in my book. I'm a fan of them both.

After the movie my husband was channel surfin' and stopped on Austin City Limits. This man with white hair was playing guitar and singing. When I walked into the room he asked if I knew who that was. He had a smile on his face like he knew I wasn't going to get it. I listened, I stared. The voice was so familiar but his face..... I hated to give in but I couldn't for the life of me place him. When he told me it was Nick Lowe I was flabbergasted! The first thing I said was "do we look that old and just don't know it?" and from the kitchen the kids shout out "NO!" Whew! I had to look up and see how old he is. Yes thank goodness he's way older than us. In our younger days we wore out his album that we had. He still has an amazing voice and if he came to town I would want to go see him.

I revamped my blog and removed the post from yesterday. A poem and painting that I had done. The poem was intended solely to describe how words can deeply hurt people. It took a long time to write and I was actually proud of it, however, it was dark and not a pleasant happy poem. It made people feel uncomfortable. Part of me really like that about it, but ok it wasn't my perky self. Maybe I should start another blog for those kind of post!

Tomorrow is Super Bowl and my husband is already mourning the loss of the football season. He has to work tomorrow but they have nice flat screens in his office so he'll get to watch it. I'll have it on but honestly, and this is a secret, I don't really get all the rules & technicalities. My husband lights up every time I ask him something about it. We watched a football show today (4 guys talking, I don't have a clue what the name of it is) and I have to say I thought it was really funny. They played scenes from games where guys mess up and the bit was called "C'mon Man". I laughed a lot and my husband may have had a glimmer of hope that I may start watching football with him on a regular basis. Seriously I don't think that's gonna happen. I do admire the football players, their talent, their fearlessness and all the work they go through to play. They are our gladiators. I watch sometimes but I rarely sit through an entire game. I'm looking forward to seeing all the commercials tomorrow. The one second commercials everyone is talking about seem like they would be a form of subliminal advertising to me. We'll see. If I wake up in the middle of the night wanting a Budweiser or needing to Fed Ex something I'll know it worked! haha Have a great day tomorrow!

My Little Creek On The Corner

My husband and 2 poodles, Roadie & Reeda took a walk this morning. I brought along my camera to take a picture of the creek we walk over which is just a block from my home. Most of the banks are covered with wild blackberries and in the spring it's really pretty. When my little brother Jimmy the Fisherman came to visit he took a couple of walks to get out of the house. After one of his walks he asked me if I had a round hoop and some netting. We scrounged through my collection of bits and pieces saved over the years to my husband's dismay. We found a wire circular ring which I had saved who knows how long because I figured I could use it for something one day. Then we found some hot pink tulle netting. I have no idea where I got that from but if it's fabric related I have to save it. (ok so it's not just jars I have a problem with!) He found some fishing line in a tackle box from the 70's that is only a garage decoration. I had no idea what he was doing. He said he was "making something". He grabbed a hot dog and left. An hour or so passed and in walks Jimmy with a bucket full of crawdads! We were all in shock & awe of him! We cooked them up and had a little crawdad party on the patio. The kids felt a little creepy about eating them at first but they are just like me and will try anything once. The next day Jimmy walked us all down to the creek and showed us how to catch them with what I thought was a craft project! Every time I walk by the creek I wonder how many crawdads I could catch.

This is a picture of me on the little bridge over the creek this morning.

The photo is not altered just cropped a little.

I guess my aura is red today! Weird.

In My Studio

Now listed on Ebay!

A Little Word on Wednesday

That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;

and that you, being rooted and grounded in love.

Ephesians 3:17

My Baby & Bling

Happy Birthday to my oldest baby Joe! I love you!

On Mondays I am watching my little JJ, my oldest baby's baby and 1st grandson. He is growing up so fast. I think he's so cute it's hard not to kiss him constantly. I am gettin' it while the gettin' is good though while he can't say quit kissing me Gramma! haha I don't have many toys over here and he is now holding things and starting to play a little. So I had to make this "redneck" baby rattle. Or maybe I should say "alternative toy". haha It's a plastic chicken bouillon jar with a few dried garbanzo beans in it! He loves that thing! Go figure!

We did our 1st art project together. I painted his feet with red paint and stamped his feet on canvas paper. I let him hold the paint brush long enough to make some strokes on the paper too and stamped Happy Birthday Daddy on it. I put it in a nice mat & frame. My son said it chocked him up when he opened it. Awwww Sorry I didn't take a picture of it but did take a few shots of my little JJ, my angel.

I would like to thank Casa De Boneca for giving me a blog award! More bling for my blog! I have to nominate people to pass it out so I will have to think about who that will be and will get that posted soon. The rules are in spanish so I have written to Boneca for translation so I can post the correct rules.

Today I am working on more bookmarks. I am having a lot of fun making them. I am using my artwork on them and scriptures. I plan to start some more kitty cat paintings as well. I haven't done any of those for a while and I'm just in the mood. Etsy and Ebay are very slow at the moment, but out of the two, regardless of the high fees, I may have to list more things on Ebay. At least on Ebay I know how much I may have coming in on a given week if things sell. If I wasn't trying to sell my own art, I would be gobbling up lots of great art right now, and at great prices - more gettin' while the gettin' s good!

Art Has Many Faces

It's late and I just cracked myself up thinking of how fun this would be to paint my husband's face like this while he was sleeping. Unfortunately he's a light sleeper so I couldn't get away with it. Maybe I should paint my face before I go to bed. hahaha Now that would really freak him out in the morning! I'm sure he'd scream like a girl! haha

A big shout out Thank you goes to BusyBeads for featuring my art in 2 of her awesome Etsy Treasuries. Be sure to check out her lovely Etsy Shop!

I Found A Priceless Treasure!

While going through a box of my Mother-in-Law's cookbooks and piles of scribbled recipes on all kinds of paper, I found a recipe from my Gramma Mollie in her own handwriting! It was like hitting the lotto. She once asked me what I wanted for Christmas and all I asked for was a piece of this cake. I got it too. It's so good with a cup of tea or coffee. A few years after Gramma passed away my Aunt sent me the recipe but I had lost it. She also sent me 1/2 of a cake. (It's dense and a bit expensive to make) and I pretty much ate the whole thing by myself! That was a great present! My Gramma lived in Florence, SC and was famous for her cooking and gardening. I'd like to think that I get a little bit of my abilities in the kitchen from her. Last year I ate onion rings for my birthday. This year I am going to make this cake!

I was going through my Mother-in-Law Joan's big box of things desperately hoping to find her spaghetti recipe for my son, well for all of us, but him mostly. His birthday is coming up and he longs for her spaghetti. Her spaghetti was his favorite thing and she made it for him for his birthday dinner every year. It was the best! After she passed away I had quickly looked for it, didn't find it, then the box was stashed away in the garage. Joan was an excellent cook and real "Foodie". I learned so much from her. We have tried to duplicate her recipe over the past few years but it never tastes quite like hers. All spaghetti sauces are compared to hers. We all know one of her secrets was a can of Homestead sauce, which can be hard to find at times. Next time we go to San Francisco we are going to stop by the Homestead factory. She never shared the recipe even though we asked for it. It was her special treat. She would make it for my son's birthday, she would make it for us when we begged, or sometimes to bribe us into going over to her house and it always worked!

About a year after Joan passed away I bought a small spiral notebook that I keep in the kitchen. I wrote in it all my "secret" recipes that my family loves. Some are southern recipes that were passed down from my Gramma, some are Joan's, Joan's mother's, my sister's, but most are mine. I can't even tell you how many salsa & hot sauce recipes are in there! haha I now have a couple of notebooks. If something should happen to me I wanted my family to be able to make something that I made, taste that taste, smell that smell, and have a piece of me at the table with them.

So if you are hiding your "secret" recipe that everyone loves, that only you make, please write it down. You don't have to share it now but put it in a safe place. Don't let your family mourn for not only you, but for one more bite. That special recipe of yours will be a priceless treasure. Isn't there a dish that someone made that you'd like to have one more bite of?

In My Studio

Just listed! You can find these Angels on Etsy.

A Little Word on Wednesday

You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,

nor of the arrow that flies by day.
Psalms 91:5

The Queen of Soul...

was the Queen of Style today! I LOVED this hat so much! I couldn't take my eyes off of it so I didn't hear a word she sang! And the earrings were perfect, in fact they look just like the earrings I painted in Lady in Roses from my hats series! I'm no "fashionista" but she was so pretty I was compelled to post about it! It was the first thing my mother and I talked about. Actually I thought she looked just lovely all over - head to toe! I know she will probably endure some jokes about it but I say good for you Ms Franklin! You Rock My Queen! You know how much I love hats...maybe she will inspire people to pull them out of the closet!

photo courtesy of Reuters/Yahoo

I Was Crazy

I have decided not to participate in the 30/30 Show at the Marco Fuoco Gallery but will definitely love to be included in future shows. I was "mad" thinking that I could do a painting for the show and a painting to list everyday for 30 days. While my angels may look simple, some have layers upon layers of paint. Some come together fairly quickly but others take quite a bit of time. I only quit painting when they shout stop!

I just listed these paintings that were recently in 2 Sacramento galleries in my Ebay Store today. I will be listing more "Aura Angels" this week in my Ebay store and in my Etsy shop. A few of my new ones are my favorites of all time!

I am babysitting my little JJ on Mondays now so Mom can go to school. He was a little under the weather, he wasn't his normal smiley self. He just wanted me to hold him, so I held him all day yesterday. He's growing so fast and has 2 teeth already!

A big thank you goes out to Beadsforever. She featured my Sunshine Angel in her Etsy Treasury full of bright & wonderful items. You know how I like yellow! Her shop & creations are wonderful be sure to check her out!

Sleepless Thinking About Seattle

The Seattle Art Museum is presenting a collection of Edward Hopper's Women through March 1, 2009. He is one of my favorite artists and Chop Suey is one of my favorite paintings. Chop Suey takes me to Chinatown in San Francisco and reminds me of a wonderful day with spent with my mother. I took her to my favorite dim sum restaurant. She had never had dim sum and we had so much fun that day. When I look at the painting I actually get the feeling I had when I was there. There is plenty of art that reminds you of something or makes you remember a place or time, but few make you actually feel it. A couple more of my favorites of his are Automat and Drug Store. Drug Store makes me smile when I see it. He must have had a good sense of humor because of the Ex-Lax painted on the window. Oh how I'd love to go to Seattle to see the exhibit. Seattle is one of my favorite cities and seeing one of my favorite artist's work while there...Wow would that be an awesome trip for me! I thought about it before drifting off to sleep last night. I even had thoughts of returning to life in cubicle so I would have the money to go...oh wait maybe that was a nightmare...haha

Edward Hopper, Chop Suey, 1929. Oil on canvas, 32 X 38 in. Collection of Barney A. Ebsworth.
Photo curtesy of www.artdaily.org

Tagged & Tickled

I've been tagged by Thelma! . A wonderful whimsical & colorful artist!

The Rules: List 6 random things about yourself. Link to the person who tagged you. Post the rules. Tag six people and link to them, let them know they've been tagged.

This is my first tagging. I must say my family and I had loads of fun and laughter while picking out the 6 I was going to share. I was surprised how many wanted me to share my skinny dipping history, my mother included. haha Anyway I came up with 22 amusing facts that aren't at the bottom of my blog, so I'm prepared if I ever get tagged again!

#1 - My first concert ever was Alice Cooper. I was 14 yrs old & I got in big trouble for coming home late... *Fast forward 30 yrs*... My mother walks up to Alice Cooper at church (My parents' Pastor was Alice's father-in-law) and promptly tells him that he got her daughter in bad trouble! He wrote me a sweet note on a napkin because I couldn't be there. I'm sure he was relieved to hear that it was just for getting home late. hahahaha I have nearly every concert ticket stub from the past 30 years and wish I had that one.

#2 - I secretly like Slinky's even though they aren't the "most wonderful toy".

#3 - At 30,000 ft in the air I've touched and seen the rocks that were collected on the moon. I was lucky enough to sit next to a man from NASA on a plane.

#4 - I once tried out for the Family Feud game show with my husband's family in San Francisco even though I hate my picture taken, speaking in public and game shows.

#5 - I have a little blue bird tattoo on my hip bone that I got on Sunset Blvd when I was 20. It's a blue bird now but it turned into a Condor when I was pregnant.

#6 - I went to beauty school. I went to nursing school and once had a lunch delivery business just like the famous Ms.Paula Deen before she was famous. I ended up with a career in the real estate mortgage business. So I can give a pretty good hair cut, make a boo-boo better, de-bone a chicken in a matter of minutes & could have declined or approved your home loan!

I am now tagging the following wonderful people & blogs and can't wait to see their 6!
TJ
Firechick
Diane
Nancy
David
Under The Compass Moon
Carol

Have fun you guys!

I was tickled to find out this morning that I was in another Etsy Treasury! A big shout out and thank you goes to Abbasgirl who featured one of my angels in her beautiful Etsy Treasury. Check out her shop & lovely inspirational items.

I Dance Like This...

...and I don't sign! *almost kidding* I love this song hope you enjoy it too!

I May Be Mad!

Just listed in my Etsy shop... This painting recently hung in the Marco Fuoco Gallery in Sacramento. Sorry for the bad photo - I'll blame it on my old camera and probably too many cups of coffee.

The Marco Fuoco Gallery is having a 30/30 show and it may be madness but I'm in. 30 artist, 30 paintings in 30 days! It's going to be a challenge. All paintings are to be 6 x 6 and will sell between $50 to $300. The 20th Street Gallery is having a simular show called 50/50 - it's the same, 50 artists, 50 paintings, 50 days. Maybe next year. 50 seems to overwhelming at the moment.

A big shout out & thank you goes out to Amber Sky for featuring my Lady in Red Hat & Roses in her beautiful Treasury on Etsy.com. Check out her beautiful jewelry!

I was asked why my angel's eyes don't match. Well... I do that on purpose. Eyes are the windows to the soul, they give us character and they don't match. By exaggerating that I think it gives them a spirit & sense that they are thinking something. From one side to the other each angel appears to have to sides, 2 expressions. I don't draw them out before I start painting. They come to life on their own. Also by exaggerating the eyes I create a bit of a "fun house" effect as well. I like it even though it's a tad creepy. Their eyes follow you. Stand up, look into her eyes and walk to one side of your screen to the other, or just move from one side to the other......SEE! (sorry that was a bad pun haha)

ACEOs just listed on Ebay... All 3 angels are featured on one of the bookmarks in the sets for sale in my Etsy shop. These angels feel a little nostalgic to me with their pretty hair bobs.

As Promised...

... a picture of the bookmarks I just listed in my Etsy shop.

I was a bit under the weather today and the weather was beautiful. I didn't get out to enjoy it. Maybe the sun will come out tomorrow.

What's Cooking...

Yesterday I made chicken mole' tamales, then made some more today and sent them home with my oldest son. I taught him how to make them. I know it won't be long and his will be better than mine. He's an excellent cook and would make a fine chef. In my house, before the creation of the Food Network, our Saturdays were filled watching PBS cooking shows & travel shows like Burt Wolf's. My boys would rather watch those than cartoons. My oldest son is a cook, my youngest son is a baker. Just one of their many talents. Anyway, he asked if I watched Anthony Bourdain the other night on his Mexico trip. He went to Mexico with a Mexican man that now has his old job. Turns out we both did and talked about the mole' made the really old fashioned way. The mole' made in that episode took 24 hours! He said let's do it and I do believe he'd would actually stay up with me to make it too. Mine takes about an hour to make but it's really good if I say so myself. My secret is Valrhona le Noir Extra Amer 85% cacao chocolate. So around 10pm I got a text msg which said " hey mom just like the guy on Anthony's show I think my mom is the best cook in the world". AWWWWWW *sniffle* He must have been snacking on those tamales! hahaha

I also spent time praying for my niece today. She is in the hospital and we almost lost her. She's only 18. I got a call early this evening that she is doing better and her condition is stable now. Prayers are being answered. My heart is breaking for her.

Tomorrow is Sacramento's 2nd Saturday Art Walk and my husband and I are going to 3 galleries to support 3 artist friends and maybe to a little get together party after. I love going downtown. Wish we had bought a house down there sometimes. But I HATE driving downtown. It's all one-way streets and for some reason I get turned around, lost and really nervous. I peel my hands off the steering wheel when I get to where I'm going. I'm looking forward to seeing all the art. It's almost like that feeling you get when you're on your way to a concert!

I have been designing some angel bookmarks and will be finishing them, taking photos and possibly listing them tomorrow during the day depending on what tomorrow brings. I will be listing them on Etsy. I'll post a picture when they are finished.

A Little Word on Wednesday

Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones

Proverbs 16:24

A big thank you goes out to Veda Arts Studio for featuring one of my angels in her Etsy Treasury!

Is it Me or...

...is this year already flying by?

I just listed prints of my newest angels in my Etsy shop.

My husband is at practice with the Spotteddogs tonight and I'm home playing with my new camera and listening to music. This is a picture of the top of an antique armoire that we added inside shelves to. It houses all of our stereo equipment. We got it at an auction which was so much fun. It's amazing how much you can fit into one. They are great for storage and not so bad to look at. Recycle/Reuse!

Yippee! New camera! I promise better photos in the future!

Happy New Year!

What's simmering on your stove? Are you cooking anything lucky today? For me it's good ol' black-eyed peas and rice. Maybe they will bring me good luck & good fortune this year. We'll see... normally they just make me fat & happy!

Wishing you good luck, good fortune, health & happiness in this New Year!