An Award & Lobster...

"High Five"

but not for dinner! I painted this little Norway Lobster that is actually headed for Norway to be in the Twitter Art Exhibit. The proceeds of this show will benefit the local library in the city of Moss so that they can get the children's books that they desperately need. You have 140 characters in which to post on Twitter so it was first intended to be a group of 140 Artist, however, by the comments on the thread there may end up being more! Each Artist is submitting a postcard piece that represents their style, that will be sold for $17(US). My husband's family & step-family were from Norway. I chose to paint the Norway lobster because it lives in Norway, is named after Norway, is cute for the children, but is really a shrimp & shrimp is one of my favorite things! (see below) This show is getting a lot of attention and I am proud to be a part of it.
I am also proud to be the recipient of "The Versatile Blog Award" from Sharkbytes! Thank you so much! You have to share 7 things about yourself, then pass the award to other bloggers who you think deserve it, making sure to let the bloggers know you chose them to receive the award.
My 7 Things

1. Shrimp is one of my favorite things but I feel a little guilty eating too many, because of the many lives I'm consuming, but I could eat a bucket of them.

2. I'm addicted to tomatoes.

3. Sometimes I pretend to know what's going on in a football game when I haven't got a clue, I'm just zoning out... thinking about art.

4. I am more in love with my grandson that I ever thought I would be.

5. I hoard jars. One kitchen cabinet is dedicated to jars. I never throw one out and there is always room for another one...hum....I may have a fairy that comes and steals them sometimes. *Hubby you're busted*

6. I like candy corn and still eat it like a kid would, one color layer at a time.

7. I'm a loud laugher. I belly laugh a lot.

Ok passing this on is hard. There are so many of you that deserve this award! If you aren't chosen it's not because I don't love you, I love all my Followers & those that I Follow! Here are a few very special people that have awesome blogs, always take the time to stop by, support me & make me feel special...

Ayala Art

Alterity Button

Gloria's Blog Viva La Vida

Namaste
Poetic Artist

Poetic Shutterbug

Sandy Petals

Big Shout Out & Thank You goes to Paradise Purls for featuring my Little Diver in her Etsy Treasury!

Pizza On The Patio...

... Mama Mia! That's what I thought when I took a big bite of this grilled pizza I made yesterday for a summer dinner on the patio. We were all in the mood for pizza but didn't want to get take-out & didn't want to turn the oven on, so I decided I would try to grill one on the bbq. I have never tried it. I love youtube. I found this video by UrbanGriller on how to grill a pizza on a gas grill. He made it look so simple and he's right, it was!

I happened to have 3 cans too (one was from the tomatoes) so I was set. I made my own dough. I've been making bread so long that I don't need a recipe for that. I eye-ball everything so I can't give you a recipe for it, but it's a basic yeast bread recipe. I buy yeast in the bulk section of the grocery store instead of those packets. The UrbanGriller used a box of dough mix and that looks like it works out great in the food processor, less mess than my way. To make the sauce I used a can of whole tomatoes, the tomatoes only, and I added a tsp of coursely ground fennel, salt & pepper. His recipe of just tomatoes & garlic was just too plain for me & my spicy family, but I tried it before adding the fennel. My favorite pizza is a plain cheese or Margarita pizza, tomatoes, cheese & basil. Honestly I will eat most any pizza, even anchovies, but if it has more than 3 toppings I don't really enjoy it as much, I like it simple. I used a long pan and made 1/2 of it Margarita and the other 1/2 pepperoni. I took heed to what UrbanGriller said about the pineapple, so I seeded the fresh tomatoes w/o squashing them, salted a little & let them sit in a collander to lose some of their juice while I made the dough & sauce. The fresh basil from pots around my patio came in handy. I made 2 pizzas. The first one was left on the pan the entire cook time, about 13 minutes. It didn't brown as much as I wished it did on the bottom, so while cooking the 2nd pizza I gingerly slid it off of the pan & let it crisp up directly on the grill for the last few minutes.We have a big bbq with 5 burners so by the time the last pizza was ready to go on the grill temp was about 600 degrees. It didn't take long for that one to bubble & brown. So yummy. Next time I will wait until it's that hot again, but it did work well like he said at about 350-400 degrees.

You should have seen the happiness on my son's face when we opened the grill to have our first peeks at it! With a huge smile he says with excitement "Get your camera Mom!" hahaha The guys say it was so good that they don't want to order pizza anymore. Even though that means I'll be doing the cooking, I think I have to agree. I'm keeping those cans for next time and I'm going to buy me some pizza pans! I may have to have a summer patio pizza party to experiment will lots of sauces & toppings! Want to come over for a slice?! I'd love to see what your favorite toppings are! A Big Shout Out goes to ChocolateDogStudio for including my art in her Etsy Treasury! Thanks so much! Also to Be In Style Fashion for the Style Award for my Sometimes Things are Just Black & White Blog! Thanks so much!

Be In Style Online Shopping

What's New ?...

Kitty Cats! I made my first card set today with my "Faithful Feathered Feline Friends" and listed them in my Etsy Shop. I think these are so cute on these cards if I say so myself. I think they not only would make cute greeting cards but cute Christmas cards as well. I signed each little art print on the back so they could be kept & framed. I am working on 2 more card sets with my Aura Angels on them.Thank you so much SoInToIt for presenting me with the Versatile Blogger Award! The rules are that I am to disclose 7 things that you may not know & pass the award along. I had to really think about this because I have a lot in my Funky Facts About Me section at the bottom of this blog and seriously aren't I an open book? hahaha Ok here goes...
1. Some dolls, especially the really old fashioned dolls, can freak me out like ventriloquist dummies & clowns. (Yes I do paint strange Carnies/Clowns but call them "Happy Souls" & consider it self therapy! haha)
2. I can completely de-bone a chicken leaving it in one large flat piece in a matter of minutes.
3. If my reading glasses aren't on my nose they are used as a stylish headband. hahaha
4. I think I could win every Chopped challenge. hahaha
5. I've watched the movie Pretty Woman & Overboard so many times that I could probably recite the entire scripts.
6. I could never choose a favorite Beatle, then or now.
7. I am addicted to hot peppers.
I now pass this award to a few of my sweetest Followers Gloria, Artsyfartsyme, Graceful Moments, Alterity Buttons, SandyPetals , Poetic Artist & AyalaArt.

What?! Wow!

Yes Wow! A blog award created to recognize me!! Can you think of anything sweeter than that? I can't right now!!! Please go to TJ's blog to read all about it and what she wrote. It's so beautiful. You will love TJ & her art too. She loves color as much as I do. Her pieces are whimsical eye candy. I will definitely be passing this along as soon as I get back next week.
We leave for Vegas at 3am in the morning. I very excited to spend time with friends that I dearly love. We don't really gamble but it's gonna be awfully tempting now after spending $600 at the Toyota dealership yesterday, just to see if we could re-coop that money. haha But ya know that saying What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas? Well I think what really happens is your money stays there & is the price you pay for your secrets to stay there too! LOL We took my car in for it's regular checkup (had a $100 off coupon for it too) & hubby wanted to get it checked out after my recent cross country trip. They said they found other things that needed fixing. Don't they always? I love my little Matrix though and will keep it until it is completely unfixable. Even though it's small, it's roomy, my 6 ft+ guys can sit in the back w/o their knees touching the back of the front seats, an entire drum kit fits in the back & it's fun to drive.

I've been working on this large painting all week. I still have lots of work to do on it. So far she's not an Angel. Maybe if I turn her into an Angel she'll come together? haha She started off like a Japanese Geisha, then morphed into a Spanish Senorita. A Bullfighter's bride? Her face has changed at least 5 times and I am in the process of changing it again. The shape, the eyes... Painting large canvases is a real challenge for me unless they are super large, those are fun. I prefer painting smaller pieces but I had the canvas so I thought I'd use it. I keep plugging along but really I'm getting to the point of giving up and starting something new instead of spending anymore time & paint on her.

Have a great holiday weekend! Peace & Love ;)

Sunday Shout Outs & Surprises

"Peaceful"
Now listed in my Etsy Shop.

A few Sunday Shout Outs... Thank you to Split Rock Ranch for being my top dropper for June! Be sure to stop by her blog. Thank you to Terraworks for including my Angel in her Modern Folk Art Etsy Treasury. Her clay work is a must see! Thanks to Kelly at Love Is My Religion for the MeMe Blog Award! Surprise! Kelly has a wonderful blog & whimsical art. Another must see! The rules are to share 7 things about myself & pass to 7 other people. Here are 7 things other than what is down below at the bottom of my blog & on this previous post:
1. I'm the only one in my immediate family with blonde hair & blue eyes. I've been told I'm not adopted even though I've often pondered the thought. haha
2. I can eat an entire can of jalapeno peppers & still want more.
3. I've taken a ride in a hot air balloon once, on an elephant twice and I am terrified of heights & bridges.
4. I've have been to 37 states and stood in 4 at the same time.
5. I have a hard time throwing away a glass jar. When I have too many a jars in the cabinet, a fairy shows up and makes some of them magically disappear. I've never caught that fairy. I miss the jars when they are gone.
6. At age 5 I was in a parade and twirled the baton.
7. I love to cook and I'm not afraid to try anything strange. There may be a few exceptions but not many.
My 7 choices to pass the award to are:
The Charming Place ; Trial & Error; Groggy Froggy ; WallFlower Studio; Magic Markings Art ; Tattoo Dreams; & Happy Shack Designs.

This Carolina Girl is Back in California

Totally exhausted. My arms and legs fell asleep even though my brain was awake yesterday. Not a good feeling while you're driving. I will start telling you some little stories about my trip tomorrow. There are some good ones! I am going to miss everyone terribly, more than I know but there is nothing like getting home to your own bed! I am going to be in it all day.

I am so thankful for all your prayers, for God and all the Angels that got me home safely!

What a honor and nice surprise to find this award when I got home! Thank you Artist Center! Click here to see what it means.

Tuesday's Altered Thoughts

You may need to click on the picture to read. If you would like to see more Altered Pages & Altered Thoughts please visit my new blog here.

Yesterday I had my little doodle bug again. He was sick but the only time he cried was when I gave him green beans. It was hard not to laugh because he really grimaced & hollered! I had never seen him cry like that so it was a little shocking. He made it clear he did not want those green beans. Other than that he was an angel again. He can do razz berries now and is scooting around pretty well. His mom picked him up early and took him to the doctor. It turned out that he has a double ear infection poor guy. My youngest son (a preemie) is the same way. He was a very sick until he was about 7 or 8 years old but he would never complain. I would just know he wasn't well when his lymph nodes would swell (he had surgery to remove some of them) or by the look in his eyes. It's funny how JJ reminds me of my youngest son more than his dad, my older son. Anyway, I think he's the sweetest little guy on the planet. I take a picture of him every time he's over (at least once a week) so I am gonna have to get it in gear and start a scrapbook for these pictures.

Hayley Egan presented me with a blog award! Thanks Hayley! She has a lovely blog you should check it out. I have to list 7 things that I love then pass the award along. I have to give this some thought to come up with 7 things that aren't listed below, oh I'm sure I can do it! but will have to get back to you on that.

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!

Fat Chance...

I thought they said there'd be snow! Everything was frozen this morning, it's cold... but NO SNOW! The sun is shining!

Thank you VinK for my new "Blog Bling"! It's always such an honor and surprise to get a Blog Award. They mean a lot to me and I will proudly add to my bling below. I will post my nominees soon to pass it along soon.

I made paper clay this morning but it's still super wet so I don't know if it's going to turn out or not. If it does, I will post my recipe and picture of my creations. So stay tuned...

Totally Busted!

My face is still red. I went to have some prints & scans made today and while waiting, a man noticed my paintings. He started the conversation by asking if I painted them. He asked if I could paint a mural *would love to* and said that he was going to check out the galleries! He got me all twitterpaided when he compared me to Diego Rivera *blushing* and asked for my card. That feeling of dread began at the top of my head, went through my whole body then radiated throughout me. I'm sure my face turned red because it does that easily. Busted! Yes I committed the cardinal sin... out in public without a card. I fumbled and fumbled, going through my purse then finally pulling stuff out. Maybe he was thinking geez lady what have you got in there!? It was awful. I finally gave up and gave him an old card, which was bad enough, but something possessed me to grab a pen and proceed to mark it all up. It looked so bad I had to apologize! hahaha I gotta laugh uncomfortably about it now but I won't be caught out in the world again without cards. Whether he will go to the galleries, commission me, or ever make any purchases, he was put in my path for a reason... to teach me that lesson!

Thanks again to Liquidilluzion for the blog award! Here as promised are a few blogs that I have found to be fun, entertaining, creative, informational.... not necessarily in that order.

The rules are:

1. Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.

2. Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.

3. Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.

4. Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit This Post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List.That way, we’ll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!

5. Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog. So I am passing along the award to the following...

http://suziblu.typepad.com/
http://www.hillbillyartist.blogspot.com/
http://www.kalapohl.blogspot.com/
http://cherriesrockmysocks.blogspot.com/

http://geelizzie.blogspot.com/

I have to have my little paintings that I am donating finished by Thursday and my final gallery piece finished and delivered on Saturday. I decided to put "Garden Party" in the gallery as my 2nd piece instead of the angel in the meadow. I haven't finished my 1st large gallery piece yet or even started the small ones. So I will be locking myself into my studio this week. I had to fill out a card for the pieces and I didn't really have a name for the large one yet, so I put a stupid name on it. If I can think of something better today I may have a chance to change it. I have quite a bit more painting to do then varnishing. I will post the final picture when I'm finished. Any name suggestions are welcome!

Oh yum! Look what I did with the turkey leftovers last night! Turkey Tiki Masala. It turned out awesome! I almost like it better than chicken!

Blog Bling!

I got some sweet bling for my blog today... a new blog award from my favorite blogger & blog! Thank you Liquidilluzion & congratulations to you for receiving it! You are fabulously talented and facinating. I definitely will hook up for a margarita *haha* next time I'm in Mississippi! I will pass it along to 5 others and post those tomorrow.

I played on my blog today. Hope you like it!

Did I do that? I Can't Remember...

I was given a new blog award! Thank you Kim! Be sure to check out her wonderful blog and folk art! I will give a list of my nominees to pass it along on my next post. It's hard because I love so many!

My best friends' daughter Lauren finally has her SAG card (Screen Actor's Guild) and can start getting speaking parts now. I was very excited to see her in Kath & Kim which aired on Thursday night! If you watch the last episode look out for my beautiful shopper in the electronics store scene. She is also going to be on Saving Grace when the season begins and that's one of my favorite shows! Lauren is so pretty & sweet on the outside as well as inside and I'm super proud of her. Congratulations Lauren!

I made the salsa with cactus and if I say so myself it was good! It's all gone already! I used 1 jar of Dona Maria Napalitos drained, 1 seeded habanero pepper, 1 clove of garlic, approx 1/3 of a yellow onion, the juice of 2 small limes & 2 tbsp of white vinegar and a pinch of salt. Blended it all together. My limes were a little dry so I popped them in the microwave for about 10 seconds. It made a little over 1 C. It was medium to hot but didn't leave you burning, just burning for more! LOL I think it would be really tasty with serrano peppers too. I will definitely be making this again!

I have been so absent minded lately it's starting to scare me. Is it Alzheimer's setting in? Is it because my husband's home now and upsetting my routine? My mind on too many things? Too many brain cells killed from Grey Goose in Long Beach last week? Whatever it is I have got to get a grip, buckle down, and start making lists to stay on track. I forgot I volunteered a meeting at my own house next Saturday, I am misplacing everything, I mailed a Bee Happy Zine to England without the envelope. That one caused a panic attack! I think I'd lose my head right now if it wasn't attached.

I haven't painted in a few weeks but will be painting tonight! I am looking forward to it. Jim is playing with the Spotted Dogs and I will have the house to myself. I am going to finish up an angel painting that I am working on, put together 3 Bee Happy Zine cards that are sold for mailing and maybe work a little on my gallery paintings. My Bee Happy Zine Cards apparently were on the front page of Etsy while I was in Long Beach. I would have loved to see that. I need to take a better photos! Coz ya never know do ya?

My adorable grandbaby had his picture in the Sacramento Parent Magazine this week! He has the sweetest spirit. He rarely cries, and is all smiles and ooos and awwwwws. I am running out to get a copy...page 31!

Today It's a Circus!

When Pigs Fly

I got up this morning and had to paint this pig I had in my head. I didn't even make coffee before I sat down to do him. I must have dreamed about BBQ haha JUST KIDDDING!! Tonight I'm going downtown with my husband, son & his fiancee to The Circus & Other Atrocities put on by the one & only Gale Hart, who is now a Swell Sister. (See previous post) It's the 2nd annual circus and it's suppose to be crazy fun. A Swell Sister is also showing at a 2nd Saturday gallery. I will post all about it tomorrow. I'm taking my camera too and will post some pictures. So drop in tomorrow to see some wild Sacramento fun and art!

I received another blog award today!! Such an honor! This was given to me by a sweet & wonderful photographer with one of the most awesome blogs online, Liquidillusions, you must visit!

A New Blog Award!

Thank you Lance at Crescent Hill Designs! http://crescenthilldesigns.blogspot.com/ What a nice surprise that was! I finished up some paintings I had been working on and listed some new

paintings on Etsy today! I will be passing along the blog award and posting my canidates soon!

You Could Fry An Egg!

It's gonna be hot hot hot here! That crackly dry hot kind of a day. Ever actually tried to fry an egg on the sidewalk? My brother and I did, but to our dismay it didn't work out. It just made a big mess. Just like the ole Lemonade stand, we didn't make a hundred dollars as planned. hahaha We had a fun time trying it though. I'm sure it was worth the couple of dollars from our mom to get us out of the house and no fighting! hahaha

My youngest son and his girlfriend were so fascinated with my Josephine Baker piece & the things that I told them about her that they wanted to see a movie about her! So last night my son found one and we stayed up late to watched it. It was the one starring Lynn Whitfield. It was ok but reading about her was better. My son thought the movie made her come across as spoiled and selfish. Maybe she was, maybe that's what it takes. Actually I don't think she could have accomplished all that she did if she wasn't. Well it's inspired me to paint her anyway, so I may start working on that today. I won't be working on an "angel" painting that's for sure! hahahaha

As promised, here are my list of nominees for the passing of the Brillante Weblog Award.. Thank you again Bee for nominating me!

1) Put the logo on your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4) Add links to those blogs on yours.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.
So my 7 Nominees are......

Bee at http://witchetty.typepad.com/,
http://www.dzfantasy.blogspot.com/
http://www.compassmoon.blogspot.com/
http://crescenthilldesigns.blogspot.com/
http://rogalaca.blogspot.com/
http://opheliasflowersartbytj.blogspot.com/
http://dazedandfused.com/
http://whimsicalworldoffairies.blogspot.com/

I enjoy visiting all of these blogs! A truly talented group! There are so many more I wish I could have put all my favorites in there!

My first Blog Award!

How nice it was to log on tonight and find that Bee at http://witchetty.typepad.com/ nominated me for a blog award! Please take a moment to check out her whimsical art on her blog & her Etsy shop. Tomorrow I will be posting 7 of my nominations and passing it along! Thanks so much Bee that is such a great surprise and honor!

Today I barely got anything done but the dishes. I was a bit under the weather. No Zip in my Zippity Doo Da , no Doo Da either. The smoke is back in the valley and just awful. The news said that it is very unhealthy where I live . I could smell it in the house when I woke up and for the remainder of the day. E U We need rain! I need rain! I miss it. I am wearing out my rain and babbling brook tape!

I removed 2 mermaids that I had listed. I had done them on commission but never recieved the money for them so I listed them. I had been waiting a month for payment. I had sent several emails. Well today I recieved a check for them. Ut Oh. One has a bid on it so I will have to paint another after the check clears. I wish she had sent me a heads up that the check was mailed. She did included 2 extra dollars than we had agreed on so I'm not out all that much for the listings. So tomorrow I am getting my bushes wet and gettin' busy!