I am so bad about keeping this blog up to date; but I am so excited to be doing what I am doing.
Now I am doing an art journal for a swap I am on and it is a fun and exciting journey.

My darling life partner also bought me a beautiful journal because I wanted to start an herb art journal which is a lot of fun...

So many things to do!!!

I have uploaded my latest atcs "Birds" for some reason I have fallen in love with birds since starting mixed media...and I am trying to incorporate my own personal art work in to my mixed media now...

this is a watercolour batik I did a while ago. I love this look. It is done on rice paper.
A long process but definitely worth the work.

Well I finally finished the tribute to my Mom with her recipes and will upload it this mrning.
I keep looking at it and thinking it needed something more but I am at a loss right now. If you look at it please feel free to tell me what I should add....

I have also uploaded some atcs I did for another swap....three were a special technique and the other (orange was my own fratal design. I am pretty proud of that one....

Well off to do some planting. I plant all summer long lol....

Have a wonderful summer day...we are waiting for thunder storms here....I love storms...

Here it is almost the end of June. I have been posting very much or reading mail because I have been trying to plant and catch up on some housework since I have been spending most of my days playing in my art world.

Today I finished up my Summer Fun card for a swap....I am happy with it except for the fact that everything I do somewhere on it is something not quite straight...I think this is becoming my trademark!!...It looks straight but by the time I am finished it is crooked...
Oh well...I will be...the crooked little lady that lived in a crooked little house (she must have painted it) and makes crooked little art....
aaahhhh maybe I will become famous...not cut of my ear...simply be crooked in the good sense of the word...

Now I am finishing up my true love of work a Collage in memory of my Mom and her favourite and ours recipes she made for us for Christmas.
I will put it up today or on the weekend....

Have a wonderful day...the world is sunny and where it is not so sunny say a prayer for them as we are very lucky...

Well Summer is here again...for how long we don't know...it is lovely and warm outside.
The weekend was a great one..Saturday morning our grandaughter came over for her weekly walk with Grandpa and the dogs to Timmy's...then we played "old maid" in the gazebo for awhile and to top it off our grandson Jacob and our beautiful daughter Kelly came over and the three of them played Risk...(I don't like Risk)...then Grandpa bbq'd giant hot dogs and hamburgers for lunch...it was a great morning...In the afternoon Lorne and I and our "Echo" dog...took a long leasurely drive through the town of Port Credit on the lake...it was wonderful and relaxing and one of the best Saturdays I've had...Sunday worked in the backyard..or at least Lorne did...I supervised hehehe...
Today though it is back to "life" and I did some twinchies for a swap....all about hats...
Enjoy and have a great Monday

I am still working on my collage. I have changed part of it and beginning to like it better now.
Hopefully I will be finished it this week.

I have downloaded a couple of atcs I am doing for a swap on one of my lists.

Lots of great lists and lots of swaps....now if I just had more time...

Have a wonderful Wednesday out there in cyberland...it is still cool and not overly bright here in Mississauga town.

Tuesday morning and I have been up most of the night..what else is new ....I am up most nights...
I have been thinking of the things I want to try and my little head is crammed with some mighty big things...Make a list is what I try to tell myself and do one thing at a time...however I can't create like that....I could be working on something and I am overcome with the urge to try something new right then and there...
Well last night I was up playing with the photo altering program and I have loaded a couple new pictures. I think I will now do a multi-media piece with them...canvas, atcs etc....
Also practicing faces as I have a little series I want to do...but don't hold your breath folks...it may never happen in this lifetime....being the flibbergibbit that I am...

Okay off now to do something inspired and laundry (not inspired)....

Tuesday June 2

My Dad's Birthday and my parents Anniversary. Both gone now but still always in my thoughts.
We have carried on the tradition. I was married on my birthday and my daughter got married on her birthday...a nice tradition and link to the past.

I did a little atc today....we'll call it a comic relief.

I also did a Nellie McClung collage last week. I am putting them both up.
varnishing still has to be done...

I hit a uncreative wall this past week so it has been a struggle.

Monday morning and cold; at least I think it is. I put on the heat this morning when I got up. I have been very busy working on my "creations" and then in the middle of it all I got a overwhelming desire to put everything aside and do a little collage for my niece and her two daughters.
They don't live in the same cities so I know they miss each other but keep track of each other's lives by phone and facebook....(thank God for facebook)...the good parts anyway...so...I am downloading the little collage I did to celebrate Mothers and Daughters. It is called The Circle of Love...
Have a wonderful Monday everyone. Now that I have that out of my system I can get back to art I am supposed to be doing.... (big smile)

Today was an interesting one...Lorne and I went to the Food Fair at the Buddhist Temple. I am practicing buddism and needed to know a lot more..so I got lots of information on the practice and got to see the inside of the Temple..it was awe inspiring...tried some foods but boy oh boy was it hot standing in the sun...both of us being redheads felt the heat very much.
Yesterday my grandson came over to help Grandpa build the bbq...then he came in to my room to see what I was up too...I showed him my circle cutter that I had bought and he was away creating...Jacob is 12 and a budding artist...he is working on pastels in school and finished a watercolour project awhile that he got top marks for. I am so proud of him!!
I am adding his circle design for his project and I think I will use the picture in my mixed media art..
Also is a picture of my Ms Molly Cat!! She was very ill a few weeks ago and now back to her old self...demanding in all things!!

Happy Sunday Everyone!!...Lovely long weekend. We are busy putting in a patio (mostly hubby and grandaughter)...so Lorne can start bbqing...what fun that will be....hmmm..
I had a great time creating a paper bag book for my grandaughter's 10th birthday and will put it up her for all to see...they are so much fun to make.
Now I am going to make one for my newest grandaughter in Calgary and hopefully I will be able to do one for each of the grandkids...
I accidently added a new blogg by mistake and I am busy now trying to figure out how to delete them...did two...silly me.

I took my daughter and grandaughter to see The Sound of Music yesterday.
We were holding our breath to see if Nicky would like the play...she will be 10 next week...ahhh she did and so inspired me to do this little atc card.
Knowing that she liked the play was Music to my ears....

Friday Morning and very dull outside. I expect the rain soon; I don't mind I like rain, makes me want to do housework and read and drink coffee (smile). Life is good.

I finished another Decorative Trading Card (4x6) and a scratch art piece of a cat. Scratch Art is a very old art and recently brought back to life...it is easy to do and fun and if you want to do some art and are a little nervous or think you can't do it...try this...you will be amazed...

A beautiful Monday Mornday,
Here is a daily inspiration
If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the...

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

I have made a couple of atcs this morning and will put them up...
Altered Art is so relaxing...it makes life right somehow and puts a smile on my face.
Happy Monday everyone.

Well here it is Wednesday morning and I am back on my feet after a fantastic weekend of the Coast to Coast convention. Took lots of classes and had so much fun learning and meeting old painting pals.
I introduced my beautiful daughter to a Heather Redick class and she took to it right away..not like Mom who has to learn everything. My Kelly was a natural and so much talent..now if she can only find the time in her busy life of mom, wife, furbaby mom and career to do some painting...alas that is why us painters for the most part are "older"...hehehehe...
What a joy to have that convention and to see all the work others have created. It makes you excited, appreciative, humble and leaves you wanting to learn more and do more.

Thursday April 16,09

I have been sitting here putting together items to make my think green card!! Lots of green to make it with now I just have to sit and stare at all of it and get inspired!!
I have been visiting different blogs and I am blown away with the creativity of the artists. Will I ever get there? who knows! Will I have fun along the way? Absolutely!!
Our big painting convention is here in Mississauag Ontario Canada from today until Sunday so I will be off doing seminars and meeting old friends..it will be a lovely time and I will come back to my studio all reved up and ready to go again in to the world of creativity....

I have been a lurker on a group of mixed media artists for a very long time.
I decided today to come out of hiding and start to participate so here is my first venture.
Today was the day to make something about your puppy (ies)...so I decided it was time to do a tribute to my special furbaby....

Folded ATC

Well what fun I have just had...I decided to make a folded atc of my grandaughter Nicky who is aspiring to become a hockey player in the olymipics when she grows up....when it is folded it hides the wording inside the card and when you open it....you'll see :)

I thought I would add a twinchie that I did last week and some tags that I made. I love creating paper art and my mind never stops looking for something new. I keep thinking right around the corner of my brain is something new that no one has thought of yet...hehehe and this keeps me looking and creating.
I am working on my bag book and so excited to do that one and another for a swap...My life is beginning to take on the addage...."So much to do and so little time to do it in"....
We went to McMichael's Gallery in Kleingburg on the weekend..They had a display of Karsh photos. My hubby and I both like Karsh and have some of his photography books. His work is amazing...
Lovely work by AY Jackson and Emily Carr....made me want to run home and start painting too...
I wish I could get all my "personalities" out at one time and put them to work accomplishing all that I want to do....
Back to work now...a labour of love.

Hear we are, Thursday morning and finally the sun shines again!!
I am off for a we holiday over Easter with my hubby....hmmm I shall miss my computer and emailing but it will be nice to get away....
We will be lazy, flirt with each other, read, hunt antique stores, book stores, and have lazy lunches at tea rooms and a wonderful romantic dinner at a very nice Italian restaurant....sigh....lookin foward to it...I love just being with my husband and exploring we have so much fun together...life is good and I am thankful.
I have added my inchies, twinchies and cards I've done recently....
I love paper art and having so much fun with it...
Next week I hope to start back in to my painting and also painting some cards....
I hope everyone has a good and blessed Easter.
Be kind to each other because you never know what life will bring...

Good Morning Everyone,

I have been a very busy girl...the creative list I belong to sure has us hopping. I never thought I would have the patience to play with paper and create images that are 1 inch big but I tried and I am hooked now !!

The weather here feels like winter again which I am not a fan of for sure...

I hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday and I will post some of my
paintings and paperworks on here today....

Friday morning and yesterday I didn't do a thing except art...
I spent most of my day playing around with the inchies...they were a life saver and got me back on track.
Today I must do some housework (groaning here) and then I will make cards.
The weather is getting nicer each day and that makes me happy how about you? I am not a winter person...

Time has Passed

I apologize...I havenot been a very good blogger but, I do promise to be better about it from here on in....I wanted to do my life in progress concerning art...
Today is a very sad day for me and I want to hide from the world and paint. It would be a solace..
My best friend passed on to another journey today...we have been best friends for over 54 years so our friendship lasted longer than most marriages lol and for that I am truly greatful. We used to laugh about growing old together and visiting each other...I got lucky she did not...
I will miss her every day...
Tomorrow is the first year anniversary of my youngest brother's passing.
He and my friend died of the same illness...copd...pulminary lung disease...cause...what else? smoking.
My brother used to tease the dickens out of Bertille and me but when we grew up we were all friends and in the last 15 years they became very best buddies and used to visit each other..I hope they are enjoying their reunion today.

I needed to put this day in writing...It's bitter this cycle..last year just after my bro passed my darling little Holly dog my furbaby of 12 years passed and now I am waiting for results of my furbaby Molly cat who is in the hospital. She is 13years...I don't think this will be a favourite time of the year for me in the future...but I do smile when I think of them all...they all two legged and four legged have brought so much joy to my life.
I am truly blessed.

The next blog will be of my journey in art and I will give you my feelings on the things I am creating and why I am creating them....and the silliness to make you smile....

The picture of the dog on my grandson's card is an original painting of mine. I painted his dog Zoie for Christmas a year ago and using a print on the front of his birthday card.

Had a great time Saturday with my friend Karen at the card shop.
We made cards, inchies, bookmarks and learned to make gift bags from
envelopes...Now that was just too cute and too much fun...
Kal is a great teacher and if you have a chance to go to Angela's in Dundas for the free seminars on Saturday you should go.

This morning I sat and made a birthday card for my grandson and a
valentine's card for a girlfriend...

It is now 7:30am.Hubby gone to a breakfast meeting for work downtown so got up with him at 5 to have coffee and our morning chat (we love that part of our day)...I am a new Grandma today our youngest son and his wife, in Calgary had a beautiful baby girl. Chloe and she waited to be an acquarian like her Grandpa and Grandma Mann...how cool is that? Us Acquarians are a crazy bunch. (big smile).

I am sitting here thinking I will have to get back to my drawing.
Can't draw a straight line but my good friend Ana Tirolese taught a seminar in my studio a couple years ago and promised she could teach me...Needless to say I was a disbeliever but she did it...by grid and my excitement was uncontainable. I will put up some of my drawings today.
The first was my grandson and just couldn't believe it actually was just like him. Ana is an exceptional artist and a fantastic teacher and I consider it a privilege to have her as a friend.

Here it is!! Almost time to go and be there for my grandkids after school...and what did I do today? Well, played and had so much fun..
Went to Michaels for glue. Does one every come out of Michaels just getting what they went in for? I think not.
I have uploaded pictures of cards I made today...Lordy this is becoming habit forming....

Boy oh boy is it cold this morning. I opened the door to let the dog out and I really don't want to go out today (sigh) but I must do some errands and one being going to Michael's...hehehe that should warm me up.
I want to mail off my cards for the swap today and make some others to send also. What fun. Then I have to take pictures of my house and rooms to show my girlfriend tomorrow when I visit her (she can't get out) and she wants to see my new house and I must work on my oil painting for the online seminar we are doing. Of course that means I will have no time for housework .....bummer....... lol.

Well here I sit...Always have lots to say except when this was put in front of me...then I couldn't think of a thing. I thought this would be a good place to rant and rave...NOT!!

I am busy trying to get painting done and now cards which have created a monster effect on me as the ideas are swirling....

Tomorrow night will be my first seminar with Heather Reddick and I am so looking forward to doing it. I love the oils.