Irish Blessings

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Happy Saint Patrick's Day

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and

May you be dead a half hour

before the devil knows you're gone.

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Like the warmth of the sun

And the light of the day

May the luck of the Irish

Shine bright on your way.

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May your blessings outnumber

The shamrocks that grow

And may trouble avoid you

Where ever you go.

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May you live as long as you want

And never want as long as you live.

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May your pockets be heavy

And your heart be light,

May good luck pursue you

Each day and each night.

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May your troubles be less

Your blessings be more

And nothing but happiness

Come through your door

How NOT to sell your Antique Quilt on Ebay

If you have a dying old quilt.... and you want to sell it on ebay.

Perhaps it's not the best idea to compare it to rotting flesh.

My artistic muse gets in the way

Crazy Quilt
Undated - unsigned
Early American
45" x 56" not counting the frayed border
Condition - Good

This poor tired tattered quilt....

A collage of exhausted fine fabrics, velvets and thread bare silks

with muslin exposed like skeletal bones through rotting flesh.

The mass of pretty embroidered stitches are like

little colorful soldiers in an army

rallying the war against decay and deterioration.

They are holding their ground.

Mouse earred edges are worn and torn

like broken teeth in battle.

While hand painted daisies and little stitched pictures

help to soften the field.

This quilt has had a life of hard work.

Yet remarkably the back of the quilt is strong and undefiled,

it seems to defy age.

Strong vibrant rich red fabric is the life blood of what keeps this rugged relic alive.

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Please excuse my grossly artistic description.

This really is a lovely antique and all original piece of folk art.

By the way...it does not smell like rotting flesh!

In fact it has no offensive odor at all.

Many of these examples of the Early American Quilt

are in the same boat so to speak.

They are becoming quite scarce.

In generations to come I suspect only pictures and

silly descriptions like this will survive.

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feel it

Lost and Found

Dylan lost Mario at my house. I found his beloved toy and put it up high where it would be safe until Dylan would come back again for a visit. A week later - Now, Dylan is back and I forgot that I have his toy. I pass by the funny looking little character all afternoon without a thought or notice. Until the very late afternoon sun comes around to the west side and streams bright rays through the two little window panes of the back door. The sunlight is like a spotlight shining in on little Mario. Sometimes all it takes is a little light on the subject to see what has been there all along.

Antique Towel Rack

A needle felted chickadee perches on an antique towel rack.

Mantle Today

How times have changed...

There are a few variations of this New Era Potato Chip tin.

This one is from 1937. The later years toned it down a bit.

Eat all you want is a little misleading.

Now available at my Etsy shop.

What's for dinner?

last nights ...chicken stew.

Dish Racks

I bought this vintage wire dish rack at a yard sale... years ago with thoughts of keeping my bills neatly organized. The shelf on it could be a handy little compartment for desk supplies.
( Or-so I thought) However, within weeks it was looking stuffed and messy. I really have no flat surface large enough to keep it and it was constantly in my way. It soon ended up hanging on the side of a broom closet down in the basement. There it gathered dust and more rust being neglected and forgotten. Today, I decided to drag it up, wash it off and pass it along to someone with more room and less bills. It's over at my Etsy shop

My latest

My hands just want to make more and more of this theme of Mother and Child.

1/1/11

Happy New Year

I listed these Smurf people on ebay in December. The guy that was the highest bidder didn't pay. I reminded him when you bid it's a contract ...and he was sorry. This buyer had what they call "buyers remorse" So...grrr I let him off the hook, reported it to ebay so I don't pay twice for them and them relisted them. Sellers don't have much choice these days. It's a buyer's market.

If nobody buys them these will be my mascots for 2011. : )

About Christmas ....

With Jesus among us ...

I'm trusting you had a great Christmas, I love you.

Week 4

This is the fourth week of Advent.

Week 3

Nothing is small is done out of love.

week 2

Morning Star Mary

SERIOUSLY... I see a face in this picture. Can you see Her? This image was taken during the same photo shoot as the picture below only with no flash....I almost deleted it but it caught my eye. I showed my family and they all see Her too. I'm in awe at it. It's a big deal to me anyway.

ADVENT...has begun

This is the first week of Advent

Shadow Play

Halloween 2010

This years costume...Link

A character from the video game The Adventures of Zelda.

(thank-you Tom)

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What do you do when you run out of candy to give on Halloween night?

You could do what one of our delerious neighbors decided to do.

Give away your personal belongings.

She gave my 7 year old grandson

a pillow with a catchy saying.

~" Of all the things I lost it seems I miss my mind the most."~

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Seeing as how Halloween was just yesterday.... reminds me of this little bat that flew into the car and crashed into my husbands ear as he was driving! This happened on a warm September night and ok so I didn't go blogging it right away but I'm telling you now aren't I? It was so eerie. So it flies in and he's thinking it must be a bird. He feels it on his ear and he grabs it and flings it off. It goes to the floor of the car and stays very still....he thought it was dead. He pulled off the road and sees a brown lump on the floor and gets back to driving the few blocks home. At home he notices it's a bat not a bird at which point he calls us out to see it. I grab an old glass jar with a cover and my plan is to bury the little creature. I reach down and he flinches. We are both startled. ...So anyway now this bat is in a jar....what to do next? Take a picture of course!

Bat's eat bugs and I give him a grape...he snarls at my gift. Soon I let him go and he flew away.
It was a whole lot more drawn out...but I'm sparing you the drama.

I Love You with All My Art....

Feel My Felt...

with your whole heart and soul.

Trying to get back on track...

...but it's so hard to get back. There are a lot of changes going on in my life. C'est lavie.

I find that art helps to soothe my weary soul. Needle felting is still my favorite way to express myself. Although - sadly I can't seem to get enough definition of detail without making it look like some sort of a cartoon. I can imagine my subject themes much better than my hands can create them. So I at least try to capture the essence of what I'm thinking.

The love between a mother and child is the strongest love I've ever known. I first felt this unconditional love with my own mother and then I didn't think it was possible but I feel it even stronger with my own children. As they grow and leave my arms I can't help but miss the years I held them so close. Is it any wonder why I am compelled to recreate this tender feeling in my art? As I was shaping this latest sculpture with my hands...the mother's head leaned, the child's head leaned and as they both leaned foreheads together it brought a smile to my face and I knew it was done.

When you calculate a math problem or a figure out a puzzle or something tangible like that you know when you're finished. But my art is something that ...honestly somethimes I never feel as if I'm finished with it. I want to tweak it here and there and ugh.... I have been witness to some things getting ruined right before my eyes. I've decided at least this time to just let it go imperfect as it is. Simply because it says what I want, much better than I can.

Holiday

Happiness is getting onto my Blog again!

I've been locked out of my own blog!

For some reason all I ever got was a white page...

But today, I checked for the umpteenth time and it was working.
I don't know why....either way ....YAY!

Here is a bluebird I needle felted.

Pentecost

Can you tell I love religious art?

The Ascension of Our Lord