Revisiting History...

Hello Friends,
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I have been meaning to ask if any of you have been watching the mini series John Adams on HBO. I have to admit that I wasn't much interested in American history when I was in school but now that I'm older I can appreciate what these people went through to create the Declaration of Independence. Since I started watching, I realized how little I understand what exactly went on so I started reading the book John Adams by David McCullough which the mini-series is based upon. Not only is it an amazing story of our countries history but it's a bit of a love story between Mr. Adams and his wife Abigail. My sister and I both have some friends that are going through a divorce and I have just begun to realize what real sacrifice is all about. Mr. and Mrs. Adams were apart for the better part of their first seventeen years of marriage. Yes, seventeen!!! And they had four children and a farm that Abigail took care of all by herself while her husband traveled the world to secure our freedom. They were very devoted to each other and corresponded through letters throughout their entire time apart. I know, I'm getting all dramatic but I can't help to think how easy we have things these days and how easily we tend to give up on our marriages or things that should really matter. I guess we are spoiled? Anyway, I really recommend this book if you feel, like me, that you didn't really give American History a shot the first time around. You will truly be grateful.
Also, I recently finished the book Me and Mr.Darcy by Alexandra Potter. For all of you Jane Austen fans, this is a story about an American girl who goes on a Jane Austen book tour in England and she ends up meeting The Mr. Darcy. It was a little silly at first but once I got into it, it turned out to be a cute little story. I recommend this for a little light reading in between the serious stuff:)
I'm still in a bit of an artistic rut but I have a few ideas that I just need to get onto a canvas. I find when I'm like this, that's the hardest part.......getting myself started again.
Well I'm off to do some spring closet cleaning....UGH! One of my least favorite jobs:)
Have a great day!

Ills and Thrills!

Good Saturday Friends,
I must apologize once again for my blog neglect. You see, I don't usually like to complain but I feel the need to give and excuse. I've been sick for the past week and a half.....due mostly to my need to wait until I'm half dead before I will see a Doctor. I come from the ,"It will eventually go away on it's own" theory of thinking. It started with the worst sore throat ever and moved to the worst, worst, worst sore throat ever. So, to my dismay, I finally went to see my overcrowded, germ ridden, wait too too long on the phone to get an appointment Dr. It turns out I have strep throat, but with a pocket full of antibiotics, I'm on the mend!!!
On a much healthier note...my studio is up and running again. I have started to add prints of my paintings for what I think are very reasonable prices. Also, I have a couple of framed portraits I'm working on using some ornate gold vintage frames I've had lying around. I will give a sneak peek of them soon. I have attached a photo of a painting I did for a client who had some funky wall paper from her beloved Grandmothers home. She asked me to incorporate it into one of my "Big Hair Girls" for her. I had a great time doing this one and appreciate her trusting me with this treasure of hers.
Lastly... I am attaching photos of our Nerd Family trip to the Star Wars exhibit. The boys had such a good time looking at all of the movie stuff. I took a moment to stop and look around at all of the people visiting and I had to laugh because it was boys as far as the eye could see. Boys and dads everywhere! A few girls here and there but not nearly as many.
Well, I'm off to the studio to get to work on some new things for my shop. I will give you a heads up before I do a shop update.
Have a great weekend!!!

Spring Break....

Hello Friends!
It's a happy week here because of Spring Break! The first thing we have planned is a night at the Franklin in Philadelphia to see the Star Wars exhibit. Jake has been into Star Wars since he was 3 and we let him watch the boxed set of the first three movies (actually 4,5,6). Alex has been playing with Star Wars toys practically since he left the womb. My mother in law has saved all of my husbands extensive original Star Wars toys and my kids have been playing with them for years. It's funny to see how everything comes back in time. My kids are now on a huge Indiana Jones kick. We bought all of the movies on DVD and they have been using their allowance to buy LEGO sets depicting different scenes from the movies. I'm not much of a science fiction kind of gal but I do enjoy the Star Wars movies and it's nice for us to have something in common.
Well, I need to get going. I'm visiting my before mentioned Grandmother today with my kids, mom, sister and nephew....safety in numbers:)
Real quick I wanted to share with you my newest addition to my ever growing art collection. I bought this Botero reproduction off of Ebay the other day. Isn't she the funniest thing? I'm not usually into repro's but since I'm pretty sure I'll never be in a position to own a real Botero I though this was ok. I think I'm going to have to buy a Botero Mona Lisa next. I just love all of his pudgy little people!
Ok, I'm going already!!! Have a great day!

Good Morning Friends....

I'm not quite sure what's going on but I seem to be having a difficult time getting to the computer these days. Yesterday it didn't even get turned on.......sorry poor neglected little way too old to do anything quick enough for it's owner computer. I'm afraid to say any more just incase it gets it's feeling hurt and dies on me:)

Well, yesterday was Easter and the Bunny was extra generous with the boys. Jake got a new skateboard complete with all kinds of pads to keep ER visits to a minimum....I hope. And Alex got his first "Big Boy" bike. We normally don't give big gifts for Easter but their Birthday's are in mid and late summer so we figured they would get more use out of them if we gave them earlier. We both agreed that we would "Cut Back" on the birthday gifts when the time comes....yeah right! Jake is on holiday from school this week but Alex is not.....oh the drama! You can imagine the morning I had trying to get one dresses while the other was laying on the couch watching cartoons in his jammies!

We had an Italian Easter here. Lasagna, meatballs, garlic bread. No, I'm not one ounce Italian but I got a free family size lasagna from the grocery store so it was a done deal! God do I hate to cook. Lots and lots of goodies though. My mom's famous sour cream pound cake, orange dream pie, Chocolate cake and we stole some treats from the easter baskets as well. Shhhhh!

My sister gave me a shelf that she bought two of from a garage sale and I decided to use it in my studio. So I took down my inspiration board and installed my new inspiration shelf. I painted it a funky hot pink to complement my colorful armoire.

Have a great day!!!

A Blogland Break....

Hello Friends,
I'm sorry I have been neglecting you all this week. My poor little blog....stuck on Happy Friday for almost a full week! I think it's been a combination of being busy and not having too much to say. My mom is visiting from Florida and I finally finished up the five paintings I needed to do for the boutique and the latest family portrait I was commissioned to do.
I thought I'd share a funny little thing my 92 year old grandmother said to me the other day. We were talking on the phone and she asked how Jake was doing in school. I told her how well he's doing and how easily it comes to him. She then asked how my husband was doing and I told her about this big exam he had to take for work and that he did very well. She then said, "No offense to you but I guess that's where Jake gets his smarts from." Mind you, I am the only Grandchild out of 8 that calls her on a regular basis!!!! My family and I got a good chuckle and my husband is pleased to no end. I'm always the one who gets the crap. I wonder what the kid gets from me??? He draws well......is that it???
I am very excited because my sister and I are going to take a weekend getaway to Adamstown, PA to go antiquing. I don't like antiques as much as I like junk so I'm hoping there will be plenty of both. We are going to stay in a B&B and will be sharing a bed which we haven't done in about 14 years so it should be fun:)
Well, I'm attaching a photo of my latest family portrait.

Have a great weekend and eat lots of deviled eggs!

Happy Friday!

Hello Friends,
Another week is over....where does the time go???? I'm sorry I haven't been posting as much as usual but I've got a lot little fires burning here and there and I've been trying to put them out. One major fire was selling a "Princess Tea Party" business my sister and I had but couldn't manage to find the time to do. Luckily it's going to a good home in Reading, PA.!
The second fire is 5 paintings I need to finish to send out to a boutique in Kentucky. The two pictures I've posted are all I've been able to complete this week. I was having a bit of "artist's block" but I think I'm recovered now:) Sometimes all it takes is a day off. All of that thinking and trying burns you out! I will have prints of these paintings in my shop hopefully some time next week. I'll keep you posted.
The third fire consists of 3 custom paintings I have pending. I hope to get to the sketches this weekend and maybe I'll give you all a little peek.
On a completely different subject.....if anyone is interested in "composting" their household fruit and veggie scraps, visit my sisters blog for the "Wednesday Eco Tip". We both compost but she has a fancy bin where I have a pile hidden in my backyard. Both work equally well and we are reducing the amount of waste we send to our landfill. Plus the stuff is GREAT for your flowerbeds. I just toss all of my fruit and vegetable scraps, tea bags (worms love these) , coffee grounds, clean egg shells....you name it. Even shredded newspaper sometimes. Add fall dried leaves and all of the dead plants after your spring clean up and you've got yourself some terrific fertilizer. And it didn't cost a thing!
Have a great weekend!

We Have A Winner!!!

Congratulations to Steph at Sunshine n Ravioli! She is the winner of my first Friday Giveaway! Must be that good karma from giving me an award last week. I wish I could give everyone a little gift for all of your "Sweet" comments. It definitely made for a hungry weekend....but that was my own fault wasn't it? Thanks to every one for making my first giveaway a great success:) I will try to do one again soon.

Little Bag and Bad Words

Hello Friends,
I just want to share my little purchase from my sister's shop. Yes, I really did BUY it....even though I know she's going to tell me I didn't have to. She's making these adorable little artist's pouches for us to carry all of our things in. I am going to keep a few pencils and ink pens inside for when I'm on the go. I realized the other day that I really need to start carrying my sketchbook with me because I come up with ideas for paintings and forget them by the time I get home. Most times I tell Jake, "Hey, remember this for me" and he always does. Unfortunately for me, he remembers everything!!

So on that note, I'll share a little story......

I've been a volunteer at Jake's school library for the past few years so I'm really friendly with the librarian, Mrs. Zino. Well, the other day I'm walking around putting books away while she was reading a story to Jake and his class. Apparently the story was about not saying bad words. So as she's explaining the story to them she says, "Mrs. Dodson, I know there are probably times when you feel like saying a bad word but can't. What word do you use instead?" Before I have a chance to answer Jake pipes up "She usually just say's the word." And then Mrs. Zino says with a smile "Ohhhhhhh, she does, does she?" Of course I was mortified but the funny thing is, I don't use really bad words. The worst thing I say is damn. So I promptly walked over and flicked him in the head! I have some video of him poopin in his diaper and I swore I'd never show it to anyone but I'm seriously thinking of reconsidering:) Future girlfriends maybe????? Paybacks are a BITCH.....read that Mrs. Zino.

I'm very excited to do the drawing for the Friday Giveaway tomorrow. Have a great day!!

3 Happy Things

1. Happy Sunday! I woke up to a beautiful little "You Make My Day"award from my friend Stephanie at Sunshine n Ravioli. (love that name) This is my very first award and I'm so excited, especially since I get to pass it on to all of the people who make my day. Thanks Steph!!!
I am going to pass this award on to Kim at 'Running on Ink' even though she is away this weekend enjoying herself and my NJ friend Dani at Ambitions Design. Dani and I are going to meet soon in Philadelphia to see the Frida Kahlo exhibit. I'm looking forward to it!

2. We changed the clocks last night so we will have one more hour of daylight tonight!!! I know this is silly to be so excited about but I'm so so so so desperate for spring. My skin is dry from all of the burning hot showers I've been taking and I'm out of shape since I hate to walk in the dark, and the cold. (walking is the only exercise I don't hate:)

3. I got these really cute flip flops last night at Sears of all places. Our electricity went out yesterday so we went to the mall for a while and I spotted these. I'm gonna be all polka dotted up this season because apparently they are "IN".
One is brown and pink and the other black and white. So cute!

Blogger isn't letting me post any photo's today so I'll have to do it tomorrow. If you want to see your award...check out Stephanie's blog! How lame, I'm so sorry!!!

And don't forget to add a comment to the post below for the "Friday Giveaway" if you haven't already.

Have a great day!

Happy Friday Giveaway!!!

Hello Friends!
I'm very excited because today I am offering my first giveaway!!! I spent this morning painting this little 'Nest Head' on recycled cardboard. I put her in a little wooden frame and of course I had to add some happy polka dots and a pretty pink ribbon:) Including the frame, she is 5" x 5" and there is even a little metal notch in the back of the frame for hanging. All you have to do is leave me a comment telling me what your favorite "Sweet Treat" is. I have way too many to give a favorite but homemade, straight out of the oven with a glass of cold milk, chocolate chip cookies are probably in my top five. I don't know why I'm doing this to myself since I'm trying to cut back on sweets before I have to get into a bathing suit in June! UGH!
I will do the drawing on Wednesday the 12th so good luck and have a great weekend!!!

Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy!

I'm finally finished, I think....I may put a little bit of text from 'Pride And Prejudice' on it but I am having a hard time picking my favorite lines. So Sandy, you were close in guessing 'Emma'......so sorry, no prize:( I am however thinking of doing a give away some time soon so I'll keep everyone posted.
It was another beautiful day today but I've been a little sad. You see, this week is "Kindergarten Roundup". In other words, it's time to register my little one to enter the real world. Sure, he's in pre-school now but that's only three days a week! What am I going to do without my little shopping buddy? We do everything together! I know, I need to grow up. It's not about me...at least that's what he keeps telling me:) I even got choked up talking about it today to the school secretary. She's also my neighbor so she already knows I'm nuts but I really need to get a grip! And to make matters worse, next year is Jakes last year in elementary school. Time flies too fast and I want it to slow down.
Well, I'm off to check out all of your blogs and see what has been going on in your lives!
Have a good evening

Feels Like Spring!

Hello Friends,

If you have read any of my recent posts it's no secret that I'm excited about spring! Today it's going to be a high of 60 degrees!!!! I opened the windows a bit, hung laundry out to dry and Alex played on the swings....and it's only 1:00. I'm a little concerned about how my little business may suffer in the spring because I love to garden. Hopefully I can move my studio out to the patio. Today I went to the thrift store and found the perfect metal tray to carry my supplies in and out of the house. I can't wait! I'm a little bit wound up today, can you tell?

I am attaching a photo of two works in progress. One I am probably going to keep myself since it's huge and the other I may keep for myself because it's inspired by one of my favorite books. See if you can tell which.....

Hope you are enjoying your monday as much as we are:)

New Armoire!!!

Hello Friends,

I hope this post finds you warm (if you live in a cold area) or content (if you are one of the lucky ones that live in a warm area). I'm beginning to see a few signs of spring. The daffodil bulbs are peeking out of the soil and it has been light out past 6:30. I can't wait until we set the clocks forward! I seem to get so much more accomplished in daylight.

I am attaching some photos of the armoire (Inspired by Red Shoes) I have been working on for my art room. I took the top off of an old china cabinet I had and put it on top of my old antique dresser. I then painted it in some of my favorite colors with lots of polka dots! I still need to replace the toile fabric in the doors but I'm having a hard time finding something I like. I'm so excited that I have so much more storage now! In the two top drawers I keep all of my collage papers and sketchbooks. The larger drawers have all of my finished pieces and blank canvases. I'm still waiting to get the floors redone so I will have nice hardwood underneath but I feel a little better that I am at least a bit more organized.

My next post I hope to show you a few of the goodies I have purchased lately.

Have a great weekend!