Busy, Busy, Busy!

Hello Friends,

Sorry for the infrequent posts. I've been a busy little bee trying to get some new things together for my first Art Show. I've done a few craft fairs before but this is my first juried show so we'll see how it goes. I kind of like flying under the radar and keeping to myself so this will be a bit of a challenge for me. Maybe I can hire someone to pretend to be me?

Here are a few of the little things I finished yesterday.

" One Apple Tree" box

"Boo House" box

"Home Beautiful Home" box

A while back I bought a bag of vintage children's building blocks and little wooden pieces so that is what the houses and trees are made of. Some parts are covered in vintage french book pages and some are painted in acrylics. I gave them all a little dusting of mica flakes to give them a little sparkle and I'm thrilled at how they turned out. I hope to have a few of these available for my next shop update.

Soon!!

Family

Hello Friends,

I just wanted to pop in to share my latest family portrait.

This portrait was made up of two 8"x10" canvases and one 11"x14".

Acrylics and vintage papers on stretched canvas. I will be adding an antique glaze to them as well and then shipping them off to their new home in Texas!

**** Family Portrait News ****

I will not be able to accept any more commission orders until October 1st. so that I can get some work finished for an Etsy shop update as well as the art show I will be attending.

Thanks so much!!

Shop update info will be soon. I hope to be able to offer some Vintage Spoolies as well as a few new original pieces!

Washington D.C.

Hello Friends,

We had a fun trip to our nations capital. We visited the newly renovated Smithsonian Museum of American History and they had the most amazing exhibit of the Star Spangled Banner. You know, the flag that inspired our national anthem? It's huge and threadbare and they have it displayed in an almost completely dark glass enclosed area. But when you think about it being hand sewn and out of hand woven fabrics and all that it has been through, it's really quite amazing. Most people think it was made by Betsy Ross but it was actually made by Mary Young Pickersgill. Can you imagine how Mary must feel after all the work and old Betsy getting all of the credit? Betsy made this flag. I love American history now that I'm older and I could spend hours just looking and reading. However, the boys don't share my enthusiasm and are generally only interested in the guns:(

This is the view from my husband's uncle's apartment. See the Washington Monument? And the building directly below it with the tiny windows is The Pentagon.

Someone forgot their own sunglasses so someone else had to do without. Can you guess who?

Stylin huh?






Since we are at the point in the summer where standing next to each other long enough to take a picture without fighting is impossible, this is what I had to settle with.

Remember him from Ice Age?

What about him from Night at the Museum?


Also at the Natural History Museum were some really BIG bugs. Alex got to hold this worm thing and they had cockroaches the size of a lemon.

The Museum of American History also has Julia Childs' kitchen.
So cool! I can just see her standing in there with Jacque Pepin makin lots of buttery goodness.

In other art related news....I have a few more Vintage Spoolies to share.

Jolly Pumpkins ...

and a Happy Skelly.

All of these pieces will be named and numbered in the order they are made. I am doing a show here in NJ in late September so I am trying to figure out how to make enough stuff for that, do a shop update and work on the accumulating commissions I have.

Any ideas?

Happy Birthday Jake!

How did we go from this...

to this

in just a few small years?

I never could imagine 10 years could fly by so fast. I guess it's true that time flies when you're having fun. Thank you for being the sweetest boy in the world!

I love you Jake:)

The Truth and Something New

Hello Friends,

I hope all is well with your summer festivities. We are having a bit of a heat wave here in the North East so we've been hitting the pool and trying our best to stay cool.

Regarding the title of this post, let me start with the truth.

Our summer windowsill.

The truth is that no matter what you've heard about New Jersey, we do have the best tomatoes. We planted three plants in the spring and we have just started picking them. Actually Jake and Alex like to put a piece of wheat (ornamental grass) between their teeth and pretend they are farmers harvesting their crops. My little farmers. I have made fried tomatoes with gravy a few times....yum. You just slice the tomatoes thick, dip them in egg and dredge with seasoned flour. Fry them in olive oil and that's it! You can make the gravy by making a rue with a little bit of butter and some of the seasoned flour. Add a bit of milk and cut up the tomato tops and ends into small pieces and pop them in there too. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

This is hands down my favorite summer tomato recipe.

We visited New Jersey's own Storybook Land on Friday. I LOVE this place and will be soooo disappointed when the boy's no longer want to go. I love all of the creepy cute fairy tale characters and buildings. Here are a few of my favorites.

Rub a dub dub, three men in a tub...

I'm late, I'm late...

for a very important date! Nice face;)

I loooove this window box!

Mary's schoolhouse.

Pumpkin Carriage.



And now the something new.

New Vintage Spoolies!! Yay!

Super hero

Pirate

Ferocious Bear


Trick or Treaters bat and devil.

All Vintage spoolies are made from polymer clay mounted on a wooden spool of genuine vintage thread. They are painted with lots of detail and given an antique glaze to give them an aged feel.

I have a bunch more, mostly cute little pumpkins, but I will share them later.

Enjoy your night!!

What's That, You Say?

Hello Friends,

It's been so busy around here these days that I really haven't had much time to spend on my blog.

First and I guess the most exciting news (for me anyway) is this...

Meet my new ears!

You may remember I mentioned a few weeks ago that I would be needing these.

After lots of visits, tests have been taken, molds have been made, colors have been chosen (i chose orange) and here they are. I wore them all day yesterday and I must say it was pretty overwhelming. Just imagine living a really quiet life and then one day having megaphones attached to your head. That's kind of how it feels. I'm hearing so many things I have never heard before. Like when I put my key in the car door and turn it, it makes a clicking noise. I didn't know that. When I feed my cat she makes sweet little chirping noises. I didn't know that either. On the other hand, I didn't realize how loud my kids are. MY GOSH!! I'm constantly asking them to speak more quietly so my ears don't burst. At the end of the day I was exhausted and looking forward to a quiet night of sleep.

Next, I have been working on a new bunch of goodies. I'm calling them "Vintage Spoolies" and they will be included in my next shop update. Yes , a shop update is in the works. I will let you know as soon as I have more pieces ready to go.

I scored this cute little display case at Home Goods for $15.00! It had a few tiny little scratches but I'm going to distress it anyway so it's perfect for me. I think I will fill it with all of the little crafty things and keepsakes I get from the boys.

And last, this sweet little girl that will be in my shop sometime this evening. She was done in acrylics with sewing pattern hair and rub on butterflies. She is 8"x10" on a re-purposed wood plaque. Have a lovely summer day!