The Divas And Their Stories......

Well, you get a bunch of show-offs together and you know what is going to happen.....*sigh*
These are four gels I have that, quite frankly, are unique and really cannot be duplicated. I will start on the far right with the Large Gold Mica Flake.
It is exactly what it says; large, gold, flake.
A little goes a long way. In fact, I usually reduce it some with extra soft gloss gel, so there is not as much of the gold. It will spice up any mixed media, but use in small quantities. I can think of nothing that would look like this to add to a regular gel. Put it on your wish list.
Next to Goldie, we have Pearl. Pearl is much easier to deal with and an easy going personality. In fact, Pearl likes to go everywhere before you know it. It is an extremely soft gel, and is densely pigmented with very fine pearl flake. You'll love Pearl, but you'll love her better in small quantities...if you know what I mean! *ahem*
Our next candidate for Diva is the Clear Tar Gel. And honestly, the *tar* part is more accurate than *gel*. It is a bit like molasses in January in texture; it will pour, can be colored with paint (the actual dilution ratios are always on the containers) and makes a killer coloring for the inside of glass things, like tiny glass bottles. Add some blue, stir, coax into the little bottle, swirl around and when it dries, you have what looks like cobalt glass. Or pour in something as simple as a shell, and when dry, you have *water*. Amazing..... *CTG* is a straight shooter, just give her time to dry. A lot of time and low humidity! (I mean, humidity makes us all a little flustered, fuzzy and frizzy, right?)
And now, the Diva of Diva's; Crackle Paste. You cannot---I repeat---CAN NOT make this medium do anything other than what it is made to do and that is crackle, on it's own, with NO HELP in drying, and nominal humidity while in drying process. It is temperamental, demanding, must be sealed to stabilize, can be colored to a certain extent, but not as much as some of the others......so why should you buy this?
Because a beautifully finished crackled piece cannot be beat for pure age and texture. It is the crazed finish on you grandmother's china, it is the worn stucco on old buildings, it is plaster in the process of neglect. It is just plain amazing.
Be brave and submit yourself and your art to this demanding Diva. She is worth it. Bow low and read her instructions and prepare to be dazzled.
In all seriousness, it has taken me time to acquire the four above due to cost. If you want to try one, get the smallest container made, give it a whirl or if you have a friend who lives close and wants to split the cost, go that way. Don't be frivilous  with these; they're just too expensive to use once or twice and then set aside with the possibility of drying from not being used.
One tip; keep that inner foam seal that you have to pull off when they are new. Pop that in the top of the lid and that helps immensely in keeping them fresh.
Petroleum jelly, on the top of the bottle will make the lids easy to remove.
Keep dirty brushes or wet items out of the gels as that can affect the longevity of the product.
But use them.
And visit Golden's website for tons and tons of information on their absolutely amazing product line.
And no, they're not paying me to say that. (I wish they were....it's more like the other way around.....LOL!)
Thanks for following this along. Tomorrow I will post the one finished piece from the test samples, and you can see the possibilities.
Hey.....get gellin'!!!

Pax....

One Last Splash Of Glitter........

I know this cannot compare with the last post, so let's not even go there. No eye candy, just nominal art.

*SIGH*

Sorry kiddies.

Alas, a boring heart....no Pirates.....

As with most of what I do, occasionally things just take off in another direction and it is NOT what I had in mind. This is the case with the post today; the four heart stencil that seemed like a good idea but was a devil to pull.
I started with a simple scrapbook paper heart, then wanted to use the gold German Glitter for contrast. I do want to add here that the gold glitter is made up of metallic glass and yellow tinted glass, which disperses color when added to the soft gloss gel. (as I found out....)

I did tape this stencil due to wanting straight placement....I could just see it take off....NOT.

Well, first off, I almost could not get the stencil OFF. I mean, those little edges were just not nice at all. I pulled and gently wiggled, and added some spicy words to see if that would help (it did NOT, btw....), stomped my feet and threw a little fit.
After a bit more easing, I finally got the foam off and had to readjust the edges of the gel with the palette knife. Yes, you can do that. It requires a light touch. A very light touch......and yes, the temptation to throw this one in the trash occurred to me several times.

But I decided to let it dry and see what would happen. The problem was simple; I had put so much gel on, it ended up drying without the paper showing through as I had envisioned. So, lesson learned. If you want the glitter AND the background to show, don't pack it so full.

Yeah, yeah, it could be worse....maybe not.

Hmmmph.
While I was waiting and waiting (and waiting.....) for this to dry, I decided to do a very unsophisticated sample chart so everyone could see the other possibilities for additives to gel. I even remembered to write on the back what I had used.....will miracles never cease.....LOL!

1. Fine German Glass Glitter in black

2. Black glass beads (no holes)

3. Fine German Glass Glitter (black) mixed with Budgie Grit

4. Used and dried green tea from tea bags


5. Used and dried coarse loose tea

6. Crushed flakes of leftover mica sheets (they're too expensive to waste!)


7. Gold German Glass Glitter (notice the yellow bleed into the gel)

8. Commercial Golden Black Mica Gel Medium


I wanted to put one of the specialty mediums on the board to see how the other items stood up visually against the real deal. And frankly, I think they do okay. #3 probably comes the closest to the Mica Gel, but it also has a lot of the texture of the pumice gel when you touch it. I probably should have done a wash of paint over half of each sample, but remember, it's ME and I have a short attention span. (and I've been working on several other things at once too....ack!)
I will say the coarse loose tea is wonderful if you are doing a 3-D type area and want to imitate weeds, twigs, etc. Just add the right color paint afterward.
Next post, I will wrap this up with the one completely finished canvas, so that you can have an idea of where these can be taken. I am really hoping my husband does not decide to check the blog, because it is his Valentine gift and I would like to surprise him......*wink*!!!
I've had fun with this tutorial, and hopefully you have been able to learn a bit along the way.
Of course, gel medium is one of the best collage mediums out there, though I recommend matte for that purpose. I probably will do one post on the Diva Gels; the ones you cannot mess with, but are worth the cost.
It won't have cool pictures of Cap'n Jack.
Life is hard.
Sometimes you just have to deal with words. ;-D
Okay....one more piece of eye candy......

"I likes me gel additives too...Savvy???"

Now go make art!

Pax....

More Art Making On Distant Shores.......

Bloody hell...what am I doin' on this blog??? Where's me rum?

Alright Mateys, say you be shipwrecked on a spit o' land with only yer jar of gel medium and a swatch o' canvas and yer trusty dagger (a.k.a. palette knife).....

Sands and Dagger Club....

And on that same island you be shipwrecked with the lurvley Cap'n Jack, and he be runnin' out of rum. (ye knows how he gets....)

Why is all the RUM gone???

And so yer thinkin', maybe if I makes him a nice VALENTINE with me gel and some of this here SAND (Budgie Grit) and that pocketful of white sand (decorator sand) I brung back from *The Locker*, the dear Capn's humor will improve.....

The essentials for all Art Pirates....

What say ye??? AYE???

I thought so! So we be using the sands of the isles and putting two types into one heart mold.

Arrrrgggh! Where did this scurvy dog come from? Have he the Black Spot?

That little guy looks like trouble...I'll keep an eye on him.
Working with Budgie Grit or sand is one of the times you will have to mix and pack your mold quickly. The natural tendency for both items to draw moisture away from the gel means the working time is less, as is the drying time.
This is good and bad....good because I hate waiting for things to dry, bad because I need to mix each item separately and then have a bit in the middle where they meet that blends. 

Initial gel packed into mold.

Once you have something that looks like the above (and you can put the white sand at the top if you want, or one on each side...) then take a bit of the leftovers from the initial mixing and fill the middle, then use the palette knife to swish it about a bit. That will set it with the other two gel mixes, and they will be getting a bit of a crust quickly. Don't worry--this works pretty easy. Just have everything ready FIRST, savvy?
When you pull the mold, it should look like this....

Wet gel with sand and grit.

 And then when dry, you'll be able to see the different colors of the grit/sand, like this....

Nice definition of the two different additives.

 And as for this little fellow, me thinks I be keepin' an eye peeled on him. For I believe he be making another appearance with this heart before all this Piratey business be through.....

Who be lookin' at WHO??? He seems up to no good.....cursed, no doubt!

 Now head fer ye posts and don't make me keel haul ye!
ARRRRRGGGGH!!!!

Shiny, Happy Gelling! (with my apologies to REM for ruining their song title...)

Well, in my defense for that awful title, there was music involved.....

This is a quicker and easier post than the next to come. What I was looking for was something glitzy that could possibly be used in place of one of the shiny mica gels.
A lot of us who have done any amount of mixed media have snagged some great German Glass Glitters~~the real deal, the type that cuts your fingers if you don't pay attention to how you handle it.
That's what we're using here.
When deciding between the silver or gold, I grabbed the silver on a whim. Which was GOOD because the gold will be in another post, and it has some unique properties.

The music is from a book I had while taking lessons...and I thoroughly enjoyed ripping the pages out...

I tore a piece of the sheet music into a shape I found pleasing, and also would accommodate the fatter heart stencil. Yes, I really enjoyed tearing into that book...pun intended! It was adhered to the canvas with some regular matte Collage Pauge (Traci Bautista's product; I love it! No smell, no tacky when dry!) and I made sure to wipe the excess from the background. Then I gave it a shot of watered down Quinacridone Red and used a blow dryer to help the drying time.
I am still having trouble with everything drying slowly, thus a little space between posting.

Nicely filled!

Again, mix your soft gloss gel with a small amount of glitter; if you feel like there is not enough, add more before filling the stencil. This is sort of one of those hand/eye coordination moments.....how much gel to fill that hole....??? I can usually hit it pretty close, but since the medium stays wet, if you have to mix a bit more, don't panic, just mix and fill. In fact, when you put the second load in, give it a bit of a gentle mix in the stencil, just to make sure it's all pretty much the same.

Oh! Naked heart!!!

Then repeat as before, pulling the stencil straight up. Take your time and let the canvas and gel come loose from the stencil. Of course, wash it immediately in cool water and watch the fingers if there are shards of the glitter left, because you will find them... 
Then patiently wait for said heart to dry, and lo and behold!

Tah-Dah!!!

This one dried completely clear with the silver glitter very visible. There seems to be a more glass-like appearance to this heart, though I can't tell you why. Gel has a mind of it's own; I have learned to respect it.
This is another nice simple base to take further into a Valentine, but I have a rather snarky one I am working on at the moment, and it will probably be two posts, providing it is DRY in time......
If you have comments or questions on anything (in other words, I frequently miss whole steps and never notice it, or lose the photos in the computer) please ask! I will try and answer, and if I should not know the answer, maybe I can make up an excellent story instead...heeheehee!
Now go sling some gel and have fun!

Pax....

Gel Mediums; The Secret Desire Of Artists (or, How To Go Broke Quick)

Oh.....the possibilities......the yumminess.....the COST

Sorry for the delay on this, the first post on gel mediums. I have been slightly mentally distracted and figured I really needed all my faculties for this series!
Here is what I want to propose in the next couple of posts~~having a lot of gel mediums is a great thing, but when you don't use the specialty gels that often, or if you live out of the U.S. and are paying premium prices for them it is hard to pick what to buy when they ALL look so darned GOOD! (and are, I must admit)
So what I will be using, unless otherwise stated is a soft gloss gel medium. I happen to have Golden and Liquitex both, have used both a fair amount and really see little difference other than Golden has almost no *acrylic* smell and Liquitex does. If this is a factor for you, (allergies, etc) then I would say purchase the Golden Soft Gel in gloss.
Now for the fun part.
There are all those specialty mediums that look intriguing but you haven't a clue what to do with them. Or how much you would actually use even the small sampler sized jar. I loved Golden's Pumice Gel and had the tiny sampler sized jar, but found two things that I have to give it dings for.

First, I had to add a regular gel to it to make it malleable enough to knife or brush it onto a surface and get it to stick.
Second, even with the cap fixed on tight, I only got to use half of it before it dried up. 

That gave me pause before ordering a large tub and got the brain rolling on *what can I use as a substitute*??? And so it started---how can I replicate some of these?
And then there is that wonderful glass bead gel......no I have not purchased it yet. I see it in others work and wonder if I would use the tub up or have most of it lost to petrification. (not to be confused with putrification, which is another story all together, like when I tried to dry out the used coffee grounds and they grew mold instead...)
So I began scouting around the studio for things to put IN gels. Things that would add texture, simulate some of the ready made gels, but allow me to mix a tiny amount on the palette and not go broke. (and I will fess up; I'd rather be ORDERING.....there is nothing like getting a shipment of art supplies....)
Dollar stores and outlet stores are great places to look for things to put in gels. I have purchased decorative sand (floral section), tiny pebbles, glass round beads, and then my stand by from the pet supplies, Budgie Grit. 

Cheap decorative sand, glass beads, and my stand by~~Budgie Grit! A lot of bang for the buck!

I also have used well dried---and BIG EMPHASIS on the WELL DRIED part---spent loose tea. If you know someone who has a nice little cafe that serves specialty tea, especially the Jasmines, ask for a filter full of the stuff after brewing. It will take a day or so in a colander lined with toweling and a bit of stirring, but you end up with an amazing organic product that mixes well with the gels.
On line, American Science Supply is an interesting place to visit as they have arts and crafts leftovers and other odd things you just might NEED. *ahem* Yes, need. I got my assortment of glass beads from them, on sale. Their catalogs are fun too, just for evening reading and getting the thought process going, or more like, "What on God's green earth was some of this stuff ever used for?" And they have a sense of humor too.
I will do four canvasses with a stencil technique that I can claim no credit for; I found it on marianne's art blog and she does some amazing work with all different types of gels and transfers. I highly recommend giving her a good read if you want to learn more about gels in finished products, and her experiments as well.

Foam meat or vegetable tray cut down, cookie cutter  for stencil, canvas primed dark and a few leftover paperclay hearts to get this party started.

So if you want to follow along, you'll need one small tub of soft gloss gel, items to put in it, and either canvas boards (good for experiments as well as a final product) or canvas. Paints, etc.....you know, all the normal goodies.
And remember, I have been making some of this up as I have gone along, so you're seeing what happens just as I do! The only thing I have tried to clean up is the junk on my work table, and that failed miserably. LOL!!!
Now, off to the gel races.....




Pax....

Slight Postponement.....Thanks A Lot Old Man Winter!!!

I had planned to start a short series on gel mediums and how you can imitate some of the more expensive ones with one jar of medium and other additions.
Here's the scoop; I just happened to check the weather, on a whim, and we--at this point--have a Winter Storm Warning on the plate. With the amounts of snow and ice they are talking about, I know exactly what I am going to be doing.
It sucks gas and is green and yellow......any guesses???
So, my friends, as soon as Mother Nature quits throwing this *fit-to-come* I will be back with some art to share.
Frankly, some of the samples I had made were not drying well, even with furnace and dehumidifier~~things warmed just enough to put a lot of moisture in the air from the current (and everlasting) snow pack.
I am crossing my fingers that this passes lightly or dissipates altogether, as drifts high enough to close roads are NOT my idea of a good time.
Until we chat here again......

Pax....

Bringing It All Together--or--Dirt, Stain & Aged To Perfection

The second part of that title is NOT referring to your blog-mistress, despite what you might think, or how much paint I am wearing at the moment......
Even through the visit from M. Migraine, (for three days....the lout!) I kept some focus when I could and started pulling the diverse elements of the collage together. This is the slow part of a design, and requires getting in the zone and staying focused long enough to *allow the work to guide the hand*. It is truly the almost unseen details of any piece that make it become more. There is always a point where I know I could stop, and the work would be good, and acceptable.
But it is that next step....the slow work....the attention to minute detail---that is what I think I do best.

Firstly, I discovered a wonderful eye-to-eye-socket dialogue going on between the serpent and the skeleton, and it was caused by sheer luck on how the gesso laid down in the final application. It gave a very subtle direction for the paint I was rubbing on to stick in, thus bringing a diagonal into the background that was just PERFECT!

I was working over the staff and snake with colored pencils and a colorless blender, bringing more contrast and definition to them when I noticed it. At first I though I was just imagining the link was there, but with a bit more color added, the connection was obvious. These are the moments of serendipity in art that I love; the reason I choose this painstaking method of collage over something quicker.
If you look long enough, you find what it right before your eyes. And this never ceases to amaze me.

(although most of the time in life, I miss most of what is before me and someone else brings it to my attention.....)

After rounding out color with the central object, and bringing up the background texture a bit, I decided to apply some fluid acrylic on the top side of the skeleton, making it a more defined figure in the composition. The extra white brought it forward (putting it down with the gel made it lose just a bit of the punch it had before) and I was able to highlight certain parts of the bones.

This should not be overly obvious....it should just feel right when you see it. I also felt that the *ground* the figure was standing on--the drawn earth and grass--stopped too abruptly so I continued them to the left with marker and colored pencil. Neither looked right alone; the combination of the two worked well.

This also connected the strong right/vertical element with the bottom horizontal, which then flows more organically up the left side.

Yes, I really do know something about proper composition, though I love pushing bounderies....  ;-)  .....or ignoring them altogether if I think I can get by with it!

I also had the sides that needed attention, so I went back in with a dark color and my finger and pushed paint into tiny crevices and along edges, increasing the look of the piece having been stored in less that pristine conditions. It is much easier to simply use a finger to apply paint at this point than to try getting the right touch with the brush. With your finger, you know, precisely.

There were also tiny areas that I took the colored pencils to; things too small to take a photo of but that added a slight more bit of depth to the over all composition. Always remember to use all tools at your disposal, as long as you know they will work together.
Finally, I opened the small jar of gel with black mica flakes; the one I had mounted the rubber stamp on.

I admit openly this was given to me by my friend Vicki, and at first I had no idea how I would use it. It is not something I would go buy. And it was EXACTLY what was needed for the final touch of age! Thank you Vicki! Which goes to show that having other artists around to try different mediums is a great way to broaden your own horizons.

So now, I am at a resting point before final varnishing. I am sure I have missed steps; this was a long, difficult post to put up and I hope I have covered all areas of question. If not, you know the routine.......ASK!

I am very happy with this.....I have brewed this piece in my head for ages and finally, finally it has come to life.

Well, you know......more or less.....as much as a skeleton can be!

Pax.

Wringing The Grey Cells Out.....

.....for some decent blog-fodder for today!
Yesterday was, and I hate to admit this, a NO-ART-DONE-DAY. It was a clean up, do exercises, run (okay, limp or waddle---pick one!) about the house like the madwoman I am, trying to get some semblance of minor order back to the pit. I hate days like that..hate 'em. Yes I do!
I was in the studio for such a short time that it only annoyed me grossly. It's all or nothing baby! (can you guess that I consider yesterday nothing???) The above piece is in progress, and one of those oddities that someone will love or hate. I always enjoyed playing with the little chalky valentine candies that had sayings on them, though they left much to be desired in taste and usually were discovered months later semi-melted and covered with a layer of well stuck dust. But, they are such a tradition, I thought I would give this a whirl.
Not my colors, not my style, not not not.....still, a little shading, a little varnish, a bit of sparkle. Maybe. I don't know.

These were the backgrounds I worked on, with papers cut, then coats of medium atop the backgrounds so that they would accept paint or whatever I decide to throw at them and not disintigrate. They are a single ply of a napkin, so the paper has to be handled very gently. No poking my fingers into these to see if they are dry---I wait.

And for your amusement....

Why, pray tell, would I be excited over this gem? Other than the fact that I am really odd?

When I received my pre-op instructions, I was told I would have to do daily injections, which I had never done, but I've sewn through my fingers a lot and I figured that counted towards *self shots*. I received this in the mail, with instructions (DVD) of precisely how to do the injections and of course I was supposed to RETURN this cannister with the used sharps enclosed. (ooops. forgot.)

Oh, no waaaaaaay! This is far to good a paint brush or pencil holder! When else in my life am I going to get my paws on a BIOHAZARD container???? A real for sure medical grade BIOHAZARD container!!! I yanked the top off---after considerable bad languange and effort, and it is my prize of this whole bizarre adventure I have had of late.

Hey, when the BIOHAZARD container is the highlight of your day......think about this.......

I'm back to the *custodial care* issue from a post a few days ago. I am beginning to wonder. So what you have read here, is brain dribble of the worst sort. Disjointed, grumpy, complaining.

But it has a cool brush holder!

If you can top this, please comment! Or tell me to shut up and go away until I am mentally in better condition to post.

Otherwise, from my warped little heart, I bid you.....

Pax.

P.S. The "Java Love" is now available on a lovely coffee mug, in two sizes, from my little Zazzle store. I did the image as a half fold card, and a poster. It is a kicking coffee mug!
Visit easily by clicking HERE!

Fruits Of My Labor....."With Love"

 

(Paris, copyright AMH-Lockard 2010)                       (Love Entwined, copyright AMH-Lockard 2010)

Well, finally!!! Some finished work to share....  :-)  It is with great pleasure that I write this post because I have been so happy with the pieces and also anxious for feedback on the different ones.  I am hoping, as you are reading this, that I am again ready for a day at the table, but that could still be up in the air. We'll see.....

(Damask Hearts series, copyright AMH-Lockard 2010)

These two presented opportunities I had not thought about when I covered the panels with the thin paper. I knew I would go for shading and the addition of some color, but then there was this particular *blah* with the patterened background. I wanted to preserve it, it was elegant in design, but it needed something--in the words of Emeril--to *kick it up a notch*. I sat them aside and worked on the other pieces. "Paris" was pretty easy....it made itself; I just applied the right colors and mediums.  "Love Entwined" was a bit more demanding in that I used some gel medium with color added on the bottom and had to wait and wait for it to be thoroughly dry before adding shading. The background though needed something else, and a bit of glitter paint seemed to add the magical aura necessary for this cheery and almost child-like heart piece.

And then I was back to the "Damask Hearts".

Hmmmmm.........

Somewhere in the back of my addled brain, I remembered buying a bottle of a crackle agent I had never tried, and after finding it, took a deep breath and painted it heavily onto the B&W backgrounds. And again, I waited.

These are products that cannot have the drying time forced. They won't crackle if they are hit with a hairdryer or heat gun...though I have singed a few pieces in trying this! And lost all crackle in the process. (it says on the containers....don't try and speed the process...I read that every time....)

I was very, very happy with the results. Enlarge the above photo and see what a lovely effect it gave! I felt it was similiar to a piece of old, crazed china or printed ironstone ware.

Then the outer edges were coated with very fine German glass glitter in black, the finishing touch to these elegant little numbers!

 

The final application to all the hearts is a heavy coating of high gloss varnish and sometimes a touch of glitter. That makes them pop from the backgrounds, which I occasionally vary by using a satin varnish, thus adding more depth and visual seperation.

And now, I want to get back to work......enough resting.....I want to paint and cover myself in gel and glue and generally make another creative mess!

We'll see. The health is first.

Hope you've enjoyed this description of how these progressed. It really is hit and miss, isn't it???  ;-)

Have a great creative day, a good Monday and for the whole week.....

Pax.

Further Down The Road Of Hearts.....

I have to admit this morning I am neither my perky, pithy self, or on time getting the post up, for good reason though----I actually slept all night! Straight through, so I am a bit comatose, even with the help of the 40 weight coffee.  I am waiting for it's effects to kick in at any moment......

Nope, that wasn't it........but I digress. I spent most of the day yesterday between house and studio, working on the pieces below.

Not bad for the time spent, or the fact I still can't sit or stand for any great amount of time. The small square hearts I had posted before got a wash of blue around the edges and some fluid acrylic and the long canvas came into being. I had cut the hearts for it but was trying to decide how/where to place them.

For some reason, when these were uploaded, the blue turned out lighter and the reds a little washed out. Hmmph! Too early in the morning for real photo manipulation to try and correct this stuff.......it is what it is! Anyway, the background is regular acrylic; at this point mostly a wash, the large hearts are put on with the heavy gel medium to add dimension (which does not show well here on any shots) and then the *stems* are penciled in, waiting for the clueless blog mistress to make up her little mind on what color they will be and what medium will be used. The bottom *dirt* is acrylic mixed with a gloss gel, to give some texture and ground the piece. More washes of color will be put on, as they come to me. (which is NOT now...or any time really soon!) I love the idea of the hearts being attached to a *plant* and the two seperate stems being one at the base......taken directly from a Frida and Deigo piece I did a couple of years ago.

I also took some time to use fluid acrylics to heighten the color on the hearts, also used them for the blue around the edges and then ink to darken the sides of the canvas panels. These are getting close to what I had in mind and I am sure will get some of the black German glitter at some point, somewhere! I might add a scroll in the middle with something sappy like *Love* or *Amor*.....printed on tracing paper, it would allow the color to come through. I don't know yet. I'll get them mostly done and think about it.

I have a few ideas requiring the use of PaperClay and may mess with that today so it can begin the drying process. That I can put in the toaster oven, but I prefer to let it dry on it's own. We'll see if patience wins out or if I am cooking clay! LOL! What a tasty treat!

I am dreadfully behind on blog visits and I apologize for that. The one thing that I have discovered is small every day things that used to take no time to do take me FOR-EVER now and there are only so many hours in the day. I am not ignoring you; I just feel the need to make art, and of course try and have food ready and I have given up on housecleaning.....but seriously, I am running at the speed of a sloth on muscle relaxers and that takes up a lot of the day for only a few items....please bear with me.

It is snowing here this morning, the start of the winter storm that is coming in or coming close. The quality of the snow is such that you know without checking the weather what you're in for. Everything is a bit *different* with storm snow. DH works late tonight (and this weekend too....geez) so I am hoping he makes it in safely to our humble casa.

And here is hoping y'all are safe, warm, and ideas are popping so fast you can't keep up! :-)

Pax.

P.S. The coffee still has not kicked in, and I am at the bottom of the second mug......sigh......I guess it will be one of THOSE days!!!