WOYWW #361

Good Wednesday all my crafty friends! Another busy day for me here in good old Georgia, but I thought I would make a quick post for Julia Dunnit's WOYWW weekly blog post. I have enjoyed playing along with these blog postings, although I certainly don't do it every week, but I have met some wonderful other super talented artists and it's been fun!  Join in if you will!

LOT'S OF BLANK SPACE....EEEK!

Ummmm.........blank space you say! Yep, you would be right! LOLOL This is in fact what is on my work desk today however! I thought I would have a little more to show you, but here it is none the less. 

I had posted previously that I was commissioned by a friend of mine at work to do a piece for her son and soon to be daughter-in-law for their upcoming wedding. I a HUGE Tree of Life fan for so many reasons and she has seen a couple of my pieces involving the tree of life and wanted me to do something along those lines on a canvas that could be used as a "guest book" if you will. Except, of course, it will be a canvas that will be displayed as the guests come in and they will sign it and then the happy couple will have something to hang on their wall! Pretty cool huh? She had actually seen something like that somewhere and wanted to do it for her son.

We searched many things online so give her an and myself an idea of what to do and we came across several things that we will use as models. Sooooooo......back to the blank space! LOLOL Pretty scary for me as I have NEVER done a canvas this big before! This canvas is like a 24x36. Probably not big to some, but for me, 8 1/2 x 11 is the largest thing I have ever done! GULP! So as I sit an look at this canvas it seems rather overwhelming! LOLOL BUT, I am up for the task!!! I never turn down an opportunity to bless and minister to another!

My hopes are to incorporate either scripture or a poem onto the actual tree and then, of course, their names and day of wedding, etc....We shall see how that goes!! Wish me luck! I have gesso'd the canvas thus far and aim to really start cracking at it tonight!

So, that is what's on my desk today! Thanks for stopping by friends and many blessings to you today! :)

Love in a Gift!

Good Tuesday all my crafty friends! I am stoked that I am actually posting again today. Although I did mention it yesterday, so I had to make it good didn't I? LOL Today I am going to post two pieces that I have been working on for my step mom whom I will be visiting in a couple of weeks and I am contemplating busting out another one before I go and taking it also with me. Phew......three pieces to take on the plane. I may have to rethink that as frames get heavy, but I do usually tend to push the envelope, so who knows! LOLOL

Santa Fe, New Mexico is my heart and soul. I moved back to Georgia from Santa Fe and to this day, if someone pulled a truck up into my yard and said "hey we'll move you, do you want to go?" there would be no question! I wouldn't be able to load the truck quick enough! I left a piece of my heart there and one day, it is my aim to move back. God may have other plans for me, of course, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it! LOLOL

If you have never been to Santa Fe, New Mexico, you must, must plan a trip. Now granted, New Mexico it is not for everyone, but they don't call it "The Land of Enchantment" for nothing. There is something so spiritual there and moving that once you go, it embeds into your very being enough to the point that even if you are states away, that spirit calls to you and beckons you to return! So, I return as often as purchasing a plane ticket allows me! LOLOL My step mom, whom I call "Mama Doo" and my sisters had all moved off for jobs' sake, but have since all moved back and it makes me pea green with envy!

Santa Fe is a bevy of arts and culture, which is right up my alley! There is A LOT of commercialism there as it is, in fact, a tourist trap, but you can
remove yourself from that and enjoy all the wonderful culture of Native American, Hispanic/Spanish, Anglo culture mix in the forms of food, festivals, art (pottery, painting, jewelry) and scenery. There is nothing like it on earth to me. By far, eating is my favorite thing to do there and I FILL UP on green chile while home as well as my other favorite thing to do which is hiking! There are amazing trails as you make your way up to the ski basin as well as in other areas of New Mexico. To say that I get myself lost while I am home is an understatement! LOL


One of the Native American spiritual traditions that has been turned into a gorgeous art form is called the Kachina Doll. It's history dates back to aroundI DON'T own one! LOLOL But they are beautiful to look at and I have a huge respect for the artists that craft these dolls. They are made of of cotton wood and carved as one piece, which you can image is a hard and lengthy process, hence the price tag!
1857 and has turned into a huge collectors item for locals and visitors alike. "Authentic" Kachina Dolls can set you back anywhere from $800 up to thousands of dollars! Needless to say,

It is said that the Native American tribes thought of the Kachinas as spiritual beings who taught them how to live on earth after they were born. The dolls are icons that represent the spiritual essence of everything in the world that they worship through various kachina spirits. The word "Kachina" means "life bringer." I love that!  Each one, visibly, is just beautiful to me!

My mom actually has quite a few and so I got the brilliant idea to do a piece for her a couple of years ago using water colors and the Zentangle art! It really turned out well and she liked it so much that she had commissioned me to do three more. Of course I said yes, but that is as far as it went!
Several years later, I figured I better make good on that promise! LOLOL So I will be taking two or three more home to her when I go in a few weeks.

I actually drew them out in pencil and then went back over them using Micron pens in various sizes, incorporated various Zentangle patterns, of which I NEVER know the names, and then used my Derwent Water Color pencils to add color. I then put them in floating frames so as to capture the

piece and not all the matting, etc... I think they turned out pretty good! As I have mentioned before the only way for me to display pieces is with my cell phone, so although they aren't quality photos, maybe you get the idea! LOLOL I have shown one in the floating frame and I still have to do the other one. If I decide to knock another out, I will post it before I go!

As you can tell, I am VERY passionate about my beloved Santa Fe! It is a weakness that I am afraid I will never be able to let go of! I CAN'T WAIT to go home and see my family and although I am VERY BLESSED that God has provided a way for me to go, no time is LONG ENOUGH! I am sure you all have a special place just like that in your own lives!

Hope to share the starts of my canvas tomorrow, we shall see.....the best laid plans of mice and men! LOLOL

(Please note that NONE of these photos are mine, they were all downloaded from the internet from various travel sites, etc...!!)

We'll Go Round In Circles!

Good Monday all my crafty friends! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I had a much needed CLEAN weekend! My house was so dirty I wouldn't have even invited the neighborhood canines in for a visit! LOLOL But, all is well, we are back squeeeeeky clean!

It seems there a lot of crafters doing "circle" challenges here lately and I posted my tag challenge for last month that involved circles, but I wasn't through yet, no sireeee. I had to do just a bit more! I did a quick little crafty session to keep me in the art loop with some left over panels from that oatmeal box that I did a post on here not too long ago. I have this Donna Downey stencil that I was able to get last year when I went to her studio that I just love, love to use. So I pulled it out again and used it on one of my panel cards with my homemade texture paste. Circles are happy and fun aren't they?

The other panel I used another favorite stencil of mine from the Crafters Workshop   for great texture, and again with my texture paste.  I then just simply pulled out my spray stash using everything from Lindy's to Dylusions to Tattered Angels. At this point, I really can't remember! LOLOL I also spritzed a little water to move the sprays to get the effect I was looking for. They were fun to make to have in my stash for a background for something something sometime. Who knows, right?

Tomorrow I will share some pieces that I have been working on, when I had time, for my step mother whom I will be visiting in a couple of weeks! I made them for her for Mother's Day, but since I will be flying out to see
her, I won't be giving them to her until then (that way I won't have to pay the inflated shipping costs!). I had made her an initial piece of art a couple of years ago and she commissioned me to make three more, but I never got around to it.....hard to believe huh? Anyway, I thought now would be a good time to do that since I will be going to see her, so I have been busting something trying to get them done before I fly out on the 20th. 

I have also got to get started on the big canvas that I was commissioned for by a friend at work for her son and soon to be daughter-in-law's wedding. Maybe I can show snippets on Wednesday for WOYWW! We will see! I always have these lofty ideas, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way! LOLOL

Hey, is your heart hurting today? Do you feel all alone? I pray for you today my friend that someone will come across your path to show you the amazing love of Jesus Christ! In God's Word it tells us that Jesus will stick closer than a brother and not only that, but he will never leave or forsake you! He loves you and wants to heal you in ways you never thought possible! Father God is in the restoration business and wants to restore you from top to bottom that through His Son, Jesus Christ, that you be reconciled back to Him whereby you would have one of the most wonderful, loving relationships you could ever ask for! There is always hope, my friend!

Bless you as you seek the Most High God today! :)