Memorial Day 2010

Those that know me understand that I love to be at home working on home projects. This is a privilege. I am extremely grateful to those who have at some point through time left their homes that they too loved in order to serve our country not knowing if yet deeply realizing that they might never return. That is bravery. During a time in history when self sacrifice is not commonly found,  it is still the ultimate self sacrifice.

Kite Flying Weather

Along about this time of year when the temperature first approaches 100 degrees, I begin to dream of rain. Believe it or not, it sprinkled here about 30 minutes ago. About 50 rain drops fell on my skylight as I eagerly wished for a deluge. I would have done a rain dance if it would have helped. It soon frittered out. The sun is blazing again and again, I am dreaming of snow and lying on a glacier. About the best I can do though is give this beautiful young lady the hope of a rain storm. She may not get rain but she will get lightening and thunder. If she was Ben Franklin, she would be getting out the kite right about now. I really like the way this one turned out. She looks like she is about to walk out of her universe and over into mine.

Incongruous Terms Involving Hairdos

I continue to test the waters in Photoshop. Since first beginning to play with it, I have learned quite a bit. I have about 100 times more to learn! I would still call my dabbling 'primitive'. Eventhough you do not know it and may not realize what part, in each of these pieces, I have set out to learn something new. That is why sometimes, they do not look 'so good'.
This is a little Hollywood piece with one of those 1980's women in it that I do not like to use that much. In the 80's, did you ever have this hairdo? I did. It is sort of a ' sophisticated mullet' but that is kind of an oxymoron.

Memories of Tahoe

I never know what I am going to write about when I make a post. Usually, I have only just finished a photoshop piece, I post it and write something off the top of my head. There was a beautiful full moon last night. I enjoy looking at the moon because it feels so mysterious, ancient yet common. There is a commonality about the moon that intrigues me. I see the same moon as you who are reading this blog sees and as has everyone who ever lived has. It is something everyone on this planet shares. It is a ribbon that binds us all.
I saw a movie today that disturbs me. It is called "Revolutionary Road". It does not disturb me for the obvious reasons. The reason the movie bothers me is because the woman in the movie is the kind that annoys me. She has a wonderful life. She thinks she wants something else and maybe she really does. It turns out that thing she wants is not possible. She is unable to accept it. Aye, that is what bothers me. A person that cannot accept what life throws at them will never be happy. A person must always be flexible and able to roll with the punches. Dreams do not always come true. But happiness can still bud through the crusted snow.

Old Style

I found this pattern which was a pattern that I had when I was a teenager. I must have had a dozen tops just like this one because it was such an easy pattern to make. I wore one like it in two years worth of my school pictures. It almost became my trademark. Sometimes we put lace in the center of the bodice when making the pattern, sometimes we put embroidery in the bodice. My blouses were of various fabrics and designs. I loved them because they were so comfortable and I could wear them with my jeans. However, when you are young, comfort is not really that important of a consideration. When you are young, you will hop on one leg for a mile if you think it looks good. I never had a hairstyle like this girl has in this depiction. You know, I do not remember anyone having this hairstyle back then. It seems a tad out of place here in this nod to the 1970's. This looks more like a 1960's hairdo. If I had any of those old blouses now, I would probably tear one up and make a quilt out of it. The years do go by and we grow older with them. That is not necessarily a bad thing. I think of myself as an aging wine. However, I am not a wine connoisseur so I could not really say what kind of wine I am. Maybe I am more of a vintage car. If I was an old vintage car, I would be some kind of big, old chevy probably a station wagon. You know, not all that sexy but can get the job done type.

Another Cat Tale

Last night, I had a puzzle to solve. Sugar Plum got up on the garage door. The door was up. He went into the garage, climbed up on my car, from the car roof he jumped up to the garage door....then, laid down! He would not budge! I kept calling and attempting to entice him down. No, he was happy right where he was. I so wanted to put the door down but had to wait Sugar Plum out. I got some cat food. No, he wasn't hungry. He kept looking down at me like I was a performing clown which I was. Once not so very long ago, we had a tragedy in our family involving a garage door and a beloved cat in this very same predicament. My heart was racing a little bit because of it. Then, it occurred to me. Maybe Sugar Plum would like some tuna! I went inside the house and came back bearing Chicken of the Sea! As soon as I popped the lid, Sugar Plum's countenance changed! What is that stinky aroma? I must go check! Down he comes to the roof of my car, then down to the garage floor. Whew! Note to self. Buy more tuna in the event this happens again. (I will not let it happen again but just in case.)
What does this cat tale have to do with this impressionistic piece I created? Completely nothing. It just seems like a good place to inject a picture. If you look really hard at this picture, you might see a cat or a garage door. But then again, probably not. It is supposed to be a rose.

It is Hard Being a Cat

This is my Oliver. When he was a tiny boy, he had to live outside between two fences with his birth mother, Emily. Emily was a very good mother. Emily would only ever have one kitten at a time. She was the mother to both my Oliver and my Nigel. When it was time to have another baby, she would very quickly extricate herself from her oldest child. That is where I came in. Emily had determined that I should take care of Oliver. She brought him over to my patio then, left the infant. Poor child was very small and frightened. He stayed out there by himself for a couple of weeks until I could not take it anymore. I would see him eating birdseed and crackers I had thrown for the birds. When I would open my back door after being at work all day, little Ollie would quickly pop his tiny head up over the fence then, he would come running to his girl. This is Oliver today. I could not resist grabbing his picture today as he lazily looked out the window at his old stomping grounds. Life is very different for him now. He no longer worries about where he is going to sleep or what he is going to eat. He has his very own Cindy now.

Robin Hood Thing

In between doing a few odds and ends around the house, I got around to doing a Robin Hood type item. I just got some royalty free clip art and then, did some photoshop magic to it. This must be Lady Marion underneath the canopy of the thick forest.

Patterns from the 12th Century?

When I began this, I had every intention of creating something Robin Hood related after seeing the movie today. So tell me. How did I get from medieval Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, England to 1920's New York? Friends, that is the beauty of the human mind where you can travel centuries and thousands of miles within milliseconds. (Plus, I could not locate any 12th century patterns for the medieval maiden's attire. I guess they were not so much into patterns back then.) I really like the colors on this one. I have mentioned before but it bears mentioning again that I really love the art deco period especially in jewelry, clothing and architecture design. It is not a design that I would like to pattern my house after but I so do appreciate buildings built during this time period. There is a court house built back during the 1920's not far from where I work that I love to visit for its art deco design. The light sconces in the hallways are hynotic and elegant (two words you do not see together that often). Sometimes I visit it during my lunch period just to take a short mini vacation back in history. This lady may have visited that court house when it was new when she was not visiting the Chrysler building, of course.

Wishing I Could Be There

Have you ever been extremely homesick? I have. Several years ago, when I had just moved into my house only a week before, I was scheduled to go to Houston for two weeks for work. I have never missed my home so much in my life. I so wanted to be home unpacking and setting things straight. That was a very long two weeks. Houston is only 50 minutes away on a plane but I had to stay through the weekend. I have gone a lot of places for my work through the years. My most fun stint was probably to Washington D.C. with my friend, Vickie. However, I also had a very fun time in Chicago once. When I am gone due to work, even if it is fun, at times I will still miss my home very much. I think this lady has been forced to be away from home because of her job. She misses her little Tudoresque house. Her heart is there in spirit and she is very much looking forward to being home again soon!

Peace and Serenity

I wanted to depict peace and serenity without going for the obvious such as a waterfall or a luxurious bubble bath.  Instead, I went for a spa look. Something about this woman here reminds me of myself. Maybe it is her desire for some serenity. After a long day, nothing is nicer. One thing nicer might have been adding a cat here too but he would have knocked something over then, the woman would have had to get up to clean it up or his brother would have come along and bit him in the thigh then, a fight would have broken out...well, you see now why I left the cat out.

An American Classic

I have noticed something about the pattern ladies. Many of the designers of these items draw their inspiration from well known ladies. I have seen the look-a-likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Jacqueline Kennedy and many, many others. This one is pretty obvious from a pattern dated 1962. I could make these things all day long. I find them to be very therapeutic. I am not sure why I need so much therapy. The only explanation I have is because it is fun!

This and That

First up, I am giving the pattern ladies a little rest. I do not want them to get stale. I love them too much for that. I observe a lot of feline emotion around here and jealousy is definitely an emotion they have. When Claude wants attention, Ollie suddenly remembers that he wants attention too. Then, the two of them try to see which one of them can get in front of the other both vying to be in front for my attention. I have witnessed anger too. Something that seems to really get their goats is when one of them nips the other one in that tender area of the back of the thigh. You know, the real meaty part. Anger erupts like a bottle rocket when that happens. Just some little inane observations I have made.

This time when I was making this, I was watching or I should say 'listening' to the television. Have you ever noticed how you can really grasp the level of an actor's ability when you cannot see their face or gestures just only when you hear the lines? When you cannot see them but only hear them, if they cannot sell you whatever it is they are going on about, they are not that good. Oh yeah and another part that bothered me during this particular movie that I was listening to and sometimes watching, this one actor who may or may not wear a toupe (he says he doesn't but everyone knows he does) got in a fist fight with another man and he came away from it with every hair in place. Fancy that!

And these, folks, are just a couple of the odd little thoughts that ricochet around in my head all day...along with this creative piece that is. I have noticed that I am developing my own style with these things. They are somewhat clean and predictable.

Song Lyric Sunday

Part of this post pertains to song lyric Sunday and part does not. Time is fleeting because the battery is about to run down on my computer possibly before I get this post up. I love creating these things while listening to music. Anyway, more glitter attempts.

Song lyric Sunday-Flightless Bird

Time is fleeting...gotta run and plug in my puter so I can listen to more music tomorrow.

Giltter, glitter everywhere and not a speck to sparkle!

I am still trying to master the 'glitter thing'. Uh, it is going to take some effort. Two little ole attempts are just not going to gain me any level of mastery. That is okay though, it will give me a goal. I need goals or I flounder. There is an odd aspect about my personality that my niece seems to have too. We are easily overwhelmed and then, we flounder. For example, put us in a room that needs a severe cleaning, that has items strewn everywhere, floors that need mopping, windows washing, books picked up, furniture needs polishing, everything from top to bottom needs reorganizing and we flounder! We will both wander aimlessly picking up an item, throwing it down again, trying to get a handle on where to begin. However, once we gain focus, we are out of the gates! When I am faced with a situation like that one for example, I have to focus on a small area, then, I know exactly where to begin. I will focus on a 2 feet by 2 feet square and clean that to the maximum! Once I begin making headway in this fashion, the rest falls into place. However, getting that blinder on in order to see a two feet by two feet square is HARD! Okay, back to my glitter attempts...

The crown is supposed to appear as if it is glitterized.

The Beetle is supposed to be glitterized...(not so much, eh?) I am still learning, okay?

These two little vignettes depict me in two different aspects of my life...my dream world and my reality. In my dream world, I am dreaming of elegant, glamorous things. I am dreaming of beautiful clothes and far away places. In my reality, I am off to work and hey, it even appears as if my car my may have a flat tire. But in my reality, it is all good. I never lose sight of that fact.

Glitter is Important!

I find glitter is important to my life which I know sounds shallow. However, what I mean to say is, if I am feeling a little under the weather, I can put something glittery on then, feel much, much better. I always wear some form of sparkle even if hidden. I mean sparkle and glitter are not appropriate in all settings. So what is all of this leading up to...well, I have found my one complaint about photoshop is that it is difficult to create the glitter effect. It is not impossible but I have not mastered it yet. Here are a couple of test runs. I will get better at it...glitter is just that important to me that I will keep trying.

Glitter effect on fleur de lis.

Glitter effect on lips. I used two different methods. Method one worked best.

A Warm Sweater or a New Pair of Shoes

This is what I think is happening in this piece I made. This lady is looking for a friend to go shopping for a new pair of shoes with her. She found a taker! They will have fun, won't they? I love all of my girl friends. I would not trade them for all of the tea in China! A friend gives me the feeling of a comfy, warm sweater. I love to sit and chat with friends over a cup of coffee. Those are the best and funniest times.

Uneasy Lies the Head that Wears a Crown

Shakespeare wrote "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown". Is the head that wears a hat uneasy? Probably not because a hat does not necessarily connote responsibility. A person wearing a hat might have a hot or cold head or maybe it is a fashion statement. However, this lady may be uneasy because her head and neck have been extracted from her shoulders. However, she appears to be happy any old way.

Vintage Wednesdays

I figured I needed to give the pattern ladies a break. I have a new little friend outside. His name is Sugar Plum. I have tried calling him other names but Sugar Plum fits him just because he is so sweet like sugar. I was outside earlier this evening intently giving him a brushing when a couple walked by. The man called out to me asking if he (Sugar Plum) was okay. I was so focused on his brushing, the man probably thought I was rendering first aide or something. Anyway, it just about scared the bejeepers out of me because I did not realize anyone was around. I jumped straight up about two feet. The couple apologized for scaring me then kept walking. The fuschia ribbon on this piece is probably about the color of a sugared plum.

School is Over

It is that time of the year when school is just about over. I feel really good about it too because I am tired. I am looking forward to some R&R for a change. I am going to use this summer for some time to get some needed projects taken care of also. I had a brown dress similar to this when I was a young school girl. Now, I am a decrepit, old school girl. :) It feels the same though...well, sort of. On second thought, no, maybe it does not feel the same at all.

1940's Romance

My mom and dad met during World War II. In fact, the woman in this piece could have been my beautiful, young mom. From all I have heard and ascertained, it was a very different time then. The pictures of the people from that time consistently fascinate me. What I would call a boy of 18, appears to be a man of 35 in his pictures. Apparently, people matured faster in those days. I think it was a very dark time in history yet I believe there were many wonderful aspects surrounding that time. Even though people may have matured faster, they were still very naive and innocent in many ways much more so than their piers of modern times. To the '40's....

Festivals

Last weekend, I went to Scarborough Faire. It is a fun somewhat local thing where it is possible to imagine that you have been transported back in time to a place and time far away. It happens every spring and has become something that I really enjoy visiting. They have jousting, falcon hunting, archery, sword fighting, highland games just to name a few of the activities there. I like this festival. I would love to go to a balloon festival at night. They are very beautiful. This lady is visiting one on her vacation.

Catching Some Rays

I love my pattern ladies. I especially love the 1960's ladies for some reason. 1970's ladies are probably my second favorite. I am not so crazy about the 1980's ladies. Personally, I did not like the 80's. I dislike them so much that I have become very adept at blocking them from my memory. Do you block distasteful, unpleasant or foolish memories? That was not a good time for me. Plainly said, I was very stupid in the 80's. I made some terrible choices and decisions then, all the way from the beginning to the very end of the decade. Ten years of being foolish is way too long. At least once a day, I thank my lucky stars that I am not that dumb girl anymore. I will still make mistakes, I know that much, but I will not make them so nonchalantly ever again and with lack of comprehending the repercussions from them. I like this 1960's lady. I like her so much in fact that I am going to make a customized beach for her where she is catching some rays. Do people still "catch rays"? I really hope they do not. That is a really easy way to get a case of melanoma. Catching some rays will not be a mistake I make anytime soon. This 1960's lady is using sunblock. Anyway, in the 1960's, I was too young to make mistakes...at least of a serious nature. Lastly, I am not sure why I even bother labeling these posts since I label everything 'Artistic Endeavors'.

Doors

I cannot think of what to say about this one. I considered talking about Nigel but he has honestly been good lately. He has not gotten into one single thing lately that he should not have. Plus, more shockingly, he has even been acting as if he likes me. Claude loves me beaucoup, Ollie loves me lots, Henry likes me, Nigel tolerates me. But lately, that boy seems to be warming up to me. Once, Nigel ran away. I opened the back door and he skidaddled like the wind. I never expected to see him again. His attitude has always been that I kidnapped him and that I am holding him hostage. He stayed gone all day the day he ran away. I went outside looking for him high and low but no Nigel was to be found. Finally, I got mad and gave up. How dare he run away from me when I was providing him with such a good life? Late in the evening when the darkness first began to fall, I looked out my back window and saw little boy coming out from under the fence stretching. Obviously, he had been sleeping all day. I knew not to bother him. I am pretty good about second guessing the feline mind and I knew he was thinking about coming home but not yet. I would wait him out. After a couple of hours, I opened the back door but little boy kept sitting by the tree not yet ready to come up to the house. I closed the door and turned out the porch light. About an hour later, again I opened the back door. This time, boy came crashing into the den faster than greased lightening. I do not know what he saw out there but something changed his mind. Suddenly, the great outdoors was not so appealing to a kitten. He got a dose of flea medicine then, all was right with the world.
Doors. My Nigel got out one but came back through the same door. What does this door mean?