Tuesday, September 25, 2012

A "Little" More Art...;^)

Hello Everyone!
Just wanted to share a "little" art with you this evening, a couple of new ACEOs (2 1/2" x 3 1/2" trading-card-sized art) that I've done in the past couple of days...
The second one has been on eBay for a few days,
but I've just listed "Tallulah and the Fairies (& Goblins)"...
 
 
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Here is the inspiration...a beautiful Winsch Halloween postcard from 1917 ~
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And, the "Tallulah" version...
The Fairies are mice this time...
and the Goblins are...well, Goblins!
(I added a couple of eyes under the bed...)
The card is done in watercolor and ink, with just a bit of colored pencil, on watercolor paper.
I also used beautful sparkly gouache on the moon, on the Fairies' wings and gowns...
and on the Goblins' eyes...
(It's difficult to photograph, but very sparkly in person!)
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Again, the inspiration ~
Another lovely vintage Winsch postcard...
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And, "Tallulah and the Owls"...
(This one is very sparkly, too!)



One more thing tonight;
my daughter Mandy told me that when making
 her chili recipe (previous post),
after browning the meat,
 she puts all the ingredients in the crock pot
(it needs to be a BIG crockpot!)
 and lets it simmer all day...
Even better!

Have a good night, all!
 
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Sunday, September 23, 2012

Happy Fall, Y'all!

What a beautiful day! I hope you're enjoying your Sunday, wherever you are!

I want to share my daughter Mandy's fantastic chili recipe with you...
 
With the cooler weather, it's especially yummy ~
 
This is actually half the recipe, Mandy tells me ~
 (I have been doubling it, anyway) ~ It makes a big pot!
 
And, (if it lasts long enough) it's even better the next day ~ ;^)
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Making the chili also inspired me to be creative...
I did a little painting,
(An ACEO, actually, a little Art Card that measures 2 1/2"x 3 1/2"),
of Tallulah making her own special chili for the kitties...
It's watercolor and India ink, with little glimmers of sparkly gouache in the fishy steam
and on the tuna and sardine cans...;^)
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I've listed it here on eBay...
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It makes me feel so much better to be painting and creating!
I've also done one inspired by a vintage Halloween postcard...
and plan to do more...
Mostly "starring" Tallulah, but maybe a few with the boys!
I'd be honored for you to take a look ~ ♥

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Have a wonderful week!

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Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Oops!

I didn't realize that "O'Kringles" link wasn't going to the correct post, but it's fixed now!
Here it is again;
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Sunday, September 16, 2012

Sunday Afternoon & A Little Art...

Good Sunday evening, all!
I have been a baaad blogger this past week ~ but I've been busy! I just don't multi-task very well, it seems, the older I get. ;^)
What I've been doing all week is getting a big batch of O'Kringles ready for River Ridge Winery's Yule Log Cabin...
It's the most magical place...through the deep woods on a wind-y, seemingly one-car-width lane (although there's always room, I've found, should you meet someone!)...
...there are little encouraging signs along the way telling you that yes, you are indeed on the right path...
All of a sudden there is a clearing and there, at last, is The Cabin...(now there is also a Barn, and a little Halloween/Fall house in between...)
You can get lost there ~ really.
In a good way.
So many Christmas trees, so many different themes, it's just amazing.
My favorite, though, was an Old World one with traditional ornaments, a lot of which were
the "reflector" type glass ones that I was so fascinated with when I was little.
I didn't have time to stay and look very long when I delivered the O'Kringles, but I will definitely
return, and take pictures to post here...as long as it's okay with Joanie, the owner.
If you are anywhere in the Southeast Missouri area, the Winery, as well as the Cabin, are most certainly worth the trip!
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 Here is a new O'Kringle fellow...I found a use for the short, chunky heirloom okra!
 He did get eyes before he left here...
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This is the really fun thing that happened this week, though...
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Remember Leo, last fall, as Calendar Boy in my friend Wendy DeWitt's (aka Golders) 2012 Art for Critters calendar? We were all so excited!
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We knew that she was including my bunnies, Max and Ruby, in her 2013 calendar, as well as my daughter Katie's Ragdoll boy, Kensington, but we had not seen the artwork until the calendar was released last week...
Isn't this fantastic (below)?
I have been a big fan of Halloween (cute Halloween...) for as long as I can remember,
being born two minutes before midnight, October 30th.
So, I was extra pleased that Golders chose October for the bunnies...
I love it.

And I have the perfect frame!
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Artwork above, copyright Wendy DeWitt, 2012.
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Below is the beautiful calendar, with Katie's Kensington as cover boy!
I love his comics-page hat...
See ya in the funny-papers, Kens!
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Click on the link below, for more info!
 
(Thank you again, Wendy, for including us!)
 
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I went out this afternoon to see if there was anything left in the garden that was photo-worthy...
At first glance, everything looked pretty shabby...
although a few of the flowers and herbs are rebounding due to the recent rain and cooler temperatures.
However, there were still a few pretty little vignettes; you just have to look a bit closer~
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Above, I've had a little orphan tree (that was in the soil with my Grandma's Clove Current bush that we moved last fall) in a pot for almost a year now. I really need to plant it.
The leaves were already turning, and I liked how it looked next to the summery Cosmos...
Summer into fall...
All of a sudden.
Just like "It's always darkest just before dawn", it seems it's always hottest right before the relief of Autumn...
One day, the oppressive heat is just gone.
Thankfully.
I'm sure we'll still have hot days, but fall is definitely in the air...
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The coleus is still really pretty, having Autumn colors itself...(on the right is "Henna"; I'm not sure about the other variety).
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The garden is just barely hanging in there...
Just enough that we haven't had the heart to plow it under, yet.
The heat during the last month almost did it in (early), even though we watered faithfully.
Next year, we'll see about a well...
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Cyrus says "Goodnight"....
Hope everyone has a great week!
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Linking to Cathy's 1929 Charmer's Sunday's Best!

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Stormy Weather...(But Hopefully a Pretty, Paint-y Weekend...!)

 
"Stormy Weather....."
 
Can't you just hear it in your head?
 
I love that song....even though it was *before* my time....
I used to play it on the piano...
 
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We have had our share in the last couple of late afternoons/nights...
"Pop-Up" storms, the weather-man calls them...
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"Too little, too late", I call them...but I shouldn't complain...
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Last night, I went out to pick okra, and the sky was getting really dark and strange-looking back in the north...
I called Jonathan to come look at it with me...
The clouds were moving fast...
(Enough to engage a teenager for more than a few minutes...pretty impressive...)
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He got his phone and came out to take pictures with me...
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The wind was blowing really hard...in the past, I probably would have run for cover, but, since there was no obvious imminent danger, (and Jonathan was thinking it was pretty cool...though he was saying, "Auntie Em, Auntie Em!!")...I thought, "What the heck"....it was blowing so hard, though, that Jonathan had to brace my arm so I could continue to snap pictures...
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(I now understand those straight-line winds that they show during hurricanes just a little better, and I realize that this was really nothing, in comparison...) ~
 
Then the rains began...
"Where have you been, Rain??...Don't you realize you have waited too long?"
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Well.
You take what you get, I guess.
 
Then, after the rain...
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The most amazing rainbow....(double, at the ends) that I have ever seen...
 
Probably because the sky was still so dark in the background,
but this rainbow was the most intensely colored one that I have ever seen, I believe...
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The pictures don't do it justice at all...
 
It was amazing...
 
So much so, that I, having seen that the sun had come out and had gone out in search of a rainbow,
came back in the front door to tell Jonathan to come look...
Just as he was coming back in the back door to tell me to come look...
Pretty awesome!!
 
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 If the rain stops (and it is supposed to, with a little cooler weather coming in), I will be painting faces in Kennett, Missouri, Saturday and Sunday...
 
...at Kennett "Fall Into Arts"
 
Here are a few faces from past events...Grandson Nick (ever tolerant, he won't tell me he'd rather not be a model...:) ~ a Steampunk Airship Pilot...
 
I always get my share of pretty little girls who like being cats...
 
And thank you to Lindsey, (the flower girl), always such a great model!
 
Lastly, this is what you do when it's too hot for anyone to want their face painted...;^)
 
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!