Inchies, Mickey & Minnie

I tried this yesterday and had a long post about what's been going on with me besides inchies, but as I was reading back over it my thumb accidentally hit the touch pad on my laptop and most of the post disappeared and I can't find it, so I'm going to go ahead and share my inchies with you today and when I can I'll try to re-post what I sent into oblivion. :)

This is my first batch of inchies made during Oct & Nov. I was going to try making some anyway, but Tammy over at the MojoArtGroup decided to hostess a 12 for 12 swap, and I decided to play. I started out to make enough for the swap, but got carried away and made a bunch. Some turned out better than others, but I had a lot of fun with all of them, plus it's good therapy. :)

I tried making pictures in all kinds of light, but couldn't get a good one, so wound up scanning them in. A lot of detail doesn't show up, such as most of the blue background ones have sparklies in the background, and some have glitter, the orange ones aren't that dark and have chinese characters in the backgrounds, etc. Some have a matte finish and some have a gel medium finish making them shiny, so that made it hard to get a good picture.

Rarely do I get excited over anything, but I'm a tad excited right now. I was checking out the post after I posted it and wishing the pictures were better, and I discovered that if you click on the picture it will enlarge and you can see a lot more of the details. I'm still a greenhorn at this blogging thing you know. :) Passing this on for friends/family that might not know you can do this either.

All kinds of things were used to make them. I made the backgrounds on watercolor paper using stamps, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, liqui-gem acrylic with sparklies, etc., then cut them into 1x1 inch squares after they were dry, which I then painted, collaged, stamped, added glitter to, etc. In other words, each square was an experiment. :)















I finally decided on 12 to swap and they are fixed up and ready to put in the mail (not telling which 12 yet though :)). This is my first swap and I'm a little nervous, but I'm sure it'll be okay. I look forward to receiving 12 back from the other participants. They are all wonderful artists and I hope they aren't disappointed in mine.

Each of these little squares is a seperate 1x1 inch picture. The clown faces and pears on some of them are miniaturized prints of some of my linoleum block prints. The hearts (except the white one) and feather ones are carved eraser stamps (the gold ink on red doesn't show up much in the picture). The one in the top right corner of the first picture with the pink pears was my very first attempt. It has sparklies in the background that don't show up. I tried to make each one different. Sorry the pictures aren't better. :(

Anyway, as I said it was fun and therapeutic and I'm going to be making more, but not for a while. Too much going on between now and Christmas, like Christmas cards to make and shopping, which I haven't started yet, and Thanksgiving before that, plus a zillion other things that I've avoided while playing. :o

Right now I have to get busy on a project a friend dropped off on me yesterday evening. It's a wooden cutout blank of Mickey and Minnie Mouse sitting together on the moon. She brought me a picture to go by and wants me to draw in all their features, limbs, clothes, etc. so she can paint them. I tried to tell her I couldn't draw it, but she said I could do anything and left it. She's one of my best friends since we were kids, and she told me if it took me a year it would be ok (she knows I work slow :)), but patience is not one of her strong points, and I know she will call in a day or two to see if I've started it yet. I tried scanning and enlarging the picture so I could trace it off, but 2x the size isn't quite big enough and 3x was way too big. So I now have out a piece of charcoal and am going to see if I can sketch it off onto the wood enough that she has lines to fill in between with paint. If that doesn't work, I'll think of something else. So here I go... :)

Take care of yourselves. OK? :)

PS: I'm having a heck of a time getting this to post with seperate paragraphs, and have tried several times to get it to change, so I'm going to post it, and if the last paragraphs all run together again, sorry, and I'll try again later to fix it. If they're seperated...great!

The Number I Am

I was blog hopping this morning and found this quiz that someone had taken to find out what number she is. She thought the number it came up with fit her pretty well, so I thought it would be fun to see what number I am. I answered several multiple choice questions and submitted them, waited a few seconds, and following is the answer I got. It does fit me pretty well, I think, and I'm in some pretty good company. Love Anne Rice, Johnny Depp, & Jim Morrison. :) Here 'tis:

You Are 4: The Individualist

You are sensitive and intuitive, with others and yourself.

You are creative and dreamy... plus dramatic and unpredictable.

You're emotionally honest, real, and easily hurt.

Totally expressive, others always know exactly how you feel.

At Your Best: You are inspired, artistic, and introspective. You know what you're thinking, and you can communicate it well.

At Your Worst: You are melancholy, alienated, and withdrawn.

Your Fixation: Envy

Your Primary Fear: To have no identity

Your Primary Desire: To find yourself

Other Number 4's: Alanis Morisette, Johnny Depp, J.D. Salinger, Jim Morrison, and Anne Rice.

If you'd like to see what your number is you can go here:http://www.blogthings.com/whatnumberareyouquiz/

Have a blessed day!

Getting To Know You Day: Ghosts, Are You A Believer?

This is a meme actually from last Wednesday over at Create A Connection. Holly, the hostess for the day, came up with some very interesting questions and I enjoyed reading the other participanats answers, so I decided to play. Sorry it's a little late. Here goes.

1) Did you grow up in a household that believed in ghosts and spirits?
There were only my parents and me, and I don't remember ever hearing them talk about whether they did or not. I remember my grandparents and their friends telling ghost tales that happened around where I live, but don't know if they actually believed in ghosts or not.

2) Growing up, did you attend camp where you told ghost stories around the camp fire or were you one who found scary movies when you were in high school? What intrigues you most about ghost stories or scary movies?
I never went to camp, but my friends and I used to tell scary stories sometimes, and my grandpa and older cousins used to tell me ghost stories that were supposed to have actually happened in areas very near where I live.

I discovered scary movies when I was eight or nine years old and a much older cousin was staying with us. We would watch Shock Theatre late on Saturday nights in the mid-fifties. I was terrified of the wolf man for years afterward. I'm not a fan of monster movies though, although my husband is. I hate the torture, zombie, slasher, demons, and gore movies. I prefer the psychological thrillers and I enjoy many of the paranormal movies and some of the TV shows, although I'm not sure how much of it I actually believe.

3) Did your family ever have a story about a ghost/spirit that visited? Did anyone in your family ever see a ghost?
I have experienced things during the night several times, which I won't go into here. My husband says I was dreaming, but I'm not so sure. I would declare that my eyes were wide open. A couple of times I was afraid, but most of the time I wasn't. It would just feel kind of weird and I go back to sleep. I also remember some other family members saying they'd experienced things.

4) Have you ever been anywhere that you felt a strange presence you couldn't explain?
Oh, yeah. There were always certain rooms in certain houses I was terrified to go into by myself and it felt creepy even with someone. There was no reason for me to be scared. There have been other places as well.

5) What's the scariest or spookiest thing that's ever happened to you?
One of the scariest recently was not too long after my dad died unexpectedly three years ago I was still asleep one morning and I was awakened by his voice calling my name from outside the kitchen door. It sounded like he used to when something was wrong. I jumped out of bed, ran to the door, and opened it. I then remembered that he was no longer with us physically, which made me think it might be a warning that something was wrong with mom. I called her and she was ok. It could have been a dream, but it was so real that I was shaken for a while.

6) Have you ever known anyone who was not a believer suddenly have something happen to them that changed their mind?
I think so.

I guess that's it. Thanks Holly! This was interesting and fun and kind of spooky. :)

Dialog Day: Doing Nothing At CAC

The hostess, Charlotte, for yesterday's project at the Create A Connection site asked us to tell about a blog or website that we read just for fun and why we read it. It was called doing nothing, but by doing nothing it meant reading, listening to music, etc., relaxing and "just being" instead of bouncing off the walls with "busyness." (Paraphrased)

I read a lot of really good sites/blogs about all kinds of things, but one of my very favorites is a daily blog by Laurie at http://www.crazyauntpurl.com . I found her site in a blog roll on a fellow group member's blog, and I absolutely love her.

She is divorced (3 yrs now, I think), lives alone except for three cats, loves to knit, and is a writer. She really has a gift for writing and humor and always makes me smile if not downright laugh out loud. She has just finished the first leg of a book tour with her first published book, "Drunk, Divorced, And Covered In Cat Hair", which she shared in yesterday's post. Reading it was like I was on the tour with her. She shares the ups and downs in her life with great humor, but also with lessons learned.

I read it because I enjoy her writing and humor so much, but I have also learned a lot from her. I hope you will check her blog out and enjoy it as much as I and many others do.

Thanks Charlotte. This was a good idea! :)

Happy Birthday To Me

Today is my birthday. I don't get excited about birthdays and holidays. Wish I could, but I don't. I never did really. I don't want a party or to go out and eat or do anything special. A simple "Happy Birthday" from people who care about me and a quiet day at home is enough of a celebration for me. Is that weird? Most people seem to think so. :)

I didn't realize that it had been so long since I posted. I just haven't been in the mood to write anything much lately. I wonder if anyone is reading the posts anyway, but that's ok. I enjoy sharing when I do post in case someone does drop by. :)

Not too much going on with me right now. I've been kind of down for a couple of weeks because of a weight gain, which I really, seriously do not need, especially when I'm due for a Dr.'s appointment. I joined an online weight loss support group, which is a great group of women, but I haven't really gotten started on an exercise/healthy eating routine yet. I meant to, but a few days after I joined J (hubby) had to go to Paducah, KY for a brush up on fire fighting. We spent part of two days traveling there and back and two days with him in school and me holed up in a very nice motel suite of rooms.

I took some art/writing supplies, my laptop pc, my camera, and two novels to keep me busy. I meant to finish my writing assignment, which I've had to extend the deadline on yet again, but I didn't. I spent the time re-ironing our clothes, straightening up, watching TV, looking out the window (we were on the 5th floor overlooking the pool house and lounge area), taking long soaks in the tub, napping, and eating. I did take some pictures and work with them on the pc and do a little reading the second day.

We had bought microwavable breakfast and lunch food and junk food snacks for in-room eating. The first night J had to study, so we ordered a big pizza delivered to the room. The second night he went out and got tacos, etc., and we ate in the room. He was really tired. We stopped in Murray, KY at the Cracker Barrel going and coming to eat lunch. I finally had one of those delicious chocolate cobblers with ice cream. I always want one, but am usually too full to have it. This time we ate salads, then shared the cobbler. It was worth the wait. Then we stopped and got BBQ sandwiches to eat for supper when we got home.

Point is I gained four pounds in four days. I wanted to cry when I stepped on the scales. I knew part of it was water retention, but I was miserable for a week, all puffy and feeling sluggish. I finally lost it, plus another half pound. I was so happy. Well, I got on the scales this morning and have gained two and a half pounds back, so that wasn't too good a birthday present, but I'm thankful to be alive and ok, and to have family and friends that care about me and that I care about, and THAT is a good present. :)

I did get to go to Michael's the morning we left Paducah. I felt like I was in Disneyland. Now, I do get excited in art and book stores. :) I got some gorgeous decorative papers, a couple of new stamps, some yarn fibers on sale, and some beautiful glass beads. J got some beads, as well. He enjoys making jewelry. It keeps his hands busy while watching TV.

Oh yes, I also found a small piece of fabric at Michael's for the contrary art doll that refused to wear what I already had. It's kind of antique background with inspirational words written on it. I cut it so that the word "Joy" is "tattooed" on her cheek. I have her sewn and stuffed with a painted face and am in the process of finding hair and embellishments to suit her. Of course, she's nothing like I had in mind when I started her, and she's full of imperfections, but that's part of the fun of creating. You're often surprised by the creation. :) I'll post a pic when she's finished.

I signed up for my very first art swap ever in the Mojo Art Group. It's also the first swap for the group, so several firsts going on here. Tammy is graciously hosting an inchies swap. These are also my first inchies. These are works of art on 1"x1" squares, and they are a lot of fun. She was very lenient with us. The only rule is the size and we have to make twelve to send in to her, any style, any media, any subject. She will then send us twelve back, so we will have tiny original works of art from all the artists who participated. What fun! Mine are in progress. I'll post a pic when they're finished.

OK, here is something that IS finished. The latest Mojo Art Group challenge was "Hand Jive" using our hands as the basis for a piece of art. I tried a few ideas, but nothing would come together. I wanted to play, so the morning of the deadline I inked my right hand with a variegated ink pad and layed it in opposite directions, as in friends reaching out to one another, on one of the decorative papers I bought on our trip. I then used my new brush alphabet stamps to stamp the words on strips of paper, which I glued in place, then used my other new stamps in the palms of the hands. The stamp in the right hand says, "Of all possessions a friend is the most precious." As usual, it looks better than the pic, (I'm not the greatest photographer), but here it is.

I guess this is why I haven't been writing much. I've been more into my art persona, plus J has been home for a month, which keeps me pretty busy. As you can see, when I do get started writing, I don't know when to quit, which explains the long posts. Sorry! Not really. :)

Have a great week and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Getting To Know Me Artistically

Hi, I answered the following artistic questions in participation with the Create A Connection for getting to know you day for Tues., Oct. 2. Thanks to groovyholly, who was the hostess that day. You can also go from there to read other artists answers.

1) Do you do something creative every day? If not, do you wish you could?
Yes, I do something, however small, every day. I feel like something is missing if I don't at least look through my sketch book, write a short description, do a quick sketch, take a couple of photos, prowl through my supplies, or look at creative things in a magazine or online, even if I don't have time to work on something larger.

2) Where do your ideas come from? Are you inspired by others art, music, your children?
I'm inspired by other artists, but I also get inspiration from nature, taking photos, memories, friends and family, our cats, daydreaming and imagination, or sometimes I see something on TV that triggers an idea.

3) What is your favourite art form? Why does it call to you?
I don't really have a favorite. Each has it's own perks and I enjoy learning new ones (I'm about to try making inchies). Oil painting and working with pastels are favorites, but lately I've been more into collage, atc's, altered stuff, and I love linoleum block carving and printing. It calls to me because it's challenging and it makes me happy.

4) What is one art form you long to try? What holds you back from trying it?
I would love to take a photography class where I could develop my own black and white prints in a darkroom, but the nearest class is almost four hours away, round trip, it's at night, and I'm getting old. :)

5) Are you the type of person that concentrates on one thing at a time or do you have many projects started that you are trying to finish?
I'm definitely a multi-project person, and always have a lot of different media projects in progress at once. I can focus on and finish one project if I have a deadline, but there are always other wip nearby. I get bored if I work on one thing too long, so when I start getting bored, or stuck, I switch to another project...or start a new one I'm dying to try.

6) Do you belong to any creative communities, swap groups, yahoo groups that encourage creativity/art?
I belong to a relatively new yahoo art group, Mojo Art Group, of mixed media and creative artists, who are very talented, generous, and supportive of one another. I also have been a member of the Savannah Art Guild/Gallery since 2001, although I haven't been active in it for the last few years. Both of these groups have been invaluable in helping me to grow as an artist. Fairly regular visits to creative online blogs and sites help keep my inspiration and motivation up. I have never participated in a swap, but that's about to change.

7) Is there a group of friends in your community that you get together with to help each other out with your art?
No, unfortunately, I live in a pretty rural area, and the people are more interested in sports than the arts. I keep meaning to become active in my art guild again to have more interaction with other artists in person. It's in another town, several miles away, and I just haven't done it yet.

8) What is the most important reason you create?
It keeps me sane, is better than nerve pills, keeps my mind active, plus I love the challenge that each project presents to me.

I guess that's it. If you choose to participate, let me know. I'd love to read your answers. Have a happy and creative day!
Sharon

Meme Trivia

I found this meme on Tammy's blog http://tamberstone.blogspot.com/ . She had borrowed it from another blogger, and I borrowed it from her. She's right, the questions are kind of crazy but fun. I enjoyed Tammy's and thanks to her for letting me borrow the questions. Here goes. :)

Ocean or Lake? If I have to choose-ocean. I don't really love to be on or in the water, but I love to sit on the bank (or beach) of any body of water and just watch the ripples/waves and listen to the sounds. Very relaxing and soothing.

Pizza or Chinese? I've never eaten Chinese food, but I love pizza.

Mansion or Penthouse? Neither. I'd like a either a studio loft or a small house way back in the woods by a stream or pond where it's quiet.

Have you been on a Jet Ski? No, and I have no desire to be on one.

Are you afraid of clowns? No, I love the Pierrot Clowns. Not all that crazy about regular clowns, but I'm not afraid of them.

How many brothers/sisters do you have? No blood brothers/sisters, but I have friends that are like brothers/sisters to me

Favorite band/group? There are several, but Aerosmith is certainly one of them. Brooks & Dunn are another. I know, totally opposite genres. What can I say? I have eclectic tastes. :)

Baseball or football? Neither. Not a sports fan.

Favorite brand of makeup? I don't wear makeup much, but what I do wear is usually Max Factor or Mojave Magic

Do you have an IPod? No, I haven't wanted one yet.

Bike or scooter? Probably a bike, but it's been so many years since I've been on one I'd probably fall over on it.

Ever go in a hot air balloon? No, and I don't plan on it. I like my feet on the ground.

What brand computer do you have? Dell desk top and Toshiba laptop

How many times have you been to Disneyworld? Never

Favorite city? I haven't spent time in too many big cities, but I really liked Montreal, Canada and I loved New Orleans pre-Katrina (haven't been since)

Do you think you are fat? Oh yeah! I am pretty fluffy. ;)

Ever throw up in a public place? Not that I remember

Do you have a pool? No, I've never wanted one, but hubby has talked about it

How many times a month do you go to the movies? None. We haven't been to the movies in years.

Last movie you saw? Failure To Launch with Matthew McConahey (?) and Sarah Jessica Parker yesterday on one of the movie channels. The supporting actors stole the movie though. Pretty funny.

Do you chew ice? Not anymore.

Have you been to California? Not yet.

Last book you read? Tara Road by Maeve Binchey

Do you like to go fishing? I'm not an avid fisherperson, but I enjoy going sometimes. I used to love to go out in the boat with my dad and hubby. When I got tired of fishing I'd take pictures or sketch.

Favorite professional team? None, don't watch sports

Do you like mohawks? No, although I did think Sanjaya's fauxhawk was kind of cute on him :)

How many pairs of shoes do you own? Not many compared to most women. Maybe 12-15 pairs gathering dust. I have a couple of favorites that I wear all the time.

Do you floss? Not like I should

Do you have braces? No, and I never have had to. My teeth were perfectly straight, just not very sound

Do you bite your nails? No, I never had that habit, but I have twisted my hair ever since I can remember

What is your last thought before falling asleep? Hope that my family and friends and I stay safe during the night to wake up to a new day

Do you fall in love easily? The last time I fell in love was over forty yrs ago and I've been married to him almost 38 yrs now, so I guess the answer's no :)

Ever have a crush and they never knew? Yes, before I was married.

Do you babysit? No, I've never been around small children enough to be comfortable with them. They would be babysitting me, I'm afraid. :)

Ever been shot at? Heavens no, and I hope I never am.

Do you consider yourself nice? Yes, most of the time. I am a nervous person though, so sometimes I'm easily irritated and snappy.

Do you go to camp for the summer? No, I've never been to camp, but I would love to go to an artists' retreat sometime

Have you been on a boat? Yes, a small cruise ship, Staten Island Ferry in NY, river ferry many times, and out in small fishing boats many times

Ever break a bone? My nose was broken, probably during birth according to the ENT specialist, and he broke it again last summer to straighten the septum so I could breathe better, and it helped a lot

What is your ultimate job? Something on the computer from home that combines art and writing

Do you want to walk on the moon? No way! She's gorgeous to look at, but as I said before, I like my feet on the ground

Can you name the seven dwarfs? Doc, Dopey, Sleepy, Grumpy, Sneezy and 2 other guys?

Favorite TV show? Survivor and CSI: Las Vegas

Apples or oranges? Not crazy about either, but I'm allergic to oranges, so it'd have to be apples, preferably yellow and crunchy with salt

Favorite model of car? I'm not really into cars, but I've always wanted a Volkswagen Bug or Rabbit

Favorite flower? White peonies. I just love the fragrance and the splash of pink in the middle of all those ruffled petals

Favorite color? Blue and Copper

Ever climb out your bedroom window? No, not even as a teenager. Had to climb in the dining room window once because we locked ourselves out of the house though

Do you live in an apartment or house? House

How many times in the last month have you had the hiccups? None that remember

Ever laugh so hard milk came out your nose? I don't know about milk, but water, yes

How many cousins do you have? I used to have a lot of first cousins, but as we've gotten older, sadly many of them haver passed over. I still have a lot of second and third cousins though. My parents both came from big families.

Do you believe in ghosts? Anything is possible.

If you were a bird, what would you be? A house wren. They are so cute, tiny, and brave.

Ever get stitches? Only for surgeries, but a couple of times I should have gotten stitches for injuries

If you could, would you want to know what your future was going to be? I don't think so, unless there was a guarantee that it would all be good

If you could change your name, what would it be? I wouldn't change it. I didn't like it when I was young, but I'm ok with it now

Dogs or cats? Right now we have cats, but I love really small, furry dogs too.

Do you believe in love at first sight? It's possible I guess, but I wonder how you know you love somebody before you even get to know who they are

Do you go to church? I used to, but haven't gone in a long time now, and I miss it.

Would you marry outside your religion? At this point in my life that's not even an option, but if it were to come up, I'd sure want to give it a lot of thought and consideration

Ever ride in a limo? No, and I don't really want to.

Ever drink champagne? I've tasted it a couple of times, but I don't really like alcohol of any kind, not even beer

Well that's the end of the meme for me. If you post your answers to this meme let me know, and I'll enjoy getting to know a little about you. :)