Always the Bridesmaid and Never the Bride, Fabulous Finds, and a Song of the Week

I'm so excited! After weeks of always being the bridesmaid and never the bride, I finally won the Etsian Artists Team Challenge Treasury! These challenges happen every Tuesday and are open to anyone. In other words, you do not need to be a member of the team (although, I would highly recommend it as they are awesome) to submit to the challenge or to vote in the finals. So, if you have an Etsy shop and participate and win the challenge, your shop along with your treasury (and all the shop finds you included) will be featured for one week on the team blog!

Last week was rather busy and flew by and I think I was tired every single day. It had been a busy weekend and suddenly it was Tuesday and I thought I'd just not participate in the challenge. I was content with that decision until Elizabeth (Oddball Art Co), our team captain, posted a plea on the team message board to everyone to participate as there were only four challenges submitted. I saw that and suddenly the word vintage came to mind (probably because I tend to hang out in the past with the family history research).

I then put together a treasury called Deliciously Vintage and submitted it. I was actually quite happy with it and did get lots of great feedback and lots of views. By Sunday (yesterday), I had made the finals and was honored to have received the most votes! Now I feel like giddy school girl every time I pop on to the team blog (link above) and see my prints, cards and shop featured there! I only wish I had more items listed. That will just have to be in a future win (oh, I do hope).

The other fun thing about being the challenge winner (and no, I did not say that with a Charlie Sheen tone, hahaha) is that all entries for tomorrow's challenge (the theme is "Scream"), must include one of my items! I can't wait to see what people come up with!

I must also share a Fabulous Find with you! What gal wouldn't love delicate whatnots for women and children, and that is exactly what you'll find at Cherrytime! This wonderful shop is run by two fabulous best friends, Mojca and Vesna.

These ladies are so talented and make the most wonderful crocheted items, toys and repurposed vintage cloth with embroidery, just to name a few things. It is a visual treat. They have so many lovely handmade goods that it was hard to pick just what to share. Here are a few of their items that I adore, but all you have to do it follow the above link for your own fabulous adventure!

I think it is so cool that these two best friends share a love of crafting and work their shop together! They are also quite good a photographing their art and I've asked how they manage to do that! I believe the answer was "practice, practice, practice"! So, do check out Cherrytime as I know you'll just love what you see. You can also check out their blog and follow them on Facebook! Go, do it now!

Finally, a few weeks ago, my mom and I watched a wonderful special on PBS about Folk Music and it was so good that my mom wanted to make a pledge in order to get the CDs. Well the CDs arrived today and man are they good! We were listening to them this evening and it sure did make my day job work that I'm in the middle of doing at home tonight so much more enjoyable! The CDs just contain one great song after another! It really was a great purchase on her part. When this song came on, we were singing along.

My parents had this album and they loved this song. I always remember this song from my childhood and love it, too! The compilation my mom got actually has the Pete Seeger version of Guantanamera, but in honor of my mom and my dad, I'm sharing The Sandpipers cover. Enjoy and I hope your Monday was as fab as mine was!

Wordless Wednesday, a Blog Feature, a Fabulous Find, and Song of the Week

For Wordless Wednesday, I'm sharing two old family pictures from our family collection. I cherish these like you wouldn't believe. All these pictures were stored in a huge box at my parents' house, and after my dad passed away, I brought them all to my house for safe keeping (didn't want any of them to accidentally find their way to thrift stores)!

My grandfather Red (holding my big sister), Esther (my dad's second wife), my dad

My dad, unknown man in uniform, my dad's buddy Gerry McGowan

I was very excited and very honored today to be featured on the Etsian Artists blog!! The ultra hip Rebecca from Libromancer (one of my fav shops) won last week's team treasury challenge (she is really too good at these) and this was her second win. I was runner up, and she graciously offered the interview space on the blog to me as she was interviewed a few weeks ago. You can read the interview here!

Rebecca is a book junkie like me! I also think she is a teacher of sorts, as she puts together some of the best treasuries I've ever seen that are dedicated to authors! They are so unique and so interesting and wonderful. Now, I'm not saying that other treasuries are not beautiful (they are and they do take time and effort to create), but I just love her take on them! Here's one of my favorites - a tribute to Erle Stanley Gardner, the author responsible for one of my life long obsessions, Perry Mason!

 A former California girl, Rebecca and her boyfriend moved to Pennsylvania and are going to open a bookstore! You can read more of her interesting story here. She also has a great Etsy shop where she rescues classic books that cannot be resold and turns them into art pieces!

You can find her shop here. She is also on Facebook and you can follow her and keep up with her FABULOUS author treasuries! I tell you, if you want to impress people at your next cocktail party, you need to check these out! No more excuses for being dull at the party!

And since I'm on vintage trip here, I thought it would be perfect to end this post with a "Song of the Week". As you may have read in my interview, I was a kid that wanted to be a go-go dancer when I grew up! I grew up in the 60s, a time that was rather turbulent, but a time full of some amazing music. I feel so lucky to have been a kid when I was and really think that I'd not want to be a kid now based on modern music.

I was also lucky enough to have a fun mom that didn't find anything wrong with her kids playing with Tarot cards, obsessing over astrology, or playing with the Ouija Board (and she made sure we never dabbled into the dark side of anything)! She was a follower of the "new thought movement". So, in honor of my mom, the 60s, the new thought movement, groovy music and the Age of Aquarius, please put on your go-go boots and enjoy The Fifth Dimension!

Where Did the Weekend Go and Fabulous Finds

The weekends just go by so fast. I always have my plans and then reality seems to step in and snap me back to reality. So, Saturday I took my mom to her chiropractor and massage appointments and after that she wanted to go shopping for music. She was in the market for old western music and we were heading to Target. When I say "old" western music, I mean vintage, and nothing that Target sold. Had I known what she was after before we got there, I wouldn't have made the trip. My mom was looking for Marty Robbins and Eddy Arnold and you'd be hard pressed to find them at Target. You will find the modern "western" artists though. So I told her we'd check Amazon or a cool store in Pasadena called Canterbury's. But we did pick up (on sale) the DVD Bell, Book and Candle starring James Stewart and Kim Novak! I've never seen  that movie and have always wanted to. Lord only knows when I'll watch it.

Then while doing laundry Saturday evening, one of the cats decided to use my blanket that was on floor waiting to be laundered as a cat box. I came a bit unglued and called the Animal Hospital to make an appointment. This is a 24 hour place so I was able to schedule his appointment for this morning. As "luck" would have it, some guy "decided" to have a solo spin out in the carpool lane and we got caught in hideous gridlock. We were sitting on the freeway/parking lot and our appointment was in five minutes. I decided to call the Pet Hospital and tell them and they rescheduled me. I sighed big time. I called at 10:10 am and our appointment was at 10:20.

We were rescheduled for 11:40. There was no way I was going to turn around and go home just to head back out, so we got through the gridlock and made it to the hospital by 10:35. Well, they couldn't squeeze us in and so we sat until 11:42 when we finally got called in. Such a waste of time really (not being able to get in earlier but taking the cat was important). Tests were run and results will be in tomorrow and Wednesday. Hopefully his problem is behavior driven and not medical (note, he is my newest rescue cat and not one of my long-time house cats).

So by the time we got home after 1pm, had make mom lunch and then finish errands. Got back home and we started watching a local PBS station and they were just playing so many great show! I love PBS. We watched a show on Folk Music (my mom actually pledged to get the CDs), Malt Shop Memories, Comedians on Ed Sullivan, and the 60s Music on Ed Sullivan! We were just singing and dancing around the house all afternoon and evening! It was great! So many memories that really transported me back to a time when life was carefree and fun. Now, I'm not a religious person by any means but I am spiritual and this was one of the songs featured on the Ed Sullivan 60s music show, and I song I just love. The great Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions - People Get Ready.



I am still in the process of working on some projects and now also in the process of creating two tutorials, but I began to focus on how I wanted to do some stencils of all the great cat pictures I have and the great old family portraits. The stencils are still in the infancy stage, but, funny how things happen when you put them "out there" - I became aware of a great artist that paints with acrylics and does some amazing stencil paintings!

He's Juan Tobaru. He has an Esty shop with some amazing art! He has stencil paintings and acrylic paintings. His work is so awesome. I just love simplicity that speaks volume in art, and his stencil paintings do just that!

 I also love color and power in art, and that is completely evident in his paintings.

You can also find Juan Tobaru on Facebook where you can keep up with his art. He is really so talented that I believe he must out there even more than I have shared! He's probably in galleries and other places beyond what I have shared. I should also mention that he is owned by cats and I've seen them appear in his work! Enjoy.

Wordless Wednesday and Fabulous Finds

For Wordless Wednesday (wordless, yeah right) I am sharing a photo that I really love of my mom, her sister Sadie and their cousins (Alec, Sandy and Anslem). This picture was taken in Orillia, Canada where my mom grew up. I think her cousin Sandy looks like a Robert DeNiro type!!

Mom, Sadie, Alec, unknown, Sandy, Anslem, cute dog

This week's Fabulous Finds features an artist and blogger who is oh so entertaining! Steve manages to create collages and ACEOs (something that escapes me as I can't even write that small let alone paint that small)! Steve is a corporate guy that goes home and paints and takes awesome photographs, collects vintage items and writes a most entertaining blog.

He recently did a series that I am fascinated with on guilt! Hmm, I wonder why that topic has grasped me. I am just obsessed with this one and might even have to purchase it!  You can find Steve's artwork here on Etsy.

He also has some fabulous black and white photos of old headstones at cemeteries. Now, as a genealogist, I do have an obsession with headstones and cemeteries and can hardly drive by a cemetery without wanting to stop and pay a visit!

Steve truly has an eye for art that is evident in his collages and paintings, as well as his photography. But, I must add, that his other talent and gift is in his writing! I am completely hooked on the (mis)Adventures of ArtySandp, a blog worth checking out and following! You can catch up here and, trust me, will not regret it as you laugh your head off! I have been "begging" Steve to write a book, which is a goal of his, and I think we should all encourage this! I was so happy to learn today, that his challenge for August is to focus on writing that book! Someone even suggested he do the illustrations and he's planning to include old photos.  I think that is super cool and look forward to it!  You can also keep up with the adventures via his Facebook page.

As a former teen journalist/feature writer for my school paper, I was always interested in human interest stories and what people did (and I still am). It's really funny how something that might seem so "silly" such as a recap of an old vacation with family or friends, can be so entertaining to someone that wasn't there at the time! I hope you'll head over and check out his pages and be a cheerleader to encourage his August challenge in getting that book written, while still creating his art and hanging out in the corporate world doing the 9-5. You might even be inspired to pick up some cool art while you're at it.

Fabulous Finds...and woe is me

This has been the week from hell (as they say). Work is getting me down, it has been hot, and I have managed to go nearly the entire week without producing any art. I do tend to think of writing as art, so maybe my blogging in lieu of painting or printing might count. So, yes, those lino blocks are still waiting to be inked up and printed and I shall do that tomorrow. Tomorrow is Friday, after all, and thank God for that! I think, too, that I've tanked on the 30 day art challenge, so I am going to have to get a mental adjustment and try again.

I even told myself earlier in the week that I was going to pull out my Gocco and play. Well, not yet. I have been wanting to print with the Gocco for some time now, but have been afraid to since the supplies are quickly becoming obsolete as the parent company, Riso, has discontinued my favorite little "toy"!

Today I had to take my mom to a doctor's appointment. This was a follow up to discuss the results of her barium esophagram. The results were normal and only showed typical signs of aging which is good. She was having headaches, coughing, and what seemed to be allergies and the doctor gave her some samples of Nasonex which has really helped her. Well, we got to the appointment at 2 in the afternoon. There was a lady there already doing a crossword puzzle, and shortly after we signed in, a man came in for an appointment. The clock was ticking and the man there for his appointment was loud and chatty. Then the receptionist told us that the doctor was running late - a surgery went into OT and he wouldn't be in the office until 2:45. So, we sat and waited.

While we waited, the chatty man began talking to the lady doing the crossword puzzle. They somehow got on the subject of her husband's arthritis and various surgeries and then she mentioned that her husband is 85. I thought she was a child bride or something. Not that she was in her 20s, but surely, she wasn't yet 70! She had on a hip blouse and Capri pants, and was wearing sandals, exposing her polished toenails and toe ring. Her hair was done and make-up applied perfectly. I'd say she may have been a diva! She mentioned that she and her husband were pen pals and went to the same high school, except that she was 4 years younger than him! I nearly fell out of my chair. She began writing letters to him when he was in the Navy during WWII. When he came home he took her out for dinner to thank her for all those letters and they began seeing each other and have now been married 62 years!

Speaking of artists that are producing artwork on a regular (if not daily basis) and divas, today's Fabulous Find features both! Steven Hall is the artist behind some of my all time favorite illustrations, The Doodle Divas!

They are fabulous. They are fun. They are funny. And they are taking over and here to stay! You can adorn your walls with divas or you can get a diva notecard! And if that's not enough, you can even get them on candles, soap and t-shirts!

I can't see these illustrations without being in awe of the simplicity, yet the detail at the same. I love them.  You can find them on Etsy and follow their adventures of Facebook or on Steven's blog. Get out of the mundane and step into the fabulous (one high heel at a time, of course).

Fabulous Finds...and a little more

For some reason, I'm really tired tonight, and have used that as an excuse to, yet again, not run test prints of my lino blocks. When I'm tired, I find writing seems to be much easier than pulling out the art supplies and working them. Surely, I'll kick myself if I don't get those test prints done soon! Seriously, what's the point of carving them if they're just going to hang out on the table! And why do I find it easier to carve linoleum than to print the carved pieces? Who knows!

A few months ago my cousin, Beverly, sent me some copies of old family photos she has.  I actually got the photos the same day I got the Records Release form from Fairview Developmental Center to request my grandmother's hospital records. The photos were so cool, but this one has really haunted me.  It was a copy and probably the original is not very big, so it isn't the best quality nor clarity, and I really need to get a scan of the original to better "research" the people in the photo.

Now I know my dad, and I know that the little boy with the ball on his head on the right is him. I also know that the tall guy with the wild hair next to my dad is my grandfather, Earl (aka Red) - and it's funny that tall and wild hair does run in the family. Could the lady next to Red possibly be my grandmother, Lola? I don't know as I've now only seen one picture of her that I'm aware of and that was the "inmate" photo on her admittance forms from the State hospital; a photo that does not depict a happy, young woman in her 40s. I also wonder who the other people are, and wonder if this picture was taken in Mason City, Iowa, where my dad was born. I'm still not sure when or where or how Lola and Red landed in Mason City, but I do know that they stayed there until my dad was 10 years old and then they moved to California.

You know that saying, "Those who can't, teach"? Well I think that saying sucks! In my opinion, anyone that teaches, provides a tremendous service to society, and sometimes, they are lucky enough to teach something they absolutely love!! What better way to spend your 9-5? I've always thought it would be so cool to be an art teacher. Imagine spending your days teaching people to paint, while you're also working on your own paintings that you might just show or sell!! Today's Fabulous Finds features someone that is an artist and an art teacher!

Katt, from Black Friday Studios, is a fabulous painter! Some of the best Johnny Depp paintings I've seen, have been at her Etsy shop! Yes, I do L-O-V-E Johnny Depp.

She is also an animal lover, and does donate to her local shelter and animal charities (which I find admirable)! This multi-talented lady is also a blogger. But she doesn't ONLY paint Johnny Depp, she also paints fabulous animal portraits! I really love her work and find her totally inspiring!

 The realism in her paintings amazes me, as I am NOT a realist when I paint. I think any student lucky enough to be in her art classes should be "thanking" God, and I'm sure learn a lot from this cool teacher!

Fabulous Finds...and more

I'm trying to do so many things right now - spend time with my mom and help her out; produce art; actively promote my work and promote the work of other artists; and trying to do this with recently cut work hours and still trying to solve mysteries of my grandmother, Lola, and her family.

Time management has never been a strength of mine, and I'm hoping to get that under control. So I think that while I try to better manage time and family research and producing art, I shall start a new feature here. I will start sharing art of others I admire. I will decide just how I'm going to do that (maybe a weekly feature) and will now test the waters. As to not yet commit myself to a particular day of the week, I shall begin with calling this "Fabulous Finds" and leave it at that.

So, may I present my first Fabulous Find! Elizabeth from Oddball Art Co. was the first blogger to feature my art on her blog! She also created a team on Etsy and invited to join! She is a multi-talented human being. A woman who is a cancer survivor, an artist, a blogger; who has art shows, maintains blogs and on line teams, just to name a few things. And, like me, she's a crazy cat lady in progress!

I admire her so much. The fact that she's out there, exhibiting her fabulous art and a working artist, is something I dream of. Her work is so appealing and touches so many.