A Day In Charleston

Good morning!
We have very good friends here for the weekend. They left 18 degrees and 11 inches of snow in Ohio and headed South. They have had a total of 40 inches of snow this month so far with another storm on the way. Here I am, the "snow lover" living in South Carolina missing out on all that beautiful snow!!!! We are going to spend the day in downtown Charleston seeing the sights. I hope to post pictures when we return. It is great to be with them and it should be a fun day in Charleston!!

"SILENT COLOR"

Finished! This ended up being a mixed media collage. After the gesso, the markers, the colored pencil, the acrylic paint, and the gel transfer, I painted the tree. I then painted some watercolor paper and tore it into little pieces and collaged it onto the tree, added some more acrylic paint and another gel transfer of a red bird. Voila - "Silent Color"! It is collaged on an 8" x 8" canvas with staplefree sides that I painted black. I am liking gel transferring and I think I will do some further experimenting with it. I really like the look of a lot of texture in the background of paintings and I want to work on achieving that look.

This painting is available on eBay. ~~~~SOLD~~~~

BE THE CHANGE
YOU WISH TO SEE
IN THE WORLD
~Gandhi

IMAGINE

Imagine things being different. Imagine a little less struggle and a lot more joy. Imagine yourself living every moment out of love instead of fear. Imagine making space each and every day just for you. Imagine peace breaking out all over the world. Imagine loving your body just the way it is. Imagine everyone loving it. Imagine working at something that fills your heart and nourishes your soul and challenges your mind and covers rent and food, too! Imagine that everything you need can be provided. Now imagine that it is. Imagine none of your friends dying of breast cancer. Imagine there is a Heaven, and it's right here on Earth. Imagine feeling rested and serene and safe and loved each and every day. Imagine that!

~From Words of Wisdom for Women by Rachel Snyder

Scribblings in my personal journal

Gel Transfer - Another Work in Progress

I watched a few YouTube videos last night on gel transferring. This afternoon I was going to start a folk art tree painting on an 8x8 canvas and I thought it might be fun to try a transfer. So......you are viewing my first gel transfer. I also wanted to add some interest and texture to the background before painting the tree, so I put some words about trees on the canvas with a marker, then I put gesso on the canvas, added some acrylic paint, added a touch of colored pencil, and then I did a gel transfer of some tree branches. I think I am ready to draw my tree now and then start painting. Gel transferring is fun and relatively easy - it is a little rough on the fingers when you have to rub all the paper off the canvas, but the result is worth it. I'm glad I gave it a try as I am sure I will do it a lot more often now. Come back to see the finished product toward the end of the week.

"Finley"

He is complete! I will be listing this little 6" x 6" mixed media painting on eBay this evening. It is such fun painting colorful, whimsical fish. Watch for a fish friend soon.

ID: moonsfolly

Thank you for your nice comments and for stopping by my Blog.

FILL

When your cup is half empty, fill it. Fill your life with the things that fill your heart. Fill jars full of pennies or buttons or colored water or hard candy. Fill your home with plants and music and orbs that make dancing rainbows and good friends and good food. In the fall, fill a wooden bowl with acorns, with pinecones. Fill your favorite teacup with your favorite jasmine blend. Fill a box with things you don't need, label it free, and set it out by the side of the road or leave it at a church or shelter. When a room is filled with tension, fill it with the warmth of your smile. Fill your arms full of puppies or kittens or babies or dolls or stuffed toys or sheets and towels fresh from the dryer. Turn off the electronic gadgets and fill your time with real conversations with honest-to-goodness people. Fill up the car with gas, thinking about driving less. When you fill up your grocery cart, think about giving more.
~from Words of Wisdom for Women by Rachel Snyder

Work in Progress

Here is a peek at the 6" x 6" that I am currently working on. I hope to have it completed by the end of the weekend. I have more color and some additional things to add to make this little guy irresistible. Having fun with this one!! Come back to see the finished product!!!!

Sunset on Fire

Wow! I love this photo. I took it two weeks ago. I was sitting at my desk in my studio early evening and happened to look up and out one of the little windows that are close to the ceiling. The photo shows you what I saw. I grabbed my camera which is ALWAYS next to me and snapped a couple pictures right through the window. The sky was on fire with oranges, pinks and yellows. I must say that since I have been living in the Charleston, SC, area, I have been seeing the most beautiful skies. I have yet to get down to the beach in the early morning or to snap pictures of a sunset at the beach. I must do that before I leave the area. Enjoy!

Inauguration Day

I am sure the events of today will fill more than one page in the history books. While watching much of the coverage of the days events, there were times when I found myself feeling very emotional. Our country is in need of outstanding leadership during these troubled times. We must ask God to help guide President Obama with the challenges that he faces. Hopefully, our government officials can come together with our new President and work with him to deal with the turmoil that has besieged us. Today I was filled with hope for the future. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

A Note from the Universe

......it's within you: the answers you seek, the direction you want, and the power to be whoever you want to be. Your dreams are not yours by mere whim. They've been meticulously matched to the gifts you're now developing. Designed to lure you within, where your true power lies, and then out into the world, beyond imagined limitations and fears. Trust yourself. Listen to your heart. You have the right stuff, you know what to do, and it can all be yours.
~TUT....A Note from the Universe

"Shake a Tail Flower"

Here is my latest painting on 6" x 6" canvas ~ "Shake a Tail Flower". It is painted with acrylics and I have added a few glittery items to the flowers. There are some torn pages from a vintage dictionary in the background for added texture. It is whimsical and colorful. You can find it on eBay.

~~~~~~SOLD~~~~~~

A Note From the Universe

My note from the Universe today:
You don't have to take everything so seriously. Reality isn't black and white, answers don't have to be yes or no, and absolutely nothing has to happen today. Act when you're ready. Be led by your feelings. And the next time someone wants to fit you into a mold, just tell 'em that your jeans are in the wash, your angel's at the mall, and Oprah's on the other line.
You're a spiritual being on an eternal quest, in a love-adventure you get to design. Do it your way.
~TUT....A Note from the Universe

If only it were that easy.

Personal Journal Page

I am posting another page from my personal journal ~ a pot of flowers. This was fun to do, but took quite a few nights to finish. I love using Ultra Fine Point Sharpie Permanent Markers in my journal. The color is so vibrant! The downside is you can't fill spaces in as quickly with a fine point marker as you can with a brush loaded with paint. But, it doesn't really matter since this is my relaxation tool at night. One good thing about markers is you don't get paint all over the bedding. The left page shows how the marker bleeds through the page. Sorry about that. I really like the way the flowers turned out, but it is staying in my journal ~ I refuse to tear pages out!!

Right now I am working on a cute folk art bird painting. Can't wait to show you.

Well, I just ended my day of creativity by listing this painting on eBay. I finished it last night and I feel good about it. It is just a sweet little folk art mixed medium piece done on a piece of masonite and framed in a distressed wood frame ready to hang. My eBay ID is moonsfolly if you would like to bid on it. Thanks for looking.
I would like to take a minute to thank those of you who have left comments on my Blog. SO appreciated!!!! I love hearing from each of you. This is only my 17th day of Blogging and I am really enjoying it.

********SOLD********

Thanks to Leah, I decided to join forces with the artists who have taken the challenge to be CREATIVE EVERY DAY in 2009. Leah started this challenge to help infuse her life and the lives of others with daily creativity. This is a low pressure challenge and does not require posting every day. The creativity is meant in the broadest sense, so it doesn't have to be something art related. The creative acts can be cooking, taking pictures, knitting, doodling, writing, dancing, decorating, singing, playing with your kids, brainstorming ideas, gardening, or making art in any form. Click on the link (Picture to the left under Followers) to see what it is all about. I AM INSPIRED!!! Thank you, Leah. I can't promise a daily posting, but I will do my best to post a good portion of my creativity.

I was thinking that from time to time I might post a page or two from my personal LIFE JOURNAL. I sketch in it, draw, paint, list my thoughts, etc., every night when I get in the bed. I look forward to this time - it might only be 10 minutes and sometimes it lasts for an hour. I find it very relaxing and it helps me let go of all the stress from the day. I concentrate only on the blank white page in front of me and let myself go free with whatever is in my mind. I started my LIFE JOURNAL in January of 2008 in one of those generic black sketchbooks. It really should be full by now ~ unfortunately, there were a lot of nights when I fell into bed from exhaustion. I resolve to do better this year and I think it will be easy. This is MY time and I am finding it easier to let my thoughts flow. If you don't have a LIFE JOURNAL in the works, think about starting one. It is good for the soul!

BIRDS OF THE SOUTH

Since I will be moving to Virginia soon, I am taking special notice to the birds here in South Carolina. I won't be seeing them in the New River Valley area and each of them are unique and beautiful. The EGRETS are birds I see on a daily basis - there is always one or two along the edges of the many ponds in this Charleston suburb. They stretch their skinny necks and dip their heads into the water to catch a little snack or they just walk along looking very proper, minding their own business. Sometimes there might be an alligator sunning himself on the bank of the pond. The egrets just walk on by, no worry about being lunch to a hungry alligator. Sometimes they fly right over my house and I see a blur of white, knowing it is an egret. A few times a week I will see a Blue HERON near the pond. They are a large bird with greyish blue feathers and they walk with a deliberate step - one leg out and the next right in front of it, and so on. If you try to get close, they turn their neck and listen - soon they take flight much like a small plane - running and then suddenly in the air, wings spread, looking very regal as they take to the sky. Once in a while I get lucky and come across a bunch of IBIS. They are wonderful birds and such fun to watch. I have seen them twice in the past couple of months. As I was driving down a side road, about 12 of them suddenly started to cross the road in front of my car. They don't appear to harbor much fear. I stopped the car along the side of the road as I had never seen birds like this before. When they got to the opposite side, they began sticking their very long beaks into the grass with rapid jerking motions, lunching on grubs or some such thing. They walked back and forth and back and forth with no regard to the clicking of my camera. Soon, I had no choice but to leave - they were busy and happy eating their main meal for the day. The SEAGULLS I have seen at beaches in the past, but they are still fun to watch. I have come upon a strange large BROWN BIRD on two occasions. I have no clue what it is. It let me get very close to snap pictures and it moved very little, seemingly content to just be next to the water.

The pond that is next to the office where I work part-time is home to a male and female duck. We feed them and they come right up to us. They try to follow us back into the building, but that will never do. They are darling DUCKS and the male is very colorful. The PELICANS are grand - living by two rivers and the ocean allows me the opportunity to see them often. I am happy to have pictures of all of these birds and I will have memories of seeing them. When visiting the area in the future, I will look for them and remember when my home was in the same vicinity as theirs.

RECIPE FOR A HAPPY NEW YEAR

Take twelve fine, full-grown months; see that these are thoroughly free from old memories of bitterness, rancor and hate, cleanse them completely from every clinging spite; pick off all specks of pettiness and littleness; in short, see that these months are freed from all the past - have them fresh and clean as when they first came from the great storehouse of Time. Cut these months into thirty or thirty-one equal parts. Do not attempt to make up the whole batch at one time (so many persons spoil the entire lot this way) but prepare one day at a time.

Into each day put equal parts of faith, patience, courage, work (some people omit this ingredient and so spoil the flavor of the rest), hope, fidelity, liberality, kindness, rest (leaving this out is like leaving the oil out of the salad dressing - don't do it), prayer, meditation, and one well-selected resolution. Put in about one teaspoonful of good spirits, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a sprinkling of play, and a heaping cupful of good humor.

~Anonymous

ONCE IN A WHILE,
RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ORDINARY LIFE,
LOVE GIVES US A FAIRY TALE.

Ahhhh.....LOVE. That emotion that drives us crazy.....makes our heart beat so fast.....makes our tear ducts go into overdrive.....makes us so happy we stumble over words.....puts butterflies in our stomach....brings out the green monster in us....causes us to treasure simple things like a leaf or a stone (something our loved one touched)....makes us spend endless hours daydreaming....brings out passion we didn't realize we had....makes us say and do stupid things..... makes us dote on that special someone....and on and on and on.
LOVE. Whatever would we do without it??? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~That wonderful, special VALENTINE'S DAY is right around the corner. We should start to think about it now..... remember what made us fall in love with that special someone and decide what we might do to thank them for being in our life and bringing us so much joy.

This evening, I listed on eBay, two more ACEOs that I painted this past Fall. These are #1 and #2 in my ACEO Tree Series.

Walk with dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground. Let their spirit ignite a fire within you to leave this world better than when you found it.
~Wilferd Peterson

These are a couple of ACEOs I made recently and will be listing on eBay ~ "Kachina" and "Red Turtle". If you are not familiar with the ACEO movement ~ it stands for ART CARDS, EDITIONS and ORIGINALS. There is an eBay Group that I am a member of which started in 2004 and currently has over 4,000 members. The group name is ACEO - Art Cards Editions and Originals. ACEOs are collectable cards created by artists always measuring 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" (the size of a playing card). This group is dedicated to sharing information and discussion concerning the creation, selling, and trading of these cards. We have contests, swaps, monthly themes, and a lot of fun getting to know one another through threads in the group. People from all over the world bid on these cards on eBay. I have quite an extensive collection myself. Beware! It becomes addictive ~ but it is a good addiction to have! If you are interested, put ACEO in the search box on eBay and you will see thousands of ACEOs. If you have any interest in "Red Turtle" or "Kachina", my eBay ID is moonsfolly. Thanks for looking!!!!

A NICE THOUGHT

Did you ever stop to think about this?

Never yet, not once ....... have you ever smiled at a stranger, said "sorry" to a friend, or bowed to the glory of nature, when sparks didn't fly, tears didn't roll, and praises weren't sung for you behind the curtains of time and space.
~The Universe~

Hello. I'm back from the beautiful mountains of Virginia. Posting a painting I did late summer - I had planned to sell it but once I hung it I liked it so much I decided to keep it. It just looked like it was made for this particular corner in my kitchen area.

This is the first painting in my Tree Series ~ Folk Art Tree. I hope to do more soon.

I will post more past art tomorrow ~ have to unpack now.

BLOG FOLLOWERS

I see I now have three blog followers. This is major for me since I just began this blog on December 28th. I wasn't sure what I wanted to accomplish with the creation of this blog ~ but now I am full of ideas and thoughts. Right now, I am going through the pains of moving from one state (SC) to another (VA) (second move in the last 10 months), so I am at a standstill as far as creating. When I return to SC (brought some packed boxes to VA this weekend), I will post some of my past artwork until I can get going with the new.
In the meantime, I thank those of you who have decided to follow my blog. I hope to make it exciting and something you will want to read often. It made me VERY happy to see followers. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! You have given me the inspiration to continue with this and make it a fun and exciting blog.
Joy!
Audrey

You have it easily in your power to increase the sum total of this world's happiness now. How? By giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged. Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime.
~Dale Carnegie 1888-1955~

Try it ~ it works ~ send an email, make a call, write a quick note ~ it will make someone's day and you will feel joy in your heart! It only takes a minute.....