Three Muses - Something Old Something New

I love Ann's theme. I gave this little vintage person a pair of brand new red boots. She looks like she's thinkin' about it! The girl is from Graphics Fairy, the boots a Tootsie freebie.

Mixed Media Monday - Pink

Mixed Media Monday's theme this week is to do something in your least favorite color. Mine would have to be pink. It's never been a favorite of mine. I'm more of a primary color type person. Nonetheless, here's my vision in pink, courtesy of Art-E-Zine, with swirl from SBG's Manuela Zimmerman. I have to post it fast, because I have an overwhelming urge to change the color to something else!! Thanks for visiting.

Sunday Postcard - Open Theme

SPC is Open Theme this week. This is an example of a midnight aberration!! I think I must've been channeling Dali!

Three Muses - Home Sweet Home

There was a day when a young couple could get married, and order their home from Sears & Roebuck! From 1908 to 1940, many a young couple chose their home from the pages of a Sears catalog. For $650 to $2500 ($35 to $65 a month), their new home would be delivered via rail, all packaged down to the last nail and ready for construction. Many of these homes continue to be sturdy houses today. In the 90's, while on vacation in Virginia, my friends and I drove down a street of Sears & Roebuck homes, still tidy and welcoming. My collage shows one of the homes and a newspaper ad. The bridal couple are from Flickr Collage Images, but they may well have lived in a Sears & Roebuck home! Thanks for listening, and Merry Christmas!

Mixed Media Monday - Frosty

The word "frosty" brings a frosty landscape to my mind. I used a piece of an Allon Kira photo and added the Christmas tree and starlight, for a frosty, peaceful night scene. Thanks for looking, blog friends. Peace, content, and blessings on you all this Christmas season.

Sunday Postcard - Christmas

Thank you, Sunday Postcard, for one more chance to say MERRY CHRISTMAS! Thanks for your efforts to bring us a new and interesting challenge every week. I hope Santa finds you each and every one! Credit to Flickr Collage Images.

Art Creations - 12-19

We're given a pair of enchanting faces for this week's Art Creations challenge. I'm sure they took the time to visit Santa! Thanks for stopping by.

Theme Thursday - Legs

I indulged in a bit of silliness with this week's challenge, with the help of Jen U Designs and Fidlette. Maybe my little magician can find the rest of that beauty in the trunk!

Three Muses - Mail Art

Mail is becoming a thing of the past, what with Facebook, Twitter, My Space, e-mail, IPhone, etc. It may be just as well, because no one will remember how to spell anyway -- or grammar --- or sentence construction -- SIGH. Gone is the thrill of opening the mailbox and finding an envelope marked S.W.A.K. on the flap. Does anyone remember what that means?

Mixed Media Monday - Just Hanging Around

Here's my "hanger" for Mixed Media Monday. What a fun challenge!

Sunday Postcard - Holly

The challenge this week is holly and/or ivy. I love the contrast of a black and white photo with a splash of color, and when I saw this little miss in the pages of Flickr Collage Images (by Sassyart), I knew I had to put sprigs of holly in her basket! May the spirit of the season surround you, all my blog friends!

Three Muses - Blue Bottle Tree

The legend of the blue bottle trees is one of my favorite stories, and I couldn't resist repeating it for this challenge. Kathryn Wyndham, long a member of Storytellers, Inc., is a master storyteller. Spinning tales in her soft, southern drawl, she tells the story of the ladies of Gees Bend, who make beautiful quilts; the days of race riots in Selma; and of her coffin, which has been lovingly constructed by a long-time family friend, which sits in the back of her garage awaiting the time she'll need it. She tells of Jeffrey, the resident ghost with whom she shares her home, and shares many colorful stories of her experiences as a girl reporter. It's my pleasure to introduce you to Kathryn Tucker Wyndham, in case you've not met her!

Sunday Postcard - St. Nick

This is one of my mantle Santas. I saw him in a magazine, sketched him onto 1 inch pine, cut him out with a band saw and painted him in oils. I've superimposed this trimmed photo of him onto a googled snow scene. I wish he had been gracious enough to take a better photo....but at his age, I guess he's entitled to be independent! Thanks for the challenge, ladies, and thanks to my blog visitors for indulging me.

Art Creations - Marilyn

It appears Marilyn has been into the bubbly, and thinks she's Santa. Nice surprise for somebody! Thanks for the challenge, Art Creations!

Three Muses - Fun and Games

I indulged in a bit of flight of fancy on this one, with some old game boards (googled) and a manufactured "thinker". Actually, Chinese Checkers were probably the most popular game at our house when I was small. Pinochle and euchre were popular card games. I still enjoy all three! Can't wait to see yours!

Mixed Media Monday - Bedtime Story

My mother had Riley's "Li'l Orphant Annie" committed to memory in completion. She'd recite it with voice inflection I can hear still, but I was never afraid because she was right there. It's a wonder the childhood tales of long ago didn't scare children silly! The poem was written long before the creation of the Orphan Annie we've come to know today. I scoured the net for an illustration from the original Riley book, and could find none, so I've created Annie as she appeared in my mind's eye all those years ago, when this second verse was my very favorite:

"Once there was a little boy who wouldn't say his prayers

And when he went to bed at night away up stairs

His mommy heard him holler and his daddy heard him bawl

But when they pulled the covers back he wasn't there at all.

They seeked him in the attic room, the cubby hole and press

And even up the chimney flue, and everywhere, I guess.

But all they ever found of him was his pants and roundabouts

And the goblins'll getcha if you don't watch out!"

Thanks for the challenge that brought this memory back to me, and thanks to all of you for listening to my tale!

Sunday Postcard - Let it Snow

Snow scenes are such fun to do, so I enjoyed this week's challenge at Sunday Postcard. My family is just having our Thanksgiving celebration this evening, so my head is all mixed up with pumpkin pie and jingle bells!! This will help me jump into the Christmas spirit after we've taken time to be thankful for our many blessings. Thank you for stopping by!

Three Muses - Time

"The moving finger writes, and having writ moves on. Nor all your piety, wit nor tears wash out a word of it." from the Rubaiyat by Omar Khayyam has always been a favorite quote. The quote above by Friedrich von Schiller seems to say much the same. Both came to mind when I saw Marie's challenge. The lady in my entry is my mother as a young woman, and again 50 years later as time marched inexorably on. Thanks, Marie, for the challenge and thank you, blog friends, for stopping by.

Sunday Postcard - Swirls

This little pair look so intent, I'm sure they're considering something magic, as curiosity swirls all about them. .... That's my story and I'm stickin' to it! Credit to Vintage Moth for the image, and Zakirah for the swirls. Thanks for indulging me!

SatWo - Corrugated

Corrugated cardboard is to be part of our art for this challenge. My banker is courtesy of Vintage Moth, numbers and key from Oscraps Ophelia. He looks such a no-nonsense sort of guy, I'm sure he's a number-cruncher, and he'd be right at home on corrugated cardboard! Thanks for looking!

Art Creations - Anniversary

Has it really been a year? This was one of my favorite images, so it was a pleasure to see her again. Credits this time to Flickr Texture for Layers (Asia), Jen U Designs for the window, Fidlette for the drapes, and Creates Wings for the overlay. After my brief (and wild) foray into psychedelic, it's good to get back to normalcy!! Thanks for stopping by!

Theme Thursday - Skinny Colors

Well, ya did say colors! I just had this impish inner voice saying "Paint Something Psychedelic!". It's totally out of the box for me, but it sure was fun. Thanks for the challenge!

Three Muses - Keys

I chose KEY for the challenge this week, then I couldn't decide if I wanted to do the keys to the kingdom, the key to my heart, the key to knowledge, the key to the puzzle, or the key of C! I finally went with the key of C, and I'll leave it up to our talented participants to see just how many types of keys they come up with. I hope everyone has a good time!

Mixed Media Monday - Woman

I love the women painted by John William Waterhouse. I've used his "Undine" against a backgbround by Lorie Davison of Scrapbook graphics. The quote ("A woman can say more in a sigh than a man can say in a sermon.") makes me smile. When my children talk about my parenting skills, they always mention knowing they'd done something to displease me when I emitted a deep sigh. I love teasing them and saying they were abused children because their mother sighed at them! I do believe sighing is a woman thing!! Thank you for listening and looking!

Sunday Postcard - Music

I'm trying to break out of my "blue mode" I seem to have been in! This was fun to put together. I do so appreciate knowing in advance what the next week's challenge will be so that I have time to work on something at odd moments during the week. My weekend is busy, but I had time to work on this during the week. Credit to Christina Renee Designs and Irene Alexeeva for bits and pieces. Thank you for stopping by.

Art Creations - Gentlemen

Thanks to Terri Kahrs and the ladies at Art Creations for this great image of young gentlemen. They look so very proper! My background and elements are credited to Lorie Davison of Scrapbookgraphics. Thanks for looking!

THREE MUSES - Dreams

I love to do misty, dreamy pieces with many layers and lots of blending. Ann's challenge this week at the Muses gave me a great excuse to do just that. Images are from Flickr Collage Images, overlay from B. Datema at Scrapbookgraphics. Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday Postcard - Crackle

Embellishments by Irene Alexeeva, Flickr Collage image. Thanks for the challenge, and thanks for stopping by!

SatWo - Altered Bottle

Thanks to SatWo for a great challenge -- altered bottles. The first thing that came to my mind had to do with the words of one of Jim Croce's beautiful songs....."Time in a Bottle". Thanks to Norma Frances for the background. I put the "time" in the bottle, which I have had for so long I can't remember for sure where I got it...I think from Google. Thank you for stopping by!

ART CREATIONS - SAILOR

What a great image of a little sailor boy we're given by Art Creations this week! He was small, but I'm sure he had big dreams. The background is from Collage Images (Norma Frances), and the steamboat and ticket are Googled. Overlay by B. Datema of Scrapbook Graphics.

Theme Thursday - Borders

Before we get lost in Santa Clauses, I wanted to honor harvest time. My mother loved this time of year, and there were always fall displays such as the one above in our yard featuring some of her prize gourds and colorful Indian corn. It was a time for harvesting the last of the garden bounty, canning and storing food in the storm cellar for the winter. There, my mother had constructed shelves on which she lined her sparkling jars of canned peaches, apples, corn, beans, tomatoes, jellies and jams. In a bin in the corner were stored potatoes, apples, and onions. In the fields, the corn and soybeans were being harvested. There was a smell of burning leaves in the air, and the sound of V's of geese honking overhead. It was pheasant hunting season in our part of Illinois, and my mother's brothers came up to visit and tromped the fields in search of pheasants, which were plentiful in those days. The golden days of fading summer are my favorite time of year!

Three Muses - Couples

I'll leave it to you to guess whether this little ditty is first person or observation! The kissin' couple is from Flickr Collage Images. I'm anxious to see the rest of the pairs who show up for our challenge! Thanks for stopping by.

Mixed Media Monday - Opposites Attract

This was such fun! It's a blend of four different photos, with a frame by B. Datema of Scrapbookgraphics. Don't you think the Mallard drake looks as if he's saying "Oh, sigh, she looks just like an angel all in white!" The swan, however, appears to be thinking "Mother always told me to look out for the over-dressed dandies ...... and he looks a bit short......probably has small duck syndrome" ! Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday Postcard - Poe

I clearly remember studying Poe as a child. I remember "The Tell-Tale Heart" scaring me half to death, the plaintive "Anabel Lee" bringing me to tears, being raptly absorbed in "The Raven" and thinking there was wisdom in "Eldorado". Poe's life was short, but he certainly left his mark! As a matter of fact, this challenge inspires me to revisit his work. Thank you for jogging my memory!

Saturday Workout - Altered Cabinet Card

This fellow is from a cabinet card of an anonymous ancestor in my great grandmother's photo album. Unfortunately he was not identified. I've given him dreams of Paris, a beret, and a monocle. Who knows - maybe those dreams came true! Thanks for the challenge!

Three Muses - Fowl Play

I chose fowl play for this week's challenge at Three Muses. I like the contrast of black and white in the background and the glorious color of this happy rooster!! The chickens on our farm were my mother's business (she kept her money separate like the smart woman she was), and each week we sold just over 100 dozen eggs...each and every one carefully gathered, cleaned if necessary, and cased in proper fashion. I miss many aspects of life on the farm, but gathering, cleaning and casing eggs is NOT one of them! Thanks for stopping by!

Mixed Media Monday - Moustaches

Marvelous Moustaches, they say, at Mixed Media Monday. My moustachioed guy is from Flickr by Nicci, the background and frame are from C. Bauman of Scrapbookgraphics, with an overlay of a vintage ad from Google. After I look at this, I think it would've made a great postage stamp person! Thanks for looking!

Saturday Workshop - Jewelry

At Saturday Workshop we were asked to make jewelry. I have to apologize for my photography. I couldn't seem to get a photo without glare on the middle piece. The first piece, a necklace, is hand-made polymer clay beads interspersed with purchased beads. The middle one is made from recycled jewelry and watch face. Lastly there are two beaded bracelets. This was a great challenge. It's such fun to see what everyone else is making!

Art Creations 10-21

This was such a beautiful background to work with. I've used some filters and enhanced coloring, and a couple of images extracted from John W Waterhouse paintings. His models seemed to belong in this setting. Thanks for looking.

Theme Thursday - Faces

For a time, I collected vintage books illustrated by Harrison Fisher. No one portrays the American woman as beautifully as Fisher. Each is more lovely than the last. Credit for the bling butterfly to Lorie Davison of Scrapbook Graphics. Thank for stopping by!

Three Muses - Long Ago & Far Away

I went with "long ago" on this one, and a vintage wedding photo from Art-E-Zine. Background and "sprig" by Miss Honey. I love to look at the old photos and wonder where and how their lives played out. Thank you for going back in time with me!

Mixed Media Monday - Mother & Daughter

I decided to do a vintage piece for this challenge. The old book is from Oscraps Charmes, the mother and daughter image from Flickr collage images, the "sprig" and ribbon from Honey Designs. Book title and author are fictional additons by me. Can you imagine ironing one of these dresses with a flat iron heated on the stove, after washing it on a washboard, of course?! Thanks for looking!

Sunday Postcard - Gothic Grunge

The cold, rainy weather we've been having for a week is quite conducive to things dark and mysterious, so this bit of dark "gothicness" came together rather quickly, with the help of the world wide net (and Flickr, of course). Actually, I'd give a mulled cider for a scarecrow in the sunshine!!!

Theme Thursday - Winter

Brrr! I'd rather have autumn first, Indian summer, Thanksgiving, and pumpkin pie!!! But (sigh) I suppose winter IS coming. Background for this piece is one of my own paintings, and I've added the image of the girl from Flickr Collage Images. The frame is from Flickr Frames to Use. Thanks for looking. Keep warm!

Three Muses - Hair

I'm afraid my entry is a bit avant garde. I couldn't seem to come up with something conventional. The background and face are googled and "toodled", and the "hair" is from a mask by Kubivet. Thanks for indulging me!

Mixed Media Monday - Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness

Our entries were to include pink this week, in honor of breast cancer awareness. I thought of the lyric for Melissa Ethridge's song "I Run for Life", and this is the end result. I honor the courage of all the breast cancer survivors out there, and those who are still "running for life".

Sunday Postcard - Blackbird

I've always liked the photo of the blackbirds on the fence, gathered as if for a committee meeting. So, when I saw this challenge, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.....and I wanted the "late dude" to be a vision of sartorial splendor! This was great fun. Thanks for the challenge!

SatWo - 9 er ATCs

WOW! This is a challenge to end all challenges! My piece of art is urban mania, based on the style of the artist Romere Bearden. It divided rather well into separate ATCs. It was fun to try to get this on the page!

A BLOG RANT

For the most part, I use my blog for posting the art I create in response to the art challenges I so enjoy. From time to time, however, I feel a need to comment on life as it is today. In the Stone Age (when I was a child), the grocer in our little town had shelves stocked with rural necessities from soda crackers to bag balm. It was a folksy little place where the local farmers gathered to visit a bit before heading home from their errands, and the kids could get a towering ice cream cone for a dime. I was thinking of it this week when I was bumbling about in my ex-favorite grocery trying to find the items on my list. The store is being converted from a medium-sized, easy accessible store to one of those mega-stores where I need a golf cart to get from produce to paper products. Nothing is where it used to be, and the layout, I'm convinced, has been planned by a demented chimp on speed. In the good old days, a pound of coffee weighed 16 ounces, and picking up a box of crackers was a simple thing. Now it gives me a horrendous headache. Do I want regular, salt-free or low salt? Extra crispy or regular? Cheddar, ranch or barbeque? Baked or traditional. Low fat or no fat? It's enough to leave hapless shoppers in a corner in the fetal position, whimpering quietly. My friends and I are in our senior years. We wear out quickly. We have decided to lobby for a first aid station somewhere mid-store!

Art Creations - 10-9

This week's lovely image at Art Creations Friday was a pleasure to work with. I chose elements from Manuela Zimmerman at Scrapbook Graphics. Thank you for looking.

TGIF - Rain

The challenge this week at TGIF is "Rain",--a timely challenge since it is raining in my world and flood warnings are posted!! Street scene is a stock photo (by evobrained), little girl is from Kubivet, rainy window is also a stock photo, the window is Jen U Designs, and the bird is from Karen's Whimsy. Need I say it's a digital collage?! Thanks for the challenge. It was fun to put it all together.