Monday, September 29, 2014

David Niven Went Around the World in 80 Days...

However, I couldn't get an "Around the World" Blog Hop

posted on the correct date...(Oops...) ~

A few weeks ago, my sweet friend Debbie asked me if I would like

 to participate in an "Around the World Blog Hop",

 and I said "Of course!"... 

 Debbie told me the basics and I got it in my head..."Okay".

 I thought that my posting day was today.

It was not.

 It was last Monday... ("Oh, noooo.....")

 Well, I am going ahead with my post, anyway... 

 My apologies to Debbie and the other three ladies with whom I was to be posting;

 please visit them and their lovely blogs if possible! 

 They are:


Debbie is a wonderful, multi-talented lady (no, I'm not partial...)

She truly is...

and her blog is always an inspiration!

~

Wendy ~ A talented artist living in Australia ~


~

Carol ~ An amazing Maine photographer and artist ~


~

And Celia, a fabulous watercolor artist in Rome, Italy.


Again, my apologies, Ladies. 'Best laid plans', and all. 

~

Here goes mine!



Question: "What inspires you?"

Everything inspires me....honestly...everything.

Furbabies.

Art materials. (A LOT.)

~
 photo bh22_zpsf5054e8f.jpg
~
 photo bh28_zps80089205.jpg
~
 photo bh30_zps10ac7e30.jpg
~

(I have drawn, and DRAWN, since I was little...)


 photo bh2_zpsf6e5d86c.jpg
~
 photo bh3_zps65da1ba3.jpg
~

Flowers, china...

~
 photo bh1_zpsc7902edd.jpg
~

Nature inspires me, always.

~
 photo bh16-1_zpse35d9b2d.jpg
~

 "Man-made", though, as well ...vintage...

~
 photo bh8_zpsa4c15c50.jpg
~
 photo bh18_zps0c203367.jpg
~
 photo bh5_zpsc9250cd8.jpg
~

Historic places...

~
 photo bh26_zps170bdb84.jpg
~

Heirlooms...

(More color and texture, of course...)

~
 photo bh20_zpsf39dae0c.jpg
~

Other cultures...

I have had a fascination with Dia de los Muertos for a while now!

(My pumpkin from last year, here...)

~
 photo bh21_zps6564e832.jpg
~
 photo bh7_zps7d0d3898.jpg
~

I love the tactile properties of clay...

since I don't have a kiln (but hope to someday)

I currently work with polymer clay,

gleaning design ideas from nature...

~
 photo bh23_zps9365c540.jpg
~
 photo bh17_zps22422c13.jpg
~

And then I add "nature" to the polymer clay...

(or is that the other way around?) ~

Here, in the form of "Fairy Houses"

Dried gourds with pine-cone-scale roofs...

~
 photo bh10_zps08b891b0.jpg
~

Sometimes, the gourds alone are the canvases...

~
 photo bh19_zps9e820f29.jpg
~
 photo bh13_zpsee1bab88.jpg
~
 photo bh9_zpsdb8ed334.jpg
~
 photo bh15_zps6fdb1b4a.jpg
~

Sometimes the Fur-Baby-Inspired whimsy finds its way

into tiny baseball-card-sized art...

~
 photo bh24_zps5b4107d7.jpg
~

And other times, Nature finds its way onto BIG sheets

of watercolor paper...

~
 photo bh25_zpse43be48c.jpg
~

Here, I combined watercolor with vintage sheet music in

"Southern Symphony"...

~
 photo bh27_zpsa856e8b2.jpg
~

And then, "Tea With the Earl" is watercolor alone...

(with vintage-heirloom subject matter...)

So, it's all connected... one subject inspires another;

one medium inspires "new takes" in another direction...

~

The other questions were "Why do I paint...or sculpt...or whatever?"

(Because I MUST!)

And, "What is my process?"

Well, that varies a LOT, as I work in so many different mediums,

but the most difficult part, I have found, is just starting...

As my Daddy once told me,

"The hardest thing about digging a ditch is picking up the shovel."

True...

I have found that blogging, and sharing what I'm doing...

(yes, the "encouraging words" are most appreciated, too)... but usually just

putting it out there

is enough to get me going...inspires me...helps me pick up my

mental "shovel", if you will.

~

Before I close, I also want to acknowledge Barbara,

(Barbara Lilian in France) who originally

invited Debbie to the blog hop!

Thank you, Barbara!

I enjoyed participating very much, even though I was

"late to the party"...

Thank you all for visiting!

Have a wonderful week, all!

Love,

Photobucket

Friday, September 26, 2014

Back Down the Rabbit Hole.... :)

Good Friday Evening!

Hope everyone is well!

I wanted to share a few things...

~
 photo 13_zpsd26ffab2.jpg
~

Last week I got a sweet surprise...

My friend in Tennessee sent me a little "Alice" inspiration...

The prettiest cookies ever!

They are from the lovely Tiffany at Stone House Oven...

(click on the name to be magically transported to her Etsy shop)!

~
 photo 14_zps32f60327.jpg
~

"Nooooo, Leo!!"

It's okay, though, he only wanted to lick the plastic...

silly boy!

~
 photo 15_zpsb8ae6891.jpg
~

Aren't they pretty?

And such a lovely presentation!

(And they tasted as good as they looked...a rich, buttery shortbread...Ummm...

Thank you!)

~
 photo 16_zps39cd2578.jpg
~

I couldn't resist taking pictures!

~
 photo 17_zpsf177c262.jpg
~

Look how well this color matches Grandma Launius's

pretty iridescent tea cup!

She would love it.

~

So now, I have to shamelessly show you my finished Alice-themed gourds...

~
 photo 1_zps65e984d3.jpg
~
 photo 2_zps47357c6f.jpg
~
 photo 3_zps1ea22d26.jpg
~
 photo 4_zpsf4d5af97.jpg
~
 photo 5_zps262c025c.jpg
~
 photo 8_zpsb53d3be6.jpg
~
 photo 9_zps4cd34c44.jpg
~
 photo 10_zps0715bea5.jpg
~
 photo 11_zps0a14a2dd.jpg
~

I had such fun with these!

More Alice to come, too. 

~
 photo 12_zps1291a174.jpg
~

Another in the works...the White Queen.

~
 photo 6_zps8c526589.jpg
~
 photo 7_zpse37a06c0.jpg
~

And, it's that time in Sikeston, Missouri again...cotton harvest!

The Cotton Carnival is going full-tilt right now.

A fall tradition... no little ones to take on the Merry-Go-Round

now, though... kind of sad.

We could go out just to have "fair food", but will probably pass. ;)


~
 photo 19_zps19b9d283.jpg
~

My little garden path...

I'm reminded that although the garden in general is winding down,

there are several plants that are relishing the cooler temperatures...

The coleus, lemon balm and petunias are loving it!

I'm just letting them grow wild right now...


~
 photo 34_zps85611d12.jpg
~

This is my "Fairy House" setting in the vintage kettle!

Lush Chocolate Mint, Lemon Balm, Rosemary, Ferns, and Lotus Vine...

~
 photo 32_zps3a82130b.jpg
~

The Moonflowers are still going strong...like some alien species!

The stems are the diameter of wooden pencils...or larger...

and they can trip you! ~

I wish they actually had fragrance, but they provided a great shelter

for the Turtle Doves...

~
 photo 22_zps77611813.jpg
~

The gourd vines...

~
 photo 21_zpsccaf02fe.jpg
~

Tiny gourds all over!

~
 photo 18_zpsbc1c4966.jpg
~
 photo 20_zpsd16ba8b1.jpg
~

So cute!!

~
 photo 24_zpsb9e1d486.jpg
~

When the stem starts to dry,

the maximum size has been reached;

the gourds will over-winter outside and slowly cure...

to become next year's art projects.

~
 photo 23_zps76b7e88f.jpg
~

This is a Swamp Milkweed Beetle...

doesn't his pattern remind you of a Rorschach test??

~
 photo 28-1_zps48fc24dc.jpg
~

I guess I can share with the Cucumber Beetles...

~
 photo 33_zps7f6b37aa.jpg
~

"Table for one?"

~
 photo 27_zps79189080.jpg
~

"Hello, Skipper!"

~
 photo 29_zpsd943f3d3.jpg
~

I've gone all these years and didn't know (until recently) that these little fellows...

"Skippers"... are a separate insect family...

not quite a butterfly, not quite a moth!

~
 photo 30_zpsc8362a9f.jpg
~

Yes, he is a "stink bug"...

(He prefers the name "Shield Bug".)

Can't you just see him on the bow of a ship?

~
 photo 6a00d83451d99869e201b7c6e19010970b-400wi_zps0b4f033f.jpg
~

Before I forget...

the annual Halloween Party hosted by Vanessa at

A Fanciful Twist will be on October 25th... and you're all invited!

~
 photo 25_zps69f8837a.jpg
~

That's all for now!

Leo says "Happy Weekend"!

Love,

Photobucket