It is CHRISTMAS today!!

Dick stacked my mail on the place he always puts it for me to go through....and so.... groggy and with my fresh cup of coffee, I sat down to see what trash mail or bills I would have....and to my delight and surprise.....I GOT A PRESENT!!!....a wonderfully cheerful (and hand painted I might add)......card from PJ the Arteest....as she calls us! Check her wonderful and fun blog! She is one of the people who pushes me to produce and use my gifts.....what a friend to have! THANK YOU PJ....sincerely, from my heart...thank you! I am NO LONGER groggy....your card was a morning shot in the arm!!....better than coffee! Shouldn't we celebrate Christmas everyday!?....I mean what it really is...the ultimate gift of love and sacrifice.

DON'T THROW THAT AWAY !!

DON'T THROW THAT AWAY!!......I hear an echo...... Ok, girls....after following artsy blogs and discovering the value of that little junk.....I'm NOT going to throw it all out....again! It's hopeless, I'll never get Dick's garage clean!! It has my kid's toys and junk, who are now in their late thirties, it has Dick's Mom's stuff, My Mom and Dad's stuff, kid's college stuff, my old store's stuff, Dick's stuff and all the other stuff!! Can I make that many altered books to get rid of it all? You think!? Well, I can't wait to try......so here is a little bit of my stuff, to start with.....not the vase, but the other stuff....and the glass stopper...I think that will make a wonderful circular stamp....for my book or art....this is a drop in the bucket! The butterflies are from the seventies or sixties.....the leaf is actually from Bath and Body works...is that antique yet? I welcome any ideas.....the little Dr Pepper menu holders are two cute...I have two and they are about 3x4.5 inches tall.... The other photo is of the frame I painted. I stamped a heart shape (from a potato)....just for the frame of this Heart Tree Print with the scripture from Psalms.....written along the tree's limbs.....the potato worked but was dried up the next day....so those stamped hearts are a one of a kind! Enjoy, enjoy your week!

AN EXPERIMENT...

AN EXPERIMENT with frames... Here are a few more I framed for the show....I experimented with the frames on the photo-art zinnias.....my art or photos printed on vellum then decoupaged..?... on the rough frames....not sure I will do it again...but interesting. I had a blessed day with three visits from friends....all about ART and the Lord.....how encouraged to be who He made us.... Artists....of all sorts.....to express ourselves, what we love and to play with color, fabric and buttons and glue!.....kinda like playing in the mud, making mud pies....remember how much fun that was? Dixie brought her fabulous purses....to sell(she gave me one!!)....here at the GreenPeck Gallery......PJ will be at the Folk Art Tent and Paritosho will have her contemporary art at the Coppershade Tree.....Our shows start here in Round Top tomorrow....so I will be absent for about a week....BUT then watch for some fun photos after the long week!!! AND THANK YOU to those who ordered the Healing Heart Tree print...(Early Sept Blog)...I hope it blesses you...it was a joy to do....like Barbara said...."the words are priceless". Forgot to mention....the Flag print was done 2001 in honor of those lost on 9-11...the scripture on it is a still popular one for our nation.

OH MY.....

The older I get the brighter I get....I don't mean brain wise....I mean color wise! I must finish my new ones...I must, I must, I must!!! OK, OK, ..... the gypsie dress got a little wild when I embellished it with buttons, pastels, and BRIGHTER colors....and then the Frame!!!! It's the gypsie side of me....I think.....but I'm not ashamed.....there is also a scripture that says...."I'm not ashamed of the Good News of Christ......" etc.....well, there you go!!

MY FEET HURT !

MY FEET HURT..... I spent two days painting frames with prints that I am out of in the Gallery for the upcoming Round Top Shows....every October and April.....for as long as I've lived here...35 YRS!! The only difference is back then it was just one show.....Emma Lee Turney's down at the local Rifleman's Hall.....now it encompasses at least a thirty mile radius of little towns, fields, barn sales, garage sales and yard sales....and BIG TENTS with FABULOUS stuff....our population is 77 here in Round Top, Tx...during the year...and 20,000 plus during those shows.....soooo....NO WONDER MY FEET HURT ! I don't know why I do it all at the last minute....so here is some of the art I've done (Prints) and some new Original pieces...then I have five originals unfinished....... that I have prepared for the show....these are just a few....ENJOY ! ....I sure could use a foot rub.....or a soaking ......or something.....maybe new shoes.....maybe "Crocs"....no, I don't own stock in Crocs!

PULLED WEEDS TODAY..

I did paint today...so relaxing and it takes me away from all the other work ....but then I love to walk out and check my two baby chickens and mama's eggs to be sure another snake hasn't come to eat them. Then I have to go see how many flowers I have left in the garden. I'm known for my wild zinnias....I pull all the dry heads of seeds and drop them back in the flower beds.....and every spring I get tons of tall old fashioned zinnias....thus a lot of art with them ! Four years ago I had a zinnia plant that forgot it was supposed to put on petals!! I mean it would make this wonderful big head with little curly hairs....and never any petals....not one flower on that particular plant with petals! It was gone the next year, and did not show up anywhere...... but the last two years I have spotted another such plant in a different place, across the grass in another flower bed. I absolutely love them....NOT perfect at all....I'm into imperfect! And how wonderful that God could use all those IMPERFECT people in the Bible....maybe he's trying to tell us something....I love my bald zinnia.....I look for it every year......I have a photo....somewhere!!

DAY OF REST....

Today was truly a day of rest....I just curled up on the sofa and read books and blogs! Now I need to paint something! I didn't realize how many talented and creative people were out there doing this stuff! The WORLD is getting more creative....today I traveled from Texas to New York via Florida, Oklahoma, California, Canada and all the way to Hungary!! I'm TIRED, but inspired.....so now to get some hot tea or coffee. I have a list of GOOD blogs to add, but ....tomorrow. Yawn...

GET READY FOR FUN!

The air is cool in the mornings and evenings and it feels ever so slightly like FALL....that means the shoppers are coming to the wonderful "THING" in Round Top! I'm saving my pennies to go do some hunting and shopping myself....plus I'm selling some stuff....we'll hope the cool air stays around for a few weeks....I even have leaves falling which makes it feel like AUTUMN is here!....Is that wishful thinking? OK, prayerful thinking!

Mom Sewed My Dresses

A friend and I went shopping for Art Books and Magazines this week ...we needed to flee the country side to the city and get some inspiration! It always works! After pouring through the magazines on journaling ...I don't know exactly why, but I drew this little dress called "My Favorite Gypsie Dress"...it is not like the one I had that I loved to twirl in, but I like this one better....kind of a "taylored" flair...!? Anyway, I just wrote on it what I felt ....and that was cherished memories of my Mother who sewed all my clothes...I still have a few of the baby dresses. Drawing and painting them is even more fun, because they always turn out good and the fit doesn't matter....just the fun imagined wearing it. I lived in Leon, Spain as a child for three years.....with no other Americans there that we knew of...and little girls didn't even think of wearing slacks or pants outfits yet! I even rode a donkey with a dress on...at least when no one was watching...otherwise I would put on those corduroy peddle pushers that Mother ordered from Sears and Roebuck...they were black and white leopard with red cuffs!...and that was in 1957 ! I had two pair and my little Spanish friend Maria Luisa, would sneak them on when she stayed over at my house and we would ride the donkey in the back field. She was from a wealthy family...and we would watch the limousine go down the road disappearing with her Chauffeur and "mean" Governess in the car...her parents allowing her to come to our house for a little taste of Texan Americans. What great memories and how a piece of clothing can refresh old memories. Thanks Mom and Dad for a cherished childhood in Spain!! I miss you both...

HOME..HEART...

My guests left to go HOME to see what damage they had in the storm of the hurricane last week....they had good reports and felt blessed..they were thankful...! When they were here they were on the phone constantly checking on "ONE ANOTHER"....I saw the value and genuine love they had for their friends and family....it was good for my soul to see. In the week that Norma (and precious Michael, 10 yrs) were here in my HOME...we talked many nights until LATE...and I hope the words she shared will be imprinted in my heart...all the things about people and the Lord who came to give us an abundant life...even in and through hardship...He is able. Imagine!! She came seeking refuge and a place of comfort of heart....which we provided....but it ended up that SHE in her Godly Wisdom ministered to me....to us!! The Lord has unexpected surprises...many times exactly what you need! Thank You Jesus!...thank you Norma! Comeback to see us!! This is a drawing of an old house that I did for a friend....still standing after many years...worn, faded, foundation slightly shifted, but still has the wild and beautiful red rose bush in front to still give it some deserved honor and reminded beauty of not only it's face but cherished memories of it's heart. Hope we will begin to create cherished memories in our homes...no matter the past hurts...which can be turned into good to grow us into what He desires....a mature heart, a more receptive heart, a more listening heart, a more patient heart, a renewed heart...a heart that hears others hurts and hears His Word....that which He wrote for us to give us HOPE when there seems to be none. I hope I haven't gone overboard, but this past week was RICH with conversations I hope I glean from!! I know many of you have prayed for all the people affected by "IKE"....thank you!

I Like Ike..NOT!!

When I was a kid I remember the campaign button for Eisenhower....it said "I like Ike"....but the Ike that came to visit us in Texas wasn't running for President. We had a couple of really nice families stay with us until the storm was over....they were fortunate but others were not.... When we moved to Texas our farm had a lot of trees that grew at a 45 degree angle....all pointing in the same direction....finally the locals said Hurricane "Carla"...1961?....was responsible for the damage this far up into Texas! Anyway I found this photo of the sunset over my garden shed that I manipulated on photo shop to look like a painting...with the most beautiful cloud formation I had ever seen! I have loved my camera capturing God's obvious creation!....found this in Isaiah 4:6..."And there will be a tabernacle (represents God's protection) for shade in the day time from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from the storm and rain."

The Healing Heart Tree...

...a little friend called today...her Mother has cancer and is losing her eyesight....we are like little baby birds with our mouths wide open for the Lord's feeding...especially when we are hurting. This is a piece I did in June...it wasn't planned....those are the most gratifying ones to draw and paint...it has healing scriptures for the heart from the Psalms...hope it blesses you. Click on art to view it larger...it is a copyrighted print available at sherry@greenpeck.com

Snake Be Gone!

I finally got rid of that big chicken snake!!! It was a little cruel, but my baby chicks were going to be the third dinner course after all the eggs that snake swallowed....so I had to do what I had to do...we won't go into detail.....anyway, the girls are happy again sitting on some freshly laid eggs...and the two baby chicks are happy scratching in the mud. It's scarey what we'll do to protect our chickens!!! Us "city cousins" would visit our Grandparents farm in the summer.....and we thought it was great fun to gather all the eggs in the hay barn....blow out the egg and then throw them at our uncles when they would pass by to start the milking.....boy were we surprised when we were marched to Grandma with a lecture about eggs being valuable food! I guess we learned our lesson!! Now I kill snakes that try to get my eggs! Better watch out!

Peach Blossoms...

...I don't get good peaches, but I can always count on beautiful blossoms. I love my yard, even in the drought I had some flowers to photograph. I manipulate my photos in photoshop to make them look like paintings for my 5x7 greeting cards printed on vellum...you can see them at the GreenPeck Gallery in Round Top, Tx...my hangout!!