WASH ON MY MIND?....or Washington...

When I finished the top collage of the big eyed girl....it was the night they were counting votes for the Health Care thing.....and then I was trying to figure out how to make her head bigger because it was too small, so on my art table were some map pages I had used in another collage and the colors were right ...and lo and behold "Washington" was the city with all those roads leading into and out of it....ha....I had to use it....and with the "Not so sure" look on her face....plus the advice of scripture...it became my FIRST "political" scripture piece...I just thought it was fun and so I called it "WASH....or Washington on My Mind". It also has that "Chintz" look....as well as the Mockingbird piece, from a Mockingbird in my peach tree a few weeks ago.....using designs from my old feed sack stash on both of them. The last piece is probably my favorite....it is the little feed sack dress my Mother made me when I was near a year old.....with the three little heart buttons on the back and her lovingly hand embroidered flowers on the front....the border is from from a piece of fabric that is in one of her scrap quilts and the frame is from 100 year old wood from a house made into a frame....it is big....this piece feels like my Mom's arms are around me! I especially needed that recently after a visit with my brother. This year I did art in too much of a rush....and I think it shows....but never the less there is at least some new things in the gallery, plus some individual zinnia paintings, and a baseball boy and girl on cardboard....but not time right now to get pictures....I had absolutely precious women yesterday and today...God really sends me his most precious girls.....we had fun and my heart is fuller!! Tomorrow, Sunday, I'm closed and going on a "date" with my husband to see the Blue Angels! A day of real rest ...no business......I hope....just give me a chair and a diet Dr. Pepper.....and my hat for the sunshine....(and maybe some ear plugs) I'm good for the day.....ENJOY!....and big BLESSINGS!

COWBOY CHINTZ...LOOK?

The original (unfinished above) is on wood ....the prints are below...this was a fun, fun piece.... 12x16 ...my favorite...it is a little brighter in person... 11x17 These were done last month, Tallow Berries....originals are 8x8...the prints come with or without the antique German script on front...Mixed media on canvas. Here is one of the new pieces on top...and prints from it...I finished for the Antiques Shows in Round Top/Warrenton Texas....our famous twice a year l o n g show.....in the barns, the fields, tents galore, and front yards....from 77 people in town to 20,000 people....two weeks of pure junkin!!! WOO-HOO!! RAIN-SLEET-OR SNOW...nothing stops them from coming and having fun.... Anyway, I'm as ready as I can get..... with three more canvases to finish....maybe I'll make it!! I have prints of this one and the Rabbit below....11x14 and 12x16's....they are 26.00 each and the rabbit comes in an 8x10 too for 18.00. This one has zinnias around the outer edge ...all from my yard....the swirls are cut out from old Bible pages, a mixed media piece with vintage and new pieces...collage with painting on top of most....I thought it looked slightly WESTERN...pretty colorful!! Many people collect Chintz dishes with all the floral patterns and I love them mixed....so I had a "Chintz" kind of thing going....even with the next ones I'll post next week.....BLESSINGS and ENJOY!!

A GOOD WORD...LISTEN...

She is finished....unless I decide to add more....! Great Uncle bub Carpenter, he sure looks like my son!! sorry Bub, but you are a rabbit now...for a season! My old mohair rabbit.... Cleaned up sheet music cover..."For He Is Risen" is taken from the word "PIANOFORTE" and then placed in the little banner shape at bottom and then shaped for the rabbit to hold as a banner.... Old German script...anyone translate? My Mom's glass bead flowers...added one by one to the rabbits head for an Easter bonnet... After writing about following my heart a few posts ago.....and listing this work on the ning Gut Art group....we had to pick a WORD for the March challenge.....and I had already picked the WORD for 2010....as "LISTEN". I didn't pick it because I'm sooo good at it....I picked it because I'm NOT sooo good at it! But part of the main reason I picked it was almost like a wish or request.... and it is that I WANT to LISTEN to God speaking more....truly listen and LISTEN with my heart. Whether it is in art or personal life or just in my surroundings...... I want to stop my brain from "thinking" constantly.....rest my brain and just "LISTEN" ..... on these TWO pieces (one this week and the next, next week).... I listened to my heart. Easter is near and there is a lot of focus on rabbits dressed up and baskets of pretty eggs and jelly beans and pastel spring colors. Who can resist such pretties! But I kept hearing the Truth of what Easter or Ressurection Day really means.... so I made an "Easter Rabbit with a Message"...of the true meaning of Easter and why we celebrate such a glorious time. Many people ask me for pictures or vintage rabbit prints..... I do have some, but never an ART piece that is new from me to you....so here she is! The process....was totally digital..... it is an ART form, you know. It takes hours, it is all about picking the elements, what tones or colors, where to add elements, about balance and composition ....it IS painting...."DIGITALLY". My first that was purposed as a painting ... all from my heart and head. First I started with an antique photo of Great Uncle Bub....then my antique rabbit's head....then the cover of a music sheet from my Mom from 1892, then some antique hand written script from an antique Bible from Round Top that had several beautifully written scripture pages in German....then the little glass beads my Mom collected from years past...added them one by one in layers until it all came together....as one ART Creation....from my heart....for you. So ENJOY this one.....next week I'll have the finished "LISTENED TO MY HEART PIECE".....with LOTS OF COLOR!! It is my favorite....stay tuned! Blessings!!

NEXT WEEK...ART!!

I AM working on some pieces of art....so stay tuned!!

I LOVE RED ... and COWS!

It is one week before our people come to our Bed and Breakfast to begin selling at the Round Top Antiques Fair ....two whole weeks of it!! So I will post a a few quick fun things before I get too busy. First is ... yes... I like ...LOVE .... red! And two RED treasures I found this week are posted here. The first is the RED BANDANA BUCKETS, which I will use for our big 4th of July Celebration, I found them on Saturday at the Jersey Barnyard's Gift Shop, an absolutely precious place to take children and big kids too!! Here is their website .... www.texasjersey.com....if you want to experience a heart warming effort to show real country life with dairy cows, goats, chickens, rabbits...feed the baby calves and experience the real life on a farm...even a hay ride to the dairy ... yes a dairy where they get your milk to be exact! And you get to meet "Belle"... the famous Bluebelle Ice Cream Cow you have seen on commercials. It is worth it I promise!! ... and as we were leaving ...the gals were going to do all the feeding!! The next RED thing that I found is the little feed sack dress my own precious Mother hand made for me when I was about 1 year old or less, now I'm 63! I have cherished it for so long and want to frame it some way . Do you see that she hand embroidered little flowers on the front (she taught me to embroider and sew) and then she even picked two little heart shape buttons for the back. As I look at these pictures I imagined her sewing them on and it is still the same thread she used. I just wanted to share my red things for the week! Then I am posting some pictures of our Grand daughter feeding the animals at the Jersey Barnyard .... I won't show it all...you need to go there... it was a perfect day!!! Spring is here!! We live in such a blessed nation and I hope you will all take it in and appreciate all the hard work of our ancestors ..... that made it what it still is to this day. Don't miss our rich heritage, cherish your freedom and share it with others ..... God's Rich Blessings to you all! Happy Spring!!! ....I told you ... the Pioneer Woman has done something to me.....takes me back to the good times.

A NEW BANNER!!!

I took pictures today of my clean and Spring looking porch....I bought a bunch of flowers...(Gerberas and geraniums)....just couldn't wait for Spring....and the "Banner" above is one I manipulated for a new look for the blog ... the birdhouse is one I put a bunch of buttons on ...so it came out really colorful! My back porch is ready for some morning coffee time...and today I sat out there with my camera and coffee and a small grey bird with a pointed little feather hat (like a Cardinal but smaller) came and roosted right on my foot up on the railing and chirped and chirped!!! I was so surprised and delighted....it was like God saying ...."Yes, your porch is the place where you come to Me often...and therefore here is a special blessing!" This photo art above I manipulated for one of my new Cards (5x7) in the shop...is the same one but slightly different...have a BLESSED WEEK!! OH!....the painting I was talking about earlier is still waiting on my easel....it is not working out....yet!

Freedom From The Fear Of Man....check it out!

This is what I heard from a speaker J R Vassar...at the "Village" in Flower Mound, Texas ....(look for Sermons- JR Vassar on 2-28-10 and listen to what he says and don't stop because the last half is the treasure!!) I heard this the following week after I wrote the post below.....do you think I was supposed to hear that?! YES.....and it followed along with what I was trying to say below....I scared a few people with the post below and I didn't mean to.....it was written in total sincerity trying to become more authentic and free in who the Lord.... who made me and what He really wants me to do!.....and to be sure I'm not fooling myself.....and yes, lookin' for love....Jesus' love!! Watch for the next chapter....ha.