It's Spring, I Think

Yes, the calendar says spring but we got snow yesterday and I lit a fire in the fireplace. Working on some new habits and I'm doing okay. As long as I don't beat myself up for not being perfect. Starting new habits is hard. It's not so much as how many days you do them to get them established but how consistent you are in doing them. I've fallen off the boat a couple of times. I told myself to cut me some slack seeing that I only started Tuesday. This is what I've been up to.

I finished the faces of these two dolls. It's a little different from what I have been painting.

And I started some gourd heads. Never too early to think Halloween. I drew some sketches of gourds and pumpkins last year and added facial features. We'll see what happens.

When I make myself sit down and work with the clay, how it feels, how much water to use, where to put eyes, it feels really good. So I tell myself to do it more, keep doing it. It's so different from cloth. But this is where my creativity is screaming to go next. I'm hanging in there.

It's Spring!

Yep, I think it's finally here. Had the first huge spring storm early this morning. Woke me up. Thunder, lightning, heavy rains, and high winds. Had my window open for a bit and boy did it smell good. Fresh. But then I had to close the window because it was doing a slanting rain thing and I didn't want a sopping wet windowsill. It's overcast this morning but that's okay because it's spring. When I left the other job last night, I couldn't believe I was walking out without a coat on. So here is a pic of the tree in the backyard. I think I will document it through the four seasons. Spring.

I'll be working on some dolls today. That show in October will get here very fast. Have a lovely day everyone.

May

It's May. A new month. Going into the second quarter of the year. It's finally spring around here. Things are blooming and turning green. The birdsong is quite different and I'm enjoying the frog and toad orchestra at night. I'm hoping that I can keep my windows open for a bit before they are closed and the AC is turned on.

Lots of things going on. Sent payment for the next doll show and got my hotel room booked, continued to purge my things from my mother's house and found a baby shoe. Can't believe I actually wore this. There's still a lot to do, go through, toss, and pack up if I want to keep it. I'm so grateful that my mother is not emotionally attached to anything. Hoarders is always in the back of my mind. But I can say that I made a dent. On the upper level of the house.

 New dolls on the horizon and other artwork. The Christmas gift list is going well and I'm trying to think of things to do my birthday week. Another big bill will be paid off next month. I got a new top pattern to make me some summer things to wear. At some point I will have to think about my Halloween costume. Yikes!

A friend was at a huge garage sale and picked up this coffin shaped wicker basket and two skeletons. Decorations for this coming Halloween or will I be able to do something new with them? Maybe the basket.

I had planned on catching up on things this week but I got more hours. It's the week before Mother's Day, the second busiest week of the year right behind Christmas week. So we'll see what I can accomplish in the next couple of days.

Hello May

I do hope that spring has finally sprung around here. I don't know about you but everyone is a wee bit cranky and we need more sun. I found a little bit of hope outside.

I've been back in Michigan a little over a year now. I started a new book and now it's time for the next chapter. How am I feeling? Right now, a bit tired after paying bills, house cleaning, putting away food, checking emails, filling out a show application, taking out the trash, and trying to figure out this month in my Bullet Journal. The morning is gone but I do have the afternoon and some of the evening to do something creative.

Do something creative. Yeah... after getting lots of tips from some amazing doll artists, buying some fresh Creative Paper Clay, and printing off a tutorial, I'm ready to start some new dolls. Terrified? Of course, but I just sent in money for a table at a doll show in October so I best to get crackin'. I intend on posting more often too. If the sun is shining where you are, enjoy. I'll see ya in a bit.

Too Fast

This month is going by too fast. One expected even and one not expected and I've been thrown off the creative track. It's very difficult getting back on again. I can't seem to wrap my head around anything heavily involved. Right now I'm having a lot of fun just knitting dish cloths. That isn't helping out my wallet but I can do it and not think about anything else. I've always wanted to learn the seed stitch and now I know how to do it.

I finally found a quilt shop that's close to me. It's been in operation for six years and the owner is very nice. I went through a very old telephone book. Remember those? Yellow Pages? Yeah... half the shops were closed due to lack of business or the owners aging out with no one to take over. I would have to plan a day trip to visit the next closest shops. Thank goodness spring has sprung. Or has it? I started a fire in the fireplace last night. It got chilly again.

I was able to get some fabric for doll bodies and a pretty little print for some upcoming primitive dolls. Stay tuned.

Gonna Figure Things Out

Yep... everyday is a new day and you just don't know what you're going to get. Have to remember not to take things personally because most people I won't see again. I'm talking about the latest job. I did get a walk in this morning. Beautiful sunrise. I'm looking at it as a good way to start a new and good day. And to stop overthinking things.

I really do like the neighborhood I'm in. There are two ponds very close to each other and the past two mornings I was able to see a grey heron. The first time I think we scared each other. Yesterday while I was having lunch, I saw a hawk take a bath in one of the ponds. That was a new one. And a few days ago, a coyote pranced across the backyard. This is the part I like about living in a small town. Nature.

I'm behind on my NaNo but I have the weekend off so I will be catching up. My plan is to edit some old pieces while this new piece is percolating in a drawer somewhere. I've started clearing more things out and downsizing yet again. More things will be going to charity by the end of the year. I've got things set aside for the spring subdivision yard sale next year. Working on changing some things; not waiting until the new year. Have a good day.

A New Day

And a new friend. We have a wham bam storm last night and this morning there was a guest when my friend opened the umbrella on the deck. I'll name him Juno.

I also got busy yesterday. That felt good. I hope I can do it again today. I started my next Redwork project, started editing two short stories, watched some art tutorials on You Tube, got back to sketching because I'm working on a new series or doll, and I talked to a good friend, a fellow doll artist who gave me some tips and hints to get going again. I think that's been the best part of the week, talking to someone who knows what I'm going through. That I'm not alone. I feel energized.

I like how more stabilized the fabric is with the woven interfacing on the back. Less puckering on the front and I can do more stitching on this guy.

Trying to figure out a body for a new doll and possibly some paintings I can make prints of. I don't know if I want her to be a little girl or young lady witch who will have some unusual adventures.

I started working on some facial expressions that may or may not end up on the final character. I've got a few fantasy art books I'm working from. This one is called DragonArt Fantasy Characters by J "NeonDragon" Peffer. I'll do more figure work too in the next few days. Sometimes you have to step back, pause, regroup, and move forward. Have a great day.

#wendyluane #witchdoll #sketches #pencilsketch #characterdevelopment

Saturday Post

Yep, weird week but I made it. Got back to sketching, prepped my next Redwork piece, painted in the sketchbook. Maybe I can fill it up this year. One can hope. And here are some flowers in the yard. Spring has sprung.

I was supposed to do this Krampus around Christmastime but didn't get to him. So here he is, ready for spring. Maybe I should do a series on Mr. Krampus during the off season when he's not harassing bad children. Maybe this is his end of the school year picture. Ha!

I got my fabric prepped for my next Redwork piece. I used a woven interfacing on the back to see if it's a bit more stable to stitch but not be overly heavy to get the needle through. We shall see.

#redwork #krampus #embroidery #woveninterfacing #pellon #dayofthedead

April

It's April. A new month. It's spring. Things are blossoming. The temperatures are still figuring out whether to stay a constant warm or go back to winter. The birdsong outside my window in the morning has changed. Migrating birds have come back. The local farmer's market will start up again for the summer season as well as all sorts of festivals. Part of me wants to blab about all what I want to do. But the other part wants to stay quiet and see if I can do it. I turned the page on my calendar. It's so blank. I use it to write down what I've accomplished, worked on, or finished. It's so blank.

But pretty soon it will start to fill up. I will continue my writing. I won't give up on that. I will continue sketching bears because they are part of a larger project. I will be working on Halloween inventory for an upcoming art/craft show or two. I'm still planning on reopening my Etsy shop. Some things are still up in the air. Others are in planning stages. I lost my focus last month and will work towards getting it back this month. One weird month out of three is okay. It's spring. And it's time for new things. I'm ready for new things. I may have to put my big girl undies on and actually go out and do things on my own. I think I will make a sort of bucket list for my state. Things I want to do and places to go, not necessarily before I die but because I want to and they are around. I've got to come up with another title for that list.

Okay then. April, here I come.

Moving Right Along

At the beginning of the year, I said that I was going to make this my year. The past few years hadn't been great and I'm looking for a change. It's still early on and I will continue to work on it being my year. I'm not a fortune teller and have no idea of what will truly happen but I will work towards something very nice. I deserve that. I have quite a few friends on Facebook who are having an awfully hard time with this year and they want it over already. My hearts and prayers go out to them. It's been a strange year so far. Illnesses, deaths (in family and not), separations and divorces, those losing jobs, having cross country moves... I can't wrap my head around it and I don't know if I should try. Last week was a bump in the road. The change of seasons and the weird weather, the time change, and allergies. Those things kind of knocked me down and the doubts tried to set in. So for three days, I did nothing. I'm grateful that I could do nothing. I watched the spring sunlight change in my apartment. I straightened my apartment and work area. And I got rest. Now my head is clearer and I can move forward.

I've decided that I would not give up on some 'way out there' dreams. Like my trip to Scotland that I've wanted to do for over 30 years. My friend I was planning on taking the adventure with has decided that she can't think about it until her living and job situation changes. I get that. I truly understand. But I thought about it. If I give up my dreams, whether they happen or not, I've given up on a part of me. That dream may be the one thing to keep me going through all the other daily muck that happens. This dream may take several more years to accomplish but it's still there in my heart. The one bright beacon I can focus on. So I will tell her that I will dream for the both of us until she is ready to join in again. I know I will start guarding my time a bit more. Saying no a bit more often. Concentrating on what I want to do and where I want to go with it. I get one chance at this life. I will fight to make the best of it.

Here are my latest sketches of bears. I will do more this week.

Hello March!

Month number three. A quarter of the way through 2016. Are you grabbing it by the horns, hair, tail? Whatever? I tell you, I am working on it. Already, this year is different from last year. A lot different. I've already finished several projects. I will have to take a pic of my done list. A couple of times I had to remember to write down the project on the done list. It does make a difference to see things done. At the end of the year, I don't have to try to remember all the things that I'd finished. It's easier to remember everything that I didn't finish, so that won't happen this year.

Right now, I'm still excited. The fear hasn't totally disappeared but I continue to shove it to the back of mind little mind. One of my big projects is under way. I will be able to show pics, hopefully, in a few weeks. My second big project is to update my wardrobe. I'm not a clothes horse or fashionista but I want a few items that I can wear and feel good about myself. If I wasn't wearing a suit when I worked in an office, or a uniform at some retail place, I wore another uniform of blue/black jeans and a top. A short sleeve tee, a long sleeve tee with a sweater in cold weather. Very plain. Very boring. Not even comfortable anymore. Nothing nice to wear at art openings. I don't want to look like a college art student for the rest of my life. I'm going to go retro. I've seen ladies walk around downtown in retro 50s. They look amazing. I even spoke to them and they told me they dressed like that everyday. I thought that was wonderful. They were confident. You could look at them and just tell. They also knew they looked good. They owned the 'look'. They didn't care about what anyone else thought because they knew who they were. I've also seen a retro 60s couple. That's all they wore. First, I have to find some patterns. Foundation pieces are the key to some looks.

Halloween projects are in design mode. Many will be in either paper clay/mache or polymer clay. Different media for me. I've worked with them before but not on a large scale.

Spring is coming. This year I'm ready for it. Ready to get outside, walk, hike, find some waterfalls, have a bag lunch outside. Yep, winter can hit the road. Well, we really haven't had a winter where I am. That's cool. Time to get this day going. Have a good one.

Garden

Oh yeah! It's spring. And I finally got some plants in the ground. A friend let me use his empty beds and we planted two types of tomatoes, purple cabbage, peppers, cucumbers, and in the small pot on the deck, some herbs.

Tomatoes and cabbage with some marigolds. I love marigolds.

Cucumbers at each end and peppers in the middle. The cukes will be trained to grow away from the peppers.

On the deck we have two types of basil and some oregano. We forgot the thyme. There's room. I had so much fun digging in the dirt. There's something therapeutic about it. And it's Earth Day! Lots of salsa coming.

Getting Back to Me

Spring has shown up and there are storms everywhere. Hibernation is over and oh boy, I am in need of some serious moving around. No more winter foods. Back to grazing good things. And I will be planting some things in a garden very soon. For the past two days, I've gotten a morning walk in. It's been rough. Muscles are mushy, tendons are tight. Right now everything aches but it's a start. I didn't cry when I got on the scale this morning. I do know I have a lot of work to do. It will take time, just like it took time to allow the weight to get on.

My creative mojo is coming back. That feels so good. I know that sometimes things happen one right after the other and you just don't know which way to turn. You want to crawl under a rock and go to sleep. But you take a couple of deep breaths, push the rock off your back, get up and stretch, and get going again. Sometimes you just have to go to that space, you just don't want to stay there. It's a brand new season. Working on a new me. That's okay too. If one thing doesn't work out, move onto something else. Keep going. It's all about the process and the journey. It's taken me awhile to understand that. Enjoy the process. Enjoy each day.

I have several things on my docket for the rest of the month. I've been writing again. Yes, I know, again. I just can't seem to give it up. I'm working on a short story. I want to get the rough draft down this month and polished by the end of June. My birthday month. The next Halloween challenge theme is Monsters in My Room. I have an idea for it and will sketch is today. I did a sketch of a Halloween girl with her cat last night. I'll work on her today too. Lots of binding quilts too. We shall see. It's also nice to have a partner in crime.

Bunner Door Hangers- 12 of 20

I still have time to make things for Easter and I finished these door hangers. Or hangers you can put on your cork board or wherever. They are fully appliqued felt and I think they’re pretty cute. Gotta love those bunners.

Carolina Mountains

Just because.

A Pretty Picture

This is from when we did have sun eleven days ago!

Ornament Swap

I got a pretty cool Easter ornament in a swap I participated in with the ADA (Art Doll Artists) on Facebook. This is my second swap with the group and it's a way for me to collect other artist's work.

This little guy is by Trisha Powell. The next swap is an actual doll and that deadline is in June. And there are two more ornament swaps, one for Halloween and one for Christmas. I'm also thinking about participating in DollStreet Dreamers mermaid doll challenge. Not so much for the prize (which they do offer) but to stretch myself and work on deadlines.

Carla

I just finished Carla for a swap with another artist. Yes, I am behind on making dolls but will get back to them.

A New Month!

Yep, a new one.  Another chance to do something cool, great, sincere, funny, goofy, you name it.  Catch up is the theme for the month.  Right now I'm a little goofy because we've dodged the snow rocket.  But I've got to get going.  Working on finishing dolls to make their way to the Outer Banks and possibly a new shop.

These are the first two of my Seaside Wandi Dolls.  They will have sailor type dresses on and hats.  Yeah, sure.  Okay, I do believe I will pull these guys together in a day and a half.  I ransacked what fabric I have left and would you believe I don't have any white?  White!  Fabric!  A basic color.  I so need to go shopping for everything.  Anyway, I have other Seaside gals in mind.

My chorus line consists of Spring Wandi Dolls ( the two on the left and the far right) and two Valentine Wandi Dolls.  I wasn't going to do anything Valentine like but I had the fabric, so what-the-heck.  The doll with the black legs is going to be a Spring Goth Wandi.  I'm looking for new hair.  What I had been using doesn't want to be found anymore.  It has become my big quest.

I really don't need any new projects but that's what us creative types do, have a couple hundred projects going at the same time.  I do believe I'm in good company.  I've learned how to quilt, only to do applique, which I just love doing.  This is the first block in one of those block-of-the-month quilts.  I know, I know, my mind has been kidnapped by aliens from some distant nebula.  I still can't remember how I got roped into doing this project.  My instructor is very good.  I've changed some of the colors from the original and my teachers project.  That's just me.  I'll see if I can get that pic up too.  I do have my bias strips made for the stems.  The quilt is called Hop To It.  There is a bunny involved.

I will post my list for February within the next couple of days.  At the end, we can see how close I get to marking everything off.  Creative Mojo Man and the Wendy's are falling over laughing.

New Fabric

Okay, so I wanted to start on some spring dollies because I'm tired of the winter weather.  I looked through my stash and I don't have anything.  Nothing.  Zilch.  I had to go to the grocery store and stopped by the fabric store nearby.  Or rather, I went to that grocery store, knowing that the fabric store was nearby.  Right.  I don't know if they haven't gotten their spring stuff in yet, but this is what I fell in love with.

Kind of springy.  The black and purple one is for some Goth Girls.  Didn't really see anything bright and spring or summer like.  Oh well, applique workshop is coming up and will stalk the fat quarter section while there.