Monday, March 12, 2012

Time to own up

If I seem to have disappeared from blogland, it is only because I have fallen into another painting jag. This seems to happen to me about every 18 months or so. I just feel the need to get out of crafty and into some fine art. I haven't been sewing, quilting, making dolls, doing any type of needlework, or anything. But I have been painting and drawing, rediscovering a lot of my old art supplies, and discovering a LOT of new ones!
Last time this happened I created this:



And this:
And way back I was creating things like this:
And now I am doing both; exploring mixed media, and drawing portraits. 
And also art journaling, zentangling,  lettering, and just plain painting!


So that is where I've been! Happily creating art!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Zentangle Easter eggs and long time gone

Hey everybody!!
Check out these awesome Easter eggs I made for TDIPT Mercantile this month!

I know I have been really absent this month, but what a month its been! My family was hit with a horrible virus that we all passed around to each other, and now I think I have it again for the 2nd time! I have been in the doctors office literally every week either for myself or someone in the family for the last 4 weeks.
 
Then on top of that my oldest son got really sick at college, throwing up for about 12 hours. We went and picked him up, thinking it was a bad flu or something, but he never stopped throwing up all night and the next morning. I ended up taking him to the emergency room and he ended up in the hospital for almost a week!
He threw up for 4 days straight! Nothing that gave him for the nauseau worked. He went through numerous tests that were mostly inconclusive. Finally he got better and they released him. He went back to school without a definitive answer as to what was wrong. When all the test results came back, it looks like it is his gallbladder, and he has some follow up consultations.
 
So whew! 
Not a lot of art getting done!
 
But, I did do a LOT of art journaling 
while sitting around the hospital and that was GOOD!
So hopefully I will be able to get back in the swing of things! Hope you all had a much better month!
LOL!

xx
~Annie

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Sneak peek for TDIPT Mercantile tonight!

This is Rose. 
I have worked very hard on her for over a month, 
but I think now she is ready to make her debut!
She is 16 1/2 inches and adapted from a pattern by Deanne Hogan. 
It will be hard to part with her.
She goes up for adoption tonight at 

Thanks for looking!
xx
~Annie


Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Studio clean out

I read a post on my friend Dixie's blog about cleaning out your studio in the new year. This really struck a cord with me  because I have been living with a less than perfect studio condition for the last 2 years.
For a number of years I had an entire room to myself for my studio. Then child number 4 came along, and though we kept her in a crib in our room to begin with, eventually she got too big and needed a room of her own. So I gave up half of my studio. It was awkward, working in a little girls bedroom. I began to be afraid to use oil paints because of the fumes and things like that.
But alas, the oldest daughter moved out of the house to get her own apartment, and the little one was able to move into her own room and I had a wonderful room all to myself again. 
But I never fixed it up as a studio the way I wanted to, maybe because subconsciously,I dont know... I knew she would be back. LOL!And she was...
SO...
I gave up the studio while the oldest daughter moved back in and enrolled in the local junior college. Now I have a studio corner in my bedroom.
It sucks.
But there is a happy ending to this story.
My oldest daughter got engaged(re-engaged actually) on Thanksgiving. It was very sweet, her fiance' proposed to her in front of the whole family at Thanksgiving dinner. And we have a date,  September 21,2012!
Yay! We are all very happy about this, and inside I am also beaming because
I will be getting my studio back!
Hurray!
So that is why Dixie's proposal about cleaning out the studio really appealed to me.Most of my art supplies are in boxes in the basement, buried and hard to get to. So for me, cleaning out the studio also will include the stash of stuff down there. But for this month I began with my small work area.

And it did make a difference. I didn't find anything that was a surprise, but it was great to just see the top of my work table again.
However, there are still piles.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Alice

I am making an Alice in Wonderland doll this week.

Why is her head so round? I don't know.
She needs some hair, I agree. 
But alas, She is oil painted and will take forever to dry.
I even used an alkyd white-mixed with just about everything.
That does speed up the drying time, but only a little.
Ah! I do love oils!