Learning...

I love to learn. I like to try and learn something new everyday. I love to learn something about art or photography and to experiment with what I've learned...So fun!
The photo below is not altered, just taken through a glass dome. I like the colors( instagrams) and just the tiny curved camera details. I left a corner of the kitchen table, on purpose, just to show you where I was... Just for fun.
Enjoy.
Marianne :)

Bald Head Rock

This weekend we took a lovely drive over the mountain into SC. We stopped at Bald Head Rock. Sadly I had never seen it before, but I will be returning. It's stunning. This has a bit of drama added to it to make it pop.
Enjoy
Marianne :)

Shelves 5 and 6

Shelves 3, 4 and 5

Top 2 shelves...

With a very bright vintage camera flash...The art to the left is an Encaustic board with my parents wedding photo and a lot of other details. There are close ups of it in an earlier post if you are interested...

Tah-Dahhhh! After photos

It's finished! Four days worth and many hours... Not in a row. Mostly. Three hours on the last day...Anywho, I love how it turned out! Very artsy. And colorful. Very colorful. Lots and lots of books. You may be asking yourself why I have so many books. Several reasons...A-1) I am admittedly a book nut. I might need to go to Book Lovers Anonymous... I was: 1)A Homeschool mom for many years... 2) Had Six kids 3) We used Sonlight Books and they have awesome books and a lot of them in their program. 4) I love Books 5) I love color. My second hand books are often bought according to color. Did I mention that I love books? A few more close ups coming, hopefully that will be in focus... ;)

At this point...

At this point, I'm like-what in the world have I gotten myself into? You can see that I have started to put the books into color coordinated piles... I believe this is the second day...Not kidding...
Continued...

"Inbetween" Project...

Another before project pic. It's a bit bright I know. Also, the shelves did not start out looking this totally unorganized. There were books going all the way across. I had already been taking things off the shelves. But just to give you an idea...I get into perfectionism at this point. It's some thing I've almost given up in my art work ;) But these clean up projects, OH my! I have to vacuum every inch of every book. Six sides on every book. Vacuum every inch of shelves. Wet wipe every inch. Dry every inch...
Continued...
PS. If you are noticing the 4x4 pics to the left, you'll have to look for a future post. (Very near future)...

Bookcase Project - Before

This is the "before" photo (phone pic) of my huge bookshelf redo. It may not look large to you but, oh was it a job! I don't change things very often. I mean, my friends would probably argue with me about that. I do change window displays and tablescapes quite a bit. But before we painted the living room last year, I'd had the same wall paper up for 23 years. Not kidding. I love the color now. It feels so calm when I walk into the room. So fresh. Well it was really time to refresh the bookcase also. I didn't realize what a a project it would be but I am very happy with its outcome...
Continued...

Gift

Today is a gift, yesterday too, tomorrow is uncertain, it's all up to you. But if I have tomorrow and all that may be, of this I am sure, that this is the key: Everything that I have, everyone that I love, every tiny and large thing is all from above...
Thank you
mvw

Vintage Candy

What can I say about this one? Drool...Vintage Eye Candy...
Enjoy
Marianne :)

Vintage Cameras...

I love, love, LOVE vintage cameras! Here is my current ( kitchen) table display. Sliver tray, cameras, pedestal, more vintage cameras :) ,and a glass dome. A camera pic, some altering magic, and there you have it. Vintage camera deliciousness!

Wish...

I miss my Mama...

Though I would not wish her back into a broken and suffering body...Or would I take her from the joys of heaven... I just wish I could take care of her again, just for at least a day or so... I wish I could hold her papery thin, soft and warm hand...I wish I could tell her that I love her... I know she knows. I do. And I feel her in the blessing of getting to be a Mama myself, and an Oma now. That's how I'm passing on her legacy...Her legacy of love... I would say, rest in peace my sweet Mama, but I hope she's not resting...I hope she is dancing and singing with all her might! I hope she is laughing and talking again... Enjoy my sweet Mama!  

Marianne

Sent from my iPad

A little bit of yumminess...

Here is a simple but delicious gluten free snack/ dessert. Glutino has some amazing chocolate-covered- gluten free pretzels. Yum! I love them but do not buy them often because they are dangerous for me if you know what I mean! One of my daughters is not gluten free and I have to fight her for this treat...I have been out of them for way too long and then, I discovered an alternative. A yummy one. Another dangerous thing. Anyway, I saw this dark chocolate cream cheese. From Philadelphia, no less, so it has to be good...Ok, I have to stop right there. Dark. Chocolate. Cream. Cheese. Yes. To all of the previous. THEN, add them together and stick a salty, crunchy pretzel into the mix and you have: heaven. Ok, not heaven BUT, a chocolate-y, salty-creamy-crunchy delight! Deliciousness!
Enjoy!
Marianne :)

Pinterest!

So I'm a little slow in coming to Pinterest...ok, a LOT slow! I mean half the female population has been pinning for, I don't know how long! And what I have been missing! The world will never be the same for me... Being a very visual person that LOVES color, and well, stuff, it's just a load of fun...See you on Pinterset!
Enjoy
Marianne. :)
ps. The photo below is an altered photo of an encaustic piece that I did this year. Lots of color, and my words... :)

Pretty in (mostly) pink...

Just adding a few of my loves together...flowers, especially hydrangeas and cone flowers, (though i will probably have a new favorite this year), drawing, creating one of my Curlie Girls, photography and altering my photographs...
Enjoy...
Marianne :)

Photo Fun with "Little Owl"...

I'm having way too much fun photographing my new (and only) grand son this week... My mind can not stay still with all the creative and crazy ideas that are popping through it! I'm also enjoying...holding, feeding, burping, cuddling, admiring...lovely... Such a sweet time...What a blessing and gift a child is...
Thank you LORD for Wylie Jackson...
Enjoy...( I certainly am! )
Marianne :) :)

Bloom! Journal page...

One stamp, many colors...This is a simple journal page where I took a favorite stamp and placed it in random places on the page...I had an idea in mind, make a different "flower" from each stamp, with different shapes and colors...I tried to make them all as individual as could be, with the face as the common theme... See how the amount of ink and shading of the faces actually makes them look more intense or innocent? Anyway, just a bit of black ink, one "baby" stamp as I call it, a sharpie pen ( fine, non-bleeding) and AquaMarkers make for a fun, easy and relaxing journal page, card or small art piece...The sky's the limit!
Hope you Enjoy,
I did!
Marianne :)

I AM AN ARTIST! SUZI SAYS SO!

I am an Artist. Suzi says so!
I remember the first time I saw this, heard her say this... I am referring to the fabulously talented Suzi Blu! I was sick, in bed and depressed a couple of years ago and stumbled onto Suzi's great YouTube videos and then her website... I watched her videos over and over again, so attracted to her art and style... and when I heard this statement, something in me was set free... I didn't have to be trained in art school, have graduated from art college... I could just be me, little ol' me, drawing, painting, crafting, majorly enjoying these things and be an Artist! It didn't matter that I was a Mom too and wife and that I had dedicated many years to bringing up kids, throwing birthday parties, making painted T-Shirts and custom cakes and homemade hair bows...Singing, teaching, cooking, crafting, taking pictures, decorating my home, gardening, raising chickens and making a cozy place to live...It didn't matter because...I was an Artist too!
I took Suzi's online drawing class and ended up getting to meet with her several times. ( I wrote about this last year in a couple of LONG blogs.)...Anyway, I will continue on this subject in the next couple of posts but I just wanted to tell you that I got her AMAZING new book this week from Amazon and this picture and her statement are in it. I highly recommend this delightful and beautiful book, it comes with a video too but I have been SO into the book that I haven't even had a chance to view it, yet...
From: MIXED MEDIA GIRLS with Suzi Blu
"I AM AN ARTIST! SUZI SAYS SO! Yes...you. Little and meek, wanting so very badly to make beautiful paintings, you think, "Who am I to do this?"..."
"YOU ARE AN ARTIST! And if you don't believe it yet, believe that I believe!" Suzi Blu

Thanks Suzi, for the vote of confidence, for sharing your skill, for your fun videos, for teaching us, for believing in us and setting us free to draw, paint and enjoy and for your wonderful new book!
Enjoy...And go order that book!
Marianne :)

Mason...part 1

Dear Ball Perfect Mason Jar, how I love thee! I love the bubbles captured forever in your shining glass, I love your raised letters that reflect the light and show off who you are...I love how you look so good, just sitting around being yourself! It doesn't matter weather you are in the kitchen, living room or bathroom, people just can't help but notice how handsome you are...I love how anything that you are holding looks extra special, from buttons to cotton balls, you are always dressed so smartly. But Mr Mason, my very favorite thing about you is that you are an incredible shade of blue, and oh how I love blue! You are that snappy peacock blue, that look-how-good-I-look-today-kind-of blue...that kind that looks so great on its own...
(see Mason part 2 below)...