Nothing is...So let GO! Aug 30th...

Geese!

Oh nooo! Just stepped outside and I hear geese! It's still August! Please tell them that they really don't need to leave for a while. Thanks...

M. :)
Marianne

Pink Peony turned White...

Oh, I couldn't resist! Here is the same peony, the beautiful pink one, from below, that turned white as it aged. Love it. Hope you do too... (Wouldn't these make awesome postcards, or canvas' or pages to work on?) I've wanted to do this forever and see, you've inspired me without saying a word! Look for artistic updates soon...
ps. By the way, I have been painting and creating, just not showing you yet because I'm working on the major project of my new ART SPACE, ( boy, that's a lot of work!) and some BIG family news that is requiring my time and attention at the moment. Sorry to, nah... it's kinda fun, to keep you in suspense! So, we, I mean you, will see or hear soon! Also, I really can't wait to show you the finished product of my art room! It's awesome! So colorful and eclectic! You are gonna love it, almost as much as I do! :)
M. :)
Shhhhh! Leave a COMMENT and we will have a quiet, little contest for one of the above...

Some "Old Fashioned" Eye Candy... P'OD

Notice how the "Pic of the Day" saying is getting shorter and shorter... ;) Here is a digital of today, made to look like an instant Polaroid of the past...The wave of the future is the puddle of the past...What goes around, comes around, ect... I say poTAYto, you say poTAHto...I say Pea-Oh-ney...Do you say, Pe-on-ee. I wonder if thats a Southern thing, or country thing or what...Any way you say it, they are beautiful! This one went from a hot pink bud, to bright pink petals, all the way to almost pure white petals. Many photo oops!
I hope you Enjoy!
M. :)

First... pic'ODay...Aug 27th...

This is one of my first attempts to draw digitally. Silly but fun...Happy weekend...
M.

Wish...pic O the day...Aug 26th...Friday

Wish I could follow this advice tonight...hope you can and have a wonderful weekend...

Different is Good...

Do you ever think about variety? Just take a moment and think of all the differences in this world...spices... from basil to cinnamon, lemon sage to saffron, cumin to nutmeg, mint to chili...flowers and trees and all the different sizes, shapes, colors and fragrances...birds and insects...I mean, there are ostriches and humming birds, worlds apart...and stink beetles and honey bees! And colors, we can't ever forget about the shades and tones and subtleties of blues and greens ands reds and oranges! Oh, how about music and the stirring rendition of a powerful march to the soft gentle sounds of a lightly played violin...Whats my point? There is beauty in it all! Every change, difference, color, shade, taste...different is good! I'm in a lovely art group in a social community and I just marvel at how different everyone is and how different and beautiful everyone's art is! It fascinates and impresses me..If we are all so different and the things in this world are all so different, shouldn't we appreciate those individualities and celebrate those around us? Can you even begin to imagine how boring the world would be if we didn't have choices? All grays, and bland foods...See, there is another example, did you know that both grey and gray are correct? grAy is how it is spelled in America, and grEy is how it is spelled in England...lovely, and fascinating! Celebrate the differences and varieties and people and art in this world! You are different from me and I am different from you. Yeah! Yea! Yay! (Now, those are not all correct...I'm going to let you guess on that one...)
Enjoy!
M. :)

1978...( inspired rose)...Pic'O Day...Aug 24th

Just 'cause...
Just cause I loved it, just cause I waned to share, just cause I hope your day is great...to my friends, everywhere!
Enjoy!
M. :)

Mini Travel painting kit...

Just wanted to show you what I have been taking along with me lately. It's a simple, tiny, cheap watercolor pallet. I believe it was six dollars and change at Walmart. I thought of putting water into an old medicine bottle because it won't leak. See, I set in upside down to show you. The colors are very vibrant as you can see in the little (Suzi Blu) inspired mermaid painting. Love the brightness of her hair and tail! I'm not finished with her yet, but will update when I am... Also, I take one little brush with me, this is my current favorite. I have taken these three things in a very small purse, on a plane and the time just flew by! When I'm home, I leave the paint set, brush, med bottle of water and a journal next to my chair. Then at a moments notice, I can be painting and relaxing...

M. :)

>

Write on

I'll write on anything...post-its, scrap paper, the newspaper, church bulletins ( I'm listening, I promise! ), napkins, receipts, um, I've been known to write on a table(check out doodle table)...
Journals, journals galore! Calendars, date books, you name it. When an idea strikes, you've got to get it down. It could be a poem, as in this case...I'll "translate" it for you when I get back from the grocery store...a song, an art idea, story line, doodle, drawing, or decorating idea...If I don't put it on paper, I'm libel to forget it...I have learned, most of the time to carry a little notepad with me, which helps, but if I don't have one, then anything will do! So, when an idea strikes, write on!

Flexible Beauty

Isn't it fun how "old" is new again? Rusty and crusty is valuable. Vintage is The thing. Antique is even better than brand new. Retro is moving forward, and used, reused, and repurposed is the best. If it's scratched, worn, used, bent, rusty or broken, it's beautiful. This seems to be particularly true of artists or anyone who appreciates art and history. Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder, and I for one appreciate this trend and am glad that "beauty" is so flexible!
Enjoy!
M. :)

Peppermint...Pic of the Day...Aug 22nd

Peppermint Patty with Lemon and Ginger...
Enjoy!
M. :)

So this is Heidi...Pic of the Day...Aug 21st

This Curlie Girl is named Heidi...none of the other girls have names, but hers came easily...Do you name your art if there is a person in it? I name most of my photos, well the ones I'm going to show, otherwise I would be busy for weeks coming up with them...Heidi has a colored pencil drawn face...(I will have to say I do love her face the most). Her eyes are liquid and she seems to be looking right into your thoughts...her hair is, yes, you guess it, felted balls! I got this idea at Inspired just looking in the quilt store...This is actually just a detail of her...she is on a full canvas, 36 x ?... She has a full outfit, with a lovely flowing skirt...will have to see where those photos slipped off to...she lives in CA now, otherwise I could snap a few right now...She is also on a painted, mixed media background....with the words, Forgiven and Loved, a song I love, sung by Jimmy Needham...Any questions?
I hope you
Enjoy!
M. :)

Encapsulated...Pic of the Day...Aug 20th

Not sure what to say about this picture...other than I ADORE it! I love the COLORS, the flower REFLECTED in the RAINDROP...the SWIRLS...the SUNSPOTS shaped in, humm, hexagons? No, I can only see 7 sides...I DO hope that you...
Enjoy!
it as much as I do...
M. :)

Bumper Snicker...seen today...

HAVE YOU EVER STOPPED TO THINK,



...AND FORGOT TO START AGAIN?

Silly, but this one seriously made me LOL!
I hope you are having a good Saturday...
Enjoy!
M. :)

#1 Altered Pic of the Day...Aug 19th...

I'm loving how the "plastic mode" on this app is turning my photos...

#2 altered...

...turns my photos with blues and reds all funky!
Enjoy!
M. :)

#3 altered

...It's called CameraBag...

Illustration form vintage Robert Louis Stevenson book...

This is one of the illustrations from the little book I was telling you about last night. I wish I could tell you who illustrated it but when I looked it up again, it was attributed to multiple people...anyway,
Enjoy!
M. :)

Choices...Pic of the Day...Aug 18th

Self explanatory...
Enjoy!
M. :)

Wind...Pic of the Day... Aug 17th

As I was putting things away in my new (almost finished) Art Room today, my eyes fell across this little book...of course I had originally picked it up because of the beautiful pen and ink drawings...I'm flipping through (very gently, as it's falling apart), and I was captured by this beautiful poem...You may have heard of the book before, ;) , A Child's Garden of Verses by R.L. Stevenson...There is no date in it as I believe it's been recovered, so it does not have value, except to me, for the value of the lovely, intricate ink drawings and the timeless verses...It seems to be a 1905 copy, as far as I can tell...I will have to show you some of it's details and etchings in another post...Until then, sometimes words, as in this case, are as beautiful as any photograph...I hope they inspire you, as they have me...
Enjoy!
M. :)

The Wind
I saw you toss the kites on high
And blow the birds about the sky;
And all around I heard you pass
Like Ladies' skirts across the grass-
O wind, a-blowing all day long,
O wind, that sings so loud a song!

I saw the different things you did,
But always you yourself you hid.
I felt you push, I heard you call,
I could not see yourself at all-
O wind, a-blowing all day long,
O wind, that sings so loud a song!

O you that are so strong and cold,
O blower, are you young or old?
Are you a beast of field and tree,
Or just a stronger child than me?
O wind, a-blowing all day long,
O wind, that sings so loud a song!
R.L.S.

Tiny (reflective) Bubbles...Pic of the Day...Aug 16th

Well, I hate to tell you all of my secrets, but, what do you get when you add: a cereal box, water, glass and a macro lens? ...This picture... ;)
Enjoy!
M. :)

Little Beauty...Pic of the Day...Aug 15th

Look what I found when I opened the door to my back porch...it had just rained and I was about to step out when this tiny, downy peacock feather caught my eye...it was splattered with minuscule rain drops...and just it's tips were colored with this incredible shade of blue/green...little miracles are everywhere...keep your eyes open!
Enjoy!
M. :)

Curlie Girlie Part 2

Hummm..Where was i? Just kidding, i know exactly where i was...i had started off by telling you about Suzi Blu,
Brave Girls Club  , and left off telling you about the lovely Christy Tomlinson...I took Christy"s online class: The She Art Workshop . Again, rebellious student that i am, Christy said-Don't put a face on the girls...Well, of course, what did i do? Yup! i put a face on them! And as beautiful as Suzi's girls were, i wanted to make the eyes look different, a little "smiley" :) When i had been at Brave girls camp, i'd had such a problem with my art being flat. i could not get past the fact that all these ladies were making art that was, gasp, dimensional! So one night i was laying in bed, thinking and not sleeping...How can i get over this "raised" art 'problem'? Humm, when i suddenly had the idea of making my Curlie girls with 3D hair! ( i DO happen to have curlie hair, so maybe that came easily to me!) Could i do it? How could i do it? What materials would i use? And then you know what? i did it! And the ideas kept/keep flowing. Sooo,  remember that this is the short version! At BGC, i met Elana Etcheverry from Scrapbook Royalty (Charity Wings.org). Elena is awesome and beautiful and smart and talented and runs a charity organization. She is friends with Suzi Blu. (i don't even know how they met, 'forgotten to ask either of them). Elana was having her first annual  Seaside Soiree (check under EVENTS), and asked me to come.(Last Dec). She said, 'You'll get to meet Suzi' and of course i could not resist...So i did meet Suzi  last December and then got to see her ( and Christy) again at  Donna Downeys Inspired event in Charlotte, N.C. this past June. ( Must tell you about Inspired at another time, because this is getting way too long already)... i wanted to show Suzi one of my Curlie Girls, so i brought it along, and she, sweet thing, saw it and asked if she could put it in her book...HELLO! Could she? Well of course the answer was a resounding YES! (with a bit of silent screaming inside!) and a lot of beaming outside. So, thats my little, itty, bitty brag. Sorry. Just a little one...ok, i'm done...i can't wait for Suzi's book to come out. She was in the absolute last stages when i first wrote this, but it was sent to the publisher July 1st.  i want to see it not only because of my one little picture, but because Suzi  is so amazingly talented and has so much to offer! Way to go Miss Suzi Blu! Thank you to each and every lady mentioned here, by name or not, for helping me make my artistic journey..and for the inspiration!
Enjoy!
M.  :)

Here She is! Favorite Curlie Girlie...Story Part 1

Curlie Girlies...Curlie Girlie Creations...
This is what i do...Well, one of the things...So how did i begin making C. Girls? Long story...i'll try to put it in a nut shell...a really big nut shell ;) About a year and a half ago,i had an operation. It ended up being much more tramatic than i had anticipated and the recovery was long and hard...i was down and wiped out and in bed a lot! No energy, anxious, depressed, with major ADD. My attention span was about 2 minutes. i mean that. i altered pics for, 2 minutes, listened to audio bible for 2 minutes, played word games for, you guessed it, 2 minutes. Then, i discovered YouTube. i did a search for journals or or art journal or altered art, that i dont remember exactly... But what i found or i should say Who i found was Suzi Blu . And suzi Blu was so interesting and compassionate, accepting, encouraging and oh so talented! I can't "unbold" this. real professional. sorry. Any way, i loved, loved, LOVED her Petite Dolls and saw all her videos, i believe, multiple times and i was hooked! I took her online class of the above dolls, which i highly recommend and learned how to make her beautiful faces...i could not get enough. Then, being the rebellious student that i am, i had to change things up a bit. First of all though, i must say that i think its good to be a rebelious ARTISTIC student. Why? Because after you have learned the basics, you change it up and discover your style, make it your own...i need to back up a bit. Suzi did a video about 
Brave Girls Camp . i had never heard of it, but it was so lovely and appealing that i got it into my head that i just HAD to go there...So, last October i flew out to Idaho and met with a bunch of very lovely ladies, both those attending and those that were working there. We were so pampered at this "Woman's Life and Art Retreat". Had a blast! Did i mention how talented each and every one of these women were? Oh my goodness, SO talented and accomplished and BRAVE, i felt a little like , idk, Cinderella in her rags...Anyway, they were all so amazing...and it was So good for me and really got my creative juices flowing again...Oh! The art supplies ! The food! The decorations! The leaders and creators of Brave Girls, Melody Ross and Kathy Wilkins, two beautiful, beautiful ladies, did an AMAZING job!!! Everything there was personalized: gifts, name tags, curriculum papers... Wow! This really doesn't even begin to cover it! ...Next part of the story...Enter,
Christy Tomlinson . She was working at the October camp. What a Dear, sweet, beautiful (inside and out), talented and genuine person! She has classes too and i took her online "She Art" class and learned so much about backrounds, ect... Must close for the night and pick up the story tomorrow...Part 2

This is the Day...Aug 14th...Pic of the Day

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Enjoy
M. :)

Page ?

Old Calendar page with paint chips...Can't throw away Anne Geddes...too, too cute!

Which number was I on? ...

I love this one!!

Page #6

And here is the quote...

Page #5

A photo of one of my photos...with a quote on the side...

Page # 4

I love the colors on these...art paper and some magazine pages, simple sewing...

Page #4

My photo collage with stickers and map...

Page # 3

#2

These are not in any particular order...music pages, vintage, with tags and one of my photos made into a card...Simple, simple...

Here are some of the pages from my sewing challenge... #1

They are very simple but fun and in need of much scribbling, doodling, photos, and or paint! Just the basics, a few articles of paper and some thread...This is actually a little coupon book that I had saved because it's just so funny!

Settle?

Will you settle for another picture of a Curlie Girl and not the whole story? This is not my favorite one, still saving that, but I do love her eyes...And I do love to sing with joy! Had a great day and am working on a lot of projects, so I'm a little bit spent now, but very happily so...
Enjoy!
M. :)

My first Curlie Girlie... Pic of the Day...Aug 12th

Finally! A real Curlie Girl photo! Her face is vintage book paper, as well as her hair, which is also: 3D! I have a LONG story that goes along with this...tomorrow...But here's the really, really short version... My art has always been vertically challenged. For some reason, I wanted it to be very flat. I loved it when I saw other people's journal pages or mixed media and it had layers and fabric and dimension! But for some reason, this just did not come naturally to me...When I started drawing faces, ( long story version- Suzi Blu...), I was thinking about it one night and thought-how can I make the hair stand out? This idea popped into my head and the ideas have not stopped coming... Her little wings and the butterfly on her shirt pop out too...I'll show you my favorite girl tomorrow...until then, I hope you
Enjoy!
M. :)

"Ready, Set..." pages...

Here is a quick, crummy shot of the "sewing pages" challenge that I worked on last night. They are by no means done! They need words and more photos, paint, ect. I sort of hate to show something that's not finished because it's not my best...but just so you get an little idea...I need to take some individual shots of the pages also...
M.

Ready! Set! Sew!

Here is your mission, if you choose to accept it...Well, duh, I have to accept it, it's my idea and I'm not letting myself off the hook... It's a learning experience...I going to have a creating- sewing sprint! Why? Because I over think things. WAY over think them, and it holds me back. I plan and plan and plan: pages, lay outs, ideas, ect and then can't get to them because I run out of time or energy. Then I have to put it all away and start over the next time. (Thus, the awesome craft room that in the works...I won't have to put away, exactly, I can just shut the door and come back and pick up where I left off.) SO, I am having a "sprint" in order to break myself of this annoying habit! Heres the plan, or the rules...Create- put together as many layouts as possible in the allotted time. This doesn't mean completely finished pages, I can adds words or photos or paint later. It means, match up some things, or not...they don't have to match, just put together and ready to be sewn and put into a book...Next rule: sew. Third rule: Do this all in an hour! Really. I've already gathered all the supplies..I'm good at that...I gathered and gathered...now I have have enough for, umm, about fifty pages. At least...I'll set the timer and speed create. You can try it too. Do not pass go, do not collect...any more notions, do not get a drink of water...ok, well maybe one...do not run out of thread, oh shoot, where is that thread? I hope it lasts!...I will say, if someone comes over or calls, or the cat needs to be fed, oh, I already did that, I'm going to turn the timer off. I have to have the whole hour! that I am short on material. Not materialS, cloth. Oh well, whatever I have is what I will use. AND, I will go outside of my own box. Different things, things I haven't tried before or that aren't perfect. Gasp.! Ha! I can do it! You can too!
I'll post some pictures...
PS. What does this pic have to do with sewing? Nothing. Totally random. I don't have any sewing pictures. That in itself is shocking...
When I'm done, I'll mention it in the comment section...
Ready? Set! Sew!
M.

Post or Sew... Today is the Day! Curlie Girlie Debut!

Hummm....Post or sew, sew or post...post/sew...sew/post? Ok! I'll do a little post and then I can sew and then I can write a longer post...Today's the Day! Finally! I'm going to introduce you to my Curlie Girls! Why have I waited this long? IDK! But, anyway, it's here and this little tag is just to get you to wonder about what the rest looks like...They are 3D!!!..... Excuse me, I have some sewing to do....I WILL try to get back here before midnight...try being the key word here... :)
I can't tell you to "ENJOY" here cause I'm just making you curious...
M. ;-0

Talents...Aug 10th...Pic of the Day

I hope you are singing...or creating...or helping or doing whatever you do...not the best in all the world but the best YOU can do, using the talents you have...come on, the woods (and the rest of the world), need your voice, need you! Show us what you've got...Oh, I think I hear singing...!
Enjoy!
M. :)

Stormy Beauty...Aug 9th...Pic of the Day

Short and sweet, to the point...
Enjoy!
M. :)

After the rain...

I love to go outside after a hard rain and see the steam rolling off the earth...the crickets begin chirping again and the birds are softly singing...I love to come into the garden and see
several lovely ripe tomatoes waiting for me... I love to gather eggs and hear the chickens gently clucking, and the baby chicks scurrying around...I love to walk back to the house and see the clouds trimmed in glowing pink...the fireflies flutter in the darkening shadows of the trees...ahh, a good end to a steaming hot summer day...looks like tomato soup and an egg dish are on the menu for tomorrow...
M. :)

Interesting...Aug 8th...Pic of the Day

Isn't this an interesting photo? I did not cut, blend or fuse photos together...it is not warped, nor is it a collage...Can you guess why it is like this? Facebook followers will have to come back to the blog and check the comment box...( ladybirdhope.blogspot.com ) Or, you'll just be nagged with curiosity...Blog followers can just check the comment box right away... While you are there, leave a "Hello" please...Thanks &
Enjoy!
M. :)

It helps to not delete photo...

...when posting the Pic of the Day AND showing Work in Progress... :)

Work...Aug 6th...Pic of the Day...

Water work in progress...mini travel paint box set...
enjoy
m. :)

Incorporating your photos...Aug 5th...Phone Pic of the Day

Here's a way to incorporate your photos and artwork...I like to make something, a drawing, painting or some mixed media project and photograph it. Duh. A lot of artists do this you say...I know. But I like to put it into the same journal, sometimes on the opposite page. Here I used a couple of printed favorite photos and put them together with the painting because I loved how the colors complimented each other. I set the photo of the art work itself, next to the painting so you could see both ideas...this is another phone pic as it is my only option tonight. I hope it is clear enough for you to see the details...
Enjoy!
M.  :)

Journal page peek...Aug. 4th.. Pic of the Day

Here's a little peek, inside my journal art...nothing very fancy, just from the heart...a few words, some water colors and pens you see...a simple page like this keeps me occupied and happy!
Enjoy!
M.  :)

Love Plus...Aug 3rd...Pic of the Day...

Love + a printed picture + a little imagination + a colored glass ball = A very different and interesting photo!
Enjoy!

Marianne :)

Doodle Table continued...Phone Pic of the Day...August 2nd...

This is it for the day...a little unaltered, a bit fuzzy, but I wanted to get most of it in, phone pic... The continuing work on my Doodle table...See, I really do other things besides photograph!
Enjoy!
M. :)

Drink...Aug 1st...Pic of the Day...

This is one of my "Oldies but Goodies". It was taken with my first digital camera, an Olympus 8080. I thought it was huge, and actually took quite a few of my favorite pics with it. This particular little beauty ( I've decided that she is a girl ) was captured right after I discovered the Macro mode. Oh my, opened a whole new world for me! I loved it and was hooked. I do have a macro lens now and really enjoy that, but I know I don't take macros like the "big boys" , where you can see such incredible details... But, I enjoy it tremendously anyway! I call this one: Long Tall Drink... I love, well, a lot of things about her! She is just a common little thing, probably more of a moth than a butterfly. But I love how she is looking right at me, like she's not scared, just has to get that drink anyway...I love the position of her antenna... Ok, she is a butterfly, because butterflies antenna are shaped like a club and moths' antenna are feathery...and that proboscis! Ok, her tongue, unbelievable! Yes, I know, I actually THINK about my pictures a lot, analyze even... Came up with a saying today... " My photography is my art, and my art is my photography..." But I do love all kinds of art! I doodled today ( a lot), and wrote yesterday...I will be sharing some of that soon...
Oh, and I must mention this ( although I do keep my children's privacy ). Nineteen years ago today, I had a big, beautiful, baby boy (almost 10 pounds)...who turned into the most beautiful toddler you've ever seen. Really. White blond curls! I actually cried when I had to trim it. " It's like cutting gold!". Ok, I know you all want to argue with me now about your child or grandchild, but just humor me. He was my sixth baby. Yes, I just said sixth. ( and not last! ) He was such a gift, his name actually means-Gift of God...He was born on my Dad's birthday...My wonderful Dad who had been gone for four years already. Isn't that cool? I think it's amazing and I love that! And him, and all my other children who are incredible gifts...ok, had to add that little personal bit...hope you don't mind and hope you ENJOY the pic...
M. :)