ArtistMum: Princesses and Castles!

I haven’t dropped off the face of the earth just yet! I’ve just been super busy trying to make up for 5 months of being immobile! There was lots of cleaning going on…….clean closets, dressers, floors, etc. Time to weed out what’s not being used and donating a lot!
But I’ve also been doing a little bit of sewing. Since I don’t have any grandchildren of my own to dote upon, I decided to use my creative energy on other people’s grandchildren! Why waste it, right?
So I recently made two baby-proof dolls for a friend of mine to give to her daughters who are having baby girls in a month or so. The eyes, nose, and mouth are embroidered on so there’s nothing to fall off. They are very sweet, I think!

And now I’m in the process of making a bunch of felt princesses and a felt bag with a castle on it to keep the princesses in! I’m making them with embroidered features as well so there’s nothing to fall off!

And the bag is still being designed. Not sure which castle I like but it will emerge at some point!
I know in my mind that it will be very girly for my great niece!

So…….high ho, high ho, it’s off to sewing I go!

ArtistMum: The Angels are Weeping

This has been such a tough week for American citizens as we try to make some sense of the tragedy that happened on Monday in Boston, Massachusetts. Lives can be changed in a split moment.
My heart is heavy with thoughts of the senseless loss of that young 8-year-old boy, the two young students, and police officer. And I feel so sad for the marathon runners and spectators, mostly family members waiting to see their loved ones finish the race, who were maimed for life with shrapnel from an explosive device placed there by some foolish and merciless coward.
I drew this weeping angel in response to this tragedy from a picture I found. I think that ALL the angels in heaven are weeping. Such a very sad day.

ArtistMum: A Beautiful Day!

Yesterday was a superlative day! ‘Darling’ and I decided to take a nice walk. We both had splurged and bought ourselves some sneakers by a company called Keen which makes fantastic shoes for hiking and walking. Frankly, these were the only shoes/sneakers that I could put my bionic foot into with ease and comfort!

Now that the weather is getting warmer, there’s nothing holding you back from taking a nice walk. So what are you waiting for? Get your sneaks on and get out there! 👟👟👟👟👟

ArtistMum: Organizing!

I’ve been bitten by the cleaning bug! My so called ‘studio’ has never been a tidy, neat, organized space. I mean really………how can an artist keep clean while creating? It’s not possible, at least not for me! But sometimes there’s a force that keeps you from being creative. And the ‘force’ had gotten to me! The Feng Shui wasn’t working! And the reason was CLUTTER!

Clutter is the bad ‘force’ that can make any room in your house or apartment uncomfortable, uncreative, unpleasant.

Now Feng Shui is a word that you hear a lot about lately. Simply put, it’s a conscious way of arranging objects in a room so that good energy is allowed to enter. Most rooms can get an instant fix just by removing any extra ‘stuff’. You know…..the mail you didn’t get to sort, the pile of magazines that are always falling down, or the pile of clothes that magically grew three more feet!
But in the case of an art studio, it’s almost…..no…..nearly…..impossible to eliminate clutter. But there is one thing that can be done. ORGANIZE!

So I’ve been spending days going through all of my shelves of supplies and weeding out what’s not usable and sorting out everything into clear shoeboxes or storage containers. And I’m giving each box a label with its contents. The good old Brother label maker has been working overtime! This one is several years old now and was purchased from a Staples store. I noticed that prices have gone up somewhat since but I’m sure there are some out there that are reasonable and suitable for your own needs.

Oh how I love the way my shelves look now! I can find exactly what I need in a flash!

A little OCD you might think but it really saves time. Now I feel happier when I enter my studio AND I feel more inclined to create since it’s not such an unorganized horror!
There’s a little bit more to do but the end is in sight! And then I can start painting again😃😃😃😃😃!
Three cheers for organizing!

ArtistMum: Happy Easter!

Johnny-jump-ups or pansies make me smile! I bought a few to give to neighbors and friends for Easter because they’re such happy little flowers!

And I also wanted to wish everyone a very blessed Easter. I hope you can all be with your family and loved ones. Take some time out to thank God for what he sacrificed for us and continues to bless us with. His love knows no boundaries and is eternal. For this I am most humbly grateful.

And I thank him that I am walking again…..with limitations and a bit awkward still but I think this too will pass! Thanks be to God 😃

Happy Easter!

ArtistMum: Happy First Day of Spring!

Although the temperature on the east coast is below normal for this month and the fact that we still have a bit of snow on the ground………..it still is officially the first day of spring! The groundhog made a mighty big mistake this year. I think they need to hire a new groundhog next year!

And what do people generally do when spring arrives? Spring cleaning of course! And that’s about what I’ve been up to since I am somewhat more mobile after my overly lengthy stint with crutches.

I finally tackled the monstrous pile of ‘Darling’s’ shirts that had to be ironed. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I cannot stand ironing. I absolutely think its a waste of time. It’s totally boring. And it NEVER goes away😔

I got all of my gear ready and made the big move!

I counted 26 men’s shirts, 2 tablecloths, 8 napkins, 1 cotton bathrobe (men’s), and 5 pair of capris. It took me until 10:30 at night to completely obliterate the monster pile! I did take breaks in between because my foot ached a little and I didn’t want to push it.

The monster pile is GONE!
So what’s the next thing I’m going to attack? Not sure but I think a little spring cleaning has to be done in my ‘studio’
Until next time………try tackling that job you’ve been putting off. It will make you so happy when it’s done!

ArtistMum: Feng Shui in my Drawers!

It’s been about a week since I have been able to walk a little without the aid of crutches or that God awful plastic cast boot. I feel so free and have had enormous energy bursts, trying to make up for lost time. And since its almost spring, I decided to take the plunge and organize and de-clutter my drawers.
I have been reading a wonderful book about Feng Shui and how it relates to one’s life. “Feng Shui Your Life”, by Jayme Barrett, is an easy read with fabulous suggestions and photos of soothing bedrooms and pleasing living rooms. Inspiration hit me and one morning, I decided it was time to organize my drawers. My daughter gave me a great idea on how to neatly put clothes back in the drawer so every piece of clothing can be easily seen. What a fabulous idea! You can see where I got my inspiration here.
Here’s how I did it:

Step 1: choose the area that you want to start at…..in my case, it was my clothes drawer.

Step 2: take out one drawer at a time, empty it on the bed.

Step 3: make three piles…….clothes that will return to the drawer, clothes that will be given to Goodwill, and clothes that are torn or worn and will be thrown away. This can be difficult if you are ‘attached’ to your clothes. Be bold! If you haven’t worn it in a year….it should go to someone who will love to wear it or REALLY need it.

Step 4: now it’s time to put back clothes that you love to wear and make you feel good. And the key to organizing your drawers is to fold them twice and place them in the drawer so you can see each and every shirt (or whatever item it is).

Now when I open my drawers it looks happy…….it makes me feel great!
It made me feel so energetic that I tackled my closet too! Awesome!
When I was done, I had six bags to give to Goodwill.

So when are you going to take the plunge and weed out those clothes you never wear???
Get going! I guarantee you’ll feel amazing afterwards!