Elizabeth Blackwell Miniature Art Charcter

Who was Elizabeth Blackwell you ask?

Originally from England, Elizabeth Blackwell and her family moved to the United States when she was still a young girl. After a dying friend told her that she would have rather had a lady doctor, Elizabeth then considered the possiblity of studying to be a physician. Later, she found the path to pursue that goal.

When she graduated from New York's Geneva Medical College, in 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman in America to earn the M.D. degree. She supported medical education for women and helped many other women's careers. By establishing the New York Infirmary in 1857, she offered a solution to one of the problems facing women who were turned away from internships elsewhere but determined to expand their skills as doctors. She also published several important books on the issue of women in medicine, including Medicine as a Profession For Women in 1860 and Address on the Medical Education of Women in 1864.

In honor of her accomplishments, I created this wooden miniature inspired by one of her portraits.



Thank goodness for lady doctors!

Just for Fun...

It's that time of year again...planting and deciding what flower combinations I will put in the flower bed this year. The artistic side of me plots the colors and how I will plant them and where ...and the practical side of me thinks, ugh, weeding and digging! Oh well, to get something rewarding, one has to get their hands dirty, right?

So today I got out and planted a pink clemetis vine and some bluebell flowers. Last week I planted tomato plants because nothing beats a home grown tomato in taste fresh from the garden. Gardening is about as therapeutic as my art work is to me...but not quite!

Speaking of therepeutic, chocolate and vanilla are therepeutic, right? So with that in mind, take a look at this delicious collection of "chocolate and vanilla" goodies I discovered during one of my many excursions of shopping online!

Warning! It may leave you hungry!

The Return of Good Weather- I Hope!

Well, things have been pretty warm here in Illinois lately. I got overzealous and decided to plant tomato plants- although I was told I shouldn't have until May 10th. (Shrug)....

At any rate, since I heard there was to be a frost last evening, I covered them with plastic bags just in case. Luckily there was no frost so all is well. I can hardly wait to taste a fresh garden grown tomato!

I also spent part of my day creating some new characters, since I can't seem to let a day go by without making something! (I feel restless if I don't!)

I decided upon making a Bride of Frankenstein, inspired by the old 1930's movie, and also made a Dracula, also from the old Hollywood version. I am not a fan of horror movies in any way, shape, or form- but the old vintage versions of the movie I have to admit though cheesy perhaps, are fun to watch!

So here they are, and try not to let them scare you too bad!

Poor Lady Jane Grey!

I love reading Tudor history, or any kind of history for that matter.... as long as it is written in an interesting format.

My featured character for the day is Poor Lady Jane Grey. Why poor? Because I don't think she really wanted to be the queen of England, especially at being such a young age (15-16). She was basically used by her parents, and maybe some others, to gain control of the English throne. And it ended up being a very short reign, the shortest in British history, being a length of 9 days before she was executed by other wannabe- in- power royalty members.

This particular character stands at 4 1/2 inches tall, and her costume is inspired by one of the few actual known portraits of her. Many of the details are duplicated as close as possible.

Too bad for Lady Jane that she happened to be in the wrong family at the wrong time...it goes to show you that even then, relatives can be a nuisance and politics were often a game of greed and power struggles...

Taking a Day Off

I took a day off from my art work this past Monday...
It was my husband's birthday, so he took the day off and hung around the house. He isn't like me, in that if I have a special day, I don't want to cook for myself- I would MUCH rather go out and eat. I want someone else to mess up their kitchen , wait on me, and I like leaving the dirty dishes for someone else.. But my husband would rather I cook for him...

So, I asked him what he would like and this dish is what he asked for:
Cyclone Pasta- made with marinated, grilled chicken breasts, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, basil and garlic in a creamy spicy sauce.




And, for the dessert finale I made a three layer from scratch German Chocolate Cake.
It turned out to be two layers because I dropped the third layer in the kitchen floor upon removing it from the oven. Oh well, guess it saved some calories, eh?



All in all, I enjoyed doing it for him, and I think it was kind of nice taking a break from working on my art- sometimes we all should do that to recharge our creative batteries!

My Addiction

Do I have an addiction? I would like to say I don't...but I do.

What is my addiction you are wondering?- It's not donuts, (altho I wouldn't refuse one should you offer), not chocolate, (although if you paid me in chocolate instead of cash I don't think I would complain), visiting my in-laws,(eek!) or housecleaning,(now I ask you, what normal person would be addicted to that?)...

My addiction is buying fabric and supplies to enrich my artistic endeavors. I love going in to a fabric store and going up and down each aisle, sometimes 3-4 times, looking for just the right material for a project I have in mind. No matter that I have scads of fabric now to do 500 art doll miniatures, I must have more, just in
case!



And supplies? Well, that is another problem! I have many little clear drawers full of little curiosities, embellishments, brocades, doo dads, and miniature replicas and other paraphenalia that will take me into the next century before I could use them all...but still, what if I run across something that will be just what I need for that next project? You can see my dilemma....








Well, I won't be harming anyone by this addiction, so I think I will happily keep feeding it, until I run out of places to put everything !

Am I the only one suffering with this malady? Say it's not so! :)

Some New Things For Spring!

It's spring here where I live in Illinois- something about spring really gets me going. Seeing the trees budding, hearing birds out actively seeking their meals, watching for the first buds of the bulbs I planted last fall...it's a series of miracles!

To sort of celebrate the arrival of this refreshing season, I did a little window shopping and found some fun items that made me think "spring", so take a look and see what you think of some of my special finds!

Gorgeoous silk painted scarf in delicate spring colors by silkshop:





Adorable Spring Chicken bowl by PrinceDesignUK



A must have spring tote bag by LBArtworks:



And how about a refreshing spring cleaning with this vegan bar soap by SoapStore:

The Artist Behind the Art

I love to sometimes take a step back and look at all my art work that is carefully
displayed in a four level glass and oak case. I think about all the hours it took me to get the characters finished, and wonder how I found the time- especially with having 3 teens, 1 college student, and a husband underfoot!

But you know? As anyone who enjoys doing any sort of favorite activity, we find the time to do what we want. So that explains how I have dones hundreds upon hundreds of characters. If I didn't enjoy it, I sure wouldn't be doing it. If you can't find me doing the laundry or cooking, you will most likely find me amidst a pile of assorted fabrics, paint, and bits of wood and doodads- watching episodes of Andy Griffith, the Waltons, or Little House on the Prairie...or maybe watching Les Miserables or The Count of Monte Cristo.

I enjoy my artwork, and I really enjoy the creative outlet it provides-hope you have one too!

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