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!

http://www.uneekdolldesigns.etsy.com

Discipline...ugh!

Discipline is a not so fun part of life, have you noticed? If we don't practice it, a lot of things could go downhill...FAST!

Think of it...you are all warm and snug in your bed and that awful shrieking alarm goes off...it takes discipline to get up and get going. If not, you could get fired from your job, or the kids could wreak havoc in the house, or someone else could beat you to that half price sale at Macy's.

Or,you are driving down the road and someone suddenly cuts you off, or signals left while turning right... it takes discipline not to honk at them, doesn't it? (Come now, confess...)

You want to lose 10 or 20 pounds or more. There are two Oreos in the cabinet that you found..or you can have that pear sitting on the counter instead....it takes discipline to imagine that pear tastes as good as that Oreo. If you don't discipline the temptation, then you may just have to jog to Timbuktu and back to make up for it!


Sometimes I have to give myself a stern talking to..."Debbie, you know that you have 10 orders to fill and sitting here at the computer spying on Facebook friends while eating those two Oreos is not going to get those things done..." Not that I do that, mind you, it's just an illustration...

I have found discipline to be a hard, but necessary part of life. I don't always enjoy enforcing it,but I have found it to have its own rewards- a clean house, jeans that fit, orders that are done and ready to go, and I don't have to eat crow for not saying that perfect comeback zinger that could have started World War III.

Something to think about , right?

Parenting isn't for Sissies..Really!

Once in a while, (jokingly, mind you), I will tell my husband had I known what I was in for 21 years down the road when I said, "Yes, I will go out with you", I would have ran when I had the chance! (ok, maybe not, but still...)

You see, when we had our four kids I hopefully envisioned them being easy to steer in the right direction as they grew - you know, clean bedrooms, agreeing with most of our parental opinions with smiles on their faces,( Oh Mom and Dad, I really respect your years of experience and really see why you said "no"), eating what I fixed for dinner with exclamations of delight, ( "Oh Mom, the onions you put in this meatloaf are just the right touch!"), and never causing us too much hair pulling ...(so why am I almost bald?)

Well...taint the way it is... Right now we have one in college that we never know what she is going to come up with - she changes what she wants to do all the time so we figure she will be in college for the next 10 years....or longer.

The middle two are twins, and learning to drive via their dad...(my husband made the mistake of telling me to ride with one of them on their first driving lesson-SO not a good idea!)-I screamed when one of them tried to park the car at the post office, went over the parking bump, and headed for the window of the building. That will absolutely be the LAST time I ever get in on a driving lesson for any of them...period! (And they are glad too! )

I had no idea most of the talking I would do at this stage would consist mostly of the phrases, "Because I said so and I am older and wiser than you, that's why", and "as long as you live here and we pay your bills, you will", and " What is that dish of mold doing on your dresser?"

Ah well, if there is one thing I DO know, it is that nothing worth having in life is easy to come by. It does take work, lots of hard work, and it takes perserverence. It's not like we can sit down and quit, because life goes on with or without you so to keep working at it is a very good idea! Kids can surprise you how well they can turn out, if you just keep at it...at least that is what my parents tell me. (Were they trying to tell me something?

Improving Where you Create...

I have been off my blog for way longer than I expected...I guess my online business
overcame my time to keep it going since it has been really busy the past few months...( not that I am complaining, mind you!)

Ar any rate, I have done some vast improving in my business and here are just a few simple ways I have done so:

A. Got my own work room- yes, no more working at the dining room table and having to clear everything off for dinner time- I really think if you want to create well, you have to be glad where you are working... now I have a 6 foot long folding work table so I can spread all my stuff out within convenient reach...Hurray!

B. Clear, multi drawer units and containers- no more scrounging through cardboard boxes on the floor looking for that "essence of fine
mist green" crushed velvet fabric....or losing that exquisite bauble that would have been the perfect touch to the finished creation of King Louis the 17th on his 63rd birthday...

C. Folders and organizers for all receipts and lightbox backgrounds- a real nice timesaver for hunting up just what I need

That is about it for now- I can't tell you how much easier things have been with just a few simple changes. My work is much more efficient, and I enjoy where my location is- so my creativity isn't as squelched! Which, if I may add, has increased now that I also keep a full ideas journal for any thoughts of new ideas for me to work on- and I have a daily planner of what I am going to create for the upcoming weeks each day...it really helps when I am stymied for what to do that day. (It's kind of like a menu plan only it's about art work...:)

If you are thinking about getting organized to better your craft, I say do it!
You won't believe the difference it will make in more ways then one!