Just For Fun...Jedward!

I meet some wonderfully nice people through my online art shop. Just recently I had a lovely gentleman all the way from London, UK purchase some items and he mentioned to me that I ought to try making the twin sensations "Jedward" from the talent show,
"X-factor".

I am not up on those things, but curiosity got the best of me and I had to look them up. Well, I must admit they certainly are an interesting pair all right. They don't appear to sing, but they do seem to have something about them that is causing quite a stir...is it the dancing? the showmanship? or maybe the hair?? I don't know why some things become suddenly wildly popular, but at any rate I thought I would give them a try- one thing is for certain, they do have a look all their own!

A Mixed Blessing.....

It has been almost exactly two years ago that our family moved from our home state of Indiana to Illinois. It wasn't fun, trust me - and after going through it, I am in no hurry to move any time soon! Now that we are here, I admit there have been some huge adjustments on my part, too.

Where I once could hop in a car and go to lots of major stores and towns and restaurants within minutes- now I must plan a 25- 30 minute drive. Where once I saw trees and hills and lots of houses- now I see miles of flat fields and maybe a clump of trees in the middle now and then. And a farmhouse or two once in a while...We got visits from time to time to from family, but now that has died off.



Since I am trying to make the best of this major upheaval, I have been trying to find things that are good about the situation. Since the land is so flat, I see beautiful sunsets like I never saw in Indiana. And while I miss the trees, I have found a kind of beauty in the fields and fields of green cornstalks that are now gold, and watching the farmers with their machinery harvesting the acres and acres that stretch out on either side when I am driving.

And while we are out where no relatives are, and haven't made a whole lot of friends as of yet, that can sometimes be a mixed blessing, if you know what I mean! We can maintain our privacy and have a pretty good reason not to go to reunions if we don't want to drive the distance...:)

At any rate, with the upcoming holidays, I have been keeping busy increasing my holiday characters since last year I was caught a bit short handed in that department and sold out of what I had. With less time running countless short trips into town, I now spend more time at my designing table- and have found more and more ideas to translate into my artistic endeavors...another benefit to living in the country-like spot that we do!

Gloomy Days and Santa Claus

I don't believe I have seen the sun going on 4 days now...boo! I love the fall weather, but not sure I like this many gloomy days in a row! Well, it is good for napping, not that I do that mind you..and for staying indoors and having no excuse to avoid getting some creative work done. Which is why I went on a sort of Santa spree...the possibilities of making a creative and different Santa are endless, but to start out on the safer side, I made a few choices that would lean towards the traditional side-




Victorian Santa in Burgundy Velvet









A Pink Santa









and, Jolly Old Saint Nicholas too!



I thought about doing a Retired to Florida Santa Claus, and have him wearing a bright shirt. bermudas, and black socks with sandals, and maybe holding a little bottle of Geritol? - but not sure if that would be a seller or not...ah well, for now I will think about it and we'll see!

Jay Leno?

On occasion...ok, maybe pretty often...I like to pick a random, out of the blue character to do...and I never plan it until the last minute.

I decided on Jay Leno...yep, Jay Leno. Why? Not sure except for a couple of reasons- He's well known, and I think he has a lot of interesting features. And that makes it a challenge for me to try!

And so, here he is- just done today, Jay Leno!!!!!!

My Latest

I have a huge amount of clothespins in my supply bin, so I figure I had better get cracking at the designing table! I managed to get some things done recently, one being the special "Beauty and the Beast" character set. I'm making a list of more ideas along this line for the projects ahead, so stay tuned!

Prankster at Heart

Ok, so I admit it...I am a middle aged lady that has never grown up.... and I'm not ashamed to admit it.



I still enjoy a good prank, even at my expense- which admittedly doesn't happen too often since most people I know are too mature to play pranks.

Take the time I decided to call my mom. Disguising my voice I said, "Mrs. Staggs? This is WXLZ radio station and we're calling you with a thousand dollar question. If you can tell us the first letter of the alphabet- you will win 1000 dollars!"

Long pause on the end of the line...my mom finally said, "I find that hard to believe"

"It's true Mrs. Staggs" says I.

"Well...it's A", she said.

Long pause...then I said, "Mom? it's me..."

She felt embarrassed for falling for it, and I felt just a wee bit guilty for raising her hopes in winning 1000 dollars, but I also knew she knew me pretty well and was used to it. So, she still laughs about that prank from time to time- which is good I guess! I haven't been disinherited...yet!

And one of the secrets of staying married for 21 years and actually enjoying it? Humor, of course, what else? Yes, my husband has suffered from time to time from my shenanigans....like when I hid behind the shower curtain and then jumped out at him when he came in the bathroom....or the time I ran towards him while he sat reclined in his Lazy Boy recliner all tipped back- and I leaped into his lap, only to cause the chair to do a complete backward flip and we both landed laying backwards on the floor. To this day, when he sees me coming toward him in his chair , he sits it up immediately and puts both feet on the floor...just in case.

And lest you think me one sided, I take pranks on myself quite well...most of the time. My son once came running up the stairs with his arm all bent backwards and said "Mom, I think it's broken"...ummm, not funny to a mother. But after I realized he was kidding, I laughed weakly....sort of.

Just remember that humor is essential to your life if you want to get through it without becoming sour. There is a time to be serious, and there is a time to laugh. Timing is everything!

The Ice Queen

I know it isn't winter yet by a long shot here in Illinois...but since I started thinking of ice and snow, it got my creativity going and this Ice Queen is the result....



She has a snowflake crown, white fur cloak trimmed in icicles, and a full skirt underneath that looks almost like a sheer layer of ice reflecting the colors. She even carries a couple of "ice cubes " in her hands- after all, she is the Ice Queen!