WW * A VERY unSCAREY SCARECROW

Here is my very first entry for Wordless Wednesday!... Just couldn't resist jumping in for some group blogging fun!!

Happy Fall Y'all!!!

"A Very UnScarey Scarecrow"

This collage is made from acid-free scrapbooking paper, Prismacolor pencils on smooth Bristol paper, and acrylic paint on a canvas panel.

iDOODLE

Here is one of my favorite ways to "jump-start" my creativity and get new ideas flowing....

Pick a theme & doodle mini-pics relating to the theme (l chose Autumn here). Try to fill up an 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet of graph paper. No need to be perfect... just keep on drawing whatever pops into your head. All it takes is a pencil, a good eraser, a micron pen, & a tablet of graph paper.

You can easily take this creativity-booster along with you wherever you go, so have fun doodling!! :)

LEARNING CURVE

"Space Explorer"

I like to learn new things. I find a lot of satisfaction in being able to search for helpful books and web resources about things that make me curious, and then dive right in and learn things on my own.

So, it made perfect sense to me, after purchasing a basic graphics program called PaintShop Pro (PSP) for my new computer, to wander down to my favorite local bookstore and buy a how-to book. I chose what I thought must surely be a very simple book ~ "PaintShop Pro for Dummies" ~ and eagerly headed home to learn the ins-and-outs of digital manipulation.

Well... it didn't take me long to realize that I might as well have been trying to decipher hieroglyphics! I just didn't seem to be able to "get" it. And so, reluctantly, I put this learning project aside.

Happily, this past summer my college-aged son (who amazes me with his ability to whiz around in Photoshop!) generously agreed to tutor me in PSP. Suddenly, some of those baffling PSP hieroglyphics started to make sense to me! Soon, I was scanning my line drawings into the computer and "painting" them on the screen... what fun!!

I still have a lot to learn about the "art" of PSP. But one thing I did learn this summer ~ some things are just more fun when learned together!

Thanks, Jesse, for all your patience!! Love, Mom

Space Explorer is available on a variety of fun kidswear in my CafePress shop, PHOLKART*BLESSINGS.

A DAY IN MITFORD

"A Day in Mitford"

If you travel west from our house, straight up Hwy. 421, and wind along the Blue Ridge Parkway (where the mountain views are endless!), you'll eventually come to the charming village of Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

This summer, my husband Joe and I spent a wonderful day together in Blowing Rock. We wandered through the many tiny shops and art galleries. We marveled at the lush gardens and hanging baskets of flowers that adorned every corner of town. At the recommendation of a local shopkeeper, we treated ourselves to a yummy lunch at the Storie Street Grille.

But the thing that made this visit most special for me was just soaking up the atmosphere of the town that had inspired the series of books I've been enjoying all summer long. Author Jan Karon lived in Blowing Rock when she penned The Mitford Series. Her lovable characters ~ Father Tim Kavanaugh, Cynthia Coppersmith, Miss Sadie, Louella, Dooley Barlowe and so many more ~ have all warmed my heart this summer.

For me, spending the day in Blowing Rock was almost like spending the day in Mitford with old friends.

TAKING A LEAP OF FAITH

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite things to do for my birthday was to go to the circus with my family. I loved everything about it! ~ the smell of popcorn, the festive music, the funny clowns in their colorful costumes. I looked forward to watching the jugglers and acrobats perform their amazing tricks in their sparkley outfits. I held my breath as the animal trainers confidently stepped into the ring with bears and lions, tigers and elephants...

...But my favorite thing by far was watching in awe as the fearless trapeze artists performed far overhead on the flying trapeze! Back and forth, they would leap from one trapeze to another, always trusting that their partner would catch them in mid-air!

Sometimes life calls us to be daring and take a similar leap of faith. At the beginning of this summer, I found myself needing to make a BIG decision... would I find a ho-hum minimum wage summer job in order to earn some much-needed extra money for our family? Or would I follow my heart and invest myself in "really doing something" with my art? For me, it felt like a choice between the cautious "sure thing" and the riskier "possibility with no guarantees."

Happily, as I talked with my husband Joe about what to do, and as I prayed about this choice with friends, it seemed clear that God was saying YES to taking a creative leap of faith.

And so, I'm very pleased to announce the opening of my new online CafePress shop, PHOLKART*BLESSINGS. In my shop you will find my original folk art and illustrations on a variety of products... from bibs and onesies for the little people in your life, to T-shirts, coffee mugs, and calendars. I will frequently be adding new designs and products, so please come take a peek and check back often as my little shop grows!

I hope the designs I love to create will be a blessing to you and bring you joy!!


Thank you, Lord, that you are the one who is faithful and who loves us beyond measure. Thank you that I can trust you to catch me as I take a creative leap of faith.

TAGGED!!!

My sweet CaaT art friend Katey (blueyeduckstudios) has tagged me! :)

Here's the scoopidy-doopidy: When you are "tagged" please give 7 random facts about your sweet self on your blog.
Please write things that are a habit, unusual, or that no-one else knows, as well as the rules of the game.
You then need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog.
Please leave a post on the blogs of those you tag so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog...and tag 7 more and so on.
No worries. No pressure. No time constraints - just enjoy ~ xo ~

And so, Katey Duck, here I go!...

1. I met my husband in high school when I was 15 and he was 17. We had a mostly long-distance relationship before we got married 8 years later.

2. I took ballet lessons for 10 years and was sure I'd grow up to be a ballerina!

3. I didn't know I had any drawing ability 'til, as a young mom, I started drawing to make my son happy.

4. I'm the oldest of five children and grew up in an Italian family.

5. I majored in nursing and worked as a pediatric nurse before our children were born.

6. I have planned (and lived through!) two major old house renovations... with more to come!

7. I am "Aunt Patti" to 7 nieces and 4 nephews, who live in New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, and Texas.


OK, now it's my turn!... I tag these wonderful CaaT artists: Larin, River, Aubry, Dixie, Michelle, Deb, and Susan.

THE LAZY DAYS OF SUMMER

When I was a little girl, my family lived in a small town in New York State. Our house was an old, stucco tudor that was set on a hillside in what used to be an apple orchard.

Because the winters were long and snowy, I always looked forward to the summertime! I loved being outside!!

...admiring the flowers, investigating the bugs and bees and butterflies, running barefoot through the sprinkler.

I spent many happy hours swinging on the swings in our backyard, trying to touch the clouds with my toes...



...and nothing could beat the feeling I had as I zoomed on my bicycle, as fast as the wind!


Many summer evenings, after my Dad came home on the train, we packed up the family station wagon and drove all the way to the "Y". As an outdoor-loving little girl, I thought nothing could be better than swimming for hours and eating a picnic dinner with my family and catching lightning bugs after dark! On special occasions, we stayed up really late to watch movies out under the stars...


When it was finally time to come home, I loved to snuggle down in my bed under the covers and read by the light of a flashlight 'til I was finally fast asleep...


Thank you, Lord, for these wonderful childhood memories of summertime!

WATERCOLOR 101

One rainy day last week, Jane (3) was in an artistic mood and asked if she could paint. Her brother George (now almost 2) enthusiastically climbed up into his high chair so he could join in the fun, too! Out came paper, two sets of watercolors, a variety of brushes, and two tiny containers of water. With kids' music playing in the background, we were ready to PAINT!!

Jane immediately set to work, carefully dipping her brush in her green paint and filling the whole sheet of white paper with a lovely shade of emerald. Once the first paper was filled, she gently laid it aside and proceeded to fill her second page with more green.

George, on the other hand, had quite a different approach! Right away, he plunged his little hand into the water, and then coated his fingers with a rainbow of colors. After dabbing them all over his paper, he wiped them on his arms, face, and my arm too, just for good measure. Taking a paint brush in each fist, he pounced them randomly (and with great glee!) in the paint, all over the paper, and then on the tabletop as well. Of course, he had to taste the paint, happily sticking each brush in his mouth over and over, 'til he had a very colorful smile! For George, it was all about the TOTAL painting experience!!


Thank you, Lord, for these two little ones! They teach me so much each day about creativity and joy!!