Terrific Tuesday

Well it is if you like Rain on December 22! And yes it is raining here in upstate New York again!

Happy note: I finally finished the painting I have been working on for a few days and got it in the mail yesterday to my 18 month old grandson Oliver!

Here's Nana's nugget with his Mom Lydia! O I love that little face!




And after much work and agonizing over whether it needed more touching up or not, here is the painting for my little cuddle monkey! He LOVES whales and his mom thought he would get a kick out of seeing a little boy riding one! 







They had made a trip recently to the Aquarium and little Oliver was totally fascinated with the Sea Turtles and Jellyfish so I included those as well and a few Seagulls for good measure!
I wish I could be there to see his face when he sees it for the first time so they had better takes many photos for Nana!

So now that the most important prep for Christmas is done I now have a very messy house to clean and more paintings and crafting to do.....stay tuned, 2016 is going to be the best year yet!!!


Love to all Tina xoxo

BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY!

I am finally feeling a lot more like my old self after a very challenging couple of months but then Autumn always was my favorite season!
The sun is shining today but the temps have dropped to the 60's and I love it! Loads to do in the garden (later!) and paintings and crafts to work on (soon!) but right now I just have to stop and thank God that for today at least everything seems perfectly in alignment with my higher good!
And that is what I wish for all of you...that life is good for you and your families and that Mother Nature presents you with a cornucopia of only the very best this world has to offer!

In that vein I finally have gotten a few new painting done and listed on Ebay so I am feeling very good about myself right now lol! And here they are...

 This little angel (16" x 12") I did in acrylic and finished with 2 layers of crackle medium then stained her for a vintage look. I think it turned out quite nice all in all.

My little Goldfinch is slightly smaller at 8" x 10" also done in acrylic and I am very happy with how he turned out. I just find it hard to get decent photos with the little Nikon camera I have. For some reason the colors are just not as rich looking as they are in real life but then maybe one of these days I will just have to get a more expensive camera!

Today with the change in weather I am feeling very Halloweeny (is that a word?) so my ideas are running more into the darker and creepier lol! I may have to start decorating the house soon to get the full "Sleepy Hollow" effect!

Well time to get back to the easel and see what goodies my mind will come with today!
Have a wonderful and joyful Sunday!

Tina xo

A Challenging Week

On Thursday the 27th of August I lost a friend and neighbor when she passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. Her health had not been great for many years but she tried hard to take good care of herself and for the most part she succeeded. She had a bad heart though and was diabetic and never really understood the whole carb thing as it relates to "sugar" levels.

She was only 71 and I will always remember her for being a loving and giving human being, who loved everyone and never, ever used a cuss word. Born in Ohio but moving to Florida at a young age where she and her her hubby lived for many years before moving to upstate New York where I met her 10 years ago. After her beloved Poppy passed 4 years ago she was never quite the same and although she had no other family she had friends who cared about her deeply, but Poppy's loss was always with her and she often spoke of wanting to be with him again. Anita I will miss you more than you know, you were loved and cherished and I wish I could have had one more chance to tell you how special and dear you were.
Take a moment today to let those you love know how much you care, we never know if today will be the last chance we have to hold them and whisper those loving words to a lonely heart that yearns to hear them!
Anita I love you!


Tina xo

The Life I should Be Living!

Do you ever wonder what life would be like if everything went the way you wanted it to? Well I wonder that every single day!!! Lately, especially, I feel like I didn't only drop the proverbial ball, I dropped the whole darned ball factory. Oh well, maybe that is really what life is all about...the coulda, woulda shouldas haunt some of us forever or at least until the coffee and donuts kick in and some of the few lucky ones never question any of their decisions or wonder about the road not taken.
Don't get me wrong I do have absolutely fabulous days when I watch Louise Hay videos on YouTube and pray and meditate until I am floating an inch above the floor all day, but those are not as common as the "other" days!

Well today is a kind of in between day, I did a little housekeeping and just posted a little painting on Ebay so I am feeling "mighty" right now. And here is the little painting for your perusal and opinion. If you are not into folk art this may not be your cup of tea but it is kind of cute in a naive sort of way:

You can see a glimpse of my kitchen table studio in a couple of the photos and yes because of my paint and craft supplies there is not a lot of eating going  on in that room or on that table, but since I live alone who cares!
If anyone is interested in this little gem I just posted it to Ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/161807315406?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Right now I am saving up to get two little male cats neutered so any art purchases will be going towards that goal!

Thanks for stopping by and please do leave me any comments on how you handle "those" kind of days as I will try anything (within reason) to turn my frown upside down :)

Have a super day and keep on smiling!

Tina xoxo

From the Easel!

Wow how time just takes off running and leaves me in it's dust! 
I did manage to get a few things completed that I had sketched out a while ago and here they are:

The first one is an angel which is pretty obvious and the second is one I entitled "La Soeur Triste" (The Sad Nun) and I am not really sure how that came about except that as I began outlining and painting her she took on this persona and I ran with it.
I am planning some more angel paintings in the coming weeks as I have gotten so many wonderful ideas late at night that seem to follow mostly an angelic theme! You can find these and future paintings on my Etsy.com shop page (the link is on my page here).
Of course with the painting going on I fell behind in the gardening and my lawn is once again up to my ankles and my lawn mower wouldn't start yesterday so I was not a happy camper but I am hoping it was just condensation in the motor because of all the rain and humidity!
Later this week I plan on visiting all my fave blogs and seeing what you all have been up to creatively! I guess it's almost time to start planning for the Christmas craft shows (oh my did I actually use that holiday word????) Ok no rock throwing at the anxious artist!
Have a super Tuesday, love on your pets for me, kiss the kiddos and hubbys on my behalf and smile a lot!

Love Tina xoxo

Trying to Keep Up!

Well here we are on another Monday, Summer is here and so is all the yard work! Sadly it has been super hard to get any yard work done around here because of the constant rain! Just when the grass has had a chance to dry out it rains again!!!

The good news is that with all the rain and being stuck indoors I have gotten 2 little 12" x 9" paintings done in the last week and here they are....(please forgive the bad camera resolution but I NEED a new one soon)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/161741793502?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2648

http://www.ebay.com/itm/161741792264?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2648

The colors are much darker and rich in the originals but I have to manage with what I have for now so hopefully you can see past the photo quality. 

Almost all the proceeds from my art goes towards caring for my rescue cats so there isn't much left over for luxuries like cameras!

Hope you all are having a great day and enjoying the beginning of summer? 


Tina xo

This Year's Garden...so far!

Every year I am blown away with how things emerge differently due to the Winter just past or the Spring we are haves and that was it!ing. This year the rain once again changed the pattern I had gotten used to a few years ago. The warm up in January played havoc with my poor Forsythia once again and they failed to have those lovely yellow blooms I love so much. Once again it just grew green leaves and that was it! The poppies too were negligible and lasted a day or two and then dropped. Sad....
But hey the Irises held on and now the Daylilies are sending up flower stocks and getting ready to pop soon. As always the ever faithful Sunflowers are  are even more prolific than ever so soon I will have some scrumptious photos of those sweet garden friends. I love them because they attract the bees and when I see those little fellas working each day I feel like indeed "God is in His heaven and all is right with the world" !
 
 My adored Irises! I want many more in every color available because they remind me of ladies vintage dresses! Kind of shabby chic!

Lavender Irises

I do love my peonies, they are brave little souls and no matter where they were placed (haphazardly) they have thrived and put forth exquisite blooms each year.....

Peonies

Isn't she lovely?

A few years ago someone gave me a small piece of a plant they called American Bamboo. Now I am not sure that is what it is called everywhere else but since I know no better that is what I call it! It is an intrusive little beggar and has to be savagely cut back each year or it will take over the world, but it can be trimmed into a lovely little shady spot where one could place a yard chair and relax so she remains in her spot despite the work controlling her requires!

American Bamboo

American Bamboo

I am sure you have noticed there is massive amounts of weeding to be done and just as soon as the rain stops for more than 15 minutes I may get a chance to quite the jungle!

And finally for today the beloved and medicinal Comfrey, a favorite of mine and the bees (if the bees love it, I love it)!

Comfrey

 

 

 Well, well the sun is coming out and I may yet get my chance to work out there! So I leave you for the moment with a final little photo of one section of my temporarily neglected garden and go search for my garden gloves. 
I hope this Wednesday is kind to all and that something wonderful will happen for each one of you out there today!

Love 
Tina xoxo

Happy First Birthday Oliver!!!

This past June 9th was my precious grandson Oliver's first birthday! My son and daughter-in-law live in another state so I have only had the pleasure of actually holding this sweetie once on a lovely 5 day visit I had last November, but the memories will last forever!
So without further ado.....

Now I know that all Grandma's think their grandbaby is the most gorgeous bundle in the world but look at that face!!! To say my heart sings whenever new photos are uploaded on Facebook is a gross understatement. 
So expect to see lots of posts in the coming months of this little treasure because he is definitely the apple of this grandmom's eye!

Have a lovely day.....

Tina xo

"NEW ART" today's special!

Yes I love to paint and do just about anything where I can use my hands and mind to create something lovely! Today I finally finished a piece I have been working on for about a month on and off so without further ado.....

Lots of paper added to the surface before I started (I love texture) and then texture medium for more excitement! I then accented with fabric from the covers of old books and a crow from one of my original stencil designs! She is 12" x 16" and available right now on Etsy 

www.etsy.com/shop/OneWildSwan?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Have a super lovely Thursday!!!

Tina xo

POOR BUNNY CAT!

It has been a hectic week so far because one of my dear cats was poisoned on Saturday. I rushed Bunny to the vet and she checked him over and sent me home with antibiotics. I won't go into details but it was a scary couple of days. This morning, thank goodness, he is eating on his own again instead of me having to force feed him, and he wants to go back out to play (which is out of the question while he is on meds). I had many friends and family praying for him and I am sure that was what made the huge difference in the speed of his recovery.

Of course all my energy was focused on Bunny so not much else got done, but maybe today I can work on a few paintings I started and get back in the saddle..:)
Have a great finish to the week and God bless!

Tina xo

Where Was I?

This has been a strange and very challenging 18 months. I worked and agonized over every detail of my life and future and struggled to find the right balance. Finally I had to make a decision on where I wanted to be in 2-3 years and how I was going to get there. First challenge, get off my butt and move into action, start blogging again ( a definite positive in my life) and painting, creating, which led to reorganizing my home and my possessions. Finally I returned to my church life which I had neglected for a LONG time. I knew there were things missing in my life that would help me make sense of all the "stuff" that had been going on, stuff that was causing me to be miserable and giving me the feeling that I was merely spinning my proverbial wheels. So I went back to church, renewed old acquaintances there and started to look for the joy in life instead of letting myself be dragged down by negative people. I am not finished with the task of clearing the debris yet but I have made firm inroads into achieving my goals. I have missed the good friends I made here on Blogger and I hope you will remember me and continue to be my friend in the months to come! I am home!

So to get a good start on my new journey I painted a little painting for a friend's son, he is a penguin fanatic so I did a little piece of artwork for him to hang in his room at college...

I am working on new things and although it has been hard to make myself focus each day on what I wanted to accomplish this day, I have become a better person in learning to corral my restless urges. I hope everyone has been happy and healthy this past 18 months? I had worried so much that while I was wallowing in my issues many of you were going through huge challenges also that I was unaware of. But know that you were all in my prayers through it all and I hope as I visit your blogs I will find you well and happy!

With Love ...
Tina xoxo