Split Ends

I went out today and the shelves were empty.  Like a locust invasion and you hardly see any employees.  I don’t see a lot of Christmas hiring this year.  I think the online sales are doing them in and it’s much better than fighting all those people and finding parking.

I got a really wonderful gift from Susana.  I will take a photo when my light is better.  I was very touched by her generosity.  She framed one of her art pieces I fell in love with and sent it to me along with a very delicate scarf. I am still speechless. Thank you from the bottom of my heart Susana.

So here is what is on my table.  My Journal Monday hosted by Jillholmes.me, if you want to join in.  I have been trying to use some scraps up and pasting and spraying and that is what I like to do to disentangle my mind from all the busy holiday flurry around me.

A new thing I am doing on the right is taking scraps of paper and sewing them to copy paper, then you can cut them out and use them on index cards or postcards as a design starter.  I found this here at iHana.  The trees are cut with my silhouette.  I wanted to see how small I could cut them without them falling apart.  These are about an inch.  I am using them in my calendar.  Just odds and ends.

I see Jill isn’t set up for this this week but I will go ahead with it anyway.  I have been covered up for the Thanksgiving month starting with a virus that lasted a week at the first of the month.

I cook the Thanksgiving meal and had 12 people.  It took me three days to prepare for that and before I got sick I got my steam cleaner out and steamed blinds and spot cleaned things.

I got this app called Pocketbooth and it is like the old Photobooth we used in the, dare I date myself, 60’s which cost a quarter for four pictures.  It was a ton of fun for a quarter and used to take us the better part of the day to do our hair and makeup just to walk the two blocks to get the photos.  Oh those were the days where that was all that was on my mind.  So for this crazy group at Thanksgiving I got out my phone and we took pics.  It was a scream.  I think there are copyright laws but I printed them out just to put in my calendar and I can’t figure out how to order more than one at a time so until then this is what we did on Thursday.  They even got out kiddo’s play hats.  Tonight is his birthday so we are taking him to dinner. He is getting off the bus here today.

I have also wanted to have fancy nails and have done the acrylics on others but my hand isn’t steady enough even with tape to get it done so when I saw this gal online who was doing a demo on this product named KONAD, I  got the double sided stamp and scraper and one polish, white and one plate.  You put the polish which is thick on the plate.  Scrap over it.  The design is embedded and then stamp the stamp over the design to pick it up and roll it over your nails.  I like it.  The girl I saw do the demo said any thick polish will work, which I have a lot of.  On my nails below I have one coat of a tan color and the white over plus a top coat.

And finally what is on my table is a little insert from Yellow Paper House, I got a couple for lists and things I want to add separate.  Ideas, just a junk book I can add to my calendar.  These little books are really nice and on Friday I think it is you can get certain ones for 5 USD.  I also have been trying to do some backgrounds just to keep my art going because my husband had four days off and he was my shadow.  Now for Christmas!  ACK!

Of course I’m decorating this book but I have one in the drawer by the computer that is plain brown paper and I like it plain as well.

What are your Christmas plans?  Or should I say Holiday plans?

I know, it’s not Friday any more but I did my face on Friday.  Kim Dellow is hosting.  For November the prompt is “In The Style Of”.  I didn’t do it in the style of anyone this week.  I just sat down and played with my watercolors.

Jill Holmes is hosting My Journal Monday, which is about what you are working on now.  What is on your table.

I have had some bug and it took me a week to get over it and I still feel kind of weak.  Not for you to tell me you are sorry. lol   But to explain why I haven’t been around much.  I ventured to the grocery this morning and a woman checking me out had the same symptoms I have had.  Sheesh, get me a baby wipe!  I am making Thanksgiving for 12.

So after the horrors of Paris I took my anger out on a page I didn’t show anywhere but here.  I am just heart sick and have a couple of on line friends who are in or close to Paris and found that they and their families are okay.

First page:  Angry Page

Second Page: The one I put up where my Paris friends would see we were all rooting for them.

Our prompt was tapestry so after I painted it I took it into my graphics program and overlay it with a blue antique book cover with a low transparency to give it that worn tapestry look.

Such a tragic reality of our world these days.  I am hoping that the United States becomes smarter about rooting these animals out.  Prayers for Paris.

It seems I mark my week by the face day.

Our sweet host for Show Your Face is Kim Dellow and her link is here.  Thank you Kim.

I am fascinated by light and dark values lately and how to achieve them.  I found a drawing done by an artist that used a sharpie and there was no name on the picture.  I generally stay away from Tumblr because people just seem to grab things and throw them up without giving credit but I saw this on Pinterest.  If anyone knows the name of the artist I loosly took this from please let me know.  I used graphite which I wet with a paint brush then went back over with more graphite.  I started with a sketch with a mechanical pencil.

Have a wonderful relaxed weekend all!

Go to Jill’s page to learn about this. She is the host. 

I have such a headache. I have had no internet for five days. I have talked to 17 people including a service truck I spied and chased down in the neighborhood and AT&T still have not gotten it right. That includes 5 separate phone numbers and multiple prices. 

I am trying to switch from DSL to Uverse which will eliminate my phone bill, get my bill down and hopefully get me a boost in speed. I don’t know what is so hard to understand about that. 

I am doing everything from my phone and also have no wifi right now. I can’t be on data roaming long because they are getting us on that too. AT&T will suck the life and money right out of you. So here is what I have been doing while on hold so many hours or just one of many but on my table right now. 

Left is the page , right is the under paper. i like them both equally.

Hi guys!  Well, it’s Monday again and I am adding my journal page for what I am doing right now on my table.  Hosting is Jill Holmes, who has a lovely page up right now so check her out and join in.  Right now I think it is just the two of us participating.

I will add mine in a minute.  I am working on a new page for #sistersinheartwithart, which is a weekly prompt we do from Instagram and it is just something to keep you motivated and that old arty arm limbered up.  I resisted Instagram for a long time but let me tell you there are some wonderful arty people on there.

I also wanted to give a shoutout to Blue Moon Scrapbooking that is a supply site for all kinds of paper, dies, if you do die cuts, stencils, pens, inks, Project Life, washi tape, with tons of artists and all kinds of goodness.  They also have fabulous clearance so please check these people out!  They are lovely people and I feel totally safe buying on their site. They will call you and send tracking on your package.  I just can’t say enough good things about them. Scrapbooking is a little misleading as they have all kinds of things, including all kinds of little machines that do the work for you.

Ok, for my piece, finally.

Host Kim Dellow is having Show Your Face so this week I will get right to it since I am on my phone. I took my face/figure from the work of a comic book artist. They do amazingly detailed work. I don’t know the name of the artist but I will try to find out and add it later.

Following Jill Holmes new  My Journal Monday.  Just whatever you happen to be working on, take a picture and put your link at the end of her blog.

I have been reading some new Mixed Media Artists I hadn’t heard of before.  I learned of Shawn Petite through Susana and she does a video every Sunday.  She is so much fun to watch and has a definite way she does her pages.

Then I found Mirium Schulman and I am doing this for her free class she is giving.  Making a page writing affirmations.  Just playing and using scraps in a grocery store flyer.  Not finished with this one.  I probably won’t leave her face green:D

Catching up from fall break.  It has been beautiful all week and I have cooked all day today I am going to walk outside in a little bit and just enjoy the last of the day.  Hope your Monday was a good one.

Kim Dellow hosts Show Your Face Friday. You paint, draw doodle a face and link up to her page where there are a lot of lovely people doing the same.

November theme or prompt below but it doesn’t have to be.

• In The Style Of  – November 2015 (examine our favourite established artists, incorporate what they do through our own face practise)

I started this in the fashion of Juna Biagioni, who does the most amazing faces and her style is just fascinating to watch.  I started by dabbing the undertones I wished to use as shadows and then left to do something else.  Laundry I think, bleh.  When I came back I decided I liked her one eye and all just as she was so here she is.