Tabitha's Studio

Well, I think I hit a record!

2010-01-06T08:32:00.000-08:00

Three posts in one week! Who'd thought I could do it?

And here they are! More lovelies from the pages of Lady's magazines from the 40's and 50's. They always seemed so perfect to me. And I'm sure they weren't. And here's the proof!

Did you see that one coming? And "darn" for Pete's sake?

I always feel at a disadvantage when looking through a magazine, especially a magazine geared for women. So, I guess my art work is a way to fight back. I was never perfect, nicely clothed, thin and fit, poised or confident. In fact, I would hazard a guess that very few of us really are. And the ones who are don't think they are. Kinda sad, huh? So, if we don't have what we think we ought to have or are blind to the fact that we've got it, what's the big whoop?
Relax! Life is what it is and there are plenty of things to be thankful for!

Time to go and get some priorities straight.
CIAO for Now!

Getting ready for this weekend!

2010-01-03T04:15:00.000-08:00

It's the time for this weekend's Downtown Art Market.

The studio is a flurry of activity. It's fun to see the work space filled with images waiting to be "found".

I'm excited. I've decided to do some serious refocusing. The goal has been to clean out a lot of the debris in my studio and remove the excess. I can now see my work table and there are several projects that should be done in time. It's still a little messy, but I'm straightening as I go and I do see a light at the end of the tunnel.

A batch of new journal covers.

They are ready for pages and stitching and finding new homes and purposes.It feels good to get my hands messy with paint and glue again. It's been too long since my last time at the art table.

Art every day!

2010-01-01T13:58:00.000-08:00

Cliches and other utter nonsense!

It's a new day and a new year. I know that's corny and cliche, but it's the truth. I feel a need to get back to the things I love to do and clear out all the cobwebs. Been working too hard trying to please too many of the wrong people. Now, it's time for my emotional health.

Since nobody really reads this blog, I know I'm talking to a wall, but hey, I gotta get it out!

Here's the deal: the next 365 days need to be spent in creative endeavors one way or another. The creative spirit will manifest itself in different ways. I'm excited to see what happens next.

This year we were blessed with a white Christmas.

It's always inspiring to wake up on Christmas day and find a nice blanket of white stuff on the ground. Lubbock doesn't get many pretty Christmases, so this was a real treat.

Jim had to go out and wipe the snow off the backyard "C-band dinosaur" so we could view the TV festivities, but that's a small price to pay! Real live snow! We went to church the night before to the candlelight service, but all day Christmas was spent a warm house, watching TV and eating Christmasy food! What a deal!

Absolutely Lovely! I love this picture!

And now on to the rest of the year! One day at a time!

Thoughts about Charlene and Morning walks in June

2009-09-03T06:08:00.000-07:00

My lovely step-mom passed away early this summer. It's been a strange time and a lot of my schedule suddenly had to be adjusted to accommodate the changes in Dad's life. This wasn't really bad, just a shuffling of priorities. It's kinda sad that the times that make us re-evaluate what's really important usually are the tragedies we encounter.

After the funeral there was quite a bit of time thinking, walking and looking. Penny, Charlene's cat found herself lost without her normal lap to sit in. She spent a lot of time hiding under the bed, wandering around

and my personal favorite: sitting in the front window looking out for her Mom to come home.

She has recently found herself on Dad's lap quite a bit and this is good. They both need each other right now.

I take a lot of walks when I go up to Dad's. There's a wonderful exercise path close to his house and I usually make use of it. Early in the day, even in the summer, the air is mountain cool and the view is extraordinary. Jim and I walked down to the little town and found a nice lake nestled in the hills. It was lovely and serene. Calming and refreshing.

I could just swear this little guy was posing for us. He never got off the lawn he was on (if you could call it that) but kept close to us as we walked around the property.

It always amazes me how people react to grief. Everyone does it differently. Dad was immediately overcome by a sense of loss and loneliness. It's been a couple of months now and I think he has healed some. At least he doesn't seem so down. He got the battery charged on his motorized chair and has decided to start moving around the neighborhood. He is seeking to touch the world outside, even when it's hard for him to get there. Where there's a will, there is a way! When the new Senior Citizen Center is built, I think he's going to be one of the first ones going. I'm glad. He needs people and he knows it. The hole created by Charlene's passing is still there, it'll take while to heal, but life goes on.

Who knows what the next chapter in our story will be? Not I.

2009-09-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder how life would be like without so many "dramas". Nice and serene like the bovine before us waiting in the field for the cowhand to come and move them her back into the barn for the night. No stress, just eat and get nice and fat. No deadlines, no PTA meetings, no meals to prepare and houses to clean. As serene as it is to just watching her, it's not what life for human beings is. We have been given more to do and a human cannot be fulfilled by sitting in a pasture. Our minds are busy and we feel we need to move and do something. We are happier with the time tables and responsibilities than we realize.

It is good to step back, enjoy the beauty of nature and find some peace in the world around us. But to want it all the time just isn't natural for us. I don't really believe in "retirement". I know I'm going to want to do something until I step up to the Pearly Gates and I'm truly grateful to have plenty to do right now.

Artful breakfast!

2009-09-02T06:12:00.000-07:00

We've been watching "Iron Chef, America" and it's rubbing off. I tend to play a little bit with the plating, especially for breakfast. This is an omelet with avocado, bacon, cheese, mushrooms and tomato topped with a garnish of my own homemade sour cream. It was delectable!

Birthday

2009-07-14T15:47:00.000-07:00

My 60th birthday! What a day!

It was a landmark day in several ways. I hit a decade. 6th decade to be exact. I'm still pretty healthy for my age. And I want to make some promises to myself for the next decade, at least, if not the next 20 or 30 years. I have a few good years left and I'd like to make them count.

So, how does one go about making the promises and How the heck do you keep them? Seems like every time I've made new year's resolutions, I've found myself slowly slipping and after a while just forgetting them completely. Every time I start a diet the same thing happens- I get tired of the discipline and doing the right thing (i.e.- not eat the wrong thing) and one bite of cookie leads to a small scoop of ice cream and so on and so forth!

These are some wonderful little guys my daughter made for me for my birthday. I actually got to help her make them. It was fun and I wasn't all that tempted to eat them. I got lots of pictures and happy memories of a great birthday!

Okay, back to the health rant, I do know one thing: I am going to have to get into much better shape to be able to handle the next what ever days (months/years?) I have left. 20 min of Yoga a couple of days a week is not enough. I'll just have to see what I can do to up the health ante!

"Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed."
Provers 15:22

Awakening

2009-05-26T10:59:00.000-07:00

Of cats and showers and coming clean. Life and all that's there!

Ah, a new day. Clean out the old stuff and in with some new.

So, what shall we do with this day before us? Let's not forget the most precious things, family and home. Life is ahead of us and there are few more important things than the ones we love!

Be daring, go out into the world and conquer!

Celebrate Morning Coffee

2009-05-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes those little "happy accidents" are the coolest things. This morning I was making a cup of coffee in my wonderful (thrifted, btw) Senseo coffee pot and I got distracted with something in the other room. Came back after the foam had settled just a bit and there was this cool little heart in the cup.

I know this picture is fuzzy. Actually got a better shot with my phone, but am having problems with the phone and computer communicating with each other.

It just reminds me of the lovely things around us that we take for granted. Sometimes we are so busy, we don't stop and see the cool little things. I think it's almost a crime to not take a moment and celebrate.

Bingo!

2009-04-27T11:27:00.000-07:00

I stopped in one of my very favorite thrift store this morning to check out what might be "new" and found a real treasure.

This resale shop has an odd habit of packaging random items in clear plastic bags and pricing the whole assortment as one. Sometimes the items are related, sometimes not. The packaging does help keep the shelves cleaner, but since I'm always trying to make connections in my brain, the packaging often resembles an 3D jigsaw puzzle.

This package had 2 balls of pink crochet thread, one red-neck bumper sticker proclaiming, "Happiness is yelling BINGO!" and an old worn out piece of hosiery filled with vintage savings stamps, coupons and box tops. I didn't really want the first two items, bit the hose filled packet had to be mine. I wasn't sure what was in it 'till I got it in the car, but it really looked promising!

Someone in the past lovingly saved these cool items and kept them safe in the bit of hosiery. The packet possibly lived in the corner of a drawer in the kitchen awaiting future use. Now someone with a passion for cleaning out the cobwebs finally sent them off to the resale shop. What's amazing about this is they didn't end up in the dumpster covered with grease, used coffee grounds or the contexts of Pussy Cat's litter box.

I might actually keep the bumper sticker and create a journal page with it for grins, but I'm not sure of what to do with the crochet thread. It probably will go back to the resale shop so someone else can worry about what to do with it. The coupons and boxtops? How does that go? "BINGO!"

Buzzwords and Old Buildings

2009-04-25T04:51:00.000-07:00

Now, I was wondering. The problem is my mind wanders quite a lot and and seems to find itself wrapping around odd concepts. Most recently I have been pondering buzzwords. Things people say because they are so, well, cool. And darn it, "cool" is a buzzword! (Oops, I seem to be channeling Alton Brown, sorry!) See, I've wandered again!

When will it stop?

The buzzword I've been thinking about right now is "random". Have you noticed how it has creped into the language and lodged itself in our daily lives? I remember how the word "dynamite" became the buzzword of the day. That was the 70's along with Laugh In. The word drove me crazy and I was barely out of college. It still reminds me of paisley bell bottoms and Afros. Maybe it's because I never finished college. Excuses, excuses! Hey, that was so "random" of me!

Don't you just love old buildings? I do. I love the texture of the wood, the surface that says, "I've been around for a while". Someone built this structure for a purpose a long time and it's still here. I love the scars left by the absence of metal objects long gone. So, what happened here in a small town in West Texas just below the Panhandle? Obviously life happened and it keeps on going.

Here's hoping your life is rich with texture.

Christmas Day 2008

2009-01-05T05:59:00.000-08:00

Since we didn't have any family in town this year to spend Christmas Day with, we went out to eat. All we could find open were one of those "pancake house" things, but... the meal we had was absolutely wonderful! We had a lovely meal, cooked perfectly and met a nice couple from out of town who were passing through on vacation. It was a nice, pleasant way to spend the day. And the bonus- No kitchen to clean!

I don't wear these shoes very often, but I really like them. I actually think I found them at an estate sale. It's hard to find 9 1/2 Narrow in the stores anymore, so thrifting comfortable shoes seems to be the only way for me.
And festive Christmas color for Christmas day!

Individually Me

2009-01-05T04:19:00.000-08:00

I am me and no one else! Me, myself and I. No one dresses like me, eats like me, walks like me or thinks like me.

I am my own person and I defy anyone to try and copy me. There is no part of me you can mold or record or put in a fancy photograph and even hope to come out with a semblance of my real character and life. You could clone me and all you would have for your trouble is an fresh person- a life that would move off the game board I'm on and become someone completely different from me in a different game completely. I am me and no one else.

A Clean Sweep

2009-01-03T05:15:00.000-08:00

Well, here goes. It's been way too long and I'm ready to just do it!

I sure hope everyone out there in blog-land has had a good holiday. Mine was alright, but I always feel kinda funny/empty after Christmas. There is some sort of magic in the expectation of the holiday and Christmas morning it kinda disappears. I'd love to know why this happens. Maybe it's just that I need to get up off my hiney and get to work!

I do have some resolutions. Didn't really think I'd make any this year. The ones I've made in the past all seem to have flown the coup, so why is this year any different? It seems the human spirit is always trying to adjust itself and "fix" what's wrong. I have quite a few things that need fixing so it's probably best to make them public (like confession) and maybe I'll pay more attention to them.

1. I do need to lose weight. But, I think what is in order is a life-style change and not just a temporary fix at the scales. There's more to this one than just getting skinny. Though, I'd love to make some really cool artsy clothes to wear at Art Events. I dress entirely too frumpy!
2. Dress better. Okay, I'm working on that. Frump goes out the window!
3. Spend lots more time with my kids and grandkids.
4. Finish the kitchen. It's getting there, but not fast enough.
5. Landscape the backyard. I have too much space back there. Right now it looks like a wasteland!
And-last-but-not-least:
6. Blog a whole lot more! Twice a year is not enough! Let's start with twice a week (baby steps)-and I do need to figure out things, like getting it to look better. Never have figured out how to put my art in the banner. It'll come.

That's enough for now. If I actually pay attention to these past January, I'll be doing great!

2008-04-09T15:37:00.001-07:00

I started this post about 4 months ago. I just can't seem to get into this blogging thing. I don't know if it's not my thing or if I need to apply myself a little bit better. One of my biggest problems here has been figuring out why I can't seem to get images into the blog. I've probably been trying to upload images that are too large. This is one that I've set at a lower dpi, Let's see how it goes.
BTW- this is another blue background. I kinda like blue. I'm beginning to think it's my favorite color. Although it could be red or yellow or green or purple or.....
Silly me. I just like color!

The last couple of months have been pretty hectic. We (my husband and I) have been involved in a major stage play, a melodrama, and a huge wedding trip to Illinois along with major news from our son and his family about moving back to New Hampshire. So, now things are settled down somewhat and life has taken a more even keel. I'm still teaching an art workshop on Wednesdays and we'll be watching our son's family pet for three weeks while he moves the family North. The Melodrama (actually lots of fun) will be over Sunday evening. But, we'll be starting on "Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum". This won't be too much of a problem. It'll be the first production in a while that I don't need to learn lines for. Stage Managing is a lot of work, but it doesn't take over my life until the last three weeks of the pre-production part. That won't be till the middle of August, so I've got some breathing room.

The workshops are going well. I'm just charging enough to pay for the room rental and cover my expenses. The ladies that attend know that I'm using them as guinea pigs, so that's cool. Most of them are teachers that are getting a lot of time to restock their personal energy reserves. The creative energy in the room has been high. It's been good to see the batteries recharging. Teaching takes quite a bit out of a person and having a safe haven with time dedicated to personal art is fantastic. All too soon they will be back in the classroom fighting those dragons again. I just hope I've had a hand in making their next year a little better.

Well, I'm off to fight my own dragons. Think I'll take a nice nap before curtain goes up tonight.
Cheers to all,
Nancy

Trying to get on the ball here.

2008-03-10T14:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally did some journal pages I'm particularly proud of. I've been lurking in flickr a lot lately. There are lots of tremendously talented artists camping out there. Some of them are so generous as to actually share with the world their "secrets". Wow. In this world of dog-eat-dog, it's nice to see some genuine, honest helpfulness.

I like the way this one came out. It was inspired by the work of Susan B. and her lovely and colorful journal pages. She also put a tutorial on her blog:
http://www.thriftycollageartist.blogspot.com/
Check her out, she's a neat lady!

I have been working hard to get myself to do art regularly. Especially since I really want to teach more. I haven't had a workshop in such a long time, almost a year and a half. I guess it's been because my husband and I have been so involved in theater here in Lubbock. It's hard to stage manage for major musicals like "Hello Dolly!" and get a small business working at the same time. So, with "Dolly" done and the props and scenery all packed neatly away, it's time to focus on the art. I probably won't take on any major theater projects for a while so I can zero in on what I want to accomplish in the art arena.

I have been doing some things. A couple of swaps in some yahoo groups. And of course cards and other stuff. The cute flying fish was done for a story written for a swap in the TravelersHart Yahoo group. I liked it so much I put it on my business card, which actually I change so often, I don't really have a "signature" image. Oh, well!

Evening with Katy and Stephanie

2008-03-10T14:17:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday night I got to babysit two of my youngest granddaughters. When I go over there to sit with them, I never go empty handed. I'm not bragging, I just think watching kids without something really good for them to do is boring. I guess that's why I hated babysitting so much when I was growing up. But then again I was the oldest of 7 kids and that's not fun at all!

Back to Thursday:
WE HAD FUN!No, we didn't just make faces!

We spent the evening making collages and painting on them. The above pic is Katie's. The one below is Stephanie's.

Both of them did a great job and they seemed to enjoy it. Afterwards we had a snack, got ready for bed. I read them a lovely book and they got tucked in nice and comfy.

More new beginnings!

2008-01-17T14:45:00.000-08:00

Let's just start over.
A new Year, new promises and new commitments. We wouldn't be human if we didn't need to step back, take a look at what we'd done and realign our selves once in a while.
For this new year, I've purposed to think a little before I say, "sure, I can do that". I actually told someone yesterday that now was way too soon to say yes to a demo date in April. I love to demo my art, but so often, I end up double booking myself into such tight corners that I end up frustrated and not really doing as good a job as I could if I wasn't so distracted.
I've also decided this was a year to do some serious art. No more pussyfooting around and not really accomplishing anything. I want to FINISH THINGS! I wish I had a nickel for each project I have started and not finished. Now to be fair, some are learning pieces, but heavens, not that many of them! Even the learning pieces can be used to create something.
So, let's get to it.
Every day is a new day - a real new beginning!

Countdown to Studio Tour

2007-09-19T05:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I bought a couple of new toys and I'm excited. Just in time for my push to get stuff done for the November Local Color Studio Tour. I've been accepted in the category "mixed media". It appears to me to be a wide open category, so I am going to take advantage of it. Below is little piece that will be in the show. Sorry about the grainy pic. I'll try to do better tomorrow.

First item was a drill press for my rotary tool. I can't believe I tried to live without it up till now! I've already amassed a large pile of little things with little holes in them. Then there's the advantage of having a third hand actually holding the tool so I can quickly take care of sanding I need to do. Today I plan to do a whole lot more of the same thing, then begin assembling the "things" into cool stuff!

The other toy I bought was a nice little scroll saw I found at an estate sale. I've always wanted one and finally I was the first one to see it! Usually the good stuff is gone before I get there! Can't wait to get it bolted to the workbench and try it out!

It's going to be a bumpy ride!

2007-09-04T12:35:00.000-07:00

Life is that way, not the least bit calm or sane or anything predictable. If it were, where would the fun be?

Today is a new beginning of sorts. New day, new blog. New thoughts. New art. Hopefully new insights. I firmly believe we should never stop learning. The older I get the tireder (if that's really a word) I get, but not so tired that I can't enjoy the thrill of learning something new or the adventure of finding new territory to explore. For me this new territory is usually art related.

I'm easily distracted, so it's easy for me to hop from one media to another. I am so easily distracted that sometimes I find myself walking from one end of the house to the other (it's not a long house!) and completely forgetting half way there just why I took the trip in the first place!

So, on to the new stuff! Forward--March!