Here are a few more pictures of my pieces that I am currently working on.

So I got the tests back on my little dog. She has an infection somewhere in her body and her thyroid numbers were so low they did not even register. So she is on pain meds anti-biotics and thyroid meds. We are hoping she will be spry and healthy soon. In the meantime I have started 4 new projects.they all kind of share a theme that kind of streams through each of them. I am enjoying these projects as they are kind of light hearted but as with most things there is a darker side and my challenge at times seems to be to not make the dark side to dark. My life is a little like that as is most people's lives. I am working on an altered book based loosely on fairy tales, two pieces with birds and one a butterfly. The following are some pictures of the works in progress. I am thinking that the two sconces will be made into small lamps that get hung on the wall possibly as night lights. I don't usually do altered books. The last one I did was based on my idea of who God is. It sold very quickly but it required enough introspection that it has taken quite a while to get up the gumption to start another one. This one is based on a fairy tale life....and all that implies.

So today is one of those days when you don't have a lot of time to work in your studio. I had a lot of running around to do with my puppies. First my big boy Charlie was off to the groomers for the day and then an hour and a half later it was taking my female to the vet. I have been so worried that she has been on verge of dying...she is 13 years old and has been kinda declining. The vet said she looked really good except for her skin. She has a heart murmur which we knew but she thinks it has gotten worse. Comes with old age. Between arthritis, and her cataract and the murmur she isn't quite as active as a teenager. So here is a picture of my two senior pets.Sam got the go ahead for grooming next week so until then she will be a little scruffy.

So one of the hard things about my creating pieces is my process. For years when I create things, I go through what my husband calls a manic phase. In many ways it is... what is more is it often is pleasure and pain! I get so excited about the planning that it sparks so many ideas in my mind that sleep eludes me. It hurts because sleep eludes me. Last night I started my manic phase and at 4 O'clock in the morning I. Made the fatal mistake of going into my studio.. before a half hour was gone, I found myself with at least 20 new ideas... to make it short, I went to sleep at about 6:00 this morning. I woke at 9:30 when the dogs needed out and I have been up since then. With all those ideas in mind, I have narrowed down my next 4 projects. Here are a few pictures of the start of my next projects. In short, there will be two wall sconces and two altered books. Here is a pic of the wall sconces.

They are at the very initial creative state so tomorrow I will start listening to what they tell me and I promise the end results will be something beautiful and totally unique. All this after I get caught up with some sleep. Will talk with everyone tomorrow.

So I decided to create a Victorian styled multi media lamp. I began by painting a lamp shade a Victorian blue and putting lace on it.. but this piece taught back! Not Victorian but water, seashore ext. So... I waited for a few days tried putting some Victorian flourishes on it but they didn't work or look right..so...here is my water lamp! When lit the flourishes take on the look and fluidity of living by the water. The crystals hanging off the lamp are acrylic but the beading is glass beads and there are glass beads on the inside of the shade along with glitter and large amounts of mother of pearl. And there is glitter everywhere. Water lamp:

Well it has been quite sometime since I blogged. It seems I begin then life interferes. My excuse for everything... In the last few years I lost my best friend to leucemia and have blown through two jobs as an Activities Director at a Memory Care facility and a nursing home. Add that to my husband beginning a new career as a long haul truck driver and well life has been an adventure lately. So after picking myself up by my bootstraps..,(what exactly does that mean?) I am starting to create again! And hopefully blog again on a regular basis. So to start with..I am featuring one of my first mixed media pieces in years! This piece was started when I was first in my shop. I started her and got about half way through with her and she stopped talking to me! I put her away for several years and on occasion I would pull her out to work on her but she still was silent. I finally decided I needed to finish her. She was a struggle for me! and finally she started talking. So here she is; "She's always a lady".