another October post

This weekend was a hectic one. Sending my son off for a school field trip - 3 days and 2 nights! Wow, my one and only off on his own without mom and dad. He'll be just fine. The whole weekend involved getting everything on his list of supplies checked off and packed. Finished up at 9:00 tonite. Yay! Now for an early rise, but not before I do this post:))

Been doing some sketching and also some lettering in my hand-book sketch book the past few days. Getting to relax and just doodle is always alot of fun

I was working on a few paintings this past week (which weren't going my way) and just to be able to let go and do what ever comes to mind is a good way to break things up. I think I'll have a better approach when I go to paint this week. Since Joey will be away thru to Wed that will give me a little free time here and there.

I wanted to get in some more posts in October. Hopefully I'll have some more this week. I am still struggling with my online presence... I keep telling myself that it'll all come through and work its way out:)

Good bye to my Montauk Daisies. They are on their way out now. Every day is getting slightly colder and colder. Their spot out front has the sun shining right down as if just for them..

They've given me alot of joy this year. I look forward to seeing their sunny bright faces and I'll see you next year ;)

It Started With a Paper Swap

I recently signed up for a paperswap and I was paired up with a super nice lady. When we emailed one another for our addresses, we asked each other if they wanted something special, that perhaps the other couldn't get in their own country. She lives in Poland and said that she really wanted mailing tags and elastic thread. So I went to Staples and found these cool tags. I have to say that I have seen alot of crafty tags made in the past but never really thought about using them. Well I bought a big package and will send half to my new friend and I'm keeping the others. So now I have fifty tags. So I got to work trying them out :)

So I went to Michaels and for $1 a piece I bought these fantastic Studio G chalks.

I had so much fun the other night making these tags. I make my own stamps from Speedy Carve Blocks . I'll use an Xacto blade or a lino cutter to cut out the design and I keep them all in a handy Ikea cannister. I stamped three tags so far and will work on more this weekend. I have to get more of these chalks...just because. The colors are so bright and addicting!

So I hope to have some more sisters for these three coming soon. I want to work on tags for Christmas gifts. That is going to be so much fun to do and what great way for me to de-stress after a long week.

Give it a try, its not too expensive and you have these little canvases that allow you create a small work of art:) Voilà!

mid-OCTOBER already!!

Time is flying! it always seems to do that this time of year, before you know it we'll be eating turkey and freaking out about the holiday shopping (well at least I'll be). I am going to say it now and I MAY end up a liar but I am REALLY going to try to do the bulk of my shopping on Etsy. There I said it. OK back to October. So fall is here on Long Island and for some reason these leaves are not moving as quickly as I want them too. They're getting there but, man, there's still alot of green out there guys!

So I walk the dog every night (that's my shift) and I gathered up a few leaves to paint in my precious journal. That's the good one that is hand-made, beautiful bound, that I coddle waaay too much, so much that I hardly use it. I am commited to getting more work in that one.

The paper is amazing and when I finally get in there, I'm always saying, what took you so long, lady? This was fun but, boy, I got carried away in the lower left , whoa! what happened there! I guess it got too late in the evening, LOL! Sleepy painters should go to bed :))