Out my back door...

A 'knock out' rose patiently waiting to be planted.








Some pots that have as many weeds as blooms. No point in weeding now, right?

My neighbor's lovely horses (this is the very best way to have horses!).
Their barn (I would love to have a barn, just not the horses).
Our dog, Sophie. She didn't really want to pose, but she is pretty obedient, and I told her to 'sit'. :)

And not out my back door, but actually upstairs in my pretend-studio (which is actually a part of our bedroom) we have a gang of holiday hoodlums.
Some spooky girls, and a Christmas elf.

And in my etsy shop are little Frida and her skelly friend, Coco.

I'm still peddling along on the ABL. I will post some pics of the art dolls as soon as I make more progress. Wishing everyone a creative week!

An Artistic Bucket List

I just realized I'm not a spring chicken any more. I think I'm more like a fall chicken. But what does this have to do with anything? Well, I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do artistically with the time I have left on the Big Blue Ball. Think of it like an Artistic Bucket List (ABL).

My writing has gone through some pretty interesting phases. I started out writing truly awful children's stories that had a moral at the end of them (I think of them as my finger-wagging pieces. I had young kids. I was wagging my finger a lot!). After many (many) years of toil and garment rending, I think I have finally found a 'voice' that is more my own.

So the first thing on ABL is to write something completely different. Maybe I will incorporate some of my art (maybe even some of my plushies!) to illustrate it. It sounds just wacky enough to entertain me. Or get me locked up. haha.

With my art, I have cycled through all the different media at one time or another. I studied ceramics and textile design in college. I had a kiln, and made pottery, even sold some. I tried my hand at stained glass (uh, no). I love collage, and I have made them for many years. Here are a couple from years gone by. Looking back, the common thread I can see is that I have always loved to draw/make strange beings of one kind or another. (This drawing is from high school.)
But it is easy to get in a rut with art, or heck, with life. It is time to stretch and experiment! So the second thing I have added to my ABL is to make art dolls. Just to get the ball rolling, I have painted faces on to muslin. I've done this before, but this time I'm using paint, pencil, thread, beads and buttons. Whatever I think will add to their faces. I'm trying not to think too much.
This guy just has the paint layer done and a little colored pencil over that.
She has embroidery thread eyelashes and a glass bead center to her eye. I've put an antique crackle glaze on the face. These are all going to be Halloween dolls, since it's right around the corner. Which makes me feel like an over-the-hill Dr. Frankenstein! Bwa hahaha!

Sisters? Two-headed witch? I'm not sure yet. You can see the crackle on the close-up.

There is one more thing on my ABL (for now) and that is just to paint and draw more. Not necessarily to sell (although that would be nice!), but because it is good for me.

I have gotten so much inspiration from the blogs that I visit. If you are in an artistic rut, just visit some of the people on my sidebar. I promise you will come away with a new way of looking at your art, or your writing. You are never too old to make stuff. Making stuff saves your bacon. Words of wisdom, yes?

The Winner is...

...Sally! I will pop the little skelly painting in the mail to you this week. I hope you like it! For those of you that didn't win, never fear! I absolutely have to have some pre-holiday fun, and I love giveaways.

Well, summer is coming to a screeching halt. A week from today, I will be hopping out of bed at 5:30 a.m., and herding two cranky teenagers to their respective bus stops. At the same time, my two older kids will be vacating premises and going back to college. Sob. I am more than a little depressed about this combo, so it is officially time for me to just get over it and list a few benefits from my upcoming situation. Here goes!

1. Sunrises

What? It's a start. I'm sure there are others.

I wanted to share some early summer pictures with you. Here are a few reasons not to let Smallcomb children inside the gift shops of Epcot, armed with cell phone cameras:


I'm lucky. I have really great kids. I'll add that to the list.

A "Thankfully, it's Almost Fall!" Giveaway!

Don't get me wrong, if I hadn't sweltered for weeks, trapped inside my house, huddled against the a/c, I don't think I would be looking forward to fall like I am. Fall is wonderful:crisp air, leaves turning, and Halloween! (I will not discuss winter at this time. I will save my 'winter weather complaining' for after the holidays, when the reality of it all sinks in.)

To celebrate fall, and to make myself feel better about school starting (blech! patooey! yuck!) I am having a giveaway!

This is a small original painting called "Saturday Night". Two lovebird skellys are out on a date. The sparks between them are flying! Ah, skelly romance. Does it get any better? I think not.

To enter, just leave me a comment and tell me your favorite thing about fall, or about skellys, or Halloween, or what you ate for breakfast. You can even tell me the name of your first crush. I'm easy that way. I will pick a winner on Sunday, August 22nd (last entry at 6pm that day).

Happy Almost Fall! To those of you dreading the school year as I am, you have my heartfelt sympathy. I have enjoyed not getting up at 5:30 a.m. I have enjoyed not nagging about homework. I have enjoyed letting my sons look like refugees from some natural disaster because in the summer, daily showers are optional. And did I mention I have enjoyed not getting up at 5:30 a.m.? :)

WIPS, STJ and summer pics!

How is everyone? Are you sweltering in humidity, baking like a desert clam, or freezing in fog? It's been a wacky summer, weather-wise. But never mind, fall is right around the corner. Personally, I am very ready to feel the chill in the air.

I have been busy making lots of skelly dolls, pumpkin dolls, and even some gingie dolls for Christmas. Spooky Time Jingles is coming up again (already!). These are two of my new pieces (Faye and Felicity) that will be available on the night of the 12th, right around midnight, as we usher in Friday the 13th! Ooooo, a spooky night indeed!


Here are some WIPS waiting to be stuffed.

These guys are hanging out.

Here are some summer pics...

This is the park I am supposed to take a walk in every day...except it has been too flippin' hot...

The woods...

Queen Anne's lace, which borders all the roads here in the summer...
And a sunflower that popped up from a pot on the deck. I think it was planted by a chipmunk who took it from our birdfeeder.Okay, it's back to the salt mines for me! I have many things to do before school starts at the end of the month, including organizing my entire house and studio area. Cleaning everything. Oh, and moving my daughter into her apartment at college. Wish me luck. :)