Karen's Muse and Musings

Time to Clean Up!

I give up! I can't stand it in my studio any longer. Yesterday I began the process of cleaning and organizing. And not just picking up and putting away either. I need to dig into drawers, files, and piles on the floor and get rid of some of this stuff I've accumulated. Honestly, I almost want to throw everything away and start over. Do you ever feel this way?

Catching Up

That seems to be the story lately. I'm always trying to catch up — housework, errands, friends, art projects, blogging. My life has changed so much this year since I keep grandson Bobby 2 or 3 days each week. My focus has definitely shifted from myself and my art to him. And I'm happy with that. At first, I kept beating myself up that I wasn't creating much art, but I've cut that out now. I am enjoying spending time with Bobby, and I know that I'm making an impact on him and his future. That's an accomplishment to be proud of.

I have found some time for digital scrapbooking. I want to make a scrapbook for both Bobby and granddaughter Kathleen documenting the first year of their lives. I need to hurry, at least in Bobby's case since he will turn 1 year old in less than a month. Here is a sample from his book.

And here's a page from Kathleen's.

Kathleen is now 6 months old. I don't get to see her as often as Bobby since she lives far away, but I've enjoyed using Skype to visit online with her and her mommy. Isn't technology wonderful? At least sometimes. I just love this fairly recent photo of her. She has such an adorable little face. I guess you can tell why her nickname is Cheeky.

Bobby, my husband, Warren, and I recently visited a local park where Warren took this photo of Bobby and me.

I have found time to enjoy some knitting lately. I actually finished a sweater that I can actually wear! That was a pleasant surprise. Oh, and I sewed myself a skirt. I'll try to take photos of those projects and share them later — when I'm caught up. Hah!

Merry Christmas Baby!

It's very quiet here right now. Husband is still in bed. Turkey is in oven. Ganache is cooling. So I'm taking advantage of the lull in the holiday madness to actually add a post. I thought I'd share these photos we took of grandson Bobby last week. He's the best Christmas present ever!

And one last photo. I think he had had enough picture taking!

Merry Christmas to you all!

Missing in Action

I started to name this post, A.W.O.L., since I've been away for so long, but then decided "missing in action" was more appropriate. I've been busy doing some long overdue housework, babysitting my precious little grandson twice a week, and, oh yes, decorating the house for Christmas. Not much going on the art front for me, but I did put together this slideshow this week. Here's hoping that it works okay.

Auld Lang Syne (from the movie, Sex and the City) is performed by Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis.

T-H-A-N-K-S Book, Page 3

Continuing with my Thanksgiving book, this is the "A" page. I'm enjoying putting this book together more than anything I've done in a while.

I like how the background turned out looking like very old wallpaper, so here's how I did it. I started with a piece of inexpensive yellow scrapbook paper. There was a faint woodgrain pattern on it, but that's not really important. I stamped Layers of Color Fleur Heart stamp all over using VersaFine sepia ink. I created the pattern by repeating the stamp vertically down the page. For the next row I moved the stamp down about halfway to make another vertical row. Then I went back up to the original position for the third row and continued this pattern until the entire paper was covered. I dabbed little bits of Ranger Distressed Crackle Paint in Walnut Stain here and there, and then finally rubbed some Distress Inks (Scattered Straw and Vintage Photo) on with a sponge.

Another Peek

Here's another page of my Thanksgiving book. For each page, I'm using a verse from the Psalms  and featuring a letter of the word T-H-A-N-K-S.

Rubber stamps used in this and the last post are from Layers of Color.

Six Quirky Things About Me

My friend, Beth, tagged me to name six of my quirky traits. First thought, only six? However, when I start trying to list them, all the quirky thoughts fly right out of my head, but here goes:

1. I can't fall asleep without having the TV on. I have a collection of "fall-asleep" movies — movies I've seen many times that are guaranteed to put to sleep within 5 minutes.
2. I play Scrabble every day — with my computer as my opponent.
3. I make up silly songs that only my dogs ever get to hear.
4. I'm eating a chocolate cupcake right now — for breakfast!
5. I talk to myself — a lot — and sometimes I even answer.
6. Like most people, I'm afraid of snakes, but I actually like lizards. I think they are cute.

This tagging game does have rules, and here they are.

• Link to the person who tagged you.
• Mention the rules.
• Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about yourself.
• Tag six other bloggers by linking to them.
• Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment that lets them know they’ve been tagged.

Since I've played this game a few times before, I won't choose any particular people to tag, but if you're reading this, please share some of your quirky traits on your blog.

Gothic Arches — Wee Witches!

Here's a little digital art I cooked up for this week's theme at Gothic Arches.

This and That

I have not been doing much art lately because I have been knitting. With one grandson here and another grandbaby on the way, knitting seems a worthwhile and productive activity! However, I did make a card with a vintage feel yesterday.

The background is similar to the one I used in my Archangel last week, using Layers of Color Architectural Block stamp set and stamping repeatedly to get the overall pattern. I then sprayed patina ink followed by a spattering of walnut ink. The image is Cordelia from my line of collage sheets. I thought the copper brads looked interesting with the "things that fold back to hold them in place" showing. (Is there a word for those things?)

We actually had rain yesterday! We have been in a terrible drought here, and although the weather has been spectacular with comfortable temperatures, plentiful sunshine, and a gorgeous blue October sky, we need rain. I hope we get more.

Here's something interesting I found in my yard a couple of days ago. It's a dogwood leaf, and I thought it was very unusual. It almost looks like a  snake skin. It might not be beautiful to everyone, but I think its pattern and intense red splotches are lovely.

Precious!

There's something about watching a tiny baby sleep that stirs all sorts of emotions. Watching the tiny chest rise and fall with each breath — it's a miracle. Dana, my stepdaughter, took this picture of Bobby a week or so ago with her digital camera. I took it into Photoshop, cropped it, played with curves (if you're not using curves, you're missing a great feature!) and applied a sepia filter.