Come see the battle.

This morning I feel very much like this bumper.
Terrible night, just terrible. Couldn't breathe through my nose for anything. I tried everything.
Louie and Murphy followed me around, from bed to couch to hot tub to recliner. They were determined to offer animal support. I finally found that if you scrunch a pillow around your neck in the recliner to can stay upright enough to breathe through your mouth without biting your tongue!
I have no time for this. Seriously, I have MUCHO things to do today so I've informed this sinus cold that it will just have to be put on hold or just disappear, which would really be my first choice.
I am having my coffee even though it tastes terrible. I'm getting dressed and going into town and buy whatever I see that will get me through the day without my nose running and this sneezing.
I have errands to run and then my Mixed Media & Fiber Arts groups meeting at 1:00 at the library. I AM NOT GOING TO MISS ANYTHING.

Sinus cold 1 - Bea - 0 9:30pm -7:00am

Sinus cold - ZERO - Bea 1 8:30- whenever

I am not messing around.
Ok, time to get dressed for the day, stop over at the studio to see what needs to be worked on for a few hours, then off for lunch and see my peeps.

You all have a healthy, productive and most importantly CREATIVE DAY!

:)Bea Who is taking this cold HEAD ON.

I spent yesterday throwing away, organizing, cleaning, folding laundry and getting done all those chores that I've let slip by me, during the summer. Cooler weather seems to get me back in the GET THY HOUSE IN ORDER mode.

It's probably a good thing I had so much energy yesterday because this morning I woke up with a head cold, most likely given to me by Zeus. He's such a good sharer of things.
Today, I want to curl up in bed, with a cat or two and sleep. Which is what I have managed to do most of the day.

Tomorrow, Riley starts her new day care with a different schedule, new kids to play with, two teachers, nap time on a cot NOT in a crib.....we're talking big girl stuff here. She also has a doctor's appointment to check on those ear infections. I hope they have cleared up.

Tomorrow, I have my first meeting of the month with my Mixed Media and Fiber group at the local library. At least this time I have something for show and tell, my Towers & turrets collages.

The Robins have been gathering in our yard. I still see the family of four, Bluebirds flying around in the back yard. The Yellow Finches are still here. The Bluejays have been quite noisy I guess the berries they like to eat are ripe now. They seem to be like a bunch of rowdy drunks after they have hit the berry bush.

I had plans to organize the bottom of the barn. That will just have to stay on my To Do list for a bit.
It's time to go back to bed.

:)Bea Who is going to create in her dreams while she snores.

P.S. Zeus came home with Hot & Sour coup for me. Isn't he wonderful? Mary offered to cook dinner for us but instead made homemade chocolate chip cookies. I mean do I have a wonderful family or what? I feel treasured and loved and even a little bit better.

Home again, home again.

We took off for Iowa and stayed in one of the Amana colonies, Homestead. Took a ton of pictures, need to sort through them and then I'll post some and some of my favorites over at Sun Dog Studio.
Just a nice restful, beautiful drive through gorgeous countryside. Oooooooh and the food!
Well, let's just say I ate waaaaaaaaaaaay to much.
Be back tomorrow have to go rest up from the trip.

:)Bea Who hopes to be creating this winter when she does some watercolors of some her photos from this trip.

9.02.10 Done

I'm done. They are ready for copying at the printer. I've got them for whatever is the next step in my class. If they don't work for the class they go in my Sketchbook journal.

I am quite happy with them. They make me smile and that's really all I ask of my art work.

I can remember exactly what was going through my head for each stage and layer of each one.

As always, I have incorporated some of my old work into the new, which pleases me.

If you click on the picture you can actually read the words which make sense and yet don't.

I wrote a pretty detailed description of the early stages of these in the next post down, from this morning.

It's pouring rain right now. A huge front has moved in from Iowa. I can hear the TV telling us of winds up to 60 miles an hour. Riley and I are going to have supper and cuddle together. Her mommy is off at school taking her evening class.

Tomorrow, Zeus and I hit the road for a road trip. Destination UNKNOWN. I think we are heading Westward and since we only have Friday and Saturday I don't think we will stray to far away.

Murphy will be a puppy camp and sleeping with some kid in the bunkhouse. ALWAYS, a treat for him.

I'll have the lap top and hope to be able to check in and let you know how our drive is going.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND.

:)Bea Enjoy life..................create something.

Still trying after all this time...........

I returned to the work table to deal with the two painted backgrounds that had turned to a mud color. I gave them a nice Titan White over coat and let them dry while I ate almonds and drank my tea.
Then I started creating the background the way I enjoy doing them. Not a lot of difference but I work with an old scrubby brush and not a palette knife to spread paint around the canvas. I mixed shades of blue, light and dark to give some highlights and depth to the first layer. Then I blotted both papers with bubble wrap to give some texture to the first layer.
Then I hit them both with the hair dryer. I have no time to waste when I am out in the studio. It's quick dry methods for me.
I stamped on top of the dry blue background with magenta and yellow. Just random stamping because in the end a lot of the background is covered up with the towers.
When dry I applied a matt medium glaze to cover the entire piece and protect what layers I had already done. Again a quick blow dry and then I added glaze medium to the paints that were still on my paperplate and gave both painting a quick glaze with the colors. Just random, although I did want to keep the bright yellow as much to the center as possible. The glaze just softens everything and blends the entire piece.

Here's where I am so far. Three hours later and I've applied the box like shapes to make the towers. On the second one I really liked the rather feminine curves to the buildings. I put on words, made the towers on the first one flower like.

I had the feeling as I was making them that there was a story behind these two different kingdoms. Maybe sisters with different agendas?

They may work for my Towers & Turrets class and maybe I went to far astray, AGAIN. If they don't, it's ok, because I'm going to use them in my Sketchbook Journal project.

I had sooooooooooo much fun. I'm so glad Zeus is playing golf today because I know that he will be having fun too and then I don't feel the slightest bit guilty. lololsnort

:)Bea Who hasn't gotten past the fifth lesson in her class yet and is having WAAAAAAAAAAy to much fun.

http://vimeo.com/13489121

I'm taking an online class TOWERS & TURRETS.

I don't do classes like most people do classes. At least I don't think so. I will listen to the directions. I will even take notes. I will draw myself pictures. When it comes to actually following the directions, something happens, in my brain. The "intent" is the same but the method changes.

I remember, back in the 70s a friend offered to teach another friend and myself how to make a macrame plant hanger. We all started off with the same materials, the same directions and yet when we were finished two of us had identical plant hangers and one had this rather bizarre two plant hanger. Guess who that one was.

That was my first awakening to the fact that I HEAR the same thing but I don't necessarily process it the same way. And, if I'm in a class where the instructor is a PLAY BY MY RULES kind of person, I'm in trouble.

So, to date I haven't posted my a picture of my project so far, in my class.

Top picture is really my second attempt. So, let's move to that second picture.

I did the background the way I was instructed to do. I let it dry, so far so good.

sigh......then I got to thinking about my sketchbook project and how that was a perfect background for one of those pages.

I started adding another layer of print and black and white pictures, still thinking about Z'Corkey and his adventures in Zettiland and..........well.........somehow my towers turned into GIANT ZETTIGOD STATUES on the Isle of Zeelulu.

I was having fun. I was humming until I sat back on my chair and realized I am strayed far, far away from the class directions. I quickly put that one over on the drying table.

I tried again to make another background. The instructions were to make a dark one since the additional elements were light. My backgrounds were turning into mud. This isn't my favorite technique for making a background and my efforts certainly were proving that. I put that on the drying table.

Then I cleaned my hands and my brushes and had a think and realized that I wanted to play with fabric, not paint.

Now, we can move to the top photo. I tell you this came together a heck of a lot faster than my paint background was going.

I had an interesting piece of background and since I wanted to do golden yellow, I thought, it's the contrast that's important. So, I stamped some texture stamps onto the fabric background. While that was drying I fused Steam A Seam to a number of different fabrics that I wanted to use.

I cut the shapes, needed a light fabric and reached for the fabric paper that I had made. PERFECT, well in my eyes. I added the tower roofs using my favorite black and white fabric.

Butterfly wings seemed necessary. I mean this might be called Tower & Turrets but it's a Zetti tower in my book.

So, now, although I have completely changed the medium suggested in the directions I do have another page, when finished for my sketchbook. KILLING TWO BIRDS.....no way....that's not a very nice expression.

:)Bea Who did create in the studio and did create something that made her smile. How about you?

One, two, three, four, penquins knocking at the door!

Busy Grammybea day, today. I get to take Ms Riley to her new daycare for a visit. We're going to spend a little time there getting used to it and seeing the rooms and the kids. It's a big commercial operation much different from the small loving home environment that she's been in for a year. It's time for more action, more kids, more activities, etc.

Then I'll take her back to her old daycare provider for some hugs and snuggles and play with friends. Tonight, her mother has tickets to Lady Gaga concert in Milwaukee. She's going with a friend so I'll be babysitting. I think Riley and I are going out to dinner. Zeus is playing some sport with his peeps.

I hope to get up in the studio, this afternoon. That's the plan. Mary and I did manage to rearrange the computer table and get the bookshelf in the right place. I still have a mess downstairs but it's an organizational mess now. Piece of cake. I bought some banker boxes, the small ones and I'll label them and sort as I put away. I'm on my waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.

More rain today, lots of rain and thunder last night. The air seems much cooler and I'm turning off the AC and opening up some windows. I love that fresh clean air smell after a rain.

Ok, have to go clean up Ms Riley from breakfast, get her dressed and then off we go.

:)Bea Have a great day, try to CREATE something today, remember it's so healthy for you.