CPF's

My CPF's are on the rampage again.   AKA Creative Pieces of Fabric.   Scraps if you will.  Sometimes I wonder how small does the scrap of fabric need to be before it is trash?  Trash?  Oh I say that softly too.    

Now Hubby always puts anything I might use for the sake of art on the cabinet by the trash drawer in the house.   I love it, he knows I reuse-repurpose-recycle or make do is they word I use to use.  It is not an in word so recycle is the word today.    I even found a nut in a little box I had.   It was hexagon shape and red.  I said what is this?  It is a nut to the International tractor we owned years and years ago.   Yes we had the "GREEN" ones also but the color of International tractors was red.  So I put it on a shelf and remembered I had taken a quick photo of Hubby and his Dad by the tractor and I thought I can put them together in a  treasure box.  I am so glad I keep little things like that.   when I get it put together I will share it with you, probably it was in like 1962 is era.  

 

Here are 6 of the CPF bookmarks.   One of them chose to be a little smaller than the others but they are hand made.     I didn't use any of my faeries with these little treasures.   I had then in the ciggie drawer and just had to let them shine. 

 

 

Close up of my eyeglass case and of course had to use one of my faeries.   She was so cheerful and had to use the butterfly.  The crochet flower is from Little Snippts (Geraldine) and the pretty button from Flights of Fancy.  Love those buttons.

 

 

Here is the eyeglass case just hot off the press, I may even keep her she is so happy looking.  Funny how we don't keep very much of our own work.   I say this because I use to China Paint and bet I don't have 10 pieces of it.   My sister in law?  She has tons of it that I painted and she enjoys it.   So that makes it all worth it to share. 

 

There you go this is what is happening in my world right now.  Well more but I don't want to bore you to death. 

 

Thanks for stopping by

 

XOOXOX

Annette

 

New Faeries for Card and Ciggies

Sometimes you just hunt and hunt for a word and then think well maybe this will work. 

                                                   Essence Faeries. 

 To me that means something that kinda sorta looks like someone.  That has the air of the person but not smack dab  them.   So this is why I have named this series of Faeries -------Essence Faeries.  

I started with a photo of each girl and didn't want it exactly like them but has the air of their personality, their look, their essence if you will.     I wanted it to be arty and not a portrait, that is what photographs are for.   I want to be taking an artist's license with them.  Being as I did photography for over 24 years, I wanted to stray from photos and go back to what I did before photography.   Art in the style of messy hands, paint all over your clothing.  You know the messy kind.  If you forget and wipe your hair out of your eyes and then have paint or pastels all over you or even some glitter on your face.  

Maybe just going back to kindergarten and finger painting and just express yourself with color and design.  Of course when you were that young we just did what we felt natural and didn't worry about the rules or anything else.  We just did it. 

 Now I know I do some life like portraits but then how many of you have really and truly seen a real life Faerie?   I only have in my mind or my muse working overtime and in books.   In some enchanted forest or even in our yard with flowers and toad stools maybe, but so tiny we can't see them. 

So here ya go my Essence Faeries.    I do measure and measure and want some facial features that make them - them , something that says who they are pop out.  

Please excuse the watermarks, seems like we have some image bandits out there in the cyber world.  Now if you are like me, I just don't care for someone else to sell my work and get the dollars .   I am narrow minded that way.  

Now this little sweetie just wanted to be older than she is---so I let her be what she wanted to be.   She is a twin and I figure she is very strong willed and just wanted to show her here. 

 

 

 

Oh it was hard to do this Faerie, I have known her since she was maybe four years old and watched her grow up to be a fine young woman. 

 

 

 

Same young lady but totally different feel and pose and just air about her.  She is very talented and somehow I just wanted to show that maybe with her headpiece and the little bird bringing love to her.  

 

 

 

The softness and gentleness of this faerie, I feel like I captured her totally.   She has always been a kind and sweet little girl.  

 

 

There you go my Essence Faeries.   They will go to their new homes soon, become Note cards and ciggies alsowill be printed.   I have four more for this series coming.   Just starting on them this week, well the first one anyway.  Photos coming of the new faeries. 

 

I have just copied this from my other blog, lazy fingers today.   : ) 

 

I am thinking very very serious to doing Essence Faeries for other Mothers wanting these of their daughters.   Of course a fee would be charged.

 

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.

 

XOOXOX

It is November!

It is here-----NOVEMBER------.  The year is getting close to ending,  really !!!! I am not pulling your leg or anything.   We have one more month the enjoy the Fall colors or oranges, yellows and golds.  Oh and how could I forget RED?  I mean that is one powerful color isn't it?   

Now I am not saying that RED is my favorite, but our automobile is red and we have had a Red one for years.   One time we had traded cars and only person who realized it was our Granddaughter.  We had a bench back seat and then the new one had captains chairs.  There she was maybe 9 and she is the only one who knew our steel stallion was new. 

I could say we have a LOT of Red in our house and would not be stretching it at all.  Several large rugs, some walls and assorted things.   So maybe Red is my favorite color, but really how can you choose one color?  They all have their charm and are just  everyone so pretty.   I know that is a strange thing to get to chatting about but it just popped in here and said I want to be talked about.  

Kathy Shaw gives wonderful tutorials,  here  is where you can find them.  She does beautiful needlework besides tutorials.    Now I was blog prowling and found one on her site for trees.  I thought TA DAAAAA, what better for Fall on my block of the month than a tree?    A Fall tree with beautiful orange  leaves gently falling to the ground and giving a special look.    I also get to use the Fall colors that I love to see.

 

Here you go, my Fall block.   The leaves were some plastic ones I had but they just didn't show up well.  Sooooooo I put gesso on the backside of them and of course so faerie glitter on the front.  After all one of my faeries is the center of attention on this block.   The silk ribbon work, buttons and lots of beads and sequins.  Right up a Texan's alley ----bling.   It is hard for me to stop on these sometimes but it is just so much fun.  To combine my paintings, printed on fabric and the new needlework I have learned last year.  

 

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world.

 

XOXOOX

Annette

A Little Give a Way

Well Fall winds and chills are upon us.   A friend up in Michigan just called and said so far they have had 20, yes 20 pickup loads of leaves to dispose up.  Now I do have to be thankful we don't have hardly any trees.  See there is always an upside to everything.   I think !!!

Ok I am tardy in my give a way, I wanted to do something for the 25,ooo views.  That didn't happen, then for 30,000 views,   still tardy so I finally finished what I was working on for you.  

Please just comment on my other blog, that is one celebrating.    Here is the link to it my friends
http://annettegraves.blogspot.com/2013/10/better-late-than-never-give-way.html
when I draw your name please please please let me know you address.  A deal?    Remember we have a high tech method of choosing.  I write the names on a piece of paper and then throw the names on the floor and Eldon  -DH-picks one.    Now when you do let me know your address I have to view and approve messages, those darn spammers,  so I will not show it to the world.  

 

So here you go, my give a way.  It is an 8x8 inch block and you may use it for a journal cover, throw darts at it or whatever you choose.  I just wanted to say thank you for popping onto my blog and seeing and reading my Nana words and art.  

 

Let's do this until  October the 30th.   I tried using colors that are softer and would go with most anyone's taste.

 

Good luck to you all and thanks for seeing what is going on in my world today. 

 

XOXOXO

Annette

Another Faerie going to Ciggie World

Well my Faeries are still being created.  So far I have 5 more Faeries now in the works.   It is funny sometimes I do better when I have several things going.   Right now we have the Fall clean up going outside.   Not much raking of the leaves yet, ours are still green. BUT we are lucky, when the wind blows from the North the leaves just wander down the street and lands where they choose.   I am feeling  they land in an empty field not to far from us.  It is probably where all the tumble weeds come to see us in the Spring so I guess it is a pay back.  Our leaves for the empty fields tumbleweeds.  

 

This afternoon we trimmed all of the Bougainvillea, which we hate because they are blooming so beautiful right now.  But so far twice we have had to cover everything with sheets to protect from the frost.   Which is a kiss of death to our tender outside plants.   I cut and trimmed and Eldon hauled it all to the dumpster in the alley.  A team mission.  

 

BUT  the most interesting happening right now is we are having the most giant "DOG HOUSE" built.   Well, really really not a dog house or a green house but Eldon calls it a green house and I call it a dog house.   We have a covered patio ( enclosed already on 3 sides and has a roof ) and are enclosing it in all glass with a doggie door and a unit for right now that heats and cools.  Gotta keep the furbabies comfy.   They don't know they are outside babies.  so we don't tell them.   We bought new beds for the occasion and I bought some animal print to cover them with.   In the morning they are coming to finish up that project.  So then we can mark off one more thing on our list.   When it is finished I promise to show you.   Probably in the Spring we will decorate it to something light and airy.   It is not giant but will work for us. the furbabies and the plants.  

 

I had big thought to do this faerie step by step, but during all this I forgot.   I did remember though when about half way through.  

 

 

 

 

I was proud that I thought of making a sample card of the colors of my twinkling H2O's.    Perfect for my faeries.   With the minerals in them and the twinkles in them.   

 

Here she is with part of the background done.    They just develop as they want.   I don't really plan them at all, just go with the flow.

 

 

Here she is all finished and ready to be made into cards and ciggies with the next batch of faeries.   I did have to laugh at the little Love Bird, it just kind of plumped up nicely or had it's fluffy feather suit on.   This one was a fun painting to do.  

 

 

 

 

There you go for today.  Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.

 

                                                     

                                                           OXXOOX

                                                            Annette

 



 

 

 

 

A Little of This and That

Hello and happy October.  Just wanted to share my CQJP square for October.   I love doing these.  What am I going to do with them?  Only they know, LOL and a big LOL.  I am serious.  I am thinking some kind of little books like I saw some do last year on the blog.   I am already thinking what am I going to do for next year?  But not to worry my head about that, they will speak to me when they are good and ready.

So here is October, I loved using the little shells on here my good faerie sent to me.   I had the lace and just played.   Thank you Kathy Shaw for hosting this for us the CQJP.. 

 

 

Just keeping on keeping on, love that saying.   I know the months of the year do that.   They just float into our lives and float out.  You think yikes where in the world did that month go?   The changing of the seasons  is Mother Natures way of reminding us that they just keep on keeping on.

                                                                                                                                               

 You know I love the changing of the seasons, each one has it's own little personality. You  look forward to each and every one but then glad when they are over and looking to the next season to float into our lives.   So welcome Fall and all of your beautiful colors you share        with us.                                                                                                                                                         

 

Sometimes in my art I feel the same way, I don't know about y'all.   When I start a new art    piece I love the blankness of the canvas or page.  Here is like a new beginning and just love  seeing what will develop.     What story is waiting to be unveiled and what colors will emerge on it.   Even when I do my crazy quilting I never plan what I am going to do.   Oh I start with an image but then off it goes to develop how it wants to be.   The same way with my faeries     when I create them.                                                                                                                                   

 

 

I start with the eyes and then start playing with them and seeing what colors they want to     be.  Yes I talk about them like they are real and have their own personalities.                               

 

 

This sweetie was taken from a photograph of a dear friends granddaughter.  I did another    one of her but think she is hiding on the computer somewhere.   You know how the                computers do-hide things from us.    She normally doesn't wear bangs but this one wanted   bangs so bangs she got.   I do their faces in pastels and seems to make their faces so smooth and delicate. Then "Katie bar the door" on whatever else I use on the background and            sometimes the hair.   Lots of drips and splats and fancy curly queues and whatever else         develops.                                                                                                                                                                   

 

Now case in point , this little faerie didn't want to be painted.   You know how it goes sometimes when you start drawing  an art piece, nothing goes right about it.   So I erased her face and  so the bottom of the stack she went.   Well the other day I pulled her out and she just went together so well and colors just danced on the page.  Some of the colors I haven't used before but she went together like she was suppose to.

                                                                                                                   

 

Now if I hadn't of done the keeping on keeping on she would not have been created.   So that is my story and I am sticking to it.

 

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.

Happy Fall Y'all

 

XOXOXO

Annette

 

Busting at the Seams

Happy September already !!!!!! The leaves will start turning and the weather a tad cooler unless we have an Indian summer.   School has started and I can smell the fall cooking and baking in the air.  Yummy.   I think I have shared that Fall is my favorite time of year flowers are still mostly pretty and the grass is still mostly green and it is not hotter than a red hot pistol.   The blooms at the tops of cotton should be turning red  and the crops are getting ready to harvest.    Fall was always a busy busy time when we farmed our cotton and peanuts. 

 

Now busting at the seams could mean that our house is jammed  packed with stuff, not here after moving and then moving again it is pretty scant here even the closets EXCEPT for my art room.  Course if I knew what I really wanted to do in that direction for the next 25 years I might could cull out something.  I don't see that happening in this century anyway.    Or I could be busting out of the seams in clothes, nope not today anyway.   Maybe after I cook all the fall goodies, naw not even then.    

 

I am busting at the seams with pride and feeling good today.    I just had to share this with you and if you don't know about Pat Winter's magazine ----well you are in for some wonderful "eye candy" when you purchase one. 

 

As you know I started Crazy Quilting last year and flat out fell in love with it.   Then my faeries came to say Annette get busy and draw girl, so they have been drawn and more coming.  However they dictate to be drawn.  Everytime I draw one I think oh Ben Konis, whom I took art classes with several times would be proud.   I finally got the eyes, noses and lips down.  Bet being photographer for 24 years had to have helped.  Surely it did .

 

 

So the Faeries became ciggies, you know the cute little pics we use in Crazy Quilting.  

 

Well enough babbling about this gotta show the pics and you know a picture is worth a 1000 words so just pretend you are reading that many words while looking at the pictures. 

 

 

 

 

The beautiful cover photograph is from Sandra Krystalowich from Alberta Canada.  Is this not the most beautiful colors and stitching ever?   Oh wait, it gets better with each page and from gals all over the world. 

 

 

Now I don't know if you have ever had to write sometime about yourself but people this is tough.  I thought where do I start? What do people want to know?  I don't want to bore the readers to death you know and have them nod off asleep.    So I just dove in head first and started writing about me.  Nothing fancy just me, myself and I.   Of course I had to have a picture of myself but I am not complete if I don't have a picture of the loves of my life.  Hubby and our two wonderful grands.  Sorry Addison the glare got ya in the pic. 

 

Ok now you see why I am busting at the seams.  My sweet little faeries are smiling at you and sprinkling some faerie dust on you .  

 

 

I had to include Tisha's Needle Art Studio where I get probably 95% of my pretties, which reminds me gotta order some stuff.  LOL   She knows so much of what you need and she is like the man I use to buy my photography equipment from.  I would tell him what I wanted to do and he would send me exactly what I needed. I never worried one iota  if he was sending the wrong thing and I don't worry about what Tisha sends either.

 

Here is a link to the magazine and of course you may buy Pat's other magazines they are so pretty.  

 http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/614457?__r=84546

 

Now on the other side of my "page" Pat had shown how to create a night light.  Tisha has the blanks so I had to try it.  Was a quick little project while we watched the Texas Rangers Baseball game-go Rangers!   Sorry. 

Here is the backside of the nightlight and no it is not a clothes pin forest.  Promise.  Course one time we were in Oregon and they had Popular trees growing as close as these clothes pins and we asked why. Well----- the cut the every few years I am thinking 8 and make cardboard out of them.  I just never thought of where cardboard came from, just from a tree but now I know. 

 

I had to use one of my faeries and the little bird was a gift and fit perfect in the Night light cover. 

 

Here it is in the sunlight with the dangles that are from Tishas.

 

 

Here it is doing it's little job glowing at night so I don't stump my toe on a step stool I use to get on our bed.  Man that hurts doesn't it?

 

There you go and thanks for stopping by and seeing what is going on in my world today.     My traditional and digi blog is a comin.    Promise.

 

XOXOXO

Annette