Friday, September 24, 2010

IA Weekly Challenge

Decisions, Decisions
The theme this week at Inspiration Avenue is
Decide
Does it sometimes seem like there are 
just too many things to think about?

I have to admit, sometimes I have
a harder time with the simple things,
like whether to have a 
Big Mac or a Quarter Pounder. 

The more important decisions 
somehow are actually easier.
I don't mind spending the brain power
on those. The inconsequential decisions
I expect to just solve themselves
with no help from me.
And of course, they don't do that
so they give me a harder time. Ack.

Pop over to Inspiration Avenue
to see the other submissions for the
Decide theme! 

Have a fantastic weekend!
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Thursday, September 16, 2010

IA Weekly Challenge

Metamorphosis
I've had mermaids on my mind lately.

So when I saw that the challenge at Inspiration Avenue
this week was "Metamorphosis", I thought maybe
a merbaby would fit. I don't know whether
humans turned into mer-people or
mer-people morphed into human form,
but there's some kind of metamorphosis going on!
It's all very mysterious.

I'm taking Suzi Blu's Mermaids class, so I've 
been keeping busy drawing  and painting mermaids 
and haven't had time to research the story. 
But I will, I promise.

Visit Inspiration Avenue by Sunday, September 19
to enter or to view all  of the "Metamorphosis"
entries. You will be enchanted by the creativity!
Some extra incentive to enter:
Each entry makes you eligible
to win the September Giveaway prize!
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Friday, September 10, 2010

The Three Muses Challenge
NuMbeRs
For the Three Muses challenge this week,
a girl who loves numbers

Thanks for visiting! 
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Thursday, September 9, 2010

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

Simplicity
I was visiting blogs and, in the back of my mind,
pondering what to do for the weekly challenge at
Inspiration Avenue.
Simplicity sometimes is not so simple!

Got an idea while looking at the
photos posted by Lisa at The Wright Stuff.
She has given some newer photos
the look of vintage postcards.
Very cool and full of atmosphere!

I have had this polaroid picture sitting on
my dressing table for years
because I have always wanted to
do a painting just like it.
It's my grandparents, taken in the 60s.
Well, to be accurate, it's my grandmother
and Dave her second husband, whom
we always called Grandad, as we never
knew our real grandfather.

Dave was a gem ~ he collected canes
(one of them in the picture) and
whiskey bottles in fantastical shapes.
If you could think of something
whimsical or just plain crazy,
Dave had a whiskey bottle in that shape.
Hundreds of them, all unopened.
We kids used to marvel at them,
always something new to look at!
I had never seen any bottles like that before.
Or since, for that matter.

Anyway.
Back to the picture.
I've always liked the simplicity of the image.
The light is flat, like it sometimes is
at the beach. And of course, the photo
is faded. There are only a few colors
in it, which is probably characteristic
of old polaroids.

I added a dry brush filter
and then adjusted the contrast a little,
but didn't really do much else to it.
Simple.

Visit Inspiration Avenue to see all
of the entries in this weeks challenge.
If you have time, submit an entry by
noon on Sunday September 12.
You will be eligible to be in the drawing for
a set of 5 tulip notecards from 
the above-mentioned Lisa!
Pretty! 
 
Funny ~
I just looked at the calendar 
to check Sunday's date,
and I see that it's Grandparents Day
in the U.S. How appropriate! 
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Sunday, September 5, 2010

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

Finders Keepers
I am just under the wire this time!

My found objects are sand dollars. 
And a Russell Stover heart-shaped chocolate 
box from last Valentine's Day.
Okay, that's not strictly "found", but I rescued it 
off the  "Things to Use Someday" pile. 
Most things on that pile never get used. 

Here is the inside of the box.
I used some vintage images, tissue paper, doilies,
ribbon, and 2 black-eyed susan seed pods,
plus the sand dollars.

I found the sand dollars in Mexico about
five years ago, and they've been sitting around
ever since. Other than displaying them in a jar,
I couldn't think of anything else to do with them.

Enter Angie, of Artangel,
with her Finders Keepers challenge!
So here they are on a heart box,
plus tons more in the photo! 

And tons more in the bag.
There were literally hundreds on the beach ~
I'd never even found a sand dollar at all
until that day. I don't know what event
sparked all those creatures to beach themselves.
But they have finally come in handy on

There is some lovely folklore about
sand dollars which I can't remember now,
but I will look it up.

Head over to Inspiration Avenue
to see all of the Finders Keepers
entries! They will be displayed a
little later today, Sunday.

Happy Labor Day to all who are
celebrating it!
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