Gift Box - 2007 -- Spring Bay Studio


This was another box I made for a friend...she's goin' thru some stuff I wouldn't want my worst enemy to have to go thru, so hopefully the little fun and stuff in the box will cheer her up.

I'm not going to be able to get a lot on here today...I had to go to the ER yesterday, and don't want to bore all of you with the details. But I'm feeling better today, and will go to our regular Dr. this next week to get an answer to what literally hit be between the eyes. The ER doc feels that I had a "mini-stroke" and so has told me to take an aspirin a day, and check with my own DR. -- I'm dreading the Hosp. bill...ambulance bill...by the time it's all said and done, I'll probably be paying for some guys kid to go to private school for 2 years...hope the brat's happy...We're one of those families without insurance, so, yeah...it's gonna be an ugly letter that arives at Ms. Tulip's doorstep. Maybe I can finally go on that vacation I've been wanting to go on for 5 years. An' I'm not even talkin' something Fancy..I"d just like to go back up the mountain and chill out next to the campfire!!

Lady of The Tulips -- who has to go lie down now...and I never like to sit still...uhhmmm..this is driving me nutz..

Gift Box -- 2007 -- Spring Bay Studio

I made this little box for a friend of mine not too long ago ~~ She'd had some weird things happen to her house while it was getting remodeled, so I thot this little "girl " would cheer her up. I'm considering remodeling our place, but after some of the horror stories my friend told me, about things some of the workers did to her place...wellll..maybe I'll take another look at how to get things fixed here.

The heat has made me feel literally weak in the knees. I got The Very Fine Automobile today. Actually I was suppossed to have The Husband's car, but when he & the youngest got out the door to go to work, they both realized The Very Fine Automobile was out of gas, so they took the saturn, and didn't let me know anything about my car. I wasn't exactly pleased when I got in the car and saw that the fuel indicator was in the box reading EMPTY and the cute little light on the dashboard was saying LOW!! LOW!! This and the fact that there is no air conditioning in the vehicle, and the fan doesn't always work with the vent system on...Minor Problems in Life, but it makes it difficult to drive when I'm melting too much, and it makes my glasses steam up so I can't see clearly. Very Exciting driving down the Blvd.. So ~~ The 2 errands that had to be taken care of today were done without too much melting..plus there was only 1 vehicle that had a desire to crash into the back of The Very Fine Automobile, so all in all it wasn't such a bad morning.

Since I've brought my Art Stuff into the dining room, I'm probably going to be able to get some more collages finished. I worked out in the studio the other afternoon, but it wasn't quite as hot as it is today...so with The Dog laying next to the dining room table keeping me company, and Bluegrass playing on the speakers, I'm sure something will Happen!! I think that there are 5 files with collage bits and pieces in them waiting their turn at getting their finishing touches put on. I'm having some fun with some new paper I got on sale...12" X 12" sheets for .25 Cents!! Oh Buddy, you gotta know I made a trip to the Art store to get some of Those!! And I also found some new watercolor pencils that I'll experiment with...hopefully they will proove to be The Thing for me!!

Lady of The Tulips ~~ Who has now discovered a Christmas ornament that went thru last summer in the attic...but it aint quite lookin' the way it's suppossed to...I'll get a shot of it an' post this week...shwoo boy....

I was minding my own business the other day, while searching for a coffee cup. I couldn't find the one I wanted, but decided that I wouldn't be lazy and resort to using a plastic cup from the dollar store. There must have been smoke coming out of my ears, because my youngest took one look at me and said, "Look, if you want a REAL coffee cup, I got just the thing for ya...use the one I got from work..."

Now, I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so I nearly jumped up and down when I remembered just how BIG said coffee cup was/is ~~ this thing isn't quite as big as some that I've seen in truck stops, where coffee cups are a serious matter. After all, when most truckers are looking at driving a minimum of 11 hours, a driver absolutely takes coffee cups/mugs quite seriously. So, I took the mug/cup from my son before I really took a close look at it. I beamed and said "Thank You!!" and proceeded to pour the measly little cup of coffee I'd been fumbling with into this quite large coffee cup...and had plenty of room left over. I even got more coffee out of the coffee maker into this monster and STILL had room to spare. Its a magnificent wonder.

The heat is making it a little difficult to Create today...and it's actually cooler than it has been for the past week or so. My thot for the day is to complete the 6 projects I've got stacked next to my work table ~~ But every time I walk out into the studio, the blast of hot air from that room just makes me change my mind, and I turn around into the dining room and consider something else. I feel like a cat....want to go out....want to come back in the house....want to go out....want to come back in the house....

Lady of The Tulips ~~ Who is considering a trip up to the Blue Ridge just to get out of this blasted heat...but is scared to pieces that The Very Fine Automobile won't make it up the mountain...

Jus' a rough piece sitting on the work table in it's little folder -- I got color happy the other day with some new pens I discovered when I should have been buying Needed Supplies for the house. But then -- there are other things that NEED to be Bought and my Inner Critic screamed at me the entire time I looked over the color markers, colored pencils...baby size crayons...an' don't EVEN ask how hard it was to walk away from some color papers that werent really that good of quality but had some pretty snazzy zip to 'em. Talk about having a Difficult Moment on isle 5...

It's been Way too hot to do too much in the studio, but I decided that maybe the dining room table wasn't so bad after all to use for Creating Things. The other day I had the Mets baseball game on at the same time I was making other little fishies. The Husband had the chance to be home early...he had to make a run out of town, so was back home by 1 p.m. -- course he'd had to leave that morning before 2 a.m., so he was snoring on the couch in the living room by the 2nd inning of the game. I just kept coloring and playing with my pens, scissors and papers....the funny thing was that when I got these pieces set out in the studio, the temperature had climbed so bad, that when I opened the french doors, I was literally hit with a wave of hot air...an' it wasn't TheHusband making noise from the front room, mind you...

So now, it's off to get some other papers cut with the spiffy paper cutter I bought last year from one of the chain office supply places...I won't say their name, but when I used to ride with The Husband across country, we did some pick up and deliveries to one of the big chain stores (office supply) and once when we got to a distribution center with a Buttload of stuff...I had this stuiped moment to decide and see what the temperature was outside...Duh...middle of winter and I wanna see how "warm" it was in Feb. ~~ it seems like it was a whopping 15 degrees or so...I've never got back into a vehicle SO fast as I did that morning...ok..so it WAS 4 a.m. , but Still -- you'd think it would sink in my head that it'd be COLD....

An' since the temp in the studio was a "cool" 82 degrees at 10 a.m. this morning, I'd give my eyeteeth for some cooler temperatures right about now...Uhh ~~ maybe not the 15 degree range, but something a little less that the 95 degrees we've been having...

Lady of The Tulips -- who has this sinking feeling The Dog is up to something, as it seems kinda quiet in the back yard...usually I can hear her snuffling around by the window...hummm....

~~~ Just a quick note to say that there are some projects sitting on my little work table out in the studio. ~~ They haven't got a real home yet. but they do have their very own file folder so they have a nice place to stay till their home gets built. Or, being applied to a canvas board, whichever pops into my head.

The reason the projects are still in the Workin' On It mode, is because the studio doesn't have air conditioning, and with the summer gettin' going, the weather has made it just a touch too uncomfortable to stay out there for too long. Thursday I checked the thermometer and it was 90 Degrees (This before Noon) and the humidity was over 80% -- Not the best working conditions for concentrating on Art. So, I brought in as many things as I could fit on the dining room table, and made some small collage pieces. These are now joining the others from last week, and once it all gets organized to where it makes some kind of visiual sense, then they'll get onto a canvas board. I've got a good idea of what I want to do, but right now it just isn't jelling for me. It's the Heat. Yeah, that's what it is. Sounds like a good excuse for now...

The garden got a good soaking the other afternoon. Somewhere between 1 1/2 " fell in a couple hours so the Corn really took off. I'm gettin' the camera ready to take some shots of the vege bed. The 2 extra plantings of green beans have finally sprouted, so we should be in good shape for those. And for some reason, the spray that I got from the hardware store has withstood the big storm we had at 3 a.m. yesterday morning. None of the little aphids or whatever they were, are still around the plants. Maybe they drowned. Really got no clue...just as long as they're gone who cares where they went?

Lady of The Tulips -- who discovered why The Dog likes laying under her favorite bush in the backyard..it's nice and damp mud, and never gets any sun on it AT ALL...when she stood up and I petted her side, it was as cool as can be. No wonder she looked at me like I was the dolt in the yard...

Have these little guys sitting on my work table out in the studio, and am having a time just deciding if there is something more that needs to be added to either one. I'm sure that when my back is turned Something will pop into my head and say "HEY!!" and let me know.

Does it look like some more pieces of whatever need to be added? I haven't decided whether or not to take off little odds and ends on each piece...Decisions ~~ Decisions...

Lady of The Tulips ~~ who walked out into the studio where the current temp is 92 with over 70 % Humidity...I think I just melted but don't quote me on that...

One of a few w.i.p. that are waiting for me to do something with them -- What needs to be done with them? Let me know -- Lady of The Tulips

~~ OK ~~ First things first ~~ If any of you read my post yesterday, and looked at the photo of the lil' mermaid an' thot that you were having a deja vu moment..well, you weren't -- Actually it was the same picture I'd posted a few months ago, and of course, since I'm getting more and more drifty these dayz, I didn't check any of my earlier posts to Actualy SEE if I'd put that particular shot on here before. AND to top it off..the earlier photo was much better -- go figure!! So -- here and now I will say I am terribly sorry for any anger you felt during those moments when you thot there was something amiss. My brain jus' isn't functioning the way it should these days, and I'll be the first to appoligize for any inconvience my dolt-ness may have caused you...

Now -- on to other things....there are some pieces of paper that I splurged and bought last week that are calling my name this morning. But they'll have to wait for a bit, because The Dog is having one of her early mornings that are just like having a 3-year old. The Dog has this uncanny sense when I'm working on a project, or even if The Husband and I are sitting on the couch having a discussion...she will absolutely get her face right up close to me, and either hit me with her front paw, or jump up and down like she just HAS to let me know there is someting she;s thinking about. And, in the mornings, she will do a similiar thing..stand in front of the french doors that lead to the studio, which in turn goes out to the side yard. She makes these little squeaking noises to let me know that RIGHT NOW is when I have to get my self together AND PAY ATTENTION TO HER!! Or like just a bit ago, bounce around in the dining room, run around the dining room table, make a bunch of rattling-bumping-into-chairs-kind-of-noise, just to make sure that I realize she has to go outside and literally smell the flowers. I've given up on the idea of coloring my hair, because between The Dog, The Husband and other assorted things, my hair would fall out at the rate I'd need to color all the grey hairs that pop up on my poor head every day. Sorry all you corporate people who sell hair color, or whatever it is you do...my spending on your products has come to an abrubt (is tht even close on how to spell that word?) end and I'm so sorry if I've let your company down.

In just a minute I'm also going to make another post to let all of you see what I finished in the bathroom the other week. Now my eyes are on the Black-painted bedroom of my middle son. I still have some Kilz on the storage shelf, and I'll probably need to get another gallon -- maybe 2 to cover those walls. I found a similar color as in the bathroom to paint my son's room. He recently DID CALL ME (!!!) to say he's now working STEADALEEE and is actually sharing a new place with a couple of his friends. I'm optimistic that this will last... But back to the topic...The new color will make the room much more mellow, and with maybe a little curtain (he took the old one down) it should make a great deal of difference!! Those black walls...my word...now way can I say how they look...well, I mean, naturally they look BLACK...but oh my, how depressing they are!! Onward and upward to new color!!

Lady of The Tulips -- who has to decide now what type of color to paint the kitchen...the old wallpaper from the 80's is REALLY getting to me...Pink and Blue...how have I not had indigestion immediately when I walk in that room??

Sorry for the nahhsty glare of the camera on this shot.guess it may be time to find someone who knows how to take a picture for REAL and then download it for me -- This is one of my "girls" and I did have fun with her...

And I've been away for a spell, now, haven't I? There has been so much going on that it almost makes me feel dizzy -- lots and lots of things around the house, lots and lots of things around the yard, the garden, the various odds and ends of day to day living. Most of it was just too much at the time and so I got totally swallowed by it all. And now today I'm gathering my strength and getting back online and hoping that the rest of the summer will go much smoother. Maybe it was all because the start of Summer came along, and sometimes just the event of the Summer Solstice is enuf to throw many many things into a State...sometimes good, and for some people it throws them into a tizzy -- I know of a Few people who went into said Tizzy, and I'm not too sure yet if their just right now or not. Only the next few dayz will tell. I'm just glad that I've gotten out of the line of fire from their deal, and am here to tell. Hopefully They will get better.

Lots of things are in the Works in the Art space...there are a batch of Wormwood stems drying out on the floor, and so The Dog has had a field day trampeling (boy oh boy is that a bad spelling...) all the leaves into the carpet. But the good thing is, that as good as the herb smells, every time that ol' dog smooshes more of it on the floor, the better the room smells. OH!! And speaking of The Dog -- This is a No Lie, This Really Happened Thang...

A couple weeks ago, while I was getting a batch of green beans up and running, I was happily standing in part of the vege bed, minding my own business, watering the beans, and generally having a very nice day, thank you very much...Then, while the neighbors daughter was having her graduation from High School Party, one of the local little neighborhood BRATS who likes to drive 40 mph in a 25 mph zone, took it upon himself to just up and FLOOR HIS CAR THRU THE NEIGHBORHOOD...couldn't tell if it was 45 or so, but suffice to say it was Way over the posted 25. So, if that wasn't enuf...while I'm in my garden having my Good Moment, here once again comes The Neighborhood Monster, backing up out of the neighborhood park across the street from our house...flooring the car as fast as it could go in reverse..got to the middle of the street, turned the car down the side street, and floored the car once again down the street. Me, being me, totally lost it (after making sure there were no people in the way to get run over by The Idiot) and screamed at the kid and who ever was in his car "SLOW DOWN!!!" Some dame in the passenger seat said, "ok..." like it was all a joke.

Now, what this has to do with the Dog, your asking? Well, last time I got Pis*** off at the kid, he threw raw eggs all over the side and front of my car, all over the back door to my house, and all over the wall of the house. And, if THAT wasn't enuf, 4 dayz later, he and his pals threw 5 or 6 40 oz. beer bottles all over in my yard. Yes, this person has EARNED the nickname Monster. So -- after I yelled at the kid, I immediately realized I'd be in for IT...I knew he'd do something else again...SO --- long about 4 days later, I took my youngest to the herbal store to get something for his never ending cold and sore throat. (That's another story but keep with me here...) We got back to the house, checked on the Dog to make sure she was ok under her little favorite tree in the backyard, which she was....and went over to another herbal store so I could get some of my vitamins. We came back to the house, and while the youngest went to check on The Dog, I made a quick call to The Husband jus' to let him know what was going on.

While on the phone, I see my youngest take off tearing down the street on his bicycle...and I start looking for The Dog in the backyard, and am suddenly realizing she's not in there...I mean NOWHERE...I start to think, well, I am just about half blind, but now, just wait a minute...And about the same time as I'm thinking this, here comes the youngest tearing into the yard saying GET YOUR KEYS!! THEY'VE TAKEN THE DOG!!!

My knees immediately turned to jelly, and more or less my remote control, I grabbed said keys, got in the car and drove off down the street, asking 3,305 questions of my son ~~ Both the backyard gate and side yard gate were shut, but for the first time EVAH the backyard gate hadn't been LOCKED...and by the looks of things, somebody came in thru the gate, grabbed the Dog, drug her out threw the side gate, and let her run off without her collar (we still haven't found the collar..) ~~ We found the poor thing down a couple houses on another block, tired, hot and panting in somebodys yard. The youngest had a TIME getting her to get in the car..tying her leash around her neck to lead her to the car. She was a MESS and I was nearly beside myself.

Remember what I said about The Monster doing things when provoked? Well...even tho most people would have called the Police and made a notice (Or whatever it's called) I realized that I couldn't ~~ Why? ~~ because said Neighborhood Monster has a father AND mother, who work for the City Police Dept. ~~ And, yup, if somebody makes a report about their Beloved Person, there is never anything done about it...Or, better yet, (As happened to my youngest one time) the father comes to the house, and proceeds to yell, curse, scream and threaten the person who he thinks would bring some sort of "Pain" to his Monster ~~ In other words, I was Sc***** ~~ and without so much as a kiss...

So -- now the back yard gate is Firmly Locked when we leave the house...and the only way we could figure out how the monster knew we were gone, was when I realized that over at the park I mentioned earlier, were a carload of his friends, sitting and watching our house...Without even knowing it, we were sitting ducks....Sigh...Such a warm fuzzy feeling I'm getting just remembering the whole thing...

And now I'm getting thru the start of the week -- got the veges fed with a good dose of Compost Tea -- soaked them all really good, because this week is supposed to get HOT ~~ weather people say 95 or so in 2 days..then I went to The Big Box Chain Hardware store an got some organic spray for the bugs in the garden..I've used one particular brand for Years and tho I could not find a concentrate to blend with water, I still found a spray to use, so I'm happy. All the plants got a good spray, and there were lots of small white flies and some other Things I could't tell..but they flew away and hopefully For Good...

But for now I must go and tend to some other things...and get some water to drink, and see what kind of mail is waiting for me...

Lady of The Tulips ~~ who has realized that there has not been one inch of carpet vacuumed in her sones room for probably far longer than she honestly wants to consider...and I''m sitting in said son's room....hmmmm...

I wanted to show some of the detail on a frame I made up not too long ago. This was one of the unfinished pieces I bought at the craft store. I was a little afraid of just what to do with it, but once I got into the whole texture thang, it started to take on a life of it's own. Once I got to painting it, I had the idea of driving over to the ocean front and layin' out for the afternoon. However, good sense took front and center stage...in other words, I don't think the locals were ready to see a beached whale on the sand quite this early in the season.

I've also got some new paints that haven't been put to use on any projects, so they may get some thing to work with. I had this whole Tropical Island thang goin' after painting the frame above. And REALLY wanted to go on vacation somewhere ELSE...just not maybe down the road. I've always wanted to see some of the islands south of Florida. But, now that the summer is creeping closer and the heat & humidity is creeping upwards too, well, I think a Tropical Vacation may wait till next fall. I'll stick to the Feeling of the Tropics with the paint colors I've got floating around in the studio. The Husband said that when he went down to the islands south of Florida in the USN, that the color of the water was the one thing that stood out in his memory the most. Just an incredible color of turquioise he'd ever seen. And the clarity of the sea water was beyond words. He said that there were so many of the men on board who'd never been in the southern part of the U.S., who were amazed at how HOT it was the further south they got. I can't really go into too many details of just where they went, but suffice to say that it was wonderful once they got done with all their military things, and got the chance to go and play in the water. I've got a big shell that The Husband brought home for me after one cruise. It's not been broken after nearly 20 years, so I don't know if that tells me how strong the shell is, or how scary it looked to all of my kids when they were growing up....

I'm taking a break from the work in the bathroom. All I have to do is a little finishing up on one wall. I'm glad the big stuff in the bathroom is finished. I was very nervous once I got the paint on the walls. Oh, I mean, the color is very soothing and mellow, butI wasn't sure that the youngest would like the color once it was finished. Yahhooo and yippiee, he walked into the hallway and took a look at the walls and actually said, "Nice!" How one little word can make a day is really somethin'. I was thinking he'd mumble like he did the first time I textured and painted the walls. But this time I completely changed the whole thang, and it is a vast difference from what I did before. And The Husband was glad the color was somethin' he had in mind when I told him what I'd envisioned for the walls. Sort of like the old adobe walls in houses of friends I grew up with in Southern California. And some of the places I'd seen and been in out in the desert - Palm Desert WAY back in the day...like early 60's late 50's -- most of those old old buildings have been torn down by now, I'm sure. But they were so cool and wonderful to me when I'd walk into them. Old walls and wood porches that rattled with every step across them. Lots of old pottery jugs across the front of the buildings with flowers planted in them. Oh, I just loved them. And once I started on this house, I knew that what I wanted in here was the look of those old places. I've got a collection of old 1900's photos that were made into calendars some years ago -- some of those I've framed, and some others I'm getting ready to find frames for. I've also got some mandelas and sponged painted walls that mimic the old walls of those adobe buildings. So, naturally the bathroom was the next place to get similar work done. The kitchen is next...GONE will be the very 80's wallpaper...and somewhere along the line I'm going to check out those weekend workshops at the large hardware stores, and see about taking a class on laying out tiles. Don't know if I'll do as large a space as my kitchen floor, butI'll start out with something!!

Lady of The Tulips ~~ who now has realized that it's after noon, and there is still no work done on a sheet of drawing paper that was going to be started on 2 hours ago....too many distractions...

** I can not believe it's been nearly 2 weeks since I last got onto my lil' computer and wrote on this blog...there has been so much work done on projects around the house...now I'm tired and sore, but all the work is DONE!! The major painting/texturing in the front bathroom is finished and now the fun part will be getting the fabric for the curtain, deciding which shade for the wall color and getting some new odds and ends for storage. Some of the old glass jars with metal lids had to get thrown away. I was suprised to discover that the rims of the lids had developed rust and were not looking too good. Major sadness. But, being resourcefull, my youngest looked at me and said, "Well, just go get some new ones.." ~~ You better believe that was the best thing to hear..I mean, being given the green light to go and SHOP ~~ It's something I very rarely do, so having someone say GO AND PURCHASE didn't take too long to sink in. Now I have to make sure NOT to go overboard in Big Lots or where ever I find treasures.

The youngest and I have the garden pretty well finished. A couple plants still have to get set out, but the majority is growing nicely. We transplanted tomatoes, green beans, and I built up 3 beds for corn. Got the potatoes planted earlier and they are growing like crazy in their part of the garden. I made sure to apply LOTS of compost to the bed for them, and my youngest made the discovery of a rotted tree trunk right next to the garden beds. So, while he digs up the leftover wood from the tree -- we apply that on top of the vege beds, and it has helped a LOT on keeping the beds nice and damp. It's been up over 85 already, and right under the mulch of wood and other stuff from an old compost pile, the soil is wonderfully damp and cool. I try and make some compost tea at least once a week, and a good dollop of that on the plants has gone really well. I gave a drink to the perennials last week, and some old yarrow plants have taken off in the front flower beds. I'd just about given up on them, but after 3 drinks of compost tea, I have 5 new plants taking off, and 3 have some new flowers on them. Very pale shades of pink and one with yellow. The lavender is smelling wonderful, and the whole plant has blossoms on it, along with some flowers on the pansies...still!! Our corn in the vege bed near the white picket fence is coming up better than I'd thot it would. The bed didn't get really mulched and dug up till just before planting, so I wasn't too sure if the corn would come in decent. Ha -- goes to show what I know. 15 - 20 plants so far, and I made up a new bed and planted 10 or 15 more last weekend. Some basil was set out yesterday just before I made up some homemade salsa for dinner, and wouldn't ya know it...when I went to check the plants this morning, something had chewed a couple of leaves off one of the plants..but left the leaves on the ground. HA!! stuiped lil' critter..thot they'd get something Tasty...Suprised them! Hope they get sick..

Anyway -- haven't had a chance to do any Art these last couple weeks ~~ all my energy has gone into the garden and the house. I'm kinda payin' for all the physical work ~~ my left hand is pretty swollen, and my left foot is too. But the work and effort is so worth it. The bathroom walls came out just the way I wanted them to (Picture will come later) and even The Husband noticed A) That something was different and B) That there was a new color on the walls. (Even tho it's just the white primer...) "Did you do that work?" The Husband sez...My Mercy!! My last good nerve is just about to snap...Why is it that Just Sometimes I feel like running away and never ever coming back?? Hmmm....

There are several projects that have been getting some development on the little work table, but nothing more than little piles of papers, stamps, paint bottles moved here and there and some watercolor tablets moved from one side of the studio to the other..I know there will be something to show for all of it shortly, but just not yet. The Husband said I should take a break and play with my paints, but I told him I'm too tired right now to do much thinking about color harmonies and paint choices. Next week after I get the storage things and the curtain made for the bathroom, THEN I'll get the projects put into gear. Right now I'm enjoying just Sitting in My Own House!!

Lady of The Tulips ~~ who has some very nice little baby oregano plants that need transplanting...and wouldn't ya know it...the extra large flower pots I was GOING to plant them in, already have something ELSE planted in them....sigh...

** I spent the good part of Saturday working the vege beds and layering compost in a site where corn is going to be planted. **

I know it's kinda late for planting corn, but it's been so damp and rainy, it scared me away from the garden. Guess it's the fear of spreading some kind of disease in the garden with too much rain and who knows what all else. The big thing that was just too cool, was that after he got off work, my youngest came home and dug up a Gold Mine for the garden ~~ where we've been letting an old tree stump rot out in the lawn for what seems like forever...it has now become mostly an underground blob of old watery wood junk -- perfect for composting the garden beds. He was originally going to expand the garden bed for the green beans, but then discovered that it was where the tree stump had been...we'd let the grass grow back over it after letting layers of clippings, leaves etc., sit on top of it for 4 years or so. !!! Now it's in a stage where it can be torn/shredded apart and layered in the garden. Poor Kid -- after working in the furniture factory all day, you'd think the last thing he'd want to do was DIG in the garden. But that's what kind of guy he is. He's always liked to garden, and now he's layered lots more stuff in the garden!! I'm so happy.

I've got only a couple minutes before I've got to get to the hardware store...after The Husband picks up the youngest at church...I've been working off and on for the past couple weeks at texturing the front bathroom, then I'll repaint the walls and get a new curtain rod up an make some new curtains for the bathroom. I'd used a "texture" paint a couple years ago, but it didn't make the walls look quite the way I wanted them to look. So, using a technique I'd done down in our house in S.C., I got the medium 2 weeks ago, and started on the walls one afternoon while waiting for The Husband to come back to the truck terminal from out of state. The walls are beginning to look the way I want, the work goes easy, and it's relatively cheap to do. The Husband likes the way it's coming together, and he's not all grumpy like he was with the texture paint I used before. So, that means that it must look sorta decent...he's such a grump sometimes!!

Now I've got some other projects to finish this week too ~~ Got 2 new collages in progress, and tomorrow I get the Saturn to drive (!!) so I can get to the Art Store and get some supplies I need to make new frames. I've got some little bits and pieces to finish on the w.i.p. 's -- so once their done it's frame - time!!

Lady Of The Tulips ~~ Who has to find her coupons for the store...did the classic, Put them Away in A Safe Place....so safe they've disappeared. Man-O-Man I hate when I do that....

This is one of the frames I'd worked on a few weeks ago...I couldn't get a photo of it on the dining room table, so I found a towel in the studio, set it & the frame on the dog's couch and took this shot. I had fun with the color, and am wondering if it is something the lady over at the Bay would like. I have to get ahold of her tomorrow, and will take this frame and probably another piece I got finished on Friday. I've fallen in love with a varnish I discovered in the art store. It was a little more than I had wanted to spend, but I think the nice satin finish is just enuf for a frame like this. Didn't want to go overboard with high gloss. Let me know what ya think.

Right now I'm resting up from working out in the garden. My youngest dug up some old tree roots that we've left to rot over the past couple years, and now their good an' mushy for mulch in the garden beds. He spread some of these pieces out last weekend, and this morning before he went to work, he told me to lay out some more compost on the vege bed, then he'll set some more of the rotted wood down over the weekend. I got 3 beds dug earlier..one I put in potatoes, and 2 others will have green beans in 'em. I'm going to wait 'till it cools off a little 'cause like a TOAD I went to work outside, wearing a Black t-shirt...Well -- it's fine if one really wants to work up a good healthy sweat, but that wasn't my idea at all -- I just wanted to get some work done before it rains tonight. So, actually I got a couple things accomplished...I feel like I lost 45 pounds with the melting I was doing, all while digging up the garden beds for the veges...

Now I'm waiting for the laundry to get dry outside, and will got back into the Other vege bed and get it layered with more compost. It got some last week, but now it's ready for the seeds to get plopped in 'em. The youngest wanted to grow corn this year, and they are a heavy feeding plant, so the more compost in their beds, the happier they'll be. The land we had down in S.C. had been planted for decades with corn, so once it got developed with our little subdivision, the soil was pretty well worn out. Thru years of putting in compost and mulch, it still wasn't that good of soil. I just hope whoever has since bought the house and acreage has done some more to make the ground work. I know now, that the garden beds we've been working in the 4 years we've started adding heavier layers of compost and mulch, have really payed off. The last of the tomatoes from '05 are finally finished from the freezer, so this years plants are gettin' goin' at just the right time. And their bed will have probably 2 layers total to start, of compost. That's on top of the 3 layers from last year. Heaven knows what I've unleashed in that garden bed. However, I am happy to say that I'm finding LOTS of earthworms, and there is no better sign that soil is getting good, than with a gazzzilion earthworms crawling thru the beds. Yahoo!!

Must go and paint some fabric with matte medium. Then I can apply it onto a collage that's in the works. Some little fishies, and a very cool sun I rediscovered..ya never know what you can find when cleaning out some drawers in a file cabinet...sheesh...

Lady of The Tulips ~~ who was so glad to find some corn seeds, that oh dear, she's put them away real good an' now doesn't remember where they are...oh my stars....

Yesterday I'd barely gotten awake, when I realized that I was hearing a sound that I wasn't quite sure of. Oh, it sounded like something familiar, but it just had this different sort of something to it...made me think for a minute that it was not quite right. What it was....was...The Dog snoring over from me on the floor. And I'm not saying it was just this cute little sound...I MEAN it was a full on, loud, rumbling SNORE. At first when I realized what it was, I was all ready to jump up and yell something at The Husband. But then it dawned on me, that it wasn't his fault this noise was happening...it was The Dog. And she was making snores that sounded like nothing I've ever heard before. Almost put The Husband to shame.

So -- this is how The Dog looked the other day. But not the same day as the loud snoring. She was waiting for me in this picture, to get something for her, and I was taking my sweet time about it. And as one look at her face can tell...I was taking much too long to get whatever it was that she felt she was entitled to at that EXACT point in time. Not unlike having a 2-year old in the house, wanting something 15 Seconds ago...instant pout, and you are suddenly mud in their eyes. So ~~ after The Snore happened, I told The Dog that she just needed to get out to her little couch and make her self comfortable before I was going to let her outside, or get her one of her favorite doggie treats. Well ~~ She actually does NOT need to have any doggie treats, as she is developing quite the mid-life stomach flab, but don't tell her that, as she may go into another funk and we'll all be hearing about it shortly.

The Husband has decided that it is a good idea to use the outdoor clothes line now. And with the warm weather about to decend upon us, I'm just glad he's not still addicted to pushing the button on the dryer. He'd do a teeny bit of laundry, I mean, barely enuf to get wet in the washing machine, and then put the wet clothes in the dryer, and run that poor defenseless dryer for 40 minutes. No wonder the poor thing gave up and quit running. I would too, after all those clothes being swipped around in there. So now, The Husband has this idea that he's doing so much good for the environment, or some such thing, because he's now hanging his clothes outside. It'd be really great if he'd put said clothes AWAY once he gets them inside the house. But most times, he spews them all over the front room, and it looks like a hurricane just blew threw, and we need to call the insurance company. I mean, he has this thing about decorating the couches and the dining room chairs with shirts, socks, jeans....the shorts are usually put somewhere like the bathroom, so maybe they don't technically count. But it drives me to distraction...I MEAN!!! One look at this clothes - strewn - room and I can feel the hair on the back of my neck getting ready for the yelling that's about to take place. And it takes everything I've got not to just scream like a madman...but I try VERY VERY HARD not to go off the deep end...and nicely say.."Honey...can you pleeze put your Stuff in the closet...puuhhhlllEEEEZZEEEEE..." My success rate for this request is currently at an all time low of somewhere around 35%...

Have started a new collage today. Was all ready to spray some clear sealer on a couple little things I used watercolor pencil on...AND MY CAN OF PAINT IS DRY!!! ARRGGGHHHHH... I felt like crying, but since The Dog was sleeping over on her couch, I decided not to go into hysterics and went to the trash can an' threw the can away. I'd almost gone out on the stoop by the studio door to spray the sealer, but then realized I'd just set out my little baby vege plants...and I don't think they'd do too good with sealer all over them. I've got 5 or so tomato plants all happy in the sun now..3 or so green beans and 3 Basil plants. My oregano is still teeny and it worries me...butI think once they get transplanted in the garden, they'll perk up some more and be happy. And so far...SO FAR...the little brown bunny that meanders in the garden at night hasn't come near any of the plants. Last year or the year before, I can't quite remember...the blasted little creature ate 5 of my plants that were ready to go in the garden...MY GGGHHAAAADDDDD I was soooooooooooooooooo mad...I've never felt like killing a sweet little bunny ~~ But when I saw all my plants 3/4 eaten...oh, let me tell you. All bets were off. But then, The Dog decided she'd lay around in the same spot as the plants had been, so maybe the scent from her large-ness will keep said brown bunny away....well...that's in theory...

Lady-of-The-Tulips ~~ Who is waiting for a call from The Husband...I think in a call earlier he'd mentioned going out of town...but now I can't remember if that was suppossed to happen today or tomorrow.....

** Not too many weeks ago, my middle son was working on this computer, and said he was going to add a few things on here that wouldn't take up too much space, or make this poor old computer take forever when it loads pages and things we have in it's inner parts. **

Well -- the oldest came over last night, and tried to fix one of the internet explorer thangs I've been using for over a year. He looked at all the little things my middle son had added to this computer, and lo and behold, there were a LOT more than I had thot...actually a long, long list of things he downloaded, and all add up to making this poor thing work very, very slowly. This added to my disappointment with trying to get access to other websites FAST and FASTER...and now it looks like, even with highspeed internet, this computer will still be going, SLOW and SLOWER...maybe along the lines of worse, and worse. I told my oldest Thank You, but it wasn't really the good news/good outcome I'd been hoping for.

~~ So now, I'm wondering whether this thing is going to last for too much longer. I've got absolutely no way to contact my middle son, and ask him if he could DO something with all the stuff he crammed in this machine. Makes me very sad. Not just about the computer, but about the fact that I have no idea of where he is, and have no way to contact him. Very frustrating.

But on a brighter note, I've found that the seeds I planted out front, of Hollyhocks, and Sunflowers, are starting to take off. It looks like just about all of the hollyhocks are sprouting, and one of the Sunflowers is actually getting quite tall. I know we have a wild bunny that zips around the yard in the night, and I'm hoping it does NOT see the flowers trying to come up out front. I'm going to also make another planting of both hollyhocks and sunflowers in the side yard where the vege garden is. I've also got some good sprouts on some potatoes, so those will get put in the ground this afternoon. We finally have a day without rain, and it looks like it'll stay warm enuf for at least 4 days, so that should give all the seeds and sprouts a chance to come up and be happy.

I've got another frame finished..well, just about. The varnish is drying on it now, so I had to walk away before I stuck my finger in the wet stuff. I have a terrible habit of sticking my finger in wet paint. Guess I never learned when I was young. I remember a couple years ago when we were getting ready to move from South Carolina...we were getting some odds and ends packed into boxes, and The Husband & I had looked out the kitchen window at the same time, and saw our neighbor sitting in a garden chair, staring at a picnic table he's just finished painting. Naturally, The Husband being the smart ass he is, goes out on the back porch and yells, "Hey Brad!! You watchin' the paint dry!!??" I won't say exactly what the neighbor said, as it's too crass for young readers...ahem....but let's just say he definetly got his point across. Which made The Husband roar with laughter. I had to wipe the tears outta my eyes. Cryin' from laughin' too hard. And, naturally I wanted to go over and REALLY see if the paint was wet...stick my fingers right in it. No -- I kept my paws away from it. But it took all my self control, let me tell ya...

~~ So now I'm gonna see what baseball game is on tv, check on the varnish in the studio, and see once again which green beans have sprouted in the peat pots in the western sunroom window. All but 3 have come up. I'm pretty excited. The youngest said something about getting the tomato cages out of the backyard and getting them ready by next week. We should have enuf dry weather by then to set those up, plus cages for the beans. Ahh...there is nothing like homegrown 'maters. Just like the song from the 80's, "Homegrown Tomatoes, Homegrown Tomatoes, nothin' is so good as Homegrown Tomatoes. Only two things that money can't buy, an' that's true love, an' Homegrown Tomatoes...." 'Nuff said.

Lady of The Tulips ~~ who wants to make a very fattening cheese and tomato pie, but isn't sure if she can convince The Husband to go buy some pie shells AND sour cream...sigh...

I think a few weeks ago, I'd mentioned that I had a problem every time I planted something in the garden..well, actually, I don't have a problem with planting: just after I put seeds or little baby plants in the soil, I can walk away from where I worked, and absolutely forget what plant is set in which seed bed.

~~ So ~~ this year I went ahead and made some plant tags. I've been interested in buying those spiffy metal tags that are in gardening catalogs; very nice looking, metal, and can be reused every year. All you have to do is write out what plant is located under each tag. Nice. However, that is too dull for me. So -- while I was cleaning around my work table, I found some scraps of foamboard, and went to town making them into little tags for the garden. I've got them painted and covered in varnish, and I'll see if they can hold up for a couple weeks in the garden..what with the rain, mud, dog meandering around and her infernal sniffing...well, you get the idea. And, I didn't want the tags to be boring. So, I sorta decorated them up.

I have other tags, but I thot I'd pop this one on the Blog, just to make some cheeriness for the day. We're having rain, drizzle and muck today, after 3 days of wind, wind and more wind. I was going to get my laundry done yesterday when the sun was shining and the wind was beginning to slow down a little. But, things happened, and I didn't get my clothes out till nearly 5 in the afternoon...and forgot they were out there till The Husband was on his way out the door with The Youngest to go to work...and it was RAINING. I'd asked BOTH of them yesterday, "Is it supposed to rain tomorrow or tonight?" and they both said "No" --

So in with the crummy weather and raindrops making my clothes dripping, I thot this bit of bright cheerfulness would improve my mood. The Youngest thot this was going a little over the top for the garden, but I told him that with my bad eyesight, these are Definetly not something I can miss outside. I have other ones for the veges too, but this one really got me in the mood for making the garden BRIGHT!! --- If all goes right, I should be able to see these from any window in the studio, and know exactly what's planted where. And, even if they fall apart, then I can go to the art store and get those little pieces of wood that are maybe .45 cents, and paint them up the same way.

Now I'm gonna go back in the studio and work on a frame I put together yesterday afternoon. I bought one of those kits at the art store a few weeks ago, and it went together faster than I thot it was going to. And all the pieces were on sale for less than $2.00 so I lucked out on the cost. Now it's the decision of what color or colors to paint the frame...le's see....uhhh...hmm...

Lady of The Tulips ~~ who has this idea floating in her head of little crabs and clams playing on the frame but can't decide on how to make them sit still and behave...

~~ I'm adding the rest of the TAGGED people..don't know why I didn't in my earlier post...maybe 'cause I let my cup of coffee get cold...and it made my brain freeze...

Tammy at Mimmiscal Creations

Jolene at The BLue Cottage

Kristin at Walking with Kristin

Sharon at Rabbithopdiva

kim at photoartist1

Le's see what YOU have for us....


Lady of The Tulips ~~ Who has to go check on the tomatoes an' peppers. The Dog was near them earlier and I'm hoping they didn't get smooshed from her dog-ness this morning...sigh

This is my new and improved studio space...actually it's the opposite wall from my work table. These are the books that I've had for over a zillion years, and most are old, but I'd never throw them away. My youngest has repeatedly told me to throw away lots & lots of them, but I can't find it in my heart to throw away any reading material. And since I've been a librarian, the whole idea of getting read of books makes me ill. This space was occupied with some sort of weird thing when we first bought the house, and I immediately knew once looking at the space, that it would house all our books. The majority of childrens books have been thinned out, and are now taking up space in the attic. What are left on the shelves are ones that I either love to look at and read breifly (i.e. -- procrastinating while at work...) or just have some kind of great artwork in them. The adult books are pretty basic...no shocking types are on the shelves, no outrageous trash novels. Agatha Christie is as risque (is that right?) as I can get on the murder genre.

And now I've found out I've BEEN TAGGED!! OHHH>>>> I'll get YOU my pretty...ms. Bluejude done did this to me.....hmmm..

OK -- 7 things about me? -- Ah HA! I know...

1. -- When I get really stressed out with The Husband in a conversation, I start to stutter.

2. -- I hate shaving my legs...drives me up the wall.

3. -- I have a fondness for beer. Think I've mentioned before, I'm English, Irish and German. Kinda makes sense I'd like beer...Tom T. Hall has a song about beer, too.

4. -- I dispise mopping my kitchen floor. Even after buying one of those nifty Swiffer goodies...and what IS that blob by the dishwasher, anyway?

5. -- I drink my strong coffee with milk. If The Husband makes a pot in the morning, I have to thin it with water AND milk...yeah, it's THAT strong...

6. -- Love to get tan in summer, but am terribly afraid of skin cancer now...besides...think of Beached Whale and me laying in the sun...

7. -- I sometimes laugh so hard when listening to my middle son tell stories, that I nearly have to go change my pants...and I have to continually wipe my eyes because I laugh so hard I cry. Which makes it very difficult if I listen to him while driving The Very Fine Automobile...

Think that's all the Tagged Stuff. Now I'd like to tag Ms. Colleen @ Loose Leaf Notes and Ms. Ruthie too at My Heart My Art...lets hear (Or is that see?) what there is with YOU!!

Lady of The Tulips -- who has to go in a round about direction to get on her Blog, 'cause her internet explorer is trying to die...over an hour with "Tech Support" and they couldn't do a THANG!!! and wouldn't ya know it...I"M OUT OF TUMS!!!!!!!

In an attempt to be very helpful to his Mommy, my youngest did a Very Good Thing, and had me help him bring home a new dishwasher...only problem is that it has been in the Studio/Sunroom for the last 3 months. It was pulled out of an old apartment that was being renovated into brand new Condo's, and since the machine is only 4 - o - 5 years old, he figures it is better than the existing one we have in the kitchen. The one in the kitchen is probably 20 years old, spits water all over the kitchen floor, and has a tendancy to dump water down the drain while it's supposed to be "washing" the dishes. My middle one said he remembered one like ours in a neighbors house when we first moved down to South Carolina in 1988...The door is made of metal, is heavy, and has left bruises on my shins on more occasions than I care to remember.

Anyway...here is the machine, with books leaning against it...various THANGS all around it...and it still is waiting for The Husband to hook it up in the kitchen. I think I've given up on that happening, and am trying to put a good face on things at the moment. I am also furious that when I try to log-on to this Blog, the internet explorer I normally use keeps crashing..and little messages tell me to do this and that...all of which have failed...so I think I'll direct my anger to this poor neglected dishwasher in the sunroom...collecting dust...and it may have some spiders inside now, too. I haven't checked the inside for awhile. But it is a good holding place for me to stack magazines (Good for looking at color combinations for collages) assorted catalogs (seed catalogs are my downfall...I usually want to order 1,596 things from each one...) Sample magazines for subscriptions (You'll love our editorials!!) and some pots for planting seeds, transplanting baby tomatoes, or flowers. The only problem is that it just sits..SITS, this machine with black on the front....and collects dust. It isn't washing dishes like my youngest wanted it to do...and The Husband has decided it's better to call a plumber to install the thing, instead of him..."I may mess it up and it'll leak or somethin'..."

The machine we have ALREADY leaks water on the floor...so you KNOW how well this cop-out has gone over..But the bigger question remains...what to do with the machine near my work table?? ~~ Do I bite the bullet and pay a plumber? Do I say OH BLAST and try to find somebody to hook it up? ~~ Or....do I just leave it where it is and continue to dance around it and hope I don't keep stubbing my toes on the thing?

Lady of The Tulips...who isn't quite as angry over the Technical People who have done nothing to help with problems with my internet access...but maybe I will take my anger out and attack some of the weeds in the vege bed...poor things...they won't know what hit them...

"Kind Ocean Lady" 2007 Spring Bay Studio L.P.

This is one of my newer lil' pieces, with a new frame that I worked on for a couple dayz. I had a real time with the color on the frame...actually the color wasn't Really the problem. I was the problem...trying to decide whether or not I liked the results after painting and painting...truth be told..the inner critic was heavily at work, making me a wreck until I told it to SHUT UP and go sit in a corner.

Finally I got all the work done, and even if I don't mind saying so, this turned out pretty groovy. I layed out the actual collage pretty quickly. But then I had to decide how to adjust some of the color for the background and the seaweed along the bottom. That was something that took most of 2 hours. I always feel like I'm taking too long if one project takes longer than an afternoon, and this one took close to 4 days. I'd keep saying to myself, You have to work faster, 'cause I'm sure everyone ELSE does this type of work faster than YOU!! ~~ Inner Critic Once Again.

But I wanted this mermaid to have a good place to play and enjoy her friend, so I took some time getting her just right. And I wanted the frame especially to highlight her just enough, so that she had a good place to be. So here she is, with her friend, and they do look kinda peaceful, don't ya think?

The weather here has been so crazy: last friday it was very very warm, then we had a batch of thunderstorms that flooded the garden beds. And just yesterday it got up to 90 Degrees...followed in the early evening with a round of thunderstorms. Naturally The Dog had to run into the front bedroom and hide under the computer desk, shaking and making little whimpering noises. The lightening was really nice to watch, and I kept looking at it while at the same time watching the Red Sox game on t.v. ~~ Today now, you'd never know it was as warm as it was yesterday...rain and drizzle, mucky cloudy day, and The Dog didn't even stay out in the backyard more than 45 minutes. The grass is still drenched, so she just got miffed about it and came back in the house. The vege beds got a good soaking tho, and that's just what they needed.

I've spent the last 2 days turning the soil over in the larger vege bed...well, actualy both the beds are pretty big, but the larger of the 2 got worked on ~~ Got a little more mulch put on yesterday. I've had a pile of old leaves, branches and "Stuff" out in the backyard for some time, and it's just now composted enuf so that it's nice and crumbly for the garden. Got that topdressed where some of the compost from last year has already been pretty much decomposed into the soil. I like to try and keep a good amount on the soil surface, that way during the hotter summer months, we don't loose so much soil moisture. I also got some compost tea made up and poured on some of the perinneal (would you look at the horrible spelling? you'd never know I really know english...) flowers. The one flower that I'm happy about is the Foxglove. It had been growing like crazy during the earlier part of winter, getting lots of new leaves on it, and enjoying the unusual warm temps. Then it Finally got COLD, and the poor thing got freeze burned so bad, it looked like it was done for. But just in the past 3 weeks or so, it's finally making a comeback, with lots of new growth, and perked up after I gave it a nice drink of compost tea. And we have some new plants of Yarrow comming in to. That's another plant that had nearly died off, but last summer I started giving it lots of Tea, and it finally looks like it's going to make a go of it this year too.

So all in all, a very busy last 2 weeks. I've been checking the new plantings of vege seeds, and have tomatoes coming up, along with Basil, Oregano, green beans, and bell peppers. The west window in the studio is completely covered in little 3" pots, with little baby plants in each one. Makes me hopeful for a good growing season.

Lady of The Tulips -- who is now finally going to go get something to eat...had toast for breakfast and that lasted about as long as my patience at a long traffic light...with some kid behind me trying to smash into the backend of my Very Fine Automobile 'cause He's in a hurry...sigh..