Bluebird Zen

Yesterday, I was one lucky lady to be walking with my camera just as this beautiful Western Bluebird created this lovely scene! I snatched a shot just in time. This is the cropped version to get a better view of the Bluebird. I was very proud of myself, patting myself on the back :)

Here is the original shot of the bird, with the magnificent view in the San Jacinto Mountains.

Fast Forward to today, while looking at my Facebook Pages Feed, I see a local "Business" using my extraordinary photograph (the cropped version), saying this Bluebird was at their establishment, with no mention of me at all.  I've had images of mine stolen before, and it does bother me.  Give me the credit at least!!!

So I decided I needed to at least claim these photos as my own right here before they possibly spread more. Unfortunately, the one stolen didn't have my watermark on it.  Live and Learn... AGAIN.

Still loving and proud of my photo though!

OWL Love You... Forever

I have been on an Owl Overload! But I enjoy Overloads sometimes!  What first started, last year with these Owl Pillows has led to more and more Owls!  Maybe I'm a sell out, capitalizing on the Owl Craze, but I don't think so. I'm remembering in the 70's, during the last Owl Craze, even my own Step-Grandmother was an Owl Freak... I liked her a lot and wish she could've stayed by Step-Grandmother... not to be.

So first I crocheted these Owl Pillows. There have been many colors, and they were sold, and also became Christmas presents last year.  That led into the Owl Hats (which I have been very busy making, many colors and sizes!)

Soon following the Owl Hats, I had a custom order for an Owl Pin/Brooch. This is what a developed for that request.  I will be making more of these in many colors, which will be available soon, straight from me, or maybe on Etsy.  These are my own design, as all my crochet works are.

All of that dreaming of Owls, and Valentine's Day was also approaching. I was inspired by own Luv-N-Kitties and my dreams of Owls, which developed into these Luv-N-Owls!  I made 3 for my weekly sale, the week before Valentines Day, and soon had an abundance of orders, which needed filling in a week's time! I didn't know these would be so popular, and had the dream of them not come so late in the season, I maybe could've made even more money from them!

They are fun and ever so LOVEly, and include a hand-drawn little card that fits into the Owls Heart Pocket, with an Owlish Love Quote, such as "How Loves Ya Baby", "You're a Real Hoot", "Owl Love You", etc. These are also my own idea and pattern, as usual.  Look for their return next year, and HOOOOO knows, maybe they will reincarnate as another HOOOTY Creation! You never know with OWLS!!

Life for a Mountain Girl

So for the last couple of months I've been doing the stress-less job of yard work. I'm enjoying working outside, getting some exercise and experiencing the different environments of the mountain.


This week I worked at what has to be the most gorgeous yard on the hill! There's a natural pond, the water is just seeping out of the ground, which by the way up on this mountain of So Cal, is a pretty rare thing.


There is also the largest crop of lady bugs around here. This is just a small percentage of the many nests that I saw. No aphids are surviving in this yard.


And the highlight of the day was seeing this little cutie! I was lucky to get this shot. Yes, I'm a good worker, except when I stop to chit chat with the neighbors, or stop to take pictures of frogs.

Critter Encounters

I don't know what's up completely, but I've done a terrible job of keeping my blog alive this past month. I'm hopefully recovering now and will be back on track!!

Yesterday on a long walk to Inspiration Point, we saw this beauty . I love these thistles- crazy weeds, but so pretty.


Last week I was watching a lizard like this at a job where I was gardening. I couldn't get a shot of him, but I got this one instead. I don't know what kind they are, but they really seem to have a more lively personality than some lizards. And look at the blue under the neck. I love his expression too. If I had more time right now I might research to find what kind it is. But there is no time right now, so have to save it for a boring day.... you know, those come around all the time, right??

NibbleFest - Vintage Cats

This month's NibbleFest theme is "Vintage Cats". I got mine done just before the last deadline.

Had to join in on this theme, too fun!

Siamese cats are the most vintage of all the cats to me. These little two are also much inspired by my Mother and Son clone cats, although they're more like a tuxedo cat. I got a cool vintage chair not long ago, and the second the chair entered the house, the cats had taken it over. It's a true battle over who will lounge there first, feline or human. Feline usually wins.

This is an ACEO (2.5x3.5"), acrylic.

-SOLD-

Always can use the extra bidders, NibbleFest is a contest after all.

Go Bull Dogs!

Here's a fun and different thing I've been working the last few days. It's a design for a male cheerleader's varsity jacket. It's a little difficult to make a bulldog look feminine, yet still look like a bulldog, so it was decided to put a red bow on her. You've got to be pretty strong to hold up those girls, and I think this big bulldog is getting that point across fairly well!

A black line drawing will be taken to a company that does the machine embroidery for varsity jackets. I'm excited to see how the final looks!

NibbleFest - Smiling Black Cats

The theme for NibbleFest this month is "Smiling Black Cats." What could be better?!

So here's my entry. So glad I got one done, and it's fitting right in with my quirky Halloween cat tradition I've got going.

It needs some bids... It's such a fun theme, you must check out the other NFAC listings by going here. You won't be disappointed!

-SOLD-

This is an ACEO (2.5x3.5 inches), done in acrylic.

Many Varieties of Cute

We went down to Orange County again for a visit. A couple of days filled with fun and cuteness!

Here you see my mom's new puppy, Marvin! So little and ever so cute!


She also has a very cute bunny... can't get much cuter than a bunny!


Well, I think turtles and tortoises are very cute, indeed! This one's been in the neighborhood for who knows how long. My mom acquired him over 20 years ago.


Look how cute he is when he bites a carrot!


We spent a couple of days at the beach, this time Sunset Beach. We saw this flock of sandpipers. I think they're one of the cuties of the beach. The waves were bigger this time on account of a hurricane to the south. We still spent lots of time in the water though.


And finally, we spent some time with the winners of all cutedom. My twin nephews, they're 2 1/2 now. They're little monster animals, but very cute non-the-less!

Rain makes for a lovely day

Thursday night at about midnight we had a little unexpected downpour of rain. I had to run out into the gushing water and booming thunder to save a few things. I'd been clean sweeping my shed and had a few boxes left over to go through. It was worth the chaotic night to have a day of delightful smells of damp Earth. A wet summer thundershower was very needed here. It made for an enjoyable walk with Ziggy without being too hot.


Along the way, we saw these little cuties, only a week old. Are they the cutest, or what?! I'm in complete love, and to watch them play is such a joy! Someone hold me back from getting my very own baby goat!


Another joy this week was my first harvest of apricots. I've had this little tree for only 3 years, and it got it's first crop of apricots this year. I was surprised how many it grew for it's first year. This is only the first picking. Apricots truly mean summer to me, since my Grandma had an apricot tree when I was growing up. I did my share of eating apricots as a kid. How wonderful to now have my own! Now if I could only be as industrious as Grandma and make some jam.


Yes, the rain made everyone feel a little better around here. Doesn't the garden help my house to look cute?


Even the fish in the pond were a bit more happy from the rain!

Inspire Me Thursday / Creative Core

I've got a project that I was able to combine into two different challenges.

First... I joined in on a brand new blog The Creative Core. On this blog you'll find a new assignment posted every Thursday, and you are to be done with the assignment by the following Wednesday. The first assignment was "Polished Blind Contour" using 3 items. This is my second attempt. First I blindly drew Cleo, then the bench, and finally the fir tree. Cleo is little too big, but I guess that's what happens when you can't see what you're drawing!

You can see my original pen drawings vaguely through the watercolor. And I think I do like the line movements of them more than when I was looking at my drawing. I enjoyed this very much. I noticed that it was hard for me to draw one item for too long. I was very fast, and loose, and became afraid that I had lost control of the drawing. So that's why the original drawings are pretty sparse.

The piece was done with a Micron pen, watercolors and watercolor pencils. It's in my 10.5 x 7.5 sketch book, entitled "Cleo Napping."

You still have time to join in on this assignment, if not this week, then maybe next!

Second... Inspire Me Thursday had a theme I felt I could participate in... "Find the Art in the Everyday. As you go through your day, look for the beauty. Find the extraordinary in the ordinary. Take a photo, draw a sketch, journal about it."

Caring for my garden, daily, is one of the beautiful things I see, on a daily basis. And of course my cats! So I thought of Cleo enjoying her nap on a little garden bench in my garden. Since I live in the forest, this picturesque fir tree was also added. It is possible to take the beauty of the mountains for granted when you are living your everyday-hustle-and-bustle-kind-of-life!

Summer's so wonderful when you actually have time to do the things really want to do!

Baby Birdie

My mother has baby parakeets at her house. They are so adorable, and helpless. This first photo was taken a few weeks ago.


And this is the same little guy just 2 weeks later. How fast these babies do grow and change. If you've ever had a couple of parakeets, you know just how many babies they can have. It can be hard to stop them at times. And too many is just not good for the mom, so my mom should separate her male and female soon. And if you want a baby parakeet, you know where to go!!

New Magnets

New magnets have arrived in my etsy shop! I've been wanting to make some of these for a while now. I finally got a magnetic sheet and went a made a few. Three so far. There's this one here for the cat lover. It has a quote written around the edge..."A cat improves the garden wall in sunshine, and the hearth in foul weather." --Judith Merkle Riley... How true is that?! I know my cats add much happiness to my life! I have this cat one, an ostrich, and a puppy Ziggy.

I made them the size of an ACEO 2.5x3.5 inches. But I think I want to make a smaller variety soon. The little mini prints were mounted on the magnet sheet, then sealed for protection.

I see them as little freebie/gifts in the future!

Happy Easter to you!

This cutie gave me a Happy Easter wish yesterday at the local Easter Egg Hunt. I love bulldogs!


For Easter we went on a little walk up Fuller Mill Creek. Since it was such a warm day, and with all the water we've had, I really wanted to see the gorgeous spot. Such an extreme change from last weekend... snow to shorts, it was a warm 67. Yes, my seasonally white legs saw the light of day for the first time this year, YAY! It felt good!


The water was so tumultuous! So very fine!


Around the 1890's the area was a large logging zone. Near this spot was an important lumber mill, thus the name. Here's some evidence of the old growth logging that happened throughout the mountain. Goes to show you how well cedar wood lasts.


Easter is a time of rebirth, and here's a relaxing sight of the new growth and greenery. There's no better place for Easter than God's natural cathedral!

I hope you were able to enjoy God's Gift for Easter!

A nice Convo - and Ban on Ebay

How wonderful it was to get a little convo from fellow Etsy seller, zJayne, yesterday. Jayne is selling this adorable little wristlet made of recycled t-shirts sleeves, and embellished with a t-shirt cutout. In one of her photos she shows the wristlet holding a couple of ACEOs. So Jayne had convoed me to ask permission to show my ACEO. Jayne bought "Mew-Donna" from me last year on eBay. Also shown is a fantastic piece of art from the amazing inkdot on Etsy. How cute to see the little bag being used to carry ACEOs, and mine being one of them!

As for eBay... Both of these artists I recognize from eBay. Did you know there is a ban happening right now on eBay? They've raised their prices again, and more importantly they are making it impossible to leave a negative feedback for a buyer. Well that seems very unfair, and while most people I've dealt with on eBay have been super lovely, I know there is the occasional rip off. I'd hate not to be able to leave a negative, if this was deserved. So I'm not buying or selling until the ban is over, which is Feb 27. My favorite contest, Nibble Fest has even postponed their event until after the ban. So if you like to participate in that, look for the entries from February 27 thru March 5. Luckily we have Etsy to find some fun things to buy!

NibbleFest - 2 animals make 1

I was able to do NibbleFest this month! Yay for me! The theme this month was to combine 2 animals into 1. So here you have a "Bird Dog". He looks a little like Ziggy and a fancy rooster or peacock.

I hadn't listed anything on eBay since October. It feels exciting to have an auction up again, although I have to say eBay is so not user friendly anymore! And I hear people complain about Etsy not being user friendly. I like Etsy's interface much better. But the auctions are fun, and I love watching how they progress.

This is a little ACEO(2.5x3.5) watercolor and pen and ink.

And don't forget to search NFAC while there on eBay. I love looking at all the other entries, and they really came out for this one!

-SOLD-

NibbleFest-Shadows

Here's my October entry for NibbleFest. The theme is "Shadows".

Is this kittie Naughty or Nice? Its evil side seems to be showing itself.

This is an original acrylic ACEO (2.5x3.5 inches).

-SOLD-

I've been preoccupied with thoughts of fire this week, as most in Southern California. I feel for all the people affected, and since I too live in a fire-prone forest, my mind has been filled with intense worry. I feel so very blessed that our mountain is not on fire this year, and I say that as I knock on wood. A minor thing that happened as a result of the weather, we were with out power for 30 hours. That is challenging! But again I say how blessed and lucky we are at this time.

So because of the circumstances I'm a little behind. I hope to have my Etsy Pick-O-The-Week up tomorrow. The rest of my week is crazy-busy, so if you don't see it up on Thursday, then you can find it here probably on Monday. Some times wednesdays are so busy, and I was lucky to get this little painting done!

Hang in there So Cal, and I'm praying for rain!! Oh, and a gentle rain, not mud-slide-causing rain!

Another Trip!

We're leaving on another trip. Not as far this time, but don't expect to hear from me until after August 21. It's been a while since we've been to the bay area, and I'm so looking forward to it! As usual, my time is running out, so I've just found an older painting I did of my dog, Ziggy. He's all grown up now, almost 2.

Why did I choose Ziggy? Well, he's going on vacation with us, and whenever a huge dog is with you on a road trip, well it pretty much takes over a lot of your thoughts!! I've got my list of all the beaches that allow dogs, and we'll be camping, so I think we'll do ok!

Look for me after the 21, and do enjoy the remaining moments of your summer!

100th Post!!

Cheers to my 100th! How fitting that my 100th post was to happen during an outrageously busy week!

Insanely busy schedule with end of the school year activities... field trips, plays, baseball playoffs, award ceremonies, other assorted duties - throw in a wedding reception and birthday parties, friends visiting from out of state, and a family crisis... well this makes for a stressed woman, and a suffering blog! Things are looking better now, and I'm thoroughly enjoying my first day of summer vacation. I'm so ready for my time of the year with no real schedule.

My Pick-O-The-Week will return next Wednesday. I just had to get a posting done before more time passed.

I did this painting a few years ago. It's a favorite of mine and shows up from time to time in prints of different sorts. The original is on a wood panel plaque. I'll be painting some more plaques soon.

HOORAY FOR SUMMER VACATION!!

NibbleFest-The Groovy 60s

It's NibbleFest time. This month's theme was "The Groovy 60's" - always a fun theme!

So I did a groovy little cat. She looks quite peaceful in her sunshine daydream.

I enjoyed using some tissue and colored inks so much, that I had to do another. The tissue gives the piece lots of texture. And the colors are oh-so-60s! Well at least to me.

-SOLD-

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Mama Bears out there! I hope your day was lovely!