Viking Girl

Last night, I spent about 20 min...maybe 30 drawing, painting (with watercolors) and scrubbing pan pastels on this girl I liked her. One arm is too big, but who cares? She's a sketch and was a fun one at that. You can see the difference between the one with and without a touch of pan pastels...

 

Field Notes - Sampler!

Yep, I took off making a sampler for Juliana Coles awesome class "Field Notes: Mixed Media Sketching and I did a neat, organized mark-making review of most of the tools in my "Journal Mobile Unit." Juliana, who is a major part of the class and is very involved on a one-on-one basis gently explained that she wanted messy, yummy, juicy and experimental. Mix them up, play and discover...so my pages went from this...

and this...

to...

Yes...and amazing, delicious, outrageous, riotous exploration of the things that I wanted to use and carry everywhere. I settled on some alternate markers, Golden Fluid acrylic Titan Buff and Turquoise (Phthalo) and Folk Arts' French Vanilla and Patina. (Obviously my fav colors are black and turquoise!) I'm still working through the marks and I'm sure my kit will be changing based on what I need and since I have one box already set up for life drawing, I know that this will evolve further. 

I'm having great fun in her class and after Initiation, I have to say that I'm hooked! I doubt I'll ever miss another of her classes and I'm hoping to lure her to South Carolina, to piratey Charleston, for a class! (Fingers crossed!)

Moonshine!

http://effywild.com/moonshine

The ever-wonderful Effy Wild is doing this majorly awesome workshop and I so want to be a part of it! It looks like much fun...hmm...

March - In Like a Lamb, So Far

Wow, it's been a tough couple of weeks. I'm in the midst of a wicked flare (thanks MA for teaching me the meaning of the term "Wicked") and it's been hell. Stress over stuff always blows. One of my kids has nasty cellulitis and I'm worried about that. Worried about taxes. Worried about interpersonal relationships. Worried about money. The usual...LOL.

Anyway, trying to keep the focus of this blog to art and spiritual exploration...that's what Lothian is to me. It's where Gawain was born (possibly). It's a spiritual place in my mind. It's one of those Other Side places where I might reside in some form. My Ka or my Ba or parts of my soul are possibly there.

Check out the mermaids. I had a lot of fun with these! More to come. Between drawing folk art face from my imagination and life drawing, I'm enjoying the process. I'm also attempting to embrace the "Extreme Journaling" concept, but I'm finding my own path.

Anna

Anna

Anna

So, lets add some art. I did some life drawings recently at a Meetup (those are awesome for quick, couple-of-hours of art) which I consider an Art Date for Myself. I'll toss those up and possibly some other stuff.

Ann Bonny

I did a really fast layout that had it's focus on pirates and it's the result of my "Letter in a Bottle" exercise. I have always been fascinated with Ann Bonny.

I did a two page spread on pirates...focused on Ann Bonny, the female pirate out of Charleston, SC. The locals rumors is that she was a debutant from South of Broad - the richest part of town. She fell for the wrong kind of man and took to a life of crime. Her father tried to send her to the plantation he had outside of the city, but she escaped with her lover (possibly Calico Jack Rackham) and went onto a life of crime. Rumor also has it that after she 'escaped' her death sentence for piracy, she returned to 'high society" and to a life of being a wife to her originally intended betrothed. Hmmm...fascinating. I had a past life in Charleston/Bermuda just after the heyday of piracy and it's always fascinated me. Nope, I wasn't Bonny. My last name was Tucker in that lifetime - one of the only ones I've discovered via an indepth past life regression. Irony...I had my youngest son in this life in the hospital founded by my son in that life!

Initiation Extreme Journaling Workshop

An amazing thing happened on the way to the day after...Jule Coles gave me the chance of a lifetime. I signed up for her Quickdraw workshop and she wrote to me and said she was giving me the opportunity to join her in Initiation. Amazing woman. It wasn't the cost difference. The fact that there was $150 there between the said and unsaid was and is huge, but that's the sign that she's an amazing soul...a warm soul. The thing is I've bought stuff from her before - as many of her booklets as I could afford so that I could learn the process, never imagining that I could actually take a workshop with her responding and helping me along the way.

That being said, I found a book months ago...and set it aside for some future altered art book. A book with purpose that hadn't found it yet. I chose to go so far as to even thin it to prep it for future use. One of the first assignments is to start finding pics to collage of your perfect studio. What's amazing about this book was that it's title "Style for Living: how to make where you live you" says it all. It has awesome line drawings of incredibly artful spaces all through it. It was published in the mid 70's so it has yellowing pages yet the brownish ink makes it all the creamier.

I did a face. She turned out to be the green-haired Goddess of the book. On the page opposite, last night, I found some K&Company sea-themed cutouts and found this amazing palm tree. I'd looked through a Rolling Stone that was headed for the garbage and found this crescent moon necklace that was stamped and I tossed it in with a gear ring picture. The palm went alongside this. (Not realizing I was making the SC Flag...). Ghost Adventures was focused on the Charleston City Jail and it's art school in the background and I opened the only travel mag I could find (I bagged up my mags and hid them from myself) and pow! There was a two page article with a map of downtown Charleston. I found other pics that related and before I knew it, I had a collage with 'my' studio. My world.

Using intuition, I started blind and the God/dess said something very important - you are here now. You. Are. Here. Now. Oh...and Begin. I did a prayer page to help me get everything done I need doing and to protect my loved ones. I had already done a page on pain and that's hidden below my beautiful (if far from 'perfect') Goddess.

My art will start popping up here along with some photographs of my world. I need to be mindful and I'll use the camera's eye to find a way to do that. I need to blog. I need to start making this count. I have a wonderful, free opportunity here and it's time.

Sir Gawain

For those of you who know me, you're not surprised I'm fascinated with Sir Gawain. I have studied Celtic lore for over 40 years and I'm 50. I checked out my first books from the library at age six. I've never lost the yearning for the Quest. At present, I'm re-reading "Sir Gawain: Knight of the Goddess" by John Matthews. Sir Gawain is a fascinating book. I'm doing research for NaNoWriMo that starts in three weeks from today and the subject may be a form of Gawain. I can only hope that I can do the subject justice.

A Simple Sunday

Today was a lovely, quiet family day. Watching football with Holly and Sly became the focus or really, playing with Sylvester was my focus. I enjoyed watching him learn - ranging from him using cool little Melissa and Doug tools to saying some states and coloring them on awesome mats to watching him figure out the trigger system on his dad's weed eater (no, it wasn't charged). The most precious moment involved him cuddling me, letting me hold him to me and he used his foot to push off, creating a rocking back and forth as we sat/cuddled together in the floor while I sang nursery rhymes and songs to him. That's like a gift. My soul just glows with love for all of them. I'm a very blessed woman.

Monday

It's been a quiet day. Made an appt. with the CPA for next week and found my errant glucometer. Had a busy weekend, not as busy as the baby who partied two days in a row, one at the Highland Games and the next at his cousin's b'day party. He was wonderful.

I did manage to do a page yesterday related to the Games. On the left and not pictured is an ephemera page related to the games and what I bought for self/family. It was a lovely, warm day. Saw a few friends. It was also wonderful in that family was able to drop me off close to the wonderful shade trees! Oh the joy of listening to bagpipes and seeing the dancers! I heard but couldn't see the caber toss from where I was, but I did enjoy the parade of Clans.

Highland Girl...not the best pic, but, hey! She resides in my journal.

Painting Girls

My watercolor sketchbook is filling up with girls. I plop most of them and the progress on Facebook (Morgan Belinda Watson) and forget that I have a blog that could use some fancying up. So, here goes with a few pics from recent endeavors:

Binding Watercolor Papers

This started out as an adventure to make a watercolor journal for under $24.95 or approximately $15 after a coupon and to have double the paper in the commercial ones. It worked...perhaps not as I wanted, but it worked. I took two 11" x 15" pads to the local Staples to have them cut them in half, use the backboard for covers and bind with at least a 1.5" spiral binding. Ahem. What I got was a "substituted covers" mess and a tight 1" ring. Fortunately, even the manager couldn't figure out why they futzed the job this badly and refunded me for the cost. Somehow they wanted to charge me for cutting each sheet of the much thinner and too small cover product with the cuts costing $2 each.

I didn't invest much in the pads. They were on sale for 50% off so they cost $7 each. The binding should've cost no more than $6 each. So, for $13, I was going to have heavy covers, 60 sheets of a usable 7" x 11", 140-lb, watercolor page and the ability to decorate the covers to the high heavens. For folks old enough to know what that phrase means, it means "wildly" to me.

Instead, "Nick" substituted thin cardboard and bound the paper too tightly. Yes, I could un-spiral the bind and remove paper...but I'm risking damaging the spiral itself to do this since he cut it sooooo damn short it can't be bent back to hold. Why use 1" binding spirals on thick stacks of paper? Ugh!

Anyway, I did end up with two journals, sadly for free since they messed up the cuts and binding so much that even "Dan" (General Manager) didn't just refund the extra money for cuts I didn't order, but for the whole thing since it was pretty obvious that it was a mess. The key here is I had them note on the order to call me if there was a problem or any added costs. If you decide to make any of these for yourself since they cost so much less than buying two $25 journals to equate to each one, make sure you ask your copy store to put that on the order form.

In the end I have two, futzy, 60 page journals. I'm going to try to strengthen the covers, form some sort of a wrap-around covering for the bulging pages. All-in-all, I'd go back to Office Max where they seem to be able to do this sort of thing. Good news is, for around $13, you can have double the paper, bound with a cover of your choice, awesome watercolor journal...if you choose your office supply store carefully.

And, if you're so inclined, you could mix it up with wonderful, heavy scrap paper to give yourself some  already-made backgrounds...just for fun and inspiration!

The 20 Min. Pic

Another Face...20 Minutes

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151133536422435&set=a.10150241893682435.337692.563677434&type=3&theater

This one took 20 minutes. Too bad she's slightly cross-eyed. I was too lazy to fix!

Fantasy Princess

A lazy Sunday afternoon's fun.

I did a couple of paintings today in my new watercolor sketchbook that I had Staples make...more on that disaster later.

The Vintage Moth is the place for awesome copyright free images and info on other sites with the same. I have imagined at least 10 projects from just what I've seen tonight. Inspirations for things such as calligraphy, sketching, and collage await. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Girl

Go here to see the pic: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151081011097435&set=a.399942277434.175732.563677434&type=1&relevant_count=1&ref=nf

Sick. Spaghetti Girl Drawing

I've felt cruddy for a week. Weaned off of Celexa and since I'd done this once before, I thought, hey! No problems. Well, the nausea and accompanying "flu-like symptoms" came, waxed and waned and I figured they'd wane for good after a week. It's 10 days out and last night I was in Urgent Care getting fluids and Phenergan IV from vomiting. Today has been better, but I've also taken Phenergan p.o. and felt slightly just out of body all day. My WBC's were up and so, there's the distinct possibility that my 'discontinuation syndrome' was also a sneaky wicked case of the stomach flu. Bleh. I've kept down gentle food today (chicken noodle soup, banana, crackers) and I am feeling better. Here's to hoping it lasts! So, as far as proud things for this week, since Effy Wild is doing a Swoon section on her blog, I only have this sketch and it's kinda old. It was made during the nine minutes the spaghetti was boiling, so she's Spaghetti Girl. Suzi Blu's "Soul Garden" class is starting sometime today. Thought it was 4:00 EST as was announced on one area of the classroom, but then it said 4:30...and is that CST? It's no biggie. Might have to nap through it. Wanted to use it to distract, but I'm pretty wimpy. Got one project done for myself, but can't go farther without info, so I'm waiting on a text or call. Anyway, my crazily decorated hardcover journal became my Soul Garden planner over the three ring binder and that's the way of it. Startled me. Also, if anyone sees it, it'll never pass for a planner, monthly or life. It has Aphordite IX on the front and Spawn on the back from a 2000 Previews. I'm sure it'll be arted and tarted more, but for now, it's not blank. I should capture a pic of it and use it for swooniness, but nah. Partially naked red women and Spawn just aren't the 'kitchy' pink and greenness of Soul Garden. TTFN. Damn, I missed Amber last night. Had such plans!!!

Neglectful Wench

I so neglect my blog...I'm not a huge FB'er like so many friends and family. I don't live via my iPhone and sometimes, I even feel guilty. But! Huge butt, but it's getting smaller...size 14-16 right now... I have been working on a huge granny blanket for Suzi Blu and I'm three squares from finishing. I have to sew it all together and do lots of awesome border around it, but I'm really pleased how the squares turned out. Half are solid squares, some are miter squares, some are grannies...and there are over 40 colors in it!

Note the awesome grandson in the pic. He helped me pick them all up and replace them in the project bag. I love him outrageously! I've drawn faces, working on Ady's Junk Journal class, waiting on Suzi to start her August the 1st class on keeping a date book/altered day minder...falling in love with classes I can't afford or have the willpower to do! Normal Morgan stuff. Amber is back! In less than a week, I will be Jesse for a few hours...and if I don't make some decisions, I'll still be the luckiest Amberite of them all. ART makes me feel good, even if I have to make it from my bed. Make something today. I promise you'll feel better. It won't take the pain away, but it momentarily dulls it. Or meditate! Mediation will give you a few blissful moments of peace. Blessings to all!

Crayolas!

So, bored, crayolas, cheapie watercolors and Reeves (cheapier) wax crayons. Do I have better tools? Yes. Was this fun! Yes!

Fodder

This week is all about procrastination and fodder. I'm killing two birds with one stone. I'm going through all of my mail, turning everything not associated with what I want into journal fodder and art layers for backgrounds, saving some of it for little books I'll make, and the rest is being recycled. I've never done this before, turning junk mail into fodder, but it's highly recommended. I also found a great biology book to decimate and I'm currently catching up with magazine pics in my portable file for use with art journaling and scrapbooking. 


Got both of my knees stuck with goo for the final five of five visit at the rheumatologist's office and hopefully that's it for six months! Pain to reduce pain later. It's a fair trade. Also, these injections keep me out of the OR for knee replacement so far. 


I'm still working on faces and venturing into the human body a bit. Wish me luck with my thousands of ideas and a daily fight with procrastination!


Canvasses and journals await! I've got two pages prepped for my novel ideas altered art journal and five other journals in the making. Enough jabbering. I'm going back to action! 

BOOK OF DAYS!

I have found a wonderful art site called Book of Days by Effy Wild. Book of Days is a yearlong process that you can begin at any time and it's full of vids and .pdfs and tons of fun. I was shocked at the amazing amount of content. Where most classes that I've taken have, at most, one video per week or some, like Lifebook (which I love...) has a formal class every two weeks with interviews and such in between, Effy manages at least two videos a week and has Ustream/LiveStream once weekly and contains another adventure within the premium program for yet another video a week!

Amazing...

Most amazing of all, she has a large amt of content online for Basic Members who can follow along if they can't afford either the low monthly fee or the deal coming in June!

Her spreads are awesome. Her girls are beautiful. The content is great. (Yes, I can go on, but just go there and see! http://bookofdays.org)

Holly's Hobbies: My Little Clemson Fan

Holly's Hobbies: My Little Clemson Fan

Holly's Hobbies: A Little Bit Of Spring

Holly's Hobbies: A Little Bit Of Spring: I got a chance to sit down and play with some of the stuff Sly bought me for Christmas and here's what I came up with. Sadly I only snapped ...



Her nails looked great!!

I hope to turn this one into my art blog...very soon. It's near and dear to my heart!

Gulfsprite.com

Spending my evening enjoying Gulfsprite's vids! I have a few new art goodies, so I need to be acting, but I can't stop watching and learning for the moment...

I loved the recent rain.

Revitalization?

So, I need to get moving here. I'm once again creating art (of a sort) and crocheting again. I'm just too damn lazy to finish and then photograph. Yes...I'm a poor share buddy.

Hauls and Yarn and Jewelry and...

I went to A.C. Moore during their yarn sale days and scored some awesome yarns to make hats, baby things, amigurumi babies, and stuff. Four big canvasses and a huge lot of acrylics later (all at 50% off), I'm bound for painting a large, glorious tree through the four seasons. I scored some $1 jewelry parts so in a bit I hope to have three sets of earrings and a couple of necklaces or lots of silver-toned bracelets. I adore sterling, but it's so damned expensive!

I'm working on an owl hat for the baby (ck. out the owl hats on my Pinterest Crochet board) and the body of the hat is finished...the eyes, some side flaps and some tufts for the 'ears' are left...very simple parts. I want him to be comfy and such through the winter. He's still mostly bald and with my short hair and the cool days we've had, I can see where we both need hats. My hair is growing out like his, but...we're doomed for cold scalps for the winter.

Beyond that, some serious thrifting is in my future and major crocheting. I'll work in time to draw and sketch while I work on the Four Seasons.

Enough for now...Amber didn't happen last night so I have nada to report.

I'm woefully behind on my sketches and my thoughts on what to sketch. I've got a jacked up art journal going now and one that was abandoned but that I'll likely pick up and start again in...soon. The one I'm working in now will fool you. It's great looking on the outside and weak on the inside. Weak! People...Weak!

Apologies to Jen for not sketching. I'll get back to it and catch up! I promise...*hugs*. Other than that, I've spent the morning sleeping and watching art vids. Wasted? Nah, since the Methotrexate has me tired and down. I'm headed to Holly's maybe and have some family time. I need a pick-me-up!

Turning Point in My LIfe

Oh how I loved my Ix...

Fav. Candy...Salt Water Taffy!

Salt Water Taffy from Florida!

Day Nine

Backwards writing makes for weird handwriting. I tried to draw my TV. Lol...sad.

GIR IN 4D

What's this do?

Fav. Cartoon Character!

GIR!

Lost 6 sketches...damnit. Reproducing now!

That's "Return of the King" in Elvish...right? Ok, my swirls suck and it appears to be backwards English, but hey...I'm in a movie chair with popcorn and a soda. Oh to have popcorn again....

Catching up with Sketching

Hahaha....backwards. That's so me. Forgot that photo booth is a mirror. Duh! Oh well, my movie will be filled with backward writing awesomeness as well.

Day Four (Out of Sequence...Naturally)

Elbow Beach, Bermuda. Those are tiny peeps on the beach. The beach is pinkish and the waters are turquoise! The temps range from 50-80 during the day with ocean breezes (winter to summer temps) and at night, 50-65. The almost daily average is 70. Heaven on Earth.

Sketching Challenge Continues!

Do spirit guides count?

30 Day Sketching Challenge

Day Three: My Fav. Food...is spaghetti if you can't tell. Yes, it looks like a bowl of worms with space boulders sticking out, but...come on, there's a fork! The lighting sucked, so it's hazy. Maybe that's better? For absolute proof of it's goodness, I put it in a big bowl for how much I'd want to eat at any time! Yummy...Noms for the win!

Day Two of Sketching and a Hurricane

Day Two requires that I draw my favorite animal. I did a quick 15 min sketch of a cool Tabby only adding in big, big eyes! Important. All things should have big eyes. I later added whiskers over his eyes...duh.

Hurricane Irene is threatening my area. It's scary and yet...not...at the same time. I hope she's not a Hugo...

30 Days of Sketching!

Day One:

"Yourself" - here's a 10-min big-eyed doll sketch of me...in the midst of being thin. Note, I am idealistically and unrealistically thin! Googly-eyes and uneven lips - wait, why not?

30 Day Sketching Challenge

I'm not even able to cheat! I read today and let my back/knees rest...which lead to laziness.

30 Day Drawing Challenge

Jen has enticed me into doing a 30 day drawing challenge starting Monday, August 22, 2011...it looks good! I like that it's a doodle challenge. That'd a lot simpler for me. If I had to do 30 days of intricate or accurate sketches...there'd not be 30 in a month...too lazy, too distractible, too into my kids and grandson, too...a ton of things.

So fun to come!

Willowing

Willowing is having a super huge giveaway! Join!!

Doll Dreams Basic by Adriana Almanza

Adriana Almanza's "Doll Dreams Basic" is on sale through August 1, 2011.

http://dolldreams.ning.com/

Doll Dreams Basic Class

I'm excited about taking the "Doll Dreams Basic Class" and learning how to draw beautiful dolls for art journaling. Jen started thinking about it and showed me that, through July, she was offering it for $30 dollars and then it was going up to $50 in August. I've seen her work on YouTube and went for viewing more over the weekend. I signed up and am excited about starting. Everything is downloadable, so you have time to study it at any time, any where. I thoroughly enjoyed the classes I took from Suzi Blu and I keep an eye out for other art vids (which I watch periodically).

So, as far as movies go, I'm caught up to "The Deathly Hallows, Part II". Now to convince myself I want to sit in the theatre for it. I loved "Captain America" at the IMAX, but I have to say, I can't get myself fired up for much. Last movie I saw was "Thor" and the seats at theatres aren't any softer or more comfortable for my back/knees.

So the blanket grows by spurts and leaps. So far, I have 11 12"x12" squares, all in subtle, mid-tone blues and greens. I hope it continues to grow. That way I'll have the next 25 squares (ahhh!) done and lots of left-overs for a shawl. Clean your plate!

Crochet - My Fav Pattern

I'm crocheting again and have some awesome things to show for it...scarves, hats, computer sleeves and I'm currently finishing up my favorite pattern for a blanket for a present! I have a couple of rows left on the outside and I'm really happy that it went so quickly. It's soft and verigated - easy to care for and sturdy.

Newsboy Hat

I finished the Red Heart Newsboy hat in 48 minutes on my first try. The pattern is super fast and easy and looks great. My first attempt was in a dark, dark brown - a little too dark to be photographed and posted here, but I'll work on a lighter one for show.

Word to the wise, the pattern runs small if you're on gauge.

Plans for Crafts

Gotta get my head together on things that I can do that aren't back-wrenching for gifts and such. Puts brains on high power. Other than that...I'm still sketching...getting my mixed media journals filled with various things. This one is destined for a journaling page.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/algolmorgan/5670047970/

Artist Resource

This is a fantastic artist's resource for copyright-free imagery. BibliOdyssey has listing that you could spend hours digging into and never come close to finding your way out.

Enjoy!

Art Stuff and Crochet Possibility

Found a great little pattern through Ravelry for a shell patterned bag. I bought 2 lbs of 100% cotton mill ends for $9 today - a lovely teal, brown, verigated-ish yarn. The yarn was on sale for 2 for $9. I probably should've bought 4 skeins yesterday, but that was yesterday. The binomial decision maker didn't give me the heads up yesterday and I walked away. After pondering some bags, I managed to get it with Holly's help.

Art supplies...I had a 40% off coupon from AC Moore and almost bought an $18.99 set of Sharpie poster pens, but instead reigned in my need and settled for a couple of inexpensive, 100-lb bristal pads for $3/each after their in-store 40% off. I found a brayer and used my 40% off on that and whoot...came home with little money spent, but with a nice haul purchased. Toss in a bone folder, a key woobie, two Dover books - both Faeries (one stained glass coloring book and the other a faerie fashion book) for $1.91 each instead of the $6.99 Dover charges....and I'm pretty happy.

Altered Art and Crochet...I'm down to that for hobbies at the moment. Writing is a part of life, so I don't count it as a hobby, but more of a sanity shield.

Enjoy the pattern.

Crocheted Duffle Bag/Purse

Clicky on the title for a great duffle pattern. It was originally made from two strands of DK cotton but one strand of the bulkier cottons would work really well. I'm nervous about the zipper, so I'll probably continue on with my soft summer sling bag for now.

Here's the link on Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crochet-duffel-purse

Werewolves

Too damn cute...

Crocheting

I'm enjoying crocheting with this lovely organic cotton. I'm making face scrubbies in my favorite square pattern and discovering the right hook to use with a heavier cotton than worsted weight.

The Art of Silliness 3.0

I joined Carla Sonheim's workshop for the month of January-February for a mere $25. She's the author of "Drawing Lab" and I love her easy-going style of learning art.

http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Lab-Mixed-Media-Artists-Exercises/dp/1592536131

http://carlasonheim.wordpress.com/

Now that I've spammed you with everything wonderful about this lady's work, I'm here to say it's fun to have assignments ...even if they are cute and not torturously laborious. I'm sketching more and loving contour drawings all over again, even if they're in the margins of my journal and not in a valid sketchbook.

Limited other things to tell. I've had the crud for six days now and I think I'm finally making headway into "wellness land". However, I'm noticing the path is thorny and uphill. I had to miss my Methotrexate dose. That blows. I'll ache and hurt more than the cold and the rainy weather have tossed me into this week. Bleh. This, too, shall pass.

Writing tons in a cheap-ass, graph paper Composition book in Breast Cancer Relief pink. I'm hoping it turns out to be worthwhile. I've been working on this one 'book' since 1991. I should have 20,000 pages by now or well past 10 million words. Not. Sigh.

Photos and a new format coming soon!

Reviving Old Blogs for all new Reasons

Altered Art, Poetry, Crochet, original Jewelry, reusable materials...

I recently got a beloved turned on to altered art and a way to make it 'hers'. It's as if she's birthing all of her creative sides at 30...ready to sally forth into the rest of her existence. Holly is knitting for money, crocheting for fun and she's an amazing Mama. Life is messy here, but there are new roofs for the house and garage and the paint, Sashay Sand (? - not familiar with Sherwin Williams) is a match for the house and the valuable homemade brick from the old plantation.

If you decide to return to following me and my other blogs, one is definitely on my little business that now consists of Sacred Art and writing. I haven't thrown out jewelry, books, knitting, crocheting and self care products. Far from it...I'm refocusing. I'm disabled now and my energy is devoted to trying to get better and not to 'growing' a business. The Urban Gypsie is gone and has been for a coupla years..., but I still have a brain and I hope I can collect patterns for everyone, have a place to truly blog and to enjoy what I'm doing.

I can make lovely things even if it takes me 20 times longer. I can also inspire and cheer on anyone wanting to do these things with intriguing photos. Check out this link: http://www.wovenpurses.com/2009/12/hollywood-celebrities-going-gaga-over-gerard-darels-syracuse-24-hour-hand-knitted-bag/ I've got more photos of similar bags and every crocheter knows you can make some wicked things from excellent inspiration.

It's a goodnight for me at the moment, but I'm going to try to get word of this blog and whatnot back out again! Wish me luck!

One of my Faves

I want to come back here soon!

NaNoWriMo and Old Friends

Blog...haven't been here in a aeon...eon...ion..ionic...iconic...

Iconoclastic pyroclastic flows.

So, my friend started a NaNo blog and I suppose I can convert this one, though I'm more oft seen on MySpace as UrbanGypsy69.

I'm back. I'm bringing Karl, my imagination's Toy, with me.

Grin.

Dear God I Thought I Lost My Accounts

Thank the gods that all of the blogs were recovered!

Blogger Deletion

A friend got her entire Blogger and photobucket accts deleted! Was she hacked??

Sucky back check and a TENS unit

Quick blogger note...of course I'm suspecting my Worker's Comp of trying to do bad things like keep me from getting my full $$, but that's common.

PT gave me a TENS unit. I don't know if i get to keep it. It hurts like hell at first, but for the rest of the half hour, it feels better.

If anyone else is having blogger issues, yell at me on myspace. Course, yesterday I couldn't load MySpace!

HI.

I'm still feeling pain in quantity, but I'll manage.

Returning to Leaves for a Today

In Hotlanta for Trent. Ummmm yummmmmmm.... Going in as a Spiral guest and listening to sound checks and stuff. Then I drive home at 0600 tomorrow which will suck, but not like it sucked to be awake for 36 hours or more yesterday. That really blew.

I'm still doing the MySpace thing and crocheting all the time and reading books alot lately. My journal is full of stupid shit, but I'm trying to be faithful and write something every day.

Even the most globular of writing is still writing. I'm hovering in debt.

I'm going to make some crocheted animals for the business, too. We're needing that income badly and it's kinda free $$. I have the supplies. I just need the incentive to behave and help set up the site.

Poverty is a disease that I hope my 60 mil lotto ticked bought on 666 will remedy.

Blogging Nothingness

I got my huge box of stuff from BloggersFuel. The coffee smells heavenly and the cap and mug were uber cool. I left the 'paperwork' at home, so I can't merge this blog with the site.

I spent all day in bed with a hideous back thing going on. I'm...angry with my back. s'Nothning new.

Tristan + Isolde

http://www.tristanandisoldemovie.com/

This has a wonderful little feature where you can make your own "romantic trailer". The movie is beautiful.

Aragorn and His Ladies

Get this video and more at MySpace.com

boca java

I'm going to blog out this fuel. I hope I'm one of the first 500 so I can get a giftie pack of stash.

http://www.bloggersfuel.com/

MySpace

http://www.myspace.com/urbangypsy69

Been doing alot of work here!

Yarn HO

So far, I've collected approx. 300 crochet and knit books from my gimongous room and 17 55-gallon garbage bags of yarn. Yes. Seventeen. SEVENTEEN. Mwahhahahahah. She who dies with the most yarn...had better have offspring that warrent inheriting it (and I sooooo do. I have a Mini-Me Yarn Ho and she's sooo cute.)

http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter05/PATTkate.html
This is an adorable kitten to knit for all you knitty people....

http://knitty.com/ISSUEsummer05/PATThardcore.html
Arrrrr....


Anyway, I have a headache, a house full of peeps working w/hammers and I wanna cry sobbing tears of woe. My money is depleted and i'm sooo uber f'ked but I'm groovin' to the new bookshelves and French doors (not that I like French doors, but it'd take NO wolf to have blown these puppies in).

I did, however, use my Jedi voice and got the delivery fee waived when they delivered late. $70 back in my pocket, mudderfudding losers at Lowe's who tried to rip me out of $200 bucks yesterday due to an idiotic cashier.

Glass Knitting Needles

Clicky on the linky/title and go to some lovely glass knitting needles!

knitPro

Discovered knitPro courtesy of a new book I bought: The Happy Hooker. Between us all, we own the author's other books, but this one focuses on crochet, which is my favorite crafty, by far. Trust me, if I could find/figure out a way to make even $10K less a year than I do now as someone who did crafty/crochetey/fibery/beady things, I'd abandon my current profession, and take up the cause. The problem is, most women who can be "designers" have a husband who pays the bills. Trust me, that is not the case here.

If you click on my Title above, it will take you to microRevolt, the website where knitPro lives.

Ok, No More Plague Dreams....the last one was of a flood...and it was freaky.

I'm done with plagues.

Nightmares...

Ew.

Crocheting Madness

Solid Grannies: The Ultimate Utilitarian Square

I've included some instructions below from a site by Pumamouse. She and I vary in several ways, but the look is identical. Here are my variations first.

First, I crochet only four chains to make my initial loop...I also crochet over the slip knot's tail and the tug on it before I secure it...that makes for a closed center.

I don't slip stitch to a corner and always start in a corner. I usually just chain 3 for the dc above where I slip stitched the round before closed and I'm careful to make each corner, not with 3dc ch2 3dc, but instead use 2dc ch2 2dc.

These solid grannies are wonderful for modular clothes, blankets, bags and more. If you like, you can make on huge one and have an afghan from hell that's just this huge, solid piece of material. I've been using my variation on this old pattern for about 20 years now and occassionally I get a yearning for a traditional granny and do one with shells and all those lovely little holes.

Current project:
A baby blanket for Stephanie. It's being made from this cool Red Heart discontinued yarn that I scrounged at AC Moore's mill ends bin. I got six 6oz. skeins for about $7. I have managed, this season, to score specialty yarns in the $11 range for as little as $2 a skein and it's been great. Can't wait to make more stuff for the business and for my Tuscan makeover for my house.

The baby blanket is a bit unconventional in color. Pale teal, purple, rich blue and a forest green make up the colorway. It's a discontinued yarn from a coupla seasons ago, but it's supersoft like their tweedy/heathered skeins. I'm either going to border it in purple or light teal... haven't decided yet. The forest green might work, too, but it'd have to be a Caron yarn since C&C never made anything that matches this. Total Cost: $3 or less not including 'sweat equity'.

Right now, the blankie is about 2 feet across. At 3 feet, I'll call it a day and I might get there using less than 12 oz of the varigated yarn. I love making baby blankets. Must be senility setting in.



The Ring: Make a loop on hook, Ch 6, Sl St to first Ch to form a ring.

Round One: Ch 3 to count as first DC, 2 DC into ring, Ch 2, 3 DC into ring, Ch 2, 3 DC into ring, Ch 2, 3 DC into ring, Ch 2, Sl St to top (third chain) of beginning Ch 3.

Round Two: Ch 3 to count as first DC, 2 DC, 2 DC into corner, Ch 2, 2 DC into corner. (3 DC, 2 DC into corner, Ch 2, 2 DC into corner) three times. Sl St to the top (third chain) of beginning Ch 3.

Round Three: Ch 3 to count as first DC, 4 DC, 2 DC into corner, Ch 2, 2 DC into corner. (7 DC, 2 DC into corner, Ch 2, 2 DC into corner), three times. 2 DC, Sl St to the top (third chain) of beginning Ch 3.

Round Four: Ch 3 to count as first DC, 6 DC, 2 DC into corner, Ch 2, 2 DC into corner. (11 DC, 2 DC into corner, Ch 2, 2 DC into corner), three times. 4 DC, Sl St to the top (third chain) of beginning Ch 3. Finish off.

Just keep going. It grows.

from PUMAMOUSE...
http://pumamouse.com/crochetbasicgrannys.html

Doom-age

http://www.doommovie.com/

Too graphic for movie theatres? Is Karl nekkid? Is there a god?

I'm feeling all proud of myself. I finished the last 525 pages of "Possession: A Romance" by A.S. Byatt in my spares last night at work. Now I read fairly fast, but this is a dense book. Not that it's weighty, but it's very...British. Love that, actually, and it ended extremely well, for which I am ALWAYS pleased. I hate shitty endings, where all has to go wrong for someone to feel it's worthy literary fiction. What gets me about fiction at all is that I read between 325 and 500 pages an hour making a $25 dollar expenditure for a new novel ridculous. If I were on a fiction glut, I could wipe out $75-100 bucks in a day before my eyes crossed at that rate. Screw that. I wait for $4.95 at B/N. Cheaper than a magazine is good in my world anyday.

Heard the Steelers won.
Whoop.

Now, off to send good health and feel goods to Nimmie and hit the road for some power shopping and later, nappage.

Must pick out new book for today.

Started jotting Regency stuff again. Wish I had sticktoitiveness.

Happy B'day to Me, Agani Aniwaya

Happy B'day to Me!

I'm having a fair day. Tonight, family is going to sport lasagna for me! But, in the meantime, I'm drinking a Dew and listening to Sting and Jimmy Buffet on some sort of b'day celebration rotation.

I'm using my new omg power supply with my laptop. It cost a bloody fortune and pisses me off that I have to buy one after the third Dell I had shit itself. Frustrating. This one cost $40 more. Yep, that's right. $40.

Reading "The Celts" and "Gods of the Celts" but I also have "The Return of King Arthur", "Possession" and "Pompeii". Am I omnivorous? Oh yeah!

"DOOM" available Tues.
I work lots next week.
*yawn*

I can't stay awake.

Abandoned Blog

Go Lessy!

Sweet mother of god, he gets better every year. Is it normal for a girl from Dol Amroth to fall for her older cousin? Is is safe around Nim? I want to tell my cousin, Sabine, from the depths of my heart, never would I think to come between you and your beloved. But oh, girl, don't leave him to wander about.

I Will Find You
Appears on Banba, Themes, Ultimate Collection
Language
English
Style
New Age Jazz
Background
Theme from "The Last Of The Mohicans".
Lyrics
Hope is your survival
A captive path I lead

No matter where you go
I will find you
If it takes a long long time
No matter where you go
I will find you
If it takes a thousand years

(Mohican)
Nachgochema
Anetaha
Anachemowagan

No matter where you go
I will find you
In the place with no frontiers
No matter where you go
I will find you
If it takes a thousand years

(Cherokee)
Hale wú yu ga I sv
Do na dio sv I
Wi ja lo sv
Ha le wú yu
Do na dlo sv

No matter where you go
I will find you
If it takes a long long time
No matter where you go
I will find you
If it takes a thousand years

No matter where you go
I will find you
In the place with no frontiers
No matter where you go
I will find you
If it takes a thousand years

No matter where you go
I will find you


Not that this song has anything to do with anything, I just popped in the cd this morning and it makes me think of a time when my grandmother would speak in Cherokee (Tsalagi) to avoid my mother or others knowing what she was saying to one of her younger sisters.

Working next week as much as 60 hrs covering the house and I hope it's a fine week. The only day I have scheduled off is Tues. I'm not sure I'm up for 60 hour workweeks anymore, but it's a shot.

Off to fall asleep. 2 comes early!