Moving! (Just my blog!)

Hi Blogger Friends,

I have decided to relocate my blog.  You can now find me at http://thissmilinggirl.wordpress.com/

Praying for Peace and Joy for all!
Cheryl Ann

The Home Stretch!

Nearing the end of another busy week, but I can happily report that I squeezed a little art in every single day!  Also got to enjoy an impromptu family BBQ at my Sis's house Monday night, and a lovely gathering with some of the ladies in the family yesterday.

Tuesday brought this "Silly Bird" to visit:

And Wednesday felt like "A Slice of Summer..."

Yesterday sseemed like a "watermelon!" day, and also had a trial run at making

polymer clay beads and working on some misc. ATCs for swaps.

Here's hoping that this weekend will provide refreshment through time to dream and create, as well as some time of joy spent with family and friends.   ...and don't forget to take a few moments out to simply be THANKFUL for all your blessings! 

Off We Go Into Another Workweek!

Happy Monday! (Bet you don't hear that all the time!)  It's such a lovely morning.  Just in from watering my patio garden and givin g the plants a little spruceup.  The tomatoes are really setting on, now if they would start to ripen.... I was at my parents house yesterday and came home with fresh onions and zuchinii.  The corn is starting to form ears, so we will be enjoying that soon too. Wishing I had more time to linger outdoors in the cool of the morning with my coffee cup before heading to the office.  Alas, there is work to be done.

Here is my ATC for the day.  A pretty girl Frida to go with yesterday's zombie version. Perhaps this week I will try a couple of more realistic faces.  I so admire those with a flair for portraiture!

**Wishing you a blessed and joy filled day!**

Project 365 - another go!

Early in the year I was working on Project 365, in an effort to create an ATC each day in 2010.  Guess who didn't stay on schedule?  Yep.  Not that I haven't done any art, just not a separate item each day for the Project.  But I have decided that I do still want to have a collection of 365 cards I have created this year, so plan to fill in the gaps and most important start moving forward again and try to follow the daily plan.  To that end, here are my cards for July 17th and 18th:  a pretty girl and a zombified Frida.

Summertime and the Living is BUSY!

Hi everyone in blogland!  June and the first half of July have buzzed right by in a flash!  Where did they go?  Sure hoping to slow down a little and enjoy the rest of the summer at a more leisurely pace.

First, I am happy to report that those tiny plants shown in my last post are still thriving.  Expect to be picking tomatoes within a week or two and am already using the herb plants.  Yay!  Simple joys.

Last month I had the pleasure of a trip to Rochester, NY for an artist gathering.  ArtForAll 2010.  Over 50 fabulous artists to interact and trade with, plus workshops and demonstrations.  And of course LOTS of talking and laughing!  What an amazing experience!  Too much to try to cover in this post, but let's just call it a slice of artistic heaven.

Took the opportunity of being so near to spend a couple of days in the Geneva, NY area.  Lived there for a short time, a long time ago.  I was able to stay at the wonderful Belhurst, where I used to work.  It is as lovely as I remember!  AND they have completed a beautiful expansion project which was fun to see and explore.  Here's a photo that focuses on the original castle building where I worked and stayed.

I also enjoyed a beautiful day at Niagara Falls State Park with my new and wonderful friend Patti M!  What a treat to enjoy such a majestic place with a fun and friendly tourguide at my side.  It was a great way to wrap up the vacation.

Life has been a busy hustle-bustle since I got home, filled with some of the unexpected, and frankly undesired, changes life sometimes throws us.  Praying that things are starting to settle down a little.  I've even managed to create a few new ATCs this week.  Here's a smattering...

I have a few larger projects needing my attention if life allows.  Here's hoping!!

Happy June!  Guess what?  I still remember how to make a blog post even though I've been away from it for far too long....but hope springs eternal and I return to try again.  Same concept with gardening...I have a terrible history when it comes to growing things, but I have been helping Dad get his garden going this year, and as of today have a start on a little container garden of my own.    This is just after I transplanted and watered them...looking at them now they are already perking up and hopefully will establish themselves quickly in their new homes.

Tomatoes, basil, cilantro and flowers of various types.  I included marigolds because I always remember my uncle planting them by his tomatoes.  Companion plants perhaps?  Should probably pick up a couple of pepper plants too.  And more pots, because that's only about half the flowers I bought, lol.  

Wish me (and the plants!) luck.

Sing Me A Song Little Sparrow

I'm having such fun playing with oil pastels!  Here's a sweet little sparrow for my day 88 card for the 365 project.  You should see all the wonderful work being created by the community of artist who have joined with Robby (our fearless cheerleader!) over on her blog.  Click the Project 365 badge in my sidebar to check out the fun!

Day 88 - "song sparrow"

Card 87 of Project 365

Another card made with cheerful oil pastels... titled "jubilee!"  

Sending out Sunday prayers for a 

wonderful week of love and blessings!

Something Different...

I've been playing with some oil pastels, so here's something a little different for days 84-86 of the card a day project.  They are wonderfully blendable and messy and fun, even for a novice like myself!  Experienced pastel artist certainly create some amazing work...

Day 84 - "it holds hope"

Day 85 - "Spring Performance"

Day 86 - "vivid rose"

eye...eye...eye

Here are some more cards for Project 365.  This brings them current through yesterday.  EYE was having some fun, lol.  Expect to see more of these...the eye-deas just keep popping up.

Day 83 - "Light"

Day 82 - "Spy"

Day 81 - "Shocked"

Day 80 - "Anything"

Day 79 - "Everything"

MORE Project 365 Cards....days 75 through 78

Still making cards for the card-a-day project.

Day 78 - "elemental"

Day 77 - "I see you"

Day 76 - "blue tresses"

Day 75 - "pink spring flowers"

Bunches of Project 365 Cards!

Here's a bunch of cards I have made as part of Project 365...Don't forget, you can use the link in my sidebar to see all of the participating artist cards over on Robby's Naked Heart Art blog. 

Day 61: "quiet morning"  &  Day 62: "lilacs"

Day 63: "watercolour heart"

Day 64: Dad

This one is special to me, because it is a drawing on MY DAD! who I dearly love.

Day 65: "zetti zen" & Day 66: "another girl"

Day 67: "crafty apple" and Day 68: "secure to dream"

Day 69: "True" & Day 70: "Dolly Sweet"

Day 71: "scrappy bird 4"  & Day 72: "swirly bloom"

Day 73: "Robin Loves Spring" & Day 74: "Under a Chartruese Moon"

Day 60 of Project 365

Well, we survived Monday!  That's no small thing in my world, where the order of things at work for the past year has been constant change.  But a few times today I must confess that I found myself "daydreaming", which is the name of today's card.

Day 59 of Project 365

What a great weekend!  Family time, art time, sunshine.  If only I could have one more day.... guess that will be next weekend!

Anyway, here is my project ATC for today, titled "Contentment Castle"...it's my dream home! 

Day 58 of Project 365

Here's my project card for today.

It's one of several cards made in the last couple of days because

there is an all-types-of-art-a-thon over on ATCsforAll. 

You can see them all on my flickr page.

Hope you are having a beautiful weekend!

Day 57 of Project 365 - Back On Track!

And now...drumroll please...appearing on the correctly scheduled day, I give you "one pink flower" for Day 57 of Project 365!  A bright happy card, in contrast to the grey and rainy day outside.

A reminder that the cards created by all the participants of the project can be found on the Naked Heart Art blog.  You can also view a slideshow of the cards I have created for the project by clicking HERE.

Days 55 and 56 of Project 365

Okay, the last in the overdue postings, then I can go from today forward, HOPEFULLY on a daily schedule again.

This card for day 56 "made itself" so to speak, when the bits in front of me on the craft table suddenly appeared in the shuffle at the same time... greeting card image, clock from a magazine page, shopping bag for background, and a single cut out word.

For Day 56, I decided to have a little play with watercolor pencils.  I'm rather challenged in the watercolor field, but won't improve unless I practice, right?  So I give you "daffodils."

Days 52, 52, and 54 of Project 365

Okay, so sometimes you make a really lousy card, but it's what you have to show that some attempt was made for the day....that's what happened with my "irish lace" card for Day 52 when I tried to make a card using only my green glaze pen.  Oh well...

After that not so lovely attempt, I picked my pencils back up on day 53...this one is plain old crayola pencils on watercolor paper.  And what says Springtime like the "American Robin!"

Of course the charming chirper above needed some company, so day 54 brought along the "chestnut sided warbler" and now there is birdsong in the air.

Lol, and he's a little shy...can't get him to "center stage"  he's determined to hang out over here at the side of this posting!

Days 49, 50 & 51 of Project 365

A few more collage cards emerged from the creative chaos.  Sometimes you make a card that you really love, I don't know why, but this one is that way for me.  I call it, "I'm waiting for the children...." and it's my card for day 49.  It's made with napkins, tissue paper, magazine images, and some rafia.

Day 50 I was still feeling "collagey" so this is another beeswax and napkin card, with inked edges.

And, for Day 51,  another bird collage...this one with layers of text with distress ink, followed by a sheer fabric type of paper, dictionary text, and an image from an old child's dictionary text...with more inked edges and stamping.