Wake Up

We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn, which does not forsake us even in our soundest sleep. I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavour. It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look, which morally we can do. To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts. 

-Henry David Thoreau

Illustration Friday - Old

the lepidopterist

Exiled Princess? Retired villainess? Once famous for her wild parties, she now prefers to spend her time with butterflies and a bit of Nabokov.

Dusting off an ancient scribble for Illustration Friday's latest prompt: "Old". This butterfly collector is the third painting in the Rogues Gallery series. It is a mix of drawing & watercolor painting on patterned paper and measures 12"square. 

Feeling inspired to share your golden oldies? Ready to check out creations based on the week's challenge? Pop by IllustrationFriday.com. The key word changes every Friday. Feel free to play along! Make something relevant and post it to your site or fave social media and then link up. If you do share, let me know. It is always fun to see where the latest prompt takes people.

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Butterfly ACEO

Butterfly Art Card for Etsy customer

 I had a grand time playing with this (slightly 3D) ACEO for a recent Etsy customer. I seem to be low on these little pieces of one of a kind art in my Artsnark shop & will have to make a few more this week. They are so much fun to make and collect! Measuring only 3.5" x 2.5 inches, they can be created in any medium. They are also an affordable way to collect art. If you aren't yet hooked on Art Trading Cards, you must give them a try. 

By the way, this is your last chance to enter the new giveaway that I am hosting for Uprinting.com. On 6/24 one lucky winner gets 250 custom printed color flyers. Simply leave a comment on my blog before 1 am (EST) to be entered in this random drawing. Click here for details. 

Wordless Wednesday - Flutterby

Flutterby - 2008

Wordless Wednesday - Metamorphosis

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Okay - not entirely wordless: If you haven't entered the random drawing for a Mosaic from Tortuga Tile Works, click here for photo of prize & details. It is easy to enter - just leave a comment on this blog before 6/3.

Musical Monday's Muse - wiggle & no

Butterfly/faerie tag front & back

Good Mourning Glory is adding prompts to Musical Monday. Today is "Makes Ya Wanna Dance"

Click the button above to hear what's got folks moving this Monday. Then add your own tune.

I've gotta go with Jaan Pehechaan Ho - always gets me wiggling, especially with the video.

Each Week, Maternal Spark asks what's your muse?
Today I'm going with "No".

In order to get more done, I've got to commit to less....kind of sounds weird but is too true. Instead of trying to keep up with the hectic pace that evolved this summer, I spent the last week saying "Sorry, no thank you" a lot. It was hard at 1st but I think it will be worth it.

I fear that the Muse gets even more annoyed with playing catch up than I do. Hope to knock out a few more overdue commitments (some fun, some not). Then reevaluate how I am using my time. For instance how useful is it to google saying "No in over 520 languages" ?

Hopefully then I'll clean the studio (for real this time!!!). It used to look like a bomb dropped. Now it looks like the border dwellers built their post-apocalyptic city on top of the rubble.... and then another bomb dropped.

In the meantime, here are some more tags for Queen Bee's swap. They were tea died and stamped (the text & butterfly outline stamps are from Judikins). And then watercolor pencils & ink were added.

yet another tag front & back

Hope to finish the last 2 tags tonight. But before that I need to go hike Mount Laundry, put away about a bazillion toy trains & reclaim the vacuum from the cobwebs......

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By the way, there are 3 random drawings happening here this week:

To enter the 1st, just leave any comment on this blog before noon (EST) on 9/10.
1 piece customized jewelry from Etsy seller Jewelry By Solange

For the next 2 leave a comment stating how you would use each prize if you win.
500 custom business cards to 2 winners - ends 9/10

&

A 24" square custom wall sticker to 2 winners - ends 9/13

MM x2 = Atarazzi #22 + Altered Ancestors

okay, I kinda stink at math but this isn't really about that.

it's just another Melding-Monday.

meets

Both ask "What moves you today?" For obvious reasons, Mothers have been on my mind a lot lately. Both my Grandmother & Mother in Law passed away last spring. They've inspired several paintings that are still stuck in my head. Something about the latest Artarazzi challenge photo triggered one that I'd been thinking about for a while.

Started fiddling with something yesterday.

MariaPia (My husband's Mum) is on the left with 2 of her siblings.

Last night I dreamed Mercutio's Queen Mab soliloquy ...again.... yes, I am a dork. Had to memorize the blasted thing in high school & it's been haunting me ever since. Mind you I can't even remember my own cell phone number - bah!

So the faerie queen was rattling around in my nut while I played with the Artarazzi piece today. I was also trying to remember a Donovan tune from a million years ago (1971) called Queen Mab. Couldn't find a listen online but there's a teeny tiny snippet on Amazon (#27). For the curious, lyrics are here. I remember hearing this album a few times as a kid (Though where, I don't recall - all we had on vinyl in our house were Xmas carols, The Carpenters, John Denver & show tunes....seriously). Think I'd like to track down a copy but not willing to shell out a hundred bucks for nostalgia.

Where am I going with this?
I added this lovely lady from the Art Freebies blog

Then I tweaked some butterfly wings I had lying about.
And here's the final:

Somehow all the jumbly bits came together in this digital collage tentatively called Queen Mab's Children. To see more interpretations of the original challenge photo (or to play along) click here & then visit the Mr. Linky section on the upper right.

Tuesday Note: Came to grips with the fact that I probably won't get my Mother piece for the Melange challenge done in time, so submitted this one instead. Click here & go thru the comments to visit the other Melange entries. Also check the Melange Team blog Wednesday for this week's new Melange challenge prompt

Fri 29th note: Am I milking this post or what?! I just heard about inspiremethursday.com & they're talking about Altered Ancestors. This piece seems to fit. Click through & Go check 'em out. Or link your own creation. There's also lots of free stuff & giveaway links. Pretty cool place

The Butterfly Charmer & Faux Frescoes

Cleaning out some shelves & uncovered these wonderful teeny frames

Decided I needed to make a little something.

And I do mean little. The frames are 3"sq & almost 1.5" deep.
So made this tiny Butterfly Charmer

It feels good to create something...anything. Too many days without making stuff & I get cranky!

Hope to really dig my heels into something meaty soon.

Till then, I added 5 Polaroid Transfers to my etsy sale at ArtSnark.

These are emulsion transfers on marble tile.* Ready to hang
Fun to make The final look reminds me of old frescoes & ruined walls.Just click on any pic for details
* If you'd like to read more about the different steps for making emulsion vs. image Polaroid transfers click here. The photos I posted yesterday were image transfers. Friday's post featured an emulsion transfer

Quasi-Random Thoughts Tuesday

Ok I'm just going to ramble - however a piece or 2 of cohesion may slip thru. I'm behind all schedules (as usual). Not really time to post - but I do so love The Random Zone!

Missed last weeks Arty Girlz challenge "Wire"- here are fun pieces from those who had their acts together. Lucky for me, the piece I meant to submit also fits under this week's topic "Butterflies"
A custom piece "gone bad", I was seriously bummed. Then all the positive feedback left by wonderful readers (on my last necklace posting) encouraged me to jazz it up for Arty Girlz . Also listed on etsy & YAY it's now on reserve!

Also listed an ACEO - it originally appeared on ZNE as Faeries Are Elusive... but "Believe" is a more productive search word so ...

Do You Believe in Faeries?

How 'bout Zombies?

I hear you...Yeah, you in the back, mumbling what is it with this girl and the frickin zombies? Dunno what to tell you, they just keep coming back ;-)

Enjoyed 1 of the worse movies ever on late night TV last week (hey...watching crap tv...not getting anything done...connection?) Nearly laughed to death (ah, but would I have come back?) The New Zealand horror *cough* classic *cough* Black Sheep. No, not the Chris Farley thing - the werewolf /mutant zombie one ....just replace "wolf" & "mutant" with sheep..... yeah, really.

I had this on my Netflix for ages before it was released. Once it came out, it crept lower & lower down the queue until it hovered in the 125 zone. This is the "walk of shame" area - movies that I think I want to see but not sure I want to (a) admit it (b) pay for -even if it's pennies & (c) remove from queue only to reinstate after seeing preview again usually after drinking too much

Spoiler: My biggest laugh was when our hero lost his gun & tossed a jar of mint jelly on the attacking creature! Sizzled like holy water on a vampire....classic! Did I mention it was around 2am at my house? C'mon help me find an excuse for such sophomoric pleasures....

Well, this is truly rambling... 3 more for you, if you're still with me, I must ask what is with all the Jane Austin adaptations?

You have probably heard by now that Elton John is said to be producing the film Pride & Predator I thought it was a joke at 1st

Now you can preorder Pride & Prejudice and Zombies Hey, can I read it when you're done?And my favorite: Jane Bites Back NY Times says "depicts the 19th-century author as a frustrated vampire, taking revenge on those who have made money from her work"

Ok. I'm done. If you get a chance, POP over to visit The Un-Mom (who's feeling a bit like the walking dead thanks to the latest bug going around) & see what wacky chaos she is up to this week

And The Winner Is.......

Here is my assistant randomly choosing a name from the “Goblet of Fire” (Guess what we’ve been reading lately) The flames seem to be switched off for safety reasons...And the Winner is:

JOY

After cries of "Again! Again!" my Harry Potter fan & aspiring model changed costume & picked a runner up:EMMMALIEGH

And for his 3rd & final Act, Mad-Eye Moody chose:

SASSY DESIGNS

Congrats to the Winners!! Joy will receive a customized necklace & the 2 runners up will get... something cool - I have to poke around my studio & see what I can come up with ;D

Thanks to all who played along & added their inspirations! It has been fun reading them! Seems you’re a bunch of literate nature lovers who listen to music while searching for vintage items. You creative souls are also inspired by other artists, even while observing everything (& everyone) around them. …. Does this sound like you????

Could the 3 selected please leave your emails or convo me on etsy www.ArtSnark.etsy.com . I’ll get your prizes out right away..… Joy, just let me know which pendant style you want & that will determine the size/shape of your image. Then you can send me either printed image or (preferably) jpg & I’ll create your necklace.

Again, thanks for playing! Please stop back when you have a chance. Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday Season!

Monday's Muse - Butterflies & Customized Givaway

Bit chilly in Tampa this morning.

When I went out for the paper I spotted a butterfly on the grass. Thought it might be dead but it was simply waiting to warm up

It flexed its wings a little & later it was gone.

My mornings are always a bit like that. I start out slow & chilly but eventually take off

Butterflies seem to appear often in my artThey Have Given Me Much Inspiration NOW I WANT TO INSPIRE YOU!

I'd Like to customize a butterfly necklace for 1 lucky winner!
Simply comment on my blog with what inspires you (between now & Friday) to enter a drawing for a custom necklace ( based on 1 of the 3 designs shown here). I will draw & post the winner Saturday morning so check back to see if it's you. I will then ask the winner to choose a pendant design & send me their image to put in the center.
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Most of the art & jewelry here is available at ArtSnark's Artifacts just click photo for more info.
Only the top piece with the dragonfly & face is unavailable at this time.
Please note, I am running a December sale of 20% off+free shipping.
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I look forward to seeing what inspires you!!

The Rogues' Gallery

Just re-listed a few pieces in my etsy shop . I've got a gang of shady characters lurking in the dark alleys of my mind ...but....been busy with life stuff so I haven't been putting my pencils to paper as much as I'd like. Itching to get started again. It's getting a little crowded in here ;D