WOYWW #116 - small prints & big mess

new prints for the ArtSnark etsy shop

I haven't posted to What is on your workdesk Wednesday for ages - mainly because with my mess it should be Where is your workdesk?

soon to be jewelry station

School has (finally) started and I am at last tucking into these mountains of madness. If you don't hear from me before the first snow falls, send in the troops!

This is the matting & framing area when I can actually see it. I am tackling this corner tomorrow, as the first half my print order just arrived - yay!

Want to see some real workspaces? Pop over to the Stamping Ground for links to 100+ desks today. If you feel like sharing, link your desk up while you are there.

Before you go, have you entered the new Thursday Giveaway yet? On 9/8 one random winner takes home their choice of 3 pendants from LilyBellesJewels on Etsy.com. To enter, just leave a comment on this blog before1 a.m. (EST) Sept.8th. For details, photos and a visit with Lily & Barbara, the creative souls behind LilyBelles, click here.

Musical Monday - Dear Reader.... I'm babbling

Hey there. How have you been? Seems like I haven't Musical Monday'ed in ages! By the way you can catch more Dear Reader over at dearreadermusic.com (& all over youtube)

So what have you all been up to while I dropped of the face of the earth? I've been kinda unplugged lately & have missed keeping up with everyone's art & adventures. So if anyone is still out there.... whatcha up to?

Me? Kiddo's still keeping me on my toes. I'll admit to breathing a sigh of relief once school starts in about a month--ssshhh don't tell. 

Then the catching up begins (again). Remember the studio/pigsty? Apparently the mess has been breeding while I've been away....

Yeah, I know, ewwww..... But it'll have to wait a while longer.

Little Dude & I are off to Maine later this week. It'll be a nice break. If I can figure out how to send photos from the camera to a borrowed PC, I'll post pics along the way. I can already taste the blueberries...and to swim in a lake without alligators again...woohoo!  My son thought I was pulling his leg when I told him you could to that - yep, he's a Florida Native.

from WikiMedia Commons

 Let's see...what else is up.... (warned you I'd be babbling)....

5 fun ATCs came in from the mixed media swap. Rather than brave the scary studio, I sent off a few from my ArtSnark Etsy shop that had been collection dust like The Siren here:

and Alla Nazimova:

It was a great mix of trades that came in the mail. I'll scan & post them here tomorrow.

from parisperfect.com

Only other thing I've been up to is looking for a Paris rental for this fall. We'll go for a week or so. I'm very excited! (And I have to admit it is a lot of fun seeing the incredible variety of places to choose from.)

from Wikipedia Commons

Have you visited this grand City Of Lights? I'm taking all suggestions, tips and random musings. Just pop me a line I'd love to hear about your favorite finds & sweet secrets....

Oh, Speaking of fun finds - did you catch last Thursday's visit with artist Risa Tritabaugh? If not click here. While you are there, check out her colorful painting Among The Flowers. Lucky for us, she's generously donated it for the 8/13 random drawing. Leave a comment on this blog before 1 a.m. (EST) 8/13 to enter this giveaway. (By the way drawing is only open to USA addresses- sorry Intl. folks).

Busy Playing!

For a variety of reasons,I've been even more bogged down than usual this week. Lots of stuff has gone by the wayside including art & blogging. 1 project I am determined to finish soon is the ongoing reorganizing of my studio/home office. I've decided to post some embarrassing "before" shots in the hope I will shame myself into creating the "after" shots soon.

Studio is 1/2 torn apart (still in the destructo phase of reorganizing).
I'm also cramming to finish my piece for the 1st Melange Team challenge (due tomorrow). I've been sitting on it for weeks, but only just found the materials while cleaning yesterday - oops!

Melange is a new Etsy Team for Mixed Media artists. If you like to play with all your toys on one canvas, new members are welcome. Here's the team profile on etsy. Here's the team blog. And here is some of our art for sale

The 1st challenge is from Glenda (see her etsy shop here). She sent out identical packages filled with a wild assortment of items. I had a pic to post but seem to have accidentally deleted it (Dang. Just 1 of those weeks). There's colored tissue paper, an old bingo card, a b&w jester paper doll template, metal ring, fraying fibers, what looks like colored bingo chips & other bits & pieces. The challenge is to create something using all the items,leaving out any 2 if desired. We can provide our own substrate & add 1 extra item. Mine's been done in my head since I 1st opened the envelope. Man, glue sure dries a lot slower in real time!! Been a lot of fun though

I'll post the final piece sometime tomorrow or Sat with links to the other entries once I have 'em. Remembered to shoot WIPs too so if anyone is curious I'll stick those up this weekend too

Before I forget: thank you, thank you,Everyone. Your kind comments and encouragement really keep me going. Especially on the days when all the art stays in my head & I run out of time to create by days end. A few of those & my mood turns sour. I was truly overwhelmed by the quantity & quality of responses to last Friday's post! I've visited some of you but life got in the way again. Your comments are much appreciated

Monday's Muse - A Classic Combination

I can't believe it is already Monday again!

(click above to visit the great blog Maternal Spark)

Today's Muse is Procrastination ….. & Possibilities.

Through my own foolishness, I have become Queen of Procrastination lately. When I was younger I had lots of practice avoiding things, but now it happens by accident more often than choice. My studio/home office/Santa's workshop resembles hell on earth. I can't even show you my planner because it is lost under piles of stuff. To be honest, I am deeply afraid to find my To Do list - I feel overwhelmed as it is. So, I'm supposed to be cleaning this pigsty & instead I'm typing away .......

Sorry about the rant, now for the Possibilities! As I scrape away layers of accumulated stuff, scraps of paper, items to repair, etc. I keep finding lots of really cool materials & many many unfinished projects. Last night I uncovered my markers & a fairy-tale collage started in October. I gave up on cleaning & started coloring. Here is the latest incarnation:

Not done yet. I know what I want to add and I know it is here....somewhere! Time go pick up some more