Houses, birds and punishment.

I am loving these.

And, I'd like to visit Finland. Coincidence ... (that was said in my best Eddie Izzard voice.)


Which one should I pick? I love the flower plate with the tiny house sitting right on the edge. And I love the bird in the top photograph. The little blue houses remind me of the houses in my paintings.
You can find all of her stuff, here.
BTW 'her' name is Szilvia Vihriala (sorry, don't know how to type the accents on top of the 'a's' - i've only just learnt how to do the degree symbol, remember - so i've probably mispronounced her name and it means something totally different.) As I mentioned, Szilvia does live in Finland but she is originally from Hungary. Go check out her work, and, her blog.


And here's what I'm up to. Still nothing finished, but I'm holding myself accountable by posting them. I think ...

This one is coming along, but, is it really want I want?

I'm enjoying this one and will probably be working on it today. The little gate house at the back looks a little shocked. Might have to change that.

And, this one. Well, it just is 'this one' right now. Half started and not sure where it wants to go, if anywhere.




monday notes:
off to the art store now for some blending sticks. then, i promised myself a tread mill moment (still can't believe i committed myself to the boredom.) yesterday i told myself that i could only watch my jewelry making dvd's on the treadmill. it's like punishment and joy rolled into one. now, i can only become a better jeweler the thiner i get. 


and, hopefully, i wont be so bored.

Progression.

So, progression so far.

We're going to have to see. So far it's not completely clicking for me. I like the unfinished look of the third one, but don't know how to keep that unfinished look without it just looking, well, unfinished. If you know what I mean.




sunday notes:
it was a glorious day here yesterday so i sat outside with my lunch and read some more of my book. i could live here year round if the weather stayed like this. as it is, i have to live here year round anyway.
the post lady brought some jewelry making dvd's that i'd ordered, so today is going to be a challenge. do i: watch the videos, finish my book, continue painting, or do something worthwhile, like housework. ew ... tough one. somehow i think the housework will lose.

The madness has got to stop!

On my table today.

The bottom one needs more contrast, perhaps, and something definitely has to happen with the big house.


These were done on wood from the hardware store. I've not finished them yet. They've been hanging around in the studio, in their acrylic paint stage, for ever. Yesterday I clear gesso'd them and now they are slathered with oil pastels. 
I have a lot of trouble finishing paintings. It's an emotional roller coaster for me: 'I like it. I hate it. It's o.k. It's bad. It's really bad. Throw it. Keep it. What was I thinking? O.M.G! Why can other people do it? Never touch a paint brush again. Paint more. Practice makes perfect. People will laugh. But, it makes me happy (that was a whiny one). Don't show it to anyone. Show it to someone. What does it matter? Get over it! etc. etc., ... i'ts a nightmare.


The madness has got to stop!


Today I am going to try to finish them. This will be a first for me, if it actually happens. I don't think I've got more than one or two of them finished out of the loads and loads and loads of them stacked up in the storage room.


So, if it becomes too much for me (or, more likely, if I get too excited about this next one), I might start on this.

I usually just wing it straight onto the board or canvas but last night I was still itching to draw after we'd had dinner and were sitting around watching t.v. so I got my Wacom out. (I know you want to, but don't go there. You'll only regret it later.)
You can find out about Wacoms, and where to find them, here.
I love my Wacom. I sometimes use it to load a photograph of one of my paintings on it so I can fiddle with the composition or colours. This way, if I can't see what I want to do next with something, or I know it just doesn't look right, I can mess with it without changing it on the original. Last night, however, I just started from scratch on the Wacom and now have a beginning that i'm ready to go out and put on a canvas or board. 


P.S. I'm enjoying the sheep but N wants some goats. There's always someone you can't please ...




saturday notes:
my book's taking too long to read. when i finally get to it i'm just too tired to keep my eyes open long enough to read a page or too, tops. it's kind of bumming me out as, although it seems i've been reading it for ages, i'm really enjoying it. i'm going to make an effort to read a lot of it today. 
i've been thinking of downloading some more books on my ipod so that i can listen to them when i'm working out in the studio. the last one i listened to was mystic river. i enjoyed it, but i couldn't find the last couple of chapters anywhere on the @%*!^ thing to save my life. it was really annoying and eventually i had to rent the video just to see what happened in the end. it seems to me that books, especially, hide themselves in that tiny little one inch gadget ... but where could they possibly go!


it obviously can't be me, 
just one of life's mysteries ...

Oh No!

These are definitely my, 'oh no!' paintings.

The houses all look so shocked.
(Don't like the second one so much. It's a little too twee, although i'm loving the trees and the wind.)




friday notes:
p and n were going fishing today. n actually got up at 5:30, which is definitely a 'wow!' for her. so they're all ready for the 4 hour drive to the favourite spot (you heard it, four hours!!!) and the car broke down. poor n. up for nothing ...
so, it's another friday, (funny how they keep coming around), and i'm off out to the studio. i don't know what n will do, or p come to that. i feel a little sorry for them actually. all that excitement (well for p anyway) and then, nothing :(




i will leave you with a pic of j's knee.


it will be a small pic, just in case it's too much for you.


be warned, it's definitely an ouch pic.


it's for sure a, thank heavens it's not me, pic.


and a, who on earth came up with the idea that stapling your body together was right way to go, pic. I mean metal staples, come on!

And they make her bend it.
That's just not right ...


Warning, don't click on the picture because it will become huge and completely freaky ... 

Houses and Earrings and Tomatoes, oh my...

The houses look as though they're saying,

'can you hear the storm coming?'. They look so worried that they make me smile. Don't know if it's finished yet.


I made some earrings.

Which I like but am wondering if they're not a little too long.

N assures me that people like long, which makes me laugh as she only wears tiny little things. 


And, remarkably, the tomatoes are looking healthy. I even see a flower or two when I look real close.

I thought the raised boxes were pulling my leg when they said they were self watering, but, so far so good. 


(You can see I have planted lots of extra seeds for back up, just in case. You could say that I have no faith but I promise I am trying to work on the positive thing. The seed back up would beg to differ, however. I guess it all comes down to trust.)




wednesday notes:
watched a funny movie on t.v. last night. burke and hare. simon pegg is fast becoming one of those actors that i will pretty much watch whatever he's in. 
Can't do any work today. Off downtown this morning and then i'm going to take lunch to j and spend some time catching up on how her knee is doing. every time i think of her my knees ache. not a good way to be reminded of someone. then i'm meeting up with our bead group later. only tonight we're dying scarves. similar, i know ...

Bummer Monday.

A little better, but not that much.

Really getting fed up with the whole poached egg thing (see here). I wouldn't mind, I don't have them very often, but when I do, I would like my yolk runny. Is it too much to ask? Not the white bit, that is an absolute no go for me, but the yolk ... Look at it. It looks like it wants to be runny. It's so close. 
There's no two ways about it, dad is going to have to come (yep, all the way from England) to make me poached eggs on toast.


At least the tea is good.

(Actually, the egg picture is making me feel a little sick right now. I might have to post and run.)


Really, today is an all round fed up day to be honest. Mum died a year ago today. So, I've had a chat, and a little cry, with dad, got bummed out with the eggs, and now I have a headache and feel sick. 


So, here are some flowers to cheer me up.

And some onions, just in case I need a crying disguise.

I might make myself another cup of tea to aid with the cheering. You know those English and their tea.




monday notes:
saw, the girl with the dragon tatoo, last night. enjoyable enough but those people don't get enough sun. of course, daniel craig is always good to look at. 
ate a great soup, although it was really, really spicy.

i think it was because we used the left over chicken from the chicken and black bean burritos we had the night before which was already spiced up. i didn't put the sour cream in the soup though. that just doesn't look right to me.

so, i'm off to be happy now. 

with my tea ...

Pinch, Punch.

This was definitely the best way to start my day today.



I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.


Note:
Emma Jeffery of Hello Beautiful can be found here. Her Etsy shop is on vacation at the moment but you can take a look at her sold stuff, here. If you so wish you can sign up to be notified of when she'll return when you visit her shop.