River Walking with Avery

I've been here at my daughter's house (apartment) to care for Avery, my 10 yr old grandson, while she is working in San Francisco. We get along great most of the time but we have both been shut up in our rooms for what seems days! He on his game systems or watching Netflix and I on etsy, blogging, or reading...

We've been living like hermits after our one trip to Taco Bell and to get groceries! It is sooo dang gorgeous outside this week and I did at least open windows for fresh air and little breezes, but today the sunshine was calling... wooing me to power off my laptop, pack a goody bag and walk by the river.

So I gave in and it wasn't too hard to get Avery to join me with some snacks and allowing him to bring one of those pocket game versions. We had a lovely walk through the few blocks to the boarded riverwalk, strolled along under the trees full of hanging spanish moss... this little town is truly a gem! I lived in this area myself for many years, albeit closer to the ocean in the thick of the resort traffic and hub-bub. I wish I had come inland 10 miles to enjoy the history and charm of Conway, SC.

It's Me!

Avery ;)

 I don't have any pictures of the town to post right now... I mistakenly took the wrong camera with me but I plan to walk again tomorrow and take plenty!

How often do you get to sit down with a good book?

I used to read hours every day. Now I get by on a few hours a week... so what I read is more important to me. Right now, I am reading Light in The Wilderness (I will blog about it later) by M. Catherine Thomas.

I come across Friday Reads on twitter and thought I'd share with you. So when you have time to curl up with a cup of tea you may want to be holding one of these;)

Let me know what you're reading now or one of your favorites!
I'd love to hear your comments;)

Green Grass and Blue Skies

I love spring! 

even though I have been waking up with stuffy headaches... wait, that may be because I've been staying up later too. My body does not like change. My mind says yes! body says no! mind says You Better!

Hi! It's me and my daughter;)

One thing that has kept me up later is my new FB page for Modbrush- yah!!! Please check it out and leave me some feedback! (be nice please... it is new and vulnerable and lonely...) I will be adding things daily. It's a lot more work than my personal page... what have I gotten myself into??
ModBrush FB Page!




But it is fun! Everything I am working on now is. Modbrush shop on etsy is getting revisions. My daughter took some awesome photos of my art and I am posting them later today. I'm sooo proud of them!

Mayflower has a great new treasury and she was kind enough to include my little vintage woodland flower clip-on earrings in it;) Check out her lovely collection to see my little jewels and 15 other great items to inspired by springy blues and greens. It's right here!
Here's a couple sneek-peeks!

Home Decor by CherryWalls

Beads by Bijii Bijoux

My own Vintage Little Woodland Flower clip-ons!

Does everybody love turquoise? I didn't realize there were so many different kinds and that the value varies a lot on the kind and cut of it... I have a terrific silver and turquoise bracelet I need to take to the jewelers. It is worn out! but still so gorgeous! It was a great find for only a few dollars at a flea market... can't part with it!
BijiiBijoux' beads are a Chinese Turquoise and are quite lovely!

Our Frenzy Team 

is creating FIVE wonderful collections throughout the day.

Little birdies from im2keys

St Patty's Day cupcake kit;)

Treehouse Herbs just posted this one at 10:00am called The Birds and The Bees and Some Color. Check it out for some great finds.



Let's Turn up the Heat was posted at Midnight by My Handmade Crafts

Delish Cherry Cheesecake Fudge!

Pink Petal crocheted Neck Art;)

You can help spread the word by Tweeting, Stumbling, or posting a link to my blog on your Facebook! If you are an artisan or crafter, let us know where to find you too!

A new treasury posted at 2:00 by Glitterbird Glamour  called Perfectly Natural  and it is perfectly beautiful! Muted tones in blue, red, and gray... soft and lovely. Please go see it.

Grapevine & Shell Floral- Beautiful!

Tulip Drop Dangles by Krystals Jewelry

                                              



Thinking Pink is always fun... my daughter is a pink PINK freak, any shade! My favorite is very pale; the items Terra Verde Goods found on etsy today for her 4:00 treasury is soft and mellow and 'pink'. Here's a couple items she chose but go see them all!

A peek from AnnieDesign

A treat from SoftlySweetly- yum!

 Another collection called Colorful Days Waiting the Spring (very poetic) has brighter colors of yellow (yah!) blues, and red/oranges. It was put together by LBtoyos. 

A beauty from Laurali

Chocolate Orange Truffles!

Here's a collection by Always Snazzy featuring one of my shirts (another yah!) Nothing says it like Red!

Tribal Heart by GaleazGlass

My sweet little Chandelier Tshirt!

I hope you enjoy all these etsy finds!! Let me know which ones you like and want to visit again!
You can help Handmade Artisans spread the word by Tweeting, Stumbling, or posting a link to my blog on your Facebook!

 
If you are an artisan or crafter, let us know where to find you too!

Day Tripping ... to see my Babies!

I've had such a busy busy week! That's a good thing. Part of it was spent trying to learn more about blogging and tweeting and stumbling... it even sounds tiring! But I've also been having lots of fun with it.

A local church had me do a design for them and I've been airbrushing shirts for the congregation. I wanted to get the first round of them finished before I left town to visit my daughter and grandson. I also did a mock-up for their motorcycle ministry jacket patches. Here's some pix of the shirts they wanted.

This version shows the main design on the front with a gear symbol with church info center back near the collar.

This version shows the main design on the back with the church name and logo on the front.

I think they look so pretty stacked. I'm showing one of each color they chose in this shot.

 

This would be a very cool version of the 'Family Tree', just tweak it a bit to make the gears central to the family's values or the names of each person in the family... or a Club or Team shirt (hmmm)
the 2nd side could be customized with person's name, player number, monogram initial, or other.

This morning I had to decide what I was bringing with me, pack my clothes, pack the car, shower... it was 11:00am before I got gone. Normally, I wouldn't have taken so long but another reason for this trip is to get my daughter to take professional photos of my paintings so I can have quality prints done. I guess I could have quality prints done anyway but I do not know about shadows and light and composition and such... I just sit the painting up and snap a picture on my little digital... who'd want that to hang on their wall?


Stephanie is an awesome photographer! It's how she makes her living when she's not finishing up her last year of college. Check out her website - she is not your everyday snapper! Actually, that is why I come down at this time. She is flying across country to do a wedding! I'm jealous because it is in San Diego and I've never been and I hear it is absolutely beautiful... just like my little girl!

 

I'm looking forward to hanging with my babies... but I brought work with me too. I'm updating my listings and tweaking my shop on etsy. Please check out my shops if you haven't already!

A Little Birdie Told Me ...

http://twitter.com/#!/modBrush
I now have a Twitter account! Chirps all round! Winged applause!!
Please follow my tweets and let me know if you fly around so I can see what you're up to as well!

Speaking of birdies!
One of my favorite pieces was featured in a Treasury called Midnight on etsy. The collection was put together by a charming 14yr old (Taylor) who has a photography shop. Check out Midnight and Taylor's shop called  The Forest Faery.

This is the painting Taylor chose to showcase! 

Blue Raven by ModBrush on etsy.com

Many pieces in my Airbrush Shop and my paintings are birds. I put them all together in a little collection. Which one/s do you like most? Please make a comment below the Treasury itself or come back here and share!  Click on the items in my A Little Birdie Told Me... collection to see larger images and the story or meaning behind each one. Thanks so much for your input! Here's a few samples:

Henna Flower Peacock Cowl Shirt Dress by ModBrush on etsy.com

Tweety I Love Pink Vanity Tag Room Sign by ModBrush on etsy.com

Two Little Owlies Sitting In A Tree K.I.S.S.I.N.G. by ModBrush on etsy.com

I am having so much fun creating new designs, especially owlies and peacocks. I do henna tattoos in warm weather at festivals and have taken that flowing, swirling design as inspiration for the peacocks. I began doodling owls for all the new babies in the family...

I'm also having a good time writing and hope all of you enjoy my ramblings!
Have a wonderful Valentine's Day with your loved ones and friends! I'm excited to see my own out-of-staters this week- Yah!!

Southern Nature Jewelry Maker

I recently joined a team of artists that are fast becoming like family... you know how I feel about family!
One lady on the team makes FANtastic jewelry that reminds me of the beauty found in nature. All of her work is good and deserves oohhs and ahhs. Some of her pieces are truly ART! Go to Momadonna's shop for hours of enjoyable shopping pleasure!

A few of my favorites:

Can you see the possibilities- how many outfits you can dress up with this colorful and funky flower- LOVE IT!

these sweet little earrings make me remember summer walks down a dirt road, stopping to sip the nectar from honeysuckle... oh to be ten again!

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... perfect little BumbleBees! and no fear of stepping on them when barefoot if they're resting on your ears! Great color for year round wear. Bumble Bees are a lucky symbol too, aren't they?

See more treasures from Momadonna here!

One reason I want you to see Momadonna's work is she is going through a really hard time right now. In my last post, I told you how I've been reminded about the important things in life. So, this lovely lady's story really touched my heart. I had to go immediately and check out her shop and now I'm sharing it with you.

Her husband is in the hospital. He had surgery Friday a week ago and is still in ICU. She has been spending all her time with him... so nobody is working bringing income in. They are both self-employed during these difficult economic times and now they are struggling.

My heart and prayers go out to them. This is a way we can help a total stranger. That's one of those things that make us human, shows we have a heart, that we care for something or someone other than ourselves....
ok, I'm off the soapbox. Show some support any way you can and buy a lovely piece of jewelry for yourself or your mom or your sister or that BFF for Valentine's, Mother's Day or birthday.

It's a nice thing to do, y'all!
You can see a very nice sampling of this jewelry designer's work in this treasury curated by New Creationz, another terrific artisan worth checking out!