New work...

These are some new pieces ...... one I can not scan so I will post pics of them tomorrow. I am sending these off to a gallery shop in Tallahassee, FL. I am working on a few wood assemblages that I hope to have posted on etsy by the end of next week.

Talk to you soon,

Courtney

The house is now quiet......

We were ready for the first day of school...... new shoes ( took me an hour just to find a pair that would fit my little guy ... size 3!), new backpacks..... and happy toothless smiles! One went to 2nd grade and the other in Kindergarten. No worries this morning, they kissed and hugged and never looked back. A mother's wish and yet my heart felt the slightest ping of sadness. I love that they are secure ( a very long road I am still traveling with them on ) and independent. I just see them as my little guys . I went home , did my chores and was ready to create all day. Yet, I felt a bit lost ...... it was like trying to sleep without a fan on when you have had a fan on your entire life. Does that make sense. I guess I have to learn how to be independent and secure myself. This could be a long road that I will be traveling alone. Things will never be the same , but they will be o.k. . Too all the moms left to travel the road today..... you will not be alone.

Talk to you soon,

Courtney

New commission....

I just finished this commission piece for a very good friend of mine. I used their wedding vows for
each other for the figures and the words behind them are from a poem read at the wedding.
The colors are a bit off in my scan . I had a hard time getting started , and felt like nothing was
working the way I wanted it to, however I really like the way it turned out. Off to do more work.

Talk to you soon,

Courtney

Summer is coming to an end....

Well, my turtles and I are going to enjoy our last summer weekend before school. We are packed with play , school open house , pizza night and then a movie and that is just today. I will have two days with my little guy while my older son is in school. Kindergarten starts a bit later, which is nice ....... I have so many projects that I have been putting off until school starts. I am very excited to devote quality , uninterrupted time to my artwork . I hope you enjoy your last summer weekend and to all the moms that are sending their last off to school..... It will be o.k. .

Talk to you soon,

Courtney

A Bright Sunny weekend!

It has been so beautiful this weekend, we took the boys to a favorite park for adventure. The top picture is a view of a farm ( my secret dream house! ) and the bottom is a view of the Quarry that has been filled in with water. You can walk around the entire thing on a wood deck and feed the fish and turtles. I am so exhausted , but I am going to try to squeeze in some "art"time tonight. We had our cub scout picnic earlier today and I am just beat!

After next week , I will have plenty of time to work. My kiddies will be in school ( tears welling ) and I will be a mad women at my work table.

Talk to you soon,

Courtney

Just finished these collages. The top one is really a 10x10 canvas ( my scanner cuts off 2 inches!)
and the bottom one is a 5x7 canvas. I am not sure if I will put these in my etsy shop or ship them off to a store yet...... hmmmm.

School is almost here. I am so feeling the pain already. My little guy put his ear to my heart ... he just wanted to check to see if he would be in there when he left ( how cute!!). I have so much planned to keep me busy , but I know the first day I will just cry.

Brave face on .... I still have another week to get through.

Talk to you soon,

Courtney

Favorite things

I was tagged by Tracy over at The Vintage Sister a

few days ago ...... I am supposed to show you a few of

my favorite tools to use. I can not live without my

blue handled scissors. They are covered in guck , yes

guck. They are like magic scissors and I just can not

function without them . I love my oil pastels. I love

that they are worn and sometimes the colors blend.

What would I be without my vintage papers. They are

always my inspiration .

Here's to another beautiful day tomorrow!

Talk to you soon,

Courtney

Keeping busy

Just finished this piece. I needed a change of pace..... I am trying to branch out a bit more. I need to get out of my comfort zone and get a little crazy in my workspace. It is really hard to change things that come so easy that you do not even think of them anymore. We start defining ourselves with what we are doing rather than what we want to be doing. Does this make sense? I am going to close my eyes and see the vision.... I will think it and hopefully it will come true. If nothing else , many life lessons to be learned on the journey.

Talk to you soon,

Courtney

Finally a new piece......

I have just put this in my etsy shop. I have a million projects in the works , I just have been so slow at finishing them. I usually take the kids out during the day and after dinner , showers , family time...... I am either so tired my work time has been very unproductive. Maybe that is too strong a word..... perhaps distracted. I hope to kick it in gear and tie up these loose ends. I need to start crossing things off my list or I am going to go crazy. Anyone else have those lists in there head that keep blinking like a neon sign?? Anyway it is a beautiful dry day and we are off to the Castle park. My boys are sooooo excited. My plan is to wear them out so that I can sneak in some time this afternoon.

Talk to you soon,

Courtney

Fire up the Grill!

Well, the food challenge did great. My big guy ate half a steak and had no reaction. We waited in the doctors office for 2.5 hours and finally ....... the verdict is he can have beef.

He was a bit cautious and said " I do not want to overdue it" so we will wait until next week to have him eat a steak. I am sure it will take awhile for him to feel totally comfortable. Once your told not to eat something because it will make you very sick..... it is hard to change gears.

I hope to have some new things posted in my shop soon...... summer has gotten the best of me!

Talk to you soon,

Courtney

High Hopes .......

My oldest ( now 8) has had severe food allergies since he was an infant. When he was 6 mos.old, he had been in the ER with several asthma attacks. He was covered with eczema and after they tested him they found that he was allergic to :

Dairy,egg, wheat, corn , beef , shellfish, soy, peanut, tree nut, sesame seeds ...... and later

Lamb,chick pea ,Dog, cat, all grasses, trees, penicillin and he has asthma.

He now can have wheat and corn . He gets hives from going outside after the grass is cut and his eyes swell and hives appear if he is around dogs. We have been careful and have really empowered him to monitor himself . He has had some close calls and been in the ER several times for cross contamination. We have had to be frank with him and let him know that it is serious and that he could die if he eats some of this food. It sounds scary to have this conversation with such a little person, however he is wise beyond his years. After being in the ER via ambulance he got the hint even without us saying anything.

Tomorrow , he is doing his 1st food challenge. His beef numbers are low enough to perhaps clear him from avoidance. We have high hopes. He is a bit nervous ( so am I ), but if nothing changes we will just wait . If the news is good..... Well hooray! It gives us another protein to give him as well as gelatin products ( contain beef ). Keep your fingers crossed for us.

In the grand scheme of things , I will take this over anything else. He is healthy , smart and very sweet. I am very lucky!

Talk to you soon,

Courtney

I found the cutest little blank books perfect to collage. They are 2.5 x 3 inches and have natural lined paper on the inside. I think they would be perfect for inspirational thoughts , important #'s or info that you might need on the go, really whatever. My dilemma...... I bought the last 6 the craft store had and they can not tell me when or if they will get anymore. They will not tell me their vendor and I have searched high and low online and can find nothing. I am going back next week so keep your fingers crossed they will have more. I do not think I will have these in my etsy shop..... I might take them to my favorite little store " The Muse" in town.

**** Snake update.... the snake was spotted yesterday crossing the road and going into my rock wall in the front flower bed. Despite my husband and snake charmer friends best efforts, the snake got away. We have place moth balls all around our house ( they hate moth balls ). The sad news.... we not only had many chipmunks , but many birds as well. Neither are here!

Talk to you soon!

Courtney