Dec 31, 2008

I'm content tonight . . .

It's New Year's Eve - it's approaching the new year in less than an hour and I am alone (everyone else has gone to their own rooms), listening to music and making stuff. A couple of Michelob Ultra's (just a couple!), good music cranked up, tummy full from the best grilled cheese sandwich I've ever had (from dear hubby and I say it every time he makes one for me), foggy outside, warm inside, 3 dogs at my feet, and nothing but art to think about - pure contentment.

Drops . . .


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 12/31/08
5 x 7 collage using a vintage black and white photo, reprinted and carefully trimmed and hand-colored and placed on a geisha body from suppliestogo.etsy.com with wings also from suppliestogo.etsy.com and arranged with old illustrations on a watercolored and scrap pieced background.

Happy New Year!

I wish you all the very best of everything, all you can imagine, and all that you desire in the new year! Cheers!

Moving Slowly with 3 Wishes . . .


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 12/31/08
5 x 7 collage using vintage black and white photos, reprinted, carefully trimmed and slightly hand-colored arranged with a camel from suppliestogo.etsy.com, feathered wings from jackandcatcurio blogspot, bird's nest from lisasalteredart.etsy.com, and wings licensed from Butterfly Utopia, all on a watercolored background. The little fairy in the wishes is my grandmother.

copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 12/31/08
5 x 7 collage using vintage black and white photos, reprinted, carefully trimmed and slightly hand-colored arranged with wings from jackandcatcurio, nest from lisasalteredart, and leaves from imagesbykim, all on a watercolored background.

Dec 30, 2008

I'm not sure I'll do that again . . .

Ho Hum Fairies . . .


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen
5 x 7 collage using vintage black and white photos reprinted, carefully trimmed and hand-colored and arranged with my own personally created striped trim, wings licensed by Butterfly Utopia, flowers and circles from Anahata Katkin's Spare Parts, and vases from an old illustration book on a watercolored background.


I'm a nervous wreck! I don't know how you journalers do it! I had several pieces of this cut out all day then I'd leave it all while, not sure what to put in the blank space - composition hanging me up all day. Then I thought (for some odd reason) I would add words like journalers do. I haven't kept an art journal since college so this was a gigantic step. I still have a rolly polly tummy from adding words to this piece. I don't have the stomach to lay something out and then mess it up in the word drawing part (which I kinda did)! I REALLY don't know that I am cut out for journaling, with words anyway. Well, here's my faux journal page (since I don't really have a journal).

This is where I am . . .

The key word here is I.

I am studying. Cramming. I am not blog hopping or commenting my buddies as I should be (and I feel guilty! I will catch up soon, I promise. I AM thinking of you all). I am cocooning. I am very self involved. I am focused and scattered at the same time. (I've watched too much House - feel like I am looking for an illusive illness - note I am just about to add the theme song to my new playlist) I am so dramatic lately and I HATE drama! I've pulled out book upon book looking, absorbing - my space is a mess of evidence in searching. I've been exploring flickr, hours pass. I've been looking for new music. I've been trying things so big for me but in little baby steps, hardly noteworthy to most. I am on the verge of something, not extraordinary, but something different, a new direction surfacing just a wee bit. I am eclectic. I am frustrated. Something is different in me. I can see it, but I can't make it, can't make it my own, in my own visual words. I am collecting pieces, ideas. I am searching. I like sweet and simple, I like quirky and complicated and I want to go there, just a little for now. I shall return.

By the way, I've decided in my recent self reflection to focus on art and not another job . . . yet. I am still waiting to find out about my dad's surgery in January and won't make any plans or change directions until after that. So, I'm trying to work towards the next level in my art, so to speak, at least for now. I am so wishy washy. What is wrong with me? (I'm not really asking you . . . I am asking myself a lot of things lately)

Dec 29, 2008

Cheery Fairy . . .


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 12/29/08
3 3/4 x 4 3/4 collage using a vintage picture, reprinted and hand-colored, and arranged with wings licensed by Butterfly Utopia and pieces altered from Anahata Katkin's Spare Parts on a watercolored background.

copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 12/29/08
3 3/4 x 4 3/4 collage using a vintage photo, reprinted, carefully trimmed, and slightly hand-colored, arranged with wings licensed by Butterfly Utopia and a clock face from Collage Elements on a watercolored background.
Power Fairy . . .


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 12/29/08
5 x 7 collage using vintage images, reprinted and carefully trimmed and hand-colored, arranged on a watercolored background.

Dec 28, 2008

Power over me . . .


copyright 12/28/08 by Marsha Jorgensen
5 x 7 collage using vintage pictures reprinted, then carefully trimmed and hand-colored and arranged with vintage and handmade paper scraps on a watercolored background.

I'm out of it . . .

I deleted my long whiny post I put up this morning cuz I am really feeling private and self pitying at the moment. Don't you hate self pity? I am definitely not in my best frame of mind. But still alive, just very self involved and loathing. It's amazing how low you can get after letting yourself do nothing but think for a couple of days. You wouldn't want me to visit your blog right now, trust me, even though I am tempted (I'm afraid I will make everything about me right now and that would be rude) - I'll be back in a few minutes or hours or days . . . . who knows. Thinking of you all and miss you (really and truly) and will get all caught up soon.
Marsha

Dec 27, 2008

I'm alive . . .



I spent yesterday on the couch watching the (Dr.) House marathon. I love that show. Today is an NCIS marathon. I like that show, don't love it, but may fake it so I can lay on the couch all day again. I'm tired. As I lay there I do THINK about art and making it. Have some new ideas floating around, things I'd like to try. But, I'm in that mode of, "I have other things I should do before I make art and I don't feel like doing those things so I'm going to lay on the couch and feel guilty about not doing anything".

I'll snap out of it, eventually.

Dec 24, 2008

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!


I have been running around, like everyone else I guess, finishing up what needs to be finished before tomorrow. I've made several collages but they are TOP SECRET and I cannot post them yet - gifts for family and friends who just might stop by here before they open their presents.

Today only has a few chores to do. I try to get most everything done by Christmas Eve except for helping Santa with stockings tonight. (and of course cooking all day tomorrow). On the 24th, I try to keep it simple, sleep in a little late, watch movies with the kids, play games, bake a little, pig out on party food and make more party food for tomorrow, enjoy the lights and decorations, and watch the kids inspect their presents (yes, my older kids still do that). We have a tradition of getting burgers from a local diner on Christmas Eve - no cooking, just relaxing. Christmas Day is always a marathon and then it's all over. So, today is my favorite part of Christmas.

Anyway, I'll be thinking of all of you today and tomorrow and hoping Santa brings you wealth, good health, and all good things for the next year. I hope you get everything your heart desires including contentment with what you already have in your life. I'll probably be blog hopping a bit on and off today with personal messages too. Wishing you the best!
Marsha

Dec 19, 2008

I think this will be my Christmas fairy . . .

But, I don't know. I still have a mess all over the house that may turn into a better one.

Christmas Fairy . . .


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 12/19/08
3 3/4 x 4 3/4 collage using a vintage image from lisasalteredart.etsy.com and wings used under a license agreement with Butterfly Utopia, manipulated in Photoshop, reprinted, carefully trimmed, and slightly hand-colored and arranged on a watercolored background.

I make my collages intended for a matte so I have to make sure everything fits in the window. I forgot and scanned it with the matte at first so thought I'd show you how it looks.

How did I end up with this?

I started out making a red and green Christmas fairy for my cards. Maybe it's a "Blue Christmas"?

Fairy with the Blues . . .

copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 12/19/08
5 x 7 collage using a vintage image reprinted, carefully trimmed and hand-colored, wings under license agreement with Butterfly Utopia, watercolored and hand made trim and pieces on a watercolored background.


Now I have to get back to work and find my Christmas fairy idea and I'm really supposed to be doing the mountain of laundry int hallway. Maybe I do have the blues.

Dec 18, 2008

Check out Suzan . . .

Have to do a little PR for another very talented artist I've been stalking (sorry Tace and Linda Crispell, you are not the only ones but you are both special to me and each have your own shrine wall in my (imaginary) basement worthy of a CSI investigation team or FBI profiler visit). Suzan doesn't need any more PR but I want to share her with you (so you can help me stalk her properly) and because she is just too good to miss - you'd be missing out if I didn't link you up.

Suzan Buckner, Thrifty Collage Artist, is just about to hit the newstands in Stampington's newest magazine Art Journaling coming out in January. She won't tell the public this, but I happen to know that Somerset has asked her, not the other way around, to publish 3 times and she finally agreed. As she should have! And, I'm glad Stampington kept at her because she is a great asset for them to have in their pocket. Her work is absolutely amazing and I have never met a more prolific artist - beautiful complex intricate pieces done everyday in several mediums.

Not only does Suzan make this incredible art, but she takes time to mentor beginning artists like me. She has been so real and sweet and honest and helpful and wise. God led me to her, I have no doubt. What I did to deserve her help, I have no idea. Just like Linda Crispell has been to me, she has been generous and kind and so encouraging. People like Suzan and Linda have a bigger impact on the lives around them than they realize. Anyhoo, you really need to check out her work and if you have time, introduce yourself and leave her a congratulations comment.

I have to show you something . . . .



I am really slow figuring some things out. Assuming I have viewers other than Tace, I have to show you something I just discovered. Let me tell you some background. I met Tace through Ginny's Small Studio. I was immediately taken with her and promptly started stalking her. I am not a very good, experienced, or thorough stalker, but I did my best . It was her writing that took me in and made me a fan/groupie. Her blog fascinated me and I gobbled up the stories of her husband wanting bottled sea water and the search for the perfect dishdrainer, two of my favorite Tace stories and I shyly but frequently left comments. I wasn't shy long. Her comments to my comments were as much fun as anything I have ever experienced. It took me a visit or two before I realized she had an Etsy store but that was when I was still learning my way around blogs and Etsy. I was interested that she barely mentioned her art or Etsy while I practically begged people to look at my art in a million different places. I assumed she had a booming business and didn't need to sell herself too much (well, not herself - I mean her art).

Anyway, it was only this morning, sparked by something she wrote in a comment that I found her website (I had added snow to my blog and she mentioned that hubby added custom made special snow to her website so I went to her blog and finally realized what I thought was just a logo was a link to her website). What a delight! I mean it is scrumptious! Now I have finally put a few things together, hubby (maybe hubby AND Tace) designs websites (and I now know where to go when I am ready to actually have one - the snow is amazing by the way, Tace - that's what I was looking for). Tace's website is every bit as fun as I would have expected it to be, a virtual theme park of websites. Her art, which is incredible, can bee seen in such detail and in such a fun presentation. So you HAVE to go look . . . http://alittlecharacter.com/index.html Now, Tace, you need to let us know how to hire your husband or at least give us a link to his website.

Dec 17, 2008

I'm stuck . . .

. . . at home. It's been just pouring and I don't want to take my many packages to mail cuz there's no way they're not gonna get wet. And I don't want to put my spoiled California dogs out in the cold rain. Don't you people in snow and ice and freezing weather feel bad for me? Two of the dogs, mine, have kennels inside but not my mom-in-law's dog and I'm not sure what she'd do if I left her alone in the house. So, I made this while I wait for it to quit raining.


copyright 12/17/08 by Marsha Jorgensen
3 3/4 x 4 3/4 collage using a vintage photo, edited in photoshop, reprinted, carefully trimmed and hand-colored and arranged on a watercolored background.


And added snow to my blog (read the note on the upper right) and some fairy Christmas music to the playlist. If the snow doesn't work, just reload the page. I really wanted more of a blizzard instead of these delicate little flakes, but can't find the widget for that. I want it to pile up at the bottom of the screen until I eventually get my blog snowed in! I lived in South Dakota for many years so I know all about that! Anyway, wonder what else I can waste my time doing and put off the chores? I finished my Christmas letter last night. Now I just have to print and address. I'll do that tonight.

Dec 16, 2008

I need addresses . . .

I have Renae's, Tace's and Linda's whistle and prizes ready to mail tomorrow. I don't have anyone else's address. So, if you want your whistle, you "100th post" prize winners, email me!

Dec 15, 2008

Prize Drawing Results . . .

For all of you that commented my "100th post" post, here are the prize drawing results . . .

The surprise part promised . . . Teresa, Renae, Marcia, Sandra, Tace, Cindy, Linda, and Vicki - you all win an Oscar Mayer Weiner whistle because everyone should have at least one. Suzan and Jill, you get one too even though you didn't comment because you usually do and have just been crazy busy. I had 10 comments on this post and only 2 of them were mine! Much better than my usuall 1 or 2 comments and 5 of my own. I may give prizes away more often! You all sucked up sufficiently and entertained me in a worthy manner. So, you have your choice of either a glow in the dark whistle or a regular weiner-colored one (whatever you call that color). Just send me your address - you can email me at marsha@tumblefishstudio.com and I will have them on their way in the next couple of days.

For the grand prize of a smile on a stick AND a glow in the dark weiner whistle, we will draw this name fair and square . . . and the weiner, I mean winner is . . . . as I reach into my hat to draw . . .


Isn't the antipation killing you? The grand prize winner is Renae also known as stampsalot87! Yay, Renae, my old hiking and costume party pal!

I have Christmas stuff to finish the next day or two so if I don't show up here, never fear. And, I may, can't ever tell when I will get the uncontrollable urge to create or post or both! Have a good week everybody and good luck getting everything done that you need to. Remember to take care of yourself with some down time too!

Dec 14, 2008

One more day . . . and today's events

You have one more day to comment my "I guess I hit 100" post and enter the prize drawing! We'll draw late tomorrow evening and I'll post the results along with some surprises! Remember, you could win these prizes . . .


Today I went to the Rose Bowl Flea Market with my daughter and good friends. They were Christmas shopping in the new stuff so I didn't get to look quite as much as I would've liked in the antique stuff but they were very patient to let me do some quick loops through the good stuff. I did find a little tin fish mold, which I collect (and I'll post pictures of someday), and these vintage bottle labels. You are welcome to copy these and use them however you'd like. (You can click on the images to make them larger then save - I scanned at 2400 dpi so they should be pretty sharp for you)





We then attempted to go to the mall and continue shopping after that, but the parking lot alone with all of its traffic directors and angry honking drivers scared us away - no telling what chaos we would have found in the mall itself. So, we went to have a late lunch at a favorite and famous spot in Los Angeles . . .







If you watch the beginning of Little Miss Sunshine, you will see them bring home and have dinner around just such a bucket of fried chicken. You will also see the exact same painting hanging over their fireplace that we have hanging over ours - something my hubby's parents bought when they first bought this house around 1965.





I am only postponing folding white clothes (my absolute least favorite to fold - so many socks to match up) and writing that darn Christmas letter. First, I am going to do some online shopping, then fold. Tomorrow I HAVE to go shopping and find something for my dad so I can mail their box off and then I have to go to an event for someone else tomorrow night. I hate not having time to make art.

Follow up on ". . . I'm angry" post - I did get a very apologetic and nice thorough message from the seller today. Still no postcard, but I am convinced she did her best and I am the victim of "lost mail". Feel much better about the whole situation.

Saturday evening with no wings . . .

We went to our favorite Japanese restaurant this evening - I am so full. Mom-in-law is mixing and baking Christmas bread. Husband is nearby watching "It's a Wonderful Life" which we usually only watch on Christmas Eve as our tradition, but we felt like watching it tonight too. I should be writing my Christmas letter - keep putting it off and have to do it soon because we moved since last year. This is what I'm working on instead.


copyright 12/13/08 by Marsha Jorgensen
3 3/4 x 4 3/4 collage on watercolored paper using a reprinted vintage picture, edited in photoshop and then further colored by hand and then trimmed, Dover clipart pieces, and trim made by hand.


I'm going to the Rose Bowl Flea Market in the morning with friends, rain or shine. Don't know that I'll buy anything. I have so much vintage art "stuff" and don't use much of it but the pictures and I really need to be selling "stuff" (like my 288 Oscar Mayer weiner whistles) instead of buying more "stuff". We'll see - it's always fun to look.

I'm not happy - I'm a little angry . . .

VENTING . . . Unless there are gunshots flying or near electrocution incidents, I try to stay upbeat about things, not so whiny and more about art than personal biz. But, . . . .

As many of you know, I invest a lot of money in vintage postcards that I scan and then use in my artwork. Well, I bought a particular postcard on ebay November 13 - paid for it within seconds. On November 28, I emailed the seller to ask if it had been shipped yet - it was coming from Texas, not Sweden like many that I order, so two weeks was plenty of time. I got a message saying it had just been mailed. I still haven't received it. Today, I messaged again. I got the most flippant response. It basically said that I am a flake (because one of her other customers was once), "(she) already told me once that (she) mailed it", and I must have gotten it and misplaced it, but the best part was . . . I "should check with (my) mail carrier". I don't know about you all, but here in LA, my mail carrier does not keep track of the 10,000 pieces of mail (mostly junk) I get in a month. Maybe I'm not leavin' a good enough Christmas tip, I don't know.

Next, she obviously couldn't fathom that I have our books (and we have a lot) in Dewey Decimal Classification System order - (honestly, I do). My dvd's, videos, and wii games are all in alphabetical order - I'm not as uptight about those. My husband uses me as a party trick - "give her a subject and she'll give you the Dewey Decimal number like that" (snapping his fingers) (and I can) (and we're thinking of going on tour with this act as it is so very entertaining). I can produce receipts from 10 years ago for every single thing I purchased except fast food (throw those away). I have all of my children's baby teeth in individual envelopes, dated, and in order. I have all of the Christmas cards I've received for the last five years in individual bundles in a box marked "previous years' received Christmas cards". I organize my socks by color and my jeans by brand name. I don't think I misplaced a single postcard I spent more than $10 for and was waiting to use (it had a fish in it for goodness sake!)

I'm angry that instead of assuming all of that, she assumed I was a flake. I advised her in an email tonight that usually the customer is right, just in case she hadn't heard that little customer service tip. And, I went on, I have no way of knowing that she didn't mail the card to the wrong person since she seems so incredibly organized in mailing things 2 weeks after they were paid for. I'm angry that instead of suggesting she would double check, she asked me to double check that I hadn't received it and misplaced it. If she would've said, "I'm so sorry you haven't received it. Out of concern, I double checked here, have the postage receipt, have a note that I mailed it, etc." I would have accepted that it was lost in the mail and too bad, so sad for me. But no, I must be a flake and don't know my head from my you know what. It might, just might be between her car seats as she suggested it might be between mine. (though I never take my mail to my car - not sure who gets their mail and then puts it in their car but that is not currently my way of organizing correspondence.)

I am feelin' F-E-I-S-T-Y tonight. Don't mess with me, sistas. Maybe I should go take this feistiness out on my hubby (if you know what I mean!) (I've been married long enough I get to be shocking like that now and then . . . and I think about being feisty so often - being pre-menopausal, 15 lbs. overweight, summer tan faded, and prematurely gray (and bad haircut, Cha Cha)

Now watch, the person I am venting about is one of my only blog readers. Just my luck. How many of you live in Texas and sell vintage postcards? (gulp) Just so I know for future posts. I don't mean her any ill will, I really don't. I am just frustrated. I've learned a bit of customer service do's and dont's from this myself.

Dec 12, 2008

Holiday ATC's for kids . . .

Wait - commercial first, in case you don't read to the end - Don't forget about the giveaway in last night's post!

Okay, back to the topic at hand. I've told you before that I teach an artist trading card class on Friday afternoons at the neighborhood school. I have about 20 K-6th graders that come each week. We've been working on the Elements of Art and Principles of Design through different drawing and printing techniques. We just made our 1st collage a couple of weeks ago. I thought it was time to teach them about fairies. Are you surprised? We're going to make Christmas fairies today.

You can get matte sticker paper at your local office supply store - 30 sheets for around $12 I think. I made sets of collage pieces and printed them on the sticker paper in quarter sections. I cut the sections apart so that each child will get everything they need to make one ATC in a quarter size sticker paper section.



(I had to watermark this example so I didn't violate other people's copyrights)

I am lucky that everyone celebrates the same holiday so it made it simple for me to do this. If you have a multi-cultural class that celebrates more than one holiday, you'll have to take that into consideration and make appropriate sticker sheets. You could do icey winter colors and make winter ATC's if nothing else.

I recently bought digital collage sheets from lisasalteredart's shop. They are great! You can't beat $2 a sheet for lots of adorable children with backgrounds already cut away for you. I used Lisa's children but I zoomed in and cropped away arms and legs so that kids didn't have so much to cut around. I made hats using some labels from my Dover clipart and cropped them in photoshop. The wings I used for this project I actually paid a licensing fee to use in my art (since I use wings in every darn thing I make, it was worth it). I'm sure you can find some wings though. Lisa has wings too and so does Suppliestogo.etsy.com and Greatmusings.etsy.com. The stripes and word boxes I made in microsoft publisher.

After I got the pieces laid out - I printed on the sticker paper in draft quality. The kids aren't going to care too much about the quality and ink is expensive. It took minutes to print out 15 sheets - enough for my kids to make 3 fairy ATC's each - one to trade and two to keep. Another few minutes to trim the sheets to quarter sheet size sets. And, it took minutes to make my sample - kept it simple so kids see what they are going to make, nothing fancy no extras. We are using old playing cards as backgrounds since they are already festively red. (okay, it is driving me crazy not to color in, shade, glitter, add more elements, and "trick this card out" as my kids would say, but logistics wouldn't allow the kids to do that, so . . . )



The biggest challenge with young kids is the cuttin out part. You have to remind them to move the paper around not their scissors or hands. I'm sure we'll have some lopped off heads and ears, but I have extras and we'll talk about Picasso too.

Anyhoo - if you needed an idea for a winter party activity for a classroom, there ya go. No glue, no mess and trading encouraged.

Don't forget about the giveaway in the post below!

Dec 11, 2008

I guess I hit 100! That means prizes!

Wow. Words fly and posts fly. I had no idea. I was snooping around ZNE tonight and saw someone's blog-versary giveaway and thought "gee, I wonder how many posts I've made". I honestly thought it was like 60 something. I don't pay attention. So, I went and looked and "marie fixed" was 100 - how un-spectacular is that? I'm so boring.

I don't have enough readers for a BIG celebration. I love my loyal and cream of the crop followers more than they know, but I get like 1-4 comments a post unlike some of your 39 comments or more. As I said, I'm boring. So, anyone that comments this message has a very good chance of winning my little prize. (look at me begging for comments - I'm pathetic) So, even if you've never commented, maybe you're a blurker as I've heard them called, here's your chance - I'm practically on my knees pleading for comments.



The prize is a smile on a stick for all of those moments you feel you NEED to smile and just can't muster one up. Okay, and . . . , I mean AND with a capital A, a glow in the dark UNUSED Oscar Meyer Weiner whistle - still inthe package! Now, how cool is THAT! I don't have a picture of it and it's too dark to take one now so you'll have to deal with an ugly scan. I actually have 100's of these (and the non-glow traditional reddish ones too). You could sell it on ebay for like a gazillion dollars.



I think I will do a post on these whistles tomorrow. I digress. So, if you suck up, I'll put your name in the hat twice. If you REALLY suck up, I'll put it in 4 or 5 times. If no one comments this post, well, after a good cry I'll be happy I didn't give away two of my prize possessions. Happy 100th post, me! And, thanks to all of you that are hangin' in here with me! We'll do the drawing on Monday the 15th.

Marie fixed . . . .

I didn't like the first Marie's dress - I had colored it in with pencil and pastel and I felt it left the surface too misty or dusty looking and lost detail. This time I used a couple of layers of a very pale cool gray copic marker and reworked most of her very white dress to bring out the detail and tone down the white. New background colors too.

Marie again (fixed) . . . .

This one is in my Etsy . . .

Gwendolyn, twin of Genevive . . .


It's slightly different but I have had some inquiries about Genevive so I decided to try again since Genevive is currently unavailable. Still working on Marie.

Christine is fixed . . . .

I had her wings on wrong the first time . . .

Christine (fixed) . . .



Funny though, I think I like the first version better even if it is fairy anatomically incorrect. Now I'm redoing Marie cuz I think I got carried away with coloring her dress the first time and she is the only one in the series not touching the border at the top and that bugs me no end.

Dec 10, 2008

Fairy Opera Starlets . . .

A series I am preparing to submit soon. We'll see what happens . . .

Genevive . . .

3 3/4 x 4 3/4 collage using a digital vintage photo, and wings licensed by Butterfly Utopia, both manipulated in photoshop, reprinted, carefully trimmed, and re-colored and retouched by hand. These elements were arranged on a double background of watercolored paper with handmade trim.


Anna . . .

3 3/4 x 4 3/4 collage using a digital vintage photo, and wings licensed by Butterfly Utopia, both manipulated in photoshop, reprinted, carefully trimmed, and re-colored and retouched by hand. These elements were arranged on a double background of watercolored paper with handmade trim.

Marie . . .

3 3/4 x 4 3/4 collage using a digital vintage photo, and wings from Dover clipart, both manipulated in photoshop, reprinted, carefully trimmed, and re-colored and retouched by hand. These elements were arranged on a double background of watercolored paper with handmade trim.

Christine . . .

3 3/4 x 4 3/4 collage using a digital vintage photo from SuppliesToGo.etsy.com , and wings from Great Musings, all manipulated in photoshop, reprinted, carefully trimmed, and re-colored and retouched by hand. These elements were arranged on a double background of watercolored paper with handmade trim.

I just realized, Christine's wings are wrong - they should be in profile. I have no purple backgrounds made to do her over in time. Hmmm.

Dec 8, 2008

"Gold Stars" or in this case, a cute pink square . . .

Texas Scrap Addict, who is just about to be published in the new 2009 Zutter Bind-it-All Around the World book as its grand prize winner, bestowed upon me this very cool blog award! I am so excited - for me and for her accomplishment!



So, I am supposed to nominate 5 people I feel are deserving of this award as well. I'm not sure I deserve to be in their company, but they will have to forgive that of me. I'm also not sure of the original intent of this award - I have seen it on lots of different kinds of blogs - but this is who I nominate this time and why . . .

1. Suzan at Thrifty Collage Artist for her never ending support of everyone that crosses her path and her humongous successes in the art world. She is just about to be published in Stampington's newest publication, Art Journaling coming out in 2009. I think Suzan has gotten this award before but she doesn't have the award displayed on her blog and she is deserving enough to get it twice if that is indeed the case. She needs to put this little pink square gold star up on her page. She finds time to email and encourage me and I will never ever forget how much she has meant to me.

2. Linda Crispell because she has the classiest, "top shelf", most interesting, sweetest, creative, perfectly balanced, picture perfect blog I have seen. She, too, has been very supportive of me and so many others I have witnessed - certainly everybody's Pal. A real class act, grade A gal. I have nominated her for Artful Blogging - maybe you can too and we'll get her published despite her humility.

3. Tace from All Kinds of Stuff. She is the 21st century's version of Erma Bombeck for me. Life is a bowl of cherries with her. Tace is a brilliant and very funny writer that keeps me entertained on the dullest of days. She has quite a nice etsy shop too, ALittleCharacter.etsy.com She is a good and supportive friend (stalker) that lets me be a stalker right back without feeling too freaky about it. I have nominated Tace's blog for publication as well. I am quite taken with her.

4. Cha Cha at Noodleroux. Let me tell you about Cha Cha. This cool lady offered to pick me up at the airport and drive me three hours to my dad's hospital because she thought we could have a lot of laughs on the way - that may not sound right here but the context is not the same and that offer brought tears to my eyes - it was something that meant a lot to me that day. Though Cha Cha doesn't share art projects on her blog, she shares the project of life, her life in detail and with pure brave honesty. She shares this with the rest of us and she deals with it in the most charming creative and inspiring ways. I am forever a fan of Cha Cha's.

5. Saucy at Bloggedy Blog Blog. I don't know Saucy very well but she has a very impressive blog that oohs and awes me. It is very popular and gorgeous and chic and trendy and hip and perfect in every way. I am not a very big fish and relatively unknown so I'm not sure she'll even see this, but she definitely deserves the award though I am sure it is not the first time she's received it.

Here's the rules that were passed on to me . . .
1. The winner may put the logo on their blog.
2. Put a link to the person who sent you the award.
3. Nominate 5 blogs.
4. Provide links to their blogs.
5. Leave a message for your nominees.

Thank you, Vicki! Woohoo!

Dec 7, 2008

Back to plain jane work . . .

My favorite girl again - comforting to me tonight.


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen
3 3/4 x 4 3/4 collage using a vintage picture reprinted, carefully trimmed and hand-colored with partial wings f
rom suppliestogo.etsy.com also colored by hand, and arranged with hand made trim on watercolored paper.

And another familiar face . .


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen
3 3/4 x 4 3/4 collage using a vintage picture reprinted, carefully trimmed and hand-colored with wings from Dover clipart
, and arranged on watercolored paper.

Gun shot follow up, near electrocution, and boys . . .

The gun shots of previous post . . . the neighborhood did a full self induced investigation this morning. We saw no bullet holes, no casings, no dead bodies, no nothin' - nothin' worth our laytex gloves and ziploc baggies in hand (just kidding) - then one neighbor mentioned that their first reaction was that it was a block away and the way they came off seemed to be up in the air more, and some stupid fools, we have heard, have in the past shot into the air to celebrate something or other. Then a friend told us this evening that a big anticipated boxing match ended about the same time and someone may have won big and "celebrated". As far as the "hood" - yes, it is a part of Los Angeles but it is not as bad and scary as it might seem to folks out of state or unfamiliar. Like I said before, we know people within a few blocks that leave their keys in their very nice cars and their doors to the house wide open. I visited my dad in Mountain Grove, Mo. this last summer, somewhere I've visited all of my life, population about 4,000 - maybe 6 tops now - in the middle of the senior citizen bible belt complete with town square that reminds me of Andy Hardy movies - and just two weeks before we got there someone killed 3 others and himself just a block away in the newest "high end" custom built home neighborhood. When I lived in South Dakota, someone murdered someone in an interstate restroom, a complete stranger as far as they know - the first murder in the state in 20-30 years. We just moved from a very affluent high end suburb of LA (used to be the #1 safest city to live in in the nation many years running) and we heard gun shots a time or two there too. So, stuff happens everywhere, it just happened to happen too close for comfort last night, celebrating or not.

We got on with decorating this morning. We DiD get the tree done and various other things put out. Then, I decide it is muy importante to put garland lights over the oak bookcases. Of course, the outlet is behind one of the book cases. Grandma (my mom-in-law) and son and I carefully unlaod the books in order (I WAS a librarian) and stack them on the floor IN ORDER and move the cases after much grunting and groaning. First, we moved the wrong one - the outlet was behind the other one. We unload the second case (these are floor to ceiling, mind you) and get the flat plug extension cord, that I made my husband go get, plugged in and move the cases back and put the books all back in, IN ORDER. But, the cord is now stuck in a part of the very old floor heater next to the last book case. The pressure of the book case near one end, a very little corner, put pressure on the other end and trapped the cord. So, I pull and slide and pull and slide trying to get this little piece of cord out of the heater. Husband is outside fixing something else or this probably wouldn't have happened. I pull and slide and wiggle. Next thing I know there are fireworks going off and a loud zap, zap, zap sound and little sparks flying EVERYWHERE. In my brilliant pull, slide, wiggle manuever I managed to nearly electrocute myself and cause a fire as little sparks were flying floor to ceiling. Somehow, I was not hurt, nor did the house burn down. BUT, we did have to unload the book case again (only one this time) in a big fat hurry to make sure we werent' (I mean I wasn't) causing the whole electrical system in the wall to zap itslef into a good fire. This time, things did not get moved in order. No fire, another trip to Target for hubby, new cord, shelves moved back, books replaced IN ORDER again, lights put on top of case and plugged in. We're done! (And, I'm gonna think twice before I start decorating next year.)

Lastly, I'll share some pix that I just received from dear sister-in-law reconfirming the fact that boys NEED parents and the pix that explain why they do. Having a 17 year old son myself, some of these look vaguely familiar. My apologies if you've already received this email or seen this somewhere else.





And you also find out interesting things when you have sons, like...
1.) A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4 inches deep.

2! .) If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.

3.) A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

4.) If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.

5.) You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit.
A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.

6.) The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.

7.) When you hear the toilet flush and the words 'uh oh', it's already too late.

8.) Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.

9.) A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36- year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.

10.) Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old Boy.

11.) Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.

12.) Super glue is forever.

13.) No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

14.) Pool filters do not like Jell-O.

15.) VCR's do not eject 'PB & J' sandwiches even though TV commercials show
they do.

16.) Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

17.) Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

18.) You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.

19.) Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.

20.) The fire department in Austi TX has a 5-minute response time.

21.) The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.

22.) It will, however, make cats dizzy.

23.) Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

24.) 80% of Women will pass this on to almost all of their friends, with or without kids.

25.) 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid.