Creating in Chaos....

Yesterday after my rust experiment went ga-futz-na (HB's favorite word!)I decided to just play in the studio....and I had fun and got dirty and then took a little break. While I was sitting there the phone rang and it was my BFF Gail who lives in Florida. We ended up talking for about two hours!!!! We both agreed that we don't call each other often enough.

So after that looooong conversation (where we laughed and talked about art and everything else under the sun) I went back up to the studio and took a look a what I'd been doing. Can you imagine trying to be creative in this....



(LOL) Have you ever seen such a mess?! And I'm doing art journal pages! When I paint I like to do several pages at a time so that means having the space to lay them out somewhere so they can dry while I'm working on another one.



That's my work space! And believe it or not, I cleaned and straightened that whole area yesterday!



Those two pages were pages I'd "painted" before but that only meant they had a couple of colors of paint smudged around on them. I tried going back and layering more colors and textures but I'm still not happy with them.



These two I'm liking better although I don't think I'm finished with them. But at least I'm experimenting and trying some things....all thanks to Julie.

And if you tuned in yesterday and saw my rust experiment don't worry....Doreen came to the rescue and I've produced some rusted papers! I'll show them to you tomorrow.

Experiment Gone Awry!!!

After all that partying I thought I'd better get down to doing some art!! A few days ago my friend, Doreen did a post about rusting steel wool and then using that to rust paper. She sent me the directions and this morning I got everything together to have a rusty, fun time.



Doreen said to put the steel wool in a container, add some water and then put vinegar all over it and it would immediately begin to rust.



This photo was taken maybe 10 minutes after I did what she told me and, as you can see nothing happened!!!! Does anyone know what I did wrong?? Doreen, help!! I was all ready to rust some watercolor paper for several projects I had in mind. Is my steel wool too fine? I used white vinegar....should I have used apple cider vinegar? I first tried this with the steel wool in a throwaway aluminum pan and then thought maybe the aluminum reacted in some way so I transferred it all to a glass pan. Still nothing!

Now all I have to show you is one weird drawing....



She's a little odd but I like her just for a quickie drawing!

Monday Morning After....and the Winner

Yawn!!!! Sorry I'm so late this morning....I slept in because I was up so late going to all the parties after the awards. I drank way too much champagne and danced into the wee hours of the morning. Those shoes killed my feet but they sure looked good! I had a fabulous time and saw tons of stars. Johnny kept me out way past my bedtime but it was worth it!

Now down to business. Today is the day I announce the winner of my blog anniversary giveaway. I used random.org again and....drum roll, please....here is the sequence it picked....



So Snap you're my winner! Congratulations to you....and thanks to everyone for entering my giveaway. I wish I could give each one of you the subscription but sadly my finances won't allow that!
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Here's my drawing for the day....



Hope you all have a great Monday!!

It's a Big Day in Hollywood!....

Are you going? Do you have a dress....a date? What am I talking about, you ask! Why the Academy Awards, of course!! This is the big day. Tonight all the biggest names in Hollywood will get all gussied up and parade in front of the cameras, posing in their finery for all the world to see.

Since I am most definitely one of the biggest names in Hollywood....excuse me....what do you mean, they don't know who I am! Well, of course they do.

Shopping was a nightmare this year. I must have tried on a hundred dresses until I found the perfect one. (In this scenario I can be any size and any age I want so the sky's the limit!) Here is the dress I'm wearing tonight....



Well, of course it's purple! What color did you think I'd wear?!! And I'll be wearing these shoes....



Thank goodness this is all happening in my head because if I tried to wear these in real life I'd probably break my neck!

This year I had a tough time choosing my date. I thought about going with....



cutie pie, Matt Damon. Ever since I saw him in the Bourne movies I've had a crush on him! Then I thought about going with one of my bad boys from Lost....



But I wasn't sure he had a tux! And then how would it look to have that chest showing at a formal event! I'd be very distracted. So I decided to go with my favorite....



Johnny is always classy and handsome, and he's my all-time favorite date for the Academy Awards. He's taken me several times before.

Now if you'll excuse me I have to get my hair done, a manicure and pedicure, and I think I might need a massage to relax before the big event. Busy day for all us glamorous Hollywood types!

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Now back to reality! I worked in the studio last night and I made a journal page that I'm very happy with. I haven't done any journaling on it yet but I like the background....



I sort of followed a tutorial that Julie had on her blog awhile back. I did some things differently and added a few things that Julie didn't do but overall it's her direction that got me going. Thanks, Julie!

Another "Honey Do"....And Another Gift

First of all, HB wants me to tell all the other husbands out there that he only did this under duress! When I posted recently about my new ceiling fan a few of you wrote asking if you could "borrow" HB or maybe even clone him! Sorry....he's all mine!

You're probably wondering what that was all about. Well, I had another little "honey do" for HB and he finished it a few days ago. My studio is one of the upstairs bedrooms and unfortunately for me, it's the warmest room in the house all year round....hence the ceiling fan. But that's only half the solution. In the summer when it's HOT we usually use our swamp cooler rather than the central air. And in order for it to work, you have to have windows open a little bit in each room you want cooled so the air can circulate.

I keep the studio door closed all the time because of the cats. They get in there and cause mass disruption! So with the door closed I get no air circulation and the studio is unusable during the summer.

Solution!!



Yep! That's HB installing a screen door on my studio!



And here's a little peek from the hallway. (Don't mind the stuff along the wall....we hadn't cleaned up from the installation.) You may think I'm crazy for doing this inside but it was the only solution we could come up with. And it can easily be removed if we ever sell the house. I'm sure there aren't too many other people who would want a screen door on a bedroom!! But it works for me. Now I can keep the cats out and have cool air in the summer. Plus I feel less cut off from the rest of the house. I love it.

And now I promise to give HB (and all the other hubbys) a break for awhile.

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Right after I finished this post the mailman brought another package from the OWOH giveaways. This time it was from Emily and it was these gorgeous serving pieces....



I thought when I won that it was for one set but when I opened the package there were two sets! Aren't they wonderful?! Thank you, Emily!! They will be used, for sure.

Lucky Me....

I'm such a lucky gal! I won several items in the OWOH giveaways and yesterday two of them arrived. It was like Christmas all over again when the doorbell rang and I saw a package sitting there with my name on it!

First of all, I received a beautiful pendant and earrings from the oh so talented Beth. I was surprised and happy to win a gift from another blogger that I know. As always, Beth sent a lovely package containing all of this....



And here's a close-up of the pendant....



Isn't it just beautiful?!! Thanks, Beth! You always create fantastic art.

Then later in the day a package arrived from Sandy. I won this incredible wall plaque from her....



The picture doesn't do it justice. And grapes (being as how they're purple!!) are one of my favorite foods, and I love using them in decorating so this plaque will have a special place in our dining room. Thank you, Sandy!

And I also recently received a lovely card from another OWOH participant. This was not a "win" item but a thank you for following her blog. Here is the card and piece of art that Nancy sent me....



I love her art! If you have a chance click on the links (their names) and go visit these incredible artists. You won't be sorry.

1 - 2 - 3....It's Party Time!!!!

It's party time! That's because today The Lavender Loft is three years old! I made it through the terrible twos and now it's on to whatever they call the threes!



I baked a cake just for you. And then I brought out the party hats....


Sorry about the quality of the photo!!

And now it's time for a toast to all my readers, new and old.



Some of you have been with me from the start and others have joined in along the way. I opened the door to Blogland, stepped inside, and discovered a whole new world. A world of encouragement, support, friendship, and so much more than I could ever have dreamed possible. There are times when I don't keep in contact like I should and emails go unanswered for awhile but that is never because I've lost interest in you. Life sometimes has a habit of getting in the way!

So to thank all of you for being with me through these past three years I'm going to do a little repeat of my last giveaway. If you leave a comment on this post anytime until Sunday night (Feb 22) at midnight you will be entered for a chance to win a one year digital subscription to either Cloth Paper Scissors or Quilting Arts.

I had such a huge response on the last one that I felt I wanted to do it again for my regular readers....to give all of you a better chance at winning.

I'm looking forward to many more years here in Blogland. Thank you all for making it a fantastic journey.

It's Springtime in My Studio....

The sun is shining again although I think there's more rain coming. We can sure use it. The ground has been very hard and dry. I've been noticing a few more birds singing each day so I think spring is just around the corner.

Maybe that's what I was thinking about when I picked out the fan for my studio! It has a very springtime look to it. Here's HB busy at work on it....



And here it is all finished!



The last picture was taken at night so it isn't the best but I think you can see what it looks like. I'm very happy with it. I have a remote control so I can turn it off and on from my worktable.

None of the rooms in this house had a ceiling fan when we moved in. HB has added fans to the three bedrooms (including the one I use as my studio) upstairs. I love the fan in our bedroom....



Adding fans to high, sloping ceilings is not an easy task! Thank goodness HB is an electrician and can figure these things out! Now I'm happy with my fan in the studio....and a light, too. I have three desk type lamps in the studio that are ok for task lighting although I seldom work up there at night.

At night I usually sit in the family room with my moleskine and sketch faces like this one....



She's ok but somehow I'm not happy with her. She seems unfinished so maybe I'll work on her some more today.

A Rainy Day....

It's been raining since yesterday....on and off, sometimes quite heavy and then only a drizzle. I'm not complaining because we need it. Plus it was a great night to have a fire in the fireplace, a hot cup of tea and curl up on the couch to draw.

This gal appeared on my page....



I think she was out in the rain too long! Her flower wilted, her hair lost it's bounce and she looks rather bedraggled!

A Lazy Somewhat Creative Day....

It's a new week, and I'm feeling much better....more grounded and less sad about missing my son. Yesterday HB was busy studying for some updates he has to do for his licensing so I went off to the studio.

It was a nice day....not too cold, a little cloudy but the sun popped through several times and I had the window open just enough to get some fresh air. Ahhhh, peace and quiet! It was heaven. Oops! I forgot to mention that first thing yesterday morning I went out to Joann's and bought the Shades of Grey Pitt pens and I love them!!

I played around with several things not really doing anything special....a few ATCs were made, a couple of books were looked at and ideas came to me for things I'd like to do but mostly I just enjoyed my own company! Is that weird?

Late in the day I pulled out my moleskine and did another face. I like how she turned out....



I did some rough sketches for several more faces so they will be coming along later.

I hope you all had a great weekend....

Sunday Catch-up....

On Sunday I usually try to catch you up on what I've created over the past week, and also talk a bit about "12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women"....but this week hasn't been very creative. As many of you know, my son went home on Wednesday and that left a huge hole in my days not to mention my heart.

And then I looked around the house and began noticing all the art supplies scattered everywhere. While M was here I would bring small items downstairs to work on so we were together. There were drawing pens in the family room along with colored pencils, my little Busy B scissors were in the dining room with some papers, yarn could be found in just about every room....well, I think you get the idea! So I began gathering up everything and moving it back to the studio. Whew! Big job! I'm glad that's done and I can now get in there to create.

WRONG!! Guess when HB decided to put up the ceiling fan that he's been promising me for quite some time! Yep! He picked yesterday to do it! So I had to clear out the center of the studio so he could get the ladder in there and cut a hole in the ceiling. Since there was cutting involved I had to make sure there wasn't anything below that could get messed up by the falling dusty debris.

So here's what my "creative" week ended up like....


Particularly boring photo but you can see the hole in the ceiling. Today I need to go pick out the fan I want installed.



That's the table under the window and a bit of simple crochet I've started. I'm making a large bag to carry my yarn projects. I got the idea from a blog I just recently discovered. Vallen had a link on her blog and I went over to check it out and absolutely fell in love with the gorgeous colors and crochet....take a look and see if you don't agree. Attic 24 is located here.

And just so you don't all think I live in sunshine and warm temperatures all the time here in Southern California, this is what happened on Friday....



I left this photo big so you can click on it and maybe see the snowflakes falling! This is the second time it has snowed here this winter! And that is very unusual. The rest of the time we've had a very mild winter with lots of sunshine and higher than normal temperatures.

Thanks for stopping by....I hope you enjoyed your visit. Come back again and hopefully I'll have some art to show you. I'll be creating under a brand new ceiling fan!

The Big Day is Here....

The big day has arrived! This is when I announce the winner of the one year digital subscription for either Cloth Paper Scissors or Quilting Arts.

I first tried to put all the names in my funky hat....



but after a few days I realized the hat wasn't big enough to hold them all! So I decided to use the random generator to pick a number but I wore the funky hat while doing it!!



So without further ado the lucky winner is Veleta! Congratulations!

And thank you to everyone who participated in my giveaway. I had 445 entries!!! Things have been so hectic throughout this event that I haven't had a chance to visit many blogs, new or old, but now that it has concluded I will be able to cruise around Blogland. I made a copy of all 911 participants in the OWOH giveaway and will begin visiting them whenever time allows.

On another subject, my son left to go back home yesterday. He had been here since early November and I got used to having him here. When I woke up this morning and realized he was gone, I felt sad. Now he's back home in Alaska and returns to work bright and early Monday morning. But I'm thankful for all the time we got to spend together and all the long talks we had while he was here. During all those long hours that HB worked, my son was here to keep me company. It was a great visit.

Now I'm going to spend some alone time in the studio and see what I can come up with. More tomorrow....

To all my friends in Australia....

Picture from the web


I hope you're safe from the wildfires raging through your country, and I hope you get some relief from the blazing temperatures you've been experiencing.

My thoughts are with you and I'll be doing a little rain dance to see if that helps!!

Stay safe, my friends.

Playing in the Studio....

We've been having rainy weather and that always makes be feel as if time is creeping by. We need the rain so I'm not complaining but gray days sure don't make me feel like doing much except curling up with a good book!

I've been working in my art journals....trying out different techniques. I had saved a bunch of art journal tutorials so I printed them all out and put them in a binder for the studio. I've been following along with them and creating some new pages. Today I worked on a couple that are turning out ok. I don't think they're finished yet but here's what I have so far....



and this is the facing page....



The little words along the left say "The right look for every occasion"....I'm not sure this gal got the message!!

I like the second one best although I love the swirls on the first one. I'm sure I'll add more to both of these and I didn't write anything on them yet....that's why I could show them to you! Like a dummy I've been doing pages and then writing sometimes very personal thoughts and then I don't want to show them! This time I caught myself before I wrote anything!!

I keep trying to find the techniques I love for this type of art. I think if I keep playing around with different things I'll hit on my own style....at least I hope so!

The Colors of My Rainbow....

It's February and I'm not sure what happened to January! I haven't got anything creative to show you....I did more "private" work in my art journals over the weekend. I have to admit I'm getting bogged down by the OWOH giveaway. I have let other things slide by due to the time it's taking. I've been keeping up with my reading of "12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women" but I haven't done any posts about it or done much of the "homework" involved. And I have been doing fairly good with staying creative every day but a lot of it has involved that private art journal. The other place where I've been creative is in the kitchen! Those of you who know me will be surprised by that statement!! I don't enjoy cooking and usually say I'm allergic to kitchens! But with two guys in the house I've been stepping up to the plate (how'd you like that little pun!) and cooking more. And of course the baking has continued....but I like to bake.

I'm not sure I've mentioned it but HB is home. The looooong hours at work have ended and he is laid off now. The project is not going to make its deadline so they're cutting way back and that meant a lot of lay offs. So HB is home doing some little chores that got put off while he was working those crazy hours.

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While trying to get caught up on blog reading I came across this little quiz thingie....and you know how I love these things! I saw it on freebird's blog and it looked like fun since it's about colors. So here it is:

Your rainbow is intensely shaded yellow, violet, and red.

What is says about you: You are a creative person. You appreciate optimism. You're good at getting people to like you. You get bored easily and want friends who will keep up with you.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

I think this sounds a bit like me....and at least there's a mention of violet!

NOTE - I'm not sure why the rainbow colors aren't showing!! I copied it completely and it showed up at first but now is gone!! Computer gremlins strike again!!!