Why My Paper Dolls Have No Legs

 

 

 

 

I am such a goober! I woke up a little after 10 on the morning of 11/11/11 Veteran's day, 2011 with big bags under my eyes from sleeping so hard with dreams of sleeping late, cleaing the house and the Dinglewood scrambled dogs we had for supper (which were so good!). Nightmare about cleaing the house though! LOL I thought, "Oh, NO! I am late for the ladies breakfast at church! I am mad at myself for not setting my phone alarm and metally fussing at myself. I needed to wash my hair. I combed my bangs over to the side, began throwing on clothes, grabbing the Christmas rubber stamps I was to take for card making. I called Don to see where he was, telling him I was late for the breakfast & I was leaving Rhett here at the house until he could arrive. By then I was hot in my 3 layers of clothes. I dialed by BFF Nancy's daughter Tiffany's cell because it is easier to tell my phone to call her. Most of the time it when I say "Call Nancy" it thinks I said "Yancy"! LOL I usually get mad and holler "NO!" at it! Then dial it myself.

I tell Tiffany I am on my way. She goes ok-ay... and said something else like she didn't know I was coming or going anywhere. Then I said "Isn't today the ladies breakfast?" She told me today was Friday. The breakfast is tomorrow! I had backed the SUV out so I just went around the block as I busted out laughing like a total loon then apologized for waking Tif up so early, but she said she needed to get up anyway. I pulled back in the yard and was getting out of the SUV when Don was coming around the corner from Walmart. I was opening the door as he was coming in. I told him today is Friday and he busted out laughing at me as he usually does! Well, at least I am not late for tomorrow! Yet.

This also made me wonder if I have allowed myself enough time between the breakfast and the art class following. Sort of like this was a test run. It seems I am always on the run.

Well, I made it to my woman's class Saturday morning. Everyone I sent the email to about my morning prior died laughing. LOL Glad I could give everyone a good laugh. There were not a lot of women at the breakfast. 9 including me. I was disappointed at the # as I figured we would have an assembly line going. I brought my many Christmas rubber stamps and other things. They all said I had a lot of them. That wasn't even half. Just a shoe box full and a bag full.

I managed to make a folding chair fall on my big toe!

Another younger girl had gotten an idea off the internet. She brought white linen card stock, red, white and green buttons in all shapes and sizes, ribbons, silver, white & blue snowflakes all to be glued on the white cards. I admit I did not make one those. Rubber stamping is my thing. I made 3 cards. The 1st one is a collage of an idea I had which will be my Christmas card this year. Sorry I won't be postint it here and ruin the suprise of your Christmas card since it is not even December yet. My friend Irene showed me that you can paint on these linen cards! It is almost like painting on canvas. I discovered Carol is very creative. Carol used 3 buttons to make a snowman with a silver snowlflake above and my rubber stamp that simply said "With thoughts and prayers" stamped in black at the bottom. So simple. I did ask her if I could paint a blue background behind the snowman and she let me. The artist in me just couldn't stand all the whiteness. LOL

I painted a Christmas tree in the middle of snow with a blue sky. I used a black raindeer stamp coming in from the right on the snow. Rubber stamps do not stamp well on this type of paper. I had to color in the deer with a marker. I had a "Merry Christmas, Ya'll!" stamp which I stamped in red on the snow on the left. I also used some blue stars on the sky which I know are not realistic but they worked. The blue sky is shiney and goes in outward directions from the paint. Don really liked this one. I will get color copies made so he can use it as his card this year. He can write his yearly letter inside it. The fact he liked it so much and wanted to use it really made me feel really good.

The other was of red poinsettia I had never stamped with. I used an art gum eraser to make a leaf so I could stamp green leaves on it. I was pretty proud of myself for doing this. That card was just ok in my opinion. Not as good as the 1st two.

Then I had to grab something for the pot luck for the class I was teaching at the art center. I was starving by then.

By the time I ate, I was ready and rarin' to get started. I'd brought my newly made cards to show as show-n-tell. Then I was ready to get down to business. teaching.

I'd made copies before hand thinking it would be easier than cutting the paper doll bodies out of newspapers especially since I knew a younger child was coming & it would save some time. I did pretty good esp considering this child was very hard to please! It made me so thankful I have a son! There were a couple of times I did say her name out loud. I said several "Lord have mercies" aloud too! I finally convinced her that this green shiney dress made out of wrapping paper would look like something Beyonce would wear! She wanted a belt which it did not need so we used a tiny red ribbon. These paper dolls I have made have no legs so I didn't even know how to attempt boots like she wanted! I told the kid she was on her own on that one!

I only had time to to make 3 different pink dressed for mine. One is zebra striped which I really like. Nothing was glued down. The little girl had picked some bright yellow tissue paper with primary colored flowers on it. We had no black paper so I drew and she colored a black skirt with a marker. It was placed on a pretty blue background.

I did get paid for the class which is always a good thing. One of our members was not feelling well which was one reason why I did the class. So we all left an hour earlier than normal for us. Then I went to mom's. Mom said Daddy is not eating again.

I felt sort of yucky that nite. I am thinking that Church's chicken doesn't agree with me. After the emails I sent last night, I went on to bed wondering how I would feel the next morning when we were to have our monthly fellowshiop meal. I had some nice quiet time with the Lord.

We had dinner at church that morning only to discover that our preacher Larry passed out. It was an emotional day for me that day. I took plates to my folks. Don & Rhett painted boards on their garage that had to be replaced according to the insurance company in order for their house insurance to be renewed! Larry is ok but will be staying with his daughter for awhile. Please keep him in your prayers as he is still adjusting to life without his beloved wife.

Then I went back to the art center that afternoon in hopes of gluing down my paper dolls. I took some scrapbook papers with me. I'd stamped a pink page with a circle designd in blue ink & wound up using it on a pretty blue page with stars on it. I made hair for one similar to the one the little girl made only mine had black hair. My clothing was just the opposite of her's. None have faces which probably says something. I am thinking I want to put faces on them, but my friend Anne says to leave them as they are. The 1st one has a bright yellow shirt with those primary colored flowers and a black skirt. I was going to try felt and a black cordory sample but it didn't work for many reason. 1. hard to cut. 2. the paper doesn't flow as well on it. I thought of a mom going to church. "Sunday Best" maybe. She is wearing bright colors to make herself feel better; add some color to her life and forget about her problems for a moment. Sound familliar? LOL I tried to use a greenish flower on her hair but it wasn't working.

So I cut a red rose out of some scrapbook paper. The rose was too big. Sort of like The Three Bears. LOL Cindy suggested I cut the outer layer off. Still too big BUT the part I cut off looked like hair!!!! I immediately glued it on white paper. This looked good on the blue page. I used the pink dress with the blue stamped tiny circles. Stars. Circles. It worked. I had to make a neck for her so it was like I was creating the Bride of Frankenstein in piece of paper! LOL Because her hair was made out of a rose and it was Sunday, I thought of "Sunday Rose". I figure the words will come to me... I know they will have something to say.

I am having so much fun designing clothes for my paper dolls! LOL Maybe I missed my calling to be a clothes designer! I would so love to be able to just create art from now on. Praying for a more artistic job.

I'd taken pics of granddaughter Wesley Rose's 7th birthday. There she was on her knees opening presents in a skirt. I thought nothing of it. But it hit me the night I was uploading pics that she had no legs much like my paper dolls from the class I taught & made this weekend. I put the 3 similar ones of the paper dolls up togetherside by side. The hairless ones remind me of women who had cancer. The last one, her hair has grown back! This art might help some cancer survivor or I hope it will. Then I realized my paper doll women have no legs because they are on their knees praying!!! Is this awesome or what? I am hoping to make cards for women who have cancer or had it. Thank you Wesley Rose for making me see this!

Rhett got his first deer Monday evening!

Tuesday night I ran into one of my BFF's old boyfriends when I was getting canvas to paint a giant snowflake. Small world. Stan's wife used to work where I get my photos printed cheaply now. I have so been missing her.

When I painted the snowflake Tues night, I was so wishing I had used gesso first. I was mixing an ice blue with some phalto blue. I didn't finish it but it looks neat unfinished so I may leave it unfinished on purpose.

I got really mad a few times this week but otherwise I have been blessed with the money from the class I taught. I will be blessing with more this evening and I got a small refund in the mail. I am so thankful for these small blessings.

What are you thankful for? Care to share? Then please join us at "Thankful Thursday" at the following....
http://womentakingastand.blogspot.com/
where Laurie has a wonderful post.

Morning Confusion

I am such a goober! I woke up a little after 10 am. this morning on 11/11/11 Veteran's day, 2011 with big bags under my eyes from sleeping so hard with dreams of sleeping late, cleaing the house and the Dinglewood scrambled dogs we had for supper (which were so good!). Nightmare about cleaing the house though! LOL I thought, "Oh, NO! I am late for the ladies breakfast at church!" I am mad at myself for not setting my phone alarm and metally fussing at myself. I needed to wash my hair. Instead I combed my bangs over to the side, began throwing on clothes, grabbing the Christmas rubber stamps I was to take for card making. I called Don to see where he was, telling him I was late for the breakfast & I was leaving Rhett here at the house until he could arrive. By then I was hot in my 3 layers of clothes. I dialed by BFF Nancy's daughter Tiffany's cell because it is easier to tell my phone to call her. Most of the time it when I say "Call Nancy" it thinks I said "Yancy"! LOL I usually get mad and holler "NO!" at it! Then dial the number myself.

I tell Tiffany I am on my way. She goes ok... and said something else like she didn't know I was coming or going anywhere. Then I said "Isn't today the ladies breakfast?" She told me today was Friday. The breakfast is tomorrow! I had backed the SUV out so I just went around the block as I busted out laughing like a total loon then apologized for waking her up so early. She said she needed to get up anyway. I pulled back in the yard and was getting out of the SUV when Don was coming around the corner from Walmart. I was opening the door as he was coming in. I told him today is Friday and he busted out laughing at me as he usually does now! Well, at least I am not late for tomorrow! Yet.

This also made me wonder if I have allowed myself enough time between the breakfast and the art class tomorrow. Sort of like this was a test run and I am on the run as always.

Now to begin living my nightmare of cleaning. So wishing I had a maid.

Your Loony friend,
Becky

Drive Down Memory Lane

I took yesterday off to take mom to the dr. Don stayed with Daddy. I am thankful he could do this. Mom is doing good according to the doctor and we are thankful. Her sugar levels were great! She had gained a few pounds. I did have the doc check her ears but there wasn't a drop of wax build up to blame her loss of hearing. She goes back again in 6 months. He sent in all of her prescriptions by computer to Durham's except one which he wrote out for her. She had to go to the bathroom before we left. So remember that last part.

We stopped to get Daddy some donuts at Golden Doughnuts. She realized she must have left her prescription in the bathroom. Tried to call the dr's office but it was closed for lunch or so we thought. I knew I'd have to go back way out River Road later to get it & I admit I wasn't a happy camper about that especially with all the gas I use now. We went on to the bank. Don was calling me to tell me the dr's office called to tell mom she dropped her prescription.

I picked up lunch from the Royal for us. The waitress Nazi ticked me off. Don didn't want to wait for it. He told me to bring him home some chicken & dumplings. Daddy ate some of the food and said it was real good. He liked the yams and butter beans but still didn't eat much or enough for me.

I went back out River Rd to pick up Mom's prescription. This was the road we used to go to Lake Houston. The private lake for employees of Tom's Peanut Co. I had asked mom if she wanted to drive out there, but she said no. She wanted to get the donuts for Daddy and get back to him. It had been years since I had been up there. Maybe 16.

Before I left, I tried to make him an appointment with the lung doctor who drained the fluid off his lung when he was in the hospital the last stay back in July. The receptionist put me on hold forever then hung up on me because she couldn't hear me. So I tried with my cell. I was put on hold whether I wanted to be or not. I was on hold for over 5 mins & I have no patience. Plus it was wasting my minutes. I told mom I'd try when I got back.

Well, I couldn't stop thinking about driving up to the old lake.... I know I shouldn't have gone but went anyway praying I wouldn't have car trouble. I know it was wasting more time and gas, but I just so felt the need to take that drive. It was the perfect day for it with the leaves afire with fall colors. I had the window cracked. Not too hot. Just right. So I was Goldilocks for a moment in time. I saw some familiar scenery then a lot of new homes and subdivisions. I took the wrong road and had to turn around to get back on Lick Skillet Rd. As a child, I probably never paid attention to the name anyway. I saw a dream house... a ranch style almost gingerbreadlike with a huge front porch. It really wasn't as far out of a drive as it used to seem growing up. Then I came to the lake. I remembered that kudzu and long dip down in the road. All the old "Private Property" signs were still up in place only rusted now. A new orange gate was up. I turned around there at the gate. They had the neatest statues on each post of the gate. It had deer with long antler going up ward encircling a huge urn like type of statue. Never seen one like it. I should have taken a pic of it. I would so love to go back thru there again to see how it has changed over the years, if it has changed at all. I wondered if the new owners would allow an artist/photographer who grew up going there on the weekends to do a walk through?

The drive made me relax somewhat. I felt the tension leaving me and my face although driving on a road I had not been on ages was a bit stressful. Still I am glad I went even though it made me a bit sad going to place you can never go in again. So many memories there. Sunbathing, sunburns, bee stings, dancing on the dance floor to free jukebox music, all the family gatherings, the one and only time Daddy took me fishing because I carried on so about the bees bothering me, picking peaches and blueberries then chestnuts in the fall for Aunt Pearl to roast. I took some of my best photography there with my old Minolta. Rain drops on peaches. The many lakes with the sun shining on them overexposing the photos but giving them an neat effect. The ice cold water from the spring that was rumored to induce over due mothers. I used to dream Daddy was the president of the company or vp so we could stay at the cabin over the spring which flowed into a cement pool. But Daddy was a white collar worker with a pocket protector who still managed to get ink on his white shirts, who wore glasses and white socks because he had athlete's feet all his life. I didn't know he was a nerd until the 80's. LOL But he was my nerd and I love him.

They say you can never go back again. Well, they were wrong. You can go back again, but you can't always get back in.

After my drive down memory lane, it was back to the reality of returning to the bank, ordering new checks and debit cards, getting my credit card renewed, picking up prescriptions, etc. I did manage to cut out much needed coupons I'll probably forget about and let expire. Also I was able to watch a bit of "General Hospital".

When I got home, I thought Don was mad because I didn't come straight home with his dumplins. Like I could. He should have stayed and ate with us. While re-re-modifying (yes, double re!) his deer stand, he somehow managed to hit himself in the head with his hammer! He actually hit his old scar. It looked like it had bled and scabbed over. He was mad that Rhett was playing video games inside and didn't come check on him. He was having a feel sorry for himself moment. If I had been there, he would have been mad with me too for not checking on him. Of course if he had not been working on the stupid deer stand to begin with, it wouldn't have happened. His forehead was swollen, but he didn't put ice on it nor will he anymore than he'd go to the dr. If it is badly bruised, everyone will think I hit him with the hammer!

Don is ok and still alive today. I left him asleep then felt bad for not checking on him. I called him to check on him. I even asked him if he knew who I was like our nurse friend Carol told me to do. He said "Very funny." So he is ok thank goodness.

Another busy weekend coming up. Women's breakfast where we will make some cards using my rubber stamps in an assembly line. Then an all day art class I am so looking forward to where I will be using Julie Nutting's book Collage Couture. I have a link to her blog on my blog list. I have cut out several women's torsos in newspaper print. I am envisioning a little black dress on them. Sunday is our fellowship meal at church. I will probably crash afterwards! LOL But life is good and I am thankful.

Still I wouldn't take anything for my drive down memory lane yesterday. It has been replaying like a movie in my mind. My friends have told me it was good I took the drive; that was something I much needed. They are always telling me to take time for myself and I do. I steal moments like that drive every now and then.

What are you thankful for today? Care to share? Then please join us at the following...
http://womentakingastand.blogspot.com/

May you take a drive down Memory Lane this weekend.

Trully Thankful Thursday

Thursday was a very good day for me. I was lucky enough to receive a personal poem from my friend Irene then have lunch with my sweet friend "Peppermint Patti" as Rhett calls her. We went to Peluso's nearby, an Italian place she has never been to before. I was able to take extra time to so I was thankful. Patti looked so good, I just had to take a picture of her which turned out really well. She had this one perfect curl hanging down.

Yesterday I realize what a better photographer I am than others and I am so very thankful for this gift.

I went to one of my art meetings last night. It was raining & I was late. It was a short meeting, but we had plenty of folks there to help clean up for the show. Still had a lot from our abstract group to be hung. So thankful Bobby Jones was there as well as Lugenia. The locally made metal screens were put together in a square shape which worked really well for the abstract group. It was so neat to see my art hanging there. By the end of the meeting, there was even more of mine hanging! Bobby took one of my originals of an ink/rubber stamping project which he really liked, wanted copies of to make several different prints, said it needed to be used as material for clothing and best of all matted it for me. He told me to send him the pics of it and he will see what he can do! So yes, Cheryl you were right about matting! It looks wonderful now. I like it better whereas I was just ok about it although I liked certain parts of it. He was so encouraging. He asked, "Can't you see it hanging at Hobby Lobby?" He knows of the perfect frame for it that is on sale for half price which would be around $25. I didn't take any pics of it matted yet but probably will tonight at the reception & will send out Sun nite as is my ritual.

I was also pleasantly surprised that the president really liked my 1st abstract I did for that postcard swap several summers ago that got me started on this artistic journey. The one of the odd shaped faces which had everyone calling me Mrs. Picasso! LOL

The weather should be good for the show on Sat. As well as meeting and greeting on the inside and working on something artistic, I will serve as the relief so those that set up outside may take a restroom break. I am excited about the show now. Please keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer that I will sell some stuff Saturday as I need the money.

After the last 4 of us left last night, the ever diligent, faithful ones who are always there, I stopped at McDonald's to get Mcrib sandwiches. I finally got some of their peppermint hot chocolate which was like drinking heaven. It was so good I didn't want my Mcrib! Later it made me feel really weird so I had to go to bed. Feel fine today though. Excited about the show.

Patti is supposed to meet me at the Joseph House for their show at 5 this evening. I will pick up some of Bobby Jones' work to take to the PC arts to be hung. She may follow me to the PC arts afterwards. That will be great esp if Don & Rhett don't want to go.

Hope to see you at the reception Fri nite or the show on Saturday if you can make it. If not, have a great weekend. I know I will! I am dressed for the reception in pink and black. I will be in my element. Some of my good friends may come to the art show!

Life is good and I am thankful. Happiness is artist friends helping other artists.
What are you thankful for? Care to share? Then join us at Thankful Thursday at the following...
http://womentakingastand.blogspot.com/2011/11/thankful-thursdaylet-thanks-begin.html

"Floating Fog"

Early morning fog drifting over the Chattahoochee River
floating fog
If I reached up through my t-top,
could I touch it?
Far too chilly to let the cold air in
a thankfully warm vehicle.
Traveling an different route this nippy morn
running a few minutes late
always my fate.
Wondering all the way
what to eat today.
If I am what I eat
I would have been a McRib sandwich
that kept revisiting me yesterday.
Already did my good deed for the day
Sent out a so true quote
about undervaluing ourselves
I am learning not to undervalue me.
Thought about telling all my friends how I value them
and what I value most about each one
but I'd be forever and a year
especially with friends so dear
But they know.

Then I wished there were classes for phone etiquette
but those that needed it most wouldn't take the class
and they would be without class literally.
Where have all the manners gone?
Floating on the fog
Adrift in their indifference
and apathy.

Today I painted a gray egret white with white out.
Happiness is... the endless possibilities in art
and sharing ideas with fellow artists
who might be lost in their own fog of without creativity
or who have lost their muse
hopefully only temporarily.
So thankful I can be of use.
Use me Lord
to continue being an encourager to all.
~theRAV~