Branching out...

I love the art of lettering.... I have been lettering for over 30 years.... seriously!  Weddings.... posters...... hand-drawn invitations..... birthday greetings.... thank you notes.... cards of all kinds.... etc.......  I love playing with my PENS best..... I love PAINTING words on signs and notes as well......
I tend to focus a lot on words... what I want to SAY and the art in the letters......

That being said.... I almost compartmentalize my word art..... hyperfocus......

Still...... I am an artist at heart.... I play with color and texture... collage.... fabric.... many, many forms of exciting creativity.......

So.... this week I have been trying to step out of my hyperfocus mode and step into COLOR..... a little dab here and there.... keeps life interesting.  

Hope this October day is lovely!!!  

Cheers!!!
judifer

Breathe in that Magical Crisp Fall Air!  

A dreamy farm fresh day

Getting My Autumn On

Oh the weather is blissful!  Simply wonderful.

After feeling like I was melting, melting, melting these past few weeks..... In the HOT, HOT, HOT weather.... and working in a school with NO air conditioning... (yes... really)......

This BREATH of fall air makes my heart rejoice!  

I have had a quiet morning to myself... and feeling all energized by the cool breeze ... I headed out to the front porch to tidy things up a bit.   I emptied pots of flowers that were way beyond their prime..... (dried to the bone....) and I tucked away the garden knick knacks for the winter ahead... They prefer the "warmth" of the garage.... and I swept and cleaned.... and .... tidied...  

Then I tiptoed down to the basement to find the plastic tubs where I had stashed my beloved fall things..... It is such a delight to open the bins and find my old friends there waiting for me.   I don't use them all.... I rotate them from year to year... where the mood takes me.... but... oh!  I just get giddy with taking each thing out and enjoying them... auditioning them for the spaces that can be given a touch of fall pleasure.....  and deciding.... which to use this year.... which to tuck away again.... and.... which to...maybe..... pull out in a few weeks....

Some are like old friends... that I created long ago... but love.  still.

Some were bought and then dressed up to add to the fun.  

 Some reflect my personality..... all twiggy and full of birdhouses..... and of course... my scarecrows... who are too cute to scare anything.

And then the porch.   Oh... I LOVE having a porch now!  

 And of course.... I had to make something NEW to add to the fun this year.   

(Did I mention that I LOVE having a PORCH!!)   

Hoping today finds you breezy and happy!
Cheers!
judifer

Technology snaffoo and other stuff too

I feel like I dropped off the planet.... my wee laptop gave up the ghost and died.....
I haven't decided what to do to replace my trusty old friend... but I am finally getting creative with alternative choices without it.   Soooooo I tried using my husband's desktop..... and it works just fine... but it is a bit hairy about keeping my "stuff" separate from his "stuff"..... so I think I am going to have to break down and go looking for a replacement (computer- that is, not husband... just in case you were a bit confused there.)

In the meantime.... I am giving this iPad a go at this.... hopefully it does the job... even if there are a million typos due to the "help" it insists on providing me with..... with auto correct changing what I thought I wanted to say into something that would never come out of my mouth ....

Sooooo, on that note..... here is what I have been up to this weekend.  Just a little painted hand lettering to keep me out of trouble.  I am totally in love with how this turned out.  

Summer, Summer, Summer!  Don't leave....!   

No, really- I have totally mixed emotions about this.  It started about 13 years ago..... Traditionally....okay.... my WHOLE LIFE.... I have hated summer.... I hate the heat.... that is the bottom line... the heat..... So I completely looked forward to.... longed for..... the coming of FALL.... 

and here I am in this big bag of mixed emotions.... 

What happened 13 years ago??? I became a teacher.... and THAT messed up the whole Love/Hate thing I have with the seasons.... It completely turned it upside down.... 

Like all teachers I kind of focus on the ebb and flow of the school year.... and it is the opposite of my own ebb and flow of the happy seasonal changes...  I want to be done with this heat... I want to be done with summer.... only... I don't want to give up the TIME .... that is the bottom line.   

I love the students and the learning we do together.... I really do.... but I dread having every waking, breathing minute taken over by the time this job of mine takes.... so..... 

it is a paradox.... that is all... 
haha!  

Might as well go with the flow!  Thought for the day!  

Cheers!