IDEAS, THOUGHTS AND THINGS TO INSPIRE US

Lastnight, I used two old windows to create a greenhouse affect over my 60 freshly planted gladiola bulbs to protect them from the overnight frost. If I didn't use windows for art I would DEFINATELY build a greenhouse with them; I LOVE that idea.

Here's a great website, with pics, that might inspire you to use your old windows or storm doors to work for your garden!

Enjoy!
http://featherandnestkim.blogspot.com/2010/07/glass-houses-made-from-old-windows.html

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I found this GREAT website with such awesome ideas for old doors! Check it out, get inspired and then...go find yourself some old doors! :)

Enjoy!  http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/doors-repurpose-142946

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Okay...I really was going to try and paint during Matthew's nap time today but...this spring cleaning fever has really taken me over today. I think it has something to do with the "Black Silk" cup of coffee I had this morning. whew... Not sure if I can sit still enough to paint. ;) Guess I can TRY. But...honestly, it's hard for me to concentrate on something enjoyable when there's so much cleaning I need to do.. It's like cleaning the kitchen before you cook, ya know? ;) 

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Seems like I haven't had any time to pick up my brushes or paint in weeks, at least. My mother has been in and out of the hospital and I've been spending a lot of time with her at her home which is a 2-hour round trip from my home. That has taken up a lot of my time but now...I THINK she's starting to get back into her "normal groove" so I will try to limit my trips down to see her to once a week or once every two weeks.

The sun is shining today and I've started my spring cleaning which includes donations of unused and forgetten toys (flash back to "Toy Story"!) and out grown clothes.

I hope to start painting again soon but it's funny...once I stop for a while I nervously think to myself...DO I REMEMBER HOW TO PAINT? I wonder if all artists are so full of self doubt! lol...

Hope everyone is getting some warm sunshine in their day. Remember, be creative and set your imagination free. :)      Love, Michele

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It seems like it's been so long since I entered a post into my blog...for sure, it was  last year! (I know...over used phrase.)

I'm not sure about my resolutions this year - they are so bitter sweet - sweet when I make them and bitter when I break them! I'm so weak...lol. Oh well...I'm in my 40's...I am what I am, at this point. ;) But of course, I'm going to try to eat healthy, exercise more and all that other stuff I say every year. ;)

Our son will be starting Pre-K this fall. I'm so excited for him and get teary-eyed at the thought. We haven't been seperated much since his conception. I'm going to NEED my painting to get me through it...that's IF I'm not waiting out in the parking lot JUST in CASE he needs me. ;)

I hope you all had a great holiday and your new year is off to a great start! Remember to schedule something creative into your day, or week, or month! If you have small children remember to include them, too. If your children are grown, try to get together with  friends and get creative. No, I don't mean with how many different kinds of wine you can sample in one evening. However, that can certainly be PART of the evening! ;)

Happy New Year!   xo, Michele

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I need to vent so if you plan to read any further you might want to sit down IF you're standing, that is. I feel this is going to be anything BUT quick.

Being in the workplace since I graduated from high school taught me many things. One lesson in particular was taught to me by an old friend who I love very much, and an ex-boss, who was (and still is) a mother of three and a full time professional.

Being single and childless myself, I found it very interesting to listen to my friend talk about trying to juggle a full-time job AND trying to be there for her children and husband. I remember often thinking that I needed to pay attention to what she was saying incase I needed to refer back to it someday in my own future family-life...like 20/20 vision, I guess.

I remember her sharing her feelings about how she felt sometimes those stay-at-home moms she knew were tossing little "digs" her way about not being there for her children ALL the time. It hurt her and it was no secret between us that she longed to be a stay-at-home mom, too. But...times being such...it wasn't possible for her...two incomes were better than one (as many of us can relate to). I always felt bad for her. Why would anyone make a "dig" towards a mom who wanted it all, or needed to try and do it all? Not everyone has a ton of money. She was doing the best she could and frankly...that's all ANY of us could do. She was doing what she needed to do and her kids didn't seem "any worse for the wear" in my opinion. In fact, her children would have made any parent proud.

When my husband and I became pregnant (I was 38 yrs. old), I was working full-time and had since I graduated from high school. Many of my co-workers at the time(including this friend/boss) asked me if I planned to return to work after our baby was born. My answer was ALWAYS a chuckle and, "Yes! We didn't win the lottery we just got pregnant!". I was used to having my own paycheck and having a purpose to get my ass out of bed and get moving in the morning, too. In addition, for most of my time there I loved my job and couldn't see myself working anywhere else.

I knew, based on what I learned from listening to my friend, it wouldn't be easy. I would need to prepare myself for those stay-at-home mom "digs", daycare issues (quality, expense, location, etc.) and of course, dealing with my own possible guilt of not being home with my child 24/7.

And then...IT happened. Complete surprise. Caught me 100% off guard. Where did THIS come from? A new little baby boy was swaddled in my arms while tears ran down my face from the thought of having to leave him soon, leave him in the care of...of...of WHO?...who am I going to leave him with? Not family (we have none around here!), not friends (I don't know anyone who does daycare!), the only answer left...a stranger?! I wouldn't even leave my diamond ring with a stranger much less my BABY! How could I?! Well...I couldn't. I resigned my position, I cleaned out my desk and hurried back home. And so, my days of being a "stay-at-home mom" began.

Well, guess what? Those "digs" and that guilt?...their over here on the "grass is always greener" side, too. I learned, the grass isn't greener, it's just a different kind of grass so it only LOOKS greener. What I mean is this...instead of guilt from being AWAY at work, I have guilt of NOT being away at work, not bringing home a paycheck or providing insurance coverage and not financially contributing to my family. Instead of hearing "digs" from stay-at-home moms I deal with "digs" from those who work full-time or even part-time...as IF it has NOTHING to do with the raising of our son and everything to do with being lazy or wanting to take advantage of a situation. Of course, they would never actually SAY those words that but it's definately implied.  Or...to give them the benefit of the doubt...maybe I'm projecting my own guilt on to them...I don't know. But I do know...it hurts.

And so...a working mom or a stay-at-home mom both deal with some of the same hurtful issues: guilt and judgement...damned if ya do and damned if ya don't...sometimes by other women and sometimes by your husband or family, in some cases. And to this I feel I can speak for some mothers working full-time outside the home and some of us mothers working full-time inside the home:

Don't judge us because of our choices. We do what we believe to be best for OUR families. We raise our child(ren) the best we can, with love and care and all the time we can give. Don't make us feel guilty because of what we do or who we've become. Remember, we weren't always  moms but now...no matter where we are or what we're doing, home or not, we always WILL be  moms and THAT is where our hearts are.We love our child(ren) and realize there will be a day when they are on this earth without us. We are working to prepare them for that day and all the days inbetween. Let us do our "job" without your judgement. For this is the "job" we chose and we don't need you to agree with that choice but it would be nice if you would respect it. Please and thank you.

Sincerely,

Matthew's Mommy (and any other mom who can relate)

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First and most importantly, I have to say I love all my customers, past, present and potential. I love working with everyone and getting to know some of their stories and likes. Painting has brought me in contact with some wonderful people...98% of the time. ;)

Often, people ask me questions about my painting process. At one show, there was a lady in particular who I spent a good 20 minutes answering EVERY question she had and believe me...she had a LOT. But, I was happy to share with her any information I could...it was fun to have someone who I could talk with about this...just like my old best friend and I used to do. So, I shared with her everything, from beginning to end, anything she wanted to know I told her. I knew she wasn't going to purchase anything from me because in our conversation she told me she would like to start painting on windows.  And then...her last question to me was: "So, if I do exactly what you do and price everything half of what you do I'd probably sell twice as much as you?"  GASP...I couldn't believe what my ears just heard! My answer: I just smiled and said, "Be my guest." and she walked away. 

I couldn't believe WHY she would say something like that! It just felt rude...after all the time we had just spent talking...all the questions I had just answered for her...and gladly! Why, all of a sudden, would she say such a thing? Well...that was that and I learned my lesson.

Ever since then, when someone even starts to question me about my process I clam right up...and I don't anticipate that changing anytime soon. Now, I tell people it takes research and a lot of patience. But, most of all...it takes a few mistakes and personal preference to get it just as you want it...YOUR style and YOUR way. I feel that art is about the artist and the rest is just interpretation.

Enjoy whatever hobby you choose and remember...there's really no right or wrong way when it comes to art.

OX, Michele

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I haven't added much to my painting inventory lately, or in other words - I haven't added many new items for sale on my website, because I've been working a lot on custom orders.

I hope to add a few items after this current piece I'm working on... that I hope to complete in a week or two. Not sure exactly what motif yet but I'm sure something will come to me once I'm able to spend some time going through some of my window inventory. Sometimes a window just "speaks" to me! ;)

Hope everyone is getting excited for the holidays! I know I am...partly because that means summer is that much closer! ;)

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I made some good progress on my next American Flag painting today. I'm HOPING to complete it by the end of coming week.

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If your garden is anything like mine, you have more cherry tomatoes than you know what to do with. Of course, there's always the cherry tomato salads and other common recipes to make and... let's be honest - we can only give away so many before people start saying, "Thanks, but no thanks!"

Here's a few ideas of mine that might be new to you or not (always pick off the green tops, rinse in cold water and place the strainer on the counter on a towel):

Add a layer of tomatoes (or slightly more) to the largest baking dish you have (I use my 17" x 10.5" glass lasagna pan). Add a head of garlic cloves, peeled but whole. Drizzle all with extra virgin olive oil and toss with hands to coat. Sprinkle with salt (to taste) and place in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes. The house is going to smell like an italian resturant...yum!

Take out of oven and let cool enough so you can pop each tomato out of its skin. Toss the skins away and do your "popping" over a large dish to catch everything else that you're going to keep (and this includes all the juice left in your baking dish so don't forget to pour THAT into your bowl as well!).

Next, I fill up (usually half way) quart size Ziplock Freezer Bags (you may use any size that's good for your family) with tomatoes and juice. I also toss in 2 or 3 garlic cloves, squeeze out the extra air, seal and freeze.

From this point, you can unthaw and add them to your homemade spagetti sauce, etc.  Something new that I just started doing is making soup with them. Here's how I do it (simple AND quick!):

Brown ground beef and drain (a pound or so is enough for your first time. After that, you can adjust the amounts to fit your family). Place back in pot, mince up thawed garlic cloves and add to pot, add thawed tomatoes (I add 3 bags), salt to taste and heat through. That's it! It's a simple tomato and ground beef soup. You could also use ground turkey or maybe even ground italian sausage for more of an italian spin on this soup. Pasta or rice (we prefer brown) could be added. We actually add rice to our bowl and latel the soup on top (pasta AND rice soak up a lot of juice). I make this in small batches. That's why I only use a pound of meat and quart size bags of tomatoes. Obvisouly, you can adjust these amounts to fit your family. :)

This quick and easy soup is perfect for this time of year (mid-September) with the cool nights and days on the increase. Enjoy!   -Michele

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