Imagine a Healing glow...

Witches brew was made and was actually helpful after the prescription ran out. The picture on top is getting all the ingredients together and simmering. The picture on the bottom is what it looked like after about an hour and one straining to reduce by just over half the liquid. Looked horrid but the house smelled like thanksgiving and Christmas rolled in a ball and shoved up your nose. Good but overpowering.

Brew beginning

Brew done

After it was cooled overnight I took a heaping tablespoon. My throat felt soothed almost immediately, my stomach stopped grumbling, my sinuses were much less whiny and it tasted kinda like pie. The benefits may be attributed directly to my being a psychosomatic creature but I have to assume this is so much less chemical than the big Q.

The warm fuzzys led me to be able to focus some on a new little project... Cork Stamps!

This is the tester page that I started. Heart, Star, Diamond, Diamond negative, 5 petal flower, 8 Spoke wheel, 8 Spoke negative, Peace sign, Letter A and Letter B. Those were all I could fit on this page. I made a few more but haven't tested them all yet. So can't wait to use these in concert with the stencils I got from the hardware store and dollar store.

Question to my loyal 3. Would you be interested in a set of entries devoted to the tools and toys I love and use regularly? I would dedicate one day a week to this type of post if I get any yeah votes.

Peace and joy to you all.

Enjoy

Still feeling the season

Since the prescription has run it's course yet I am still hacking and coughing I have decided to whip up a witches brew to help. Starting with local honey and chamomile. Adding fresh ground ginger, lemon and cinnamon. Can't decide if I need the cayenne or not but can always add that later.
This journal page was inspired by my favorite local dive. Is is the only 24hr place to get a cup that is non-corporate. I made the background and left it for a few days until I was struck by the coasters color. Decided that it and the wording were all it needed. Sometimes simple is perfect.
Enjoy

This commercial break brought to you by...

I had to go back to work today while still feeling cruddy. I survived but have not had energy to create art *and* photograph it for you recently. I apologize for the lapse in pretty pictures and hope you will stick with me a little longer. In the spirit of holding your attention I will leave you with an older snapshot.

I love to look up

Enjoy

Journal to escape.

As you may know I have been sick recently. I finally got in to see someone at the clinic and was informed that I most likely have a viral infection. Wonderful that... I got a note saying I was not supposed to work for the next 2 days and a scrip to deal with the hacking cough. Now I work in an industry that is based largely on the notion of gratuity. The ethereal TIP. Since I am not supposed to work I am missing out on the hours on my check as well as the potential cash earnings that allow them to pay us less than minimum wage. Two days lost wages.
I am frustrated and depressed about this because I am the wage earner for my family right now. I know things will get better once I am healthy again but for now it just sucks.
Since I am trying to find constructive ways to deal with this I decided to share some work I did today with my 3 wonderful viewers.

Background Lace

This background was made by using a piece of 49 cent a yard acrylic lace and olive green rit and alcohol ink in a spray bottle.

Marigolds

This is what became of that background today. All the black line work was done with medium and fine sharpie pens. The color work was done with crayola fine point and pentel markers. Simple tools that all work together to make the picture come out. 

I hope you enjoy.

Little bits of art

I have started needing to have something to draw in with me at all times. The freedom from needing to hear what others are complaining or gossiping about three feet away from me is an awesome thing and when I take a simple pen to paper the world around me slips into the peripheral vision area. I can focus on what is right in front of me and find that peace that comes from expression without fear.
Recently I found a cute notebook at the community yard sale for a whopping $.10 and snapped it up. I have repaired the one small flaw by gluing a piece of graph paper into the front and it has begun living in my back pocket.
All the tools you need to start this journey are a surface and a way to mark it. I love using pens and that will always be my fall-back but the little spray bottles of alcohol ink I made using kool-aid, rit dye and food coloring have helped me get over the fear of a blank page wonderfully. I also love to share my art and hope that others may find it helps them find their own artistic voice.
I leave you with a snapshot of pocket art.

Sick and journaling

I have started working in a few journals using a variety of media techniques. It all started late last year with my intro to a few flickr albums via Facebook friends. I started with a minor obsession for "Zentangles" and then progressed quickly to ogling other people's art journals on pintrest. I have filled an entire composition book and loved it so well that the cover fell off.I was gifted a set of Sakura micron pens from a local friend as well as my DH last Christmas and have expanded my collection with sharpie pens and gel pens to the point they take up multiple cigar boxes. I am experimenting with alcohol inks, stamps and acrylic paints. I will be working up to modeling compound soon. Throw these things in with my joy in occasionally binding books and you can see a potent mix developing.
While all this is happening I am also working a "part time" job delivering pizza (I will not divulge what company I work for so as to not bias anyone in the future if I rant a little.) that occasionally ends up being over forty hours a week. This past week I developed a cold or an allergic reaction to something and had to skip some hours. While I appreciated the time to heal a little I couldn't focus on anything for any length of time... I made backgrounds. I will share some of them soon but for now I will leave you with the one journal page I have managed to finish over the last three days.

No such thing as...

Paid sick leave, vacation time or official lunch breaks in my line of work. If I am sick I lose out on the hours and the potential tips. This means that I had best not be too sick to work my scheduled shifts or find some other way to supplement me less than minimum wage paycheck. Any suggestions as to how that can be accomplished are entertained though fairly skeptically right now. Trying to maintain a positive outlook when your sinus' are screaming and your head is stuffed with gravel is difficult. Have a pretty for the time and effort it took to read this.

Feeling under the weather

Felt a little off this morning but otherwise ok. Went in to work and started getting a bit light headed. Quickly proceeded to sinus and throat pain and hen came the. Vice around my head. Hoping I do not lose my voice as I work on the phone a major portion of my job. The other major issue being my vision. With the head pain and the eye soreness I should not drive like this. Let's just cross our fingers and think happy thoughts about being better tomorrow...

Three am meander

Finally home and nearing the time of sleep. Work today was difficult due to one individual that causes a violent surge of annoyance every time we have to be in the building together.
Hopefully this will change soon.
As for my craft space, it got a near total overhaul today. Continuing the clearing and organizing is a priority for tomorrow