Happy and Sad

Hiya Blog Buddies!

Okay, so on the heels of my Unfinished Projects rant...I'm thrilled (the Happy part of the Blog Title) to be able to cross an old one off the list.....a painting started in one media and finished in a bevy of others. Just 1 year and 5 months in the making....haha!

So I'm going to ask you to do something I rarely do....please, if you don't mind *bats eyelashes*

I really can't start this post properly without a little background first...and to do that, I'd like you to read a post from March 2010.....

I promise it will make the reveal that much grander...or so I hope :P
Okay, so go here....pretty please....and come right back!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yay! Now that you're back,
I can explain that I took that painting and cut the girl and the cat away from the background....and adhered her to an 11 x 14 inch canvas.

I re-worked all the watermedia in acrylics and after months of it lying around in that state...

I sat her down in front of me last night.  All was going well, when I added those big gothilicious eyelashes to her....and she instantly looked sad to me....
I was drawn now into a more personal moment than just a girl and her cat....

It was then that I added the tears....that was also when the background demanded them too.
(The sad part of the Blog Title)

I'm not sure why she is crying....but the powerful witch she is, made the sky weep with her.

The thing that really makes this piece look amazing is that I used clear glossy accents to her lashes, the cat's eyes and the streams down her face.  It gives such a neat quality to the otherwise matte finish of it....

Now how about help with a name? 

 Usually this is the part I love most, but I haven't been able to come up with anything that conveys the feeling I'm going for.....

~Y'know, like the feeling of having your world crumbling around you, but there is that one special being that can immediately make things better......

~A knowing that "this too shall pass"......

~That feeling as a kid of telling your pets your innermost secrets and believing that they were the only ones who really understood you...

Anyone have a title that says all that?! Haha!  Love to hear your ideas :)

~~Update~~ Thanks to you all for your suggestions....I think I'll call her:

"Eyes to the Soul"

I'm sooooo ready for Autumn...and pumpkins and more black cats!

Thanks so much for sticking with me to the end!

*secret handshake*

Cameron

Suffering from Unfinished Project Syndrome!

How does time go by so fast?
One minute, I'm having a wonderful Summer....reading an actual book (haven't had time for one of those in ages!) and sightseeing with my family....

The next, I'm ushering my child out the door, arms flailing out like a rubber octopus grabbing for keys, sunglasses, purse, lunch, backpack, sunscreen, that thing I needed to return at the store....etc!

I'm nagging my poor Husband to get up on the roof and wield a brush in one hand and paint can in the other while balancing on our sloped tiles (We got notice from our HOA before we left for vacation to repaint our shutters...and he won't let me do it).

I'm looking at a stack of fabric that no matter how much I wish, won't turn itself into a set of curtains and cute, little pillows...

I'm busy.....like...always doing something...busy....
But, nothing seems to be getting done.
I have grand plans to unveil dazzling  "after" photos of all our efforts around here.
Truly...

Like, our yard.

I've started planting some pots....but, I can't put them where I want them to go until we get the rest of the yard done (including grass....we got notice for that, too)....

That dirt under the pot is my lawn :)

Halloween is on it's way!  I got an early start this year.....

With this cute door hanger...

That needs to be sewn shut and have it's ribbon hanger added with ghost button accents.

....and I'm attempting a felt monster for the first time. 

Though, right now he has no arms, legs or filling....haha!

I have been spending my free time recently getting ready for my SIL's Baby Shower this weekend.

It is monkey themed...these are the prize bags.

I wanted each to be slightly different.  I did these all with just circle punches (and a hand drawn oval template). 

 I think they turned out nicely :)

I still consider this an unfinished project, though....lots of tags, favors, decorating and table signs still to make.....busy, busy!

There are more incomplete wonders here....many, many more.....but, if I keep dwelling on them, nothing will ever get done...haha!

What's been keeping you busy?

Until later, My Pretties...

Cameron

Our Travels (Part 2)

A great big thank you for the warm welcomes back home!  I have to admit that returning to a stack of bills and unfinished business had me a bit stressed at first.....but as I tackle things little by little, I'm loosening up and enjoying being home.

Most of all, I'm enjoying catching up with all of you..heehee!
I did mention how much I missed you, right?!  Haha!

A few of you were just as amazed as I was about Maggie's sewing skills from last post....
I thought I'd share a pic of the finished product :)

I fastened it to her new backpack. I can't believe she starts Kindergarten this Wednesday!

Okay, so I left off with us in Ferndale....
Where we went next blew my mind!

Have any of you heard of Agate Beach?  We've passed it many times in our travels, but have never stopped before....

You walk down a long steep path to the beach....and when you look down....you see this instead of sand!

Stones of every color polished to perfection by the sea...so smooth, so round...they feel amazing!

After the thrill of Glass Beach, this was an unexpected treat....because if you search hard enough, you'll see why this beach gets it's name.

Agates...shiny, ultra smooth, with a bit of transluscence formed in lava rock where bubbles once hardened...created thru layer after layer of minerals washed within it.  The rock erodes, and these little beauties fall out and make their way to the sea to be tumbled with the other stones....

They look like candy rocks or jellybeans to me...makes me want to eat them :D

Don't worry, I'll find a craftier way to use these...heehee....

Making our way up north, we stopped to take in the views of the ocean whenever we could....the fog would roll in so suddenly and change the whole feel....a vulture in a tree helped, too...

Settling down in one of our most favorite campgrounds ever, we breathed deeply and felt any remaining cares drop away.  The Redwood National Forest is breathtakingly beautiful!  There is a place called Fern Canyon where you are surrounded by walls of greenery....

....the sound of rushing water in your ears as you walk over a clear cool stream....

A fairy lover's paradise....

A gorgeous place to feel renewed and grateful for all that is good....

As if that isn't enough...between the beach and the mountain that makes the canyon, theres is a marsh where the stream water pools....

The Roosevelt Elk love to gather here to eat the tender plants.  These elk are huge, 2nd only to moose!

When you wade thru the marsh, you reach the beach.

Thankfully, her Daddy can put up with the cold, cold water better than I.  Maggie is unfazed by it...even when her lips turn purple and she's shivering...she wants to go in some more...brrr!

We crossed over into Oregon and stopped for more pictures....

It doesn't matter how many times I see these formations....I'm in awe :)

One of our other favorite places to visit is The Westcoast Game Park in Bandon, Oregon....

Not only do you get to appreciate animals from afar (and not too far, at that)....but pet....

....hold....

...and feed some incredible creatures....

I had no idea how hot antlers with velvet on them feel....all those blood vessels bringing heat up to them....

We set up camp in a town called Florence, which just happened to be close enough to arrange to meet a good Blog Friend of mine!   Marty recently relocated to Oregon just in time for our lives to intersect!

Maggie and I had a lovely time getting to know her and her adorable children better.  We hit a few thrift stores and had an all around wonderful time!  The dork that I am, I forgot my camera, but she did a post about our visit here...

Thank you so much, Marty, for your hospitality, your charm and welcoming smile!  So glad I finally got to meet you! (...and thanks for letting me raid your Thrift store stash of goodies...heehee!) 

We continued our vacation with more trips to the beach...

Playing with the driftwood...

Jim got his shadow in there to make sure he was still part of the picture :)

Here's my windswept Darling in the driftwood teepee behind us....

We ended up going almost all the way to the top of Oregon, but somehow don't have many pictures...(not too dissappointed, are you...hehe?)

But on the way back down, we stopped at a viewpoint near Big Sur....

A house once stood at this location, built in the '40's....

The master bedroom looked out on this....

Can you imagine?  The water was just gorgeous.  I don't think I've ever seen it look that clear or that blue-green in California....ever! 

I hope most of you are still awake...heehee!

That was a lot of pictures, I know.  Thanks for stopping in to see them...

I'll leave you with just 2 more...the hair clips that I've made so far.

In the shop now :)

I'm making my rounds, I apologize if I haven't gotten to you yet....trying to check in between loads of laundry and re-organizing.  You are all so important to me.  Wish I could travel and meet each and every one of you!

Have a fantastic week ahead!

Hugs and a pucker...Mwah!

Cam

 

The Travelers are Home! (Part 1)

Hello and big hugs to all!  We're back!  Yay!
I can't wait to catch up with you again!
I've missed you all dearly! How have you been?

It's amazing how quickly a month goes by...
...and yet, it is incredible how much can be squeezed into it!

I think it best to break this post up into 2 parts.  I have over 40 pictures to share with you...and I'd like you to still be awake at the end of them...haha!
Let's begin, shall we?

We started our trip in beautiful Santa Barbara.  Nothing like the feeling of the first days of vacation....all the worry of travel arrangements and packing, bills and mundane life behind you....all the thrill of adventure and promise of relaxation ahead...
I love to not only look around me, but up, as well...to soak in every bit of delightfulness.  I remember snapping this picture, taking in a deep breath....and being filled with such contentment :)

Maggie is the main focus of our journeys, so we try to plan lots of things that she'll enjoy...

The Santa Barbara Zoo had this great hill for the kids to slide down...

I love taking photos of animals and nature...so catching the gorgeous eye of this Hornbill was really neat for me...

We also visited a few Aquariums on our trip.  These were taken at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium near San Francisco.

Our little Wildlife Defender...haha!

We spent some of our time in the camp doing some crafts...

I was so impressed by Maggie's concentration!  Look at these stitches!

5 years old....and she only stuck herself once :)

The critters in this campground were very bold...coming extremely close searching the grounds for scraps.  We were ultra careful to keep everything locked away....

But even the car wasn't safe at this campground!  That was an unopened package of Nutter Butter cookies that some little creature nibbled.  We still don't know how the rascal got in and out of the car...

Maggie had made a cornhusk doll at a children's museum and decided to leave it in the nook of a tree right by our campsite for some other little girl to find... A curious Banana Slug came by to check out his new neighbor.

....and you just can't take a coastal trip without visiting lots of beaches!  Here's the start of a Sandcastle Fort in Santa Cruz...

We continued up the coast to visit a spot I've been excited to get back to!  Glass Beach in Fort Bragg...

This is where I collect all the sea glass I use for my handmade hair accessories.

Maggie played with seaweed and splashed around while Jim and I scoured the sand for treasure...

Here's what wet glass shimmering in the sun looks like close up....

As you can see, most of what you'll find are clear/white pieces, with brown being 2nd...greens are a distant 3rd with soft blue-green being scarcer.

Pink and blue glass (the blue you see in this pic is mussel shell) are the rarest of all here, and I actually managed to find a few pieces :)  Intermingled with these are broken pottery, the occasional milk glass or jadeite glass pieces and shiny shells.  I've started a few new hair clips, I promise to show you soon!

When we were back at camp, we'd take walks and explore the woods around us....

I'd look for places with what I like to call "fairy holes" in the trees....where fairies (and children) might like to play...

....and appreciate the beauty we found everywhere....

Flora and Fauna alike....

We stopped at a little town called Ferndale.... a favorite place to see charming houses...

...and be awed by one of the most beautiful cemetaries I've ever seen....

Maggie had never been to one and asked us if we could go in.  She wanted us to read the names as we passed each marker....  I think we all felt a little closer, a little humbler while walking hand in hand through this serene place to the top of the hill...

...and as we took in the view from the top, we held eachother a little tighter....

Life is truly a journey...and an amazing gift...

I'm so lucky to be here with a family that I love beyond measure....and to be able to share a part of my life here with you...

Kindred spirits....

I'll leave you now to absorb....

Then pounce on you again with more pictures...heehee...haahaa!

So glad to be back,

Cam