Easter Eggs

Eggs are traditionally connected with rebirth, rejuvenation and immortality.  This is why they are often associated with Easter.  On a more practical level? In the early Christian calendar eggs were forbidden during Lent.  This made them bountiful and exciting forty days later.  Easter eggs are sometimes decorated with bright colors to honor this celebration.  Russian Pysanki is one of the most elaborate forms.  Conversely, the abstinence of eggs is associated with Lent.

Some Spring Flyers

Working on the next few Butterflies from Texas, Ohio & British Columbia.  If your interested in one of these crazy insects email me.  Plus I can do custom work if you've got a particular license plate you want done. 

I GOT THE INVITATION!!!!!!

I'M NOT WORTHY!!!   I've been invited "by INVITATION ONLY" to participate in "The Inspired Hand" blacksmithing workshop in May in Santa Fe, held by the extremely accomplished blacksmith master Helmut Hillenkamp.  I'm so thrilled to have this opportunity I feel like a freshman who just got asked to the prom by a Senior!  My stomach is starting to get all wavy something on the scale of a Sunami!  I hope I don't make a fool of myself.  I don't know how I made it on the list, but maybe it's that KARMA thing working for me again.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Helmut.

PS ~ Thanks go out to MOM for always looking out for me and sending me articles of interest.  xxxooo

Good Day Mates!

Look at this beauty "from downunder" ~ it had Australian plates.  It's a long way from home.  You can only achieve this gorgeous patina naturally.  Nothin' like a powerwagon to get your blood pumpin'.

Do you believe in Karma ~ Destiny ~ Spirit Guide, etc? I DO

I believe that something or someone guides certain instances in your life whether they are good or bad for a reason that we aren't aware of.  It may take years to figure out why something happened to you, like; Why did I get cancer? I was healthy my entire life and then BOOM the fastest growing, usually not found in time cancer got me! BUT... it was found in stage one sort of by mistake.  I did my time with Chemo and I'm 5 years out with not a sign of it.  That diangnoses lead me to think more about "MY" life and what I was doing with it.  Going to a job that I really was tired of doing, always thinking about doing what I really wanted to do "CREATE".  I left that job after 22 years and now I CREATE.  I've been doing it nonstop for about 2 years.  I stumble thru it ~ try crazy things ~ meet wonderful artists ~ do things that scare me ~ smile more.  I've been lucky my entire life because I think I have a spirit guide (something happened to me as a young girl to believe this) that sort of pushes and pulls me to do things I'm not always comfortable with, but in the end always turns out good.  I know some of you may think I sound stupid, but that's OK.

This pretty much sums it up for me:  "If you help only one soul to find itself, if you comfort only one mourner, if you heal only one sick person, then the whole of your earthly life is justified.  How privileged you are to be aware of the tremendous power that is around and about you, that enfolds you, guards you, directs you and ensures that you will continue to unfold your latent divinity and the gifts which are your cherished possession."  Silver Birch


PS..... HELMUT wrote me..........I'm in Heaven... and that's good enough!

I'm Your Girl ~ Helmut!

Santa Fe blacksmith Helmut Hillenkamp works on bird for an iron tree at the Fayette Street Academy on Santa Fe s west side. Though the recession has made it a slow season for Hillenkamp, the artist is looking for an intern to collaborate with on community projects. 

My Mom forwarded me an article that Mr. Hillenkamp was looking for an intern to help with projects for 2 months in his shop in Santa Fe.  Of course the excitement of learning from a master how to create on the blacksmith side of the world was intriquing.  So, of course I sent off my note of how "I'm his girl" for this once in a lifetime experience.  Now I know I'm not the 20 years old with a lifetime ahead of them that could slam that 10lb hammer all day, (they also don't have 3 frayed ligaments in their rotater cuff that I do), but I can definately keep up, especially when you have an expert showing you all the tricks of the trade..  and remember I've raised 6 kids and can run circles around some young kid.

I'm waiting for the confirmation that I'm on my way to Santa Fe for a thrill of a lifetime..     CALL ME HELMUT ~ I'm waiting.  :)   Wish Me Luck

"GOD BLESS AMERICA" Sculpture

 This huge sculpture will be hovering over me this weekend while I pedal my ware in downtown Mesa.  I'm excited!!!

Excitement in downtown Mesa with this 25 foot "God Bless America" sculpture at the South East corner of Macdonald and Main Street. The God Bless America sculpture is a take off of the "American Gothic" painting by Grant Wood.  American Gothic is a painting by Grant Wood from 1930. Its inspiration came from a cottage designed in the Gothic Revival style with a distinctive upper window and a decision to paint the house along with "the kind of people I fancied should live in that house." The painting shows a farmer standing beside a woman whose identity remains ambiguous; she may either be his spinster daughter, as explained by the artist's sister, or the farmer's wife. The figures were modeled by the artist's dentist and sister. The woman is dressed in a colonial print apron mimicking 19th century Americana and the couple are in the traditional roles of men and women, the man's pitchfork symbolizing hard labor, and the flowers over the woman's right shoulder suggesting domesticity.

It is one of the most familiar images in 20th century American art and one of the most parodied artworks within American popular culture.

GUN TOTIN' WOMEN

You never think you will be in certain situations but this weekend we were!!  Late Friday night we had an intruder try to enter our home.  We have lived in our home for 19 years and never, ever had a "situation".  We were awoke around 12:30pm when I heard a loud bang in my side back yard with the immediate "going postal" sound of my dogs.  I woke my husband who ran to our bathroom door and upon pulling the curtains back was staring at a man trying to get into our house.  Now we have a big gate with a lock on it that we later discovered was destroyed - literally ripped of the gate wood and all.  Since the intruder wasn't having much luck getting in thru the bathroom door he went back out front and proceed to try to break into my truck.  As my husband ran to the garage to see what the Hell he was doing I grabbed my gun!  About that time my husband came running back in the house grabbing his shotgun and telling me to call 911.  Within minutes and I'm talking about maybe 3 or less I had 6-8 squad car outside my house with guns drawn on the guy that tried to break in.  Maybe it was me telling them that if he entered our house he would be shot they got here real quick, but I'll chalk it up to a great police force that reacted quickly and I thank them for that.  Shooting someone is not something I ever would want to transpire, but at the end of the day I WILL GO HOME.  It's quite interesting what happens in the space of 5 mins and how you react, which never is the same as you image it.  I grew up in  place where we never had to lock our doors and I hate that this world requires us to do that and I hate that there are jerks out there that hurt other people for no reason.  But if you come to hurt me or my family there will be consequences.  

I'm Swimming and Your Not!!!

Is this an Otter or a Corgi????

With 75 degree weather on Friday... it was officially the first day of swimming for Harley.  He swims till he can hardly move and he's still swimming when he finally falls asleep from exhaustion.  Those little stubby legs just keep kicking.

My Garden's Eye Candy

 

Arizona is in bloom my friends.  It is absolutely gorgeous outside.  I'm blessed to look upon my garden as I create some of my own flowers this morning ~ all made out of saw blades.

Arroyo Junkers Paradise

Ahhhhh, what a beautiful mess.  The treasures I could find here.  The found objects in this world are endless.  I'm always upset when I go to the dump and I have to drive by the steel section and they don't allow you to take anything away.  What a terrible waste for our planet this is.  These pieces of old metal, rebar, wheels, wrought iron are an artists palette and it's wasted.  So many times I've tried to talk to the people there and of course it's always... Sorry these are the rules and we have to follow them.  Meanwhile our planet is drowning in what others could turn into beauty.  I could go on and on about this subject, cuz it just make me heart sick.

What's your pleasure RUSTIC or PAINTED?

 These are some of latest BuTTerFlies I've been working on.  I'm torn between leaving them to rust naturally (the 2 bottom left) or painting them in whimsical colors.

I would LoVE to hear what would be your preference?