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?

 

 

On my recent thrift store fix I saw a Metallic Gold Cow skull and of course I had to buy it.  I finally fixed it up more to my liking... The problem now is Where do I hang it?  There is no wall space in or out!!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

You’d think that people would have had enough of silly love songs,
But I look around me and see it isn’t so.
Some people wanna fill the world with silly love songs.
And what’s wrong with that?
I’d like to know, cause here I go again
I love you I love you,
I love you I love you!

Dia De Los Muertos

I love Day of the Dead!  I just finished a funky shovel honoring that event.  It's rustic yet elegant in it's own quirky way.  Perhaps I'll march with it at the next Dia De Los Muertos event in Nov.

Licenced to Fly

Finally.... I have been in very non productive state since Christmas, but FINALLY I've gotten back outside in between rainy days and created some new stuff.  All of course with resurrected material.  Now I need to hit the junk stores for some more colorful license plates.

I would love to hear what you think of these butterflies - Would you buy one?

Today's Scorpio Horoscope:

So today was the day I was going out in the side yard to create something new, but as usual I get caught up in too many things I want to do and not enough knowledge or experience to do them.  I have grand ideas that I dream of then I get caught up with how little I know.  I get in my way a lot and I forget my age ... that I'm not in my 20's with this time to do what I've always wanted to do.  I want a DO OVER.. :)  Oh well, it is what it is.  My horoscope was right on this AM.
 It's NEW YEAR and I'm gonna try to make it a good one and hopefully I will find my MUSE.

Jan 04, 2010

You can't force creativity. Not even you, Scorpio. As much as you want to produce something fantastic right this minute, you will find that mere mortals such as us need the help of a creative muse. And alas, the muse is a fickle being. You can't just snap your finger and summon it. You must coax it out, slowly, gently. This all takes time, but the end result makes the effort worthwhile. For now, you must sit and wait, and trust that it will come to you.

In Memory of

Uncle Richard "Dick" Smith

Bigger than life, Reveled in a Great Joke, Best Poker player in the West,

Never had a plan for tomorrow

We will all miss you Dick - Rest in Peace

2/27/1939 - 12/19/2009

Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History

Rock On Sista's!!!!!!!!!!!

Topsy Turvy

On my recent trip back from Santa Fe I saw this old car outside of Quemado.  Nothing elses around but this.... makes you wonder.

Special Thanks

I want to thank fellow bloggers for featuring me on their blog on Monday.  I love reading all the various blogs and all the wonderful insight that people have.  I'm new to this blogging stuff and still haven't quite figured out how to put all the buttons, widget etc on my site so I'm excited that someone actually noticed mine and felt what I do is good enough to share.  Thanks to those that commented.  I guess no matter how old we are we still need that sense of approval.

http://pecannoot.blogspot.com/

http://nobodyputsmamainacorner.blogspot.com/

 

Happy Birthday!

Today I want to wish my best gal pal HAPPY BIRTHDAY and thank her for these past 42 years of friendship. You have been my confidant, my shoulder to cry on, my partner in crime (only if it was throwing eggs at the Drive-In when we were 12), my sounding board thru thick and thin.  Your "true" friendship has been a constant almost my entire life and for that I will be forever grateful. Life gets in the way and sometimes we don't do enough of the crazy things we like to do together, but we always know they will come in time.  You've always been there for me and you know I'll always be there for you - because without each other we couldn't possible drag and hide the bodies alone!

I'm thankful for you in my life and I love you!!  Happy Birthday Dear Friend.

I don't know why I read this quote so much, I don't know where I found it, but I hope somewhere, sometime it will help you too.

LIFE

It's full of ups and downs

Smiles and frowns, but there

Comes a point in everyone's

LIFE when you have to

Put your big girl panties on

and just Effin' handle it!!

When a handshake was your word!

I swear I will not chase the cat and I will fetch your slippers

If we could all just be this cooperative! :)

Call me crazy, but I love shovels!!

How about a rose and butterfly that will never die in your garden?  What better way to recycle & retire these old hard working tools!

Peacock

I've got three of my new endeavor "Steel Guitars" in the Sundust Gallery.  Let me know what you all think.  Would you buy one?  They are life size - fashioned after Mr. D's old acoustic guitar. 

Sundust Gallery

So here it is - I'm officially in a gallery!!!

Have you every wondered what happens when a client invites a lot of vendors & artists to display at a festival, but somehow forgets to invite the public? We witnessed this first hand this weekend as we waited for the masses to arrive to buy all our beautiful wares and no one showed up.   Although the Art Festival was a real bust the weather was fabulous and I managed to take a few photos and just sit back and laugh at the whole situation.  The feel of Autumn is definitely in the air here in Sunny Arizona.

I'm ready to WIN this Swanky Tool Belt

Tomboy Tools and their great line of tools for women who aren't afraid of a little torque. If that describes you, then you will be happy to know that Tomboy Tools has partnered up with Flea Market Style to offer a give-away that straddles the perfect balance of femininity meets Tool Girl Power.

You like?

I'm really exciting that my "Barougue" Wheelbarrow will be on display at the Sundust Gallery in Mesa starting Monday Oct. 6th.