panty raid!!

zoe:  "uh oh! here she comes to take these away!!!"

bella:  "hurry! grab and run before she can catch us!"

zoe:  "careful, bella, you really don't

want to wear those on your head!!!

the little gangsters have been busy lately! when i went into the back yard today i found 2 pair of my underwear and 7 of my socks! yes, that's right -- those are my size 14-16 granny panties being tugged and tossed around between my girls! they innocently lurk in the bedroom waiting for me to look away so they can make a snatch and then run like mad with their "prey" to the back yard. we've never found a single article of bill's clothing out there which had me feeling rather smug (they like me best!!) until it dawned on me that bill never leaves his clothes on the floor. yes, i'm guilty! i am a slob who leaves her dirty clothes "temporarily" on the floor and yes i DO wear granny panties! let's face it folks -- you get to see the good, the bad and the ugly here on my blog!

hope this leaves you with a smile to carry you through your day!!

she came alive with dirt on her hands

"she came alive with dirt  on her hands"

mixed media collage

10 x 10 x 1.5 gallery-wrapped canvas

(c) 2010 julie king

"she came alive with dirt on her hands. all winter she hunkered down against the cold, dreaming of that first spring day when she could dig her hands into the rich, newly-turned soil. there was something about the feel of the dirt on her hands that awakened her senses and let her soul fly free. even the smell could bring on a sense of euphoria, liberating dreams of her garden and hopes for her life. she let her mind wander as her hands worked, basking in the happy glow of her garden plans coming to life. a symphony of bird chatter made her smile; a light breeze caressed her body. as she sank her hands into the rich loam, she lifted her face to the sun and said a small prayer of thanks for another spring, another sunny day and another happy commune with the dirt."

available in my etsy shop!!

a good, good day!

hey! we're trying to eat here!

kissy, kissy!

pretty bella!

my morning welcome!

i'm feeling much better! back at work and feeling my way back to normal. thanks so much for all your wonderful love and support! i truly am blessed to have all your good wishes in my life!!

the girls got their hair cut yesterday -- real miniature schnauzer cuts. they sure do look cute but they were cold last night with all their curls cut off. zoe begged to have the gas fireplace turned on and then they both cuddled extra close during the night. just what i needed!!

it's a good, good day! sunshine, good work friends, laughter and energy to play with my camera all have me feeling so blessed.

come back tomorrow for peeks at my two latest collages!

((hugs))

it's complicated

i was in the hospital overnight on friday. a missed BP pill, a new BP pill, and a chronic allergy cough had me dizzy with mild heart attack symptoms. an overnight stay, a heart stress test (i passed just fine), a change in meds and a few days of rest have me feeling better. i don't feel great or really even my normal upbeat self. when i ask myself why, i just say "it's complicated".

i've been puttering around on a couple of new collages in my she series over the last 2 weeks. even though i've pushed myself out of my comfort zone with more paint and less collage, i'm not feeling elated to be in the art room.  when i ask myself why, i just say "it's complicated".

hubby is out of town for the week on business. although i usually love my alone time when he's gone, this absence has me feeling a bit lonely and out of sorts. when i ask myself why, i just say "it's complicated".

the emotional toll of seeing my parents health continue to deteriorate and finding myself in a caretaker role, has me out of balance. when i ask myself why, i just say "it's complicated".

work has been presenting some new creative challenges which i so need in my life right now. but i feel lacklustre and unmotivated. when i ask myself why, i just say "it's complicated".

i watched the movie "it's complicated" on demand today and i loved it. it made me laugh and cry and relate so much to the characters. meryl's face is showing her age a bit and i felt such a kindred spirit in her appearance and in the character she plays. it made me want to do something reckless, laugh til i cry and then eat a chocolate croissant. hee hee

but mostly the movie has me being reflective about my life and the people who've journeyed with me. on the one hand, it's all very complicated but on the other it's really all quite simple. we are where we are in our lives because of the choices we've made. and there's no need to make it any more complex than that.

i'm off to see the dr. and hopefully get a release to go back to work. i need the challenge, a reason to shower and get out of my pajamas, and the interaction with people. nothing complicated about that!

 

she circled her arms wide

"she circled her arms wide"

mixed media collage

10 x 10 x 1.5 gallery canvas

(c) 2010 julie king

"she circled her arms wide. in all that she did she spread love. her arms were never too small to wrap around someone in need, to comfort someone in pain, to celebrate joys and triumphs. little ones learned the special healing touch that came from being hugged by her. she whispered words of comfort and love while her arms provided the necessary prescription for whatever ailed. she circled her arms wide to welcome new ones to the family, always accepting, always warm and inviting. in times of sorrow or worry, she knew the right words to say or simply offered a few moments of welcome silence. she remembered birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions. she was the keeper of family traditions, heirloom recipes and family folklore. she circled her family with a protective shield, letting them know that all were safe within her widespread arms of love."

she is my mom, my grandma, my sister, my aunt. she is the matriarch of every family, the glue that holds the family together. there's a little bit of her in each and every one of us women. we've had great examples and teachers to show us the way and we are each trying to follow in her footsteps. they are very big shoes to fill.

these days more than ever, my art is my therapy, a way to feel in control and to be transported away from the hurt and confusion. i loved every minute of writing this text and creating this collage!

the collage is for sale in my etsy shop and will be accompanied by a little mini book with the complete "she circled her arms wide" story.  it would make a lovely mother or grandmother day gift.

puppy love

love my lap full of puppy

bella front seat ride

zoe in the back seat

bella plays with her cousin jenny

zoe is afraid of jenny and hides

bella gets a wheelbarrow ride

hubby and my girls

naptime

towering tulips

the tulips are more lovely this spring than i can ever remember. a few evenings ago i spent about an hour driving and walking around trying to capture all their bouncy, reach-for-the-sky, lusciousness. for most of the above shots i laid right out on the ground so i could shoot up. it was fun and i loved the results.

please keep my dad, mom and family in your thoughts and prayers. we have hospice coming in to help care for dad at home. i spent all day there yesterday and now have packed a bag to go spend the entire weekend. there are no words to express how this feels. as always, thanks for your outreach of love and support.

she found her voice

"she found her voice"

mixed media collage

2nd in the "she" series

(c) 2010 julie king

"she found her voice. for years it had been living inside her head, whispering of hopes and dreams she longed to pursue. like a fledgling bird, it nested in her soul, with furled wings, just a glimmer of creative yearning. tentatively, slowly she let the wings unfurl; the first tender whispers evoked joy and faith. trusting her new-found muse, she let her voice emerge strong and beautiful. soon her voice was flowing from her mind into her fingers and out onto paper, creating magical stories and memorable characters. it spoke of strong women triumphing over life’s battles and woes. in parallel with her own life, her characters were on a quest to find themselves. together, they journeyed into strange lands and uncharted pathways. when she faltered or lost her way, she listened to her voice, her life compass, her soul mate, and it carried her far. she found her voice; it was a symphony of triumph, perseverance and faith."

i wrote this story and created this collage for my best friend, vickie weaver, whose birthday is coming up and who recently lost her mother. mostly i wanted to create something that would be a tribute to the publishing of vickie's first novel, billie girl, and to the joy i've received from vickie finding her voice. back when vickie and i worked together at a small newspaper shop, she wrote a weekly column about her life with two sons and a husband. she had a wonderful sense of humor that always made me smile and she had a way of taking a mundane happening and turning it into a classic small town pass-along tale.  

when she started college in her 40's, she often shared her creative writing with me -- short stories and poetry she'd written as class assignments. i remember one short story she shared that had me sobbing at my desk. you know the kind of sobs where you try to swallow the sound because you know it is just going to blast out and embarrass you? that was me, reading her story and being transported back to the 60's when the vietnam war, peace rallies and young love had me angry and hormonal and confused. did i say transported? that's exactly how it was -- like i could smell the scents, hear the sounds and feel the feelings exactly as i had back then. yes, her writing was that good.

i had the privilege of reading the early drafts of vickie's novels and knowing she was going to be a published author; i never had any doubt. i loved her quirky characters and always the truth and sincerity of what she wrote. fast forward several years and vickie's novel billie girl is being published. due to be released in september, you can pre-order it on amazon!! you've read my book reports here on my blog -- have i ever steered you wrong? you will love this book!!

you can learn more about vickie on her website.

gf, you've inspired me in ways you never even knew. you had my back in good times and in bad. you've made me laugh and held my hand when i cried. and, most of all, YOU DID IT!!!! you found your voice and it has carried you far. you've only just begun, gf, you've only just begun! ((hugs))

prints of this original collage are available in my etsy shop!

mini book author!!

one of my big life goals when i was in high school was to write a book. i loved writing and found all the english writing assignments to be both thrilling and inspirational. as an adult, life took me down many paths but none of them included writing a book. recently i've gotten back into writing and i don't know when i've been as emotionally satisfied. i did some freelance poetry writing for an ad agency last month and now i'm working on my "she" series of original stories with matching original mixed media collages. the first collage in the series sold over the weekend and now i've created the above mini book which i love!! so as you can see i've officially written a book, even if it's only a mini book. hee hee

the "she loved books" mini book and print are both available in my etsy shop!  

here's my short haircut, taken at the water park over the weekend (a girls weekend for my daughter, megan, her daughter jenna and me). thanks for all your sweet words!

she loved books

"she loved books"

original mixed media collage

10 x 10 x 1.5 gallery-wrapped canvas

(c) 2010 julie king

she loved books, devouring them like decadent chocolate eclairs, each one more delicious than the previous. attracted to the aged, mellow colors of the frayed covers, she was soon intimately involved with the rich characters she found inside. these charismatic, often quirky soulmates were her nightly bedfellows and her traveling companions. even during her strolls in the park, she found her mind wandering to her current read, anticipating each delightful revelation and turn of phrase. the sweet scent of the old, dusty pages filled her head with aromatic visions of far-off places and oft-forgotten times. her fingers itched to caress each page as the story unfolded and wove its magical spell. her home was overflowing with stacks of much-loved, well-worn tomes, stepping stones to a life she could only hope to live one day. but for now, she was content to exist within the toothy vellum pages of the hardbound books she so loved.

this is the first in my "she" series of original collages based on my original stories about creative women with courage, heart and wings to fly!

it's available in my etsy shop. i'm also offering a custom version of this style "she" collage. i'd love to create one especially for your sister, mom, friend or daughter. just click the link for all the details.

random thoughts

i got my hair cut really short like halle berry. it suits my mood and my lifestyle.

i like the name halle. maybe my next puppy will be named halle.

gray hair has been on my mind lately. i have a lot of it which i keep covered with a carefully mixed shade concocted by my hairdresser. maybe i should let it show and wear it like a badge of courage.

the luscious, deep green grass will need to be cut soon. good thing hubby is out of his walking cast.

loving this early morning of a day off. the need-to-do list can wait. let me relish the quiet solitude for just a bit.

one of my challenges at work this week was to dress and photograph a child-sized crash test dummy. now there's a first!

why is it that the puppies were full of beans when we were in bed but now that i gave in and got up they're all curled up asleep in my reading chair?

inspiration and desire to do anything artistic have been non-existent lately. i guess i'm on a break. i did buy some golden fluid acrylics on sale at dick blick.com. hope springs eternal!

i finally broke down and got an iphone. my old cell phone would barely hold a charge and my patience was shot with it. i love the iphone, especially the burnt orange case. it makes me smile when i see it.

i miss the geese flying over our house. there are still a few around at the pond across the way but not the long v's we see in the fall thru the winter. 

yep, these are random thoughts, straight out of my mind, thru my fingers, onto the keyboard, up on the screen and straight to your computer for your reading pleasure. thanks for stopping in for this friday's dose of randomness!