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Good Afternoon:

While I am busily preparing my new studio, I am called to stop, take a rest, and have a go at a blog post. I have no new art to post, and thankfully, life has been fairly quiet in general. So....as today is Friday, I think I'll dedicate today to a few of the vintage photos that I've recently listed in my Etsy shop.

It is pouring lusciously outdoors, and I love nothing more than to have a browse through my vintage photos on a glorious day such as this. Here are a few of my newly listed wonderments:

Oh how I adore....

Lace collars


Scary baldy boys wearing Little Lord Fauntleroy hats


Lovely girls with baskets full of Sweetpeas


Young women with China Doll skin


Enchanted weddings


Until Next Time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art
Musty Boxes Ephemera

Good Morning:

Although I haven't stepped foot out of doors this morning, my view from the front window hints at a chill in the air. We've had a nice steady rain here in Southern California for the last 24 hours. This blustery day calls for hot mint tea and a good book. But alas ~ there will be no time for sipping and reading....

As some of you know, I am on a quest to clean my studio. It's a slow process because I often find things to stir memories. Then, I become side-tracked as I did this morning. While going through some paper on my desk, I came across an envelope that held photos of my dolls. Wow...I haven't sewn a doll in over a year, I think. Oh how I love to hand sew. It truly is comforting and meditative. I don't use a sewing machine because, well, I don't have one. The reason I don't have one is because I am terrified of them. The idea of sewing through my finger plays over and over in my head. They are fast and fluttering and loud. I much prefer to sit in my fluffy and comfortable chair, sewing basket at my feet, and hand-stitch the entire project.

I'd like to share a few of my dolls with you today:

DOLI (African Series)


FARHANI (Doli's Lover)


TIPPY (Circus Series)


FLUTTER (Circus Series)


PID AND POD (Circus Series)


ZEB AND ESSY


NAKED ZEB AND ESSY


HUMPTY DUMPTY SANTA CLAUS


All of the above dolls were long ago sold, except for Zeb and Essy. I am keeping them for a future project!

Looking back over the history of my doll making leaves me happy, proud and a wee bit melancholy. I wonder if I will ever make another doll?

Well, I'm off for the day. As I said previously, there will be no time for hot tea and a good book. Within the next hour, I will dress, run to the grocery and then I'm off to the movies with my husband. I'd like to say that we are going to see "Coraline", but that won't be the case. I shant tell you what we are going to see because it's the epitomy of cheap, scary and tacky (all of which I love). Coraline will be viewed with my daughter later this week!

Until Next Time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art

RABBIT'S UNEXPECTED PARTY



Rabbit was having a lovely summer afternoon somewhere in the English countryside. The kind of warm day with miniature breezes that call you to laze about. But on this day, Rabbit had an unexpected visit from her dear friend, Dog. Dog felt that the day was so warm and fresh that a party was in order. Dog brought hats and tea and jelly tarts. A nice time was had by all...BUT, something was amiss. There was a static in the air and a low howl far in the distance....

Until Next Time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art

Good Evening:

Here it is, February 2nd, (Groundhog Day here in America) and I've yet to find out if the Groundhog saw his shadow or not. February 2nd is also my mom and dad's wedding anniversary. It would have been their 63rd. My dad is gone and my mom didn't remember the date today.

So...the day started off a bit melancholy from the get-go...maybe I'm even a wee bit grouchy. But hey, don't we all deserve a good go-round with the grouchies every so often? My cat Bonzo has a go-round with the grouchies every single day...



Even with a bit of melancholy hanging on my heart, I managed to continue my "studio clean-up". In today's clean-up, I found my son's long lost copy of "Zombie Haiku". I haven't the slightest idea why it was so comfortably hidden on my studio desk under stacks of Somerset Studio magazines and old photos, but there it was....



I love sharing my daily listings from my MustyBoxesEphemera Shop on Etsy. Here is my favorite listing from today.



Well, I'm off to prepare tonight's dinner. Pork chops, baked potatoes with all the fancies, egg noodles in chicken broth, corn on the cob, green beans, and hot rolls.

Until next time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art
Musty Boxes Ephemera

Good Day All:

With the sun shining and a touch of early Spring in the air, I was more than happy to head to the park for my morning walk. I've noticed in the last few days, the rabbit's are stirring and the squirrels are scampering across the walking path. Soon, there will be tiny bunnies playing chase in the park! I took my camera with me today in the hopes of snapping a picture of a rabbit or two for my blog, but alas, as Murphy's Law would have it, not a single rabbit was to be found today. So, I took a stroll in my garden and snapped a picture of my own rabbit:



I am slowly but surely cleaning my art desk. Bit by bit, I am breaking through the dust and clutter of the last year. Unfortunately, I admit, my desk has been used as a catch-all rather than an artist's desk. With my heart a-twitter to start some new projects, I am committed to a complete clean up! While browsing through the stacks of paper and books that have collected on my desk over the last year, I found my second grade poetry folder. I've kept it in quite good condition all these years. Here is an example of my second grade poetry and artwork:





For those of you who are too young to remember the 1970s, "Wishniks" were the same as what are now called "Trolls". Evidentally, I loved my Wishnik so much that I dedicated a poem to him.

Well, I'm off for the day. I have countless invoices to run and photos to pull and package for my Musty Boxes Ephemera shop.

Until Next Time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art

Good Afternoon:

Just a quick pop-in today. I've been ever so busy listing more vintage photos at My Etsy Shop. I am truly infatuated with old photos. On a rainy day like today, I could spend countless hours browsing and admiring my collection.

Here are a few of the newest additions to my shop:








I've been dabbling with my banner today. While my husband is busy making what will look like a "professional banner", I decided to throw something together just to fill up the empty banner space. So, for now, all I have is what I made myself. I suppose it must do for now.

I'm off for the evening. My intentions are to curl up with a good book and enjoy the rain.

Until Next Time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art
Musty Boxes Ephemera

Good Evening:

Just a quick entry before I'm off to prepare dinner.

For those of you who read yesterday's post, you may remember that I mentioned the lonely and crumbling state of my garden. It seems that over the course of the last year, as I lost heart, so then did my garden. It appears that with my impending baby-steps back into the richness of everyday life, my garden is striving to take some baby-steps of it's own. As I slowly strolled the pathways of my backyard this morning, I found peek-a-boo hints of breath...

A Geranium here....



A Nasturtium there....



Just as I am becoming aware of a newly animated heart, my dry and parched flowerbeds are popping their heads up, towards the sun.

Cautiously, I taste life again ~

Until Next Time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art
Musty Boxes Ephemera

Good Morning:

Again, here I am about to tell you all how strong my intentions are to blog everyday. But alas ~ I haven't had the time to keep my promise. Although my intentions are true.

I do have so many things to share with you, but not today....today I just want to share a photo of my Christmas tree.



This behemoth tradition is equally dreaded and loved in my home. The tree stands nine feet tall with a six foot girth. Needless to say, at my heighth of 5' 4" tall, decorating requires a ladder and the help of both my sons, who each stand over six feet tall.

The sense of "decorating dread" starts well before Thanksgiving. Knowing that the end result is well worth the work, we prepare ourselves for the inevitable.

There are layers of lights, and colorful curly ribbon. Lime green, purple, turquoise, orange, yellow, pink and red have learned to play together with the bird nests, wasp nests, and dried flowers. Orange slices, lemon slices and beaded chili peppers add flavor and feathered birds stand guard on many limbs. It is truly a garden of Jelly Bean color.

Have a close look at the bottom of the tree, and you'll notice a sparseness of color...for that, I have my cat (Bonzo) to thank. His kitten like actions stay well hidden most of the year, but the moment he spots the curly ribbon dangling from limb to limb, he instantly becomes a child. There is no keeping him away from the fascinating and shiny "things", so we learned to keep those shiny things out of his reach.

So...what starts as a sneaking dread and builds to an inevitable chore, ends up to be a beautiful sight (and a very large toy for Bonzo). A tradition that I yearly threaten to forgo, I know in my heart that as long as I am physically able, this behemoth of all Christmas trees will always have a place in our front window.

Thanks ever so much for stopping by and continuing to check periodically.

Kim
Garden Painter Art

Good Morning Bloggers and Artists:

I just wanted to take this opportunity to check in and give a few updates. As many of you know, my mom has been on and off of hospice due to an end stage autoimmune liver disease. Since I last posted, she became a fall risk and we moved her in with us in late June. By mid July, she took a fall here at my home in the bathroom, and of course, broke her hip. So....off to the E.R. Surgery was the next day, but due to her low Hemoglobin and very low blood pressure (all due to her illness), the surgeoun truly didn't expect my mom to make it off the operating table. I, on the other hand, knew better. I've witnessed my mom rally back more times than I can count! Well, she survived the surgery and went on to therapy. When she was released from therapy, she came back to my home and was put back onto hospice. That's basically where I'm at right now. I have nurses and "the bathing lady" in and out of my home almost each day. In between their visits, I care for my mom. She's been given the green light to put full weight on her broken side, so I'm helping with her home therapy. She still has the end stage disease, and eventually, it'll get the best of her, but for now, she's coming along.

Honestly, all that you've just read really is making a long story short. There have been other struggles, and I feel we're slowly but surely coming out of this long, dreadful and dark slump.

I haven't had the time to visit my studio in close to a year. No new art to show.

I'm running a vintage photo shop on Etsy called MustyBoxesEphemera, and it's doing well.

So, my intentions are to work my art and my blog back into my daily life. My husband and I are working on making some visual changes to my blog. Different background etc...

I have some ideas going round about in my head for a new collage, so I am hopeful to find the time to clean my desk and get back to life!!

Thanks so much for stopping by:
Kim
Garden Painter Art

Good Morning:

I wanted to simply pop in and say "thank you" to all my great blog friends for continuing to check my blog. I've received so many thoughtful and supportive emails from you all, and they have been more helpful than you know.

I don't have much to blog about today, and I don't have any photos to share, but I felt like I wanted to at least say, "I'm still here and still finding my way".

Again, thanks so much for the continued support:
Kim
Garden Painter Art

Good Morning:

I'm in a rush, rush, rush, today. I've finally got my third Etsy shop going, and I am working on finishing up another doll to list. I've been making these "gnarly-dolls" for quite a number of years and they were mostly sold on eBay and made as custom orders. Those dolls were much larger and intensly concocted than what I'll list on Etsy. Click HERE to have a peek at the new shop.

Here's the freshly made, hand-stitched "gnarly-doll" I listed this morning:

Carnival Humpty Dumpty






I will be back within a day or two to add a "non-marketing" entry. In the meantime, thank you ever so much for having a look, as it is truly appreciated.

Until Next Time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art

Well, this is an oddity....I never blog in the evening. It's something that I've always enjoyed with my morning coffee. But alas...I've been so busy, I just haven't had the time to blog in the last few days.

What's keeping me so busy you ask?

Well, I've opened up a second shop on Etsy to clear out some of my supplies. I have pounds and pounds of photos, ephemera, scrapbooky type stuff and more. I've gone through and seperated out the items that I use, and I'm offering everything else to other collage/mixed media artists on Etsy. I figure, I can make a few dollars, do a little recycling, and give other artists the opportunity to adopt some extremely delightful items as well. Here's a link to my new shop:

Musty Boxes Ephemera

It's been lots of fun having a look at my collections of old paper and such, but it's been long hours and lots of hard work. Lots of picture taking!! I will be listing more and more each day.

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In the midst of all this wreckage, I've managed to finish a couple of pieces:

Martha Feeds The Goat (ACEO 2-1/2" x 3-1/2")



Guardian Of The Musically Inclined Rabbit (4" x 6")


Both of these pieces can be found ~Here~ These pieces can also be purchased through my blog. Or....you can requests prints of these pieces as well. Just give me a holler by clicking on my email, here on my blog, in the upper left hand corner.

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I'll be back in a day or two with an entry that isn't brutally marketing my shops!

Until Next Time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art

Good Morning:

It's that time of year once again....the dreaded beginning of "Spring Cleaning". Grout cleaning, appliance shining, doo-dad dusting and all sorts of other laborious tasks. I always enter into the season dreading the big cleaning, but once I get started, I find myself re-connecting to my home. I have so many pieces around my house that were passed down to me from my mom and aunts. Old tea sets from my grandmother, whom I never met, as she died before I was born. Nic-Nacs given to me by my kids when they were tots. So many memories surround me, yet so much of the time I find myself walking through my house but not really seeing what's in my home. Spring Cleaning allows me to literally touch memories, to carefully dust these precious gifts that sometime become overlooked.

Now, don't get me wrong....I am not a fan of the basic labor of cleaning away grime from general living. I don't like mopping the floors or cleaning the kitchen grout (which, by the way, I use diet coke to clean the grout as it works wonders). But... when it comes time to really dust the nic-nacs and re-arrange the china cabinet, I find myself getting lost in some of the sweetest memories of my life.

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I have 3 new ACEO prints listed in My Etsy Shop.

Johnny On The Bridge


Sunny Day In Germany


On With The Honeymoon


I wonder sometimes if I should be more specific about what an ACEO is. I'm sure some folks that read my blog must wonder what the acronym stands for:

"ACEO" is an acronym for "Art Cards Editions and Originals". ACEOs are collectible art cards always measuring 2 ½ X 3 ½ inches. That is the size of a standard sports trading card. The rule about size is the ONLY rule in the ACEO world. An ACEO can be created in any medium the artist desires: paint, collage, colored pencils, ink, etc. There are even ACEOs made from wood, clay, fabric, and metal. They can be originals or prints.

ACEOs are tiny art works that can be matted and framed to hang on the wall. Many people display their ACEO collections in the same kind of plastic sheets and albums that sports card collectors use. You might slip an ACEO into a greeting card as an extra surprise for a birthday, anniversary, or Christmas. ACEOs sell on Ebay and Etsy for anywhere from ninety-nine cents to over one hundred dollars or more!

I love making them because I enjoy working small. I love tiny detail, so making ACEOs are perfect for me.

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Well, I best be off. I have an appointment with a grout brush...

Until Next Time
Kim
Garden Painter Art

Good Morning:

I don't have a huge amount of time for words today, but I took advantage of the sunshine yesterday morning and snapped some photos. I found that, if I looked close enough, springtime is peeking out all over my yard...

Blossom on my plum tree...



Sparks of yellow on my hill...



Color in my overgrown garden...



Homer enjoyed warming her 12 year old bones in the sun...



Junior posed for a picture...



Have a lovely day~

Until Next Time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art

Good Morning:

Just a short entry today, as Thursday's are always my busiest days. It's been a simple and quiet day thus far, which is always a lovely way to start a day. I am rather fond of days that are hushed and ordinary. It gives me time to see and smell all the goodness that is so easily overlooked in the busy-ness that can sometimes take over.

If I breath in deep, I can almost smell the Springtime today. Even though it's a little chilly outside, and an ever-so-slight grayness has moved in, there is a hint of Spring lurking beneath. I will enjoy this simple morning as long as it lasts. As I know that within the oncoming hours, the daily rush will set in, and I will be off in a whirlwind of chores and commitments.

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I finished another collage ACEO last night and listed it in My Etsy Shop. It's another in my "Amelia" series and it may be my favorite of all...

Amelia Visits The Ghostly Orchards



I just love the ghostly Victorian women picking apples. I left them sepia toned except for the apples, to give them a sort of ethereal look.

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Thanks ever so much for taking the time to stop by and have a look at my blog. As always, I truly appreciate it.

Until Next Time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art

Hello There:

I'm off to quite a busy day, but wanted to check in and say "Thank You" to all who commented on my previous entry. Should I change my business name or not is still the question being volleyed around my house. I've come up with several names that I really like, but am dreadful of all that would need to be done if I choose to make the change. Most people think that I should change and that my name is, indeed, misleading. The overall opinion is that, if I'm going to do it, I need to do it now and make a huge deal out of it. Holler it out to the world!! I will keep you posted and may be back to ask for more opinions!!

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I've been quite busy in my studio, and I'm off to a productive week already. Here's what I've just listed in My Etsy Shop:

LITTLE BERTIE IN THE GARDEN (4" x 6" collage on canvas)



GUARDIAN OF LAZY DAYS (collage ACEO 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" miniature art)



As always, if you don't have an Etsy account, but are interested in either of these pieces, or prints of these pieces, just email me. Up at the top, left hand corner of my blog, just click the "email me" button. Until I get my blog shop in order and get that pesky little paypal button attached, this is the only way to offer my pieces here.

Again, thanks ever so much for your comments and opinions on my newest adventure.

Until Next Time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art

Good Morning:

I've been wrestling with an idea for quite some time, but I'm still unsure if it's a wise decision. So, I've decided to bring my idea here, as so many of my readers are artists as well. And those readers who aren't artists have prized opinions as well!!

I've been playing with the idea of changing my business name. I've been Garden Painter Art for about 5 years now. The name came from the fact that each and every one of my collages has an image of my garden somewhere within. I love the idea of that. BUT... I think my name is mis-leading. I think people see the name Garden Painter Art and they assume I do floral paintings. I just don't think my name is fitting for my art.

I don't have a huge following, of course, but I do sell quite a bit. I feel like, if I'm going to change my name, I should do it now. Of course, as Murphy's Law would have it, I've just ordered business cards!! This is a long term makeover project that I'm starting. I feel like I need to do some cleaning up of loose ends and get myself stream-lined.

So...I would truly love lots of honest opinions. From artists as well as readers in general. I need to be able to see how a name change would be perceived by the public.

Any ideas would be truly appreciated. If you like, you can email me. Just go up to the left hand corner of my blog and click the email link.

I'm hopeful to get lots of opinions, as I am not sure if what I'm thinking is a good idea or not.

Thanks so much:
Kim
Garden Painter Art (for now)

Good Morning:

As I sit, tap tap tapping on this electronic communicator, my fingers are aching with cold. It's one of those desert mornings that allows an icy wind to find it's way through every crack and crevice in the house. Even with the heater on, the air is cold to the nose. The chilly wind gave me the honest excuse to skip my morning walk. The thought of heaving myself out of a warm bed at 7:30 a.m. to walk 3 miles in this wind just seemed, well...it seemed wrong. Although, I must admit, this was not the best morning to skip a walk, considering the amount of calories I must've consumed last night for Valentine's Day.

Last night, Gary and I had our usual V-Day dinner, shared a bottle of Almond Champagne, and had too much sinful but heavenly homemade cheesecake. For the last few years, Ava (my daughter) has been making a V-Day desert. This year she chose to make not one, but two cheesecakes. A Peanut Butter Cheesecake and a Lemon Cheesecake with Strawberries. AND...she always makes homemade whipped cream to go along. It was lovely. A feast for the heart as well as the belly...



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I haven't finished any new pieces in the last few days, but I did list a new print in MY ETSY SHOP. The warm weather we had a few days ago made me long for Springtime and Easter (which is my favorite holiday). This little ACEO print was originally made with Easter in mind:

THE EGG HUNT



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Looks like I'm off for the day. I have a few little chores to attend to and I am hopeful to find some time to start a new collage.

Until Next Time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art

Good Morning:

Well, just as I suspected, the few days of 80 degree weather that we had here in the Southern California desert was short lived. I'm okay with that. It just doesn't seem right to be so warm in February. Our walk this morning was chilly to the bone with a constant goose-bump inducing wind. Was nice to get back home and have that first cup of morning coffee.

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It seems that today is Valentine's Day. Ava (my daughter) is busy in the kitchen making a cheesecake for Gary and me to have as our desert tonight. She's altering the recipe to make a peanutbutter cheesecake, so I'm looking forward to the end result. Later today, I'll run out and buy a bottle of Almond Champagne and set the table for a nice dinner for two. Ava will make dinner for my two sons and herself, and Gary and I will feast on our traditional Valentine dinner of "Pick-Up-Stix". I shan't allow myself to think of the sinful amount of calories that I'll be consuming!!

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I have a new original 4" x 6" collage on canvas listed in My Etsy Shop. Have a look at the old church in the background. I took that photo a few years back in Cuervo, New Mexico. It's a little abandoned town off of Interstate 40. I googled Cuervo not too long ago, and found that there are some interesting stories connected to the town.

SUNDAY MORNING WITH LITTLE RABBIT AND BROTHER BILLY


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Looks like I'm off for the day. I have a few chores that need to be attended to.

Until Next Time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art

Good Morning:

I'm back from my morning walk, and found the squirrels were fresh out of their burrows and the woodpeckers were busy doing whatever it is that they do. My own yard is filled with the chit-chat of thankful birds at my just-filled feeders. I can almost feel myself ready to bloom for spring. BUT...I know better than to jump to conclusions, as it is only February. Although we have had lovely days of 80 degree temperatures, the small and hidden logical part in my brain tells me that we are still in for more winter weather. Alas, with each passing day, spring gets one day closer...

I have been fairly busy in my studio lately and have managed to finish 2 collage ACEOs (2-1/2" x 3-1/2" miniature art)

BENNY AND THE SUMMER STORM (sold)


AMELIA BABYSITS THE NEIGHBORS (this is the 3rd "Amelia" aceo in the series).

(Check out the pouting little girl with the blue pixie hat on. That's me when I was a little girl, just getting ready to have one of my royal tantrums)!

I just love working with these vintage photos of "Amelia". I don't know who she is, but I have lots of photos of her, as I adopted a musty box of her family photos at the flea market. I only know her name is Amelia because that's what the back of her pictures say. In each and every photo, she is happy and smiling. I will continue to make more "Amelia" pieces. I am honored to be able to give her photos a new life.

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I have a handful of little "chores" to do today, but will have time to finish the current collage I'm working on. Gary is home from work today, as it's Lincoln's Birthday. Although he isn't able to enjoy his day off, as he has a terrible cold.

Thanks for stopping by
Until Next Time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art

Good Morning:

I'm off to a busy day, as so often it seems I am. I wanted to take a smidge of a minute to share this lovely photo with you. My husband snapped it from the hill in our backyard ~~



It's impossible to capture the vastness of the snow on the mountains with my little digital camera, but it is a breathtaking sight. Before long, a large portion of the snow will be melted and the smog will be back, but today is lovely....


Until Next Time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art

What a lovely rainy morning it is. The dampness in the air is tempting me to cuddle up in my favorite reading chair...



But alas, I've only been up and alert for approximately one hour. I am hoping to get a few things done today, but am finding myself a little slow as I seem to have a nasty ear infection. I have an ear condition that I take daily medication for, and for the most part, it's kept under control. Every once in a while, my ears give me fits, and with the change in weather, this is a likely time for them to misbehave. I will do as much as my ears will allow, and otherwise, I will be perfectly content to stay in and wallow in the warmth of my home. While the rain is boldly dripping outside, making just enough splatter to be heard through the windows and doors, I will be thankful for the roof over my head and the blessing of ears that can still hear the rain...





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I am anxious to get back to work and I have several pieces just waiting for me to finish them...



Whether I will feel well enough to work today is yet to be seen, but I may give it a whirl and see what happens. I know that my heart is ready to work, now I'll see if my ears will allow it. I have several projects going on all at once, as I always do. I am hopeful to finish a few pieces so that if I'm able to pay my Etsy fees, I can begin listing again.

I'm off for the morning. On to my daily doings. My hope is to be finished with all that I must do before nightfall. I would so enjoy a little time to quietly sit in my favorite reading chair, listening to the rain with a cup of Peppermint Tea in hand.

Until Next Time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art

Good Morning:

I'm just on my second cup of coffee and finally coming awake. I was given the go-ahead from my mom's nurse to take her home yesterday, so she spent her first night in 11 nights in her own bed. For me, I spent the night in my own bed for the first time in 11 nights as well...I slept hard. Too hard. I don't remember enjoying the opportunity to stretch out as I must have fallen asleep, literally, the second my head hit the pillow. Before I knew it, it was morning once again.

For those of you who have had a newborn at home, I'm sure you know that almost "zombie" like feeling that overtakes you after many long nights without any sleep. I can remember taking care of my restless babies during the night, and running on a complete deficit of sleep for days. I remember almost feeling sick and sort of seeing silver just at the lack of sleep. But dealing with a newborn is a good thing!! Taking care of my mom left me feeling that same constant sleep deficit except you didn't have the overwhelming joy of holding your sleeping baby once they finally dozed off.

I haven't spoken to my mom yet this morning, because I know she has been sleeping late and I don't want to disturb her. I will, however, call her in an hour or so. I am so hopeful that all went well.

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At this point, I still haven't sat down to work. I'm finding it difficult to justify the time spent as I can no longer list my art in my Etsy shop. I wasn't able to pay the fees this month, so my listing priviledges have been suspended. I can still sell what's already in my shop, but I can't list anything new until I can manage to get my fees paid. I just feel defeated...

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As many of you know, I am a gardener. Well, let me rephrase that: I love to garden. I'm not sure that loving to garden necessarily qualifies you as an actual "gardener". Nevertheless, I love to garden. Until this morning, I hadn't been out to my garden in literally months. Normally, even throughout the winter, I would take the time to stroll around and look for the hope of new life. The hope of Springtime. But this winter, I just couldn't find the heart to stroll or the interest to look for Spring. This morning, I found myself wandering around with time on my hands. With no desire to collage, I forced myself to grab my camera and step out back. I can see that, in my garden's lack of being nurtured throughout these last months, it is suffering. The Lavendar needs to be cut back, the Geraniums need to be dead-headed, and the hummingbird feeder needs to be replenished. I have one dead Apricot tree and lots of cleaning up to do. All of this will have to wait for another day. BUT...I did manage to find some hint of life...





And my little turtle is still loyaly watching out for my garden...



The Geraniums are trying hard to pretend it's April...



as they must take advantage of the cooler days before the heat sets in and brings with it their hideous enemy: The cut worm. Just as my Geraniums are extravagent in bloom, they will be overtaken by this green and plumpy foe...



My heart is sad for my garden as I have not been as loyal to it as my little turtle has. He's stood strong through hot days and cold nights, wind and rain. I, on the other hand, have turned my back on the fruit and flowers that I made a commitment to nurture and care for.

Until Next Time:
Kim

Good Morning:

It appears to be sunny outside today, as I can see rays of light squeezing their way through the window blinds. I'm afraid that if I open the blinds to the new day, I may also be letting in a new battle or tragedy. I know, I know, new days are supposed to be exhilirating, a new start, but for me lately, they're terrifying. I'm always on guard against whatever "surprise" may be lurking around the corner. I've become almost giddy at the thought of going to sleep at night, but dreadful when I lazily open my eyes for the first time in the morning. I wonder to myself each morning when I open my eyes, if all the rest of my mornings will be like this. If I accidentally live to be 80, will I still be afraid to open the blinds and afraid to open my eyes? Will my current battles simply continue to roll right into the next set of "current battles" or will there be rest in between?

I wish I could sit down to work. I have so many half-finished collages at my desk, but all I can manage to do is stare at them. I love my work and I don't want to create pieces that are dark and negative and ugly. I don't know if I can remember how to create bright and fun and happy pieces. And...if I can't do that, I don't want to create at all.

Someone recently asked me what the hand represents in so many of my collages. At the time I made them, they represented God's hand in our life...



Holding us up



Giving us light



Now, my vision is so dis-gruntled, I can't hardly see it that way anymore. When I look at my pieces, I still see the hand represented as God's, but I have this sneaking suspicion that the hand represents us as puppets. Not as the hand of a guardian, but the hand of a chess player. Yuck...I don't want to see it that way!! I don't want to feel this way!!

Will there ever come a morning full of hope for the first light? Full of anticipation for a glorious new day? That is what I long for. To open my lazy eyes to the first morning light and think to myself: "Yipee, a new day!!".

Until next time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art

Oh how I wish I were here...




Oh how I wish it were Springtime...




Oh how I wish I could eat 3 or maybe 4 of these without gaining an ounce...