How to use this Page

Hello There:

I thought I would take a moment to post a "Thank You" to Suzanne of Unique Nurses for doing a fabulous feature on my Vintage Photo Shop on Etsy ~ as well as my Art Shop.

She took quite a bit of time to put these pieces together and I am so humbled to have been chosen as her feature.

I hope you can take a moment to stop by Unique Nurses and have a look.

Until Next Time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art

Hello:

Just a quick blog entry today, as I wanted to share this photo with you that I've just listed in My Vintage Photo Shop. The photo fascinates me and spooks me all at once ~

Ooopsie...no longer for sale


I'm not exactly sure what I believe regarding ghosts, but if there's anything that can convince me that they exist, it's this photo. Have a close look to the right of the headstone, just above the M in the name SCHWAM. I'm telling you, there is an image of a tiny woman wearing a white scoop-neck dress sitting on the middle ledge of the headstone. You can't make out a face, but you can see the dress ~



The headstone was for the Schwam family. The husband, Ferdinand, was still alive at the time of the photo. However, his wife, Margaret and his 2 year old daughter, Annie, were both already buried at the time of the photo.

What do you think?

Kim
Garden Painter Art

Well, Hello There Again:

As a rule, I don't normally post more than once a day, but I just had to share a few of my newest vintage photo listings from my personal collection. Some are still for sale and some have already sold. My fabulous old photos can be found here.

Louise Graduates



Little Boy Blue


Comforts Of Home


Sophie, Bella and Irene


Family In Mourning


I hope you enjoy having a peek at these amazing and historic old photos. I am over the moon infatuated with almost any old photo, and the history behind them

Until Next Time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art
Musty Boxes Ephemera

Good Morning:

I hope this entry finds you all well and looking forward to the beginning of Daylight-Saving Time this upcoming Sunday. It is always one of my most favorite days of the year!

This morning is the beginning of my weekend long contest. All you need to do is post a comment. Then, I will count the amount of comments, write the numbers down on little pieces of paper, and drop them on the floor. The piece of paper that Homer touches with her nose first will be the winning number. Does that make any sense at all?

The winning number will receive this:


It is a print of my original collage entitled "Rabbit's Curious Day". The image size measures 4" x 6" and there is a small white border about the image.

Enjoy:
Kim
Garden Painter Art

Good Afternoon:

Just thought it would be nice to post an update on Homerella. She's still with us and seems to be coming along a bit. I say this carefully, as I've seen this happen before. She's taking these painfully odorous and very large Glucosamine pills. They do seem to loosen her stiff joints a bit, but they appear to upset her tummy some as well. A trade-off of evils, I suppose...

So, we watch and hope for the best, knowing full well that she's 13 and has had a fabulous life.
_____________________________________________

While rummaging through one of my boxes of vintage photos over the weekend, I found a small box of my all time treasureful photos. I'd like to share one with you. It fascinates me and spooks me all at once. I think the photo calls to be framed and placed on the wall of my new studio. Isn't it a fabulous old photo? It's dated October of 1899.

The Mirrored Soul


I am going to hold dear to this photo. I simply can't let it go, so I won't be listing this in my Vintage Photo Shop
_____________________________________________

I borrowed a few moments to browse through my backyard this morning. I found Springtime living there....

Plum Blossoms


Nectarine Blossoms


Soon, these abundant and sweetly perfumed blossoms will provide goodies for our sweet tooth! Nectarine cobbler and plum tarts anyone?

Until Next Time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art

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 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'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.

********************************************

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.

********************************************

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 evening everyone! This is marvelous Maddy here and as I promised today was much more exciting then yesterday meaning I have lots to report.

1. Guillermo del Toro can shout "action" very loudly and I do not recommend standing next to him as this event happens. I'm pretty sure that I might be deaf in my right ear.
2. I learned a lot about Hungary from what Julian, our driver, was telling dad on the way onto set this morning except for I wasn't exactly listening that much on account of the fact I was reading a book by Meg Cabot. Eventually I had to stop though because I have troubles reading in the car and I felt a little bit woozy (cool word).
3. Guillermo's daughters, Mariana, age, 11, and Marisol, age 6, (not sure if I spelled those names right) are quite awesome. I hung out with them most of the day today except for when they ditched me and then I had to follow my weird dad around. (Just kidding! In no way is he weird no not at all in a million years.....)
4. Selma Blair is really, really super nice and did anyone else realize that she was in Legally Blonde because I sure didn't. She also has a cool doggie named Wink.
5. As fun as Budapest is I miss my friends back home... not that any of them told me to mention that *cough* LEXI *cough*! P.S. now that I said Lexi's name I should probably mention Akansha and Anna Rose, too. I'm sure you three feel very special now. :)
6. There was a really cool storm-ish type thing while we were driving back to the hotel and that was the first time that I have actually seen the full on lightning bolt thing so close to me. It was pretty wonderful!
7. It is really weird/cool seeing Hellboy up close with all the make-up and everything!
8. I like how they bring you watermelon, red currants, and raspberries when you are just sitting there on set and getting a little bit hungry. (Hungry in Hungary HAHAHA GET IT?!)
9. I am running out of exciting things to tell you. Plus it is 11:40 and I am getting a bit tired and I think dad wants the Internet plug. :)

Hope you enjoyed it. I shall be back tomorrow!!! Have a brilliant day.