Sunday, October 16, 2011

That time of Year

It's getting close to Christmas and to start thinking about the gifts I am going to make.  I love making them as my family so appreciates what I do.  Of course, I only make gifts for the ones I know will like it and that I am sure to get a "how did you do that".  Right now I only have one complete and that is for  my brother.

When we were little we would always go to our grandma and grandpa Burnett's summer cabin in Suquamish, Wa.  We would catch the ferry to Kingston and the drive from there was about 20 minutes.  The cabin was about a block from the beach and there were bonfires every Thursday night.  All the neighbors would come down, we would roast marshmallows and hot dogs and just have a wonderful time.



When I was going through my stash of pictures, I found one of my brother and I when we were real young (Bill was 4 years old and I was 2), so I decide to make a shrine.

I am so excited for him to see and remember such a joyous time in ourr lives.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Halloween 2011

Every year I make Halloween boxes for my grandsons.  Usually it is a big one that is real interactive.  This year my daughter informed that the boys were really looking forward to the box I was going to create this year.  Needless to say, I had not planned on making one, but now I have created a tradition.  Is this how they start?



They light up from the back and the little ghouls scream when you push their stomachs.  They are both about 6" tall, so I didn't worry much about what to put in them. 
They haven't seen them yet, but soon and I hope they like them.  

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Obsessed with shrines



Lately I have been making shrines, lots of shrines.  I visit the Roses on my Table website and Zinnia showed us how to make one from foam core, I made one from a box and two from tins.  I think I have found a new passion.  I am currently working on Halloween ones for my grandsons and I must say they are turning out cute. 

These were made with mint tins and are, you guessed it, The Wizard of Oz.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Family Reunion

Last night was the first annual Burnett family reunion.  Recently we found a nephew that we didn't know we had.  My youngest brother went to his grave not telling anyone that he had a son and by sheer coincidence my older brother found him. 

Two months ago Bill was having a drink at one of his favorite hangouts and mentioned to the bartender Sean,  that he looked an awful lot like our younger brother, Scott.  Bill asked him his fathers name and guess what?  It was Scott.

Bill texts me, I grabbed some pictures of Scott, run down to the bar and once Sean has contacted his mom, we have another nephew.



Last night was the night for Sean to meet the rest of the family.  He has two sisters, two aunts, an uncle, and lots of cousins.  Fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Great Great Grandpa Henry Varley

My Uncle John on my mother's side of the family is doing a family history and one of my many family members is Great Great Grandpa Henry Varley. He is the gentleman on your right. I made this shrine to honor him and his love of country.  Although he was in the calvary during the Civil War, he was a little farther west from the fighting.  He was in the 17th Calvary in Shenadoah, Iowa and wore his uniform proud.    I do not know the name of his buddy, but I hope they were friends.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Making ATC's

I have really been involved in the making and trading of Artist's Trading Cards for the last 8 years and have about 5 large three-ring binders.  For those who do not know what is an Artist Trading Card, it is a 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" card that you create your own masterpiece on.  It is the size of a standard playing card and when the craze first started out, that is what people used as their base.   It is amazing what one can come up with and it's amazing that every single one is different.  I do have a heck of a time displaying them though.  I have framed them, put them on cards, put magnets on the back and put them on the refrigerator. I could use any suggestions you may have as it is a shame to leave them in a book.

I used to go to trades all over the area, Seattle, Lynnwood, West Seattle, Bothell, Bellingham and Arlington and there were anywhere from 6 to 20 people participating.  It was a great opportunity to share ones art and make new friends.  In fact it had actually become a family affair.

When I first started with this art form, my daughter and her family lived in Berkeley, California and when I would go to visit I would take my oldest grandson, Duncan (who was 3 at the time) on treks to look for stuff.  I had told him all about ATC's and though he didn't have a clue what I was talking about, he so loved to make art with his grandma.  We would set out on our daily walk around the neighborhood and you could always find us with our heads down looking for really cool stuff to make our cards with.  Once we found a bottle cap that was rusty and wasn't all bent up, we found nail, a receipt from the local store, etc.  We would take our goodies home and pull out the playing cards and begin the journey.  At that time Duncan was really into using Scotch tape, so when I looked from working on my own card, he had piled and taped all of his treasures on his one card.  I would say, it was about six inches high.  He was so proud of himself.  He picks up his card, takes it to his mom and says, "look Mom, I made art."  It was the cutest thing.  It started a long road of creating for us and although he doesn't do art with me anymore (he's 11 now), he loves to create and build.

Monday, September 5, 2011

A sunny day in Lynnwood

It has been awhile since I have written.  Live can get in the way and I just can't seem to sit still long enough to write anything.  I am currently involved with a group online can Roses on the Table and I am participating in 3 swaps.  One is Tag Art, ATC's and Inchies.  Right now I am finishing up on the Tag Art and am ready to send it off.  I'll be posting them later.

Today is my grandson's 11th birthday and he is getting so old.  He is just 3 inches shorted than me and he is so responsible.  He is the tech guru.  I just have let go of the idea that an 11 year knows more than I do.  A times they are a changin'.


I just finished making some pages that are going into a book for a fellow artists.  She is ill and a group of us are putting together something to hopefully lift her spirits.  

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Artful Gathering

I finished the painting I did at Artful Gathering.  It was a struggle as I thought it had to be perfect.  I just kept redoing the face as I just didn't like it.  I so wanted to throw it away, but didn't. 

Saturday, August 20, 2011

August 20, 2011



I am currently involved in an online artfest called Artful Gathering.  There are 20 or so instructors teaching all sorts of creativity.  I took Cristina Zinnia Galliher's, A Textured Life; Nancy Maxwell James, Boite et Petite Livret Vintage; and Shiloh Sophia McClure's, The Lady of the Divine Spark.  It ends on August 27th and I will feel lost without all the fun and excitement.  I made a lot of new friends and hope to keep in touch with them all.
I thought I would include some photos of two shrines I made in Zinnia's class.  Also is a picture of the vintage box I made in Nancy's class.
Zinnia has an online website that is so much fun.  It is Rosesonmytable.ning.com.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Aug 18, 2011

Today is my first day of my blog and I am nervous as to what to do.  Be patient.  I will get better as time goes one. 

My little dog Riley has to go in for eye surgery this morning and I am nervous.  I hope he doesn't go blind.  I will keep you posted as to the outcome. 

Update on Riley:  he did not have surgery but does have four ulcers on his right eye.  He is on strong antibiotics and sleeping like a baby.