Sunshine... on the water... looks so loveleeee

Dear Amanda Sunshine-

Happy Birthday! Never ever forget the light you have within. Continue to share it with others and you will brighten their lives.

Love, Aunt Tiff

We can all use a little sunshine can't we? I keep thinking of that John Denver song: "Sunshine... On the water.... Look so loveleeeeeee..."

Dolla Dolla Bill Y'all

I'm gon tell you, like you told me... cash rules everything around me
Singin Dolla Dolla Bill Y'all...

So the other neice is into all things aquatic. Gary came to mind... No.... Anemone (ameneone. Aneneme... Anemonemo) Nah... then Sand Dollar came up and Bingo. So there you have it. Do I have the luckiest neices or what? Pickles and Sand Dollars and paintings oh my!

I repainted the sand 3 times til I got the color the way I wanted it. Layers of color and flecks for depth. 9x12 canvas: Acrylic paint

Now that's the best tastin pickle I evah hoid!

Only because my niece has exchanged the word Pickle for Cool was this painting ever even considered. I was in a pickle about what to give her for her birthday and my sister said "I have a dill idea!" and that's when the pickling began. Now I'm moving on to other things- like Gary (MEOW!).

Work in Progress

I made the tree a bit more substantial & changed my signature. It still needs to dry so I can varnish it, but It's pretty much done. Happy early birthday, Laura!

One Tree Hill

The moon is up and over One Tree Hill We see the sun go down in your eyes... U2 dude. U2. What was that, like 1988-89? That was right before Bono went Auchtung baby. I have never. NEVER painted a tree in my life. So, even though good 'ol Ross the painter (RIP) on PBS would say "put some happy little yellow in there" I didn't. I haven't even let the paint dry on this one. Here's what I've done today- I'm sure i will continue to fidget with it until I feel great about it. But for now- it's simple and soothing.
(More U2) Oh... great ocean... Oh great sea... Run toooo the ocean... Run to the sea...
Medium: Acrylic paint

Ommmmm

Gahead- chant it. You know you will. Ommmmmmm.... Finally- the finished product. I added a touch of gold to the sanskrit for depth and I am pleased!!! More to come...

The Dubya

Does anyone remember Sesame Street? There are so many skits on that show that I still integrate into my daily life. Yes, isn't that sad? For example: any time I see the letter W, I say "DOUBLEYEW... FOR WILHEMINA!" Or if I see an N, I sing "Lower case n.... He's not lonely anymore... sitting on a hill...." Or the letter B brings this song to mind: "B is for bubble. Bubble, bubble, bubble..."

Enough of this silliness. Here's William's W.

Medium: Acrylic paint

"The Cure All Queen"

I have been dubbed "The Cure All Queen" by Kirsten since I'm always giving tips for various things. Even though I can't claim all of these tips as being MINE, I will share them here. These are just things passed down in my family or advice I've been given by others. With that being said, I will post a few here and there.

CONCOCTION (sore throat, cold, hoarseness)
Green Tea
Apple Cider Vinegar (UNPASTEURIZED!)
Honey
Cayenne pepper

I like a lot of ACV but you can start with 1-2 Tsp
Honey to taste
and as much cayenne as you can stand!

If you want to omit anything, omit the cayenne. If I feel a cold coming on or if I lose my voice, I drink this warm tea and it comes right back!

Mosquito bite remedy: (good for zits too!)

TOOTHPASTE (not gel)

Just rub a dab on your bite and the itch goes away and they shrink right up. A little dab'l do ya!

WD-40!!!!

Spray on the wall and watch the crayon color melt. Wash off WD40 with Windex or another spray cleaner.

Laundry: gets out any oil based stain. Lipstick, pizza sauce, chocolate, grease... just spray on and leave for a few mins. Then spray a spot cleaner or detergent over the WD-40 and place in the wash! (works for set stains as well!)

Kids won't go to bed on time? (for the young 'uns)
Try the reward system. In the morning, they will find little treats under their pillow if they went to bed in a timely fashion the night before. Place stickers, $1 store items etc. You can be the 'goodnight fairy' or just be mom. I was just mom... so they knew where the stuff was coming from. I wouldn't remind them. I'd just say- let's go to bed! And if it happened smoothly, I'd put something under their pillow. They figured it out. Now, my life is perfect and they always mind me. HAHAHAHA!! If only that were true...


Car overheating?

TURN ON THE HEATER. I live in the desert where it can reach temperatures up to 120 in the summer. If you do not want to have a CAR-B-QUE, then turn on the heater! I am not a mechanic so I won't go into explaining WHY this works. Just try it- then get your car checked out ASAP.

What I've been up to

So the creative bug FINALLY held me down and made me do it! It's the bugs fault! HE started it! In all seriousness, I have been making jewelry for 10 (or more) years and lately I have needed an additional creative outlet. Reading the book "Ask and it is Given" has inspired me to be true and do what I've wanted to for years- to become my old high school art teacher Mrs. Hogue. That being said, I decided to pick up my oil pastels, paint brushes and the like and get busy- Mrs. Hogue-style. I don't think I've painted since high school and that's been (ahem) 6 years now! Oh, I think I split something laughing so hard. ANYHOO. My son wanted a planet for his room- and he got one. Medium: acrylic paint, oil pastel, and glitter glue.

I also painted on my friend's daughter's wall (who knows my gardener and is the daughter of a woman that does the hair for someone famous). OK I'm kidding about the gardener part. The great thing is, her daughter's room now looks like an ice cream parlor and she loves it! (I only did the name and swirlies- faux finish and stripes were done by my ever so talented friend). This was a lot of fun to do... Medium: acrylic paint.

This painting is what has been in the back of my mind for quite a while now. I had to bust out some other stuff first to work out the kinks. Once I had some confidence built up, I painted the OM symbol- and me likey. That's right- OMMmmmmmm that symbol for everything. For completeness, breath, the 4 stages of Brahma. The color orange makes me feel creative and the OM brings peace to mind. This is how I feel right now- peaceful with creating! I just couldn't wait to get this one done...... Medium: acrylic paint.

I also painted daisies for Alison's (my BFF) daughter and will paint a DUBYA for her son (William) tomorrow. I whipped these out pretty quickly and I am pleased. I wanted something whimsical yet something that didn't only fit a 4 year olds taste. Something that could last in a girls room for a longer amount of time. I guess I'm just not a fan of 'age appropriate' art................Medium on daisies: acrylic paint and oil pastels.

So far, I am enjoying this creative outlet and will continue to explore it for as long as it delights me. And that could be all of 2 minutes. But we shall see.... we shall see. Eventually I will have pieces on my SkyeStone Designs website for sale. But for now, I'm just tinkerin and having fun!

More things I find cute...

These children. Is Sam too cool for school or what? I seriously think he's got a future being Ponch on CHiPs! And Makena's innocent beauty scares the crap out of me.... she has no idea how beautiful she is. I hope it stays that way for a while too!

So there ya have it. These are 2 little tikes that I find gorgeous, funny, and awesome. The other day, Sam was playing Super Mario on the Wii and he got stuck on a planet. So he pauses the game, kicks back on the couch and folds his hands behind his head and says, "Makena, get over here and do some of your beautiful work on this guy. Uh, please?"

Hilariocity.

OK. I am going to blog!

Yes Cammi. You are reading this correctly. I am blogging! I have no idea what I'm doing but it seems to be the thing to do. So here I am. Blogging. I have no idea if anyone will even be interested in what I have to say. However- I need to put my thoughts in writing as I've been told for years that it's very helpful and therapeutic. You know what else is therapeutic? Sticking your hand in a big tub of beads. I love that feeling- and sound.

Anyway, these are my thoughts.