Bridge in the Sky ~ This is the 6th aceo/atc size painting I've made of the New River Gorge Bridge. It fascinates my mind to paint something so tiny of something soo huge! This isn't a very good picture though because I waited too late in the evening. I'm hoping to get a better photo tomorrow.

Morning Glory Beauties ~ I started to yank this vine out that was growing up the old lily stalks and now I'm so glad that I didn't. The sun was shining though the blooms and I captured the intense color before the blooms folded up for the day.

More ACEOs ~ I've been painting more little paintings in acrylics. The one above is titled 'Softly Through the Mountains'. I remember how it looked all hazy, soft and blue when we drove through the mountains in West Virginia...that title just jumped in my mind and I think it suited this one fine.

'Earth and Sky' I and II. I was ready to throw these two aceo's away until I mixed some blue and white for the sky. They seemed to take on a new life and I liked how they turned out.

'Get Outta My Nectar' ~ This is another aceo which I did for the September nfac (nibblefest art contest) in ebay. I really enjoy painting themes, it's a challenge and fun too! The theme was birds and bees and I painted the problem we had with our feeders, which is the bees were hanging around and actually chasing the birds away. I hope everyone has a fun and creative weekend!

The Old Bridge on the New River ~ I just finished this aceo/atc size acrylic painting on watercolor paper last night. I picked and picked and finally had to tell myself to stop and call it finished. I painted it from a photo I had taken when we went to the New River Gorge bridge back in July. We were thinking about going out again for official 'Bridge Day' on October 17, but there are going to be sooo many people there for that extreme sporting event. We may go the weekend before. I hope so, it's an amazing place! Haa, of course we were just going to watch the people parachuting and bungee jumping off the bridge, not join in! :o

Is it a hummingbird!? ~ Standing in the front door as dusk was coming, my husband called and said, "hurry up and come look at this and bring your camera!" It turned out I didn't need to hurry because this large hummingbird moth took it's time at all the flowers in front of the house. I used the flash on the camera to get these pictures.

The page I made for Kate's sketchbook and...

... and pages reversed (how it looks in the mirror)

Another Girlfriend's Traveling Sketchbook Page is Done ~ Yea, I finished the page for Kate's book last night! Check out Kate's inspiring blog at Kate's Corner. The theme for her book is 'I believe' and the pages in her book so far are looking incredible! I went with 'I believe in imagination and I believe in dreams'. I had found an abstract acrylic painting on watercolor paper that I had worked on a while back and I worked on it some more to finish it up. I cut the painting into two sections and collaged these on the pages, painted in gold and silver acrylics, along with some 'backwards' writing. I love writing backwards, it exercises the right side of your brain. It's even trickier to read but easy if you hold it up to a mirror. Kate, I hope you will like your page and thanks for starting the traveling sketchbooks project, it's been so much fun! Also, there's a tiny gemstone hidden somewhere on the two pages. I hope everyone is having a great weekend! It's starting to look like fall here and boy do I miss swimming in the pool. I guess I'm going to have to open the plug to drain it and store it till next summer...it's back to the treadmill for exercise, blah.

You can see the sparkle effect in the pic above

Snowy Day Sparkle I & II ~ More ACEO/ATC size paintings done with acrylics and crystal glitter, I love using the sparkly stuff just on the trees and snow!

EEEEEEEEEEK ~ I went out on the deck last night to have a cigarette and saw something crawling on the window out there and it wasn't a moth! Needless to say, I smoked under the stove fan the rest of the evening and I'm too chicken to go out on the deck tonight! I believe this is a Japanese hornet and we have seen them out here in the county where we live the last couple of years and they're becoming a problem, especially when I can't even go out on the deck at night and Rob is scared to mow back there. When the weather gets cooler, we're going to see if we can find the nest (they build them in trees) and look for an exterminator! I don't mind harmless creepy crawlies but these things give me the shivers! btw, I took this pic through the safety of the window, it was like he was trying to find a crack to crawl through...thank goodness we had all the windows fixed up last fall! :o :o

Moon Sprinkled Pumpkins ~ aceo/atc size in acrylics and crystal glitter

Winter Sparkle Redbirds ~ This is acrylics and crystal glitter on 4 x 6 inch watercolor paper

Sparkly Sprinkles and a New Abstract Painting in Blue ~ I've been getting into the sparkly sprinkles again and not only is it going on my little paintings, it's also going in my hair, all over my hands, desk, floor, etc. I love using the stuff, especially when I'm trying to paint in details of frost or snow. I've been working on a larger painting also, 8 x 10 inches, acrylics on stretched canvas. I may work on this more or I may just call it finished, I'm not even sure yet. I think I'll hang it on the wall a few days and study it some more. I hope everyone is having a great weekend, I can definitely feel fall in the air here!

Girlfriends and the Sisterhood of the Traveling Sketchbooks ~
I've been working on and off for the last couple of days on two new sketchbooks...and having lots of fun doing it! I recieved both Karen's and Suki's books this week and I got them both finished, yeaa! Check out Karen's blog at: Threadstory
and Suki's blog at : Paint, Poems and Ponderings.

For Suki's book, titled 'Fire and Ice', I collaged a painting on two pages and glued a really cool old button that I had found in my box of odds and ends. I love the little things encased inside the button and it has a mysterious look to it. I wish I could remember where I found that button and it looks just right on the painting!

Detail picture of the button

I titled Karen's book 'Grandma's Quilt Pieces'. I really had fun with her book too and I know she loves fabrics and sewing. I am a real fumble-fingers when it comes to sewing and then...aha, I remembered something I had sewn over 45 years ago, talk about vintage lol! My Grandma had boxes and boxes of fabric scraps at her house and she taught my sister and I, when we were about 10 years old, how to make quilt pieces. Well, I had so much fun matching colors and patterns and actually sewed up a quilt piece a couple of feet wide. I never finished that quilt but I still have the section in my drawer and the material and thread is stong as ever! Well, I took off one square of that old quilt and placed it in the little pocket (made out of yupo paper). I collaged in buttons, a real needle (point dulled), a piece of fuzzy thread and used metallic gold and pearl paints for the background. I also glued an art card that I had done and cut the edges. OK, I'm ready for the next 2 books, which I've heard are heading my way. I'm going to let the glue dry overnight and get these in the mail to Karen M. in the next day or two.