New Addiction

Yes!  I do have a new addiction.  I just can't get enough of it.
It's Needle Felting in Wool.

Oh, the feel of all that soft wool roving.  And the colors!  And my little artist heart loves mixing the colors.  I've always loved sculpting.  In college, it was with clay.  When I learned welding, it was with metal.  And when I learned wood carving, it was with wood.  When I was a kid, it was bars of Ivory soap.  I'm so tactile, or maybe just the kid in me.  But, I love working with my hands and the feel of the materials is exciting and soothing all at the same time.

Tibetan Terrier and Lhasa Apso 4 and 3 inches high 

Shepherd kneeling

I told you my daughter, the Good Flea, has been dragging me reluctantly into the 21st century.  Well, she gave me some wool roving a friend had given her, and she dared me to find a use for it.  So, I found a site in my You Tube tutorial search that taught me the basics of needle felting.

Do You Have a Guilty Pleasure?

Do you have a silly guilty pleasure you never tell anyone about for fear they'll laugh?
     Well, on my Sunday stroll in the park with Miss Honey, I started thinking about mine.
When I was little, I loved to hear my Grandmother's grandfather clock tick-tock, tick-tocking.  And I loved to see the inside of my Grandfather's pocket watch - all the pretty jewels and gears moving. I loved the colored metals - so shiny.  Can't you tell I'm ADD?
     And then, my Hunny was a computer and electronics geek before the word was ever used.  He taught me about electricity and how to strip wires and sauter.  Then, he bought me a Heath Kit to build a digital clock.  It was the kind with the big red numbers.  That was so much fun to build and see it work (for 32 years).  We kept it on the dresser across the room so when the alarm went off, we'd have to get out of bed to shut it off.

This is the one I have now.

My New Venture

I've started an Etsy shop!  Oh no, not another of the gajillion online shops!         Oh yes.  'Fraid so.

But, it's just an extension of the blog.  My blog is an eclectic extension of ME.  So, the store is also an eclectic offering of what I do.


     There will be different krafts that will probably change with my ADD whims.  I'm open to suggestions - always looking for new ideas.  I know what I like.  But, I need to know what YOU like.
So please comment here or email me at:    kareen45@gmail.com. Thanks.

     I am also adding a page on this blog to showcase my krafts.

Back to Work

I'm Baaaaack!  
      It was so nice having a vacation - going to Baton Rouge to visit HoneyHair and B, C, and D.
C and D are 5 and 2 years old, full of energy and loads of fun. It was a great road trip with the
Good Flea, Chewy, Gadget, and Honey (all squashed into a Prius with birthday and Christmas presents).

D likes to say "Boing, Boing" when she jumps.

      I am so loosy goosy after two weeks with no news programs - only Sesame Street and Lego videos - and lots of good kiddy nonsense and a great catch up with HoneyHair and B.  I am so blessed with all my children and the spouses they have chosen.

And then Thanksgiving!
      It was GRAND!  So relaxing.  Flea, the Hunny and their kids, Red, his Dearest and their kids all brought dishes to Red's house.  And we ate all the goodies and had leftovers.  The teenagers are becoming quite good cooks (two of them considering culinary school).

Now I'm home with a new venture I'll share in the next post.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving,
Kareen

Calling All Dog Sitters!

     Help!  I'm grandma doggie sitting Chewy and Gadget for the Good Flea while she is in Dallas on business for Jones Natural Chews.  They love to walk on leash and explore the park and neighborhood with Honey.
     But, really - three dogs on leash, all wanting to sniff and explore in three different directions!  What's a grandma to do? Luckily, they only twisted me up in the leashes once this morning.  And, the leashes are only standard length.  See!

Here we go - it's off to the park.  They are so excited.  But, you can see they are already switching places and getting the leads crossed.

Gasp - Sigh!

     I can breathe again!

      I finished two projects.  Whoopee!

What a wonderful feeling.  Now, I'll take a few minutes for myself before I delve into the rest of the projects I've started and need to begin.

     I began this quilt last year.  I know - Kareen, you're slow!  But, that's OK.  I believe that a little at a time is better than none at all.

Watch Out For That Pecan!

     Do squirrels fuss at you?  The ones in my neighborhood do!  They even throw pecans at me.
What did I ever do to them? 

     This little fella was fussing at me when I stopped under the tree to let Honey check out the fire hydrant. This is a mandatory stop when we walk the park.

     His mutterings were a bit muted, because, as you can see above, he didn't want to put down the pecan in his mouth.

     Do they hate me because I secretly loathe them for stealing all my pecans every year?  Do they sense that?
     Just try to go to the park on a Sunday morning to commune with nature and enjoy God's beautiful creation, and nature squawks back at you!  Is God trying to teach me to love ALL of His creation?  Or is this WAR?

Hope you enjoy your Sunday and don't get pelted by pecans,
Kareen

New Drawing for New Header

To celebrate my new header, I'm starting a new drawing.

Great Horned owl on chicks in nest - photo by Kareen Ramsey 2004

This one will be watercolor.

Happy Hump Day,

Kareen

Life in the Gutter

                                     My Honey is a Street Walker, a Gutter Snipe!

     She loves to roam the streets, sniffing where every Romeo has been.  We follow the nose!
Our neighborhood has blocks that lack sidewalks, so we are reduced to roaming the streets.  The tragedy of being a "city dog"!

Remember when we were kids, how big everything looked?  Is that how it looks to a little dog?

Is the world bigger?

Ft. Jackson Finished

     At Last!  I was able to get back to the Ft. Jackson drawing.  Sometimes, it's good to step away for awhile and gain new perspective.

This is my original photo of the main gate.

This was the drawing from the previous post. 

Still too much yellow - too bright.

I added darker tones with Indigo Blue and added more detail to the gate and bridge.  At that point, I signed it and thought it finished.

But, a week later, I realized top and bottom were competing.  So I added purple to tone down the yellow leaves and blue to further subdue the trees.  Now, I'm finished whether the picture is or not.

I hate to overwork it

My next venture will be graphite or ink - just Black and White.

Hope y'all have a relaxing weekend,

Kareen

Hooray for Chiggers!

What?  Really?
 Yes - Really!  But, WHY?

     Three years ago I moved into this house near the park - a really lush green part of town.  It took weeks of cutting back privet hedges just to find the gas meter and make sure there were no holes along the fence line for Honey to escape.

These privets run the length of the back yard.  Sorry, the snowy scene is my only pic.

Makes a great privacy fence.

     Immediately, I started getting bites that formed huge red, itchy welts that lasted for a week or two.  Oh no!  It's allergy or bedbugs.  The Internet told me so.  A visit from the exterminator and several hundred dollars lighter in my bank account, I was still getting the bites.  For the last 3 years, this has happened every spring and fall.  So, of course, I thought I was allergic to the local vegetation.  I seriously was contemplating moving to a more sterile location.

But Then:

And "Bob's" Your Uncle!

     NOOOOO, no, no, no!  He's not - Wally was my uncle - my favorite uncle!
Do you have a favorite uncle?  You know!  The one who always played with the kids and found fun things for you and your cousins to do.  That was Uncle Wally.  He was the baby of five siblings and always a kid at heart.

Uncle Wally on left.  He and Uncle Frank were trying to get all of us squirming cousins into the jeep safely for a short ride. I'm the only one smiling.  Maybe they were trying to get us out, and we wanted to go again. 

Musings on a Leash

     If I don't keep Honey on her leash, she will be gone in a heartbeat.  The one time I let her off to chase a squirrel, she was two blocks away before I caught up with her.  "Come" is not in her vocabulary.
   

Honey, Chewy, and Gadget

     Our walks in the park are a great time for reflection.  Honey's nose was especially busy this morning.  My leg hurt.  I wanted to get home quickly.  But, Honey was having fun doing her own thing.

     Then it hit me!  I was using the leash to gently guide her along when she dilly-dallied too long.  That is just  how Jesus guides us - gently with the nudges of His Word.  When we get off in our own "thing", He brings Scripture to our mind to lead us back onto the path we should stay on - just like the leash does with Honey.  

     It also keeps us from running away.  Sometimes, God has to yank hard to protect us.  Honey tries to cross the street when cars are coming and I have to pull her back - hard.

     So, leashes have a purpose - for protection and correction.  And, so does God's Word.  It has been likened to a Sword. And it IS.  But, I have come to see it as a Leash also.

So, I hope you take a little time today to relax, reflect, and enjoy your day,

Kareen

Can You Call an Alligator?

     I can!  Brother George Reno taught me how.  Bro. George was our Mennonite pastor and still a friend for over two decades.  He and his wife Ruby are naturalists who took meticulous records of tides, shrimp harvests, moon phases, etc.  They know all the sea life on the Gulf Coast and it's wetlands. LSU and Louisiana Wild Life and Fisheries would ask his help at times. George grew up on Pass Manchac and was a shrimper/fisherman all his life - even when pastoring the church. Although retired now, he still is very active in the church.

    And those pesky alligators!  They really scare the tourists.  But, they are easy to call, especially in mating season, and will come up close to the land.  Just, DON'T go in the water.

About a 10 foot gator sunbathing in the canal near Venice, LA

And how about a 1000 year old shrimp boat?

Oh Look - Something Shiny!

    Is it just me with the ADD, that I am so distracted by shiny things?  Growing up with rosary beads imitating precious jewels and stained glass windows, gave me an appreciation - nay, an obsession with color and light - anything shiny.
     So, it is no wonder that my favorite parts of Italy were Venice and Murano.  So many shops with beautiful glass work.

Lovely jewelry from Murano. Every shop was a head turner!

 Searching High and Low:

Flop to Fun!

     Did you ever have a really humiliating flop?  So much so that you just wanted to hide out in your room for the rest of your life?

                 "Sophie Overwhelmed" by Kareen Ramsey from Sophie and the Mysterious Ring                             by Carleen Gollahon

Well I did!

Sunday in the Park

     My church has deserted me.  Most have left for a Labor Day retreat and baptisms at New Life Ranch near the Arkansas border.  So, I took Honey to the park early to beat the heat.  Should get up to 95 degrees today.  Ugh!
     The park is so peaceful, and the perfect place to have my own little retreats (at least when there aren't many of the neighbors dog walking too).

     What always amazes me is how the Lord reminds me of things in His Word about how I should behave or change or even put things into His perspective.  Then I go to church and hear a sermon reflecting what He has just shown me.  Really makes it hard to forget or sluff it off!  I've always said, "The only way to change is to face the truth".  And He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.


And then my musings turned to fairies!

Chewy in Red - Done!

     I started out to do a review of Derwent Graphitint pencils and ended up adding Prismacolor pencils.  I'm such a sucker for color.  I really didn't mean to bring out the colors so much - just leave it black and white with a hint of tint.  But, I always let the drawing dictate the final effect.  Sorry, but, I can't resist some color.  And that coat was so vibrant, it just screamed "color me".
     The Graphitints are great for a more muted effect, and I've used them as such.  But, I love color, and it is so tempting to add it.

My niece in Graphitint with a hint of Prismacolor in the skin tones.

     So, now to Chewy:

Chewy in Red

     This will be a review and tutorial for Derwent Graphitint pencils.  I have used these before and like them.  They mix graphite with a water soluble tint. It is a nice mix of black and white with a bit of tint.

This is my nephew drawn in Graphitint with just a bit of color pencil in the lips and hair.

So, I thought I'd do one of the Good Flea's Chewy to show you the process.

Florence, Anyone?

     It's Sunday afternoon and I am totally bored.  It's past time for a post, but, I'm soooo in between projects.  I have two in particular - one I can't show yet because it is Christmas presents in progress, and the other is not finished enough to show.  So it's back to Italy snippets - ready?

     The one thing that amazed me the most about Italy was the art and architecture.  When I was in Catholic school (1st grade to 3 1/2 yrs. college) the nuns always rewarded our efforts with "holy cards" instead of gold stars.  They usually had a short prayer on the back.  These cards were always copies of religious art masterpieces.

This is a picture on one of the side altars at Santa Croce, Florence.  Note the small "holy card" bottom right.

     This icon is also from Santa Croce.  I had seen so many of these paintings, mosaics, and statues on cards and in books all my young life.  But, what a thrill it was to see the real deals in Italy.  Everywhere we went there was another memory made real.  Some were a lot bigger than I imagined, and some were smaller.  But all were impressive.

       Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence.  The size of the churches was most impressive - Huge.  The basilicas were even more so.


     So, if you're bored today, take a road trip down memory lane.
     Kareen