I'm back!

Well, as is usually the case this time of the year (end of the year), my life was chocked full of all sorts of activity that didn't really afford me much creative time though I must say that I am very grateful for the biggest of those distractions: my family.  We were able to fly out to California in December for an extended stay but it took a bit of rearranging with my work schedule at my "job" which meant extra shifts and such. Not to mention that my workload here at home has intensified as we work towards getting our house ready to put on the market; lots of little projects that need to be done.  But I continue to crave my creative time and I suppose I manage to find satisfaction in creating where I can; even if it only be in the pattern of my spackling or the strokes of the paintbrush painting that upstairs bathroom.  heehee

It's also been super cold here which is never a good thing for me.  I am so ready to move onto milder, warmer pastures. I think my one of my newest Tumble Fish Studio layouts makes that clear.

Totally been feeling like I'm trapped in an ice cube 24 hours a day! haha
Created with the new Winter Junque kit available here.

So for now, we do what we can to put ourselves in a better position should opportunity knock and continue to hold out hope for something more like this . . . .

A piece I created a few months back.  CREDITS can be found here.  

So December was busy and January's been downright frigid.  I wonder what February will hold . . .

Created this little "Valentine Beauty" with a combination of two of Tumble Fish Studios' newest arrivals

Warm winter wishes, valentine greetings and oh yes. I almost forgot:

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!!

EYES

A bit of fun for the Three Muses challenge this week.
The theme is EYES . . .

For full credits see my gallery here.

Feeling a bit "Fiery" these days!

I call her "Pyra-Phenom of the Fire"

 A tribute to all of us strong willed women of invincible, phenomenal spirit!

And a little art journal therapy . . .

Hallow's Eve is upon us!

For this month's "Haunted Portrait" art swap over at Deviant Scrap.  To join us in all the ghoulish fiendish "deviant" fun, head on over to the thread HERE for all the details.

Created with goodies from Tumble Fish Studio, Hidden Vintage Studios and Holliewood Studios.  All available at www.deviantscrap.com

And in the spirit of Thanksgiving coming next month (Wow! Where did this year go?!) . . .

I present to you:

WORTHINGTON THANKSGIVING

Per her mother in law's insistent request, Matilda Worthington and her husband Igor came "more than prepared' for Thanksgiving dinner . . .
(In addition to bringing their own utensils, the main course substitutes as a fine chapeau until the dinner bell is rung: heehee)
Credits:
background paper from Midnight Reverie
Everything else from Autumn Junque by Tumble Fish Studio, available at Deviant Scrap.

Just a quick post to share two of my latest creations:

"MANY HATS"

Meant to poke fun at all that we "mothers" are supposed to be.  We wear so many different hats, perform so many roles and occupations and so much pressure is put upon us to be so much to so many.  Haha

"THE GREATEST MARVEL"

This was just pure silly fun! haha

Maxine feared "for some reason" that her good luck might turn and that she wouldn't be able to "hold her BLADDER" for much longer. All she think to do was crouch down, "cross her legs" and hope! The "Greatest Marvel" is this: Will she be able to do it? teehee

For FULL credits on designs used in both of these, see my gallery here.http://deviantscrap.com/gallery/showgallery.php?ppuser=130&username=persnicketychick

So, I'm still here!  

Still longing for a change.

Still holding out hope.

Still waiting for my dreams to come true.  

Still "ME"!

Dreamer, Believer, and sometimes total Over-Achiever! haha

Though it may be plain to see, for more of an explanation on this piece see the end of this post.*

It seems these days that I am still trying to find the balance between letting go enough to just let things unfold as they will, patieintly standing by, maintaining hope, despite my mind's protests, that the desires of my heart will come to fruition AND the need to be in control, pushing things forward in my haste to just be there already!  It is and has been a learning experience as I guess LIFE typically is; one long journey to find ourselves, to find that place where we feel we belong, where it just feels right, where we are finally at peace within ourselves.  Kinda deep, I know, but I have been very aware as of late of being on this path and it's made me very excited for what awaits us all.  Patience and practicality are not my strong suits (perhaps that is my lesson to be learned) and there are days when I simply feel I cannot wait any longer!  I am comfortable in my "dreamer" skin and excited at the prospects that lie ahead and I think that my art most of all reflects that.  My latest pieces certainly do and looking back over the years, I realized that the path I have been on is also evident.  That means so much to me, to have not only chronicled my journey of ups and downs and growth as an individual but to have shared it with so many.  We are all on a journey and how wonderful it is to have one another to share it with. 

I am so grateful for all of you!! 

*A tribute to my wonderful hubby and how well we always manage to balance one another out. ♥

Me, the dreamer full of hope always jumping ahead without a care and he the practical analytical one.  So glad we have each other to rub off on.  heehee

It's that time of year again!

Had some real spooky deviant fun with this challenge over at Creative Souls!

Through the peephole (or in this case through the rusted out interior of a European mailbox, haha)
you never know what you will find! 

But remember this:

"What Happens in Oz, Stays in Oz!" 

Credits:

Ode to A Muse 2 and Dramatic Backgrounds by Holliewood Studios

Haunted Library Micro kit , Haunted Heroines and “munchkin” from Debut Freebie all by Hidden Vintage Studios all availabe at Deviant Scrap.

Background from Deviant Art:-RS19 at: http://nitch-stock.deviantart.com/gallery/8475047

Created this last year around this time and am thinking I'd really like to make another. 

Holly Haunted, the shoe fairy . . .

A midnight reverie and chicks along the canal . . .

One week countdown to the annual Chicks Along the Canal event and I am both excited and a bit flustered. Every year, I, and my fellow creative Chicks, plan and plan and yet don't really plan at all.  I think we all tend to be those crazy creative types who are inherently busy with our own stuff and really do work best under pressure.  But I gotta tell ya, despite the fact that we really just "wing it" , each year gets better and better!

This year marks our 3rd year and each year I try to come up with a little something that sets the year apart from the last.  In honor of our growth and the great expansion of our popularity, I have opened a BLOG for us. 

Though I wish you all could come for the fun, perhaps you might pretty please pay us a visit on the web?

(We will also be getting our own Pinterest account as well as a new channel on You Tube so stay tuned. )

The fabulous designers at Deviant Scrap (my digital scrap home) have been very busy creating a collective collaboration kit for a bit now.  Those of us on the creative teams were privy to the info that it would be released to the public on the 2nd and after seeing the previews I was in such dire expectation for the reveal of all of them.
As if that wasn't enough to be excited over,
then there was this fabulous mini-video by the very talented Marta Van Eck . . .

Here is what I created using just Tumble Fish Studios' portion . . .

AND the rest of the kits are just

AWESOME!!!!!

See for yourself . . . HERE

AND best part of all:

Not sure where to start?  Check out the gallery while you're there for some Midnight Reverie inspiration.  Here are just a few of my favorites from my "oh so talented" friends and colleagues.

Dreamer by Hollie

Butterfly Dancer by Jayne

Enchanted by Ani

By Renee

This one is one of my absolute favorites too, though I'm not sure who it belongs to 

(a member of the Holliewood Studios creative team as it was a sample for her kit)

And last but not least this fabulous creation by my friend Tracey:

A Ticket Outta Here?

To anyone who reads this blog and/or follows my work via facebook, the following will come as no surprise.

Still, I am gonna go out on a limb here and let you all into my personal life, a bit:
(As if it's not already spelled out blatantly in nearly all of my art pieces; haha!)

We have been longing to move from where wecurrently reside off and on for quite a bit now, but our desire has intensified immensely in the last year or so.  Great little town I live in, sweet old houses with character and that great sense of community that seems to always be present in small towns.  And it has actually afforded me some great experiences with like minded artists like me (My Chicks are some of my most treasured friends) but there is still much lacking, especially for the other members of the family.

Take for instance, my dear sweet husband, who has for nearly 12 years now, has arisen way before the sun, traveled the distance of 75 miles (an hour and 10 min drive) to and from work 5, sometimes 6, days a week.  Not to mention that there is the fuel costs and the tolls to consider.  Yikes!

My kids, who despite Mom's best efforts in reaching out, have only a very small amount of friends with whom to socialize with on a regular basis and amongst the other kids in town, feel a bit like foreigners with very different interests than most.  The reason: We are only 1 of 3 other homeschooling families and the only free learning/unschoolers.   Not many free spirits my kids' ages.  And though both of my kids are mature for their age and  therefore do well in associating with individuals of all ages (through their volunteer/community work), they long to connect and forge a lifelong friendship with someone who shares their ideals and passions.  Though I know of places where there are apt to be more like us, there appear to be very few like that here.

And finally, there's the weather here.  Cold so much of the time (and I'm a total t-shirt and flip flop gal) but worse yet is the constant doom and gloom weather we have here on the East Coast.  I am a California girl and I need my sun!!!  All of us are affected by the lack of sun and warmth we experience here.  We are ready to find our sunny location and we have somewhere in mind that fits our ideal, somewhere that has been in our hearts for a long time.  Somewhere, we have always dismissed as not being practical, and in the past, thought outright impossible.  But, I for my part, am done thinking that way, too much thinking if you ask me! And I am done allowing my mind to drown out my heart!  I think that is evident in my art more than anywhere else.

Just check out my last three pieces and you will see for yourself:

(Can you guess my dream location?)

Now, if only I can find my ticket outta here! Since I won't be the only one ultimately doing the choosing, let's hope we pick the right one!

Pinned "official" and so grateful!

Well, I guess I have officially arrived!

Not just one but two of my pieces are making the rounds on Pinterest and best of all are being put into albums marked as "Art Inspiration". 

Could it be?! 

Me, an inspiration?!

I also awoke to 11 new "likes" on my Persnickety Chick facebook page.  Most of it I owe to my new friend, Belle West (aka Donna Leuhrs).  Thank You!

This is the piece she shared.  I have to admit it is probably one of my favorites.
So totally ME, head in the clouds, conferring with the Man on the Moon, gazing into my Magic Mirror at my dreams, wishing with all my heart that what I see in that image will come true!

And the snippet of song lyrics that I used have double meaning to me; not only am I dreamer and proud of it, knowing that I am always in the best of company amongst others like me but because I do believe that dreams come true, the little AND the big!
We can have a world motivated by peace and acceptance, a world free of judgement, a world free of war and violence if only we can stop living in fear, have the courage to believe and chase after our dreams with purpose and courage and LOVE, without fear there is only LOVE!

So, this piece does have such meaning for me and I guess I should be proud at the fact that others love it so and are inspired by it and though I am entirely and utterly flattered in every way you can be, truth be told:  I find it all a little overwhelming.  Like now there's this pressure to actually be good at what I do.  I have so much fun with my art but I know that it is far from perfect.  And maybe that's okay 'cause it's art and the art world is a forgiving place.  I just don't know that I have ever really thought of myself as good at what I do.  It's just ME, expressing myself!  

Well, regardless . . .

It is very apparent to me that I owe so much gratitude to all of my friends in the art community: new and old.  

Thank you, thank you, thank you , for believing in me and supporting me as you do!!!

Summer Dreaming

Though you are not aware, as you tend the roses in the garden, this sweet little fairy lands upon the tabletop hoping to sneak a quick sip of summer refreshment (lemonade, mint tea or perhaps a bit of rasberry vinegar). 

Credits:
Summer Junque 1 and 2 from Tumble Fish Studio at Deviant Scrap.

Circus FuN and enough LoVe to go around!

For credits to these pieces above, see my online gallery HERE
or to keep up on my latest artsy activity become a fan of the Persnickety Chick facebook page HERE