A layout featuring my grandmother Mary Lynn as a little girl with her mother, Marie.  I originally created this because I somehow remembered being told that my grandmother's family were Dutch and I couldn't resist when I saw all the wonderful elements in this kit to be put to good use.  

And I think my gramma is just darling in her little outfit and clogs!  Only thing is: I discovered that what I was told wasn't entirely accurate.  Oh well! I'm still happy to have them immortalized in one of my pieces.  

This piece is one of those pieces that just sorta flowed right outta me~

It is ME 

(yet again, I swear I am not entirely self-centered! haha)

and it was created as a visual reminder not to let go of my dream, my "heart's wish" to live the life I envision for myself in the place where I feel most at peace, most connected, and happiest. No matter how much time it takes, I know that I will be there one day! 

And to serve as a marker of time, I have bestowed upon my head a crown of dreadlocks.  

I have wanted dreads for as long as I can remember.  They are, to me, the best of two things I admire most: natural uncomplicated beauty and the ultimate expression of individuality and confidence.  

I honestly thought I had missed my chance to ever have them but thanks to a talented artist friend of mine, I was able to try some on.  The piece above was created before I actually had them put in so here I am in my hand dyed, custom made for me extensions . . .

They feel like such a natural extension of who I am!! 

Spring has sprung!

And with Mr. Sunshine's return and the weather warming up come thoughts of planting flowers, readying the lettuce bed and herb garden, and also for me (crazy as it seems) the yummy thought of fresh clean sheets hanging on the clothesline, drying in the breeze.  

I have to admit it's a chore I actually enjoy but I thought to myself, 

"What if . . .?"

I call this piece 

Pearline's Way

because frankly, it's HER way or the highway! hahaha

And just in time for spring, my dear friend, the brains behind the designs of Tumble Fish Studio will be releasing a kit very soon.  Check back here for all the details.

In the meantime, here's a snippet of my newest creation, a sneak preview for the kit.

"Well now. She ain't just Whistlin' Dixie!"

Or actually maybe she is!

Created exclusively from the newest Tumble Fish Studio kit, Head to Toe,  found here.


 And a little something I created awhile back . . .

Monterey Marie and a little Seaside Romance . . .

A skinny created from  French Paperwork, French Music and Something's Fishy by Tumble Fish Studio all available @ Deviant Scrap

And a little fun in honor of Love Day!!!

Dedicated to my husband of 16 years who is always such a good sport about sacrificing his head to my creative expression. (insert chuckle here)

 Credits for this crazy layout can be found in my gallery here.

Been a little hectic around here the last couple of weeks.  Had a bout of Chicken Pox hit the household, followed by a rather large decision we made as a family and then back round to sickness in the household again this past week, this time a rather nasty cold. Haven't had much creative time due in some way to all of it! And so my blog posting has been lacking,  But I am back this evening for a quick update and upload of what I have been able to accomplish.  Haha

I call this piece the SUTSM an acronym for "Stay Under the Sea Mom" and play on the more popular and well known SAHM (stay at home mom); to express my plight as being the one who seems to have to handle just about everything!  Attempting to keep my sanity and my head above water despite it all. heehee

And so naturally next up will be my most recent altered art journal pages . . . a little therapy to keep me grounded and keep my focus.

 

Between you and me, still not sure I'm completely satisfied with this piece but I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment that our words do indeed become our actions.  I have started writing down things in an effort to make them happen.  We are in for some big changes this year, I know it! 

 

And just to reinforce that thinking, I also am going after what I want with the belief that I will 

"leap and the net will appear"!  It's gotta, right?!

But before all the heavy thought came into play and the sniffles took over, there was the release of this fabulous VALENTINE'S KIT by Tumble Fish Studio.  Here's the sweet little darling I was able to create.

 

Isn't she just a "Valentine Dream"?

And how cute is this idea, in the new Deviant Muse issue.

An altered bird house.  I was so thrilled when Edeena asked me if Id like to contribute a sample . . .

  You can pick up your very own copy here.

Well, until next time then!

There are definitely big decisions in the making and announcements to be made so I promise to be back to fill you all in.

Oh except for this one thing:

The Persnickety Chick now has a facebook page! 

Won't you please pay me a visit and give me a "like"

Getting down to the "Nitty Gritty"

 

It's funny to me that when I take an inventory of my life as far as where it stands in it's decorative form, my tendency as an interior decorator is to be attracted to the pure pretty simplicity of white, white and more white.  I wonder that that may just seem so boring but I realized it does play into my being an artist in that I see the world (and in the case the walls and surfaces of my house) as a blank canvas. The color to come secondary/complimentary to the white is usually black and then last but not least come the addition of natural earthy colors and textures.  My art pieces however are usually overflowing with the bright reds, spectacular golds and vibrant blues of an old side show or the landscape of a magical "Wonderland" full of color, sights and sounds.  Why that is, I can't say but I realize that one is not complete without the other and both are beautiful in their own right. 

Creating outside my usual tendency and within the realms of black and white was a bit of a challenge for me (and you will see that I couldn't resist throwing in just a smidge of color on this one; teehee).  Of course, it helps when you have fabulous images to play with.  

Thanks to my dear friend, Marsha of Tumble Fish Studio for this awesome collection of "Nitty Gritty" fun!

With the weekend's festivities over and my dear cousin put safely on a flight back home to the West Coast, I opted for some quiet, creative time for myself.  After spending so much time reminiscing in the past few days, I suppose I was feeling a bit nostalgic about my childhood.  I think that's why this page created itself as it did.  The adorable little lady featured is, alas, not me but I supposed I could live for a moment vicariously through her and my friend gets a special surprise out of it, as well. 

Lil' Luna Moth and her pet owl.

 For full credits to this piece, check out my gallery here.

Bzzz Bzzz Bzzzz!!!!!

We have been busy busy little bees here in my household this past couple of weeks.  

Here's what I've been up to:

 

I started about a month ago scouring local thrift stores for articles of clothing that I might transform into more period appropriate (1850's) attire for this year's Christmas in Little Falls celebration.  This year will mark the first time any of us dressed up in Dickens' style but we are hoping to start a trend that will take off in the years to come.  I created costumes for all of us and spent no more than maybe $30.00.  I'm so proud of how well they all turned out; most accomplished were our straw bonnets I made from simple inexpensive hats, scrap fabrics and trims.  UPCYCLING ROCKS!!

Things have also been a bit hectic around here getting adjusted to having a new member of the family.  Losing our sweet Topper was such a traumatic experience and some days I honestly feel that I will never fully get over it but also realized that there is enough love to go around and room still left in our hearts for another.  We saw this sweet face and could not resist . . .

Despite the craziness, I have managed to get some creating done.  I really love how both of these pieces turned out.  I see my art evolving and changing and I honestly start to think that maybe there are others out there who might enjoy my pieces as I do.  I have had a few inquiries by people looking to buy prints of my artwork and I wonder if I might give it a go and see what happens.  

Anyhoo!!! Here are my latest pieces; the first two created "just because", the third to highlight Tumble Fish Studios' latest and greatest kit.

Greta wasn't about to let anyone "STEAL THE SHOW"

I call this the "CIRQUE DU SOULEIL"

And now for a little fun at my very own expense . . .

For an explanation of this crazy colorful concoction, see my gallery here.

Tis the Season . . .

 

And Tumble Fish Studio has THREE 

(yes, you heard me right three!) new kits in the shoppe just for the occasion.  

HERE

The sadness of the incomplete, the sadness that is often Life, but should never be Art. (E. M. Forster)

Just a quick note to say that I am taking a little break from my art for a bit . . .
I have some healing and sorting through to do before I might be ready to create again.  I can't hardly tell which end is up and where I am right now.  We had to make the heart-wrenching decision to say goodbye to our beloved dog whom we considered to be not only a member of the family but one of the true highlights of our lives.  I can't hardly recall a single memory that he isn't in nor is there a single corner in my house that does not remind me of him; nearly every thought that comes to mind now finds its way connected to his memory. We all miss him so terribly!

 

I created this just three days before that fateful day.  A new kit was going to be released and I just knew that I wanted to make up something special to commemorate how much I love being with my  doggy.  Time spent with him is "the best of all".  Though I know it seems crazy, it was kind of my way of showing my love for him and what he had been going through.  I just felt so awful that he had been so sick and none of us (us or the vet) could figure out what was wrong and how to make it better.  We all thought we were going to get through it and he was on his way to being back to his sweet little ole self.  It was a complete shock when we found out there was no hope left and yet I realized something inside of me must have known.  I feel sad when I look upon this piece right now but I know in time I will be so glad that I created it.

I dedicate this post in loving memory of my Topper dog . . .

Almost back to normal but then again . . .

What exactly is normal?! And do I really want to be just normal?! Heehee . .  .
What I mean to say is that although it's not quite there (at least to me) I have done some work on getting my blog back to the more artsy theme it was and though I have some skewing to do, I think this will suffice for a bit. 
Be back soon to share some more!

Well, as you can "plainly" (quite literally) see, there have been some unforseen changes to my blog.  A simple case of pushing upon a prompt without realizing I had done so and here we have it . . . 

While I intend to get back in here at a later date and gussy it back up to look more like a creative individual inhabits this portion of cyber-space, for now, I simply had to post something.  It has been far too long (shame on me) and I have much to share on the creative front with you.

Here's what Ive been up since the last . . .

"For the Birds"

This layout is a stand against something I am currently very vested in.
It's something I think is absolutely "for the birds" and interestingly enough with a little compare and contrast research I discovered that the origin of this phrase in fact draws a direct correlation to what I'm fighting against.

Here it is:
Before the advent of cars, one could see and smell the "emissions" of horse drawn carriages in New York. Since there was no way of controlling these emissions, they (or the undigested oats in them) served to nourish a large population of English sparrows. If you said that something was for the birds, you’re politely saying that it is horse crap.

Hydro-fracking threatens our environment, our health and quite literally our right to even live and breathe.  The entire idea is most assuredly a load of crap!

"I keep dreaming about a better world where profit does not take precedence over human rights and human life!"-Trudi Styler (actor, producer, director, yogi, wife, mother)

"The Show of Contradiction"

As is always the case for me, with Halloween fast approaching, there appears to be a bitty part of me that pitter-patters with excitement!  It isn't the candy and it isn't the thought of dressing up but rather the influx of really really morbidly, deviantly, cool kits!  I think I've always had a little thing for the Gothic and the creepy, maybe even "Slightly Sinister". (a little clue of sorts, teehee)


Below are some of my Halloween inspired, layouts of a more creepy nature . . .
All created with some of the latest and greatest of Tumble Fish Studios' designs!

"Himrod's Spirits Shoppe"

Elvira was not your typical woman nor was Himrod’s your typical shoppe.

"One Giant Headache"

 

This little "skinny" Minnie was created for the Spooky Skinny challenge in this month's issue of the Deviant Muse.  If you haven't had the chance yet, I would swing by DS and get your copy.  Simply click on this link HERE. This month's artist of choice/muse is one of my ghoulish favorites!!

Be sure to visit my gallery for all the credits to the above layouts but to make it easier here are some of the kits you should be looking out for . . .

And some of my personal favorites for this Hallow's Eve . . .

Oh and about that little clue above, though I rarely do this . . .
Here's a sneak peek of what's coming soon to the shoppe.