It's Monday.....tittle-taddle

I am in the middle of some big projects...so nothing to see till I am finished...so this blog entry is just scraps....tittle taddel...as the English say....
First, while talking to a friend yesterday...she commented that the heads of the flip flops and my four dolls at the beach...were beads....oh no...these are individual hand painted plastic buttons with a shank on back so they can be attached to the canvas...each is hand painted by me and signed by Squiggee on the back...originally these designs that started with two flip flops the red and the yellow swimming costumes, had button heads I had purchased on eBay...but in a small supply....so when I added these designs to my wholesale line ...I couldn't find the buttons...I looked at buttons available and also at all kinds of very pretty boutique buttons... to no avail ...too expense and also not what I needed...so I took a white good quality plastic button and painted my own...then sealed the buttons with clear nail polish...a great finish...one Christmas I blew out dozens of eggs...painted the eggs and sealed them with nail polish...It protected the paint from chipping...drys fast and also made the eggs very durable...like a car finish....

just thought maybe this would be of interest..who knows...

In this needlepoint business, there seems to be a real lack of exchange and interaction between artists as a group....retailers and wholesalers all have their little meetings and even though the TNNA allows artists to join individually, they don't seem to have any meetings that are just for artists to exchange views and pitfalls of the business...face it us gals that have been around since the 70's have seen and done it all, and might have some info that would help the up and coming new artists. I called a fellow artist yesterday , and was amazed at how similar our views on the business and how it has changed over the last 15 years. I was a very interesting and enjoyable conversation to say the least. We need a union to protect our rights we agreed ,and face it without the artist it is just a blank piece of canvas...this applies to the artists that design charts, the stitcher that stitches a model and supplies a stitch guide , all this talent drives the business, but sadly sometimes they find themselves

not having the same standing as the retailers and wholesalers selling their creations.

As a group we are many ...... as a group we could protect each others rights.........there needs to be some sort of exchange of information letting the artist know what to expect and how protect your work and your self respect as an artist. Knowledge is power ! Creativity is so special and envied in this world , a precious commodity that should be cherished not abused....from the time I was old enough to visit the National Gallery of Art in my stroller, I have been a fan of man's ability to use his brain to create .......we are all born with the ability to create on some level, but it is that extra gene or chip in your make-up, that drives you to be an artist....you look at the world

differently I think, or that is what people close to you think....they think you have something special, but it is second nature , intangible and very matter of fact like breathing, is just part of who you are. What a bleak , cold world it would be without mind candy...so i as an artist just want others to know that i appreciate what is created....OK I got that off my chest.....and like everything I write is just my opinion.........

now to lighten up....Omar....OK God I give up, I am sorry for my sins...clearly I am being punished for maybe not having children and concentrating all on my art.....Omar is now six months old...he is like a toddler in his terrible 2's....he steals anything he can reach...has an absolute passion for Kleenex, as they make the best spit balls...which he proceeds to spit everywhere...he has an inexhaustible supply of tissue....where does he get it! we pick up the trash cans and are constantly making sure the trash is secure...but low and behold...he saddles up to you chewing and plop..a spit ball...jeeezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!! yesterday he almost flooded toilet in the master bathroom by dropping a white cotton glove in it ( I use these gloves at night with lotion on my hands , the paint and canvas is hard on them)one such glove disappeared a couple of days ago and don't you know, I magically found it's way to the toilet....he barks at nothing and hasn't really figured out that a door slamming or cat meowing emanating from the TV is not really in the room physically........he is now tall enough to reach things on the kitchen table..... a whole chicken last week..plop, on the floor....if you drop anything he is on it like a light in his head..blinks....bedroom floor...beep beep beep...he is there......all his permanent teeth have come in and he is so proud he just wants to chew everything...not chew , just run his teeth over, not biting down...it is too weird......he has just recently started to alert us his need to go out... my day starts as he crawls up on me sound asleep and licks my face waking me in the most icky way...this is my wake-up call.....Omar needs out...I am truly not a morning person....and prefer a different wake-up call...but I guess this is better that the alternative...

he is so bright and when corrected he will stop and sit...but the minute you turn to walk away he is right back to making spit balls or other deviant behavior.......well at least I won't have to send him to college... he has the big B-lls operation next month...maybe that will calm him down, it never has with our other dogs, but is healthier for him.......I could put Gin in his water bowl, like the poor use to give children as a sedative in the old days..or at least according to Dickens....but no....that would be bad...so all we can do is roll with it and hope the next six months fly buy....zip..................October 11 Th one year old........you do forget what puppies are like and we do tend to like a dog with personality and most of this behavior disappears when they become an adult.....God I hope so !...but on the positive side ,he is lovable and Squiggee adores him...their new game is tuggy with everything ....our first pup was once spotted with one of my bras playing tuggy in the fields out our back patio with his pal , Mr. COCO a local farm dog......naturally the neighbors called laughing...

maybe I should just put the Gin in my coffee..there's the ticket! ....

I just sent some things to the finisher and that is always exciting when they come back....like Christmas...