Urges, Ideas and the Calling of the Muse

Now that most of the Holiday activities are done and the packing away of decorations have begun, I've been feeling a little antsy.
 The need to create is starting to swim through my veins like little fishes.
We visited one of my favorite Art Galleries ( Eye On Art) yesterday. Standing there and absorbing all the creative energy and color flowing from the paintings, sculpture, glass and pottery was wonderful.

I've pulled out a couple of paintings that need finishing and my idea journal. I'm ready to see what swims to the surface.

Soldiering On

Well, we're about 3/4ths of the way through our Holiday Shopping. We've got pockets full of lists plus receipts and we are licking our pencils and adding up the amounts. Things have to balance, you know.
So far so good.
Very soon I'll have to begin the holiday grocery shopping and baking. Aah the fun never stops.
I may go hide out in my studio and paint a little. It soothes the soul.
Hope your Holiday preparations are going well.

Three Muses Challenge- Tis the Season

This week's Wednesday's upcoming Three Muses Challenge is Tis the Season.
I've decided my Santa/Toys artist trading card will be my entry.  From a little child's perspective that's what Christmas is mostly about......TOYS!!
Do you remember a particular present you wanted and got or didn't?

Artist Trading Cards- Season's Greetings and Naughty & Nice

Three Muses Challenge- Odd Bodies.... with a short accompaning Story

Don't you just love it when serendipity and synchronicity arrive together? This weekend I persuaded Hubby to go with me to the Half Price Book store.  I love books.  I love reading them , handling them, owning them and even smelling them.  Not to mention altering them with art work.
Now hubby loves to read but he's not to keen on previously owned books or even checking books out from the library. This came about when he had an allergic reaction from a borrowed book and he surmised it had been in a home where a cat lived. He is Very allergic to cats.
I was having a great time looking around the store when I noticed he was sort of hanging around and wasn't shopping. I asked him, had he found anything yet? And he whispered to me if I had noticed "any  peculiar people?" I looked around and back at him puzzled and said No and went back to browsing. Two minutes later he comes up to me and tells me he's going to go wait in the car.
 Umm, Okay I told him.

I had just found this really cool book on Art Paper Dolls and another one on Faces in Architecture and wasn't paying full attention to him. I made my purchases and when I got into the car I asked him, why he'd left the store so quickly.
Didn't you see the lady with the weird bright red hair who had her cat on a leash? Everybody was making a fuss over the cat and a clerk went by muttering Oh god, she's in here again with the cat!
 They asked the lady to leave because the cat wasn't a service animal.  I decided to wait here, he told me.
Well I guess I know I'll be going back to this store by myself or I'll wait till my son's in town. He loves book browsing like I do.
Now here's the serendipity part. I was checking out the Three Muses Challenge blog for this week's challenge. It is Odd Bodies. There's two chapters in my Art Doll book that touches on this subject which had gotten my creative juices flowing and I had already begun working on a couple of paper dolls.
Meet Patty Pelican and her friend Freda Flicker. Patty's taking Freda out hat shopping. Patty's been told she has extraordinary taste in clothes and accessories. Personally Freda thinks it has gone to her head.

Long story-short, Here's my Entry for this week's challenge.

Holiday Artist Trading Cards

I have been working on some Artist Trading Cards for the Holiday Season. While I was decorating the house for Christmas I came across some old cards and tags I had put away.  My muse sent me off to do something with them and here's what I've created so far.
My lighting wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be and Let it Snow looks a little duller and yellower than it really is.

I'm toying with the idea of creating a card a day, so far so good. I figure by the time the month is over I should be a lot better at designing my cards.

December 2nd and 3rd

The tree went up on the 1st. This year I actually had a theme. Usually I just crowd all my ornaments on and hope for the best. I am an ornament freak. Every year I tell myself I will not!! buy any more but alas it never sticks.
So I have decided to no longer fight the urge. And you know what ,when you stop struggling the problem gets easier and the temptation isn't so hard to handle.
I chose a snow and ice theme for my tree, all white and silver ornaments. I went through the rest of my stash and pulled out all the white whimsies.  There are snowmen, white birds with long white feathered tales, crocheted snowflakes and sliver floral picks.
Yes, I did buy more silver ornaments but they were on sale!

Last evening I started creating some Christmas themed ATC's which I will post a little later today.

Yule Countdown