Twisted Thicket's "Mouse Trails"

Art Journaling

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 17:19:00 +0000

I cannot believe that I never uploaded a picture of my art journal before now.

I made it out of half of an old leather folder that I found at Goodwill. I've been in the process of embroidering the strap and have other plans for decorating the outside of it, but of course, that is slow going at best. lol

I apply white gesso on the pages and give them a light sanding before I use them. Here are the latest two pages that I've done:

I started a new page this morning, but wont be able to finish it until tonight. Keeping up with my art journaling is another of my New Year's Resolutions. Wish me luck!

Recently I joined Milliande's Art Community for Women and she has a section on Art Journaling that I am anxious to be a part of. I think it will really help me stay on task with my own journaling. Wish me luck!

'Till later...

2010

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:33:00 +0000

Happy New Year!

The picture is out of my art journal. While it looks like it is a Zentangle, it is only in a similar style to one. I've been doing these types of drawings for many years, they help me to relax my mind.

About the drawing, I'd done the page with a wash of watercolor awhile back, then I put a coat of white gesso over it and sanded it just a little so I could draw with my black, ultra-fine tip marker. Occasionally, I used a couple of other colored fine-tip markers as well. :)
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So this is the start of a brand new year! I've been working on a totally new idea that I'm Very Excited about and can't wait to unveil it! I'm hoping to unveil it at the end of next week. That's all I will say for now. ;)

One of my resolutions for this year is to blog at least three times a week...daily would be better, but I have a better chance of keeping that promise of three times per week. lol I'm going to give it my best shot.

Must get back in the studio now...Happy New Year!

Look What's New in the Thicket!

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:12:00 +0000

There's a new widget on the top right with a form to sign up for the Twisted Thicket Newsletter!

There's going to be a lot of new things coming out of the thicket soon and they will be unveiled in the newsletter first! The newsletter is free and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Would you like to receive updates and news about Twisted Thicket? Updates about the venues, the new items, the studio, and the fun? How about tips on gourd crafting, rock painting, and pyrography?

As a newsletter subscriber you'll get all that plus, be able to take part in contests, specials, and even more exciting things that are for subscribers only.

Your email address will always remain private and will not be shared or sold. The Twisted Thicket Newsletter will publish on a monthly basis.

Sign up now!

He Stole the "Who Pudding"...

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:17:00 +0000

but, not our Roast BEAST!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

The beast (24 lbs.) has a couple more hours to go before he is done, then we can eat!

Hope you're having a great Thanksgiving!

Holidays, Ornaments, and Food, Oh My!

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:02:00 +0000

This ornament above is the next in the custom order I mentioned yesterday. Unfortunately, I didn't check the photos before shipping it out and they didn't turn out right. Wish I would have checked them first so I could have retaken them. This one has a paisley design with one heart.

I'll be showing the third one in tomorrow's post.

Last night for dinner I made a Cranberry Glazed Pork Roast in my slow cooker and it was fabulous! I didn't get a picture of it before it was attacked, but I will share the recipe with you so you can give it a try. :) My daughter, who is not very fond of Cranberries, absolutely LOVED it!

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz.) can jellied cranberry sauce
1 (16 oz.) can whole cranberry sauce
1/2 C. white sugar
1/4 C. Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 C. cranberry juice
1 t. mustard powder
1/2 t. Rosemary
1/4 t. ground cloves
4-5 lb. Boneless Pork Blade Roast (or other cut)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
salt to taste

Combine cranberry sauces with a fork, mix well. Stir in sugar, cranberry juice, mustard, Rosemary, and cloves.
Place pork roast in slow cooker. Pour cranberry sauce mixture over the roast.
Cover and cook on high for 6 to 8 hours.
Using a ladle, scoop out about 2 Cups of the liquid and put into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Blend cornstarch and cold water and add gradually into boiling liquid stirring constantly. Continue cooking(and stirring constantly), until mixture thickens. Add salt to taste. Serve with the roast.

Enjoy! I'm going to use this same glaze on our Ham for Christmas this year too.

New things about to come out of my studio! I'm so excited! I've been working on a couple of secret projects lately and can't wait to share them with all of you! I will be announcing their unveiling here in the blog, so be sure to check back here.

For those of you waiting to see before and after pics of my studio organziation...It is still unorganized, but it is getting there. While I was working on it, the ideas started to flow in my head which has led to the secret projects I mentioned above. You know how it is, you get a great idea and before you know it, you are happily working on it every chance you get. :)

Right now, I must get to the kitchen and start the preparations for tomorrow's feast! My Son and his family will be joining us tomorrow for a day of fun and food!

'Till later...Have a great day!

What's So Funny?

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

I walked into my living room yesterday and found Sam relaxing on the couch, watching TV.
The funniest part about this, is the way he was sitting and I just had to get a couple pictures of him. Notice his little arm, resting on the arm of the couch?
I had my daughter walk into the room to get his attention and try to keep him from moving or jumping off the couch while I stood in front of him and got another shot. The photo below is of that moment.

Now I find him sitting on the couch this way a lot more often. I think that he thinks he is human too. lol Does your dog do things like this?

I'll have some new photos of the second custom gourd ornament that I recently finished to post a bit later today, so I hope you will stop back by.

'Till later then...Have a great day!

Don't You Just Love Circles?

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

I sure do! This custom ornament I made recently is all about circles. The family circle, our circle of friends, and circle of life--or is it cycle of life(?).
Anyway, this round ornament is made up of many circles, and one of them encompasses a heart.

You can view the rest of the photos (3 more) of this ornament in Flickr.

Starting with this ornament, I'll post one of the ornaments a day, so be sure to check back!
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This is Thanksgiving week and in my house, the holiday baking begins! Tomorrow we'll begin by baking some cookies. MmmMmmm

Have a great day!

This is a test post

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:18:00 +0000

I just joined ArtFlock.com and am trying to make sure I added the correct url for my blog feed to be imported there.

A Mystery & the Changing of the Blog

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:35:00 +0000

Well, it's a start!

I've begun changing colors on my blog to brighten it up some. It's difficult for me to go with an all white setting, baby steps. :) I'm not too sure I like the light greenish color as a background for my posts, but after toying with it for the past hour or so, this is what I settled on...for now. It's a work in progress.

This photo on the right is of a painting I've done entirely in coffee. It is one I did to demonstrate my latest article on Empty Easel, "Give Your Next Painting a Caffeine Boost - and Paint with Coffee!" It is not finished yet, but will be soon enough.
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I've been filling up my Etsy shop again and now have 25 items listed. I haven't done much with it or the other one over the summer. I basically just let it go on its own. There will be some brand new things coming out soon. I'm just not too sure where I am going to list them, ArtFire or Etsy, or a combination of the two.
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Lately, I've been very inspired by space. I watch the skies quite often these days, there is so much to see. There's been a lot of very strange activity taking place up there that I've managed to catch since mid-June through the present time. I only wish I had a decent camera, recorder, and even a night vision set up in order to show you all what we've been seeing. My digital camera is a Kodak Easy Share 4.0 Mega Pixels. I have no idea how to be able to catch these at night with the camera I own.

One thing I noticed though, is that during the day if I zoom it in and point it at the sky, it sometimes catches things that I can't see with my eyes. For instance, here is a photo I took just like I described:
I couldn't see anything on the screen when I shot this photo (above). It just looked like clear blue sky.

Five minutes after taking that photo, I took another the same way, and in the same place. This next photo is the second one:

When I uploaded them to the computer, the white dot appeared in both pictures.

That white dot did not move in the time between the first and second photo, so it is not a plane. Also, we do not get a lot of air traffic up here and when we do, they rarely fly over in this area. The flight path is behind me.

I stare at this photo a lot and don't know what to make of it at all. The strange activity we've been seeing late at night however, is also in the direction I'm shooting these photos. It's very frustrating being able to see these strange things and have no way to record them so someone else can investigate this. I do have witnesses though that have watched these things with me.

The blurriness is from the zoom. In case you're wondering why I chose to take those photos there in the first place is because that is the area where we keep seeing strange things (mostly at night).

If anyone has any tips on how I can take pictures (or even a short video) in the future, please let me know. I'm very open to suggestions. :)

'Till later...

Have a wonderful weekend!

Feels Good to Stretch!

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:04:00 +0000

Changed parts of my blog's code this morning to see if I could increase the size of the post width and remove the left sidebar and it worked!. (I only wanted to keep the three on the right that were already there). I also removed three of the ad bars on the bottom.

I'm so glad I did this, it was really getting too busy looking.

What do you think, is it a good improvement?

'Till later......

Staying on Track

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:28:00 +0000

Staying on track, course, or the right path is sometimes one of the most difficult things that we creatives are faced with.

We see, we read, and therefore we are like Blackbirds, drawn to the next shiny thing that catches our eye...and we most often hoard our finds, sometimes forgetting that we ever bought them in the first place and better yet, we've most likely forgotten what on earth we were going to do with them once we had them.

Also, dare I mention that along with those piles of forgotten new supplies, are even more cubbies filled with projects that are in various stages of completion?

As I've been working on re-organizing my shop, I've found things that I swear I never bought! It's kind of like Christmas! However, being faced with the realization that I've either bought or found, stashed, and forgot about these things is a little bit frightening.

Have you ever seen the show "Clean House" on the Style channel? I wonder if they ever had to deal with an artist or other similar creative type? I can tell you this, if Niecy and her team had to come here and deal with me, they'd be at their wits end. At this point, I'm happy to say I don't live anywhere near L.A. (they only work in the L.A. area), because I'm sure at least one of my kids would be making me an appointment.

So, how to combat this affliction of our most ardent affection of new supplies?

How do you stick with a project till the very end? I think I find it to be most difficult to stick with one because as I'm working, the colors, shapes, and even the tools I use seem to trigger new thoughts and ideas for future projects. I think what happens is that sometimes the thoughts are so strong I have to drop what I'm doing to start the new thing before I forget it.

How about you, what do you do?

Well, I'm off to weed through more! 'Till later...

Enhancing my Creative Space

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:20:00 +0000

This week, in between working on custom orders, I'll be remaking my creative space! I really need to brighten up my space to lift my spirit again.

Like a lot of other artists, I've always loved peeking into other artists' creative spaces. They are all so inspiring!

So, I'm going to be repainting some of the walls in mine and adding more to the funky mural I started awhile back.

I also am hoping that I'll be able to move some things around, like my two large work areas/benches. I'm really tired of where they are and I really don't like to work with my back to the door. Especially when I have my air compressor going and music blaring. The way it is now, if someone walks up behind me and I don't hear them...well, I jump out of my skin if they tap me on the shoulder, or if I turn and they are standing right there! So, that definitely has to be changed for all of our health.

I've always been a fairly disorganized person, especially when it comes to keeping track of my supplies. So, I'm ready to pick myself up and continue my journey from disorganized to organized. I'll be sure to share pictures!

Wish me luck! 'Till later... =)

Dog Day Afternoon

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 18:37:00 +0000

What a dreary day. It's difficult to get up and moving around today. I think my dogs have the right idea--take a nap! They look perfectly comfortable there in the corner of the couch. :)

I would love to, but I have many things to do. I overslept today too, which was nice. The only problem is that I keep thinking that it's Sunday.

The article I wrote on Gourd Safety is now up on Empty Easel if you'd like to check it out. I also just completed next weeks article on Pyrography.

Right now, I'm going to get busy somewhere off of the computer.

Have a wonderful weekend! 'Till later...

News from ArtFire!

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:46:00 +0000

Just a little bit of news today!

ArtFire has just set up blogs available to all verified sellers! This is going to be great! I'll be setting mine up soon. :D (The message you see there is the default message).

I'm in for a pretty hectic day today, so I'm keeping this real short. Way too much to do.

The photo here, is of a sunset seen from my front porch. I love how it turned out and had to share it.

All for now! 'Till later...

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:45:00 +0000

Snow

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:52:00 +0000

Our first day of snow came yesterday, as I mentioned in my previous post.

This picture was taken when it was snowing the heaviest. You can see the large flakes in this picture against the pine tree. Of course, you can maybe see them better if you squint and look at the picture with your nose pressed against the screen. lol

There is another picture further down at the end of this post, of the snow-covered ground. It wasn't much, but since the snow remained on the ground this morning, it does qualify as our first snowfall. It wont last, our temps are supposed to rise back up to the 50s by next Monday.

I want to brighten up my blog again. I'm getting tired of the dark green. This could take awhile since the CSS is so lengthy, and of course, I am only one person. So, not saying that it will happen overnite, but it will eventually. I can say though, that I do not want to go with a stark white. That is just too bright for my eyes.

Empty Easel has some great articles slated for this week, mine is scheduled for this coming Friday. Take a stroll over and check them out!

Right now, it is time to "make the donuts"! 'Till later...

So Not Ready!

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:56:00 +0000

I had my dogs out to the lake not even a month ago and today it is snowing. :( I'm so not ready for winter.

There's a lot to do inside today though while it is snowing outside. Even though I have a lot to do online, I am forcing myself to work around the house (laundry) and in my shop.

Speaking of laundry, my dryer died last night. It was so strange, no warning at all. It's like the connection died. Thankfully, I have an older dryer that still works, sitting down there in the basement. I just stopped using it when I got the newer one. So, it's back to the old Maytag, at least for now. I may try working on the newer one tonight if I can find the time.

Here's a great tip to aid in your Christmas shopping!

Did you know that you can now search stocking stuffers on ArtFire? This search will only turn up stocking stuffers that are Under $10.00 too! Go check it out!

That's all for now! Laundry beckons

Lawn Decor

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:58:00 +0000

This huge cement thing has been decorating my yard for quite a few weeks now. It had become a favorite of my two Mini Dachshunds, Sam and Buddy.

Anyway, I'm happy to announce that it finally made its way into the ground!

The dogs are very afraid of the two huge machines that were out front digging and placing those huge cement things into the large trench though. I think that the dogs think they are large monsters. It's funny watching the hair on the back of their necks raise up as they belly crawl to the back yard. lol

Soon peace will be restored to our little road and I'll be so happy to not have to hear the deafening sounds of metal scraping on pavement again.

Pumpkins are beginning to invade my space! It is the time of year when I airbrush 3D faces onto pumpkins for Halloween. So, now between finishing up some gourd ornaments, I will be painting pumpkins for this haunting time of year.

Back to work! Have a great day!

Things

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 16:52:00 +0000

The picture in this post is of a double rainbow that I took from my front yard four days ago. I love rainbows, don't you?

My blog was becoming too crowded with links to all different places...it was starting to resemble, *Gasp!* my vast collection of favorites in my browsers (I have three different browsers on this computer :})

So, you may have noticed that there are quite a few changes with my sidebars. I've changed the look of the "Blogs I Follow" to reflect the most recently updated ones: Showing top ten in Habitual Haunts and top 5 in More Blogs I Follow. You can still view all of the blogs I follow by clicking on the tiny link at the bottom of those two lists that reads: "Show All".

I also removed a lot of other link headings and the links that were included beneath them. I'm planning on putting them on my links page on the main site.

I've moved things around quite a bit and added a new widget block named "Art & Craft Publications", on your right. This is where I had the Weekly Polls. From now on, polls will be posted as any other blog post, at least for now.

Busy, busy, busy...right now I must take a break and do the grocery shopping, and put the finishing touches on some custom ornaments.

:}

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:37:00 +0000

Photo Courtesy: e-strategyblog.com

Creative Inspiration and The Hoff!

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:28:00 +0000

My contribution to Music Monday on Twitter, This is the funniest song that I've heard in a long, long time! Enjoy!

Do We Really "See" When We Look at Something?

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 16:00:00 +0000

After an incident here the other day, I really have begun to wonder how well do I really "see" when I look at something.

Just like "selective hearing", I have begun to wonder if I have "selective sight". Is there such a thing? Do I look past everything else and focus only on one specific target? I believe I do, and also, I believe everyone does.

For example; have you ever watched an old western on TV and, instead of looking at the characters, etc., you look at the background scenery and sky? Every now and then, if you watch the scenery, you may see a plane or jet flying in the distance, or tracks from vehicles like trucks and cars. It's true, in some movies you will see things like that. It's pretty funny when you notice them, but at the same time, it kind of ruins the movie...it takes away from the realism that the producer tries to portray.

Anyway, the TV above is a Magnavox that we've had for years. The picture has always been crystal clear and the sound perfect. I would definitely recommend the Magnavox brand to everyone.

However, when you look at the above picture, do you see anything odd? Does it look normal to you? If not, take a closer look. Here, let me help:

All these years, we've never, Not ONCE, noticed that there is an "N" on the end of the word "Volume". Isn't that the strangest thing you've ever seen?

Not only that, but I wasn't the one to discover it. Nope! My daughter noticed it first.

I wonder how many of you have an "N" on the end of the word "volume" on your TVs. Or if there is anything else strange that you may have noticed on yours too.

I'm off to burn more ornaments now, just had to share this.
Have a great weekend!

Maternal Instinct?

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 03:26:00 +0000

You've heard of a mother dog taking care of a stray kitten, or a cow taking care of a fawn. Now you will be able to say you've heard of a White Pine mothering a Mountain Ash.

This is a photo of the largest White Pine in my yard. This tree towers over my house. My house is about 30 ft. tall (I'm guessing). It is the home of a few different species of birds and a couple of squirrels.

The tree looks like it is two times the size of my house. It's huge! Last year I noticed that a Mountain Ash tree (follow the arrow) started growing where the trunk of the White Pine splits into two. I never would have guessed that the little guy would still be there this year--and not only that, but so healthy!

Where the little tree is growing, I cannot reach without a ladder. I think it is about 7 - 8 feet off the ground (at least).

Two of my neighbors have beautiful Mountain Ash trees that get berries every year. Birds love these berries and apparently love to eat them while they are sitting in my White Pine. I figure a berry got away from one of the birds and landed in that split area and started to grow. This tiny, little tree is so beautiful and so amazing.

The large White Pine seems almost like it is mothering the little tree, protecting it from the harshest of storms, keeping it cozy and warm in the winter, and sheltered from the sun and heat in the summer.

I'm not sure how long that little tree is going to be able to grow there. It's little roots must be bonding within that huge pine by now, so I think if I were to remove it from the pine it might kill the little tree. I'm just going to keep my eye on it, and if it starts to look as though it may die, I'll try to transplant it. For now, it will grow and continue to be nurtured by my beautiful White Pine.

(It was very windy the day I took this photo, which made it difficult to get a still shot)

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Wanted: Group/Guild Leaders or Managers!

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:42:00 +0000

I'm looking for independent groups and guilds (not sales-venue specific) to interview for my new column on Handmade News.

I'm really excited about this column because its focus is specifically on groups that are not formed within internet sales venues. The groups I'm looking for are those that are made up of artisans that work with specific tools and/or materials and work together to further the knowledge of their art or craft.

If you, or someone you know, are involved with a group like this and would like to see the group featured, please let me know. You can contact me by leaving a comment here or writing me.

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So...What exactly is a Spam blog?

Yesterday, my blog was locked for possibly being a Spam blog and someone had to personally check it to make sure it wasn't. After reading the, somewhat foggy, description of one, I really don't understand how my blog would even come close to falling under that description.

I added a new plugboard (yes, I'm behind the times a bit), and directly after that my blog was blocked/locked. Is that the reason? It seems like it could be.

At any rate, apparently I passed their inspection because I am able to post today. :)

So, if you have a graphic 88x31 for plug boards, please plug my board. I'm anxious to see it filled up.
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Michael Jackson's Memorial Service will be on TV today. Facebook is going to be following the memorial service online and in conjunction with CNN. They will have full coverage of events worldwide on CNN and CNN.com Live with Facebook. I've already signed up for this. Will you be there too?

Rest In Peace Michael Jackson

noreply@blogger.com (LadyK) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:28:00 +0000

I'm so heartbroken and stunned.
This is another of my most favorite songs/videos of Michael. Please listen and enjoy.

I've loved him my whole life.

Prayers and Love to Michael, his children and his family.