My Life As a Lemonhead ~

 With Christmas upon us and a new year peeking from around the corner, I have been thinking a lot about life.  My life.  The life of my family.  We have had some very trying times over the last 5 years.  Horrible things that there's no need to blog about because, really, who wants to visit a blog only to read about the ugly things in life?

Who remembers Lemonheads?  They were my favorite candy when I was a little girl ~ 

Now, I find that this candy is very much like my life.  A thick coating of sourness surrounding a small kernel of sweet.  In order to get to the sweet, you have to chew away the sour.  So...I've been making an effort to focus on the little bits of sweet.

The sweetness of cotton candy clouds on a chilly desert day ~ 

Love and pride ~ watching my son accept an award at college ~

With overwhelming nerves dis-allowing me to snap a clear photo ~

Watching him wait ~ 

Seeing a huge photo of him on a big screen.

Best in class for 3-D Modeling ~ 

These are the bells and baubles of life that matter.  The important things to remember.  The sweet center.

New additions to the family.

A baby brother and sister duo sleeping on the way to their new home. 

No more shelter life for these puppies ~ 

Kenan ~ 

Kelly ~ 

Even through life's sourness, sleeping puppies can make you smile ~

Naptime with my daughter ~ 

These silly buggers, half Corgi - half dachshund, are always at the center of everything.  Even video games ~ 

2 sweet centers in the middle of the Lemonhead sour.

Art...

My heart's desire.  Sneaking away from the ugliness and difficulties of life.  Rescues me from the dark and the sour, even if only for a little while ~ 

I found my way to the studio many times over the last weeks.  Painting, cutting, composing.  Finding a quiet way to ease my worries.  

Two new pieces.

"Guardians of Her Heart's Desire"

"The Welcoming of The Three Fairies"

Both of these new pieces helped me get through many worries and trying times over the last few weeks.  I am grateful for that.

If you are interested in either of these new originals, you can find them both in my Art Shop.

My life as a Lemonhead.  Always always always chewing through the sour to find the sweet.  Keeping my eyes open for the Everyday goodness that is always there, just under the surface of the darkness and chaos.  Refusing to allow the sour to overcome the sweet.

Until Next Time:

Kim

Gerushia's New World

"The Guardian of Minervia's Secrets" ~ New Tiny Tale Art Print

Hello There:

I hope this smallest of blog posts finds you staying warm and enjoying the upcoming holidays.

I just wanted to pop in and share my newest "Tiny Tale" art print.  Would you like to read the little story?

"The Guardian of Minervia's Secrets"

"Although she meant no harm, Minervia told secrets. Whispering, whispering, whispering to anyone willing to listen. They weren't always bad secrets, but they weren't always good. Her mother would often say ~ "Minervia, please think before you whisper. Try to keep your thoughts to yourself." But Minervia just couldn't help it. She tried ever so hard to be a good girl and mind her mother, sometimes saying to herself "Minervia, remember what momma said" but the temptation would get the best of her.

Throughout the days and months and years, Minervia whispered and told tid-bits of tall stories and small town rumors. Always with wide eyes and a question in her voice. Unfortunately, after so many secrets, Minervia learned the hard way..."

Each Tiny Tale print comes with a pretty little story that I wrote. The print image is 4" x 6" on a single sheet of 8.5" x 11" HP Premium Plus Photo Paper. The corresponding story is printed on 8.5" x 11" calligraphy paper.

I'm so truly pleased with this project.  The stories are ridiculously lovely printed on the calligraphy paper!

You can find "Minervia" and 7 more "Tiny Tale" art prints in my online Shop.

Until Next Time:

Kim

Gerushia's New World

Foggy Nights and Christmas Chaos ~

Hello There:

Do you like fog?  Oh my, the entire Wlassak household is in love with fog.  Misty days, foggy nights.  We had a very eerie and foggy night recently.  It was 3:00 am and we found ourselves out front involved in an impromptu "photo session" ~ 

The creeper in the photo isn't really a madman killer.  That's my son.  Isn't this an eerie picture?   Seems this photo would have been more appropriate for a Halloween blog post.  But ~ alas ~ you can only take advantage of the fog when it visits.  I don't recall any fog during Halloween time this year.  So...Christmas fog will have to do.

Did I mention that it's been crazy busy around here lately?  Well....it certainly has.  

Starting with this innocent piece of black poster board ~ 

Which eventually became this Welsh stove-pipe hat ~ 

I can't take credit for constructing the hat.  My husband concocted a pattern and built this hat from scratch!  

It truly looks like a traditional Welsh hat, doesn't it?

So, you're probably wondering why anyone would need a poster board Welsh hat, right?  

Well, I was asked to create an art piece to be published in a book of Welsh Nursery Rhymes.  The book will be published and for sale just in time for the Los Angeles St. David's Day Festival at Barnsdall Art Park in Hollywood on March 3rd, 2013.

Each contributing artist was given a Welsh nursery rhyme and they were to create an art piece influenced by that rhyme.

Here's my rhyme translated into English:

Hen Wraig Fach

Little old woman living in the valley,

Ragged clothes and heavy clogs.

She had a calf named Twm

Who was quite poorly a long time ago.

Little old woman giving the calf some milk,

But the calf refused it.

Well she then became angry.

O dear! She slapped him.

Little old calf running like mad,

And she was shouting, "For God's sake!"

Following a calf across the country

Oh friends, what an experience!

And....here's the piece I created to go along with my rhyme ~

As you can see, the focus of my piece is from the last verse.

I have to give my daughter a huge amount of credit.  She does a lot of modeling for me.  That's her acting as the angry little old woman.  She's wearing the hat my husband made!  What fun we had modeling and snapping photos.

Busy, busy, busy!

Oh...look at this lovely piece of nature found attached to the eaves of my house ~ 

This amazing piece of goodness is now on my Christmas tree.

Speaking of Christmas...are you absolutely overwhelmed with it?  I find myself dreading the reality of my Christmas decorating.  I love to look at it once it's done, but doing it is so crazy.
Although I admit, my family room tree is always fun to decorate.  It holds all of our silly, older and mix it up ornaments ~ 

Hah!  I didn't realize until I saw this photo that the tip top of the tree seems to be swaying with the weight of Jack Skellington.  I think I like it.  It adds a bit of whimsy, somehow.

My giant beast of a living room tree is another story.  Not so fun, but I love it when it's done. It's 9 feet tall ~ 

...and, I wrap the lights up and back down every single limb.  It takes forever and a day to wrap lights like this.  But....the effect is beautiful....so much depth ~ 

And here's the finished tree ~ 

By the time we're done with all of this Christmasy labor we need a a few of these ~ 

Yummy Mimosas!

And, maybe a few of these as well ~ 

Along with all of the odd-ball photo sessions, Christmas decorating and art projects, I've also been working on my Tiny Tale Art ~ 

I'm super happy with the way my little stories are printing up on calligraphy paper ~ 

"Clara and Lucy's Curious Visitors"

"The Guardian of Cordelia's Swan Song"

Each Tiny Tale print comes with a little story that I wrote.  The print image is 4" x 6" on a single sheet of 8.5" x 11" HP Premium Plus Photo Paper.  The corresponding story is printed on 8.5" x 11" calligraphy paper.

If you are interested in purchasing any of my "Tiny Tale" art prints for holiday gifts, now is the time.  My 50% off holiday sale is still on.  But, I can't guarantee Christmas delivery beyond Dec. 14th.  However, the sale will continue through Dec. 19th. Any prints that sell out will not be re-stocked until January 2nd.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me!

Until Next Time:

Kim

Gerushia's New World

P.P.S.  Just wanted to put in a good word for this poor frosty soul ~ 

This Jack Frost Humpty Dumpty is waiting for a good home ~

He's sporting the shiniest vintage silver belt buckle ~ 

If you're interested in this hand-stitched "gnarly-doll", he can be purchased for 50% off in my Art Shop.  He's funny and big and looks incredible sitting underneath a Christmas tree!

♥♥♥♥

More "Tiny Tale" Art ~

I'm so happy.  Excited almost.  Well, it doesn't take much to excite me, really.

In my last post, I talked about losing and then finding a few of my little stories that go along with my art pieces.

I found a couple more!

I'm actually listing them in my shops as "Tiny Tale Art."  Corny right?  But, I really love to write these little tidbits of story for the characters in my artwork.  

Most people don't know this, but every single piece I create has a story, and all the characters and stories are connected to each other in some way.  All of my characters live in the same world and my entire body of watercolor/collage work is one big story still being written.

Is that crazy?  Maybe when I'm 80, I'll write the book.

Yesterday, I found this Tiny Tale ~

"The Guardian of Cordelia's Swan Song"

"Cordelia loved to dance. Her days were filled with steps and turns and her nights were filled with dancing dreams. She was so happy, simply happy, while she danced ~

But she knew, deep down inside, she knew that her days were numbered and her dance would end. An ending that should never have been, yet it was a perfect Swan Song. 

....and now ~ she rests."

This next piece is super duper old!  But, I still like it and it's still part of the world I've created with my art work ~

"Ghostly Gert's Tuson Patio Party"

"Oh the happenings on that lovely desert patio. It was August 13, 1910, a sweltering hot day in Tucson, Arizona. It was Gert's 11th birthday and she was having a birthday extravaganza. Hundreds of friends and family members were swarming in. The food was delicious and the cake, oh the cake ~ it was 4 layers high. The party was sure to be the talk of the town. The guests were laughing and dancing. Gert and the other children were playing games. Hopscotch, Tag, Croquet. Then, it happened, tragedy struck..."

The stories aren't shiny and professional, but they are all intertwined.  Someday, I'll put them all together and re-write the entire Tale.  For now, they are separate "Tiny Tales" that hint at the big picture!  :-)

Everyone that orders a piece of "Tiny Tale" art will also receive a printed version of the story that goes along with the art.  :-)

Both of these prints can be found in my shops.  I work from 2 online venues, but I mostly promote from Zibbet.  I also have a Storenvy, which I actually love.  This gives a buyer the opportunity to choose which shop they like to use.

Both of my shops are in "sales mode" right now.  At Zibbet,  all  prices have been marked down by 50%.  Crazy right?  50%!!

I'm offering 50% off storewide at Storenvy as well.  But you have to use a coupon code.  The coupon code is:  halfcrazy.  Get it, halfcrazy, like 50% off!!  I know, corny joke.

Here's my Zibbet Shop.  

and

Here's my Storenvy Shop

Also, here's a link that takes you directly to my "Tiny Tale Art" at Zibbet.

I ♥ story art.

Until Next Time:

Kim

Gerushia's New World

P.S.  I am spending the whole weekend researching traditional Welsh clothing and composing a new piece.  It will be included in a book of Welsh Nursery Rhymes to be published for next year's St. David's Day Festival in Hollywood, California.  So excited!  ♥♥

Looking Back ~ "Sister Ophelia's Unfortunate Picnic" and "The Uninvited" ~

Hello There:

What a whirlwind week it's been.  Some things good and some things trying.  

I said goodbye to the last bouquet of Autumn Roses ~ 

Opened the last bag of 2012's Boysenberries ~ 

Which is now a pie ~ 

...and found a new home for the front porch Chrysanthemums ~

The chaos of Christmas is almost here.  I can feel it creeping up in my bones ~ 

I love the idea of Christmas, but the chaos and materialism exhausts and disappoints me every year.  

But...onward I go.

I am still in "sales mode" in my Art Shop.  Everything has been marked down by 50%.  This includes original art, art prints and even a few "gnarly-dolls" thrown into the mix.

I was looking back today, trying to find some of the little stories that I originally wrote to go along with my collages.  Last year, when my computer crashed, I lost all of my little short stories.  

Well, I found them on JacketFlap!!  JacketFlap is a site that connects authors, illustrators and publishers of Children's books.  My blog posts run through their site each time I post.  So....they have a record of all my old blog posts and I found my stories!!  I am so excited.

So....I thought I would share 2 of them with you.  They're just simple little stories, mind you. I don't publish an ending to the stories because I like the reader to come up with their own endings.  However, I do have the endings written for myself.  Would you like to read 2 of them?

Okay!

"The Uninvited"

"Today is Miss. Laramie Rabbit's big tea party.  All of her friends will be there, ready to have a day of fun and food ~ yummy little rosy cupcakes, delicious boysenberry turnovers and sweet, minty tea. But....someone dark and eerie has made an appearance...someone or something Uninvited!! What will the day bring for Miss. Laramie and her friends?"

And...

"Sister Ophelia's Unfortunate Picnic"

"Do you like picnics? My sister Ophelia loves them... 

A warm day under the full moon....waiting for our friends to arrive ~ oh the lovely flutter of summertime butterflies.  I remember so well, that day.  The day of the unfortunate picnic.  You see, we had everything perfectly planned,  and then..." 

So...you see?  You get to make up your own ending for the stories.

Both of the originals are long ago sold, but....you can get them both in print version for 50% off right now in my shop.  

I think art,  and anything handmade really, makes spectacular gifts.  So unique and heartfelt.

Do you agree?

Until Next Time:

Kim

Gerushia's New World

P.S.   I am overwhelmed by the kindness of fellow artist and blogger Cat's Wire.    She wrote a lovely blog post about me.  Can you believe it?  Thank you Catrin!! ♥♥

Just a Heads Up ~ Cyber Monday Sale

Hello There:

Just wanted to offer you a quick reminder about my Shop Sale.  Everything in my shop is 30% off through tonight at midnight.  No need for a coupon code as the discounted prices are already in place.  

Also, if you have a chance, pop over to Vanessa Valencia's blog A Fanciful Twist.  She's hosting an amazing give-away for a $50.00 gift certificate to my shop.  If you'd like to enter, all you need to do is leave a comment on Vanessa's blog.  Ohhh...and she's having a fantabulous sale in her Shop as well!

Thanks for stopping by.  I truly appreciate each and every one of you.  Some of my readers go way back to my old Garden Painter Art days.  So....thank you for coming by and continuing to read my blog even though it's sometimes maddening to leave a comment!

Until Next Time:

Kim

Gerushia's New World

Thanksgiving Week, A Shop Sale and a Fanciful Giveaway ~

I admit it...

I heart Thanksgiving!

The warmth of the Autumn sun and colorful Thanksgiving bouquets ~

The endless blue sky in my out of the way neighborhood ~

Golden star leaves ~ 

Natures confetti ~ 

What a fun and busy Thanksgiving week I had....

For the first time in a few years, I found myself in the pit ~ 

Oh how I adore Epica

I know, I know...I don't seem like the type that would listen to Symphonic Metal, but I just adore it.  I listen to their CDs while I work in my studio ~ 

It was so much fun standing at the outside of the circle pit.  So much energy and life.  A really big guy stepped on my foot in the frenzy, but that's okay.  It was all in good fun!

Then...a few days later ~

A book signing with the fabulous author and grand wearer of pink hair...

Laini Taylor

Laini is truly a gifted and inspirational author.  She is always so nice and she always remembers my daughter and me. ♥♥

I am so thankful for music and books.  Do you like music and books?

Do you remember that I posted a photo of this treasure a few weeks ago?

Yes...a conjoined pumpkin.

I am in love with this giant and orange double thing.  I am such a lucky girl for finding it.  Well, guess what!  Of all the people in the world, I found another treasure last week ~ 

Yes...that's right.  A conjoined potato!!

How lucky am I?

Isn't it or aren't they spectacular?

Yes, everyone in my house has already discussed what they look like, but I won't mention that.  Plus, I don't care.  I love it/them.

I am thankful for small surprises and heartful treasures.

Hand written recipes left behind by my mom.

Treasures indeed ~ 

Sometimes, when I'm cooking a holiday meal, I find myself picking up the phone to call my mom and ask for cooking advice.  Then the burning in my heart reminds me that she's gone.  Together again with my dad.

Thanksgiving in my home is warm and simple.  Too much food and my immediate family (just the 5 of us).

This picture makes me giggle.  I didn't realize it until I looked at the photo, but my 3 guys had already grabbed their plates off the table.  The photo shows 5 place settings and only 2 plates...my daughter's and my own.  The guys had already taken their plates to the serving area and were huddled around the food ~ 

I am thankful.  I am thankful for my family and for my Everydays.  

I am thankful for music and books and memories.

I am thankful for the opportunity to work from home in my little studio.

I am thankful for my Art ~ 

If you get a chance...have a look at my online shop: Gerushia's New World.

I am having a Holiday Sale that will run through Cyber Monday (November 26th at midnight).

Everything in my shop is 30% off.  No need for a coupon code, as prices are already in place.  Mention my blog at checkout and receive a free ACEO print of your choice!

Ohhhhh....and one last fantabulous thing!  The always amazing, always magical Vanessa Valencia is hosting a give-away for a $50.00 gift certificate for my shop!!  You can read all about the details on her blog A Fanciful Twist.  She's also having a holiday sale in her shop too, so be sure and pop over to Vanessa's to enter the gift certificate give-away and have a peek at her shop sale as well.  

I ♥ Vanessa!

Thank you so much for stopping by.  I hope you all had a lovely and warm Thanksgiving.

If you have any questions about the sale, please feel free to email me.

Until Next Time:

Kim

Gerushia's New World