Unexpected News, December Skies And a House Full of Christmas ~

Well, it's been quite a week so far.

So much Christmas happening everywhere.

Right in the middle of decorating our own house, we were hit with some unexpected news...

My husband was laid-off.

It was unexpected, but not really a surprise.

Just the fact that he was laid-off during the holiday season gives you an idea of what type of company he worked for.  Need I say more?

So, we are trying to stay positive and look at this as a blessing in disguise.

In the meantime, I need to put my art shops in high gear.

So, if any of you have been thinking of purchasing something from one of my shops, now would be the best time ever!

Gerushia's New World on Etsy

Gerushia's New World on Zibbet

I'll be working extra hard in my shops so that I can bring in a bit of money to help us get through this turn of events.

I refuse to let this ruin Christmas.

I am looking at this as a positive thing and 2014 will be fabulous!

After all, there are still hundreds of Johnny Appleseed skies to be seen.

Pinks ~ 

and purples ~ 

December is a month of transition.

A change from warm autumn days and orange pumpkins,

to wintery reds and jolly garden gnomes.

Christmas pumpkins ~ 

December is my birthday month.

Lovely birthday flowers were delivered ~

Every year just around my birthday, there's another gift...

The Cedar Waxwings fly in

I watch for them every year.

There were 50 or 60 of them flying all around my yard and birdbath just before my birthday.

They're quick and I was only able to snap a photo of these 2 beauties.

Nature's birthday gift to me ~

December always puts me in a frantic mood.

It's Christmas, I tell you....Christmas does it to me every year.

So many decorations and boxes of traditional goodies to go through.

Decorating, decorating, decorating.

Decorating the mantel ~

Decorating the dining room hutch ~

Filling Moe Howard's head with candy canes.

A Christmas Stooge ~

Noooo...he's not really Moe.  I bought this mug for my husband because he's a "Three Stooges" fanatic and I thought this guy looked like Moe.

Decorating the family tree ~

Putting the lights on the BIG tree ~

Decorating the BIG tree ~ 

Awww...looks like one of the puppies has some new Christmas pals ~ 

Decorating

Decorating

and

More decorating.

My favorite ornaments.

This was the first set of ornaments my mom and dad bought after they were married.

They are the last ornaments to be placed on the tree,

and the first to be taken off and put safely away at the end of the season ~ 

This year, I am happily decorating my studio.

Just a little bit.

I found these lovely black tabletop trees ~

Just perfect for my studio cabinet.

Did you know that black is the new evergreen?

So, time marches on.

Things change.

Jobs come and go.

New opportunities present themselves.

Good and bad.

Light and dark.

Shadows and highlights.

We need the whole spectrum to make this life a bold and textured painting.

Until Next Time:

Kim

Gerushia's New World

P.S.  Don't tell anyone that my husband loves "The Three Stooges."  It's a dirty secret!

So Much To Be Thankful For....In My Everydays ~

Did you have a wonderful Thanksgiving?

It is such a warm holiday...

It comes and goes so quickly.

So much menu planning and recipe studying.

It's easy to get caught up in the details.

Forgetting the true idea of Thanksgiving.

I am thankful and grateful everyday.

Thankful for my family, of course.

Thankful for the tiny furry ones that found their way into my life. 

Peek-a-boo Puppy ~

Thankful for a warm home and my home studio ~

Thankful for the little bits and bobs that I have collected over the years ~ 

Thankful for my tiny corner reading nook ~ 

I am beyond grateful and feel very blessed to be able to work from home ~

Painting.

Pasting.

Storymaking.

  

(This newly finished piece is called:

"Lily Pads and a Looking-Glass: Alice's Other Adventure."

You can find it listed in my Etsy Shop).

These pieces of art that I offer help my pocket-book as well as my heart.

During the upcoming weeks, many people will be out and about...

shopping

spending

enjoying the lights

Please remember to consider purchasing handmade gifts.

There are other nice things to purchase that aren't handmade, of course.

But if there's someone on your list that might appreciate a piece of art...

or handmade jewelry

or something warm that's been knitted

etc...

Please consider purchasing from some of the online, handmade venues.

I am very thankful for the customers I have.

If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be able to stay home and work from my little studio.

With all of that being said...

I am having a holiday sale over the next few days in both of my shops:

Etsy

Zibbet

  

I am offering 30% off storewide.

No need for a coupon code as the prices have all been marked down for you.

Thank you for continuing to visit my blog and for all the lovely emails and comments.

I have so much to be thankful for.

I try to remember that in my Everydays...

Everyday is Thanksgiving.

Until Next Time:

Kim

Gerushia's New World

Gerushia's New World, My World and A Still Blue Night

This has been a slow week.  

Do you prefer slow or busy busy busy?

I have so much to do, but I decided to give myself a day or two to work on my own book.  My larger than large fairy tale called

"Gerushia's New World."

I've been working on this story for years.  Many years.

There is a cast of characters that, to me, are just like lovable family members.

One of my favorite characters is Jubal.  He has such a tender heart and a kind spirit.

Tiny Excerpt

 "Jubal has been a resident of Gerushia's World for well over 80 years. His land stretches far and wide and his gardens are the envy of all. He is in love! In love with Lucy. He has admired her and loved her since the day he turned 13-1/2. Lucy is kind to Jubal and she always stops to say “hello” and chat when she walks by his place. Jubal grows blue ribbon huckleberries and Lucy just loves them. Of course, Jubal shares them with all the neighbors, but he saves the sweetest berries for Lucy."

Most of the characters are created with my family in mind.  

So many good-hearted folks from the Ozarks of Northwest Arkansas.

Writing can be a lonely thing to do if you're not connected to your characters.

I think artists in general tend to be isolated for the most part.  

I often find myself isolated. 

Thank goodness for my family.

I have been living in the same house for over 16 years and I don't know a single soul in my town or even my neighborhood.

As a very isolated artist, it is a good thing to have a constant flow of work....

writing.

painting.

collaging.

decorating.

even cooking.

Sometimes, I even feel a bit protective of my life, which is probably why I connect so much with the characters: Custodia and Hectorina. They are also very protective of their world and they are somewhat isolated.

Tiny Excerpt

"The entrance into Gerushia's New World is well watched. The most secret secret of all. You see, the entrance is simply....a window. But the window is protected and watched by Custodia and Hectorina (The Window Watchers). No one can get through unless they allow you to do so. Truly, in a certain way, Custodia and Hectorina are two of the most important dwellers in the world. They watch that window day and night. It is their calling, their pride, their heart of hearts. This job is the most important job in Gerushia's World. Custodia and Hectorina aren't merely responsible for protecting the world from intruders, they are responsible for protecting the world from Serafine herself." (Serafine is the dark character in the book).

So, although I am isolated, I am also very protective of my own "window."

Sometimes, I write and paint and collage for hours upon hours.  

And sometimes, I walk away form my studio for several weeks.

refueling.

rejuvenating.

readjusting.

Simply taking a walk out into the still blue night is all I need to 

re-balance ~ 

Breathing in the colors of a Johnny Appleseed sky ~ 

Inspiration can come from admiring someone else's work.

A soft and quiet bedtime book.

"Dream Animals:  A Bedtime Journey."

This gorgeous and dreamy book was written and illustrated by Emily Winfield Martin (otherwise knows as The Black Apple).

I wonder if I'll ever REALLY have a published book.

Never mind that, I'll still continue writing and illustrating this fairy tale.

Though it may never be printed onto pages, tucked between a protective cover, the characters are still alive...in my life and in my imagination.

From time to time, I'll refuel and re-balance my story, my art, my life.

But for tonight, in my isolation, behind my own window, I'll write.

Until Next Time:

Kim

Gerushia's New World

In Celebration of Zibbet's Integrity ~

Hello There:

I hope you are enjoying your lovely Autumn days.

I am busy, as usual.

But, I wanted to pop in and let you know that I am having a very important Shop Sale.

If you buy or sale on Etsy, I'm sure you are already aware of their upcoming policy changes....so, no need to go into that.  This is not about Etsy, this is about Zibbet.

I have a shop at both venues, but am planning on using Zibbet as my main hub.

Zibbet has proven to be an outstanding place to buy and sale fine art, handmade, vintage and supplies.

Because of Zibbet's integrity and respect for handmade, I am having a storewide shop sale.

Everything in my shop is 25% off.  No need for a coupon code.  All prices are marked.

Yes, Zibbet is younger than Etsy.  It might not even be as pretty (yet), but as a seller, I know that my concerns are addressed and I can trust that I won't have to compete with large manufacturers.

If you've ever considered buying my art, now is a great time.  You can save 25% on every item....just in time for the holidays.  Click Right Here to go directly to my Zibbet shop.

I am "Gerushia's New World" on Zibbet just as I am on Etsy and here on my blog.

If you've ever considered buying handmade in general, please, have a look at Zibbet.  Chances are, you'll see a lot of new sellers there that have recently left Etsy.

I am putting all of my efforts into my Zibbet shop, in hopes that they will become the #1 venue for selling fine art, handmade, vintage and supplies.

Please, have a look.

I'd truly appreciate that!

Until Next Time:

Kim

Gerushia's New World

An Autumn Glow and Easy Fall Days ~

Is there an Autumn glow in your neighborhood?

Here I am in Southern California and it looks like Vermont ~ 

Clear blue California skies.

Splashes of multicolored leaves ~

November roses hanging on to the last bits of warm sunshine ~ 

The bees are still busy ~

Working away on the last remaining Morning Glories ~ 

Hungry goldfinch ~

A vacant Bluebird house ~

Hoping to lure those wintery blue birds to my back yard.

Offering them treats made just for them ~ 

So many birds flying all about.

She waits by the window...birdwatching ~ 

Waiting...

to catch another glimpse of that shedding lizard ~ 

After awhile, she gets bored... 

and trots off to look for someone to play with ~

Puppy Playtime ~ 

These quiet and orange colored days find me packing away the last bits of Halloween. 

See you next year, Halloween rocks ~

Stacking and arranging pumpkins all around the front porch.

My favorite place to sit on a cool November evening ~ 

The vegetable garden has retired.

One...last...zucchini ~ 

A beautiful but sad gift.

Fallen from the sky on a warm November day ~ 

Delicate but unusually large.

Dragonfly ~ 

Inside, it's time to appreciate little things.

Bright, dramatic light that makes it's way through my studio window ~ 

Cleaning and rearranging the china.

My Grandmas tea set...

and a tiny, child's tea set that belonged to my grandma..

 when she was a girl ~ 

Treasures.

Inherited green goblets and pink depression glass ~ 

Working in my little studio.

Cleaning my messy desk.

Back to work ~ 

Easy days.

Autumn in the air and in the trees.

Savoring this time that never lasts quite long enough.

In the blink of an eye, it will be Christmas...

Then New Years Eve.

Then...a whole new year.

Today, it is Autumn.

In my yard.

In my home.

And in my bones.

Until Next Time:

Kim

Gerushia's New World