Monthly Archives: March 2019

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Soar

March 18, 2019 – 11:58 pm

Nearly every industry has a new product introduction season. For clothes, it happens four times a year, Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. For the auto industry, typically, its fall. For the crafting and art world, its the first few months of the new year, January through March.

New products are demo’d and released at Creativation, the biggest trade show of the year for art and craft products. For those of us unable to attend Creativation, we spend the third week in January glued to You Tube searching and waiting for live feeds and demonstration videos. We make lists of what we must have and new products we can’t wait to try. And then, the shopping begins. By early March, my crafting/art budget is in shambles. I’m broke and I find products that I just have to have. How can I justify buying just one more thing? I can’t. BUT, if I can find contests to enter with gift certificates for prizes … 

Here’s my entry for a fun little 5 x 7 canvas I created for monthly challenge on The Frilly and Funkie blog. The challenge, Pass the Tissues, Please! must include tissue paper in some form.

soar tissue 5 x 7 canvas

Easy peasy for me. I love using tissue paper as the first layer on many of my canvases, journal pages, and greeting cards. To get really great texture as the first layer, all you have to do is take a sheet of tissue paper (the kind you use in gift bags), wad it up in a ball, then smooth it back out and adhere to your paper or canvas. Don’t be too aggressive with smoothing or you’ll smooth out all those great wrinkles and tear your paper. 

Got some use out of new products as well. I molded the angel wings and star using Prima molds and modeling material. The shine and color on the wings are Prima Art Alchemy Waxes. The music themed, printed tissue paper came from the wrapping paper aisle.

New products challenge me and get my creative juices flowing. If I’m really lucky, I’ll win a gift certificate which I can use to buy more art supplies.

Thanks for looking.

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Wonderful Nights

March 14, 2019 – 9:28 pm

Moon. Stars. Buildings. Skylines. Black and purple. This post is for all the night owls out there.

What can I do when the night
comes and I break into stars.

Baby Hale – Female
Time of Birth: 11:30 PM
Over the years, I’ve tried to figure out why I am a Night Owl. My mom and sister tell me it was a natural rhythm for me even as a baby. When everyone else was settling down, I was ready to play. Mom was pretty sleep deprived I’m sure.
My first job as a reporter fit into my natural pattern. Reporters work until the wee hours writing headlines, preparing copy and sending the paper out to be printed. After a hectic evening putting the “paper to bed”, it was hard for some of us to head home and off to bed. My companion Night Owls and I would hang around in the office for hours. We’d talk and argue and laugh til the wee hours.
As I grew older and changed careers, my natural inclination didn’t change, but my office hours were the normal 8 AM – 5 PM. I still found myself doing my best work in the last hours of the work day. Often, I worked until 7:30, getting more done between 4 and 7:30 PM than the other hours of the day. Not exactly Night Owl, but pushing the boundaries of a day shift.
In retirement, my inner Night Owl has reemerged and is flourishing. I’m pretty much useless until 8 PM. That doesn’t mean I don’t do anything before 8 PM, it just means that my best self happens after 8 PM.
Typically, at 10 PM, I’m in full go mode. If I’m working on an art piece, everything is flowing. If I’m doing laundry and cleaning, I’m going full out. My energy starts to lag about 1:30 AM and I’m ready for sleep around 2 AM.

I often lie about what time I wake. If you call me at 8:30 AM, I grab the phone and try to sound like I’ve been up for hours. I’m always making excuses why I didn’t see something on Good Morning America. Changing morning appointments to afternoon appointments. Feeling guilty when I roll out of bed at 10 AM. Listening to all the morning people brag about the dozens of things they achieve before noon.


I’m tired of feeling guilty. I’m changing my narrative! I’m taking back the night. I’m not going to be ashamed of my late night ways. I’m going to be true to myself. No more excuses. No more guilt.

Time of Birth: 11:30 PM
I was born this way.  Don’t judge me.

(Note: I have a supportive family that loves me just the way I am. I continue to struggle with Night Owl Guilt Syndrome NOGS .)

Are you a Night Owl or a Morning Person? Drop me a note and let me know. Thanks for checking out my art and please, please feel free to share.

Perfect inspiration to complete a giant wooden (MDF) tag.

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