Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Good-bye--2008!

I found a video that made me smile...it was to bring in 2008...but, I wanted to share it anyway...hope it makes you smile!
Hope you had a great 2008....wishing you the best in 2009!

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Monday, December 29, 2008

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban - Chapter 4

All three videos....sit back, relax and enjoy...especially if you suffer from 'post Christmas exhaustion'

Friday, December 26, 2008

A few notes....on Rustic Goth

I have been having so very much fun
doing all of the You Tube posts...
Harry Potter...
Nightmare Before Christmas
and
A Christmas Carol...
I am amazed at all of the goodies
one can find on You Tube.
I do need to tend to a few
points of interest
though.
I have had a sale on all of my shop items since
November 6th. Originally I was just going to run the sale
through the month of November.
I decided to leave it on through the rest of the year...
I thought I'd leave a reminder
that the sale ends...
December 31st.
I'll be putting everything back to regular price
beginning January 1st.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

A Christmas Carol -- really updated version

I wanted a one part, short version of "A Christmas Carol"...this is more than a little 'removed' from the original version...but, I confess....it made me smile.




Tuesday, December 23, 2008

We'll take a 'Harry' break...

I've read all of the books...and reread all but the last one, several times. I was so looking forward to the 6th movie..and then it got rescheduled to next July.
I must be have "Harry" withdrawals, or something, I have really enjoyed revisiting all of the different 'takes' on the series that are out there on You Tube.

But, with the season of Christmas now upon us...I decided to take a little "Harry" break myself...and share a few of those things of Christmas...seemed appropriate for the season.




Monday, December 22, 2008

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Saturday, December 20, 2008

H..P. Prisoner - Chapter 3 - 1

I will divide this chapter into different posts...a couple of the videos are over ten minutes.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban - Chapt 2

I am including all portions of this chapter in this post.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Prisoner of Azkaban - C1 P2 and 3

Here is the rest of Chapter one...in two parts.





Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban - C1P1

I enjoy the Harry Potter Sims
quite a lot...but, I didn't
have any luck finding
Book 2 or Book 3 in the Sims.
I did run across a wonderful audio version
of Book 3
"Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban"
but,
I warn you...it is on 25 You Tube videos...
I'll present it...a little piece at a time though.


Monday, December 15, 2008

Chamber of Secrets Fan Art

In an effort to keep
the Harry Potter obsession of mine going...
here is Book 2..
"Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets"
all on one brief video...
as 'fan art'.
Hope you enjoy it!


In The Coming Year


I made an announcement..
nothing earth shattering mind you..
that I would be making some changes
in the coming year.
I will be painting
fewer original paintings
and dividing the time I have
been spending on my art..
and all that it involves..
on a few other projects that I have in
the works.
I think you will
enjoy the pieces that I
will be creating...certainly I will
be able to spend more time on each piece...
I'm looking forward to that!
I'm also hoping to make this blog
a little more entertaining.
I enjoyed the Harry Potter Sims videos..
hopefully you found them
entertaining as well.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Wrapping it Up---Almost!

Well....I tried.
I searched and searched for the last three chapters...
just in case someone actually got interested
in these silly little videos...
truth be told...I found them kind of fun...
but then, I'm a HUGE Harry Potter fan.
Anyway...I found ...almost...the end of the
book...this time taken from the game rather than SIMS.
It takes you right up to the very last battle...
I'll keep looking...if I find the very end...I will post it.
PS...I have looked and looked (and will keep looking)...but, in the meantime
if anybody knows of a 'cartoony-SIMS-game' type of video with the end of Sorcerer's Stone
please....let me know so I can run it...I am OCD and it drives me
crazy that I can't find the whole book!

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Chapter 14...The last one I have!

This is the last chapter of Sorcerer's Stone Sims
that I can find..
it's in 2 parts...I'll keep looking to see
if I can find the last three chapters..
or something that 'wraps up' this story.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Sorcerer's Stone -- Chapter 13

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Monday, December 8, 2008

Halloween at Hogwarts - Chapter 10

Here's the two part...Chapter 10.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

A busy week so far.

It is my personality to keep myself as busy as possible. I really
don't like sitting around, unless there is someone to talk to.
I find it very difficult to just
sit and watch TV by myself. I mean, really,
how depressing is that!!!?
I still manage to get in waaaay more TV time
than the average human being, I'm sure. At least, most of
that is done while I'm working on things
that don't call for 100% of my attention.
I can kind of divide it up 50/50.

I don't like to have it completely quiet
in my home either. Even when I need 100% concentration,
I turn on the New Age Music channel
(since there's usually not any lyrics to distract me)
Or...I turn on the Weather Channel.
They run the same Storm Stories over and over and over again...
sometimes several times in the same week..
then they start the next week with the very same shows.
It's good 'background' noise though. I certainly don't
have anything to pay attention to.
Anyway...I've been doing some of my own
research on programs that I had some questions about.
I decided to sign up for a couple of them so I
could have the 'first hand' info...
then, sometime after the first of the year
I want to write about my findings.
We'll see how it goes.
In the meantime...I'm pretty close
to calling it 'quits' on new paintings
for this year.
I don't have a good reason, but I just have a problem
painting something that will be dated 2008, when the year
is almost over.
Like it said...there really isn't a good reason for not
painting a 2008 piece...even on the very last day of the year...
except that I don't like to do this...because I'm a little OCD.
I don't like to work on Sundays...since every other Sunday is family day...
but I had to move family day from this week to next...
I have fallen just toooo far behind in shipping.
So..my Sunday is going to be full of...shipping. Which is a good
thing...
if nothing sells, there's nothing to ship...
and I have more shipping
than I thought I would have...so..that's good!
Hope everyone has a good week....
I've got some more Harry Potter's starting again on Monday.
Hopefully somebody is getting a kick of these...I know I did:)


Friday, December 5, 2008

Harry Potter Sorcerer's Stone Sims - Chapter 9

Here is Chapter 9 in two parts.
And I'll give it a couple of days before running any new ones.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Chapter 8


Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Sorcerer's Stone-Chapter 7

Here's Chapter 7...of Sorcerer's Stone.

There are 17 chapters in the book

but only 14 chapters of the Sims videos.

I'm letting you know...in case you are somehow..in to these videos.

I am searching the web, to see if anyone has these last three chapters.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Here's some more Harry...

I honestly don't know if anyone cares
that I am posting these Harry Potter Sims
videos ..or not..
but, it's my personality that once
I start something...
I try my very best to finish it.
For some reason,
I feel 'obligated' to show the entire
'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'
Sims videos
from beginning to end.
"Mental"...I know!
Without further adieu...
Here is Chapter 6..parts 1..2..and 3
They're each very short...so..enjoy!

Monday, December 1, 2008

World Aids Day


Today is World Aids Day...
the twentieth anniversary.
This picture is of my original painting
'It Isn't Over Yet'
I painted it in 2005
in memory of my youngest brother
who died of AIDS in 1996.
I have decided to offer
prints of this painting
with the proceeds going to
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation
I dedicated both of my blogs
today...to
World AIDS Day.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Chapter 5...

Here is part 5 of
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Sims
but, it is not made by the same person who made
the previous chapters I have posted.
His videos ended with Chapter 4...
this version doesn't have as much of the book
being read as the last videos did.
Too bad...
But, here it is...just the same. Also in two parts.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Harry Potter - SS - Chapter 4

Here's Chapter 4
Another 2-Parter!
Enjoy!!

Friday, November 28, 2008

Here's Chapter Three

It's a two parter...
but I'm putting them both on this one post!
I hope you're enjoying these little videos...
they're staying right with the book...
I'm quite impressed!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!


Wishing all
a
Happy Thanksgiving!
I am very thankful
to all who
read my blog,
collect my art,
take the time to drop a line...
I appreciate it
and
Thank You!

Here's a link to one of my favorite reasons to be thankful.

Harry Potter - SS - Sims - Chapter 2

I really have gotten into these 'Sims'
Harry Potter stories...
maybe it's because I have no idea
how people put them together..
it's a little like a 'mystery' to me...
but I'm entertained by them...and I'd like to continue to share...

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Harry Potter -- SS -- Sims -- Cont'

Continued from
yesterday's post....

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Harry Potter - Sorcerer's Stone - Sims

I go onto You Tube every so often,
just browsing...sometimes with a purpose..
other times just to see what's out there.
I ran across a bunch of
"Harry Potter - Sims"
videos...and just had to share..
I've never seen anything done with Sims
so
I'm not sure what the little things are
that often appear above the heads of the characters...
and over other objects as well...
I just rather enjoyed this video...so..
here it is...

Sunday, November 23, 2008

I got one new painting...

I painted several paintings
this week-end..
but I only got one new painting
for my Rustic Goth Etsy Shop.
I'll be listing it on
Monday.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Deja Vu...



Wow...it seems I just got over
that nasty bout of cold/ flu just a
few weeks ago...and it's BAAACK!
Yuck!!!
That's pretty much how I feel!
And I had soooo much planned for this week.
I've painted a few backgrounds...for new paintings
I've started..
for both Rustic Goth and for CMZart.
Now...I just don't feel like doing anything
but curling up and trying to sleep through this nastiness.
I probably would, if my head didn't hurt so
damned bad!
Sooo...I'm thinking I'll just curl up in my chair,
with my "meds"...my nose wipes...my beverages...
and my sketchpad..
maybe there's something on TV that I haven't
already seen a hundred times.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Blah Blah Gallery's New Art Movements


I was very flattered to be invited to join
the
group on Flickr.
I joined, of course.
I do so enjoy doing the sad and surreal dark art..
and it does fit with the general theme of this group.
If you like the pop surrealism, lowbrow, dark art
shown in the groups Flickr photos,
check out their website

Monday, November 17, 2008

Answers to Harry Potter Trivia.

Here are the answers
to yesterday's
1. What was Professor McGonagall's first appearance in book one, 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone'? = She appeared in the form of a cat reading a map on the corner of Privet Drive.
2. What is Harry's wand made of? = Holly and Phoenix Feather...eleven inches.
3. What are the names of Harry's aunt, uncle and cousin? = The Dursleys....
Petunia, Vernon and Dudley .
4. Who was the goblin that accompanied Hagrid and Harry in Gringotts Vault? = Griphook.
5. What can Rita Skeeter turn in to? = A beetle.
6. What are the three Unforgivable Curses? = Avada Kedavra (the Killing Curse)
Crucio (the Cruciatus Curse)
Imperio (the Imperius Curse)
7. When is Harry's birthday?=July 31st.
8. What was Hagrid's dragon named?=Norbert.
9. Where would you look for a bezoar?=In the stomach of a goat.
10. What was the name of Dumbledore's sister?=Ariana

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Do you know Your Harry Potter?


Do you know your Harry Potter Trivia?
Here's a few questions for you...
1. What was Professor McGonagall's first appearance in book one, 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone'?
2. What is Harry's wand made of?
3. What are the names of Harry's aunt, uncle and cousin?
4. Who was the goblin that accompanied Hagrid and Harry into Gringotts Vault?
5. What can Rita Skeeter turn in to?
6. What are the three Unforgivable Curses?
7. When is Harry's birthday?
8. What was Hagrid's dragon named?
9. Where would you look for a bezoar?
10. What was the name of Dumbledore's sister?
If you can't wait until
tomorrow for these answers...
go to my
and scroll down toward the bottom.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Rustic Goth Characters on You Tube

It's been a while since I last put together
a video to put on You Tube.
I spent most of today...I'm not as fast as some...putting together
a video for CMZ Art
and this one for
Rustic Goth.
The art is by me
the music
'Sweet Dreams are Made of These'
Annie Lennox and the Eurythmics.



Thursday, November 13, 2008

Skull ties, Goth Girl Shirts.....






A few items...great for gift giving....now
available online...
at my

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Finally have them listed.


I finally have listed
'I Think I Can Fix It Myself'
and
'It Needs Repair'
I'll be spending today
packing and shipping...but, I am
really wanting to do
a couple new paintings....
maybe later in the week.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Check these out...

Monday, November 10, 2008

A busy week ahead....


I'm going to be listing a print of
'Maybe I Can Fix It Myself'
and it's companion piece...
'It Needs Repair'
in my Etsy Shop
later today or tomomorrow.
I'm thinking I might also list the two
pieces as a 'set'...we'll see.
I want to put together a new You Tube Video... and...
I've finally got a couple of ideas for new paintings...
I really HAVE to get a Bunch of new
merchandise added to my
and...
Jaime and I are watching
the grandbabies tomorrow!
Then...there's everything I need to do
for my other shops!
I really do have a busy week ahead!!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

There's a Chill In the Air....


I think it's only for a few days
but, the weather has gotten downright chilly.
Good weather, I think, for wrapping up
in a nice warm blanket,...
with a cup of hot chocolate with marshmellows...
and grab my sketchbook.
Maybe, I'll come up with some
brand new characters!
I still have to do more with my
'Bella' character....I really do love her!
And...my 'creepers'...they all need
some new settings.
I've had some artist's block lately...
maybe this will help 'unblock' it!

Saturday, November 8, 2008

I know I should be painting...






I have been working on my
instead.
I have neglected that shop
so badly
that it's going to take much
longer than I anticipated
to get it in shape.
So, in the meantime, I need to put
off painting, yet again!

Friday, November 7, 2008

I think I'll Make a New You Tube Video..

In the meantime....here's a Pop Surrealism Video I put together last year. I like this one a lot..But...a word of warning....you might want to mute the volume if you are offended by the 'f' word. It was the only version of Radiohead's 'Creep' that I could find.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

One Year Anniversary...

Today is my one year anniversary
I have discounted all of the paintings
and prints
in the shop.
My way of celebrating
this anniversary
and saying 'Thanks'.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

I'm Glad The Election Is Over...


I voted early...which was a good thing. I heard that some
of the lines were rather long.
I'm glad the election went the way it did...
I was planning on
painting last night but...
some of the kids came over to watch
the election returns...which didn't get over as
early as we had hoped.
I've got a bunch of shipping to do today...
but, maybe I can get something
new painted...we'll see.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

An old painting...repurposed.

This used to be an old painting
'My Sweet Pet'
now it's a 'new painting'
....
though I'm not quite sure
if I will leave the
old title
or give it a new one.
I'm going to wait a day or two
before I put it
in the Shop
as I have one or two
other pieces
that I want to 'repurpose'
and then...
I'll just list all of the new 'old' pieces
at once.
I always liked the original version
of this painting
but, it seemed 'incomplete'.
Now...I have completed it...
I really do like how it turned out!

Monday, November 3, 2008

Coming Up On A Year


November 6th (my late husband's birthday)
will mark a one year anniversary
for my
I opened this shop a few days after my
because I thought the sad and surreal
pieces that represent Rustic Goth,
really needed a 'place of their own'.
To 'celebrate' the one year anniversary..
like CMZ Art,
I will mark everything down 25%
in the next day or so.
I haven't made a final decision
but, I'm considering extending
the Sale, in both shops...
through November and, possibly,
December.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

I'm Beginning To Wonder...


I'm beginning to wonder
when I will paint again!
This was the last painting I did and that
was a couple of weeks ago!
I don't know if it is because
this time of year is usually my best time
and this year it has been very slow...
if it is the viruses or whatever that
are bound and determined to try to attach
themselves to my stomach...
or if I just need to take
a break!
Maybe it's that I keep
putting off cleaning the things off of
my computer that are slowing it to a crawl!
Whatever it is
I hope I'm over it
soon!!
Do check out
my
to see what I
HAVE
been up to lately!
It's actually been quite fun:)

Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween!!!

This looks almost like

a duplicate of my

other blog...

and I have some pictures to

show you...

I just have to upload them

first!


I just wanted to say


"Happy Halloween"

before it is completely past!



I got a few


uploaded...so here they are...
Mike and Jaime
were invited to a
Costume Party!
Except for the 'Darth Vader' helmet
they made the rest of their
costumes themselves.
It took several hours to paint
all of the detail on Jaime's face, body and headpiece.
I think they look great!


Simon is munching down on
a lollipop...
just one of the many treats
he got in his
little 'Thomas The Train'
Halloween bucket!


Ava is checking out her stash of candy...looking cute as ever as a little 'pink kitty'.

Their mother made their costumes and did a fabulous job!

I had two of the other grandchildren come by

but, for some reason their pictures didn't come out!

Wendy did such a good job with their make up!

Just a fun day for all!



Thursday, October 30, 2008

Taking Stock






I'm glad I've taken some time off
of painting and creating
new pieces for my Etsy Shop.
It's given me time to take stock, evaluate
and re-evaluate
what I need to do in the
weeks and months ahead.
One of the things I've decided to do
is limit the 'Tragedies in Literature' series
to the three pieces I currently
have listed.
I will continue to offer the original digital prints
in the shop
and I am going to take
the images and introduce some new
merchandise
this next week.
I'll preview that merchandise here
when it's ready.
In the meantime, my Rustic Goth Squidoo Lens
has almost reached the Top 100
in the Arts Category.
I am very proud of this lens...and I invite
you to pop on over and give it a look!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Harry Potter Trivia


Yes...I am a 'Harry Potter' fan!
I love, love, love the books...the movies...everything Harry Potter!
I think J.K. Rowling is remarkable!
Sooo....I wrote a Squidoo Lens
titled
I'm sure I'll have a lot
of fun with this lens.
I am especially proud
of my
Please visit one...or both..
of these lenses
and see what you think!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

I invite you to visit...


My new improved
Please leave me a comment,
rate my lens
or just give it a look!
I really would appreciate it!

Friday, October 24, 2008

I am quite buried...


What I thought would only
take me a few days...
has turned out to be more in-depth
that I anticipated!
I wanted to do some computer clean-up...and still must..
I ended up instead,
knee-deep in several other of my sites...
and I'm getting in deeper.
Needless to say
It's going to be a week or two...
before I have anything new to put in the shop,
unless I make myself take a
time out..to paint!
We'll just have to see what unfolds!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Behind the scenes...


I've been kind of
like a 'ghost' this week...
I've been here..
but not necessarily visible.
There are so many things that HAVE to be
done
'behind the scenes'
that I haven't been doing as often as I should...
that I could no
longer
put them off.
Number one among those things...
to 'clean up' the computer I most often use.
It has gotten so sluggish
I should imagine from all of the pictures
I have uploaded.
The only 'new' pices
I'm currently entertaininng
would be some
print packages...
and some notecards with envelopes.
These are still in the
'entertaining'
stage...so I haven' made
a definite decision
yet!

Monday, October 20, 2008

I'm sticking to my word...


I'm sticking to my word
and taking some time off.
With all of the illness going round...and I'm
still feeling 'not my usual self'...it seems like a good
time for a bit of a change.
Since I'm not sure what to do with myself
if I don't create something new, at least, once a week...
I'm sure I'll have something new to list
in the shop
later this week...or...
early next week.
In the meantime...I'll just
plan on taking some "me" time!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

It's that time again...


It's time for me to take another
'working vacation'
which actually means...
I'm not going to be 'as available as normal' on Etsy...
and that I may take a day or two...away from this blog..
if there isn't really anything to blog about.
This time..
I won't be working as much on
new pieces as on...
cleaning my computer.
It's gotten quite frustrating lately..
I use my laptop for most of my work..and it is soooo loaded
with pictures...and who knows what else...
that it is running slower..and slower...and slower.
I really need to clear as much as possible off...and see if I can get
it to run better...
before it quits running entirely.
Wish me luck!!!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

A nice turn...


I think it is very nice when I find one or more of my
items
in someone else's blog.
Perhaps I should do that more often...
Maybe when I can get myself organized
a bit better...I'll think seriously about
doing so...every so often.

Friday, October 17, 2008

A busy week-end...


I'm hoping I can have a
really busy week-end...
I have so many things planned
and
time seems to be
a luxury
at the moment!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

A new character -- Bella Donna



I have been working on some
brand new characters for paintings
and such.
This is 'Bella Donna'
not really a 'deadly nightshade'
but a cute little Goth Girl.
I adore her!
The top painting...
" After The Rain "
will be listed later today or tomorrow.


"In The Forest"

is now listed in the Shop.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Favorites

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

If I'm 'Up' To It..

I really do hope that I hurry up and
get over this 'bug'...
whatever it is...
I've got so much work to do
first...
but, I'm so anxious to get
started on a series
that I've been wanting to start
getting sketched and painted.
I have listed a couple new pieces of jewelry
and a few new prints
in the Shop.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

I had hopes...

I had hoped to have a really
productive
week-end...
I'm going to quit 'planning' for those...
I've picked up a bug..
hopefully
it won't have me
down too long!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Why I'm Not Rich....

Yahoo had an article today...
"Why You're Not Rich"...
It gave 10 reasons why you're not rich..
and then '10 (more) reasons..'
Among the 10 More...

=
"You care what your car looks like.."

This is a picture of my car..
it's pretty beat up and battered..
and one of the headlights keeps blowing out,
so I can't even drive it after dark....


...and note the grass growing up in the driveway and sidewalk...

it brings me to the reason...

'You care what your neighbors think'...

My next door neighbor mows his lawn 2 or 3 times a day (or so it seems)...I think he's pretty horrified at the condition of my lawn!



I concede to the points...

..'having bad habits'...

and

..'not being prepared'..

I think the picture of the clutter...that is my home...speaks to that.

But...

I am pretty diversified..

I do what I enjoy...

I LOVE to learn...

I'm not really sure why I'm not rich..

maybe NEVER having enough money to pay for the necessities

has something to do with it...????

But...I never give up...though it's sometimes a struggle...

so you never know...

maybe there's hope yet!!

Friday, October 10, 2008

Newest Piece

'Goth Girl and Friends'

This is my latest little
painting...
approx 4.5" x 6.5"
(I need to remeasure before I list it)
acrylic paints on cotton canvas sheet.
I did this piece
to put in one of the frames I
found on a 'Thriftventure'
but,
since I still haven't
repurposed the frame
I decided to go ahead and list
this little piece
and do something different for the frame
AFTER I get it finished.
I'll be listing this little piece
in the shop,
at some point
later today or tomorrow!