Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Tuesday-1pm--Colorform Heads

Now this is more like it! A perfect fall day! Endless blue skies and pillowy clouds...
...69 degrees and...drum roll please...only 35% humidity!! Ahhh!! What a glorious day!
One of my signs of fall is the lawn turning brown around the building.
Odd those small dots of green...like measles or a rash? Wonder if it is because of all the chemicals they spray on the lawn?
Confession. I must have over-watered my philodendron. There are a lot of yellow leaves since I soaked it last time. Sadly, I am notorious for over-watering. :(
Exciting news! I ordered some cards from Judith Edwards-White and they arrived yesterday! She's a painter and scratchboard artist in Australia. I stumbled across her blog quite a while back and was totally amazed at this scratchboard art! Blows me away! These pictures are literally scratched off of a black painted canvas. The cards are enclosed in a cellophane wrapper when they arrive--pardon the glare.
I took a few out so you could see the detail!
This raccoon--"Snack Time".
"Freckle" is actually a rescued koala living at the Daisy Hill Koala Centre in Brisbane.
This baby chimp cradled in its mother's arms is called "A Mother's Love".
You can see the cards she has had made from her scratchboard art on her blog here. I am just fascinated by this medium which seems to work like magic under the right fingers--LOL! No, I have never tried it and probably never will. I don't think I have the talent (or the back) to patiently lift an image from the darkness with thousands of tiny scratches.
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Anyways, just wanted to share this treat. :):)
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I had been thinking about the seven things for Dee's award and I think I am just going to have to link you to my past blog post here, since I am not getting around to thinking of anything new it seems. This will have to do, I guess. Sorry. I hope you don't mind, Dee.
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I also have been meaning to mention the Colorforms hint I got from GA--LOL! After living in crowded downtown Minneapolis for a couple of years I discovered that I had somehow morphed into one of "those" drivers--swearing under my breath, pounding my hands on the wheel--generally getting disgusted, impatient, and frustrated with anybody who held me up or did anything stupid or dangerous on the road.
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One day I am in my usual hurry on the way to work (always got there early anyways-duh!) behind this pokey driver I could barely see above the headrest. I am sighing and swearing to myself and saying, "Come on! Come on!" out loud in the car and doing that stupid thing where you grab the wheel with both hands and shake the wheel back and forth thinking you can somehow magically push that person along faster.
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Suddenly in my head I heard, "What if that was your dad up there in that car...or your son?" And I had this vision of him peeling off a Colorform head and popping another one in its place...of my dad, grandma, son, friends....peel and stick, peel and stick, peel and stick. Hard to explain, but it made me laugh! Dissipated my anger and slowed me down.
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Whenever I start to feel that annoyance and impatience on the road...well, good old Colorform heads come to mind...and I giggle and relax. We are always more patient with people we love. And we should love everybody. Colorform Heads also come in handy waiting in lines, talking to phone call centers, etc, etc. Peel and stick. Peel and stick. ROFL!!
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Oh! Carol Burnett made her guest appearance for a couple of days on my dying soap last week. Such a delight to see her, brief as it was...even without the cat fight this time--LOL! I just loved the Carol Burnett Show!! She's such a sweet lady! Lookin' good, too!
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Dagan and Leah are supposed to come tomorrow night after work. Due to cancellations from both sides we haven't gotten together for a month! Will be so nice to see them. :):)
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On this perfect day I am heading out to the porch with Karma to read for a while.
Have a great Colorform Head day! :):)
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"We must we willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."
Joseph Campbell

23 comments:

Furry Bottoms said...

The colorform heads kind of scare me!! But I'm glad you got a giggle out of it :)

I am miserable at work, and I want to join Karma out on the porch.

Beth said...

I will try to remember your suggestions when I am caught in traffic or behind someone with 30 items in the 15 items or less line.

Karma has the best of all worlds, just laying there in the sun.

Rita said...

Nikki--I suppose they could be creepy, but I do have a weird sense of humor--LOL!
Sorry you were having a bad time at work and I hope tomorrow is better. I'll tell Karma to move over! :)

Beth--Oh, yes!! The people in the express lane!! Another good opportunity for Colorform Heads!!! LOLOL!
Karma does have the life. ;)

Serena Lewis said...

Beautiful clouds and YAY for lower humidity!

Judy does the most beautiful scratchboard art...she is SO talented! Her cards are BEAUTIFUL, I can't even pick a favourite.

I go to the two extremes with potted plants...either I over-water them or I neglect to water them to the point of the soil being bone dry at times. Cacti love me for the latter. lol

Beau is terribly impatient on the road whether there's a traffic jam or not. I keep telling him to calm down and that I believe the one lesson he needs to learn in life is PATIENCE. lol Interesting idea with the Colorform heads and it certainly does make you think...might run that idea past Beau next time he's losing his cool in traffic.

I hope you enjoyed your beautiful day....I think it's heading into evening there now?

Btw, I LOVE Carol Burnett....a truly wonderful and talented lady!

Love and hugs,
Serena xo

Deanna said...

Ahhhhh Carol Burnett. What a lady. And what an awesome comedienne. Love her!

The cards are amazing. In one of my art classes as a child, we would color a card one color, and then color another color over it. Then scrape off the top color to make a picture. I guess it is kind of the same principle... Mine never looked like anything :0


Hope you are joining Karma and enjoying that beautiful weather!

Teresa Evangeline said...

I don't know about the colorforms heads, but it sounds like a good idea.

This reminds me of a George Carlin quote: "Ever notice how anyone driving slower than you is an idiot and anyone driving faster is a maniac?"

Love the clouds. They're so beautiful this time of year.

DJan said...

My mother used to tell me that plants really do appreciate what she called "benign neglect," meaning just look at them now and then, smile, and send them some water and nutrients occasionally. :-)

Love those beautiful prints! Especially love Mother's Love. Thank you so much for sharing them.

Judy said...

Rita I am so happy you like the cards of my scratchart work! I think maybe I should have some printed of my other pieces.....thank you for posting the pics.

Queenie Jeannie said...

LOVE the Colorforms story!! Such a great reminder! They used to be big favorites of mine when I was a kid too.

Karma looks completely crashed out! Such the life of a pampered cat!!! I hope you enjoy your time with the kids!

Dee Ready said...

Thank you, Rita, for discovering that evocative art work from "Judy." I went to her site and will order some from her as I am a true animal lover and sending cards like these will be a delight for both the receiver and me.

And yes, I will write cards--your posting have encouraged me to get back into letter writing. So thank you for that also.

And finally, thank you for your thoughtful comment on my posting yesterday. I agree with you that often it's the people with whom we share some annoying character traits who affect us the most.

Rita said...

Serena--I might have found Judy thru your blog even--can't remember now. I find that scratchboard art intriguing and unique. Never really saw anything like it before. She's got the touch, that for sure! Makes fur look so soft and real. :)
You could tell Beau, what the heck. Might not do any good, but it can't hurt. That is the one place Dagan can be impatient and in a big hurry, too--behind the wheel. Nothing helps much when he's in that mood--LOL! *sigh* ;)

Deanna--We did that, too! Scribbled all kinds of bright colors and then covered the entire page with black crayon. I think they gave us popsicle sticks to scrape with. That's the basic idea, tho. ;) Yes, it was a perfect fall day and I think we have another one coming today. :):)

Teresa--You're probably too young to know about Colorforms. I don't think they're as popular anymore as they were when I was little and it was such a new thing.
Love-love the George Carlin quote! What a remarkable mind! :)

Djan--Benign neglect! True! It's when I start to pay too much attention to the plants I do things like cause the leaves to turn yellow--LOL! Your mother sounds like she was a wise woman! ;) Speaking of--"Mother's Love" is really so sweet and tender! One of my favorites, too! :)

Judy--I think you should have cards made out of all of them! That way many more people can hold a little piece of your art in their hands. And when you sell a painting, you will still have a little something yourself to remember it by. :) Wonderful work, Judy!

Jeannie--Glad you liked the Colorforms story! ;) I am excited to finally have an evening with the kids tonight after a whole month! Thanks! Have a good day! :)

Toriz said...

Glad you got such a beautiful sit-out-in-the-porch-with-a-book kind of day! :)

And I love that peel and stick thing with the heads... Excellent idea. I know a few people who could do with putting that in to practice (myself included sometimes!)

Donna @ The House on the Corner said...

Colorforms were awesome! I haven't thought of those in years!!! I need to see if these still make them so I can stock up - still trying to be the good grandma ;-)

So envy your weather! I've never heard of 35% humidity ~ and my grass has been brown for MONTHS!

Those cards would be awesome if they were just ink drawings - scratched off!?! Ah-Mazing!

Celticspirit said...

I love the cards with the etchings on them. I love, love, love the monkey one. I wish I had some talent in the artsy way. I'm crafty but can't draw worth a lick. :(

Rita said...

Dee-I think animal lovers can hardly resist her work! She captures the expression of the particular animal so beautifully. :)
And if they got you to write cards again--hurray! I'm a great advocate for keeping the handwritten card or letter alive!! Snailmail forever!! LOL! ;)

Tori--It's a good thing I took advantage the days I could. Downright chilly out there today! I hope this is not a sign of a short, short fall. Ha! Yup--peel and stick on a head of someone you love. ;)

Donna--When I went to look up Colorforms I see that they do still make different kinds. I remember the ones where they were like paper dolls where you could change their clothes. I wonder if the little ones today would enjoy them as much as we did? You'll have to let me know. ;)
35% humidity is just heaven after all the 80-90% steamy, sticky, clammy stuff we've had up here. You need 100% RAIN!!! One extreme or the next, it seems. :(
I know! Tiny little scratches! Really something. :):)

Rita said...

Barb--I know! "Mother's Love" is just so tender and sweet! I am much more comfortable with crafty stuff. I keep trying to learn how to draw and paint, but I am not very good at it, so I do it just for fun. I suppose if I would actually practice a lot I might see some improvement--LOL! Oh well. ;)

Serena Lewis said...

Yes, Rita, you would have probably found Judy through me. I did a shout-out for her blog not long after she started blogging and I keep her blog in my sidebar links. Judy and I have been in-real-life friends for many years and we originally found each other through our mutual love for art. We have actually been trying to plan a lunch date for ages now....but, unfortunately, life keeps getting in the way. But soon, I hope.

AliceKay said...

Nice sky pics. Love the blue and white. :) (If God didn't love Penn State, why did he make the sky blue and white?) ;)

Those patches of the darker green grass could be a different variety of grass that stays greener longer. (made sense to me...did it make sense to you? LOL Sorry...been a long day)

I tend to overwater some plants and underwater others. Some die, some thrive. LOL

Beautiful artwork. I can see why you would love her work.

Loved the Colorform Heads story, too. Patience is not one of my virtues.

I loved the Carol Burnett Show. It was just good clean fun...something television lacks these days.

Karma has the life...lazing around and soaking in the sun. :)

I hope you enjoyed your book and your time sitting out there on that perfect day.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful pictures of the sky! Fall is definitely in the air here too. Highs are supposed to be in the mid 60's today. For me, that is GLORIOUS weather :)

Rita said...

Serena--I thought so! How could two such talented artists in the same town not run into each other! I think you two are due for a lunch. ;)

AliceKay--LOL! I don't follow sports, so I would have no clue what Penn State's colors were. Blue and white are great colors, tho! ;)
I do the same thing, either overwatering or underwatering. I have to own hardy plants--LOL!
Carol Burnett Show was great! I really do wish they had more shows like that on today, too.
We had a few nice porch days before the cold front came thru. :)

Angela--Been in the 20s at night up here! That is too cold too fast! Only 50s during the day. I want my fall back! I'm sure we'll see some more nice fall days...well, I hope so. But I'd take this chilly weather over the heat and humidity any day. ;)

Toriz said...

Well, we basically missed out on Summer, so I guess itmakes sense for Winter to be coming early! ;)

Intense Guy said...

Those cards from Judith Edwards-White are incredible!!!!

Draw-dropping awesome!

Rita said...

Tori--Sad, but true! :)

Iggy--They are amazing! Glad you enjoyed them. :)