The Mystry Thrif Off Reveal

    Thank you BetterAfter for inviting me to repurpose this crazy ceramic head for "The Mystery Thrift Off"! But oh the frustration when my plan of attack had to change when after I made a "crown" out of 2 part epoxy on the top of the head to hold a platter that I had drilled holes all around to hang jewels from and in 2 minutes, I knocked the head of the counter accidentally which cracked and broke it and then I picked up the platter at a weak spot and broke a piece off  just by picking it up. (sorry for the longest running sentence ever)
   For a minute, I had wished it had shattered :(   So I made a vase out of the head instead. Plan B worked out ok.  :)
 

At Long Last..... A New Post

  I can not believe I have not posted since last November!!!!!! I am now working part time at a wonderful boutique called Pretty Please. I'm still working at the gallery and painting whenever I get a moment AND last week glambaby #16 was born: Summer Haggarton!

 

and I have started a new art website at http://1-kelley-smith.artistwebsites.com/ . You can order canvas prints, prints on metal and such and greeting cards. I think this will be great and the quality is very, very good. I am going to try to catch up a little with my family photos, etc. Thanks to everyone for hanging in there with me.  XO

Catch Up.

I can not believe it has been since April that I last posted! Easter, End of School happenings for my Glamchildren, Moving 3 of my daughters into new houses, vacations, camping on the beach and attending the most awesome book club ever on Coronado Island in CA. were slipped in between working at the AZ Art Alliance Gallery and getting a painting done here and there. The daunting task of going through all of my photo folders makes me tired already, so I will just go ahead and put a big letter L for Loser on my forehead and move on.

I will however, post the one time we got all of the glamkids together (missing 2) one day at the beach. More posts definitely ahead, I've got some fun things in the works! (If you are reading this, thanks for not giving up on me.) ((Oh, and new post on my Art blog too!)) (((AND, if you go to the AZ Art Alliance website, there is a coupon for 25% off items in the gift shop that has an image with my jewelry on it. Wha-Hoo!)))

Conway's Playdate Gone Wrong.

This photo was taken the morning before my Glamson Conway's very first play date...This photo was taken right after Conway's first play date.

He looks miserable, but actually it didn't phase him in the least and he went right on playing with the kid that scratched him. He's one tough little dude! Love those glambabies!!!

Smith Spooktacular 2010 THRILLER!

This is probably the only THRILLER video where all the Zombies are smiling! It was fun, I wish you could see the "audience", they were probably scarier than we were. Thank you Quenton for putting the video together. I know we didn't give you much, but we did have a blast doing it !!! and Thank you Sarah for being the gal we all looked to for our "moves". (double click on the photo or on https://files.me.com/jbeals321/75o4m8.mov )

Shrinky Dinks and Bottle Caps

When I was in high school, Shrinky Dinks were the new rage. Now Shrinky Dinks has a plastic you can print on. So I decided to make some charms.

But the charms turned out too big, so I covered the holes with a gem and made refrigerator magnets. Once again I thought I knew better than the directions. I should have believed the ratio of shrinkage. Oh well.

I did make some bottle cap charms for my Glamchildren Bracelet of the newest members that weren't yet dangling from my wrist.

I tested out my two inch flower punch on the Shrinky Dink plastic and after it was baked, it fit perfectly on top of Daisy's bottle cap back. (I am keeping this idea in mind when I have a beer bottle cap ((that I found of course)) and want to cover up the logo.) This time I thought I'd use Super Glue to attach the crystal. In one swift second the gem slid out of place. I couldn't pry that crystal off, so it is a little off center (which will bug me forever). So next time I will stick to the E6000!

I can't wait to add a few more darlings on!

RIP Computer...

Last week my computer died. My computer tech told me this is the second time in 10 years that he has not been able to retrieve files from a hard drive. To make things worse, I felt impressed to copy my photos onto cd's like I have in the past before I had the computer fixed. (and all those times I didn't lose anything) so I brushed off the impression and there you go. LUCKILY, I have this fabulous blog that I've uploaded highlights of the last year's family events and artsy/craftsy projects. I'm using my laptop now, but when I buy a new computer, I'm going to also get one of those nifty external hard drives to save my "stuff" on. Lesson learned...

"clink...click...clunk....clink......"

This morning as Daisy and I were eating breakfast, I hear "clink...click...clunk....clink......." So I go into the TV room, look around and everything looks fine. Wait, there are a few ornaments on the ground. We are constantly telling the little glamchildren to "look, don't touch" the Christmas tree ornaments, so I just thought my cute little Daisy was just too tempted while watching Nick Jr. Then, I look over at Cosmo's log that he sits on and no Cosmo. (He's been investigating the house so I just thought he was "around"...) Then I just happened to look up at the tree, and there is Cosmo. He had crawled up through the branches with no where else to go but down. (and I think he was a little scared) So poor Cosmo is in "time out". He is now in his parent's room enjoying the heat lamp. The branches on the Christmas tree were easily bent back to shape and all is well.

Bust at the Tucson Quilt, Craft and Sewing Festival...

ABOVE IS MY FABULOUS STASH OF "FIXINS" THAT I BROUGHT HOME YESTERDAY when Kelli, Chelsea and I went to the Tucson Quilt, Craft and Sewing Festival. It was sort of our own personal "Trail of Tears". Kelli got to my house in the morning right on time. I was feeling a little sick because I didn't get enough sleep the night before. We couldn't leave right away as our friend who was adding a water line to our back yard needed consultation. We finally got to Chelsea's (who lives in Maricopa) and loaded up the three strollers and car seats and the truck wouldn't start. Dusty came home from work, borrowed the neighbors car and we drove two cars to Tucson.

Once in Tucson, we finally find the "Expo". The convention was tiny. It was about an eighth of the size as the one in Phoenix in January. Carma and Daisy started off great and wanted to holds hands the whole time. Soon they got tired of seeing the decades old fabric and ONE craft booth that sold brass stencils and they cried the whole time. All the (darling) old ladies wanted to touch Baby Pearl and that started getting a little weird. So, we leave and Chelsea's car wouldn't start. LUCKILY, Chelsea was brought up in a family of all girls with vehicles that ALMOST NEVER worked, so we all know how to change tires, check the fluid settings, tighten battery connections and jump our various modes of transportation.

We start to head back to the valley, I start having crazy stomach cramps, the kids are starving so we roam around Tuscon to find somewhere to eat, get a little lost, then head back to the freeway and find a "Chili's". We get seated at a booth as none of the tables can host three high chairs and Carma and Daisy think they are free to explore all aspects of the bench. I'm trying to just look out the window so that the other quests in the restaurant can't see my VERY unattractive face contorting in pain from my weird feelings of sickness. Pearl has ANOTHER explosion and needs to be changed.

Giving up all sense of decorum, we decide to let the little girls feed themselves the desert we were all sharing and as you know, it is sooooo much better to eat a brownie sundae with your hands!!!
Then as we get ready to go and all three little girls need to be changed and Pearl's is another explosion so she just has to go naked.

Chelsea's car won't start again, but this time we were smart and parked the cars head to head "just in case" and She has become a whiz at getting the jumper cables out and on in minutes. We all get home safely.

This day was actually pretty "normal" (except for me feeling sick) and we all agreed that we had a really good time enjoying one another's company even though the festival was a bust and we had car problems. So after all that complaining, I'd do it all again.

UGLY!

My husband's uncle called him up one day and said that as you get older, you don't die of old age, you just die of "Ugly". UGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!! Here we go!

Happy New Year 2009 card...

Well, we just didn't get our Christmas cards out this year as we couldn't think of anything clever, so this is what I did for a New Years card and now my printer is out of whack, so I might have to resort to Valentines day cards!!!!! anyway, happy new year. (sigh)

I got this image off of Scrapologie. I reminded me of my 5 girls and how they loved and still love to dance. (sigh... those were the days) I remember wishing they would grow up, now they are and I wish they were still small. Really only sometimes, because I LOVE having grandchildren, so there you go. Hope you are all doing well as the stress of the holidays rushes in. I'm making it easy on myself and giving $. (sorry kids, not enough to pay your mortgages though...) Oh, and you can see my girls dancing here.

CAUTION!

FYI: Do NOT store a glue stick and a tube of chap stick in the same junk drawer......yuck!!!!!!

My 50th Birthday Givaway

Today I am 50..............I'm desperately trying to grasp onto my motto "Oh well" but am finding it hard to do. I know you're as young as you feel, it's just that all this GRAVITY is taking over and I feel much younger than I look.

As I walked out to get the paper this morning I found this surprise in my yard, my darling daughters decorated it for my birthday and that makes me feel REALLY GOOD! My favorite saying on one of the hearts is "You are Officially Fiddy Cent"! So, "OH WELL to being 50!"
To celebrate my birthday I would like to give away these two prints of my original paintings that I thought most of you would enjoy. They are both matted in an 11" x 14" mat, so they are easy to frame if you wish.

To participate, just comment on this blog entry before midnight, this next Monday, April 21st. I'll draw two winners out of a hat at random.

Now, I am off to do some "Retail Therapy". Yeah!!!!!

Half Dolls and.........

I found this Half Doll in an antique mall in El Cajon, Ca. two years ago during our annual camping trip at the beach. I just love her! Also, I've had a few people ask me what exactly are Half Dolls, so I googled it and found this:



"Half dolls are just that--generally, the upper half of a human figure, without legs. Half dolls were produced without legs so that they could be attached to something useful--very commonly, pin cushions, but also wisk brooms, tea cozies, and numerous things that could grace a ladies dressing table, such as powder boxes.
The vast majority of Half Dolls were produced between 1900 and the 1920s, although some were produced earlier than that and some later. Some half dolls are still reproduced today.
Most half dolls are between 2 and 6 inches tall, although there are smaller and also a few larger examples.
Half dolls are generally made of porcelain (glazed bisque, sometimes called china) although there are also models made in unglazed bisque." from: Denise Van Patten - collectdolls.about.com

Here are some Half Dolls that I painted myself when I went to a few doll classes with my Mom.

And here are a few more. I have a stash of beautiful antique lace and ribbons, pieces of raw silk and tiny, tiny buttons...All waiting for me to transform these Glam Gals into Fashionistas. Oh, if I only had a few more hours in the day!
then, while taking photos of the Half Dolls today.... WHAT DID I DO?!!!!!! I accidentally knocked over my FABULOUS little jewelry box that I found in a thrift store. (My heart sunk for a moment) The box had a few pieces of jewelry already on it when I bought it, so I added some that I had inherited from my Grandmother Bochman. (only the broken pieces of course) Oh well, I've got to get my glue box down and get to "fixin"!

(Those who know me, know that one of my great Motto's in my Life is... "Oh well...." In order to stay "sane" I have to "Oh Well" A LOT and then go on. Fix what you can, and then remember the only really important things aren't things but people.)