2015 Documented Life Project: Weeks 9-12

Since life is a bit crazy right now, I'm lucky to get these done these days! I've actually completed through Week 15 at this point, but haven't had a chance to photograph. Here are Weeks 9-12.
 Week 9-1

Week 9-2

Week 9's challenge, above, was to use at least five layers. I think I accomplished that and then some! I started out with some under papers, added some spray inks, then some stencils, then some collage, then some stamping, them more college, then some finger painting with acrylics here and there, and finally some washi tape and pen work. The week's activities included our state basketball tournament and a fun day spent with my dear friend Vanessa and her sweet daughter Blaine in Ocala.

Week 10-1

Week 10-2

Week 10's challenge, above, was doodles and mark making as a layering element. I started with a light layer of spray inks and then added in some deli paper. I got that cool deli paper on the left from a restaurant up in Fernandina. We had dinner there, and my fish and chips came served on this paper. When I asked the waiter if I could have a few pieces for art projects, he brought me a whole stack. From there I doodled in some colored amoebas with gelatos, used my stabilo pencil to outline them and then added in lots of pen work and doodles here and there.  This week included our state Brain Bowl tournament. 

Week 11-1

Week 11-2

Week 11's challenge, above, was borders. I created the first border with pencil lines and then worked the inside with paints and stencils. Yes, it's actually that bright. Fluorescent orange and pink paints! After the paint, I blended in some gelatos around the border. I have a hard time leaving anything just plain white... Have you noticed? This week was Spring Break! We pretty much did a bunch of laziness.

Week 12-1

Week 12-2

Week 12's challenge, above, was making your mark as a focal point. I think I may have lost focus here, but this spread is actually my favorite of these four. I intended the "focal point" to be the large pinkish red flowers, which I drew with gelatos and smudged in. This could have definitely fit the "use at least five layers" challenge. I was in Tallahassee most of the week this week. We did Springtime Tallahassee that Saturday and moved me into our Tallahassee house that Sunday! Check out the 2015 Documented Life Project and everything else the Art to the 5th gals are up to here! It's never too late to join in!

Best Shot Monday: Meet Velvet

Velvet_A907971
Meet Velvet. Isn't she a doll? She was the last dog I took out today, and she waited patiently for me. Her kennel card had a staff only sign on it, so I asked a staff member if I could take her out. Thankfully, I got a yes! Shelter staff shared that she's been through a lot, so what she really needs now is a family to take good care of her. She'll probably do best as a only dog or with a family that understands that she may not get along with every other dog that she meets. In the time that I spent with her, I can tell you that she was a sweet lover of a girl with me!

Velvet and many more wonderful dogs and cats are available for adoption at Animal Care and Protective Services, 2020 Forest St in Jacksonville, 10am-6pm, Tuesday-Thursday!

Best Shot Monday: Fenced Out

Fenched Out 
Our next door neighbor has a few rose bushes, and it never fails, one rose, almost always just one, always manages to weave its way through the fence to peek over at us.  This little gal said hello to me as I was walking out to get the mail last week, so I rushed back in to grab my camera, fearful she might disappear just as quickly as she appeared.  Seems like life is that way at times, too, doesn't it? 

Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap

Liberate 2
For the first time this year, I participated in Kat Sloma's Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap. What was a little bit different about this postcard swap was that instead of making individual, hand-crafted postcards, the goal of this was to help you learn how to have your art professionally printed onto a postcard.  I just so happened to have recently had one of my photographs printed on postcards to pop into packages when I get an order, so this gave me a good excuse to get more images created onto postcards!  Above are the postcards I sent!  Clockwise from top left are my 1947 Chevy Firetruck, Peeking, Dandelion Wishes1966 Mustang Pony, and Smile.

Liberate 1

Above are the beautiful postcards I received from all over the world! Clockwise from top left are postcards from Anton in Portland, Oregon; Imelda from Portland, Oregon; Kat (the organizer) from Portland, Oregon; Judith from Portland, Oregon; Debra from Grant, Florida; and Sharon, all the way from New Zealand.  This was a fun easy swap that I really enjoyed.  It's always nice to find something other than bills and junk mail in your mail box!  You can click here for a blog hop of other participants and click here for a wrap up of this year's swap. 

Tuesday Best Shot Monday! Meet Roxy!

Roxy_A907885 
You know how Monday's go, right? Sometimes you don't get everything done that you'd like to get done, so here I am again this week with my Best Shot Monday on a Tuesday. This could be a new theme. :-) Meet Roxy. This shot certainly isn't one of the best shots I've ever taken. Some dogs just don't like to look at the camera. "You'll steal my soul!!!" they seem to be saying.  But sweet Roxy deserved a feature anyway.  I have an extra large soft spot for seniors in the shelter as they are so often overlooked by potential adopters.

Roxy came in to the shelter on February 26 as a stray. One of our outstanding animal control officers was out on another call when he noticed Roxy sitting in the road. He brought her in and her owner was identified, but unfortunately, her owner never came in to claim her. She was on a medical hold for a while and had some surgery to remove a mass from the base of her ear, but she's now as healthy as a 14-year-old gal can be!

She is super sweet, came with me easily out of her kennel and gingerly walked around on the rocks of the enclosure. I don't think she's very fond of those rocks, but she does seem to be fond of other dogs! She wagged her tail in greeting to the dog outside in the enclosure next to us, and one of our amazing animal behaviorists reported today that she even did well making friends with a small grumpy dog! I know that if you give her a chance, she'll win you over, too.

Roxy needs to spend her senior days in a loving home, not in a shelter kennel.  She's available for adoption at Animal Care and Protective Services, 2020 Forest Street, in Jacksonville. The shelter is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-6pm, and this weekend is our next Mega Adoption Event at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds. But wouldn't it be great if we could find Roxy a home one day this week, before Mega?  How about you?  Do you have a soft spot in your heart and in your home for this sweet senior girl?  Her ID number is A907885, and she's waiting to meet you.  Follow ACPS on Facebook here.

Best Shot Monday: Easter Traditions

Tire Swing group

Yes, once again, I'm doing my best shot Monday post on a Tuesday. :-) I've been battling the mother of all miserable colds and wanted to do nothing but lay around the house yesterday. I'm feeling a little more human today!  Battling through the sneezes, we spent Easter down at the lake in Keystone Heights with Benny's extended family. What a great tradition this is! That's the redheads with their cousin Lily on the ever popular tire swing, above. To me, this shot just captures pure joy; it's my favorite of the day.

S and O Bonnets

The Easter egg hunt has been a long standing tradition, including the "prize" egg and the pot of cash that comes along with it. Hundreds of eggs are hidden in the woods on the property, some more easy to find than others for the youngest kids. The only catch is that if you find the prize egg, you must endure a raw egg being broken on your head before you get the pot! This Easter's prize went to two-year-old Jackson, and he didn't even flinch when that egg was broken on his head! That's the spirit!

Sarah swing

A new tradition we started the past couple years is the Easter bonnet competition. We decorate our own hats and compete against each other for the best bonnet. Since it's done by silent ballot, it's all about getting people to vote for you.  As you can see from Sarah's hat (above on the right), she glued candy all over her hat and had planned to walk around to everyone with her basket of candy asking for votes. Alas, her shyness got the best of her and she chickened out.  Oh well, we still love our hats .... and now we have a quickly dwindling basket of Starburst and Tootsie Rolls...

Livvie Swing

As we prepare for our move to Tallahassee, we're making plans to spend more time down at the lake with the cousins.  Benny has so many great memories there and wants to create more of them for our girls.  He's even layed the groundwork for us to be able to take the camper down there and hook her right up! We've been spending Easter down there as a family since the girls were born, so they've become quite fond of that tire swing! 

Mama and Girls