Daily ACEO Art Card #11 Abstract #2

Abstract expressionist painting in blues, yellow, red, white and brown. Acrylic paint on bristol card stock. Click here to buy it!

DIY Chalkboard Coffee Table

I found a really ratty coffee table, but the base still looked good. I dragged it home, removed the moldy old top and cleaned up the metal legs. I decided to turn it into a chalkboard coffee table! I bought a piece of 1/4 inch mdf, a can of chalkboard spray paint and some bolts to attach the top to the base.

After I cut the top to size and drilled holes for the bolts I gave it two coats of Kilz primer. I sanded everything smooth and sprayed on two coats of Rust-Oleum chalkboard paint.

Yay, chalkboard coffee table! It's going to be fun sketching, jotting down notes, or even playing games!

Daily ACEO Art Card #10 Abstract #1

Abstract expressionist painting in greens, yellows and blues. Acrylic paint on bristol card stock. Click here to buy it!

Daily ACEO Art Card #9 William Burroughs

A colorful portrait of William S. Burroughs. Watercolor on watercolor paper. Click here to buy it!

Daily ACEO Art Card #8 Confined

Today's art card was inspired by Illustration Friday. The topic: Confined. Watercolor and ink on watercolor paper. Click here to buy it!

Watercolor Inspiration

The leaves on most of the trees around here are long gone, but a few still remain. I just love their colors!

Two New Paintings - Sailor Girl and Human Heart!

Sailor Girl
8x10 Inches, Acrylic on Canvas
Available on Etsy!

Human Heart
8x10 Inches, Acrylic on Canvas
Available on Etsy!

Daily ACEO Art Card #7 Black Bird

A black bird perched on a branch with a blue sky back ground. Watercolor and ink on watercolor paper. Click here to buy it!

Daily ACEO Art Card #6 Wicked Witch of the West

The Wicked Witch of the West used to scare me when I was a kid! Here's my version in watercolor.Watercolor and ink on watercolor paper. Click here to buy it!

Daily ACEO Art Card #5 Fall Leaves

A trio of fall leaves in red, orange, green and yellow. Watercolor on watercolor paper. Click here to buy it!

Daily ACEO Art Card #4 Eyeball Robot

A robot with a creepy eyeball suspended in his clear glass head! Watercolor, pastels and ink on watercolor paper. Click here to buy it!

Daily ACEO Art Card #3 Virgin of Guadalupe

A colorful version of Our Lady of Guadalupe in red, orange, purple and green. Watercolor and ink on watercolor paper. Click here to buy it!

Daily ACEO Art Card #2 Boston Terrier

A propaganda style Boston Terrier in red and black. Watercolor, ink, pastel and acrylic paint on watercolor paper. Click Here to Buy It!

Daily ACEO Art Card #1 Human Kidney

I've decided to try to create a new art card (2.5 x 3.5 inches) everyday for the next year. Here's the first one! An anatomical human kidney in reds and blues. Watercolor, pastel and ink on watercolor paper. Click Here To Buy It!

Human Anatomy - Brain

Original acrylic painting on canvas. Available on my website.

Anatomical Heart Painting

Here's a sneak peak at my newest painting. I've been facinated with anatomy since I was a kid. I even had my own dissection kit which I brought to my biology class in middle school. That's probably why I didn't have very many friends...

Turkey Stock

I'm making stock today with the bones I saved from my Thanksgiving turkey. I'm following the recipe in "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and using fresh thyme grown in my Aerogarden. I can't wait until it's finished!

Sock Monkey Hockey Player

Click Here for Prints!

Sock Monkey Superhero!

New Sock Monkey design! Prints available on my website. T-shirts and other goodies also available.

Crochet or Die!

A new design for hardcore crafters!
Available on a variety of items.

PlushBot 1138-17

Available in my Etsy shop.

Sausage and Barley Soup with Swiss Chard

Ingredients

Olive Oil
2 Carrots - Chopped
2 Ribs of Celery - Chopped
1 Onion - Chopped
2 TBS Minced Garlic
2 Italian Sausage Links - Cut Into Small Pieces
1/2 Pound Mushrooms - Quartered
1 Can of Diced Tomatoes
1 Cup Dry Red Wine
5 Cups Beef Broth
1 Cup Pearl Barley
1/2 Pound Swiss Chard - Chopped
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Dried Thyme

In a large pot heat olive oil (2 or 3 tablespoons) over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent.

Add sausage and mushrooms, cook until sausage begins to brown and the mushrooms release their liquid. Add all of the other ingredients except for the chard. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.

Add the chard, it looks like a lot but don't be scared - it cooks down! Give everything a stir and continue cooking for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Enjoy your hearty, scrumptious soup!

Dulcimer - All together but not quite there.

Everything is put together and looks pretty good, but the nut and bridge are in need of work. I'm getting lots of buzz down by the bridge, it sounds almost like a sitar. (there's another project!) My fret placement is correct so that's at least good. Even with the problems I'm still happy, and it's nothing I can't fix! I'm thinking some string trees and a new bridge are in order.

Cigar Box Dulcimer Ready to Finish

I added a 6 1/2 fret today after doing some more research on dulcimers. I also added some t-nuts to hold the strings, they seemed to work pretty good for my last build. So it's all glued together and ready for a tung oil finish!

Cigar Box Dulcimer Frets and Body

I cut the notches out of the body today and stained it. I also drilled a few sound holes. For the frets I used matchsticks! I don't know if it will work, but they seem pretty sturdy. As a long time guitarist I have to say that the fret spacing for a dulcimer looks pretty strange.

Cigar Box Dulcimer Neck

I carved the headstock, drilled holes for the machine heads, and rounded the back of the neck today. It's looking good so far. Now I need to clean up the mess I made since I work at the kitchen table and it's dinner time!

Illustration Friday - Shaky

Too much coffee!
Ink and watercolor on cold press watercolor paper.

Cigar Box Guitar T-Shirt

Cigar box guitar t-shirts, mugs, stickers and other goodies now available. They can all be found here.

Hurray For Owls!

I've been working on an owl linocut. Part of my inspiration is childhood memories of some of the owl decor my parents used to have in the 70's. I was lucky enough to inherit this really cool cookie jar from my mom. I love that owl stuff has become popular again!

Illustration Friday - Worn

Ink and watercolor on cold press watercolor paper.
Thanks to Anne Roberts for the amazing photo I used for inspiration!

Cigar Box Guitar #1

A few weeks ago I made my first cigar box guitar and I've been playing it everyday since then. I made it from an old wooden box I had that was once used to store chess game pieces. Here's a few pictures of my build:

Rag Quilt Finished!

I just finished my quilt. It frayed perfectly! I had to hang out in the laundry room to empty the lint trap every few minutes though.

Making a Rag Quilt

About a month ago I picked up an old Singer sewing machine at my local thrift shop. It was just $20.00 and works perfectly! I've done a few small projects so far and am now starting my first big quilt.Here's the layout, now I need to cut out all my backing squares. Today I'll head to the craft store to pick up some batting and more thread. When the quilt is finished it will match perfectly with the pillows I made over the weekend!

Illustration Friday: Canned

Worm Chowder
Acrylic on Canvas

Photo Friday: Passage of Time

The tree in front of my balcony, taken weekly over one month.

Illustration Friday: Trick or Treat

Sock Monkey Halloween!