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HI MOM.  MOM IS SIGNING HER NAME TO KERSTIE'S BIRTHDAY CARD.  KERSTIE IS NOT JUST MOMS CAREGIVER...SHE IS AN AMAZING ORGANIZER..AND COMPANION.  EVERY DRAWER IN MY HOUSE..IS NOW PERFECT..INCLUDING THE BAGS OF COFFEE...TOWELS..EVEN OUR JUNK DRAWER IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM.

MOST IMPORTANTLY SHE KNOWS HOW TO KEEP MOM COMMUNICATING ALL DAY.  WHEN SHE EMPTIES THE DISHWASHER SHE HANDS EVERY SINGLE ITEM TO MOM TO DRY!  AND MOM SITS AND DRIES EACH ONE.  SHE SAYS ' I HAVE SO MANY JOBS'...WHICH MAKES HER FEEL NEEDED...

AND SHE IS MY BEST CRITIC. JUST LOVED THIS BOX AND ASKED ' IS THIS MINE'.?  OF COURSE MOM!

MY FIRST TRIP THIS YEAR WITH JOHN ON A BUSINESS TRIP..WAS TO CHICAGO.  THE WEATHER WAS GORGEOUS..WALKED AND WALKED.  ONE DAY 8 MILES.  BUT YOU DON'T KNOW IT...ITS ALL THE SAME...BUILDING AND BUILDING..EXCEPT I WALKED ALOT ALONG THE RIVER WHICH RUNS THRU THE CITY.  NOT SURE WHY WE NEVER TOOK OUR CHILDREN HERE..SO MUCH HISTORY.

ONE OF MY TO-DO'S WAS TO VISIT MARSHALL FIELDS.  SO I ASKED DIRECTIONS...IT WAS ABOUT 5 MILES...AND ALONG THE WAY I ASKED FOR DIRECTIONS AGAIN ' WHERE IS MARSHALL FIELDS'...AND I WAS GIVEN VERY GOOD DIRECTIONS...AND AS YOU CAN SEE I ARRIVED..............EXCEPT...........THE SIGN ON THE DOOR SAID MACY'S!!!!  SEEMS THEY BOUGHT MF'S ABOUT 5 YEARS AGO!!!  FUNNY UH, SINCE NONE OF MY NAVIGATORS TOLD ME THAT!!!  ANYWAY. WAS FUN WALK.

OF COURSE I WENT IN AND WENT SHOPPING!!! HOW SILLY OF YOU TO ASK!!!

WE STAYED ON 37TH FLOOR AND HAD A CORNER WINDOW VIEW...THIS WAS DOWNTOWN..OTHER VIEW WAS LAKE MICHIGAN...SO NO SHEETS TO WASH..NO BED TO MAKE...I CAN LIVE WITH THAT!!

NOW. THIS WAS AN EXPERIENCE.  SINCE MICHEAL JORDANS WAS ADVERTISED ALL OVER CHICAGO AS ' GRAND OPENING'.  SO WE DECIDED TO GO FOR LUNCH.

WELL THE WHOLE LUNCHROOM WAS RESERVED FOR THE DAY..THATS OK WE WILL SIT IN THE BAR.   TOOK OUR PICTURE..AND THEN...........TIME TO ORDER.

WHAT?  CHICKEN AND WAFFLES?   WHERE IS THE LUNCH MENUE?  THATS IT...YES THERE WERE OTHER ITEMS..BUT NONE WERE LUNCH FARE..THEY SAID THEY WERE NOT READY TO PUT THE LUNCH MENUE IN THE BAR.........WELL I WAS NOT READY FOR CHICKEN AND WAFFLES OR THE OTHER 'STUFF' ON THE MENU..SO WE THOUGHT..WELL AT LEAST WE HAVE THIS PICTURE!!!!!!!  

GREAT TRIP.  GREAT CAREGIVERS FOR MOM  EVERYONE HELPED OUT TO MAKE THIS TRIP POSSIBLE...AND FOR THAT..I WILL ALWAYS HAVE GREAT MEMORIES!!!

WOW AUGUST ALMOST CAME AND WENT...

WELL LETS SEE...HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN..SINCE JULY 19TH...FIRST..HERE IS MOM AND DANNY. MOM LOVES DANNY. DANNY LOVES NANA.  DAN DOESN'T SHARE HIS HAT WITH MANY..MOM LOOKS TIRED..SHE IS...NUMBER 96 IS COMING UP AUGUST 28TH

 WELL ART UNRAVELED HAS COME..AND GONE..ANOTHER EXCITING, GROWING, EXPERIMENTING WEEK OF PAINTS AND WAXES AND FRIENDS.  I CAME HOME AND CLEANED OUT THE STUDIO TO MAKE WAY FOR MY NEW LOVES...WAX!!  PLASTER!! COMPOUND!!! PAN PATELS!!!!!   GOT LOTS OF OTHER PICTURES OF BEFORE AND AFTER..WILL SHOW YOU LATER.  BUT WOW, DID I CLEAN OUT.  4 HUGH BOXES..A HUGH GARBAGE BOX..( JOHN THOUGHT THAT ONE SHOULD BE LARGER)..HA.

 AND TOOK TIME FOR SWEET SALVAGE.   MY FIND.  FOR THE GUEST ROOM.  OLD BED/OR GATE..FRAME FROM PARIS. IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY ON THE RIGHT CORNER BY THE BED..YOU CAN SEE THE LOCK!!!  SO I CAN USE IT IN THE GUEST ROOM OR USE IT BY THE RAMADA FOR A GATE..EITHER WAY..LOVE IT.  SANDY AND I BARE THE 100 DEGREES ABOUT ONCE A MONTH AND HEAD TO 7TH AVENUE...COME ALONG SOME DAY!!

 ONE OF MY CLASSES WAS THE PLASTER CLASS WITH STEPHANIE LEE.  RATHER THEN DO ONE BOX AND EMBELLISH IT..I DID 3 SO I COULD LEARN THE 3 DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES FOR MAKING THE TOPS OF THE BOXES.  THIS HAS A FLIP LID..I THINK ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING..TAKES TIME!  OF COURSE THESE ARE HAND MADE BOXES STARTING WITH PIECES OF CARDBOARD..SO THEY ARE NOT EXACTLY INCH BY INCH PERFECT...BUT THEY ARE LOVELY

 BLACK VELVET RIBBON..SOME THIN STRAW WIRE AND A CROWN...CUTE. I PURCHASED AT LULU'S BOOTH AT AU!

 I MADE 3 DIFFERENT TOPS AND 3 DIFFERENT SIZES.  THIS WAS THE LARGEST.  I AM NOT SURE IF I WOULD MAKE SUCH A LARGE AGAIN, BUT THIS TOP SLIDES OFF AND THERE IS A TECHNIQUE TO MAKING THE COVER SO IT WILL STAY ON!! HA. THATS WHAT CLASS IS FOR!  LOVE PURPLE...SIDES ARE PURPLE AND PINK..WILL SHOW YOU NEXT TIME.

IN CLEANING OUT THE STUDIO I FOUND SO MANY CUTE EMBELLISHMENTS AND DECIDED ITS TIME TO USE THEM.  THE 'KISS' ON THE BOX WAS ONE OF THEM. HAVE SAVED THAT FOR ABOUT 4 YEARS!!!  WORKED PERFECTLY FOR THIS BOX.

 THIS IS THE COVER OF THE 3RD BOX.  THIS COVER HAS SIDES...SO NOW YOU SEE THE 3 DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES FOR THE BOX COVERS.  THIS IS THE INSIDE BECAUSE I AM EXPERIMENTING WITH THE COLORS AND THE TECHNIQUE OF THE PAINT I WANT TO USE...THIS WILL BE MY ANGEL BOX. SO WHAT THE TECHNIQUE?  I WILL EXPLAIN IN MY NEXT BLOG SINCE I KNOW YOUR ATTENTION SPAN IS SHORT HERE!

 AH..MY MYSTERIOUS LADY. ALWAYS WANTED TO USE SOME OF THE MASKS I FOUND AT A CHARITY FLEA MARKET. THIS WAS MY WAX CLASS. LOVED IT. THERE ARE MANY MANY TECHNIQUES ON THIS INCLUDING...YES...SHELLAC!  ACTUALLY WHAT I ORIGINALLY DID ON THIS ENCAUSTIC BOARD I DIDN'T LIKE AND NEEDED TO COVER IT WITH A DARKER WAX...SO I PUT ON THE RED..AND WHATEVER CAME TO MIND AFTER THAT.  SO THERE IS NEVER REALLY A MISTAKE!

...

 BUT THIS WAS.  BLACK AND WHITE WAX...I HAD A STENCIL ON HERE BUT WHEN I PULLED IT OFF...IT SORT OF..SPREAD!  SO I JUST HEATED UP THE WAX AND DID A LITTLE ABSTRACT AND LOVED IT.  HAVE TO SEE IT IN PERSON.  VERY VERY SMOOTH..ONE OF MY BEST...AND I HAVE SOME IDEAS FOR EMBELLISHING BUT ACTUALLY I JUST LIKE LOOKING AT IT AND FEELING IT.  THE PICTURE SHOWS SOME GOLD AT THE BOTTOM..THATS THE TABLE...NEXT IS A PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS!

 I LOVED LOVED WORKING WITH THE PAN PASTELS..AND THE INKS..AND THE WAX. THIS IS A COMBINATION OF ALL.  A LITTLE SPLATTER.. WHAT I SPENT TIME IN CLASS WAS CREATING THE SUBSTRATE...WHAT AND HOW TO FINISH THEM OFF WITH BE FUN..I AM ENJOYING THE COLORS..AND THE TECHNIQUES

THIS IS ANOTHER ' BEFORE'...AGAIN..WAX...PAN PASTELS...INKS...WAX...ETC.
I WANT TO DO THE WAX/SHELLAC AND BURN..TECHNIQUE SO I MIGHT FINISH THIS OFF WITH SUCH FUN.  WILL SHOW YOU LATER.

SO YOU CAN SEE I HAD FUN.  SO YES I KNEW I WAS FINDING..FINALLY..MY FOCUS.  I LOVE PLASTER...AND PLASTER WORKS GREAT WITH WAX!  MAKES A GREAT COMBINATION FOR BOXES...!  SO THEY ALL WORK TOGETHER.  I AM ON MY WAY.

NOW I HAVE 3 HUGH BOXES OF INVENTORY I NEED TO SHARE. I AM LOOKING FOR A NON-PROFIT..NO SCHOOLS...RATHER SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY HAS NO MONEY AT ALL...SO LET ME KNOW!

REMEMBER. LIFE LOVES YOU!