Photos On Request

Please be sure to visit AlteredInsomnia!
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I have had a few of my friends request to see various photos ...I will keep the words simple and let the pictures do most of the talking :-)

The photo above is my Bug in front of the Blue Cottage after a bubble bath :-)
I am a bit obsessed about driving a clean car!

I was several feet away from this hummingbird today down at the beach...but determined to try and capture a photo before it flew away!

Ohhhhh, so THAT'S the way to the beach! Duh!
This cute sign is on a house right across the street from the ocean :-)

Another one of my favorite streets in the village section of town...Pointsetta Avenue...see my little CLEAN Bug parked there? I drove down to the beach today, how lame is that?!?!

I love the way the ocean and time caresses the rock formations in the water in Little Corona Beach...

The tide pools at Little Corona...thankfully this little beach of ours is a protected sea life refuge...the 'rock' at the top of the photo is called Ladder Rock....the waves have 'carved' steps into the rock.

OPEN!

My little shop around the corner....

AlteredInsomnia

(www.alteredinsomnia.blogspot.com)

has opened!

Please come and browse my first items ....
RETRO RUBBER STAMPS!

When You're Awake - We're Open!

I Love A BUG

Most of you know I love VW BUG'S.

While living in Germany back in 1972-73 we owned a red '63...back in California in the late 70s I drove a metallic brown '69 with hippie beads hanging from my rear view mirror...and now I drive an '02 that is metallic gray with a peace sign hanging from my mirror....

I notice EVERY BUG on the street...I have always been obsessed with them :-)

While at the kitchen table yesterday working on my inventory for AlteredInsomnia I heard one pull up to the front of the cottage...and had to look...and there she sat....
the Best Buy GEEK Bug :-)

Do you have these where you live?
Best Buy electronics sends these BUGS to your home when installing computers and other tech toys and they had arrived at a neighbor's home across the street...

I love the way it reminds me of the old saddle shoes I wore in the '50s :-)

Get Ready...

A-N-T-I-C-I-P-A-T-I-O-NRemember when they used the Carly Simon song for the Ketchup ad?
Well, get ready...


I am launching a NEW BLOG soon!
(anticipation, anticipa-a-a-a-ation)

AlteredInsomnia
When You're Awake - We're Open

I have been seeking out and finding some incredible art resources for all of my kindred spirits to incorporate into their mixed media pieces, visual journaling, ATC's and altered art!

And that's all I'm sayin' right now ;-)

To receive an email when my shop opens send a note to me here:

AlteredInsomnia

The Mails Here!

Creeeeeeeak...you can hear the mailbox open....kerchuNK...it slams with an almost rusty sound. It is nearly brand new, but designed to look old world and our landlady thought we really needed it...truth is - we like the old truly rusty one much better because at least we could get the mail in and out without doing origami...

I reached in pulling out phone, cable and car insurance bills....the usual suspects this time of month...then my eye caught a glimpse of something unusual...Royal Mail...what the ____?!

Yes, right there along with a beautiful postcard from a seaside town (Whitstable) from Kate living in London (you will recognize her as PlumCrafty in my comments!)...I find that she has also sent me.....what appears to be mail sent by OWL, right from Hogwarts :)

HARRY POTTER
Royal Mail Mint Stamps!

And not one set, but TWO!

These just ROCK Kate -- and I know I have said THANK YOU eleventymillion times in my email....but, THANK YOU again here in front of all my friends in BloggerLand :-)

The monthly bills were much easier to face today - thanks to Kate's Random Act Of Kindness!

All In A Day's Work On The Water

Some are here to tug and tow...

Some are here to watch how things go...

Some are here to keep the tourists flying high...with parachutes...

Some are here to give you tours so you can ohhh and ahhh when you
see Nicholas Cages new dig's...

And some take you to the island and back...

Some are here to simply provide you a party and dinner, cruising within the harbor...

And some are here NOT to work...
but simply sail... as the sun tosses diamonds upon the water...

No Words Wednesday

It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood...
and that's all I'm sayin'... ;-)

Out of PAIN, comes ART ;-)

Who said getting old is fun? Huh? Who said that?!? Where is that person so I can slap them upside the head??
I don't have a clue what I did yesterday - but somehow I pulled a muscle I guess...just lifting my cup of tea this morning made me groan! It's my neck and my shoulder and picking up things just hurts like hell.
I didn't want to just sit doing nothing - so I made art. Yeah, even picking up the paint brush hurt...how lame is that, huh? HOW LAME IS THAT?!?!
Ok, maybe I am a bit touchy right now... hee hee...

Last week I carved a rubber stamp of Paul McCartney - just to see if I could do it. And I succeeded pretty well I think.
Today I found some junk mail to use in my background and created a page in my visual journal with it.
Not my best work - but I HAD to do something instead of concentrating on the PAIN!

*click to enlarge*

Some Pretty Pictures While I Am Making Art :)

It's been awhile since I have posted any art...or blogged at all...so I thought I would post a few pretty pictures while my art is a work in progress...

The Lynx sailing into Newport Harbor...
Lynx is an interpretation of an actual privateer named Lynx built by Thomas Kemp in 1812 in Fell's Point, Maryland. She was among the first ships to defend American freedom by evading the British naval fleet then blockading American ports and serving in the important privateering efforts.
The Lynx is used as an educational experience for children and a team building experience for corporations. She spends some of her time here in Newport Beach as well as many other ports including Los Angeles, San Diego and Hawaii.

Although this is one of our narrowest streets in the village of Corona del Mar it is one of my favorites...Poppy Avenue will lead you right to the ocean (Little Corona beach) off of Pacific Coast Highway...I love the trees on this avenue...

Goldenrod Footbridge is right around the bend from our cottage connecting us to the beach ...a stroll across the bridge leads you to the ocean and Look Out Point overlooking Corona del Mar Main Beach, Newport Harbor, Balboa Peninsula, Santa Catalina Island ...and beyond...

More ART is on the way - so stay tuned ;-)

Catching Up

Besides dealing with the heat and other things I have been busy with I wasn't doing too much visual journaling. Then I got inspired by Mary Ann over at Dispatch from L.A. Mary Ann creates foot-stomping cool mailart and visual journals...and she digs stencils...she started cutting a few of her own -- and I realized it has been years since I'd done so. Quite a few years ago I was really into airbrushing and I used to create many stencils to incorporate into my airbrush art.

This afternoon I dug through my art supplies and found some acetate type material that is used for overhead projection screens. Then I dug out my Versa-Tool and plugged it in until it was smokin' baby :) I am out of practice with the stencil burning (which I prefer over using an X-acto knife because it's faster)...but below are two of my results that I incorporated into my 'junk mail' visual journal...(yep, still workin' on that one!)...
I took these photos at night so the colors are not great...

*the junk mail used in the above page is the word FREEDOM - the stencil
I created is Bob Dylan*

*the piece of junk mail used in the piece above are the words ' any prescription'...I thought it was fitting with Jim Morrison...I LOVED this artist - and I thought he was a genius...drugged up, yes..but a genius nonetheless...Morrison is the stencil I created.
- as always the images can be clicked on to enlarge-

Red, White & Baloney

Balboa Island

These colors are about as patriotic as I am going to get today.
I am reeling over what is taking place in the White House.
Lie on the stand, be found guilty....but... it's okay...Mr. Bush will save your ass...you can do the crime but not the time.
Mr. Bush & Mr. Cheney at least have the decency of President Nixon and
RESIGN!