These Ain't your Mother's Driftwood Frames...

...unless, of course, you buy them for her.

Driftwood frames using Lake Superior driftwood and an old silkscreened fabric found in my big 'o basket of materials. The silkscreen seems rather appropriate, representing many of the colors I see among the trees in the winter, up here in the U.P. The patterns remind me of strewn driftwood and sand. Who knew back when I had printed this fabric, how I would end up using it.

I stapled the fabric right to the frame, much like my black framed blue silkscreened piece, as seen in a previous blog, although these are actually for sale.

Introducing: www.michiganlighthouseart.com

Okay people! Here's my new website address: www.michiganlighthouseart.com . Not quite as visually fancy as the last one, but it serves it's purpose. I have many, many more pieces to upload, but I've got it started, so you guys could all have a peek at it.

Hope you like the name as much as me!

Uh-oh Boundless Gallery is no Longer a Go

Just wanted to let you know, the Boundless Gallery site/ company as a whole is shutting down on March 1st. I tried to access my personal website through them with no luck.

Sorry, but it looks like amylgieschen on Boundless as well as a whole lotta other artists will no longer be able to be viewed through them. You can still find me on etsy and, of course, still find me here, but until I find another site similar to Boundless, my lighthouse paintings will have to be in your memory, until I find a new online home for them.

And, yes, I lost out on about 9 months worth of membership fees.

Will you Marry Me, Again? -- I'm Really Frugal.

Can anybody tell I'm currently, kinda sorta, obsessed with driftwood. I really, really, really should live on the shores of Lake Superior, so I could go out and pick up driftwood as need be.

I'm revisiting my driftwood vase arrangements I had used for Thanksgiving table decor. I really liked the arrangements, and after I was done using them, tried to sell them on my etsy site. No one even fained interest, so I'm dismantling them, and selling off some of their parts.

Right now, I'm focusing on selling groupings of four driftwood pieces to be used as wedding supplies or what have you. With a ribbon and fun seashell card included, they look pretty sweet. Let's just say, I love wedding themes and devising ideas on a budget. I think these little bunches would incorporate nicely for a beach front wedding, too bad I've already had mine, but not on the beach.

Nothing like Driving Home Eating a Chocolate Dipped Vanilla Ice Cream Cone with Mittens on and Heat Blasting

Here's some blue skies to share and an inspiration photo for spring colors ever so similar to a pic. I had seen by a professional photographer.

Think purples, greens, and aquas for spring entertaining. More to come with definite uses of vintage fabric and papers. Oh yeah, and I got some DQ ice cream tonight.

I almost Lost my Boots Getting you These Pics, so you Best Appreciate

It's cold, but not too cold, snowy, but not too snowy, and gray, but not too gray. A pretty average U.P. day. Bits had a wellness appt. and on the drive along U.S. 2, I noticed a woman in her late 60s/early 70s bundled and running a snow blower along her driveway. You know what my first thought was? I wanna be her when I grow up. Second thought? I really like her snow blower.

The day was pretty good for the boy formerly known as "Cranky Babes". Unfortunately, I don't think he quite knows his world is about to chance (for the better). He's gonna have to quit the paci and drop the pants to learn to use the potty. To prepare my Baconator, I buttered him up with a clearance Take-Along Thomas toy and splurged for a big boy Thomas toilet seat. It's going to be a bumpy ride, I'm sure, but he'll appreciate it when he's 20 and not still sucking on a paci and peeing in a diaper.

A few of you wanted pics of snow depth. About 22" the yard stick reads, but I warn you this is in an average spot, not like the front yard which gets all the sidewalk and driveway snow shot out from the snow blower. I snapped a few fun pics and am mentally preparing myself for my next three lighthouse paintings involving, rust, paint, and bolts (hence the attraction to rusty painted bolts, covered in snow).

Don't say I never gave you anything. I nearly lost the boots off my feet when plunging through the snow, and I had to do a whole new pants, fresh socks exchange when I got inside.

Eh, only Eight more Lighthouse Paintings to do, but Who's Worried?

If you can't tell by my double blogging today, I am trying my best to avoid starting more lighthouse paintings. I'm doing a great job at doing stuff, but not necessarily doing stuff I need to do. Bits is still napped out, and I used this time to finish some baby driftwood paintings. I took a little of this and a little of that from my other "Lake Superior Blues" paintings and made smaller, packable pieces, slightly easier on the wallet and small enough to take in a suitcase on a road trip (I know I always bring a piece of artwork with me when I go driving).

Two pieces at 9"x11" using found frames, thrift store fabric, and my signature materials of blue paint, rounded off driftwood pieces, and roots. The blue is actually two shades worked wet on wet directly related to our recent trip to Black River Harbor. There were the slightest variations of blue bands in the sky that day and what my camera couldn't capture, my eye absorbed and imprinted the color. I think my world is meant to be lived in shades of blue.

I Tried my Hand at Mitten Making

In a previous post, I shared pics. of some great gloves my neighbor had kindly madefor me from shrunken sweaters and vintage buttons. They are the most wonderful, warmest, fleece lined, winter necessities a snow-blowing/ ice shoveling girl could ever want.

She graciously shared with me her pattern and materials, so I could try to make some myself. Four pairs later and I cannot believe the time that was involved in each one, but they're like completing a painting, well worth the time once you see the finished product. Two pairs for my mother-in-law, one pair for my own Momma, and one surprise pair for one regular reader out there.

Sorry to some of you who may be hoping this surprise pair will arrive in your own mailbox. I'll tell ya what though: now that I know I can eventually get four pairs done and actually trun out pretty good, maybe I'll make a few more as gifts for Christmas, but I better start now, if I hope to finish by year's end.

I can still Find a Good Bargain and Something Neat at a Good 'ol Thrift Store---this is a Long Post, so Feel Free to Skip Ahead to the End

After I found water coming in through the ceiling, making a puddle on my comforter and toss pillows, I should have figured it was going to be a rough couple of days. Library book torn, bleach bathroom cleaner mental haze, brand new broken storage box, and, today, cut by the smallest glass shard exposed on the edge of an air dried tumbler glass.

After Bits' bath, I spent a good hour (or two) explaining to him why exactly he couldn't have a Spencer train. Bits had seen one in his Thomas Yearbook (catalog) explained in his small wordage that he wanted one, and I got the joy of trying to further explain the difficulties of buying said train here in the U.P., let alone the fact that sometimes even if we want something and are a good boy, we can't always have what we want. This crying, sad, blubbering boy, still did not fully understand what I was talking about. Solution: a trip to Book World, the mini Barnes and Noble-esque bookstore found in various U.P. towns, to buy a Thomas book. When the tough get stressed, they go grocery shopping and hit a few fave spots on the way.

We went to Vinny's and bought some vintage goodies for Mommy and Mr. Xenopus and after hitting up the library, City Hall, recycling, Burger King, and the previously mentioned book store, headed to Walmart. I forgot my reusable grocery totes, the ones I never, ever seem to forget. I strolled aimlessly around housewares and sporting goods to decompress before the crazy up and down, back and forth, checking the list over and over again shopping had to get started in order to get all that we need to eat and survive. After getting a cart full of items to satisfy my list and hunger, I headed out to the Jeep, put all my plastic, sloppy bags into the back and remembered our ever constant dependence on toilet paper, oh, and the forgotten bottle slips in my back pocket. Luckily, Bits likes to run, 'cause I was in no mood for strolling around Walmart any further. In and out of the big Superstore, and home we go.

This gets me to my point. What do your purchases say about you? At Walmart, besides the obvious milk, bread, and such, a camping coffee peculator, three blue ties, two cans of large artichoke hearts, reduced "day old" valentine cookies, and an odd bunch of leeks found their way among our purchases. Our thrift store goodies were: vintage dress, vintage yarn home purse, records, old sesame street books, fabric scraps, and picture frames. Again, what does this say about me? Does it help to know that each thrift book was only a quarter, the purse a buck fifty, and the dress a whopping four bucks. What about three ties at six dollars each and a camping accessory at over eleven. Many of us shop to de-stress (or stress to shop), I do a little for necessity, a little for fun, and a little to hold onto the part of me that I still think is hip (i.e. cool...although, I think hip may not be such a contemporary word to use anymore, but I really wouldn't know).

I'm not the only Lady up Here Enjoying the View...and Blogging about it

Everyone, I have discovered another Upper Peninsula blog.

This gal likes nature and taking fabulous pics. of it to share with readers. I think her posts are pretty neat, and know some of you might like 'em too. Lake Superior Spirit site: http://upwoods.wordpress.com/ . Her newest post has a tragic picture of a fallen bird, so I warn you in advance, but most of the other posts are not all about dead birds, but about similar things that I enjoy, with a nice photographic eye for pleasant images.

You know the rules though, when I share these great blogs, you still have to say I'm your favorite.

Treasures Peek Out from the Snow

When rocks break free from icy shells, driftwood breathes in light from beneath snowy blankets, and sand intermingles with it's numerous falling winter counterpart, you can feel spring will be here soon.

At 34 degrees, we ventured to the Big Lake and visited Black River Harbor, we hadn't been since November, so I was excited for this winter escape. The forecasters said it would be overcast and, true to their word, it was. The sun made an appearance as we left, but we benefited from it hiding behind clouds and keeping the snow from blinding us with brightness as we walked along the beach.

We took time to stop, without talking and crunching boots in the snow, to listen to the ice shift and crack, sometimes popping loudly, and sometimes with sounds like breaking mirrored glass. Mike threw a couple ice globulars at the "water", which, upon impact, turned out to be solid ice. At one point I gasped as Mike dropped a glove into a mini ice cave. He hollered "hello" before reaching his hand inside, which Bits thought was super fun. I was fortunate with the help from a little kick of my boot to find a couple pieces of driftwood. Large, burnt umber toned stones have surfaced from snowy spots, and as warm temps come, many more will be revealed.

A good number of cars showed up to enjoy the lake on this pre-spring day, but I secretly hope that when true spring comes, we can be some of the first people out there with my backpack on and treasure hunting eyes focused to find all the stock piles nature has hidden under the snow and ice.