My Roots...and I don't mean hair!

While developing MyArtTutor, I have 'opened the door' to creative thinking. When we had our marketing company my title was 'Creative Actualizer'. That meant that I could be an idea person and have someone else develop the ideas. Kind of appropo for someone who exhibits ADD from time to time :)

Good friend Susan and I were talking about this (her birthday is Dec 6 with mine) when a lightbulb exploded in my head...she and I and another designer touched, designed, wrote around 100 knit, crochet, other stitchery leaflets in the 80s and 90s. DUH. We own copyrights on most...so...MyStitcheryTutor may not be far behind. Then I remembered that my sister-in-law, Lisa had re-gifted me with a sack of things she thought I'd like back. Turns out it was the original baby blankets from one of the books! Talk about voodoo...

Bet you are wondering where this is going, aren't ya? WELL, the other night I realized that while we all google ourselves, how many of us google the 'other names' we might have used? Well, I did it, and found many of these books online...some I didn't even remember! Some I probably shouldn't (remember).

Here is the first I designed all on my own. Happens to be the first ever book that utilized plastic canvas for needlework in 1979-80. I think it sold over 250,000 copies. Isn't this a hoot? BUT, not bad for a weekend flurry of activity...

This second book is what I really enjoyed designing...worlds apart!

And here is a slideshow for another laugh or 2!

Moses-Botkin December Challenge "Hot/Cold"

With it being full-blown winter here in Northwest Arkansas, and craze holiday stuff at the same time, 5 of us from the Moses-Botkin Challenge made the deadline this month. I've been doing nothing but computing as I refine MyArtTutor, BUT that is subject for another post!

Without further ado, here is the challenge from Marie Fox,

"Warm and Cool, or Hot and Cold: opposites must both be included. Subject could be interpreted literally as in a bowl of cold cereal, and cup of hot tea, or an interior showing a cozy fireplace and snow outside. Or in less literal ways such as warm and cool moods, or warm and cool colors."

"Iced Coffee and Biscuit"

©2009 Vicki Ross

8x12 Oil on Panel

"Fire and Ice"
Oil on hardboard
9.5"x7.5"
©2009 Suzanne Berry 

"Colors Warm and Cool"
Oil on canvas, 8"x10"
©2009 Marie Fox 

"Winter Rooftops"
Oil on hardboard, 6"x6"
©2009 Michael Naples 

"Waiting for Global Warming"
Oil on hardboard
Unframed, 4"x6"
©2009 Diana Moses Botkin