Hunting and Gathering

Hunting and Gathering, originally uploaded by art-e-ology.

Lovelies that caught my eye today. My favorite is the old rusty clock housing. I picked that up at Canton last month. I can't wait to go back:) I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thursday!!!! Love, Jamie

Quote for Today:

''Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul."
~ Henry Ward Beecher

Dude Looks Like A Lady FIT...Antique Photo Dating...

I don't know Ya'll. I think this "Lady" looks like a man. What an amazing photo this would be if that were true. The face has masculine features. The hands are very manly. This person is sitting with their legs spread open wide under that skirt. Something a lady of that time period would not do in a photo or public. Am I crazy, far off on this one? I am interested to know what everyone thinks about this. There is no identification on the back of the cabinet card so all I really know about it is that the photograph was taken in Shelburne Falls, Mass. I love a good mystery! LOL!!

That bow is almost as wide as this child's shoulders!!! Talk about crazy fashion fads. LOL! It is a really sweet photo and I like her relaxed pose against the table. I cleaned her up quite a bit. The original is horribly torn and water stained.

Next week I am starting a series on the dating of antique photos. So many times we buy or receive photos with no family names or date taken written down. I have been studying and collecting photos for a long time now and I think it really adds more to your art when you know a little about your images. I have lots of examples of different types of photos and clothing prompts to help date the time period. I would love to share those here with you all. The photo above is part of my ambrotype collection.

Quote for Today:

"Love isn't finding a perfect person. It's seeing an imperfect person perfectly."
~Sam Keen

Art Creations Friday...Late...Really Late...

I know it's Thursday and tomorrow is Friday and these images are from last week and the week before, but I couldn't make my Art Creations Fridays while all the yucky stuff was going on and I missed it! So here is an image made from the last two challenges.

I used the girl from last week and the hand painted background from the week before. Vintage Wil made the beautiful hand painted background.

When I looked closely at the background I found a section that looked like hydrangeas to me.

Then, I found one single, yellow rose bud and then I made a bouquet for her:)

Quotes for Today:

"People often say that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves."
~Salma Hayek

"There is hidden beauty everywhere."
~Me

Under Construction!! Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid!...

I am fiddling around with the blog layout. I have NO idea what I am doing. So if you see any weirdness at Art-e-ology (which I know you will! LOL!!) just ignore it and know I am somewhere lost in cyberspace ranting and raving;) Love, Jamie

Quote for Today:

"Remember to use positive affirmations. I am not a dork is not one of them."

~Brian Andreas (Story People)

Sweet Baby Mine FIT...

I love this little one sitting up so big in his or her chair. Those chubby little hands and chubby little cheeks. I've been having baby fever for a few weeks. I can't have anymore babies, but knowing that almost makes it worse. My husband is having it too and walks around saying, "We don't have any little babies in the house anymore." He only says that because he didn't get up for night feeds:) I'm sure having the summer with the boys home all day will cure me pretty quick! LOL!!!!

I've Got The Voodoo In Me!...Random Acts of Kindness...

The Voodoo is MINE!!!!! All MINE!!!!!

What is she rambling on about now? Here's a link to an old post when we first got the Voodoo," That Ole' Black Magic". So, my techno geek husband upgraded his computer to a new, better, faster one (also from Voodoo) and I got the old Voodoo for myself:) My new baby is SLICK and FAST and Wonderful! The liquid coolant system makes sweet, relaxing sounds while I work. Like a bubbling mountain stream, only better! LOL!! I love it and I got a new 23 inch monitor. I love my laptop ya'll, but the big monitor makes Photoshop editing so much easier! And bigger. And awesomer. So pardon my absence of late, but I was transferring files and setting up my baby;)

Look at what loveliness came in the mail for me!!! This is from sweet Terri at Blooming Ideas. The minute I saw this on her blog I knew I loved it and imagine my giddiness at finding it in my mailbox last week! I signed up for The Random Act of Kindness project on her blog and this is what she sent me. I LOVE it Terri!!! She has been so patient with me waiting for my post;) Your assemblage piece looks so wonderful on my desk Sweetie!

So. Since I posted under her Random Act of Kindness blog giveaway, I now need to hold a Random Act of Kindness giveaway myself. The first five folks to sign up stating that they would like to participate will receive a gift in the mail from me. It will be something I create by hand, not digital. It will arrive as a surprise one day this year in your mailbox. If you sign up of the giveaway then you need to hold one on your blog for five other folks also. It can be anything you wish to send and you have a year from the day you post the Giveaway to send it.

I have posted Teri's rules here so you can read more about it!

Give Away & Pass It On - Random Acts of Kindness Alert - my turn to pass this on after participating with Lori at http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/ Pretty things.
The first 5 people to respond to this post will get something made by me. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations so please read carefully:
* I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. but I think you will.
* What I pick will be just for you.
* It'll be done this year (2009).
* You have no clue what it's going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be a handmade card, or jewelry, something lovely made out of paper, beads, or a random treasure. Who knows?
* I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. (That's my favorite one Terri! LOL!!)

It's Easy and Fun!!!! So sign up and get in some blog love today! It's good for ya!! LOL!!


I want to say think you to all of you that have been sending such wonderful thoughts my way lately. It's been a crazy month or two and things are settling down finally. James had a follow-up with the specialist. She tested his lung function and that monkey is at 76% lung function right now. Yuck! So no procedures just yet. She said she likes to see her asthma kids at 85% or better so we are holding off until we see if his new medications improve the function.

Mom is brave and wonderful and amazes me with her awesome attitude. She starts radiation this week and I told her I was sending her some stripper tassels to wear on her 1st appointment. LOL!! Love you Mom!

Quote for Today:

"Most people don't know there are angels whose only job is to make sure you don't get too comfortable and fall asleep and miss your life." Brian Andreas

He Will Grow Into Them

He Will Grow Into Them, originally uploaded by art-e-ology.

Photoshop is the perfect laundry avoidance. LOL!!!

Elisha is FIT for You...

I love this sweetie!!! I know that you can make wonderful art with her and I want to see it!!! She has such sweet, expressive eyes and chubby cheeks:)

This is my take on her, but I know that I will use her over and over. She is too cute not too!

This next photo is for my Mom. She found out last week that she has breast cancer. She had surgery yesterday to remove the tumor and biopsy the lymph nodes. The nodes came back clean and the surgeon feels very confident that he removed all the cancer. Now, after her incisions heal, she will have radiation 5 days a week for 7 weeks. We feel very thankful that things are looking so good. So this photo is for her. This is how I see you Momma. Kickin' cancer's ass with your sleeves rolled up. I Love You.

The Bride and A FIT That's Fit for a Thursday...

The Bride

Sorry!!! The week has slipped away from me. Thank you so much you sweet, wonderful friends for all of your support and words of kindness. James is doing better and hopefully they will get him in quickly to check out those lungs. And THEN hopefully we won't need so many "breefment treatments" any more. He melts my heart every time he says that! LOL!! The FIT this week is a lovely, young lady who I am posting twice. I am giving you the original photo and then a cleaned up photo so you can choose which one to use. I also used her in a digital collage. She has such lovely eyes.