Quick Update

 First, my aunt Norma turned 70 on thurs so Happy Birthday to her!  (she is on the left-age 19 and my mom-21)  they were so 60's!  

 Next i've wanted to try some little fabric houses (inspired by pinterest of course) so here is one attempt.  We also worked on these at my last art meeting-i'll add that picture later.   the purple houses are flat-made those for our swap.  I actually started making those in 2007-that type, but put them away for "later."  Later came so I made these.      

 This is a piece I started a year or so ago.  Reclaimed wood, joint compound, paint, rusted metal fence piece and egg images.  I plan to add a bird image sitting on the wire, but just haven't done it yet.  

Finally a snippet of a piece I'm sending to an art call from Seth Apter.     Click on the link to read the specifics.  It's in conjunction with his new book: The Pulse of Mixed Media.

Life in the Joy Household

Hard to believe i haven't posted in over a month (OK, so maybe it is)  There has been allot going on in
my life.  Some big changes and more to come.  For those that know my son and his "struggle" to grow

up (that's the nice way of putting it) :)  He has *finally* found something that
that will put him on the path to independence.  Something he never thought he would do, but the opportunity came up, he signed up and was accepted. (no, its not the military) He is driving a truck.  He found a course affiliated with a trucking company-you train for a month then they put you to work-with a training driver, not on your own until they sign off on you. He seemed to take to it very quickly-even aced his commercial test with a 98.
He left Wednesday morning for his first run.  He has been to Denver already and is headed to Pennsylvania as i type.  They stopped at a casino in Iowa last night-good place to park and sleep (more quiet) and you can walk around the casino and stretch. (and pull a slot machine and win $44) He will get a lesson in mountain driving by sat night-Appalachian mountains-i would be sweating bullets.  This is such a huge thing in our family-he has had so many jobs and no desire to grow up-i was beginning to think that I would have to move away instead of him ever leaving.  :)   
    Gary is going to make some big changes too-but I'm not writing about that until he actually leaves on Sunday (assuming he doesn't change his mind)  which will affect me too-
  As for art, I seem to be struggling with creating-last year i went the first 6 months without creating and that seems to be happening again.  I dyed some fabric last week-avacado dying-beautiful.  I made a little 3-d fabric house (picture soon) but other than dabbling here and there, nothing to speak of.  I think it's because I am tired of all I do-I feel like i "copy" for lack of a better word all the other stuff that is out there-i put my own spin on it, not exact of course, but i'm just not feeling the usual feeling I get from making something-I need to find my niche.  Maybe if i clean out my art room-and i mean really think about what i want to keep and what i never use, then having an orderly room would be more condusive to creating.  I have had "urges" to play with fabric, so I think that is what I need to do for awhile~