She's getting closer......

Hanna Hurricane is drawing closer to the Jersey Shore. We're ready but so far just some rain and wind, not much of either. She won't be a direct hit, will just brush past unless she changes direction so I'm not expecting much of anything.

Been up since 6:45 am EDT. Woke up easily with no grogginess which is a miracle for me. I tried to remember what I did different but the only thing that comes to mind is that I didn't snack before I went to bed. Maybe the blood sugar thing? Anyway, had to call DD and tell her when she came up for a visit today (she's nine blocks from the ocean)not to come in thru the front door. Miss Muffet has been building again and her web stretches from the metal framework of the walkway arch to the side of the house. DS says we're probably the strangest family in the neighborhood, rearranging our life to fit that of a spider but I thought that was a given anyway...the strangest family part I mean! But I truthfully don't see why I should go out and destroy a perfectly good web. So far she's been more than generous building one beautiful web after another in various parts of the front door area. And they are truly beautiful when the light hits them just right. Here...let me post a pic so you can see what I mean.


Now that I've wasted time uploading pictures from my camera to my photo album to my Adobe PS to here I guess I'd better get to it and start another paint over. I'll post both pieces later today and that my friends is a promise or my name isn't Carolyn, a Jersey Girl...LOL

Happy Birthday Mommy!

It's Mom's 85th B'day today. In an hour and a half my sister (the designated daughter) is coming by to pick me up and take the three of us to breakfast at our favorite eatery. The Side Door Cafe in Lake Como, NJ. Owner and chief cook, Lorrie Thrush, will make it a memorable experience, just as she always does! If you are ever in the area of Belmar, NJ do yourself a HUGE favor and continue south into Lake Como and stop at the Side Door. The food is fabulous and hospitality unsurpassed! Oh, and tell Lorrie I said HI!

So after breakfast we'll be going back to Mom's house and from her birthday wish list picking out things that need fixing, moving or cleaning. At 85 Mom does not need anything new, she's got an adorable cottage that is in perfect balance between old and new. I'm going to try and persuade her to discard her sewing room since she hasn't sewn a stitch since Daddy died back in '98. I think the room would make a wonderful reading nook and I'm going to work hard at convincing her of this.

Already have homes for the sewing cabinet, the treadmill and the quilting table she's got stuffed in there. But sssssssshhhhhhhhhhh...don't tell her I told you...we've got to make her believe it was her own fabulous idea!

I hate the thought of not painting today but I need a day doing something different so I can come back to it with fresh eyes. Happy Birthday to anyone lucky enough to be born on Mom's birthday :)
Carolyn, a Jersey Girl

Overslept and creatively challanged today!

Bad night and I slept until noon. I NEVER do that but now I guess I can say that I DO do that! I really need to start painting but I can't seem to get past this tiredness.
Oh well, there's always tomorrow, isn't there?
Here's my latest pieces I'm planning to post to my etsy shop.



Angel Food Cake



Devils Food Cake





Fairy Cake


I really NEED to paint more and blog and twitter less but I've never been good at dividing up my time. So when I paint.....I PAINT until I drop. When I eat......I EAT until I'm binging. *sigh* if only I were a woman of few vices :)

A Summer Place

Today is IT! OFFICIAL LAST DAY OF THE SEASON AT THE JERSEY SHORE. The official last day of out-of-towners honking and yelling and getting drunk and throwing up in the storm drains.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SIGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As a child I would spend this day in mourning. My summer friend Jane's family would be leaving their summer house driveway on 16th and turning right and right again as I ran through the backyards to wave one last time from in front of my home on 17th. The start of school would be two days away and I would be having that shivery scared/happy feeling in the pit of my stomach because that meant I got to wear my new set of clothes and use the brand new pencils and PINK eraser!

But mostly it was a sad day. A few tears shed for the end of summer friendships as the 'city people' went back north and our town went into its winter quiet. A 'little death' really because the noise and summer life were gone for another 8 months. Replacing it were transient families who would rent the summer bungelows. They would be moving in tomorrow, stay through Memorial Day and disappear out of my life forever once summer started again.

Living in a seashore town was always filled with summer happiness and winter blues. And to this very day those same feeling prevail. I am sad, sad, sad and not expecting it to lift for at least 2 days. That's when our family comes together to celebrate my Mom's 85th b'day and we'll all tell our summer horror stories of the city folk as we secretly await their return once again.

Etsy it is!

I've decided to concentrate on etsy.com for my limited edition print sales.



eBay is great for larger pieces but for the prints it's worth the price of admission to list on etsy.com If you want to find me search: seller names: wildgypsyart

WHOOT! WHOOT!!

eBay's Nibblefest ended tonight with a BIG win for me. The rules are no extras. Start price at 99 cents. List your piece and take your chances. Sometimes you end up with just 99 cents at the end of seven days...but tonight my black lab mixed media collage landed me $70.00! A pretty big jump from the starting price. AND, at the end of the auction, the bidder who lost out contacted me and asked if I'd make another one!

Ice Cream Dog