Sometimes It's Cheaper to Go on Vacation...

My Lovely Margarita

It's been an action packed week here at Working Cat Studio.Unfortunately most of it,(who am I kidding?-All of it) was not in the studio. The husband and I each had some vacation time. Originally we were going up to Montreal. He to a conference and me for shopping and ambling but that got cancelled because the husband decided we needed to spend our money elsewhere. I decided that must mean on me so I dragged him all over NH and parts of ME this last week. We started out with our annual pilgrimage to Kennebunk for a lobster club sandwich and drinks at the Arundel Wharf restaurant. Somehow the daughters got wind of the excursion and miraculously none of them had to work...So our romantic little luncheon for two became a family outing for five. Afterwards we wandered around town and into one of my favorite places to acquire jewelry. Purchased a bracelet for daughter #2's b-day and found  a cool ring made out of an antique button for myself. The husband objected to the purchase saying that he was going to buy that for Xmas. I  told him that he just bought me a belated anniversary gift instead. Geez, if you have to have a reason...

Scenic Daughters

We took the scenic route home stopping along the coast to take happy snaps with the daughters and headed back to NH. The next day we escaped without our progeny and drove to Mason, NH, home of Pickity place.

Sigh.....

There the husband got in touch with his feminine side as we toured their herb garden and had a lovely herbal luncheon complete with lavender lemonade along with about 40 other women. I must say I only heard one giggle about the "man" while I was walking around. Wednesday we struck another blow to his manhood and dragged Daddy to the mall. There he waited patiently carrying shopping bags and playing a game on his blackberry while daughters #3 & 4 and I shopped the sales. Thursday the husband returned to work (did I hear a sigh of relief?) and I made jam.

Jam slowly populating second shelf

 The gardens are producing lots of raspberries if nothing else. I also managed to get into the studio and worked a bit on my Suzi Blu project. Even a little bit helps sometimes. The gardens have taken me over for the summer, so I pray for rain and when it does, I sneak a little time downstairs.So I guess it wasn't all outside the studio after all.     

Oh God.Less hair.Less nose.

Get Up and Get Going! Please...

Well,  it looks like the universe is conspiring to get me in the studio this week. The weather has not been stellar. I will avoid going to the grocery store this morning and ignore balancing the checkbook once again. Having an internal debate on whether or not to take my morning walk or just lift some weights. And now you know my dirty little secret, I'm still sitting in bed watching GMA. The husband brought me a coffee before he headed up to Maine to volunteer his chainsawing skills (God help them....) to clear out storm damage at a children's camp. Apparently it's a hack holiday in MA or Boston. I wonder what it's called...No Work Thursday? Need a Break in June? Who knows? Anyway, I got a cup of coffee out of it. Now I just have to get the rest of my breakfast. Maybe I'll work on my anniversary collage and do some Suzi Blu work. Time to get up and get going! In a minute.

Procrastination Station! All Aboard!

Lovely Peony

Herbal Goodness-Lemon Balm Liquer

Transfer Torture

Another rainy day and another good day to be in the studio. It's been so nice outside that I have been  garden bound. I've been battling slugs and squash plants, admiring my roses, planting herbs, weeding and wandering the woods. The working cats have accompanied me, sometimes to the detriment of the garden. They seem to think that my new raised beds are lovely outdoor litter boxes for them. They have since been banned from the vegetable garden. Back in the studio, I have about five projects going. Stuck on three of them, procrastinating on one, and pondering on another. The stuck ones are three different paintings. They usually take me a long time anyways. I tend to get disgusted and embarrassed by them so I set them aside till inspiration or a rescue idea strikes. I also won't take photos of them until they stop embarrassing me. The nerve. The fourth is my project for Suzi Blu's class. I've been ignoring the online critiques because I have been so busy outside. I'm wondering if it was a mistake to sign up for a summer class-I get too distracted.  Ha! Who am I kidding? I'm always distracted. The fifth was a little project I started yesterday for our 26th anniversary which was also yesterday. Did I mention I also procrastinate? A lot. I scanned some of our wedding pictures, then printed one out in black and white and attempted a gel medium transfer so I could use it as the base of a collage. Spent a lot of time peeling wet paper this afternoon and I don't know whether I got it all off or maybe too much? Who knows? I'll just keep adding stuff till it looks good. Hope the husband appreciates fine art. I think it's better than lumberjack tools. Lighter too!

View from my Potting Shed