Overcoming Obstacles

Let's face it, going from an artist to an arts business owner/operator is not all fun and games. The hard work that comes with marketing your art based business can suck all the joy out of creating your artwork, especially when you are working with  a shoestring budget. 

But not to worry I haven't given up.  I just keep reminding myself anything worth doing takes hard work and perseverance, and sometimes a little help from others. Which reminds me of this quote by Albert Einstein about life depending on the giving and receiving of help. Helping others has always given me a sense of joy, but accepting help does not come easy to me. Yet, I realize that for me to get to the next chapter in my life I need help and so I created  this Go Fund Me Campaign in hopes that others might consider it a worthwhile campaign and find it in their hearts to help this struggling artist. Whether that help be in the form of a donation; use of our services or even just sharing this campaign with others. Trust me not only will it be greatly appreciated, but you will have the satisfaction knowing that you have helped another realize their dreams. So please take a moment and click on the button below to learn more about my art business and how you can help.

Just so you know clicking on the link does not obligate you to donate. I am excited to say that within a short time of the campaign going live not only did we receive a donation from a very kind soul but we have also had a number of people sharing the campaign with others.

FF: Party Time

If I were any farther behind I would be totally lost for sure. Thankfully all is not lost when one can always join in with Fragmented Fridays. Even more exciting is that we are in the middle of Mrs. 4444's Fraggin' Fantastic Trecentennial (300) Celebration where we will help her celebrate her 300th Fragmented Friday post and she is also offering some great prizes.

So here we are folks a few fragments I happened upon this week.

Life's little surprises are never far away when you have children and grandchildren. I'm not sure which provide the most surprises but either way they both brighten my life. And occasionally provide a few new grey hairs.

Of my four children the oldest is the only one that is dark complected with dark hair and eyes. As such he has always maintained that he must have either been adopted or found. Finally I came across a photo of my dear uncle who passed away some years ago and created this composite to show my son just where his good looks come from.

Right now my nails are short and so I haven't been doing any fun designs. But here is a nail design I did last month of Marvin the Martian and the galaxy. I took off the acrylics and hopefully my natural nails grow out quickly, because I miss having fun designs on my nails.

Yesterday I convinced my Son-in-law to play hooky and take me for a nice drive. We had a great time and even found a few nice spots to take the Jeep off road.

Remember in the words of the great Styx life is just a grand illusion.

Have A Great Weekend!

And please remember to visit join in the party over at Mrs. 4444's

Inspirational and Uplifting Quote

Kim Stevens at picking poppies wrote a beautiful post on life's journey, which inspired this inspirational art. Her main point stated in this succinct statement came across quiet clear and beautifully. Thank you Kim for not only inspiring me but also for allowing me to quote you on this artwork.

Prints Available Here

I encourage you to take a moment to hop over to Kim's blog and read her beautiful post and check out the fantastic photos she took.

Helping Hands

For more wordless Wednesday photos visit

Friday Fragments

I am so glad that Mrs. 4444's keeps her Friday fragment party going a while. I had this all ready to go last Thursday. I headed out early Friday morning for a weekend visit with my oldest son and his girlfriend and newborn daughter, I figured would link up when I got to their place. Only to discover much to my surprise that they do not have internet access. So here we are a few days late.

The other day I saw a video of one of this cute animals at a Kiosk in the mall. On the counter below the video player was a stack of advertisements from the exotic pet shop that sells these cut little guys. At first I was like oh wow how cute, I want one. Then I thought about it and for me it just seems cruel to take an exotic animal out of it's natural habitat and sell it as a pet half way around the world. What do you think?

Have you ever noticed how some people wonder about the strangest things? Like why Zebra's have stripes? Now that may not seem like an important question but it has been a big debate among scientist for over a hundred years. A debate that it finally looks like an answer has been found. It appears that scientific studies have finally determined the stripes act as a bug repellant! Looks like I will be wearing stripes during mosquito season!

I still haven't caught the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon but I have watched a few clips. So far my favorite is when Fallon and Billy Joel preform Lion Sleeps Tonight.

Now for a beautiful song with a beautiful message

Now for a laugh ... found this on Facebook.

If you don't get it you could ask my nine year old granddaughter and she will tell you all about it. She loves Abbot & Costello!

Have a wonderful week!

Inspirational Quotes

Our latest inspirational art.