If Only You Try

Think left and think right

and think low and think high.

Oh, the thinks you can think up

if only you try!

~Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!

I'm often told that I live my life in a fantasy all my own

I'm not to often concerned about what others think

or what is proper or expected

the word ordinary is perhaps the most terrifying word

in all the english language

next to Dentist that is

but for all the uniqueness that is me

I desperately and most fervently wish

that my mind could let go of pain

and anger, frustration, regrets, and disappointments

because I truly believe that these things

are what drive our inner child to hide deep

within ourselves

even when they do come out from the shadows

they are timid and reluctant to play

What short childhood so many of us have

we fall victim the world around us

We loose our ability to believe in magic

and in time even in ourselves

Do you still know your inner child?

Are you close friends after all these years?

Or do you believe that "childhood" is a place in time

rather than a place inside yourself?

I think we are most guarded with our imaginations

when we are playing with children

Is it that we feel we must be the adult in the room?

or are we afraid of falling down the rabbit's hole?

We play along but we don't open our eyes

to the world of their creation right in front of us

I don't know why I've gone all philosophical on my blog today

I came here to share some cute photos from a recent photo shoot

and instead got lost in my own thoughts

I think it's because I am around children so rarely

that when I am I fascinated by how very rigid I have become

my imagination is more like an old guitar

dusty and out of tune

sure it can still make noise

but you would hardly call it music

Well on to business ^^

first off I absolutely must thank my new friends Kayla and Fontanna

for being such wonderful pals and helping me get

some new photos to showcase my headbands

and of course to little Guin who charmed our socks off

and brought to life the most beautiful horse in the parade

I now have 27 newly posted YoYo headband listed in my shop

Next week I'll have some new products to share with you

and maybe even a giveaway

what do you think? Do you gals like giveaways? ^-

Here are a few of my favorites

Check out my shop to see them all

and I'm currently offering a killer deal

if you purchase 3 headbands I'll send you the 4th for FREE

if you do the math that makes each headband is just $10.50

which is a great steal - I mean deal!

These are truly a labor of love

I try not to think about how much time goes into

making each one ^^

Past My Bed Time

It seems perfectly fitting that I write this post

in the state I am...

so tired, I can hardly keep my eyes open

this weeks Doodley Doo

was "I could use a nap"

my finished piece didn't quite turn out

my melting ice cream looks more bashful than tired

you can see in my sketch he was suppose to look cranky

the concept of cranky, tired sweets came from my years

of babysitting kiddies who had had way to much

sweets in their little tummies

and couldn't fall to asleep

not to mention melt down of epic proportions

* Anyone know if it is possible to get PINK watercolor?

I might need to go to a "real" art supplies shop?

All I can find is rose colors and I want a true pink

for my cotton candy character

I vaguely remember from high school having a tube

of white watercolor and thinking that was strange

perhaps you can mix the white in to make pink?

My friend Kayla drew these cute little guys

the other night at my house

I actually made it up past 11pm with her watching movies!

I know that might sound pathetic but I love my sleep ^-^

So here is some pretty big news!

After 9 years of trying to grow out my hair

I finally went back to my beloved pixie cut!

I was really nervous and excited about getting it chopped off

I have just never felt comfortable with "long" hair

as soon as the stylist cut it up to my ears

I just started to grin from cheek to cheek

I felt like I was seeing myself again

my "true" self!!!

My husband has been REALLY against the idea

of me having short hair

but he is being a good sport about it

and I think in time he will grow to like it

his first words were

"if you didn't look so beautiful I would be really pissed off!"

haha I guess that means I don't look like a boy?!

Well I'm off to visit my sis and baby nephew for a few days

so i'll catch up with you all the end of this week!

HUGS~ Chelsea Ann

The Cruise

My Mr and I went out the other night

for our towns "cruise night"

we had a lot of fun

watching hundreds of classic car drive up and down the strip

I thought it would be fun to get into the spirit of the cruise

and wear a new dress my grandmother recently gave me

My grandmother is so funny

she is quite a bit shorter than I am

so I am sure this dress fit her a bit different

but she said and I quote

"I was brave enough"

well my husband wasn't about to let me out if the house

unless I added some length

- thank goodness I had this little girl slip I picked up at Old Navy

I just think its astonishing that in the 50's

anything above the Knee was considered scandalous,

to a mere decade latter the invention of the mini!

My grandmother gave me quite a few dresses the other day

I'm so glad she kept them all these years!

This dress was terribly stained

but it came through the dry cleaners perfectly

well almost - I could hardly believe it

but the dry cleaner took out all the pleats in the skirt

I was just baffled -

she apologized but said she just couldn't get them back in

So SAD! Oh-well!!!

It's not like me to get all fired up and cause a seen

so I just let it go

but honestly, wouldn't you think

a dry cleaner of all people could iron in pleats

or have the brains enough to pin them in before hand?

I just love how these pictures turned out!

I can't wait to show them to my grandmother

and I'm even more excited to share the rest

of the dresses she gave me with you!

I got a chance to sit in my first hot rod

oh don't ask me what it was?

but I think when hubby retires

I can see us going from town to town

showing off our hot rod!

Hubby already knows how to rebuild and paint cars

so it's a natural fit!

It's fun getting to know a new town

and new people

My new friend Kayla and I went out the other day

to check out the local shops

well... that didn't take very long haha

and so we spent the rest of the afternoon

looking for good places to take pictures

we found the alleys to be the most intriguing

my mother-in-law is going to just die

when she sees this picture

she LOVES all things Coca Cola

It amazes me the detail and workmanship that went into

advertising on the back sides of buildings

if only we put such care and craftsmanship into things today

the world would be a far more photogenic place that is for sure!

Doodley Doo & A Few Hunks Too

My husband was watching this alien investigation show the other day

while I was working on my Doodley Doo for the week.

The theme was "up in the air"

- and hence this weeks drawing came into form

I was mad crazy about the tv series Roswell in high school

as I recall it didn't air until 10pm my time

making it an all out battle some nights with my dad

to let me stay up and watch it

many nights I would sneak down to the basement

the sound barely on and my nose just inches away from the screen

I was a pretty naive as a young girl

so many of the episodes where pretty steamy in my mind

not exactly a show I wanted to watch with my family

I was crazy mad in love for the character Max Evans

played by actor Jason Behr

Not being one of those girls with posters of boys

plastered all over my walls

Jason was pretty much my first "omg he's a hunk" crush

Next came Steven Hyde from

That 70's Show played by Danny Masterson

something about his 'fro and bad boy persona

Then came the tv series Boston Legal

and I was just over the top in love with Allen Shore

played by James Spader

you might recall his bad boy act in the film Pretty in Pink?

The character of Allen reminds me a bit of my very own hunk

- my wonderful husband!! Yeah babe - I think you're hot ;)

My last crush was short lived in the tv series Greek

Max Taylor, played by Michael Rady

I think Casey made a BIG mistake dumping this sexy geek

Doodley Doo - Week 2

The second challenge for Doodley Doo

was Flamingo Summer

I believe this was the quickest sketch I've ever done

I'm starting to feel more comfortable drawing "people"

I've let myself relax a bit on proper anatomy

and fingers - oh how I hate fingers!

I'm not as pleased with the coloring

I think I would like to try this one again in water color

I've not done too much water colors

but I think I might like it and it would help create a softer look

Nikki of Liefgeal submitted this darling drawing

I thought it was rather amusing that we both incorporated

a girl into the theme

Nikki shares on her blog about coming from an artistic family

but struggling to find her own style

I'm really thrilled that she has joined the challenges

I know we will both grow a tun

I think drawing is no different than learning to play the guitar

sure there are natural talents

but most of us have to dedicate our selves to learning bit by bit

I really struggle with inspiration and confidence

when it comes to art

I think it is only now that I am even beginning to really embrace my own style

and feel comfortable with my work and ideas

I just finished this series of robots for a friend

it was a commission started over 2 and a half years ago!

The issue really wasn't about procrastination

but rather finding the right frames

believe it or not

But when I started the project I was really into drawing robots

you might say they were my muse

robots and elephants that is ^^

but as time passed so did my style and my muses

so when it came to finishing these up I really had to stretch

out of my comfort zone- so to speak

but in the end I'm really happy with them

and so is my friend! Which counts more than anything else!

The different robots represent

all the things that define who my friend is

and the things he loves

The Interior Designer robot is my favorite

many of you probably don't know this

but Interior Design is what I majored in

It's funny to think about really

because as soon as I graduated I kind of ran the other way

as fast as I could!

It just wasn't what I had expected

and I really struggled with who I was as an individual and an artist

in the very formal, commercial driven curriculum

My instructors didn't know what to think of me

and because they didn't take my work serious

I didn't take myself serious

I tried really hard however to be as true to myself as possible

I knew that I didn't want to follow the line drawn for me

and so my work was loose and conceptual

and for the most part - whenever I could

I would design for children

Many of my projects were inspired by robots

my senior project was a learning center

based on the adventures of a robot and his dog

I passed this class with a C

and I was so happy for it

I had survived!

For my portfolio show I showed none of my school work

instead I showed what I had at that time of drawings and such

going through the program made me realize that being an artist

is about following your heart

not the bottom line

you can't change yourself as an artist to please others

your work might be salable but it may not

~

I still have a lot of growing to do as an artist

but I'm no longer scared to try

~

So if you have been holding yourself back

I hope you will join me in practicing your skills

and maybe even learning who you are as an artist!