CMZ Art

What I've been 'up' to...

2012-01-27T14:20:00.000-06:00

I'm so busy doing my art...of course...

but now I'm also a Distributor

of a Health/ Nutrition Product that is

hands down

the best I have ever tried.

I've been taking the product since September and it has been

great...

most importantly...I feel great...

and with each birthday that comes and goes...

I've been worried I'll start feeling my age.

That hasn't really happened since I've been

taking the shakes and the vitamins.

So...I'm now offering a few of the products

on eBay...

and while I'm at it..

I've included a few

'motivational....inspirational'

original art prints

to go along with them.

I'm having to offer the products at

retail...to stay compliant with the company...

but anyone who is interested

and wants to learn how to get it at wholesale/ preferred customer prices

or Free...

just go to this link.

DIY Garbage Bag Witch Costume

2011-10-22T00:01:00.001-05:00

I'm working on some Halloween Lenses on Squidoo.

This is my own 'design'...hopefully the pattern is easy enough to follow.

To see the written directions...click this link.

Halloween Clip Art For You to Use

2011-09-22T21:41:00.008-05:00

Right click on any image you wish to use...

and 'save as'.

I will be adding free to use graphic art pictures

that you can use for DIY Halloween costumes,

or whatever.

I will add whatever items I think you would be able to use

periodically, as I get them done.

The above picture is a 'label' for a DIY Jelly Bean

Halloween Costume.

Busy...busy...busy

2011-08-26T00:56:00.000-05:00

I don't have a lot of new 'stuff' in any one category

in my CMZart Zazzle Shop

but I have quite a lot of 'stuff'

in general.

It's a little hard...with one Etsy Shop,

a Bonanza Shop,

a Fine Art America Shop,

3 Zazzle Shops,

3 Blogs,

and a few other shops and sites...here and there...

to set aside all the time I need for just one.

My Etsy Shop takes most of my time..

as it is my busiest shop...

but I like a challenge..

and I like keeping busy...so...

I do what I can...when I can..

with my other shops.

I have sketched out a batch of designs for Christmas merchandise..

ornaments..and the such.

Hopefully I'll get them finished up in Photoshop

in time for the Holiday Shopping Season.

Oh yeah...and it's my birthday this week-end...

maybe I'll take that day off:)

A move, some down time and change

2011-07-28T12:47:00.000-05:00

I am getting adjusted to moving to a new home...new to me anyway.

I find that I've become a creature of habit and routine

and both have been battered.

My habits and my routines have had to take on

some major changes...

so I am still getting adjusted to the change.

My work routine has been most affected...

I think having the grandbabies for six hours on the weekdays

plays a big part in this...

but school starts in just two or three weeks

so things will maybe get back to normal then.

In the meantime...I have added new items

to my

CMZ Art Zazzle Shop

and my

Tuscan Art Zazzle Shop.

In the coming weeks I'll be adding a LOT more to both shops...

with heavy emphasis on a line of greeting cards

and some smaller gift items.

I've posted a couple photos of my newest items.

It has been a while...

2011-05-09T16:11:00.000-05:00

I haven't done any new CMZ Art pieces in quite a while...

and it may be fall before I'm able to do anything new.

Skittles is now four months old and she is still quite the little handful...

I LOVE it!

She does require enough attention that it's all I can do to keep up with

my Rustic Goth pieces.

This summer, Jaime and I will be watching my two youngest grandbabies

so their parents can work....

this will cut into any spare time I have available...

so you see my dilemma.

I am hoping though...that by fall, Skittles won't need quite as much of my time.

She's a lot like have a mischievous little toddler at the moment...

she puts things in her mouth that she's not supposed to...

she still thinks nipping is playing...it's not...and her little teeth are sharp...

and we're still working on the potty training...

she's much better but still not completely 'there'.

So this blog will surely 'suffer' as a result of

'no new news'.

New look for my Zazzle Shop

2011-03-29T17:18:00.000-05:00

I've got a new look and a handful of new items

in my CMZ Art Zazzle Shop.

I'm loving the new iPhone cases...

this case...

'Serenity Prayer'

just seemed appropriate.

It's one of my favorites.

Skittle Update...

2011-03-27T16:47:00.000-05:00

Since I spend so much time trying to teach my 'baby'
acceptable behavior...
I've got all kinds of stories I could tell.

I really do love this little 'sweetie'...
see
sometimes she's not really much of a 'sweetie'...
but I love her even at those times.

The first couple of times I took her outside...
she was just having 'none' of it.
She wouldn't venture more than six inches away from my feet.

NOW...it's a whole different matter.
Problem is...I 'should' have a completely fenced in back yard
but I don't.

My darned neighbor decided to redo his fence...last summer/fall.
And it's still not done.
He wanted my landlord to allow the fence guys to drive their
trucks over my back yard...and my landlord said 'no'.
So..instead...parts of my back fence were 'moved'
so they could get back to my neighbors fence.
But..because there is only a concrete wall with poles
sticking out of it...
they won't put the fence back until his fence is done
So....Jaime and I took Skittles out the very first really nice day...
and it turns out...she now LOVES the outdoors.
She runs around in circles, rolls through the leaves
and tries to find a way to 'vex' me.
She found it...the little bit of fence behind my garage..
unbeknownst to me...
had also been removed...
and Skittles found it.

My gosh...she was nearly to the road before I caught her!!
I really wished my neighbor would hurry up and get his darned fence
put up...he's beginning to irritate me:(

New Character Paintings

2011-03-25T16:42:00.000-05:00

I've painted some new 'character' paintings that just

don't seem to "fit in" on my

Rustic Goth Etsy site...

even though that's where I have a couple of them

listed, at the moment.

This painting is titled...'Poppy'

and she's painted as an OSWOA

'Original Small Work of Art'

on a 4.5 x 6" piece of Acrylic Paper.

I also have 'Sunflower'

and one still untitled...featuring the little girl and a little boy.

As soon as I have some canvas paintings

finished...to replace them..

I will be pulling the new character paintings

from my Rustic Goth Shop and putting them in my

CMZ Art Bonanza Shop.

I like doing these little pieces...

I just need to find them the right 'home'.

In this New Year

2011-01-08T13:20:00.000-06:00

I'm working, as I can, on my

CMZ Art Bonanza Shop.

It will be the only place exclusive to my

'sweet' CMZ Art pieces.

I don't have many items in the shop at this time...
since I'm working primarily on getting new items in my
Rustic Goth Shop first.

I'm pretty happy with how things are going there,
so I've begun working on new items for
my CMZ Art Shop.

I've listed some new 'positive thoughts' posters...
and some of my 'cute' characters.
I will be painting some new character pieces, working on
new posters, and filling this shop
with pieces that are exclusive to it.

I'm actually very excited about what all I have planned there!

Happy New Year --- 2011

2010-12-31T18:44:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T17:58:00.003-06:00

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!!

The rest of the Year!

2010-12-18T15:03:00.003-06:00

I'm taking the rest of the year 'off'...

I'll be doing minimal work..

shipping..renewing..relisting...

but that's about it.

I really need to enjoy the Season and my Family...

so I'm cutting the stress by keeping myself off the internet

as much as possible...

so I can enjoy life in 'real time'.

It will also give me a chance to take my time and do a bit

of 'creating' for the new year.

Next Year...

2010-12-15T12:23:00.000-06:00

I'm starting to make plans for some new pieces

especially for CMZ Art

in the new year.

I will be pulling all of my Rustic Goth pieces from my Bonanza

Shop and offer the new pieces

exclusively through that shop.

I'll have some 13 x 19 inch Posters

with sweet graphics and 'sayings'...

some original paintings...

and a new series or two.

Look for the new 'offerings' right after the first of the year!

I'm very excited about them!

CMZ Art Bonanza

2010-12-02T14:20:00.000-06:00

Since I make my living via my sales over the internet,

I have several different venues from which I offer my art.

Here are a few wearable art pendants,

that are only available in my

CMZ Art Bonanza Shop

And right now I'm having a Half Price Sale

on them..

On Zazzle

2010-11-19T12:52:00.001-06:00

Zazzle has some pretty cool items on their site...

and I'm adding new designs to some of these items on a pretty regular

basis.

The Ornaments are a brand new item and I've been

working on all kinds of sketches and designs

to be able to offer a really nice assortment.

Some of these designs may be duplicated on the

Egg Ornaments

in my Rustic Goth Shop..

but most of these designs will only be available

on merchandize in my Zazzle Shop.

I've painted a few egg Ornaments.

2010-11-17T12:40:00.000-06:00

I've painted Egg Ornaments since 1993.

Actually...my husband started painting them...he knew me

well enough to know that if he started doing them

and they were 'well received'

then I would 'jump in' and do my part.

So..we took our eggs to a Holiday Show...they did very well...

and we painted them every season from '93 through 2003.

Every season since '03, I've had a few people who wanted to know

if I was going to do any eggs....and I always said 'no'.

It was one of those things my husband and I did together ... and I really

didn't want to do them on my own.

Problem was...my husband had blown, sterilized and base painted

about six dozen eggs that have just been taking up space in my closet.

A few of them even had subject matter on them.

So...the girls and I discussed doing what was left

and offering them at the shows...

then...

we decided not to do anymore shows this year...

but..

I had already put the 'word' out that I would

be doing them..

at least for this year...

so...there you have it...

I'm doing a 'limited' number of egg ornaments...

wish I could get better photos though.

Under the Weather

2010-11-13T12:39:00.000-06:00

I have been feeling a bit 'under the weather' the past few days.

It started out with a little bit of chest congestion...then a sore throat...

and a nasty little pain on the right side of my back

whenever I move or take a deep breath.

I'm not one to run to the doctor, unless all my own efforts fail...

so I'm pouring down the Echinacea Teas...Zinc and Vitamin C...slathering myself with

Vicks VapoRub...bundling...and trying to rest.

Mostly...I'm trying to 'will' myself to feel better...

believe it or not...

that usually works.

My Bonanza Shop

2010-11-10T15:55:00.001-06:00

Now that I've found I have more time on my hands

than I thought I would normally have during the holiday season,

I've decided I'm going to do some

new pieces especially for my

CMZ Art Bonanza Shop.

The shops there operate a bit different than they do on

Etsy

and for some reason...

I do like this little shop.

I just haven't had enough 'new' stuff to put in it...

(It started out as my 1000 Markets Shop)

and then I could separate Rustic Goth and CMZ Art

which was my original intention.

Since I can't really do that anymore..

I want to remove all of the Rustic Goth items

and make it exclusively

CMZ Art.

I'm looking forward to it...because I think it

will be fun to do some new art for this shop.

A Solitary Celebration

2010-11-06T15:53:00.000-05:00

Today is my husband's birthday...

and I'm usually a little depressed on this day...

but

today I decided to do something a little different.

I'm having a 'solitary celebration' of sorts.

I'm scratching off Bingo tickets.

You'd have to know me to know this is not something

I usually do.

When we moved to Lincoln in 1997...my husband

started playing the lottery and the scratch off Bingo.

Even if he bought me a ticket to scratch off...I usually let

him do it.

He got more of a kick out of it than I did...

besides...

he ALWAYS won way more than I ever did.

I have continued to play the lottery numbers that he picked..

every single day...

and I haven't won nearly as much back as he did over the years.

He managed to almost 'break even'...and I admit

I'm a bit 'in the hole'...

but

I do it

because it is something he was very passionate about

and I figure

ONE DAY!

Anyway...when my sister and her husband

helped get my son here a week or so ago...she bought

a bunch of scratch off tickets.

Mostly the 1.00 and 2.00 tickets...

and managed to win most of her money back.

So..she kept playing.

When she got back to Wyoming

she discovered she had a bunch of winning tickets

that she couldn't do anything with.

So..she sent them to me.

I got tickets with all of the winnings...and won

a bit more than the tickets she sent me...

turned those in...won some more (but not quite as much)

and so on...

Finally I decided

BINGO

that was the game my husband played from the day we

moved here

until the day he went into the hospital for the last time...

and I turned my winnings in for a batch of Bingo

tickets...

We'll have to see...

Maybe I'll win BIG on his birthday:)

Show Season Over

2010-11-05T12:57:00.001-05:00

I have posted much of this information on my

other blog

but I wanted to be sure to include

this information on both...

since this is the blog that I give on the business cards

that I hand out at local shows.

We will not be doing the November or December Shows

at the Lancaster Event Center.

I have been dealing with a family emergency since

mid October...and we just will not have the time or resources

to be able to finish out the scheduled shows.

Our apologies to those who had planned to visit our

booth for their Christmas shopping!

You can find the same items in our respective shops...

CMZ Art d.b.a. Rustic Goth

Mike and Jaime Best d.b.a. Best Art Studios 2.

Be sure to visit our shops frequently as we will be offering items

especially for Christmas...

not available at other times of the year...

Family Visit

2010-11-01T10:02:00.000-05:00

I've had a family emergency that has taken a lot

of my time these past two weeks...

much of this week was spent visiting with family

(my youngest sister and her husband) from Wyoming were here...

I hadn't seen them in a couple of years

so it was wonderful to spent a few days with them...

but I really did get backed up with my work.

They've always had exotic pets...my brother in law

LOVES his Raccoons...and their latest 'baby' is so darned cute.

Cora is a blond raccoon and about 7 months old now...

and she IS spoiled.

My sister says she is like having two or three

toddlers running around the house getting into everything.

I rode with them on a trip to visit our last living uncle

who is quite ill...

and Cora decided she wanted to 'meet' the new person on the ride.

So she pulled my hair.

It didn't hurt...but it did startle me.

She is a cutie though!!

I Have a Large Family

2010-10-29T08:28:00.002-05:00

I have a large family...

and..for the most part...

I'm very happy that I do.

Sometimes though...it can be difficult

when something happens that kind of

turns my normal routine

upside down.

I recently had to travel across state because of a family emergency...
concerning two of my grandchildren.
My daughters and I had to drive most of the night,
we picked up the girls and then had to turn around
and drive back.
I don't know how I managed it...but I drove
the last leg of the trip
with NO Sleep
and didn't doze off even once.

Now.. 'suddenly' all six of my children

are now living within minutes from me.
My oldest child (daddy of the girls) had to have
emergency surgery...
but he will be moving, with the girls, in with my daughter
until he is better...
and set up house here in town.

It's been a while since all of my children lived within minutes
but I think it is all for the best...
so I am happy.

It's put me way behind with my shops...but 'family' has always
come first with me...so hopefully the good Lord
will give us all a helping hand
and maybe give me the energy I need to get all caught up
without upsetting any of my collectors..
as I do try to make sure everyone is happy.

I'm working on some new product for my Zazzle Store.

2010-10-27T15:22:00.001-05:00

This is my

'Chicken Noodle Soup' mug

complete with the soup recipe

now listed on Zazzle.

I also have a Chocolate Chip Cookie Mug

and a Salsa Mug.

(Which I will probably take off at some point.)

What I plan to do is to have a whole

series of

Soup Recipe Mugs

in the Store over the next week or two.

I personally think it is such a clever idea:)

Dylan

2010-10-23T15:22:00.000-05:00

A week ago Friday
I went to see the play
'Dylan'.

This is a photo of my son, Patrick...
He was not only in the play...he play several different characters...
and did a great job with each one!!

It really was such a very good play..
I was thrilled that I was able to attend...
and even shed a tear or two at the end!

Great job and congrats to all of the cast and crew!!!

Our Fall Shows

2010-10-08T17:59:00.000-05:00

Here is a schedule of the shows we will be doing this fall.

They're all being held at the Lancaster Event Center...

2 of the Shows are One Day Only...

the other 2 are Two Day Shows.

We'll have several new pendant designs...

brand new for us this year!

Checkbook covers..

notepad covers..

Composition book covers

and Journal covers.

Prints...Bookmarks...Mirrors

And loads of new paintings by

myself...Jaime and Mike Best.

For our readers... who are able to attend our first local show...

just mention that you read about the show on this blog

and get 20% off your entire purchase.

I think I'm figuring it out....

2010-10-04T17:48:00.001-05:00

It took me a few days...but I think I'm finally

figuring out

Bonanza.

Actually...I sold a couple of items and the

kind person who purchased the items

was so sweet to offer a few suggestions of what

I might do to make this shop a little

easier to find.

How very sweet of her.

I wouldn't normally have opened a new shop anywhere

at this time of year..since I am always

busier than normal during the Fall Season...

but since I didn't really want to lose all the work I'd put into

the Shop at 1000 Markets...

and 1000 Markets was acquired by Bonanza...

I didn't really have much choice.

But..I might actually like being there..once I get it all figured out!

Bonanza

2010-09-30T12:50:00.001-05:00

I'm not if I'm 'happy' that my 1000 Markets site
is now
a 'Bonanza' site
or not.

Time will tell I suppose.

I recently received an email saying that Bonanza had just
acquired 1000 Markets...
the shops would migrate to Bonanza
and 1000 Markets would
'be no more'.

I had just begun to get used to 1000 Markets
and rather liked the site...
it's much different at Bonanza...
and I'm not going to have time to familiarize myself
with that site until after the first of the year.

Anyway...
such as it is...
my
CMZ Art 1000 Markets Shop
is now
CMZ Art Bonanza.

The Last Few 'CRAZY' Weeks

2010-09-26T16:48:00.000-05:00

It really HAS been Crazy around here the past few weeks...

and it all started with my computer going down.

During a Sale no less...

I ended up all flustered...trying to get the shipping out

before it was too terribly late...once I got it back.

Then...a huge shipping 'snafu' and loads of emails asking where

packages were...

That problem finally solved...but got 4 neutral feedback as a result...

(I don't know why...the postage was PAID on September 2nd...but the packages

were not located and postmarked until the 14th...made it look like

I wasn't telling the truth...

but I REALLY...Really..was!)

Anyway...that's finally cleared up...

then I lose my Cable/ internet for a day and a half...

and was pretty much told that this is going to be an on-going issue

unless I want to cut branches out of two trees in my back yard...

so I'll have to 'suck it up'.

My dryer finally Gave up...and now I need to replace it!

The first show of the season...oh dear...my memories of doing

that show in the past were so different.

We ended up losing money on it!

Oh well...live and learn!

We've committed to four shows...same ones we did last year...

and those 'should' be pretty good.

I've been so busy doing new items especially for the shows...

I've listed a few of the Scrabble Tile pendants..

(something I've never had in the shop before)

in my Rustic Goth Etsy Shop.

I'm really pleased with how they are coming out...

so I'll be adding new pendants on a regular basis.

We've got a few other NEW items that we're doing for the shows

and I'm hoping to list a few of those

in the coming days/ weeks.

But...that is my Crazy few weeks...in a 'nutshell'.

CMZ Art...1000 Markets and a new printer

2010-09-05T12:31:00.000-05:00

My Rustic Goth Etsy Shop

is my primary source of income...

so, of course, it takes about 95% of my time.

I'm pretty happy with this shop and it takes a lot of hard work

to keep it fresh and current.

This being said...

I 'finally' made a sale through my 1000 Markets Shop

and discovered that the process is really quite different.

For one thing...1000 Markets goes through Amazon.com...

which I do love...since Amazon has such a great

buyer protection in place.

I know...because we've purchased a few

'big ticket' items through Amazon...

we got our Pixma Pro Printer a few years ago..

now I'm saving my 'pennies' to get another one.

I've decided to just leave my 1000 Markets sales in Amazon

to help me pay for it.

For one thing...a new printer would cut my shipping times in half...since

I could do them as I need them, instead of having

to impose on Jaime to try to fit my printing into her extremely busy schedule.

So...I'm going to be promoting CMZ Art...1000 Markets...

and the other CMZ Art sites

a lot more often through this blog...

and my new

CMZ Art Facebook Page.

My Facebook page doesn't have much on it...yet!
I know I should have waited until I have more time
to really 'buff' it out...
but..I'm beginning to think that having more time
is just an 'elusion'.

Two Long Weeks

2010-08-21T23:02:00.000-05:00

These are the little 'sweeties' that I've spent most of the last

two weeks with...on their first day of school this year.

I just LOVE...LOVE...LOVE these very independent little characters.

They weren't 'up' to doing any projects this time....maybe they

sensed my frustration at the whole computer 'crisis'...

Still we had fun....some outdoor time...indoor time...

cartoons...conversations...and imaginative play.

It's been a long two weeks though....

some days I was just too tired to do much once their daddy came

to pick the little ones up...

Had to paint and send Jaime home with pictures to

upload on her computer...

she couldn't read my writing so

"Places of the Heart"

ended up

"Pieces of the Heart"

but...it's sold now...so all is good.

My computer has been 'fixed'

temporarily...

so I've got to think about getting a new one...Soon!

The Next Two Weeks

2010-08-07T15:40:00.000-05:00

I can hear it already....

"I'm hungry..."

"I'm bored..."

"I'm hungry...."

"I'm bored..."

"There is nothing to do here."

"I'm bored..."

This all from my sweetest little Ava....

she finds my house quite boring ... and my cupboards quite bare!

Simon will be a bit easier to entertain...

though I'm sure at some point he's going to want to go

to You Tube and watch every

Mario Kart video they have there...

he really can entertain himself for hours watching Mario videos...

it used to be

'Thomas the Train'

but he's "moved On"

I do look forward to having them the next two weeks...

in spite of their boredom and their hunger....

I think I'll need to find some projects we can do

for part of that time.

Hope the 'weirdness' is over!

2010-07-31T14:03:00.000-05:00

This past week has been just 'weird'....

I'm not really sure why.

I've felt weird...weird things have been happening...

(just small weird things...like my Facebook updates 'disappearing'...

but then, later

reappearing...

my computer's done a few weird things it's never done before...

business has been....well...'weird'....

just things 'out of the norm'...)

But...they kind of

'throw me off my game'

a bit...

and then I stand there wondering

"what in the world is going on".

Anyway....I do hope it is all

'finally' over....at least for a bit.

I'm waiting to find out some test results for

my oldest daughter, Wendy....

typical of the week I've had...

so...yeah...I hope the 'weirdness' is over.

My House is 'Trashed'

2010-07-24T12:48:00.004-05:00

Okay...this isn't really my house...

they have tons of photos on the internet under

'messy house pictures' ... who knew?

My house isn't really this bad

but...it's still pretty messy.

I've been painting all week...

and not cleaning up after myself...

which always means my house is going to get 'trashed'.

I'd like to say the mess was why I'm not painting

as much as I used to...except...

when I was on eBay...listing new paintings everyday...

I lived in a two bedroom apartment..

with my youngest son and a very sick husband..

and I still managed to paint everyday...

and clean up my mess!

Hopefully I'm not getting...lazy!!

So many things going...all at the Same Time.

2010-07-17T11:29:00.001-05:00

I have got soooo many things going...
all at the same time...

I wished I were a bit more organized.

I've set a 'goal' of the number of original paintings I want to

keep in my

Rustic Goth Etsy Shop

and I'm close to reaching that goal...

the trick will be..

keeping that number.

Obviously I ~~want~~ Need to sell those paintings...

I've got to always keep new ones working.

Now...I've decided to include...

'portable art'

in my shop.

I'm working on abstract paintings....

I really have 'missed' doing those...

but I'm rather messy...

I 'lost' my studio to my youngest son

a couple of years ago...

so I have to do my abstract paintings...

outside...

needless to say..

my time is very limited...and depends so much on what

the weather is doing.

I'm also working on some new pieces to add to merchandise in

my Zazzle Shops...

I'm pretty sure I have many other things going

I just can't remember them all right now.

Thank goodness for my little 'list' keeper.

Going Weekly...

2010-07-10T13:23:00.001-05:00

I tend to spend the summer months...

experimenting and coming up with new pieces

for my Etsy Shop.

It's a good time too...for designing new pieces

for my Zazzle Shop

and my other sites.

I just take my time...so that I don't feel too much

pressure to create...working at my own pace.

Because so much time is spent

in experimentation...

and I tend not to reveal my experiments

until I am happy with them...

so there's not as much to

'talk about'.

So...for the time being...I'm going to scale this blog

back to 'weekly' posts.

I'd already gone to twice weekly..

since I don't spend as much time on my

CMZ Art creations as I do on the Rustic Goth creations...

and because of this...

I just don't have as much

to say.

Getting Back to 'Normal'

2010-07-07T13:10:00.001-05:00

Every holiday that ends up in

a multi-day celebration...

like a long 4th of July week-end...

it takes me several days to get things

back to 'normal'.

I LOVE doing something outside of my

regular routine

on occasion...

I don't think about anything 'work' related..

I just enjoy spending time with family

and doing whatever it is that we've chosen to do...

to 'celebrate' whichever holiday we're celebrating..

and the things that take us out of our normal

routines of work..worrying over the bills...and the day to day

grind that we each have to deal with

in our own ways.

It's fun just to 'unwind' and laugh and enjoy one another!

Heck...I don't even mind my house getting 'trashed'...at the time!

I end up spending a day or two getting it back...

to what it was before...

but I really don't mind.

So...now I'm getting things back to 'normal'...

cleaning...

working..

watching the same TV programs..

and everything that goes with my day to day life.

That's good too...as boring as it might sound to some folks...

I enjoy what I do...

Happy 4th of July!!

2010-07-04T13:19:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone is enjoying a

Wonderful...

Fun

and

Safe

Independence Day!!

Keds Shoes PLUS My Art

2010-06-27T11:26:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure who decided it would be a good

idea to let ordinary folks like myself

apply their own art and design to a pair of Keds' Shoes

but I think it is

brilliant!

I LOVE my Shoe designs on Zazzle

and plan on getting me a couple pair here soon.

I want to have them to wear during the upcoming

art and craft show season.

I really really need to spend, at least one whole day...

doing nothing but designing

Keds' shoes.

They're pricey...but soooo cool!

Some CMZ Art Pieces

2010-06-24T11:52:00.000-05:00

I've been doing art

in some form or other...

pretty much as long as I can remember.

For a lot of years...most of my

art was distributed to family members

as gifts...

"just because".

Then..my husband and I started doing

the art shows...

they were lots of fun...

and a lot of long...often times Hot...hours.

I learned a lot at those shows.

Then...in 2004...

I listed a couple of my early pieces of art...

along some stuff we purchased at some estate sales...

the first thing to sell

in the very first week...

was one of my art pieces.

I don't think I got a whole lot for it..

it went at auction

on eBay...

I'm pretty sure it only got the one bid...

but I was 'hooked'.

Most of these pieces are from my

eBay days...

and I've offered so few of these

as prints...

until now.

I've got them over on

1000 Markets...

along with a small collection

of Rustic Goth pieces.

I wanted to see how these pieces

go, to decide where I want to take

CMZ Art from here.

From the ashes...

2010-06-21T22:28:00.016-05:00

Like the Phoenix...

Saturdays are..for me...like

'rising from the ashes'.

I do sooo need that one day a week that I do

"whatever I want to do".

It's so refreshing and revitalizing...

though I often find myself thinking I'm

'forgetting' to do something.

Whilst I was 'away'...I discovered that

Aubrie

over at Flutey Words

presented me with a new 'award'.

I just need to name the 5

Sci-Fi/ Fantasy

Books or Movies that inspire me...

Well...I 'could' just name off 5 of the 7 Harry Potter books...

but I'll just group those in a collective and say...

1. ALL Harry Potter books and movies

2. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

3. E.T.

4. Star Trek...the newest movie (with Silar from Heroes as Spock)

5. The Blob (with Steve McQueen)

I'm sure if I had thought a little harder, I might have selected something different

for numbers 4 and 5...

but I did enjoy the last Star Trek movie...

and

I was definitely 'inspired' by The Blob...

it scared the heck out of me...and somehow seemed more

'possible'

than the Frankenstein and Dracula movies

I also LOVED watching.

It's June 18th

2010-06-18T23:29:00.001-05:00

I'm A Little Bit 'Funny'...part 2

2010-06-15T05:06:00.000-05:00

I read every one of my followers blogs...

unless it has a 'warning' on it...

I tend to not go into anything that 'warns' me that I

might be 'offended' if I enter.

I'm sure I've probably written an offensive

post or two..

but I do hope that...

for the most part...

I'm not offending anyone.

What I have discovered lately

is how many of my favorites haven't posted anything

in weeks or months.

To this I can only say...

I feel bad that I don't get the opportunity

to know more about you.

Perhaps you are a 'private' person

and don't want to reveal too much...

that's okay...it's certainly up to you.

A lot of times...it's just fun to go through

the pics of your arts...crafts...likes and dislikes...

little snippets of your life..

I know my daughter has said...

"I don't have many followers...and I'm not sure

anyone is reading my blog but you...

and I don't get many comments."

She is one that hasn't blogged

lately...

and she really does have so much

to 'reveal'... if she weren't so

worried about spelling...or

'sounding stupid'...

(though in her 'defense'...she's one of

the busiest people I know...a lot of times she's busier

than I am!)

One of the many times that my husband

was in the hospital,

during his last year...

we were having a hard time answering

some of the questions about

the 'particulars' of previous

visits.

So..I went to the waiting room...pulled up

our art group blog...

and answered everyone of the questions

that had been asked.

I had just started blogging...and felt the need

to keep our collectors up to date

on what was going on...

especially since he was also an artist

with the group.

I've found that I blog as much for me,

as I do for anyone who might want to read

what I write.

With everything that goes on in life..

it's so easy to 'forget'

the "who's..what's...when's..

why's and where's"

that happen.

So..I blog:)

Sunshine Award

2010-06-11T13:48:00.000-05:00

I got this lovely

Sunshine Award

from the lovely Jo...formerly 'Jo Knows'

now "Thank U and Good Nite"

I love reading her blogs.

I'm not sure if I'm doing this right or not...

but the five followers I selected to pass this award to are:

Dyche Designs

The Rainy Day Wanderer

Paper Clippings of a Wandering Artist

Artistic Accents by Darla

Art by Kristie Silva

I do hope you will check out these wonderful blogs...

they are among my most favorite.

AnnaLeah Designs

2010-06-08T17:44:00.001-05:00

You know...

my daughters and I get together

every so often...

(art and craft show season)...

and we make pendants.

We turn little miniature prints of our art..

into something wearable...

problem is...we lose about half of every pendant we make..

to the dreaded

air bubbles.

These little devils NEVER show up immediately...when the glue

is still wet and pliable..

they always turn up a day or two later.

Once that happens...we've lost the pendant.

Before Mother's Day I had gotten a special order for a pendant

and ring...with a pic of the Eiffel Tower on them...

turned out beautiful

right after putting them together...

scheduled a time for the buyer to pick them up at my house...

had to contact him the day before he was to pick them up and say..

'no go'

Huge air bubbles appeared

right smack dab over the Tower.

We haven't attempted to make any new pendants since.

Very disheartening to put that much work into something

that just fizzles.

So...I'm pleased to 'introduce' you to another

lovely Shop that has been turning some of my images

into wonderful Pendants for going on two years.

AnnaLeah Designs.

I started collaborating with Betty back when I still

had my CMZ Art shop on Etsy..

so most of the images she has on her pendants,

are images that I had

in the CMZ Art shop.

(I moved the Resting and Blackbirds prints to my

Rustic Goth Shop...but all of the others

aren't available anywhere but these pendants.)

Check out AnnaLeah Designs...

she has some very nice pieces in her shop!

I've got a good schedule...

2010-06-05T13:36:00.001-05:00

I write a blog post for this particular

blog about twice a week.

Since I'm not doing as much with my

CMZ Art Brand...at the moment...

I don't really have much news anyway.

At least not with my art...so I'm

pretty happy with it's current 'schedule'...

that way

if something that I think is 'interesting'

comes up...

I have plenty of space to post it here.

I'm A Little Bit 'Funny'...

2010-06-03T16:24:00.000-05:00

There are only two kinds of blogs that I read...

the blogs of my followers..

(I figure if someone found my blog interesting enough to

follow it...then we probably have 'something' in common)

and these are really and truly some

of my ALL-TIME favorite blogs!

Then there are a very small handful of

blogs that I have read for years...

I don't follow them..they don't follow me...

and I never comment on those blogs.

For one thing...I'm a little bit 'funny'

because I won't leave a comment on a blog

that I think might be 'manned' by someone other

than the author

(heck..it might not even be written by the original

author anymore for all I know).

A few years ago, I was reading one of the first

blogs I ever 'followed'...though not 'officially'...

and the author confessed that she

had gotten sooo busy

that she was now having her niece doing most

of her correspondence,

monitoring the blog comments...

and even writing blog posts from time to time.

Maybe the niece was just 'taking dictation'

and writing what the artist was actually saying...

but

I stopped reading the blogs after that.

So when I run across a blog that

is so popular that they get 100s of comments

on each post...

I just don't comment...

no matter how interesting I might find the post.

I'm just 'funny' that way.

Graduation

2010-05-31T13:16:00.001-05:00

My youngest grandson just

'graduated' from Kindergarten...

Oh my gosh...

complete with cap and gown!!

Isn't he Precious!!!

St Patrick's

2010-05-28T13:08:00.000-05:00

I ran acrossed this photo

while looking for some others

St Patrick's Catholic Church

in Nashville Tennessee.

It brought back so many memories that I just had to

write a quick post about it.

All of my children were baptized here...

most of my children

served as Altar Servers,

several were Lecters,

my husband and I were both

Eucharistic Ministers.

And...I taught 3rd and 4th grade

CCD classes for 5 years here.

Some New Pieces

2010-05-24T06:05:00.000-05:00

I LOVE Sayings Prints and Posters...

in my 'younger' days

we always had one or two hanging

in our kitchen...

or bathroom...

SOMEWHERE in our house we had

them hanging.

So...I decided to do a few...adding my own

graphic designs as 'embellishment'...

I've currently got a few of

them listed in my

1000 Markets Shop.

1000 Markets have teamed up with

Amazon...so that everything purchased

actually goes threw Amazon...since they have

such an awesome buyer protection.

I thought that was a good idea.

My brother in law wrote a Book!

2010-05-21T19:33:00.001-05:00

It's called..
'The Joy of Real Estate'...'The Greatest Job in America'
by Jerald A Zatloukal

Jerry has been in real estate most of his adult life.
He has made and lost a small fortune..but he's always bounced back.
He's so personable and knowledgeable about his 'craft'.

I think it is just GREAT that he finally has a book published...I know
that is his 'other great avocation'.

I wish him MUCH SUCCESS with his new book.

What Shall I Do?

2010-05-18T17:02:00.009-05:00

I've got so many things I WANT to do...and so little time to do it in.

It would probably not be as big a deal

if I were actually 'making a living'

doing what I'm doing...

mostly my Rustic Goth Etsy Shop.

But...things have been

more than 'strange' over there since March.

Every time I think things are

'back to normal'

they decide to change things up..

and whenever they do this...it seems

it affects a whole lot of shops

for weeks and weeks.

And...my shop just happens to be one.

So...I'm trying to best figure out

what I should do.

I wanted to do a bunch of new

floral paintings...especially for CMZ Art...

but it may end up being a

huge waste of time.

I hate being so dependent on One Venue...

but since I refuse to ever go back to

eBay...I guess I'm 'stuck'.

I've got shops at

Artfire,

Zibbet,

1000 Markets...

all of them still without even 1 sale...

maybe I'll do a bunch of new stuff for

my Zazzle shops.

I don't make much money...per sale...but

I do make sales on each of my Zazzle sites...

so that may be where I end up

putting my new floral

and other

CMZ Art pieces.

Yep....I think I've talked myself into devoting a week

or so...to doing a whole bunch of new pieces

exclusive to Zazzle.

Sometimes I just have to

'commit it to paper'

My "Me" Day

2010-05-15T17:02:00.001-05:00

It's Saturday...my 'me' day.

Yes...I have a 'ton' of work that really

needs to be done..

but

I also have a need to spend quality time with myself.

I actually get way more done during the week

when I take a little time to spend with myself

on Saturday.

Every other Sunday is 'family day'.

Five of my six children..and their families

come over and we 'do' dinner.

This started with their dad.

He was a 'chef' by trade...and so did most of the

cooking.

His favorite thing though, was cooking for the family.

So as the kids grew up and moved out on their own..

well (most of them anyway)

he started with Sunday Brunch

which morphed into Sunday Dinner..

and it was the one day of the week

we all got together.

In the four years that he has been gone, I've had

to take the Every Sunday and turn it

into every other Sunday.

It's a little easier for me...as much as I love

my family...sometimes my house just seems a little

too small for 15 people.

But...my 'me' day is almost over...so

I'd best be trying to get the very most out of what is left.

A busy week...

2010-05-12T10:58:00.001-05:00

I took the week-end off...I really needed it..

but it seems if I take off too much time..

I end up with a work load that gets a bit unruly.

But..I've managed to stay on top of everything..

do some painting..

and update a couple shops.

I will be doing a lot of work on my

CMZ Art Zazzle Shop

in the coming weeks...

I've got a lot of new designs that I

want to put on the products there.

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T07:09:00.001-05:00

Sick again???

2010-05-07T09:39:00.001-05:00

I pretty much lost my Tuesday

this week...I was

sick again.

Maybe it's the high stress lately...

mostly Etsy related..

I will be so glad when they are through with all

the changes and updates..etc...

everytime they make changes and updates

the site ends up with all sorts of glitches..

and this time it was no different.

Plus..I think I have a spider bite or something..

whatever it is has made a huge

bruise on my left arm..

hope it goes away soon.

The nice people I 'meet'...

2010-05-04T11:23:00.001-05:00

I do enjoy 'working' at home...

but sometimes I do feel quite 'isolated'

and maybe even 'insolated'...

it's way different than interacting with people

everyday at a 9 to 5.

So, the 'next best thing' is to

"make friends"

that I may never actually meet

face to face..

or even chat with over the phone

(but then, I'm not much of a phone person anyway...

I don't even give my phone number out to folks

who might be interested in licensing my art.)

I opted to do away with my 'land-line' and go with my

cell phone...but it seems my phone likes

to cut out when it someone other than family...

so..I just prefer to limit my communication

to email.

I find I don't have to repeat myself as often that way.

Anyway...not to stray too far away from my point...

my kids' say I do that a lot..

I've 'met' a lot of really nice people on Etsy..

through blogs I read..and at other

venues I participate in.

I think one of the best ways to

'get to know' someone

is by reading their blogs...

I have a couple that I would like

to share with you...

The Rainy Day Wanderer

Dyche Designs

and

Flutey Words.

Precious

2010-05-01T11:14:00.000-05:00

I don't normally 'do'

movie reviews...

I leave that to the 'experts'..

but

I was so 'affected' by the movie

"Precious"

that I'm still not sure how I'm feeling about it.

Dear Lord, talk about depressing...

even the 'upbeat' ending

left me somewhat 'empty'..

I did get a little 'lost' from time to time..

I guess when Precious went into her 'fantasy world' to escape

the horrific abuse that was her life..

I think what affected me most..

was the knowledge that

this shit really does happen.

Some Floral Bookmarks

2010-04-26T04:20:00.000-05:00

I made up some new floral bookmarks

to put in my CMZ Art Zibbet Shop...

I'm hoping to have them listed by the middle of the week.

I've been so very busy that I haven't

had a chance to list them yet...but they are

"coming soon".

Taking a little time for art...

2010-04-22T05:24:00.002-05:00

I've been juggling so many things lately...

and having computer issues again...

my stress level is up..

and my productivity down.

So..I'm taking a little time for art.

I need a break away from the computer for a bit..

it really has begun to

'rule' my life lately.

Tuscan Art

2010-04-19T05:17:00.002-05:00

Thursday Trees

2010-04-15T05:13:00.001-05:00

CMZ Art Sampler

2010-04-13T05:08:00.009-05:00

New/ "Old" Prints on Imagekind

2010-04-08T13:41:00.002-05:00

I have sooo many things on my plate right now

that I sometimes 'neglect' certain sites...

I really don't mean to..it's just that..well..

I have sooo much on my plate.

I need to organize myself again...I've found this is something

I have to do, at least, once every quarter.

I tend to get so caught up in the 'work' and creating..

which is a good thing..

but my organizational skills tend to suffer a bit then.

So..while waiting for the oils on a commission piece

to dry..so I can finish it..

I decided to do some work on several of my sites.

I put a 'Rustic Goth' gallery

in my Imagekind...and I've uploaded some

Rustic Goth images there.

Don't Come Knocking on my Door

2010-04-03T23:25:00.000-05:00

I know this sounds sooo rude...but I just couldn't help myself.

It's Spring...and that means that already, the 'solicitors' are out

in force.

I've already had a bunch of them ringing my front door bell...

and I really don't have time to deal with them

this year.

Magazines are the WORSE....oh my gosh...I don't know where they get

these kids who will not take 'no' for an answer...

but...I've been burnt once...and that is enough.

There really is no getting your money back...

or getting your magazines either.

I run into that with the school fund raisers too...

so I do only purchase from my grandchildren...although

I think it's 'criminal' that the schools use the 'prize' system to

get the kids to sell these highly overpriced items

to raise money for what they need.

And the prices...really...??

no one is going to sell 25,000 boxes of turtles

and win a WII System...

especially at $8.00 a box.

The prices that they usually end up winning

is a twenty five cent eraser

or a Yo-Yo that tangles up the first time they try to play with it.

But every kids walks out of that school, with their little catalogs

and order sheets in hand...

just certain THEY are going

to be the big winner!!

I don't like to disappoint the grandbabies,

so I usually end up ordering something.

And they usually end up with an eraser or a Yo-Yo!

I won't even go into the different religions that come to my

door...telling me that I'm going to Hell unless I convert

to their 'faith'.

I'm very open-minded and I think

everyone is entitled to their own beliefs...

Even Me!

So...I decided to make this sign...albeit a bit rude...

to save myself a little bit of aggrevation

in my busy life.

1000 Markets

2010-03-30T15:43:00.000-05:00

I was going to wait to blog about

1000 Markets until

the shop I just opened there was actually

'ready'.

But...since I am very NEW there and am still

finding my way around..

when time permits..

I don't know when they will change their

'Staff Picks'..

I decided to run a wide 'sampling' of all of the art that I do...

on 1000 Markets...

and I started with a few of my Rustic Goth pieces...

well..long story short...

my shop there was approved yesterday

and today

"The Aviator"

is featured as one of the

'Staff Picks'...

I'm very flattered.

MELANCHOLY GIRLS

2010-03-30T00:55:00.002-05:00

Do you 'Zibbet'?

2010-03-27T03:54:00.001-05:00

Ha....I thought that was a clever title...

Recently there were some 'problems' at Etsy that led to a

massive influx to Zibbet...

it actually 'crashed' (or at least...slowed to a crawl)

the Zibbet servers.

Most of Friday the Zibbet site was down

while they installed brand new servers.

This was actually pretty good news for Zibbet...as they

sold over 200 premium memberships in 2 days...maybe even less time than that.

I don't think there were many people that actually 'left' Etsy

completely...but a huge number who decided they didn't

want to place all their 'eggs' in one Etsy Basket.

I remember when I did that at eBay...wow...I'm still

recovering from that mistake.

Anyway...Zibbet has a nifty site...I LOVE the looks of their

Premium accounts...

They have the Basic FREE accounts...which really are completely free.

You can list..up to 25 items...and everything you sell..you keep.

They're probably out of the $7 Monthly Premium Memberships by now...

but Premium Memberships are still available.

With the Premium Accounts you can...

have unlimited listings..

import listings from Etsy..

have a shop wide sale (with just one or two steps)

and so much more...

I spoke to the CEO of Zibbet...

(yes you REALLY can speak to him directly

and he REALLY does ANSWER you directly)

Jonathan Peacock..

and he tells me that when the $7 memberships are gone

the Premium memberships will go up to $8

(still a very good price)

for the next 500 accounts...

and then $1 increase for the next 500 accounts

and so forth.

I don't yet have a premium account..because I haven't

conclusively decided what I want to do with CMZart...

(I've been so busy with Rustic Goth)

but..once I have it 'figured' out...I'm going to

hopefully

grab one of those $8 accounts.

Squidoo Lens

2010-03-25T11:29:00.001-05:00

While looking for stuff to include in my

new website I had almost forgot that I have

a CMZ Art Squidoo Lens.

I put it together a couple of years ago..

and I go in and update it from time to time...

when I can squeeze the extra time to

do it justice.

It's kind of a

CMZart in a 'capsule'.

Creeper Characters

2010-03-22T01:16:00.002-05:00

Hands

2010-03-19T00:42:00.001-05:00

Recently my dear sister-in-law

sent me an email that was forwarded to her..

she's very good to not send me those 'chain' emails

that seem so 'ominous' if you

'break the chain'...so I always read what she sends me.

Usually they cute emails with really cute pictures..

this email touched me so that I felt the need to share it on my blog.

Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands.
When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK.
Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. 'Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking,' she said in a clear voice strong.
'I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,' I explained to her.
'Have you ever looked at your hands,' she asked. 'I mean really looked at your hands?'
I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.
Grandma smiled and related this story:
'Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life.
'They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor.
They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war..
'They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special
They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse.
'They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand.
They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.
'These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life.
But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of God.'

I don't know the author of this piece

and the only thing I could locate on the email was

TEA-Party-PATRIOTS-of-the-Treasure-Coast

so that is who I will credit.

I'm Learning About Licensing

2010-03-15T00:38:00.001-05:00

Every year...after the busy holiday season..

we all experience such a slow down in business

that it gives one 'pause to wonder' if

things will 'ever' pick up...

and these times can be

very 'trying' on the soul...

so this year I decided that..

rather than to fret and worry

(I gave 'worry' up for Lent)

that I would instead turn to new

ways to 'expand' my business

in the markets available.

Being first on eBay...and then on

Etsy and several of the other smaller sites..

which mean doing the art..the marketing..the shipping..the bookkeeping..etc..

all by myself..

I've also got 'space' on sites like

Imagekind..

Art.Com/ Artists Rising

which offers my prints

on Amazon

(see the links at the bottom of this post and my sidebar)

Zazzle

which mean that I create the image..

and they do all the work.

I get paid..periodically..in royalty type payments..

still..I have to do the work of putting my work

on the sites...and all that

goes with that.

So..I decided...since I'm not getting any younger...

that it would be a good time to

learn about licensing my art.

I'm still in the 'beginning' stages

of learning..

but I am a fast learner.

I forgot to mention when I first published this post..
that my "go to" source in my
licensing education
is the Art Licensing Blog
by Tara Reed.

I'm finding a lot of useful information on
her blog...check it out!

CMZ Art Characters

2010-03-10T15:31:00.001-06:00

Portfolio Sampler

2010-03-06T04:53:00.001-06:00

Rustic Goth Girls

2010-02-28T15:54:00.001-06:00

Still my All Time Favorite...

2010-02-25T02:43:00.001-06:00

I was so blessed to see this in person...

CMZ Tuscan Art

2010-02-23T23:08:00.002-06:00

Goth Minimals

2010-02-20T02:29:00.002-06:00

ZOA Group Art Video

2010-02-15T02:06:00.002-06:00

In 2005 the ZOA Group

was 'born'...

originally it consisted of..

myself

my late husband (Patrick E. Zatloukal)

my son...(Patrick A. Zatloukal)

my daughter...(Jaime Zatloukal Best)

my son-in-law...(Mike Best)

and for a brief time..

my daughter...(Wendy Zatloukal Adams)

and

my daughter in law...(Becky Bartek Zatloukal)

When cancer took my husband in 2006..

the group went down

to myself..

Patrick A..

Jaime and Mike.

This little video is the art of

our 'shortened' group...

we have since

gone our separate ways...

and have taken the old

ZOA Group website down.

I am still so very proud of the

art sampling shown in this video

that I decided to go ahead and share...

Another video --- 2008 Art

2010-02-11T01:56:00.000-06:00

These were pieces that were listed

in my old

CMZart Etsy Shop.

A couple can be found at my Rustic Goth Shop

a couple at my

CMZart Zibbet Shop.

It's my oldest child's Birthday!!

2010-02-10T22:48:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday...Dean!

This picture was taken a while back...

but it's still one of my favorites..

(and if you think time is flying by for you..

put yourself in my shoes...)

whish....

that's the sound of time flying:)

I'm so proud of my children..

I just had to 'share'.

Tuscan Florals

2010-02-07T16:11:00.001-06:00

Some of My Older Works

2010-02-05T01:49:00.001-06:00

CMZ Art Licensing

2010-01-31T01:40:00.002-06:00

CMZart Bookmarks coming soon...

2010-01-29T19:05:00.001-06:00

I have listed this bookmark in my

Rustic Goth Etsy Shop

but I will also be listing this bookmark...

along with a number of

CMZ Art bookmarks

in my

CMZ Art Zibbet Shop.

Art Print for Charity

2010-01-25T18:54:00.000-06:00

I had been thinking for 'some time'

that I wanted to start doing some art prints

especially for charity.

Every year I do a painting and

send it to Chicago

to be auctioned off to help folks in the

Midwest..who are having

problems with housing, food and utilities.

(I was going to post a link to the event...

and

unfortunately there is a problem with the site I went to

and I ended up with a virus on my computer.

Took me ALL afternoon to get my computer

virus free...

not cool.)

So...I'm not including a link to that site.

Proceeds from the sale of my print

'Resting'

on Imagekind

goes to an Art for Cancer

charity

to help cancer patients purchase items not

covered by insurance and other resources.

(I know from personal experience what many of these

out of pocket expenses are.)

I decided I would create an original digital illustration

every month...

especially for charitable giving..

with a portion of the sales from each of the

'charity' prints

going to a pre-specified charity.

The print shown above is titled...

"Sorry is the Saddest Word"

it is the January print..

and for as long as the print is offered..

each time one of these prints sell..

half of the proceeds will be donated

to the

Red Cross.

So...I've been thinking..

2010-01-20T01:01:00.002-06:00

...I really miss just painting

whatever the heck I feel like painting.

It's been over a year since I last

painted anything similar to the pieces in the picture...

mostly because I've pretty much lost my studio.

But..I've decided that I'm going to cover the dining room table..

at least on occasion..

and paint some fun and 'free' abstract pieces.

Course...I'll need to order some canvas first...

but soon...

I just need to figure out where to

put them.

There Must Be An Easier Way

2010-01-16T14:34:00.001-06:00

I've got a website ... or should I say...

a domain and a host

that have sat around pretty much

wasted for almost a year.

So..I decided that I would

create a website for CMZ Art

and for

Rustic Goth

and put them as 'sub-domains'

since I've purchased the domain and pay monthly

for the host...

...there really has to be a 'better way'...

I am not at all happy with the

site builder I've used for

CMZ Art...

I really can't do what I want to do with it..

heck..

I really can't do much of anything with it.

And I can't even get the Rustic Goth

site to publish.

It's about time for the domain to

expire..hopefully it won't automatically renew through

my PayPal...and I'm not even sure where to go to

make sure it doesn't.

I've cancelled the host subscription...hopefully this will

take care of the domain renewal as well.

It looks like I'll be spending a few weeks doing

lots of research

to figure this all out.

I'm thinking I'll build a site on one

of those free sitebuilders

to get familiar with it before I pay for a new domain

and hosting...

we'll just have to see.

Free Desktop Wallpaper Calendar

2010-01-12T06:02:00.002-06:00

I made this desktop calendar

to put on my computer..

it always seems like I'm looking for a calendar...when I'm

working on the computer.

If you'd like this calendar..

Digital downloads coming to my Zibbet shop.

2010-01-07T18:01:00.000-06:00

As I go through my EBSQ Portfolio

I am choosing some

select pieces

to offer as 'digital downloads'

that others can use in the creation

of their own art.

Here are a few pieces I've decided

I am going to offer.

They will be soon listed in my

CMZ Art Zibbet Shop.

I'll write a post as soon as

I have several downloads available.

Too much snow!!

2010-01-07T02:55:00.000-06:00

It seems like it has snowed a LOT

since the beginning of December.

The snow started the week-end of our last show..

and we've received a bunch of it since then...

I'm not sure how many feet total..but I'm ready for

the snow to be over until next year...

and I'm talking 2011.

It hasn't snowed as much as the top photo..

but they did have to bring a plow engine to clear the railroad

tracks...I guess they haven't had to

do that here in Lincoln for quite some time.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T20:45:00.005-06:00

As a fan of the

'Mamas and Papas'

back in the sixties...

I ran across this video featuring a song

by Mama Cass Elliot

that I thought was really appropriate for

the

New Year!!

Enjoy!

Interview with the Wall Street Journal

2009-12-30T13:08:00.000-06:00

I recently did an interview

with Sue Shellenbarger

for the Wall Street Journal.

Here's a link.

A 'Freebie' for the New Year

2009-12-29T19:25:00.001-06:00

I put together this

2010 Calendar

for you to 'grab'.

It's available

at this

site.

You can print and give away

as many as you like...

just don't offer it

for resale

in any form.

Have a Wonderful New Year!!

Spending the rest of the year on New Paintings!

2009-12-26T17:38:00.000-06:00

I made a New Year's Resolution

last year...

'to become better organized'..

and I have kept it!

One of my resolutions for 2010

was to 'build' a little

mini-studio in the corner of my dining room...

(I work mostly in my dining room and living room as my

studio/ print/ shipping center

is too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer)

Well..I was interviewed by

Sue Shellenbarger

of the Wall Street Journal..

who sent a photographer to shoot

my organized work space...

and

this prompted me to go ahead and

put up my 'mini-studio' a few weeks early.

Soooo...I will be spending the time between Christmas and

New Year

doing a batch of new paintings for my

Rustic Goth Shop...AND maybe even for my

CMZ Art Zibbet Shop.

Hope everyone had a

Wonderful Christmas

and wishing for you

Great New Year!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-25T06:23:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T16:50:00.000-06:00

Wishing you a

Blessed Christmas

and a

Joyous New Year!

I chose this particular version of 'Mary Did You Know'...as I know it was one of my husband's very FAVORITE songs ever...and he was especially proud of the fact that he was friend's with Buddy Greene...who wrote the music.

Coming Up on a New Year!

2009-12-21T13:16:00.000-06:00

With the New Year fast approaching...

I have been soooo busy cleaning

and doing last minute

shipping for my Rustic Goth Etsy Shop

I really am tired...but I've got

one more day of cleaning yet to do.

I'm just now getting around to doing my

Fall Cleaning.

That means everything comes off of the shelves

and gets a good scrubbing.

I normally do it much sooner but,

between my damaged roof (that took

until almost winter to get repaired)

and the shows I did this year...

time just 'got away' from me.

Last year I made a New Year's Resolution

to become better organized..

and I've really tried to keep that resolution..

when something gets 'let go'

the result is

'disorganization'.

So...you see why I've been so busy...

well...that...and something I will reveal before

the first of the year:).

An Annual Favorite

2009-12-18T20:28:00.001-06:00

My husband and I really loved this video...we watched in on
Z-Music (I don't even think that station is around anymore)
in 1996 -- I think it's the same year the video came out!
I DO love Trans-Siberian Orchestra...and this was the first song
I'd heard from them.
It's "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo"

A GIVEAWAY on my Other Blog

2009-12-15T21:38:00.002-06:00

I'm having a

GIVE-AWAY

for (3) of my

Rustic Goth

2010 CREEPERS CALENDARs

on my Rustic Goth Blog

on December 18th.

If you'd like to

throw your name in the hat..

for a chance to win

one of these calendars...

see how

here!