Hello!
I’ve been in Visalia, CA since May. It’s a pretty cool town.
I work downtown.
Clearly, that’s a big photo dump, but this city deserves it, and then some…
New town, who dis?
#3* Art Journal
*The Magic number. So sayeth Schoolhouse Rock.
Always love how the cover gets beat up in my art bag.
The fattest journal I’ve made so far.
Inside cover.
During both of my grateful visits at Evangel Home women’s shelter in Fresno, CA, I slept in the Mary Magdalene room.
I gots a soft spot for the ones everyone talks smack about.
I’ll write something in the cup eventually.
Made this for a Moonshine session.
I’ll fill in the day once I figure out what day it was.
Butterflies give me hope.
This makes me laugh at my spiral Art Journals.
The white face was harder to do than I thought it would be. I learned a lot, though.
My blood type/birthsone/hair color…coffee!
Heh. Mirror stickers.
Collage is fun.
Truth.
I wish that stabilo-all pencils came in more colors.
The world is on fire.
Just need to pay attention.
My ❤️ is in Fresno.
Yup.
In honor of my BFF, Anjo.
I wish the glitter showed up better in photos.
My cleansing song. I can get rid of ear worms with this. Thus, it’s my favorite.
Travel and reading.
Reading and travel.
My dear friend, Judy Whiting, sent me a card package for my birthday that I made this spread with.
Miss Judy drew us both.
FCC. I’m a proud Ram alumni.
Dedicated to my beloved Sister-in-law, Susan.
Fuck Yeah.
More truth.
Playing with magazine photos is fun.
Words to live by.
*poof*
I gots the music in me.
True story, probably one of those that makes others uncomfortable, but it’s just something that happened.
My Daddy as a baby.
8yo? 10?
Before WWII arrived.
The work badge photo is what he looked like to me when I was a kid.
Always.
Back cover.
That’s it. The 2nd of my 6 journals is done. The next will likely be #5 as it has 3 pages left to do, but time will tell.
I didn’t set out to finish the odd numbered books first, but it tracks.
Thanks for looking…feel free to comment here.
T-shirt yarn footstool covers
I have 2 foot stools that I use every day.
I found 18 inch latch-hook rug canvases years ago & finally decided to make it happen.
Laced zip-ties through the edges and looped them under the seat.
This is perfect for the living room.
Since there was already foam cushion and fabric on this round seat…
…it’s very cushioned.
I like the extra softness in my bedroom.
Now what will I do with my time?
Heehee!
Blue Luna Belle
Over 2 years ago, my Avon lady saw someone dump a kitten in a city lot, she scooped up the l’il, 3-week- old, tabby scruff, took it home, and cared for it for a month.
She showed me this photo:
And this picture:
…asking if I knew anyone who could care for or foster it (she wasn’t sure of baby’s sex) as my Avon lady is actually, mildly allergic to cats…like she gets a sore throat/stuffy nose…not like my other friend, Natasha, who never got to visit me cuz she would have stopped breathing. 🥺
ANYWAY…Avon lady’s other gig is singer in a band, so she can’t really keep a cat, even though she loved the li’l peanut!
SO…I asked her to bring that baby to me!
I loved having this sweet girl in my little 2nd floor apartment. Emily was NOT sure at first:
But Blue gradually wore her down:
She charmed us both:
And she ABSOLUTELY grew up too quickly. 🥺❤️
She is my perfect, best girl.
My sweet, baby Blue.
December 2024
- Coffee. Freshly roasted, freshly ground, freshly brewed. The smell of Folgers, in the red, metal can…opened with the green, electric can opener, is a CORE memory for me. I started drinking coffee when I quit drinking (1/9/00) and am now a snobby addict.
- Hearing aids. I’ve had mine for a month. I can hear the frogs out front now…
- The green of new grass.
- I am perpetually grateful for food that is made for me by others.
- The distinct purrs of each of 3 cats.
- Everything? Ok…trees.
- I was blessed to have a pretty stellar childhood, at least until the divorce when I was 13. Memories of growing up with My Brohim and my revered parents make me happy.
- C’mon! That’s a ridiculous question for a Librarian!
- The ranch house that I grew up in on a 1/4 acre lot in the middle of Kerman, CA in the 1970s & early 80s.
- Coffee.
- All winter light celebrations.
- Shonda’s homemade chocolate with cinnamon and chile.
- The ability to entertain myself. I don’t know if that’s a Gen X thing, a la “I’ll give you something to do.” or just me, but IMO, when you’re bored, you’re boring.
- Snow on the Sierra Nevada mountains.
- I have always adored autumn. I understand other places with 4 actual seasons, but I love when the rain comes to the San Joaquin valley in the fall, turning the golden grass on the hills to their winter green.
- My legs that take me everywhere.
- That my reinvention of me never ends.
- Dang! Another ridiculous question! This time for an Artist!
- When I pet Emily, then try to move away, she reaches out her white paw and touches me in hopes that I’ll stay.
- My Matt
- These Are Days by 10,000 Maniacs
- The stories of my family & me. Like how they left baby me with my godparents while they went to Disneyland.
- Traditionally, My Brohim and I are in contact with each other on xmas day. Anything more than that is frosting with sprinkles, baby!
- I’m supposed to wax poetic about how challenges make you stronger, but I’m not quite feeling that right now TBH.
- Every moment laughing with Matt.
- Making art with acrylic paint.
- My hearing aids are very small.
- A zoom meet with my Art Folks.
- Emily Doll Starr
- I’m very good at finding things.
- NEW YEARS EVE. I enter 2025 absolutely grateful for my little life.
Journal 52 – 2019
2019.
Yes.
5 years after I began this journal, it is now complete.
I Rule.
There are 4 ‘extra’ pages at the end (A to D) that are private to me.
I generally show y’all everything, but they’re mine, and I get to decide these things.
I have 5 other journals in rotation, currently (#s 2 through 6), so I’m never without options.
✌️♥️🤘
FOR SALE
I have been painting for years, mostly things I want, or for friends & family…and now I’ve ABSOLUTELY run out of wall space!
I painted/collaged two caffeine themed pieces.
11″x14″ unframed stretched canvas.
Mocha:
Raised jewel details and leather steam:
Latte:
These were really fun to make.
Ingredients: acrylic paint & mediums, artist pens, colored card stock, scrapbook and found papers, craft jewels, leather & suede, UV protective sealer, PCH*.
They are for sale for $100 each, or both for $180 plus shipping from Central California.
Email for more information or if you have any questions:
Emilyswhiskers@yahoo.com
Oh! Also, I’m almost finished with a Coffee/Cappuccino pair.
And…I am open to collaborating with you on your ideas and/or colors for something I can paint for you.
Stay tuned!
✌️❤️🤘
*Probably Cat Hair.
My cats now…
Currently, I am owned by 3 felines…
The Queen of our home is Emily Doll Star, previously introduced as the partial namesake of this place, who just turned 15 years old in August.
15 feline years = 76 human years, so Mama gets what she wants on the regular:
She owns my heart. ❤️
Emily is my Best Friend, my Familiar, and my Muse. This is her song:
Because she is my sweetheart.
She had been blissfully alone with me after Merry & Pippin moved on, until 2 years ago, when Blue arrived…
But she deserves her own post.
Emily started to warm up towards Blue after a few (6) months, but then Joey arrived and she basically says, “Fuck those kids.” on the regular. 😁
Joey deserves his own post as well.
Emily, named for:
1) Emily Starr, of the L.M. Montgomery trilogy
2) Sara Crewe’s doll in A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
3) Emily the Strange
…is the best cat who ever owned me.
She sleeps inside the armoire during the day, because she wants to be alone.
She curls up next to me and purrs me to sleep every night.
She cares gently for my heart.
Garden 2024
We moved the potted succulents back out by the fence after the risk of frost passed:
Before I started repotting almost everything:
And then I started weeding the dog run:
Along this side is where I found all of this and then some:
After the dog run, I weeded the front spot so’s I could fill it with wildflowers:
After the space received its feline blessing from Blue (my garden assistant):
…the sprouts popped up and have been growing since:
Look how tall they are now!
I did weed the big rectangle too:
We had no idea that the aloe would be so happy, it would bloom…um…fluorescently?
The other good thing I kept is this little rose bush:
She looks pretty good now:
After the great repot-the-succulents session, everything has more room and they’re showing me how happy they are now:
I love our back yard.
We’ll have a night fire in the chiminea soon. Prolly will be s’mores there too…😋
Horatio and Emily 