Carolyn

A new character in my series -

this time taken from real life!

Carolyn is my neighbor.

She loves her family and her dog Pedro,

and gardening in her back yard.

She calls the home she shares with her husband

"The Nest",

and their Mini Lite camper, with a newly

added screen porch,

situated in a wooded camp ground,

 is a happy escape for the members of her family.

She is a nature lover,

and enjoys her flowers

and home grown vegetables.

Her laughter rings out like

the soft wind chimes that hang from her house,

and she is a comfort

to all who know her.

Cast of Characters - Gina

GINA

Gina is a single mom who lives on 

one side of a two family home with her 

little girls, Carly and Angie.

On the other side live her mother and dad.

She works two jobs to keep her girls

happy with the toys and clothes they love,  

and while she works, her mom babysits.

Gina knows that she is lucky, despite the 

disappointment of a loser husband who 

walked out on her and his beautiful girls.

Every Sunday, she looks forward to dinner 

 at her mom's lace-covered dining room table,

with her girls, her brothers and sisters, and nieces and nephews.

She loves the nearly ceremonial meal of pasta and gravy,

and the laughter, warmth and security 

of family.

Gina dances and plays with her girls.
They love having their nails painted and 
trying on mom's jewelry. 
One day she will find a new love,
but for now her life is full
and she feels blessed.

Elizabeth

ELIZABETH

Elizabeth is the favorite nurse 

of the residents of Shady Elms Nursing Home.

When they see her, they think of 

springtime and daisies 

and Doris Day.

Her voice has a lilt

and her sense of humor brightens the

dull routine of the residents' lives. 

She is their advocate and treats them all 

with humor, care and respect,

 and because of these things

  she is greatly loved.

Sad to say, Elizabeth

does not love herself.

She hates what she considers her full cheeks
 and her plump figure,

and the freckles that sprinkle over her nose.

She compares herself to models and movie stars

and wishes that she could be someone else.

She has no idea how she lights up a room,

and how beauty shines out through

her wholesome face.

And so she dreams of a diet or face cream
or some other miracle

that will make her as beautiful

as, everyone knows,
 she already,

truly,

is.

A New Character

HELEN

Everyone knows that Helen is the cornerstone of her

neighborhood. She will pick up your children from 

school, feed your pets when you are away, console

you when you are overwhelmed, and bring you a

casserole when you are in need.

She loves vintage clothes and often refashions them

into rather odd outfits, but nobody cares. They seem

to suit her perfectly. She hums when she works, and

and sings slightly off-key. 

Her cheerfulness is contagious.

In spite of her kind heart, everybody knows

not to bother Helen on Wednesday nights.

For that is when she meets with Zeke, Ted,

Sal, Hank and Louie

in the back of Zeke's Auto Body Shop.

There they play a few hands of poker.

And she usually wins.

An Artful Month

I'm half jokingly calling this month my Summer Art Retreat. I think summer is beautiful, but heat and humidity drain my energy in a big way. Since my home is air conditioned and I have a light filled porch to work in, I've decided to stay indoors as much as possible and do what I love to do - make art!

Today I spread out my papers, scissors, paints, markers, etc. and began working on my much neglected "fictional characters" which I'm now dubbing my "Cast of Characters". If you're not familiar with them, you can find some here. I'm trying to find a way of depicting them that is both whimsical and not too difficult to execute. I love making up little stories about them and I've always loved drawing faces, so they are a good fit for me.

I love doing cut paper, but today taught me that cutting out this many leaves is way too time consuming! The floating heads are some ladies I'm working on - there are many heads floating around my house!

When I went out to get the mail, I saw that my hydrangeas are starting to bloom and I cut just one.

It looks so pretty beside my Dedham Pottery cat!

I've had a wonderful day and hope you have, too!

Thanks for visiting!!

Lace collar Ladies

 It's funny what inspires us to be creative.

I was going through my stash of stickers and found 

these Martha Stewart labels. I loved the edges and thought to myself,

these would make lovely little lace collars!

I made little faces to go with them, chose papers and colored pencils.

and came up with these little ladies. And I couldn't resist naming them

and adding a few 'tongue-in-cheek words about each one!

I also added little 'satin' mats from the dollar store!

Betty

Betty smells like lavender, gives you a hug every time she sees you, 

listens to your problems and tells you how wonderful you are.

She makes the world's best chocolate chip cookies and,

although she's not that much older than you,

you want to call her Grandma.

Maria

Her beauty is - well, annoying - but she has a heart of gold,

so you try to overlook her assets.

She cooks like a dream, is generous to a fault

and can be very funny. 

Just don't expect to be the focus of attention 

when you walk down the street with her.

Karen

She looks like a young girl, but is actually 33.

This is the only dress she owns, and she would prefer to be in jeans 

and a tee shirt. She has series tickets to the Red Sox, a golden retriever

and a cape cod house she painted herself.

She drives a jeep and is happiest when fishing with her two nephews

at the family cabin on the lake.

Priscilla

What can we say?

She has been treated like a princess her whole life,

so she see nothing wrong with

wearing a tiara to the supermarket!

Nancy

She loves to read psychological mystery books,

has three cats and, although she doesn't smoke,

has an extensive collection of ceramic ashtrays.

She is down-to-earth and completely honest,

and could be the best friend you ever had.

As you can see, I became quite caught up in these ladies.

Do they remind you of anyone you know?

Hope you are enjoying a terrific day!