Off and on light snow today and suppose to get heavy overnight.  Personally I'm hoping we just have over excited weather people on TV and the snow will be less than predicted, I don't like driving a 23 year old car in this kind of weather!
Got some more artwork done today and will continue on for the rest of the week.  I really depend on this additional income now that my outside work has been reduced to two days a week.  As always, click the link in the sidebar if interested.

I think if I hadn't chosen to be an artist and had had more insight plus a stronger ability to focus at a younger age I would have chosen to be an interior designer of small spaces.  I spent my entire day yesterday trying to work out how to fit a 'real' bed into my small studio apartment without it becoming the focus of the room, because (not) getting a good nights sleep has become an issue lately.  I love my little apartment, I don't love pulling out (or sleeping on) a sofa bed every night.  So I pulled out pictures I used for inspiration when I first moved in here......

and after hours of mentally rearranging furniture in my head and measuring more than twice, a plan was formed.  This led to more hours online trying to find the best deals (translation: cheapest) in new bedding.  Once again, Amazon and Walmart won, Amazon for the bed frame and mattress and Walmart for the linens.  Ninety eight percent of what I own has come from thrift shops but when it comes to bedding I draw the line.
I have to say I've never thought of myself as a girly girl but she must be in me somewhere because I (surprisingly and can't believe it) fell in love with this look I saw on Walmart....

And can you stand it?......the bedspread, skirt, shams, and small pillows all for $74!  Its not exactly a subtle or inconspicuous don't look at me look though is it.  Maybe more thought is needed.

So......back to painting.  The orange painting listed in a previous post will sell today and the peanut butter and jelly painting along with a cherry painting I neglected to post before have sold.

So today will be spent getting some more work up on ebay.  If I want that good nights sleep I have to be able to pay for it :-)

Check this out art lovers.......  http://www.faboverfifty.com/style/art-authority/#more-1240848

And check this out too if you're of the age where 'readers' have become part of your everyday life.  Have you noticed how difficult it is to find reader sunglasses at a decent price?.......not anymore!
http://www.readers.com/drama-bifocal-sun-reader.html

Some new listings for ebay.  I was contacted by someone requesting I do another peanut butter and jelly sandwich painting because she missed bidding on the last one posted.

I sat here this morning staring at this screen until my coffee got cold, trying to decide what and how much to say.  The past year while starting out brilliantly seems to be ending on a downward slide. If you follow this blog you know that when necessary I clean homes to make ends meet so that I can have some control over the time I have to devote to painting.  That was working out fine until I lost three days a week of work over the last couple of months. Two I could still handle things, but three has put me back in the welfare system for help, food stamps and health care.  Grateful for the help?......yes, depressing?.......totally.  Do I want to go out and find more cleaning work?......that would be a definite and resounding NO.  At 63 with achy bones and 63 yr old vision, not to mention the total repulsion at the thought of cleaning one more families toilets, I've no desire to find more cleaning work, and luckily at this age I'm not required to apply for work by the welfare system.  That said, this is not a situation that I want to be in, and how I will change this is (for now) a mystery.  Maybe I should look for a job digging holes, I seem to be very skilled at that.  Stay tuned.

You wouldn't think with my very traditional style of painting that I'd be drawn to work like this....

but its my newest acquisition and I love it.  Its work by an artist friend in Florida, Randy Jay Jimenez

Speaking of my traditional style, here are my latest up on ebay...

I stumbled onto a 'new to me' website for creatives called Skillshare.  You can (for a price) sign up for online classes, or if you've got skills you can use the site to teach your own classe(s).  I haven't looked over the entire site yet but here it is if you're interested Skillshare.

Here's a fun way to share your art with friends, I saw this on one of my favorite blogs BetterAfter.net and decided to check it out.  What I love about this site is you can truly customize your cards. I created a set of playing cards using my ACEO work for a 'match' game for my grandkids. Its the only site I've seen where you can put different images on each card, choice of size, add text, purchase (and customize) a box for them.  Check it out.

 Always trying to find ways to increase income, I could not resist purchasing this thrift shop find for resale.  I can just picture this old ceiling light fixture hanging in the foyer of an old row home.  I purchased it for $25 and sold it for $95 to someone in Missouri.

Here are some ACEO's that I did before the holidays while I was taking a blog break, happy to say they all sold.

I'm also very happy to say that the paintings in the previous post all have bids on them....so happy :-)