ETSY STORE IS OPEN!

HAPPY FISTS!  Finally... after all this blabbing about "I'm going to open my Etsy store SOON!" I can say, "Soon is now, start shopping!"

You can visit TheNewOldBiddy Etsy Store here!

Please enjoy and keep a look out for more coming soon - including handstamped cards and my "Cute As A Button" series that will be custom made just for you!

ALSO - there is a button on the side that will allow you to "request a custom item" - go ahead and shoot me an email letting me know what you want.  We'll work it out!

Please enjoy!  :)

Spring Has Sprung - New Painting!

Spring is my favorite season (not just because I get presents on my birthday), followed by autumn, followed by winter and then a distant fourth is the hot goo season we call "summer."  (Or "complete bullshit" as I like to call it everyday I walk outside of my apartment and realize that the shower I took is now null and void.)

Anyhoo... My latest painting endeavor was inspired by my favorite season:

It's Spring!  Where's my Flonase?

This painting took awhile and I looooooooooooooooooove it.  It's acrylic on a 14"x18" canvas panel.

Here's how this painting happened.... I started out using this painting as a practice canvas for testing out texture using the plastic bag technique you've heard me yammer on about.  I'd slap paint on the canvas and then let it dry with a plastic bag over it.  4 layers and 4 plastic bags later, I had this:

I'll be honest, I didn't know what I was painting.  I was merely playing with paint and texture.  (I REALLY like plastic bags, ya'll...) I emailed this draft  to my friend Jenn who politely said, "I see trees."  So I let that sink in and I put the painting aside for awhile.  Then one day I looked at it and said, "I see the background of Spring."  And with that, the final layer, Spring, was added (but no bags, just paint).

I used varnish sponges for the stems and streaks of light and sea sponges for the flowers.  Here are some close-ups so you can really see the texture and mixture of all the layers of paint:

This painting will be going up for sale once my Etsy shop is established.  Who's gonna be the lucky person who gets to hang this in their home, hmmmm?  

The "Cute As a Button" Series Continues!

It was my nephew's first birthday this weekend!  TIME FLIES.  I remember when he was just a wrinkle of a baby and now he's got teeth, is walking around and says, "Hi, Mom!"  Craaaazy.

To jog your memories, I made him a series of paintings for Christmas called, "Cute As a Button."  It's just cute animals on 5x7 inch canvases.  And somewhere, a button is involved.  Here's Christmas again...

And here's what I made for him to add to his wall for his birthday:

AND.... my mom's birthday was last week and she wanted some artwork for his bedroom there, so she got these yesterday:

So now Nate is outfitted with the hottest thing going in kid art in both his houses.  Such a spoiled little boy!  Happy birthday, Nate!

I Get Bored... Part 2 - UPDATED!

Okay... so I made a few more.  Sue me.  (But don't expect to win anything, unless you want some rusty silverware that sat in my sink for too long or a dog that needs new kidneys.)

Enjoy!

JUST ADDED this morning!

The rest were posted last night - you may still enjoy them.  :)

I Get Bored...

...so I make things.  Here are someEcards that I made lately - enjoy and feel free to pass them along!

10,000 Baby Steps

Fact:  One thing I like about winter is that I can wear 239584903843094 layers of clothes.  I also like that layers of clothing hide all imperfections.  (Shut up, I like cheese.  A lot of cheese.  All the time.  Full time cheese party here, folks.)

Fact:  I have gained weight in the past year.  This isn't a bad thing really as I was a size 4 and now I'm an 8 so I'm by NO means fat.  BUT, I am out of shape and my metabolism is shot.  

Fact:  I gained a lot of this weight when my dad passed away.  The second he passed our house was inundated with all kinds of food, mainly trays of lasagna and deli platters.  (I now say that when a friend suffers a death in their family, I'll send a condolence card and a can of Slim Fast with a note saying, "You'll thank me later.  I say this part jokingly, but mostly sincerely.)

FACT:  I need to work out again.  I've been lazy.  (I'm really good at lazy because I can multi-task "lazy" with "eating cheese.")

A friend said to me last week, "I'm wearing my pedometer today."  This reminded me that I had one (somewhere) and that I'd read about how we need to walk 10,000 steps a day to stay in shape (which averages about 5 miles).  I found my pedometer and saw the last number registered on it: "2,549."  Ooops.  That's not so hot.  

So last Saturday I put on my pedometer and clocked in roughly 18,000 steps.  WOW.  I walked to and from work, then to a friend's place, then to the Whitney Museum on the east side (gross) and then to the bus that took us home (which was a good thing as my legs almost fell off the next morning).  

Since wearing the pedometer I've clocked in 10,000 (or more) almost every day.  On my day off from work, I clocked in 6,500 (something in that area).  All in all, not bad.  I'm fairly impressed.  

Downside: OH MY GOD MY LEGS AND KNEES HURT.  This may be because I had been wearing my Sketcher Shape-Ups and WOW they worked me out a little too hard.  (One customer at work asked me, "Do those sneakers work your ass out?"  Needless to say, he was met with the famous Eolin, "Jackass Stare.") Anyhoo, as a result of my over-zealousness with the Shape-Ups, I have apply a sexy layer of Icy Hot every night.  (Actually it's a generic brand, because this biddy's on a budget.)   

Today I walked 11,400 steps.  WHEEEE!  Tomorrow is my day off work but I'm hoping to at least hit 7000 steps with my errands.

I'll try to give updates on my progress.  I've been walking to and from work for about 2 months now and my jeans are fitting better for sure.  I'm not weighing myself as I'm more concerned with being in shape than being an exact number.  

So if you live in NYC and you see me powering down the street (sometimes with my dog, Annie, who is NOT excited about my 10,000 steps a day program and would rather take a cab) get out of my way.  I will plow you over and I will mutter under my breath, like the proper biddy that I am.  You've been warned!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I think this picture of my nephew sums up the title of this blog adequately:

"Today my formula is green!
And so is the stuff in my nose."