Artist~Teacher... tishalou

The one project I wanted to get done was a photo gallery wall. So I went and collected all the frames I had and most already had good photos. I had to decide what time frame - so I decided it would be before our son and our parents, siblings and grandparents. I think it turned out great. Here is a before picture. This one is very early in the process ~ still selecting pics...
Tape marking where to start... The dogs have been enjoying the new carpet.

Here are some pics of the process...
 Laying it out on the floor on brown craft paper:
Taped the paper to the wall and hammered in all the nails:
 Lined everything up on the paper:


Notice the holiday decor already up? Why would I put this up in the middle of the madness? Because the hubby's plans are usually always stored away in his head rarely coming out before the day of the actual execution of said plan. Perhaps he was telling me and I was in such denial that he would actually take on such a project the WEEK OF THE PARTY I was blocking it out!
Oh well - the house never looks better than the day you put it on the market, right?

Today is my last birthday... I am 39 :-)
Weekend recap:
Watched a combo of our 9U and 10U players play in a baseball tournament this weekend. They did not fare so well. Bailey did great (of course:).
 Funny sign at the field:

Still working on my master bath and purchased rugs, OMG can they be any more expensive?? ~ I also need some window treatments for the two small windows but that will have to wait for my summer camp paycheck!!

And of course I have been zentangling away. I made one for my hairdresser - I usually write her name all fancy on her tip envelop so I decided to make her a zentangle ATC instead:

I made it with the new Sharpie fine tipped pens I got this week. I also did some shopping for Bailey's birthday which is Wednesday 7/28. I need to go back to school so I stop shopping so much!
Here is another zentangle I finished last night. Not as happy with this one. I like the left side. maybe I just need to turn it a different way - turn your head for me.

And I finished a Gator's collage poster for the basement. For the previous 3 summers we followed the Fauquier Gators college woodbat baseball team. Local familes hosted the kids for the summer while they played. We had kids two years in a row from North Georgia College and one that was here both summers. Unfortunately they sold the team and it has left a big empty hole in our summer but I have lots of pictures and memories and friendships to get me through it. Bailey still calls them his brothers!
Bailey and I had some fun being goofy on the couch. Dad bought him a new flat brimmed Boston hat he is sportin'. I told him he could have it only if he didn't wear it sideways.

We are headed out to a yummy dinner at the new Longhorn steakhouse in Warrenton for my birthday - looks like the storm is brewing so we are going early. I hope the storm cools things off it has been sooooooooooo hot!

I treated myself to a little Amazon therapy recently and got this book: Totally Tangled by Sandy Steen Batholomew. I think it came up in a recommendation and I looked over the customer reviews to decide which one to get - there are a few versions: Zentangle Basics & Zentagle 2. I went with the most recently released. I finally got a chance to try it out on my trip to hang out with the art teachers on the river. Since then I have been tangling each night in bed while watching TV - and I finished this one during baseball practice:

Oh the possibilities!