I bought an "S"

Wheel ..........Of......... Fortune!

Ever watch the Wheel of Fortune? Sure you have. We all have, unless you’ve been living in a cave like a hermit for the past 30 years or so . . . Well, I suppose if you were born after 1995, then maybe you haven’t. It was my mother's favorite show for years. Probably still is. Unfortunately, after a day like today, my mother probably would have told me that I should have been on some other game show like, "The Price is Right."

Today I bought an 'S' for $300!

I felt like I was on the wheel of fortune, where it was my turn. I spun the giant wheel, it landed on $300, I looked up at the board and blurted out with enthusiasm (cause that’s what they do) I said, “Pat (Sajak), I’d like an “S” for $300 Please!” And I got the big “OOOOOOH”. Pat put on his frown face and sadly replied, “Oh Melanie, the letter “S” was already chosen earlier – - you idot!”

Don't ask.......I Don't Want to Talk About It!

I bought an "S"

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Welcome
to
the
MiliGirl
Collection


Please visit my website to view the full line of MiliGirl Collection notecards at
www.MiliGirl.com

The art featured on my notecards come from my original oil paintings, where the images were inspired by real people and real life stories.

The MiliGirl Collection notecards target women going through different, and sometimes trying, life experiences - from marriage and motherhood to career changes and body-image issues.

I started painting these images of women as a form of therapy after my fifteen-year marriage ended in a painful and difficult divorce. During that period of time I was consoled by many friends, acquaintances, and even complete strangers who shared with me their own personal stories of enduring life’s challenges and rising up through recovery. Their stories were expressed to me by way of belly shaking laughter, to shoulder soaking tears, and ear piercing screams, which ultimately inspired me to paint and write about all of it. Their stories and my own were the whole reason I was able to paint these images and write the words to compliment them -- because they’re real.

These frameable ‘Anytime Cards’ include categories such as: “Motherhood”, “Rising Up”, “Living Green”, “Romance”, and “Real Women”.

The notecards speak the language of common ground - “I see you, I feel for you, and I know your heart more than you may realize”, or “Hey, maybe we’re not so different after all -- and that’s a good thing.”

There are a total of 24 different notecards in the line, and another dozen on the way. The notecards are 5" x 7" blank inside, printed on recycled, satin finish, coated cardstock. The ‘MiliGirl’ website for the notecards is scheduled to be complete in June.

Pictured below are twelve of the 24 notecards. The very last notecard pictured will be available soon as part of the next dozen notecards.

If you are a greeting card rep or retail store interested in carrying the line please contact me at (928) 717-9323.

Click on the cards to see an enlarged image































































Click on the cards to see an enlarged image











































































Click on the cards to see an enlarged image















































Click on the cards to see an enlarged image

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Oh...Just Bag It!

Call Me . . ."The Bag Lady!"

One of the easiest ways to have a positive impact on the world is to reduce our individual waste and to recycle and compost.

DID YOU KNOW ...
Just 50 years ago there was virtually no plastic in the garbage can. Now, we use eight billion plastic bags each year -- more than 300 for every household.

PLASTIC SHOPPING BAGS???? SAY, "NO THANK YOU" -- REFUSE THEM BAGS! Try the impossible and avoid plastic as much as you can. Bring your own bags!

You Can Never Have Too Many!

Yesterday I decided to be domestic around the house (not one of my strong points) after being away so much for art shows over the past two months. As I was putting stuff away I discovered that I have acquired a good number of tote bags during the past couple of years.














I acquired this tote while I was living in Mexico, when I shopped at the weekly Tiangus street markets. It was common to see people using totes in Mexico.




Now I notice that totes are everywhere here in the States, too! I love it! Although, they're still not as commonly used here 'yet', but I’m starting to see more and more people using them at the grocery stores.






















I love how designers are coming out with some really artistic and creative designs for totes for those of us who enjoy fashionable accessories! Hah! I saw these really cool totes (pictured below) online at www.uncommongoods.com.



these are their Recycled Newspaper Market Bags made from the Arts & Leisure section. Each one is handmade, and each one is one-of-a-kind. Sweet! I would love to have one of those, but at that price I may have to try to make one myself.


I think Fry’s food stores got it right when they started selling these insulated shopping totes for $2.50 each! I love using them, I think I got 6 of them now.

Whenever I go to tradeshows or expos where businesses are giving away reusable fabric totes I always take one. Heck, if I have more totes than I need then I start giving them away to encourage other people to remember to use & re-use their totes instead of paper & plastic bags!













Take them to the mall, grocery store, hardware store, to picnics, and of course use them for your art supplies, or whatever!



























This one came from my artist friend, Kae Knight, who was giving them away at the Artexpo Las Vegas last September. Check out her art at www.knightfineart.com



Live Simply that others may Simply Live
"Mahatma" Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi - "great soul" (1869 - 1948)

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
- Mahatma Gandhi

"Good house keeping practices in industries can reduce 30% of waste and thereby 30% of the cost of waste management."
— Sumith Pilapitiya

Oh...Just Bag It!

Between Two Breaths

It’s nearly impossible to be creative when I’m feeling under the weather. I sat looking at a blank page wondering what I could blog about. My mind remained as blank as the page. Blank…blank…blank…blank…blank.

So, today I will simply post one of my notecards that seems relevant to this blankness …. taking heed to my own advice. hmmmm....... now there's a concept.




They Learned...

That the time they took
between two breaths
was often the most
important thing
in their whole day

Between Two Breaths

Round Two

I had a second round with my migraine over the weekend and it’s still clinging on to me – I can feel it. It wants to pry its ugly spikes into my brain – again.

Round Two

The Cure – a Pacific Island!

Just another migraine . . . While I was buzzing from OTC meds all day (and now all night) I decided to search for images of migraine headaches. Here are a few I liked.














“I can't tell you how many shows I've done with full-blown migraine headaches.”
- Ellen Key (Swedish Writer, 1849-1926)













As I’ve researched remedies to my migraines over the years I’ve come to realize that each migraine sufferer is unique in their suffering and their search for a cure. Whether they be Hormone induced, food induced, exacerbated by the migraine medications that are suppose to be helping, it’s all so frustrating, and disappointing when I've tried this and that, been tested, gone to a chiropractor, and pay attention to the latest new remedy hoping this will be the cure – only it’s not the cure for ME!

I've been developing my own idea of how I would like to do a painting of a migraine (of course without the vomiting!). I'm still working on it, but one of these days it will come to me in full color. Maybe that will be MY cure! Wouldn't that be sweet. At least that would be MUCH better than having a stroke, or heart surgery to fix the problem.













so many more choices now. So much more information. Actual solutions remain as elusive as unicorns. - Posted by zar f









But the best cure is to move to a Pacific Island. I spent several years at or near sea level…and guess what? No migraines! — Posted by Bill













The brain with a migraine

I'm ready to pack my bags . . .
and move to a Pacific Island!!!!!!

The Cure – a Pacific Island!

Dangerous Art - Kaboom!

Sometimes it's the stories behind the art that really make the piece!

At the Fountain Hills Fine Art & Wine Affaire artist, sculpture, Jim Dodson, Jr.'s booth was across from mine. One of his sculptures was a giant 'gong' made from an old oxygen tank that he found at a dump site. Really cool piece. Anyway, the story behind the making of it is what I like.

He took the oxygen tank home to his property not knowing if there was still any oxygen in the tank, so he placed the tank on the ground, walked about 100 feet away, then took a high powered rifle and shot it. He said it blasted about 100 feet in the air with a loud explosion. His neighbors called him to make sure he was still alive. Crazy!

Check out Jim's art


This is a picture I took through a hole in one of his sculptures.

Dangerous Art - Kaboom!