Friday, December 31, 2010

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge: Well, how did it go?

What were my artistic objectives in 2010?

The first one that comes to mind is that I wanted to make canes and sell them. I wanted to know if I had truly latched on to an idea that would satisfy me and that I could sell enough of to allow me to continue to make them.

The conclusion to this resolution:
I've sold right around 20 "Inspirational Puzzle Canes".
I did my first "Mega Show"
I didn't sell enough to cover the cost of the show, I did sell enough to convince me to keep on trying! I know what to do to be more successful at the show I'll be doing in March.

My second objective?

( my "Alms" bowl; Throw your spare change in,
and when it's full send it to the charity of your choice.)



To call myself a professional potter.
I bought a kiln in October, 2009.
I started reaquainting myself with the medium in December, 2009.
I bought a kick wheel in April, 2010

My year end conclusion?

I have developed the biginnings of a line of ecumenical ceramic pieces that I hope to refine and present for sale in 2011.

I've also taken several custom jobs, providing folks with pottery items that are
"just what they wanted!"

My third objective:


To move into the little cabin I own, which I've had to keep rented in order to pay the mortgage, and to make enough art to pay the monthly rent. I use it as a studio. I don't live there, but I sure could!

The conclusion:
Well, not yet. I only moved in in September. But I'm well on my way! And the joy I feel while working in my special place is, indeed, priceless!

My fourth objective:


To treat my art as a full time job.
To have a "Place to Go" to get away from phones, friends, family and concentrate soley on my "play". It takes up many hours. (Or, rather, the time I'm not there takes up many hours. The hours I'm there fly by like minutes!

So?

As a Christian, my goal has always been to hear what the Lord is saying to me and to do His will. I think, maybe, I'm finally listening!

I don't think I could be much happier than I am right now!
It's like I've found the life I've been looking for all along!

There is a contentment in my center and an anticipation of continued success.

God is very, very good to me!









Whimsey Wednesday: The Queen is not amused!

I have been commissioned illustrate a little book about the ant and the grasshopper, or in this case, cricket!

This is a rough sketch of the "Queen Ant".

By the time I'm done with her, I'm sure she'll be Opulent!

Maybe I'll have her finished by next Wednesday!


Monday, December 27, 2010

Illustration Friday Challenge: Winter

This is my kitten, Angela, during one of her more quiet moments. Usually she's what we affectionaly call "Superconductor Kitty"

Right now she sits quietly on the window sill and waits, waits, waits. It's as if she's asking, "What time does the show start?" Answer? Not until she stops sitting there!

This print, with two others are available for sale as blank note cards in my Etsy shop, at


Thursday, December 23, 2010

Tea, Anyone? World of Whimsey enty

I've been doing a whole of Alchemy searching lately. I've been accepted to a show in March that costs $595, which means I gotta do a lot of art to pay for the space!

This is one of the sillier ord
ers! My customer is a college student who wanted me to paint a particular dinosaur on a tea cup. Her friend eats, breathes, lives dinosaurs and he just started a tea cup collection! Go figure!
I've been having a wonderful time fulfilling folks wishes, the crazier the better!

Do you have something off the wall that I can produce for you?? Just let me know!

Monday, December 13, 2010

The Juxtaposition Between Faith and Fantasy

How's THAT for a title!?
✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
I'm submitting my Christmas Card, for now, although many of you have already seen it in the challege for Whimsey Wednesday.

I really think the theme lends itself to further contemplation.

(my, my! how wordy she is this morning!)

See, the thing is, I've always been one of those folk who really, really, really want fairies to be real! But I'm also a person of deep faith in the reality of God and His plan for my life.

So, while raising my kids, I truly wanted to let them know that imagination is a wonderful gift and we should use ours every day.
✼✼✼✼✼✼✼✼✼✼✼✼✼✼✼✼✼✼✼✼✼✼✼✼✼✼
So, with that said, when you look at the image on my Christmas card, what do you think of?

Now...

Let me submit to you the inscription on my card...


"Santa's Helper wanted to wish you a happy holidays, But.....

He was momentarily distracted by the truth.

Our wish for you is a Very Merry Christmas and the deepest blessings for 2011."
☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝☝

And that goes to all of my incredibly important cyber friends, who, although I may never meet you face to face, I love and appreciate with all my heart.

Judy


Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Whimsey Wednesday: Santa's Helper

Here comes Santa's Helper with a candy cane just for you! When, suddenly, the light of a star arrests his attention.


This is my Christmas Card for this year.
For those who have not yet been informed....

While our children grew we chose not to emphasize Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, et al. Instead we invented gorillas to bring the Easter eggs, tooth money, valentines, etc.

I hope you enjoy my bit of Whimsey!





Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Inspiration Avenue weekly challenge; Once Upon a time.... The Tim Tam Tree

THE TIM TAM TREE

A Po-em by Judy Goddard
(She holds a daisy and bows)



Willie was a little boy who very slowly grew.

He lived in the far off land of the red kangaroo.

Wille didn't want to eat, each meal he'd try to flim flam

The only thing to pass his lips were biscuits labeled Tim Tam

Each night his mum and dad would shake their heads and worry.

Willie climbed the stairs to bed, but he was in no hurry!

He snuggled down beneath the covers to wait for sleep to come

And as he drifted off to sleep, he pretended he had, at least, a crumb.

A dreamy dream came to him and what did he see?

Upon a distant hill a wonderful and dreamy tree!

Running in the dreamy grass, he couldn't wait to reach

The lovely hill and fancy tree bright with fruit, he could not reach!

Up he spread his little arms and joyously he found

The branches of the mighty tree bending toward the ground.

At last! He thought and then he danced round and round that tree

And gathered up the those wondrous fruits, Tim Tam biscuits falling free!

All that night he sat and ate until he couldn't eat no more

And when he woke, here's what he found;

Tim Tam wrappers, like fallen leaves, littering his bedroom floor!

☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃

This painting was one of my first "Alchemy" special Etsy orders, painted for a five year old boy.

You can see other examples of my whimsical artwork at my Etsy shop!
www.JudyAGoddard.Etsy.com

Thank you, Pat for spurring my imagination to write this poem!










Friday, November 26, 2010

FREE SHIPPING!

For the first time ever, Judy is offering FREE SHIPPING on purchases made on November 26 ~ 29!

This applies to all items in her art shop; www.JudyAGoddard.Etsy.com






and...


her Knitting/Crochet supplies Shop; www.finishthis.etsy.com!



Come and take a peek!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Whimsey Wednesday


I've just found a new weekly challenge that I can participate in! It's at;

And Here's my first entry;

This is our tooth gorilla. He comes in the night and leaves crumpled dollar bills under our pillows when we loose a teeth. What he does with the teeth he collects, I have no idea!


When my children were very little, I came up with a way to celebrate joyous occasions in our house without leading them to misconceptions about truth and stories.

The tooth fairy, Cupid, the Easter Bunny and Santa were concepts I chose not to teach my children. I wanted them to be very certain of the difference between truth and make believe. But I still wanted them to be able to join in the fun related to the occasions surrounding these special events.

Thus was born the "Tooth Gorilla"! When you lose a tooth you put it under your pillow and the tooth gorilla will come while you are asleep and leave you a crumpled up dollar bill. (Gorillas are not real careful with money and often carry it in their tight fisted hands.)

Next came the Easter Gorilla, who hides your easter eggs. You will be certain to find a few cracked ones. (Gorillas don't have very good small motor skills, so they often drop the eggs while hiding them.) Sometimes he comes the night before and sometimes he comes while we are in church, remembering with joy how Jesus rose from the dead.

And, of course, there is the Valentine Gorilla who will show up sometime when no one is looking and leave a battered valentine and a box of chocolates. (One or two candies are sure to be missing, since the valentine gorilla has a sweet tooth and can not help himself!)

Odd? Quirky? Effective? For us, yes!

Next, I am working on Santa's Helper. He will be the focal point of my Christmas Card this year.





Passion For Beads Weekly Challenge: Gift Ideas


I was born on December 29, a verrrrry long time ago. And I always loved having my birthday that close to Christmas. My mom always made sure that I gotthe same kind of birthday treatment that my brother and sisters got, as their birthdays were spread throughout the year. So, on December 29, I'd get a whole new pile of presents to open!

It was like having Christmasall over again! I created this canvas growth chart to be as cheerful as I could imagine. Itbrings back memories of my childhood, when the world seemed bright and shiney the whole week of Christmas vacation.

And, of course, when I was measured to see how I'd grown throughout the year, it was on the doorpostinto the kitchen.

I want Christmas birthday kids to have a growth chart that they can point to that is as pretty (or handsome) as the other decorations inthe house. And I want them to be able to point to it as adults, to show the children in their lives how they grew and grew.

I think this makes my Christmas GrowthChart a really special gift.



But I don't want to leave the older generation out! So, I have designed Christmas themed walking canes, for the older and the infirm.

I get such pleasure from sitting down, doodling a design out and then seeing it appear on a functional item that brings beauty and service together so well.

I see elderly folks in the super market, the mall, the craft shows, with plain and (dare I say it?) Unattractive canes. But it's so easy to get a cane that will lift their spirits and the spirits of those who pass by them, in this special, special season.

And I think that makes my Christmas Puzzle Canes a really special gift!

To purchase either of these gift ideas, or others like them, visit my on line shop;
www.JudyAGoddard.Etsy.com



Monday, November 15, 2010

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge: Incognito!


Angela has a sense of humor. And she loves to hide and jump out at the dog. We call it playing, "Grizzly Bear." She gets up on her haunches and waves her front paws in the air, just like a rearing Mama bear!!

Poor dog! She just rolls her eyes at us and says, in her doggy way, "Why is this happening to me?"

Angela loves to hide in the bathroom. You see, we live in the deep woods, with no neighbors so we have no curtains on any of our windows. Who would want to shut out veiws like ours?? But, of course, we do have one.... in the bathroom. So Angela goes in when noone is looking and conceals herself and waits until someone comes in to sit on the "throne" and just gently lets her tail droop down. Then she silently bends down and peers at you from under the hem of the curtain.






























Tuesday, November 9, 2010

I'm Being Featured in Becklee's Blog!

Becklee Cottage is a new friend from the ranks of my Etsy team, Inspiration Avenue. She asked for volunteers who would like to be featured in her blog. So I jumped right in!

She's done a really good job. You should go and see! 80)

http://www.beckleecottagedesigns.com/etsy-3/tuesday-feature-judy-a-goddard

This is the link to her Etsy shop;
http://www.etsy.com/listing/61170112/unique-gluten-free-cakecup-with-holiday?ref=v1_other_2

She sells her handmade jewelry and these incredible little teacups with a cupcake in each one! How clever is that?? She even sells a gluten free "Cake Cup Cupcake!"


Go now, and check out all the cool stuff at Beckleecottage.etsy.com!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Community; It Takes a Village...


....TO MAKE AN EAGLE FLY



My son, who is now 28 years old, started his Boy Scout career when he was 6 years old. By the time he was 7 he had decided that he would one day become a Eagle Scout. As he progressed up the scouting trail we signed on as well.

My husband became an assistant scout master in 1993, the same year I joined the troop committee. And one thing that was clearly apparent was the wonderful parent participation in our troop. There were six or seven assistant scout masters and a dozen or so committee members. In 1999 Tom became the Scout Master. And in 2002 I started my time as Venture Crew Advisor for my daughter's crew.

From 1993 to today, Troop 114 has seen aprox. 35 Eagle Scouts. IMHO that's monentous! (Only 2% of boys who join scouting make it to Eagle.)

My daughter's crew is the only co-ed crew that has had any success over a period of 8 years.
(I don't say this to toot my own horn, but to point out the importance of parent participation)


Scouting is one of the pillars of our family life. It makes a positive difference in the lives of almost every child who joins. It not only builds character but equips youth with the social skills to be successful throughout their lives.

As adult members of the BSA we have joined a family of leaders and teachers who have enriched our lives and shown us love in many, many ways.

So, I can say without reservation, that when the village joins together, the child is raised well and learns to fly, very high indeed!
To purchase this canvas growth chart, or others like it, visit;
www.JudyAGoddard.Etsy.com








LIFE IS JUST SO FULL OF COOL STUFF!

My photo
Manchester Township, New Jersey, United States
My nane is Judy and I've been a christian for more than 3/4 of my life. I believe in redemption through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, that God, the Spirit lives in me and gives me the power to do His will and to live a joyful life. I have a Godly husband, a grown son and daughter. I live on a farm with 3 goats, 2 chickens, 2 horses, a cat, a dog and a python. I am an artist and a singer. I was a full time stay at home mom, the hardest job you'll ever love! I have two handmade shops on Etsy. Leaning on the Promises www.leaningonthepromises.etsy.com (Hand Painted Walking Canes) and Beaver Creek Pottery www.beavercreekpottery.etsy.com and an Etsy shop for selling Vintage and Antiques. Jersey Pine Pickers www.jerseypinepickers.etsy.com I post about my relationship with God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, about the things He teaches me, delights me with and how He uses me.