Painting Exhibit Extended Through December

"There is no telling how many miles

you will have to run

while chasing a dream."

Charge On Rhinoceros Spirit!

What I've learned so far ...
In order to become a successful artist, one must grow 2" thick skin
and continually charge after goals with persistence and tenacity.

Our Black Friday, Saturday (& Sunday) Sale was fairly successful. Everyone who came had a super good time and left with some free gifts and new art treasures. Although more than a dozen pieces of art found new homes (or will be waiting for one under the Christmas tree), this event did not meet my projected goals. I was disappointed in the number of people who actually showed up. If I had a dollar for everyone who said they were coming and didn't, I could buy myself a very nice dinner. It's human nature that people are trying to be nice, I guess. So tell me artists, don't you prefer honesty over brown-nosing politeness? If someone dosen't have any intention of coming why tell me otherwise? It's like hearing the old line, "I'll be back" at art shows. One time after hearing that a dozen times in a single day, I just blurted out in frustration, "Oh, no you won't!" I know it was wrong of me, but now it kind of makes me chuckle to remember the shocked look on that well intentioned lady's face.

It took a lot of planning and a couple of days of hard work to get the studio set up for this event. We are very pleased with the display and have decided to leave it up during the month of December.

I am offering appointments to view over 150 framed and 100 matted original watercolors accompanied by 30 gallery wrapped and framed acrylics painted over the past decade. 

A 20% discount will be applied to all items purchased at the studio until Christmas. This is a substantial savings. My regular original painting prices will be going up 10% as of January 1, 2014.

I also have gift certificates which can be used for lessons, paintings and prints; all purchased now through the end of the month at a 20% discount. 

I hope some of you local people reading this will consider making an appointment to come by my studio.

Give me a call at: 609.268.9106

or email me at: Sandy@SandySandy.com. 

I don't know if and when I'll have such a varied

collection of work on display together again.

Thanks for stopping by.

I hope you didn't mind a little ranting.

Have a good one!

☺

Rating Hummingbird Feeders From My Reject Pile

Avoid These Mistakes!

Here is a snapshot of some of my Hummingbird Feeder mistakes, discards and disasters. I'm sharing them with you, so you don't make the same errors! :-D



Going from left to right (clockwise) . . .
Bottom Left:
A. Perky-Pet Brand Hummingbird Feeder - I'm not sure where this came from or when. Pros: Made in USA, Cons: The picture on the box shows the dreaded red-dyed hummingbird nectar which the company still sells! It is common knowledge that at best the dye is totally unnecessary and it may even be harmful to the birds. This feeder would be a nightmare to clean for various reasons. You don't even want to get me started! To tell you the truth, I can't ever remember even opening the box before. And from my experience with flocks of hummers, they prefer the saucer feeders.Top Left:
B. No-Name Arty Hummingbird Feeder -Pros: A gift. Unique. Cons: Made in China. Hard to clean, too many parts, not my type. (Probably goes for 70% of all pretty feeders too.)Top:
C. Best One - Giant Hummingbird Feeder - Pros: Made in USA. A half gallon capacity and eight ports! (See bottom in center of basket.)Woo Hoo! Could last me more than 24 hrs. in an emergency situation. (ie: I couldn't be home to monitor the nectar situation 24/7.) Cons: Hard to clean and fill. Very Heavy when full. Top loop broke off from weight and hubby patched it. Plastic has discolored. Too ugly to put back up. I still have good feelings for this object though and will keep it on hand for back-up.Top Right:
D. The Droll Yankee Window Feeder - Pros: Made in USA, Very cute, Really Close-up Viewing, Fun, time consuming project. Cons: Doesn't hold much nectar. Messy sticky windows from hummingbird poo. Many little parts. Time consuming project.Far Right:
E. Perky-Pet Brand - Oasis Feeder - Pros: Made in USA, Hummingbirds love these feeders! I used them for years and just retired my last few. I have phased them out for several reasons. Cons: The company stills sells red nectar. The little yellow flowers are unnecessary and create a lot more work in the maintenance department. They fall off and get brittle and are a bitch to clean. (Please pardon my French.) Loop on top of hanger is smaller, making connector "S" hooks necessary when attaching to a shepherd's hook.Bottom Right:
F. Aspects Oriole Feeder - Pros: Made in USA, Quality product, Easy to clean. Nectar recipe on bottom of lid. Cons: I can't seem to attract Orioles. They pass through occasionally, but quickly move on. Only four ports. Not optimal for hummingbirds, but would do in a pinch.

Gee. Not Pictured (All in use.):
HummZinger - Aspects - Pros: Many! Cons: Few! - I now almost exclusively use Aspects HummZingers. I have many of their various sizes and models and love them for many reasons. See yesterday's post's photo of a 16 oz. HummZinger. There is too much information to go into today, but I promise to tell you more about them, list their features and rave about the benefits of owning these in a variety of sizes in an upcoming post! Until then, Happy Humming!

See 5 Steps to Happy Hummingbirds here.