FOCUSING ON DETAILS

Tulip Slick..............I use this product to apply the details of paws and wrinkles on my PUG dolls and pillows:

Doing the paws of a Sit PUG Sit piece:Doing the forehead wrinkles of a NO EVIL Pug doll:

Despite putting in a full day at work; transporting my son to and from summer reading sessions; ensuring my granddaughter has a ride to her cheerleading practice; making a run to the mall to pick up some slippers for my ever growing 15 year old; and squeezing in my Passion for Pugs - the point is, I make the time to do something to get my designs finished.

Although appearing bored...........here is Max watching me and waiting for his feeding:

And here is Kin - just lounging around with Shady So until tomorrow my Blog Buddies, I leave you with pics from my album. Annually, we attend the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life. My, my look at how much my sons have grown through the years:

ACS-Guam Chapter Relay For Life 2003:

ACS-Guam Chapter Relay For Life 2005:

ACS-Guam Chapter Relay For Life 2007:

ACS-Guam Chapter Relay For Life 2010:

PUG HUGS

The Pug Artist From Guam,

Karen

FEDERAL HOLIDAY HAPPINESS

Coming out of a three day weekend I must say that I did accomplish a lot and it's amazing documenting everything through my Blog. Today makes it one week of Blogging and WOW! It takes great balancing to make it happen in my life. Between basketball games, family reunions, the home front duties and responsibilities, transporation specialist.............WOW! And the challenge is squeezing in my PUG PASSION throughout the whole process.

I must allocate quality time to these three little guys. And this I did as I sipped my StarBucks yesterday morning. They are the "No Evil" set. Pain staking work but I just love how it comes together.

Walked the dogs, fed them, cleaned the floors, set out my attire for the following work week and then I set this out to process and cut patterns:

And so I did. I got about 30 pug ears and 8 dolls out of a full size bed black dust cover I found at the Salvation Army and a dress that was in the PUG IT pile:

Here are some more pillows and dolls I cut from a love seat cover I picked up at the flea market for $10.00. Beautiful fabric that would have costed maybe $30.00 a yard at a fabric store in Guam. Oh.....and there is another piece for PUGS N POLKA DOTS. That was a blouse that I used only once and it landed in the PUG IT pile.

Do you know how else I RE-USE? I like to collect old necklaces and use the beads to detail my Pug Snouts:

Kin and Kylie had a basketball game - so I had to take time out from my art to attend:

And that's about how my day off went yesterday. Pretty cut and dry and back to work. Until tomorrow my Blog Buddies, I leave you with this pic of "It's Almost Done" pieces that should be ready by the end of this week. Aren't they looking fabulous?

PUG HUGS,

The Pug Artist from Guam

Karen

THE FOURTH OF JULY 2010

Yesterday I had a delightful time at a family runion held at the Marriott Resort & Spa:

My mother in law is Josefina Laguana Cruz. She married my father-in-law and became Josefina Cruz Cruz. In Guam, Cruz is a very common name. Anyway, it was my mother-in-law's mother's family reuinion and what a huge family. I represented my husband and here are pics of me and my in-laws.

My sister-in-law Mart and her husband Benny:

My sister-in-law Bobbi and her husband Ray:

My sister-in-law Bernie and her husband Joey:

My brother-in-law Joe and his wife Julie:

After socializing and posing for group pics I headed home and bagged my two hours of cutting patterns. As mentioned yesterday, I attacked pieces from the "PUG IT" pile. Here is a beige pair of slacks I don't fit anymore because I lost so much weight with patterns situated:

Then I took a break to roll out tortillas for the 4th of July dinner at my sister's home. My niece Dorthea Rose helped me roll:

After dinner, I rushed home to beat my commitment to finish my 2-hour pattern cutting and WHALLA..............8 pieces ready to go through the sewing machine. You see here designs I entitle "PUGGA-PUG" (the long pieces) and "PUGGLES" ornaments and they were cut from a pair of slacks, a pair of knickers, and a blouse that were contained in the "PUG IT" pile.

Until tomorrow my Blog Buddies. I leave you with this pic. Did you notice all my in-laws were wearing red? Well that represented one branch of the Laguana clan. Nobody told me I was suppose to wear red and I wore a comfortable green blouse. When it came time for the green clan to have a group photo, my in-laws were ROFL at me because I went up there and everyone was wondering who the heck I was. I did it for fun and my in-laws absolutely got a kick out of my spirit to be involved.

PUG HUGS,

The Pug Artist from Guam

Karen

ZOOM, ZOOM, ZOOM

ZOOM, ZOOM, ZOOM

My attempt to finish this batch today proved unsuccessful. (sad face):

But I did get to paint.

Painting is done on Saturday's. One - because I have the time and Two - because sun drying what I paint is faster..........like when I set them on the Camry to dry:

The pets were bathed by Zach and Kin. Here is Shady getting a treat for being cooperative during her bath:

Then it was time to hit the road:
ZOOM: Had to attend a presentation of a Tacoma to IRecycle Guam:

These are about 1/4 of the people I spend my work day with:

ZOOM: Then we went to Matapang Beach to pick up Kin and his friend because they had a basketball game. Oh BTW this was my photographer at the Tacoma presentation. My 16 year old Zach:

After picking up the basketball players who spent all morning skimming the shores of Tumon Bay we traveled to the University of Guam Fieldhouse for the game

The other team didn't show up so we won by forfieture. I did get a few cute action shots though

ZOOM: On the way home, I had Zach take the pre-test for his driver's license.

And while we waited for him I saw a parachute sky diver (wow this must be fun):

And then Kin took this neat pic with my Canon (he is so creative):

So, other than painting snouts and sewing beads onto dolls - I did enjoy my Saturday.

Today as I post this Blog it is the 4th of July and it is Sunday. Sunday and Monday's I allot at least 2 hours to cutting patterns. And oh yes.....I pulled these from the PUG IT pile to rid into a cute Pug doll or Pug pillow.

Until tomorrow my Blog Buddies I end this entry today with this pic of my daughter, my right hand savior, my agent, and my friend. Without her I simply can't get Zach, Kin, Kylie and Tammy everywhere they need to go. I love you Lil:

PUG HUGS,
The Pug Artist from Guam

Karen

CRAZY DAY FRIDAY'S

Ohhhh my right arm hurts. It's from the punches I got from my 15 year old because he saw a yellow car first. I didn't realize how many yellow cars there are on the road (to include Toyota's). Anyway, when I have to put on my "daddy" hat I attempt to do what Zach and Kin's dad would do when he is here. Lately it's a punch in the arm when a yellow car is seen. Needless to say I pay attention to my driving but still I'm in the game; however, they must not full fledge punch my arm when I'm driving but still my boys are growing and at times they don't even know their own strength..........(sighing)

Today's blog is about CRAZY DAY FRIDAYS in the life of a solo parent, pug artist, career woman, and keep it together mom.

This is Day 4 in Blog World and I'm amazed at how I can do it. I'm like in NIKE mode "JUST DO IT."

This is my demo.............it gets me to and from work, it takes my 15 year old to summer school and it picks him up too, it got us to a lunch date at Chili's and it allowed me to drop my 15 year old home. Then it took me back to work and after work it took me home:

These are my best friends in the kitchen. It gives me the strength and power to put good meals on the table for dinner. When I started my journey as solo parent it was fast foods and take outs. Ed, my Army husband before he was a soldier, was the sole chef in the house. When he left the structure of healthy meals literally fell apart. Snap - we couldn't even get trash days right.

Each night when I lay me down to sleep I always work on a pug. So last night I worked on a design. Here is the content of my night stand:

And here is the set up of my side of the bed. My purple clip lamp for me to work on my art. Last night I worked on "PUGS N POLKA DOTS"

Got me a good night's sleep and it is now Saturday on Guam. Somehow between house cleaning, weekly bathing of Max, Shady, and Abby, Kin and Kylie's basketball game, the presentation of a Tacoma to I-Recycle Guam, lunch, dinner, and calling hubby in Korea I intend to finish this batch:

I Dare myself that I can................ (wink wink)

Until tomorrow my blog buddies I share this pic of cute notes my boys left me this week. I love how we keep our communication solid.

PUG HUGS

The Pug Artists from Guam

Karen