Deep Purple

Another week, another great Compendium Of Curiosities challenge at Studio L3 . This was a lesson in using alcohol inks to create a mono print. I THOUGHT I knew how to use alcohol inks but I really did learn a lesson this week! I used Wild Plum, Meadow and Bottle Green with a touch of gold. Took me three tries to get this right but it really was fun! Thanks Linda!

Compendium Of Curiosities 2 Fragments

It's time to play at Studio L3's Compendium Of Curiosities challenge...well actually I'm a few days behind probably but I was happy to get this finished. The challenge was to do a lesson from Tim Holtz's book on fragments. Lot's of fun...I've never used them before but will be using them more often now. Lot's of fun...go check it out! Linda Ledbetter is the queen of this blog and has another fun looking project she does called Drunken Stampers. They are doing a Twilight theme this week.... I may have to play....hmmmmm

Gingersnaps Mad Hatter Blog Hop

I'm late, I'm late, I'm very very late to the Mad hatter blog hop on Gingersnaps! I decided to try one more time with this stubborn piece of art! Maybe a better photo tommorrow....sigh! Oh well better late than never, right?

Sweet Life....Gingersnaps Blue Challenge

I love the Gingersnaps blog......they have the best challenges. I've been lurking there for quite a while. Once I finally decided it was more important to play than to have a perfectly organized studio I have had so much fun. I love using my stamps again. And my inks and whatever else I can round up in this explosion of art supplies I have going!

I was visiting my so very creative friend Lucy today and we were digging through her bits and pieces and she was kind enough to donate (uh, let me swipe, LOL) a lot of the neat stuff I used. It's good to have a friend who saves her little scraps and doesn't think you are crazy for doing so either! I used TH Distress Ink in Faded Jeans distress ink and Glimmer Mists in Seaglass, Suede and Old Brass. So lot's of sparkle which makes me very happy too except I have a hard time getting photos of sparkles and transparencies especially at night and I'm much too impatient to wait til tomorrow. :)

He Went To Paris

I've been following Lynn Steven's Trash And Treasures site for a very long time and always find some lovely artwork or a cool link to something neat. I love Gingersnaps site that she designs for and this week found a great blog, Studio L3 , where they are doing a project a week based on the lessons in Tim Holtz's A Compendium Of Curiosities. This week was water stamping. It took me two days just to round up all my TH goodies and then another couple to get comfortable with my stamping techniques again. This is one of my fav TH stamps and the words are from a Jimmy Buffett song that I love.

Home Is Where I Want To Be

I just did this page for my weight loss journey journal. I followed the Color Room palette. It was pink, blue and burgandy this week which I love.
I have been feeling more and more like staying home recently. It is getting very hot here and it's soooo much easier to stay with this restricted food plan I've chosen if I stick close to the hacienda! This page reminds me a bit of Alice growing huge in the White Rabbits house and then shrinking....that's me, shrinking, slowly, but shrinking!

They are doing a regulated burn in the state park behind our house tomorrow so I may take the furry ones and go out just to get away from the smoke! AGH!

Relax

This is my piece for the Color Room this week. I've always loved lilac and green so this was an especially enjoyable palette to play with. I took this picture of my old man kitty PJ or Mr. Handsome as I call him most of the time. He is retired now and when I saw him on the porch curled around the herb plants it reminded me how good it is to relax sometimes. Still on my weight loss journey but I really wanted to do his picture this week. Back to the journal next week and hopefully some mixed media. Time, where art thou? :)

Obstacles

Well I usually love a vintage shabby look. A pretty look. And sometimes I love a bright sunny look but this was not a pretty sunny week. I'ts still a struggle to regulate my medicine after having my thyroid removed and sometimes it really effects my best efforts at weight loss. Not to mention my energy and creativity! In retrospect I wish I would have tried harder to lose weight before all my surgery but that's the old hindsight's 20/20, right? So I really had to work hard to overcome some serious obstacles on the weight loss plan that I chose and this reflects that.

Also couldn't quite decide how to handle the color scheme on this week's palette at the Color Room. I was sitting in a waiting room and decided to find all my elements in a magazine if I could so this is more of a collage I guess. But it was fun and all's well that ends well, eh? Now I'm going to work on my sunny "reward" piece because I'm feel better and think I may have this under control for a bit. Thanks for the kind comments and encouraging emails as I keep moving forward on this path and I wish you all the best on each of your endeavors as well.... :) See you soon!

How...

This is my second page for my weight loss scrapbook. I really am enjoying recording this journey. I have lost 11 pounds which is amazing but I want it to be faster! Ah, impatience. This being one of the finer traits I possess. One that has contributed to my weight gain, I'm sure. Anyway I did this for the Color Room using their beautiful color palette as inspiration. Blues, greens and all the lovely shades in between are my favorites so this was a lot of fun for me.

Glimpse

I'm starting a new weight loss program for the first time in years and I'm going to journal and scrap the journey. This is my glimpse of my slimmer self in the future...the younger looking me is just a bit of wishful thinking :) I did this for the Color Room challenge this week.
I have been thinking about starting a separate blog just about scrapping and journaling weight loss. I haven't really seen one that focuses on both. Hmmm? Any thoughts?

Breathe

I so happy to be feeling more like myself and hallelujah, feeling more creative. I've really been enjoying the inspiration from the weekly color palettes at the The Color Room. There are AMAZING scrapbook artists on this site. Beautiful layouts. I haven't done much scrapbooking but I love all the papers and goodies available and they don't seem to mind if I throw in one of my pieces with no photos. :) Had fun time making this with bits and pieces from my scrap pile. I saved this dress form from a project I deconstructed a while back and it fit the color scheme just right. Go visit just to see all the pretty work if you get a chance.

Beautiful Day !

I really love April in Florida.....It's cool and sunny. things are blooming and green. Babies are being born... I've been away so many years in April and I always seems to miss the dogwoods blossoming and the miniature horses having their teeny tiny new babies and all the things that are so good here.
Today was a wonderful day. I had a great visit with Lucy who shared some wonderful techniques with me. I had someone renew my faith in people today and remind me that sometimes you just have to turn it over and have a little faith.(thanks Fredia!) I joined a new site called the Color Room. I was drawn by the name alone as well as the wonderful talent there. Color has always been a major inspiration to me. I finished a mixed media piece last night. I didn't love it but I am inspired and hopeful that I will find it easier as I stress less about my creativity returning (thanks LOML !) and when I get back to creating more regularly (thanks Lucy!)because a rusty artist is...well, rusty ! LOL!

Blog Silence

No.....I haven't run off to Paris or fallen down a well. But I've experienced several very painful personal losses since November as well as a surgery earlier this year that is taking far too long(IMHO) to recover from. I've been trying to push through these times by painting and journaling. But I'm just not the type of artist who paints or journals their pain or darkness. I love pretty flowery girly happy art for the most part. So I have come to the conclusion I need to take a break from my blog for a bit while I work through this period of my life. I'm sure my imagination and creativity will come swooping back in when I have worked through these times. I will spend some time with family and work on other projects which sorely need attention.

I have been encouraged and inspired by the wonderful friends and fellow artists who have visited my blog as well as my amazing friends in real life. Often the encouraging comments or emails you write have inspired me so much and I can't thank you enough for that. Who knew I would find such talented and good friends here? So I'll say good bye for a while and will stop by your blogs when I get a chance because you all inspire me so much. Happy creating and I know I'll be creating and back here again when the time is right.



Forever In My Heart...Little Girl

New Classes Kit SAVED 1/2/10 POST

AWOL ; "Absence without proper authority from the properly appointed place of duty"...."one who is away or absent without leave"...."absent from one's post or duty without official permission but without intending to desert" .....I think I like that one the best :) Anyway I am apparently feeling much more creative because I have a lot in the works for the next month or so.

I don't really scrapbook because...well I don't know exactly why, just not what I'm best at. But I found this wonderful site called Scrapbooking From The Inside Out . It is Rachel Kaufman's concept. She is very welcoming and I love the concept. It feels similar to journaling as it revolves around a monthly one word prompt using a gorgeous kit. October was Loss, November Gratitude and this month the theme is Peace. I got my first kit today and it is just full of wonderful papery goodness, stencils, stamps, ink and more. So I will be trying my hand at a couple monthly projects using my kits.

I'm involved in several good online projects now.....signed up for one more month in Kelly Kilmer's class "Prompt a Day". Also working on Karen Grunberg's Reclaiming My Time project. I start Dispatch From LA Remains Of The Day class with Mary Ann Moss on the 15th and then I'm taking DJ Pettitt's upcoming photo editing class. I've loved her style of painting for years and I'm sure her new digi class is going to be fun. A bit intimidating but fun! Her sample photos are beautiful and I'm looking forward to it. Last but not least I'm doing a Wacom Bamboo class with Jessica Sprague in January.....Take that rusty muse! Break time is over! :) Welcome back !

January 2 2010 Post Saved
No, I haven't run away and join the circus or come down with a horrible case of hobokorokis. But I did abandon my 30 Days Of Happiness project. I've been trying to stay positive through a lot of personal losses recently by working in my art journals but had to take a break finally when my sweet little dog Mina took a turn for the worse in her battle with brain tumor she's been fighting. We had to let her go two days before Christmas so it's been a very sad time for me personally. Everywhere I turned was a reminder of her so when my brother called and asked me to go to Homosassa Springs with him for a day and then come back up to Georgia to be with family I jumped at the chance. I knew it would be very good to spend some time with them. That's a picture of all the girls except Loni the wiggle worm when we woke up today. I'm hiding in the very back row. None of us were feeling very glamorous but we were all here in the main house at the same time which rarely happens. It's always a full house here and everyone here is a night owl like me. Love that and waking up to a house full of family and friends. I'm really enjoying spending time with my nieces and nephew, especially getting reacquainted with my youngest nieces Loni and Lily as they are growing up so fast. My niece Lucy and I are definitely cut from the same cloth as we both love thrift stores and shopping. I am, however, going through some communications withdrawal. I left with an hours notice to pack and forgot my cell phone charger and laptop among other things. Today I hijacked the computer in the family room. Lily is at my shoulder demanding to know what I am writing and WHY is it taking so long ? :) Anyway lots of time to think about about my journal projects but not much time or many supplies to actually do much about them right now. I plan to take a long meandering drive home next week sometime and hit every thrift store I can in search of neat fabric and "stuff" to add to my journals, especially my "Remains Of The Day" journal. Sorry I haven't been answering my phone or emails but I truly hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and I will talk to you soon!

Happiness Day 9 It Was A Dark & Stormy Night

It WAS a dark and stormy night.....I didn't post for Happiness Day 9 because we had no power last night. It was peaceful and INCREDIBLY quiet though. You don't realize how much noise your house makes until the power is off at night! Or that your dog snores ! Even kitten makes little ghostly groans as she sleeps....I read by flameless candle light!

Little Orange Crocs !

Still going through my piles. I love mixed media but there is almost nothing ever that I want to get rid of because I will use it someday...ahem....seriously..no REALLY! Anyway in my mini sort today I found these tiny baby crocs that I probably planned to send to my neice a couple of years ago when they would have fit her but they are so darn cute they are going up on my "sparkle" shelf. My happy stuff shelf. I'll share a picture of that soon. :)

Happiness Day 7 STUDIO CleaNuP !

I have realized no one pays too much attention to my blog when I'm not doing artwork ( there are exceptions....thank you Lynn and Becky)..... :) you both are so sweet to notice when I need a bit of a pick me up comment! Truthfully it is pretty liberating doing these 30 Days Of Happiness posts. No rush rush to meet challenge deadlines or trying to create when I'm just not there yet. But the happy news is that I found out Thursday that a lot of my feeling so bad the past couple months was due to a prescription problem. When I had my thyroid removed I was told it could be a rocky road but I was just glad to be cancer free. Now I am starting to understand how the wrong dose of thyroid RX can take the wind out of your sails and if there are any stressful things or sad things going on it is amplified. So I'm looking forward to feeling much better. I know it takes several weeks to feel really better but I am noticing a little difference already. I feel more creative and can do a bit more without being short of breath or heart flippy flopping. Yeah! I worked today on my art supplies/thrifty finds storage area today with my friend Lori and we really did some work. I have totes. They are labeled. They are accessible. This makes me very happy! Next my studio!

Lazy Days & Journals

Well it's almost midnight and I have been so lazy today that I forgot about my happiness post. Is it wrong just to be happy to have a lazy day? I hope not because I'm happy I did!

I painted 14 pages in my journal last night so I can start adding collage and writing. What a messy fun thing that was! Here's a sample from my daily journal prompt with Kelly Kilmer. The prompt was about your feet! Ugh but fun to do! :)

I also signed up to take a class called Remains Of The Day with Mary Ann Moss from Dispatch From LA. It is a journal made of all sorts of bits and pieces with sewing and well...just too much goodness to believe. Can't wait til class starts on the 15th!

Happiness Day 5 Cat Houses & Cookies

What a great relaxing day. Full of homemade cookies and homemade cat houses :) We had a big box and I was laughing, saying that it would make a neat playhouse for Yoshi. Next thing I look up and see said house in progress. Two windows and an escape hatch ! I should mention that this fur ball has the man of the house wrapped around her little stub of a tail...completely. The second it hit the floor in all it's glory it was occupied. Definitely made me smile.

Next off on the "Home Improvement Store date". I'm sure most of you married ladies are familiar with these. A quick meal, a trip for hardware necessities and there you go! I even got some shelves for my studio redo.....repainting and rearranging to be more organized. Art stuff sure does seem to multiply!

Home to make cookies while the Florida Gators played in the SEC Finals. Only glitch in the day was when they lost and Tim Tebow cried. He's such a nice guy as well as a great quarterback. Hated that they lost their first game of the year! Still a good Saturday was had by all.....especially one spoiled kitten.

Happiness Day Four The Perfect Gift

Gosh , where to begin...first the obvious when I opened up a box with no return address. We live very remotely so I order a lot thru the internet...etsy...eBay...art supplies...QVC..etc so I'm thinking it must be from eBay or etsy. Imagine my delight when a shock of teal followed by bright purple followed by shiny followed by warm fuzzy! And finally a sweet sweet note buried down in the depths of all this goodness from my wonderful SIL and my niece Lily. A birthday gift because I missed our Thanksgiving get together when we sometimes have little somethings for each other. So here's a pic of Lily and Steve playing the last time we saw them and a couple photos of teal and purple goodness :) Grinning still! Thanks so much you two ! I love you!