CD's Artistic Endeavors - C-Dizzles World

rainbows and wonder

2008-02-18T12:36:00.000-08:00

this was the rainbow c and i saw while out running errands yesterday. neither of us had ever seen a complet rainbow before, and a double rainbow! if you look hard at the pictures you can see it. the cell phone camera did not capture even a fraction of the beauty. this is why i try to carry my digital camera with me where ever i go, but the battery was dead. you just never know when something marvelous and breath taking will happen!

been gone a long time

2008-02-13T15:04:00.000-08:00

i think i have the winter blahs. and i have been traveling so i have not been able to make a date with my creative muse. the weather bounces back and forth between frigid cold and crazy warmth. it makes it hard to know what season to adjust too. but, today it is all about the winter wonderland. i have not really had the desire to create (due to family responsibilities, travel and just plain old blahs), but this winter scene outside my bedroom window makes me think of snow queen dolls, blue and gray and white polymer clay beads and dazzling sparkling crystals for a necklace. i think i will just snuggle up with a great art/craft magazine, a cup of tea and a warm blanket and just watch the snow lazily fall from the silver clouds above. the sun is setting, deer are scampering across the back yard and i have the house to myself. almost a perfect day. and the hubby will be home later so maybe i have time for a hot bath with my chocolate bubble bath (which is one of my favs!) and get snuggled down for the night. a marvelous day. i even got some housework done too. can it get any better than that? i don't think so!

reflections

2008-01-26T07:38:00.000-08:00

i have been spending a lot of time in my journal lately. reflecting, drawing (although i am not very good at it), trying to stretch myself artisticly. that was one of my goals this year, to not be afraid to do art, but to just do it. sometimes i am happy with what i do, sometimes i am greatly dissapointed, but at least i am trying, and the more i try the better i will get.

i got the newest issue of Artful Blogging yesterday in the mail.

can i tell you how much i love this mag? it is like my desert, my eye candy, my guilty little pleasure. i devour every page, every word, every picture. it takes me weeks to visit every blog and read back through the posts, linking my favorite ones to my blog so i can keep up with that artist. if you don't get it i highly recommend it. it is one of the few mags i have a subscription with (hubby got it for me for christmas). i will write more later, just wanted to drop in and update and share!

new polymer clay stuff on ETSY

2008-01-16T18:56:00.000-08:00

just wanted to share some of my new polymer clay creations that i listed on etsy. it has been a while since i put up anything new, and i hope to add some valentine jewelry and beads and some art dolls soon. keep creating! peace and artistic endeavors to all!

finally, my muse has reappeared!

2008-01-15T19:33:00.000-08:00

i finally feel like i am back in the groove again. as some of you know, i am on the design team for the shabby cottage studiosand this month we had a challenge to create with her beautiful valentine collage sheets. i decided to go back to my roots, and do a polymer clay piece with my images. so, i pulled out the liquid clay, the photo paper, the laser printer, and the big ole tile and whipped up some yummy valentine jewelry. i am really happy with how these turned out. hopefully i will have some of the tiles up for sale and maybe some of the jewelry. i really like the vintage look on the tiles. i think gail's collage sheets are just beautiful. i really enjoyed this challenge. please let me know what you think about these creations. hope everyone is doing well and i hope your muse has found it's way back to you now that the holidays are over! peace, love and creativity to you all!

Find more photos like this on Shabby Cottage Studio Design Team

where have i been?

2008-01-14T12:00:00.001-08:00

wow, i am having a tough time getting back into the routine now that the holidays are done. i miss bloggin! i miss my on-line friends. time to get rolling again. i have lots of beads and things i have made but not posted. i have challenges i need to submit for, a design team project that needs to be finish, and a doll round robin that i need to send my first piece off for. yish, i better get moving! i have also started working out and eating right. this is my year folks, and i am publicly announcing it so you guys can keep me honest and on track. i joing The Biggest Loser on line. this way i can track my meals, what i eat in a day, customize a workout plan and weigh in once a week. the best part is the community boards, where you can find one that fits your life and join and have a whole group of people going through the same thing you are going through. i will post my Losing CD blog for anyone that wants to follow that journey, or wants to go on a weight loss journey with me. i will get pictures up of new art stuff soon. gotta finish my projects first. i will get better at staying in touch!

my Christmas/40th Birthday present

2007-12-20T07:28:00.000-08:00

i had to share. spoiled rotten this year. i hope everyone has safe and happy holidays!

three blogs you must visit

2007-12-13T20:38:00.000-08:00

I stumbled across these two blogs because Gail at the Shabby Cottage Studios (where i am a design team member) posted two new banners she created for other artists on her blog. gail did my banner and i love it, so i wantd to see what other artist she was designing for and what their blogs looked like. i kept following links and looking at these creations. OMG. i lovethese blogs so much i had to pass them on to you. i hope you love them as much as i do. the first one is vanessa and her blog is here at A Fanciful Twist. i want to buy her pottery and so many of her prints. here is an example of her work, this was the piece i saw on sherry's blog that drove me to vanessa's blog.
you gotta go read through this blog.

how did i find her, i found her through a wonderful lady named Sherry who you can find here at Esprit*d'Art. gail did her banner which looks like this. i don't know sherry, never meet her, but when i read through her blog i see such a wonderful soul. i have tremendous respect for her because not only is she a talented artist, but a breast cancer survivor too. and any of you that read my blog know that i have a special place in my heart for those who bravely battle that disease. i will visit this site again and again because of how she views the world! i get lost in her posts. kinda like i do when i read nina bagley's posts.

part of what i find so fun and interesting about the blog=o=sphere is the ability to meet and see inside of the soul of people we would have never met in our daily lives. go visit all three of these increadible people. i made it very easy to just click and travel to their worlds.

locks of love, so proud of my daughter

2007-12-08T09:44:00.001-08:00

my mother is a breast cancer survivor. i am so proud of how she delt with the whole thing, from chemo to radiation. it made a hugh impact on my daughter and she has grown her hair out twice for locks of love. she told her soccer team that if they won the soccer tourny in virgina last weekend she would cut her hair. now her team has never won a tourny, and they are playing up a level from last year. she and several of her friends were going to cut their hair at the end of the school year for locks, but as a little extra incentive for her team, she upped the ante and said she would move up the date. well, they won their first tourny last weekend, and she went on monday to make good on her promise. i am so proud of her, to give back and act on something she feels strongly about. she asked me to document the event. the only thing i don't like about the hair cut is this, it makes her look so much older! argggg! she is so beautiful anyway, now she is beautiful and looks older! here are the pictures.

before pictures

bracing for the first cut and the cutting of the ponytail!

the ponytail befor the cutting starts and after the cutting is finished

here is the final style, at first i think it shocked her and she was a little upset losing all of that hair, but now she loves it, and so does everyone at her school!

gotta watch this video

2007-12-04T07:17:00.000-08:00

this is the funniest thing i have ever seen! you have got to watch this. i laughted until i cried. let me know waht you think of this short video. i would love to know if you found this as funny and as true as i did. enjoy!

adventures in bead land!

2007-11-24T17:32:00.000-08:00

i am involved in a Secret Santa bead swap with the Bead Hive Group on eBay. because i don't have a bead store near me at home, i have taken advantage of being in a bigger city and checking out the great bead stores while on vacation over the thanksgiving holidays. i found some great places and great people, and i wanted to share with you. i also found some great beads to send to my secret santa, but sorry, not posting that here!

first i want you to meet tammy who owns island dreams beads. she is a hoot! she was so friendly and helpful. you gotta go and visit her web site! she will ship to you and she has some great lampwork and polymer clay artists that design for her. i will definately be going back when i am back in town. and here is the really cool mural outside of her shop! check this out.

Here are some really cute designs the "islanders" put together at Island Dreams Beads. they are too beautiful.

while i was there they were having a trunk show with an increadible lampwork and polymer clay artist named Suzy Komar who owns her own bead business called Bizzie Bee Beads. here are some examples of her work. She is amazing and I bought several beads from her. if you click on her name you can contact her about her work. check out this eye candy! this is a sample of her polymer clay work.

and her are some pictures of her gorgeous lampwork beads! i have no idea how she does this fantastically detailed work.

beatiful aren't they? i may start carrying her work on my Etsy site, that is how much i love her work.

i love sharing about the people and places i find on my adventures! i think as an artistic community we have to support eachother, so if you haven't taken the Handmade Pledge yet, go to the sidebar and click on the Handmade Pledge banner and take the pledge this season! i will share more about the places and faces i found on my trip soon. later!

CD's Artistic Endeavors - C-Dizzles World: thanksgiving day to remember#links

2007-11-23T22:52:00.000-08:00

CD's Artistic Endeavors - C-Dizzles World: thanksgiving day to remember#links

thanksgiving day to remember

2007-11-23T22:33:00.000-08:00

usually i don't post the same message to both of my blogs. one blog is for my family, to keep in touch, share family events and pictures and other family related news. the other is for my artistic endeavors, to share art i have created, neat art and antique places i have found on my journeys, and to meet and stay in touch with other creative people. this post however has to go on both blogs.

this thanksgiving we went to see the hubby's family. it was a 14 hour drive to get there are we stayed a week. in fact, we are still here. on thanksgiving day we cooked at my BIL and SIL's house, and took the food to my MIL and FIL's house. see, they are in the process of moving into a new house so they did not have a full fridge or all of the pots and pans moved yet. so, the BIL cooks the turkey each year because let's face it, he is the best turkey cooker in the land. so, he took it in the pan to my MIL's house to cook in her oven, and being the really cool uncle that he is he took my teenaged daughter with him. in fact, he is so cool he let my daughter drive the three blocks back from my MIL's house to his house. three blocks, all on subdivision roads, no traffic, nothing. and she did great, until..................................... she pulled into the driveway. i think the following pictures tell the rest of the story better than i ever could.

the really cool thing about the whole situation is this, no one got upset, except for my daughter who felt so horrible about the whole thing she cried for a long time. my BIL and SIL were so cool about it and were more worried about her and making her feel okay than they were about the house or the car. she confused the gas peddle for the brake, and when the car did not stop she pressed harder, and the house stopped the car! yes, very new driver, just learning, can you tell? needless to say, we will never forget the thanksgiving that she drove into the garage, without opening the garage door first!

hope everyone else's thanksgiving day was a little less eventful than ours! happy holidays everyone!

thankful

2007-11-21T19:38:00.000-08:00

there is so much to be thankful for this year! again, my husband, for loving me and supporting me in my day job and my artistic endeavors and obsessions

my children, two teenagers, both with great heads on their shoulder, good grades, kindess, strong sense of right and wrong

my family, all of them, whether we are close, or far away, family is always there when we need them, and we are always there for them when we need them

my friends, but mostly the ones that have been there for me through the roughest times in my life, and the ones who have allowed me to be there for their roughest times

my art, the opportunity, time, and money that has magically appeared (through the grace of God)this year so i can really spend time developing my skills

my health and the health of my loved ones (no breast cancer for me this year despite having a biopsy)

my home, we are really trying to make improvements to the house and yard so it feels more like home for all of us

my on-line community of artists and friends, for the opportunity to be on a design team, for the opportunity to go to Art and Soul next year, for having a blog that i enjoy so much, for finding other increadible people through the blogging community

for "stuff" like my iPod touch, my little digital camera that fits in my purse, my laptop, and my studio that was completely redone this year and organized

the success of my "day job" which is my consulting business for nonprofit organizations and faith based organizations, allowing me to be home for my children more than ever before and allowing me to set my own schedule for the most part

becoming closer to God through study and prayer

Those are just a few things I am thankful for this year. i have been too blessed this year to be able to list everything. it has been a great year, full of blessings and opportunities.

i hope all of you have as much to be thankful for as i do this year. have a great turkey day, enjoy friends and families, and even if this year has been hard, be thankful for what you have, even if it is not much (i have been there to my life too)

trips, goodies and gas prices

2007-11-16T05:57:00.000-08:00

i had to travel this week, and when i do i like to scout out new antique stores and visit old favorites. this is one of the many advantages of having to travel the state for my job! first, lets talk about gas prices. i have one thing to say about the current cost of gas.................ARGGGGGGGGG!!!!!

Enough said on that topic.

moving on to better things. i went up toward morgantown, west virginia. think WVU. i have been elected to the board of directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Central West Virginia and i am so excited about this! what a wonderful organization. i have to stay the night when i attend a board meeting, so this gives me the opportunity to prowl for goodies for my altered art and jewlery making! and did i ever hit the jack pot this week!

i have a few favorite places i like to visit when i travel that way. one is Sisters Antique Mall at exit 69 (i think that is the exit number) off of 79 in Flatwoods, West Virginia. i can spend hours in there! this is about the half way point on the way to Fairmont, West Virginia so it is a great place to stop, stretch and search for treasure.

when i arrived in Fairmont, i saw a new sign that said Fairmont Avenue Antiques. ohhhhhh, a new place to check out! i was so excited. so, i went. and am i ever glad i did! i meet the nicest person there, and guess what, she designs her own wall paper! i have never met anyone who does that, and i saw some of her work and those of use who do altered art would just die to have some of her scraps! maybe she will start selling us some!

it was a lovely shop, with room after room of delightful goodies. i spent so much time in there! i found some wonderful items, some really old LIFE mags from the early 1930's, a new mag i had never seen before from the 1930's, an old doll in the nina bagley style. i found old buttons, wooden pegs, milk bottle caps, and tons of other stuff. this is now one of my favorite stores and on my "go back to list"! here are some pictures of this awesome store for you viewing pleasure!

i have unloaded the car, and now i need to unpack my finds, put them away, and maybe take some pictures of my favorite finds to post! the biggest thing i have found is that when i get these things, many times i don't need all of it. so i was thinking about putting together some kits or packages with some of these finds on my Etsy site for others to buy. what do you think about that? would you leave a comment if you think that is a good idea?

ok, i am off to play with my new toys! i am leaving tomorrow for our annual thanksgiving trip to oklahoma. this will open up a whole new search for goodies and treats! i can't wait to see what treasures i can find in another state! my hubby is going to see a football game, and he spent $200.00 on his ticket alone! so, because i did not want to go, i get the same amount to spend in the art stores, bead stores and antique stores! so watch out oklahoma, here i come!

new stuff on etsy

2007-11-12T19:15:00.000-08:00

ok, i took the plunge and put some of my polymer clay beads on Etsy. Hope you guys will check it out and give me feedback about pricing and quality of pictures. Here are some of the pictures of what I have in my store. Click on my Etsy store link underneath my blog banner to go visit and give me some feedback. Thanks guys! I appreciate you guys taking the time to help me out on this endeavor!

Mother/Daughter Day

2007-11-12T05:05:00.000-08:00

we went to canaan valley for my hubby's firm retreat. while he was in meetings my daughter and i took a mother daughter day. when we arrived on friday night this is what we saw laying right outside our door.

needless to say, we thought that was really cool! on saturday we took off early and drove to davis to grab some breakfast. we had a great time but it took over two hours to get our breakfast. they lost our ticket! we enjoyed spending time together, but that much time? we giggled our butts off!

well, after our two hour breakfast we decided to go see Seneca Rock and then go to Seneca Caverns and tour the caves. we had a great time in the caves. can't you tell? i fell in love with some of the flow rocks and rock formations. Seneca Indians used these caves to escape the harsh winters, and the guide did a great job telling us the history of the caverns.

here are a few more pictures. i would love to be able to figure out how to do some of these patterns in my polymer clay work. hummmmmm......how to do that?

so, i hope you enjoyed the pictures, my daughter and i sure enjoyed the experience. we also saw snow, but we didn't get any good pictures of it. we were sad about that, but we enjoyed seeing our first snow of the season.

polymer clay bookmark for a swap

2007-11-08T17:38:00.000-08:00

here is a bookmark i made for a bead swap (i was matched with a polymer clay artist). i really like how it turned out, except for the eyes. i need to work on that. let me know what you think. i know it is big and chunky, but that is my style. you definately won't lose this book mark! i have been making lots of polymer clay focal beads, so hopefully i will have some stuff to put on etsy soon. also, check out my new cool header! gail at the shabby cottage studio made it for me! you she does such beautiful work.

ATC's

2007-11-07T16:51:00.000-08:00

this is my first ATC i have ever made. i really like this one! it is sassy and funny and i love the vintage look. it came out of a 1930's Life mag. in fact, all of the ladies in this series are from Life mags of the 30's and 40's.

here is my first try at making ATC's. tell me what you think. i would love the feedback. here is a picture of the two page spread. there are four two page spreads in the tag book.

make sure you check out the Shabby Cottage Studio to see what the Seven Shabby Sisters have created for november! even though i am the baby of the group (newest to this art form) i am on the way to developing my own style. so many of these other ladies are just top notch in this field, and you have got to see what they have created. Gail will be posting our work all this month. i highly recommend you check it out! and if you would be so kind, post a link on your blog to the Shabby Cottage Studio so others can watch our creative journey.

there are more ATC's that i created for this series. and a suprise! but you will have to go to the Shabby Cottage Studio website to see that! aren't i just evil?

so, which one of these is your favorite? please leave me a comment and let me know. also, any suggestions to improve are welcome too.
te

My Studio

2007-11-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

Here is my studio, all clean and ready for me to work! I love it in there. I still have lots of stuff to do in it, but I will work on it over time.

I worked in here on my first project for Shabby Cottage Studios. I can not wait until all of our projects are posted. I really enjoyed working on it today. Really got the creative juices flowing.

Here is a sneak peak of the beginning of my project. You will have to check back often to see the final project.

Here is my studio, all clean and ready for me to work! I love it in there. I still have lots of stuff to do in it, but I will work on it over time.

I will post more on this project soon. This was just a little teaser for you guys on my journey to altered art/mixed media. It will be interesting to see the growth in myself and in my art.

The First Assignment!

2007-11-01T17:02:00.001-07:00

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, the Seven Shabby Sisters have received their first mission from their artist "Charlie" (please someone out there understand the Charlie's Angels reference)! I can not wait to start on this! Unfortunately I can not work on it tomorrow (have to take the daughter to the state finals for soccer all day) so I will have to wait until Saturday to dig in. Sadness, desolatioin, frustration! I want to play right now! But alas, I had to work for my business today (for those of you that don't know I own my own company called Leading The Future and I train non-profits, do grant writing, consult and do community development work). I love it, and it pays for all of my art supplies, but sometimes working for a living interfers with my artistic endeavors! But I work from home(except when I am traveling for a job) and can set my own hours pretty much, so I can't really complain.

Anyway, you guys will have to check out what mystery art we make! I can't wait to be able to share all of our designs with you guys! Can you tell that I am excited?

On a different note, I had to travel for a job today to a part of the state I had never been to before. The drive was amazing! Deep valleys, fast running rivers, waterfalls, all framed by the wonderful, bright, vibrant hues of fall leaves! Oh, I wish I would have had my camera. I know better than to travel without it. I so wish I could have captured the beauty before winter takes over the scene. Serves me right for not taking the camera. I have a great digital camera, but it is so bulky that I hate to take it with me. I would love to have one that I could fit into my purse for just such occasions. If anyone has a suggestion for a good one that fits those requirements, let me know. I will write more soon. Sorry for the short post, but so much is going on in my life right now I don't have a lot of time to write right now. i will try to post pics and catch up this weekend.

Joy, Creativity, and the Design Team

2007-10-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

I am so thrilled to accept an appointment to Gail Schmidt's Tennessee-based Shabby Cottage Studio's Design Team (see nifty little badge to the right). I am so excited I am dancing around like a little girl (and the teenaged kids are looking at me like I have lost my mind!).

We had to apply to be on the design team, and I am excited to be one of those selected. Our main function will be to make fabulous art using supplies from Gail's store at Shabby Cottage Studio. Projects will be posted to inspire and educate Shabby Cottage's customers. We will also brainstorm as a team for Gail and work with specific direction as well as on our own creations.

It is funny, I was buying stuff at Gail's on-line store when I saw the call for applications for the design team. I thought, what the heck, I will send her an email and some pictures of my work and a link to my blog. I will probably never hear back from her, because you see, I am new to this art form. I have done lots of polymer clay, art dolls, rubber stamping, and even a few altered books, but I am not a published artist, no way she will want me. I told her I was a newbie and I would be happy to help other newbies get over their fear of the blank page. Goodness knows I would have loved for someone to help me get over that fear! And you know what, I guess she liked what she saw and thought I had potential, because low and behold, she asked me to be one of the six original members of her design team! You could have knocked me over with a feather. I guess it goes to show, take a chance with your art. Share it, dream big, don't be afraid to grow! And always, always find a mentor, a group of people that will share their knowledge with you, people who are more advanced than you so you can learn, and people that are not as advanced as you so you can teach (but you always end up learning more than your students anyway).

So, what are you waiting for, go to the Shabby Cottage Studio and dig in! And check back here often to see what we are working on. I will also add links to my Shabby Sisters so you can see what they are doing!

Peace Out (as my kids say)
C-Dizzle

Caffeine, Nicotine, Incense and New Age Music

2007-10-30T06:44:00.001-07:00

Ok, how is that for a really messed up coping mechanism? I really can't eat much, the tummy is too knotted up with stress (thus the nicotine), not sleeping too much (thus the caffeine), trying to calm down and get my work done (thus the incense and new age music). Wow, I really need to pick one coping strategy or the other, healthy or destructive! Using both probably cancels each other out! LOL. I am trying to find humor in this really difficult time. I don't know what I would do without my husband right now. He is my rock, my protector, my laughter. It is funny, in really stressful situations I tend to become very strong, but the little stuff makes me come undone. Right now I should be falling apart, but somewhere inside I am peaceful. Oh don't get me wrong, I am upset, I am confused, I am stressed, I am sad, but I am not a basket case. I am not crying all of the time. I am getting housework done (which should tell anyone that knows me just how upset I am, I am not one of those natural cleaners by nature); I am getting my work done. I am getting anything and everything done that will take my mind off the issue at hand. Which I guess is good for the household, the career and the weight loss program. Always look for the bright side!

If anything though, I hurt for my family. I am closer to my daughter now than we have ever been before, forging a strong connection, becoming more friends than mother and child. She is faced with a big decision, and it is tearing her up inside, but oh, how brave she is being! She is learning to stand up for herself, make decisions based on her needs and not the needs of others, to search, ask questions, and listen for the answers. She is learning how to talk (which is a big deal because usually she keeps everything bottled up inside), to trust, to reach out for help, and to seek information before making a big decision. But she is struggling. You always want to protect your children, tell them what to do to keep them from harm's way, to keep the pain and hurt from them, but in the end, you have to let them do those things for themselves, and what a heart breaking process this is, this letting go. I think as a parent that is the most painful thing you will ever do, let your children go, let them fly on their own, without being there to protect them. Oh, we will always be there to catch them if they fall, or at least help them mend if they actually hit the ground, but every instinct inside my soul cries out to stop them from leaving the nest, for fear their wings may not be strong enough yet to catch the passing breeze that will help them soar.

My son, when did he become a man? Did it happen while I was driving him to soccer? While he was at his friends house playing? At school? While he was sleeping? When did this happen, because during this event in our lives, he has not acted as a child, full of selfishness and childish thoughts, he has become a strong, compassionate, unselfish, caring, nurturing, strong, problem-solving, comfort giving man. I look at him and go, OMG, what an incredible individual! Does he know how proud I am of him, how in awe I am of him, how amazing I think he is? I really cannot find words to express my utter admiration of this young man. They say you can tell who a person is by how they handle themselves in the worst situations, the situations where selfless sacrifice is required, where staying calm in the face of great anger is required, when you want to just run screaming and crying away from the problem, yet you find the strength to stand firm and tall and face it, that is when you find your true character, and boy, let me tell you, he has the most amazing character I have seen in any man his age, and most men two to three times his age.

And my husband, who is usually such a mild manner, logical, quiet man, who has turned into this lion, protecting his family, wanting to protect us all from harm and hurt. Oh how I admire this man, how glad I am that I found him on that plane! How glad I am that he sent me the card, got to know me, the me I didn't even know existed, the me that I have turned into, because of him. How do I tell him what he means to me? How to tell him how much I respect him, admire him, how much I want to be like him! He has stuck by me through so much turmoil, so much hurt, so much work! How do I say thank you when thank you doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the gratitude and love I feel toward him?

And through all of this, we have become so much closer as a family. I think that we have learned in the worst of time we will always be there for each other. That we will take on the pain and hurt of the other person if it means sparing them even a little bit of pain. I guess that is what a true family is, a unit that when the chips are down, are there for each other. Oh, that doesn't mean we are perfect, or that we don't aggravate each other. God knows that I could be a better mother and wife. I should have dinner ready each night, I should have the house work done, I should drive to more soccer practices and participate more in the school booster clubs, and I should be more of a Susie homemaker. The kids should do their chores without being reminded, the studying should be done without threats of grounding, and the rooms should be kept clean. My husband should not work so much, shoot more basketball with the kids, and be a Mr. Fix-It. But you know what? If that is our biggest problems we are so far ahead of most of the other families I know. The kids aren't into drinking or drugs (at least as far as I know, and I would like to think I would be able to recognize the signs if that were happening), they aren't having sex (see the previous comment), they aren't flunking out of school, the hubby and I aren't fighting all of the time, looking for comfort outside the marriage, or not supporting each other in our careers, we even present a united front in parenting. So in the end, we are a wonderful family, not without our problems and issues, but overall we are a unit that supports each other in times of need. And in the end, can you ask for more than that? I feel truly blessed, even in this difficult time.

my son and my studio

2007-10-30T05:50:00.000-07:00

my son turned 16 yesterday. he is a great young man. but here is the funny thing. i finished organizing and cleaning my studio. and where did he spend part of his 16th birthday? in the studio! he can draw, and i mean really draw. he can draw like i wish i could. it is really amazing. he can look at something, and draw it. so he goes into my studio and asks where the pencils and charcol are. he is learning how to use charcol in his art class in high school. he also asked for drawing paper. he was looking at my files of artists i admire on my computer, i often download pictures into a special file on the computer to go back to for inspiration or to study. he looked through those with me and then wanted to work in the studio. i gave him a drawing book i have on fairies and such, and i'll be darned if he didn't spend the next hour and a half in there, iPod on, listening to music and drawing. he then asked me for chalks and he colored in what he drew. he drew the neatest warlock face! i have got to use it in my journal! i was so proud of him. the amazing part is, now that all my materials are out and accessable, and now that the space is organized and peaceful, my son and daughter both have been in there. i am so glad i took the time to work on that space. what is funnier is i asked him if he had put away all of the supplies. he said no. and i told him how hard i had worked on the space. he said he wanted to work in there some more tonight (the next day) and he only left out the books and the chalks. he put everything else back in its place. how joyous it is to see this young man explore and create art. i feel like a good mom for giving him the space and encouragement to explore that side of his personality. i didn't get to discover that side of myself until about five years ago. anyway, just thought i would share that little tid bit!

Getting to know Photoshop

2007-10-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

Rice Freeman-Zachery gave me a few pointers about altering my photos. This is the first of my attempts to create a more "artsy" look for pictures to alter clothing with. Let me know what you think.

I am going through some family stuff right now (that I can not talk about yet) and being able to play with the photo's has really helped me escape mentally for a while. I also finished my art studio yesterday. I will take some pictures and post them later. I still need to decorate (I want to paint words of inspiration on the wall and hang some old windows I have around the room), but everthing is organized, labled, sorted and easy to grab ahold of. I put lots of stuff into mason jars so I could "see" what materials I have. I swear, I could open an art store! Did you ever clean out and realize that you have more stuff than you ever thought you did? Yep, me too. Amazing what I have accumulated over the years. Now I am excited to actually use the stuff. After cleaning I finally took the plunge and hosted my first swap. I had so much stuff I ended up sending out four computer paper boxed (the ones that hold eight 500 sheet packages of copy paper) out to the swap folks. Good grief. They are going to die when they get it. I also have tons of magazines and stamps to put onto ebay still. I just have to find the time to take the photos and create the posts. I feel a little overwhelmed by that prospect right now. The situation at home is draining my energy. The good thing, I am not sleeping much so that gives me more time to create! Well, I will close for now. Hope everyone has a great week.

What color are you? I am............

2007-10-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

I took this little blog test thing, and you know what? I think it pegged me perfectly. Color is so important to us as artists and crafts people. This might be a fun little thing to do! Go for it, you might be suprised!

Your Psyche is Blue

You are deeply emotional and very connected to everything (and everyone) around you.

By simply understanding other people, you are able to help them heal and let go.

While you are a very deep and thoughtful person, you do have a very silly, superficial side.

When you are too blue: the weight of the world's problems hangs over you

When you don't have enough blue: you lack perspective and understanding

What Color Is Your Psyche?

more altered photos, trip to the beach

2007-10-26T06:59:00.000-07:00

THE DEEP BLUE SEA

when i think of the ocean, this is what my mind's eye brings forward. the colors, the motion, the total vastness of the sea. it makes me feel small, and larger than life all at the same time. when i am there, all of life's problems seem small, everything seems possible. this is as close to meditation as i get, the only time my mind clears itself from all of the daily clutter. i can become totally involved in searching the sand for shells, sharks teeth, sea glass. my world narrows down to the three feet in front of me, i see every detail of the sand, i become one with the textures, the ripples of the waves as they wash up on shore. the beach is my sanctuary, the place where i feel closest to God, the place where i belong.

i have to admit, i am new to taking pictures, new to the Photoshop program i am using. and, i often go to Nina Bagley's blog for inspiration on how to look at the world through an artists eye.

I was totally blow away by the clouds durning one particular sunset during this trip to the sea. I desperately wanted to catch the beauty, the the awesomeness, the complete "largeness" of the clouds rolling across the dunes, threatening stormy weather, weather that never came, that past us up, went south, so we could enjoy the sunset without the storm.

the last photos i will share today come from the moon rising over the ocean. it was amazing watching the sun set over the dunes and the moon rise over the sea. my friend and i agreed that it was one of the most awe inspiring, magnificent evenings of our lives. art imitates life, and life can be so sweet and touching and beautiful that it can make you cry just at the shear overwhelming beauty of it.

The List of 100 Things To Do

2007-10-26T06:22:00.000-07:00

i saw a link to this in my sister-in-law's blog, and thought, what the heck, i will give it a try. if you are interested in this, go here to life's lists and give it a shot. it is a very interesting exercise and really causes you to think. so here is mine. And I am tagging anyone brave enough to do this! Put a link up so I can see yours too!

100 things to do...........

1. go to ireland
2. go to australia/new zealand
3. cruise alaska
4. see the cliffs of maine and oregon
5. see the grand canyon
6. have my art published
7. write my book
8. present as keynote speaker at one national conference
9. raise my children to be happy
10. to have a healthy relationship with my mother
11. meet my nephew
12. to be closer to my siblings
13. to learn how to take great photos
14. to take voice lessons
15. to make my husband smile everyday
16. to have a pet that my husband and i both love
17. to lose 75 pounds
18. to do the AVON 3 day breast cancer walk/run
19. to learn to read music
20. to learn how to play the guitar
21. to go an artist retreat
22. host a woman's retreat
23. to live at the beach
24. learn how to like housekeeping
25. learn how to ride a horse
26. take cooking classes
27. learn how to meditate
28. take yoga classes and stick with it
29. dance in a competition with my husband
30. take my daughter to italy before venice sinks
31. snorkle the great barrier reef
32. find the church to belong to
33. sing in the choir again
34. learn to spell without spell check
35. serve on a board for an organization that truely makes a difference
36. create a scholarship fund to send a single mom to college
37. make jewelry out of sea glass i find at the beaches i visit
38. grow a garden and eat what i grow
39. grow flowers and not kill them
40. be in a book club
41. volunteer at an animal shelter
42. work on a habitat for humanity house
43. decorate for christmas
44. get a hot stone massage
45. clean a river or stream
46. try snow skiing
47. keep a journal and work in it everyday
48. make handmade cards and send them often
49. keep my blog up to date and link it to others that i admire
50. chase a tornado
51. sketch in my journal frequently
52. run for public office
53. volunteer to be a big sister
54. be able to run 5 miles
55. find out my natural hair color and wear it proudly (gray and all)
56. save for retirement
57. be completely debt free
58. learn to make stained glass like my dad
59. learn calligraphy and use it
60. look through a really good telescope at the night sky
61. be the mother my children deserve
62. be the wife my husband deserves
63. to be able to look in the mirror and not critize myself
64. go on a trip with my best female friends
65. make amends to the people i have hurt on my journey to self-acceptance
66. to stop worrying so much about stuff i can't control
67. refinsh an antique piece of furniture
68. be the "really cool aunt" that the nieces and nephews want to come and spend a week with every summer
69. get my nose pierced
70. alter and wear my own clothes.....proudly
71. fill up my iPod with all kinds of music and books
72. write music again and record it
73. write down the toosie bear stories my grandmother and mother told
74. be able to be in the same room with my ex without it damaging me
75. own a really cool car that i bought myself
76. be a grandmother (a wonderful grandmother)
77. be a great grandmother
78. learn to suba dive
79. swim with dolphins
80. never to smoke again for any reason whatsoever
81. study other religons
82. sew a quilt by hand that can be handed down to my kids
83. organize and date all photos
84. wear a two piece swim suit with confidence
85. forgive myself for the mistakes i have made and move forward
86. learn to can veggies
87. learn to bake homemade bread that taste like my step mom's
88. get another tattoo
89. sleep on a beach and watch the sun rise with my husband
90. road trip cross country with my husband (preferably in a camper, one of the big one's that is popular among the retired crowd)
91. develop a sixth sense
92. do something scarey like parasailing, zip line in the jungle or driving a race car at over 100 miles per hour
93. get a tummy tuck to get rid of the ugly stuff left behind from all of the abdominal surgeries
94. learn to draw and paint
95. declutter my house and get rid of stuff that no longer serves a purpose
96. take golf lessons
97. sing in a band
98. see the mediteranian sea and greece
99. fly in a jet or a two seater plane or a hot air balloon
100. learn to live in the moment
these are in no particular order. like i said, this was a fun exercise and i learned a lot about myself. i will update when i can cross one off of the list.

better today

2007-10-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

yesterday i did manage to get my report done, get my daughter to her soccer game, and get some other work done. did i get all of my unfinished things done? no. do i feel better about stuff today. it is still raining, and i love it. i have been looking through teesha moore's zine called "play". i ordered some back issues, and i did snuggle down and lose myself in this incredible zine. oh my, just what I needed to get over myself. i have been afraid to start the collage process in my journal, but now, i see you just have to do it. thanks teesha for the inspiration and support you offer in your zine. for those of us that tend to freeze up because we are afraid that we won't "do it right" your zine is just what we need. you need to go to Zettiology and explore. when i ordered the back issues of play, she also sent me some great unmounted rubber stamps. oh i can't wait to play! i will need to order more. well, i have some work to do, but then i may finish the studio. the kids get out of school early today, so i will not have much time to get my work done, so i better start now. i do find that writting in my blog is like therapy. if i start my day, or finish my day by writting, then i seem to do better.

things half done

2007-10-23T11:19:00.001-07:00

i don't want to work today. it is rainey and overcast and i should be wrapped in a blanket with a cup of tea looking through art zines and playing in my journal. i don't want to write reports, research grants or create invoices for the work i have done. i want to crawl into my studio and play with paints and ink and write in my journal with the iPod playing cool jazz music in the background.

i don't want to finish all of the half done things. the studio is so close to being done, but i can't seem to find the motivation to finish the last box of "other" stuff, the little stuff that doesn't really seem to fit into any category. i don't want to finish the last bit of work that would clean out several projects. i don't want to put away the folded clothes sitting on the bench in my room. i don't want to input the receipts that would update my book keeping. i don't want to read the last few chapters that would finish the book i am reading. what is wrong with me? i am so close to finishing so many things, and i want to finish them, but not today. today i want to curl up and watch movies, surf the internet and visit art sites and catch up on the art blogs i haven't been able to read in forever. i want to order pizza and not make dinner. i don't want to take the kids to the soccer game and pick them up. i would rather take a long hot bath and eat chocolate.

maybe it is the weather, maybe it is the traveling i have done, maybe i am just lazy, but i want to stay home and not move from the sofa. the perfect day, snuggled down under a quilt, drinking tea, watching scarey movies and surfing the net (and eating chocolate, can't forget the chocolate).

i am not complaining, not really, i have to do the one report, and i have to spend some more time on the grant research, and i have to take the kids to the soccer game (they really want to support the varsity team at the sectional championship game and they should). so no snuggling down, no scarey movies, no tea, no surfing the internet, no playing with the photoshop software today. but there is always tomorrow!

Musings from the road!

2007-10-10T17:28:00.000-07:00

Here I am, on the road again............

my hubby told me when i am traveling for work i should take some time out for me. so, i stopped at some antique stores on my road trip. i found some great 1940's and 1950's LIFE magazines with great old ads in them (i use these for my altered art and charms for my bracelets). i also found a bunch of great old spoons, again for altered art and for making jewelry. the stuff i get is not extremely costly, i don't buy antique furniture or anything really expensive, just little stuff that tickles my fancy! i also found a bunch of old postcards and some game pieces. i know, like i need anything else to put into my art studio. but hey, i cleaned out a lot of stuff! more room for more stuff (jeez, i have used the word "stuff" so much i feel like george carlin). my art is taking on a more sophisticated form, so i am getting rid of all of the kid things from when my children were younger and getting different items so I can explore new art techniques. it is fun, and keeps me out of trouble. i have to admit, searching through piles of old books, and magazines, and jewelry, and silverware, well you get the picture, it is relaxing, and really gets the creative juices flowing.

when i look through the antique stores, i can't help but wonder who owned this stuff, was it important to them,, what is the story behind the item? this is why i can't buy old photographs, i can't help but think there is some great grandchild out there somewhere who would love to have just one picture of their long gone relative.

don't get me wrong, i love going to estate sales, and antique stores, and flea markets, but i also find it a little sad. the china, the silverware, the books and letters and photos. why are these not being passed down through someone's family? why did they have to sell there worldly possessions to strangers? just thinking out loud, hope the rambling isn't too hard to follow. well, i think i will go out to the car and get the magazines and start looking through them. i may sell some of the ones i don't need (or swap them) so someone else can enjoy them. i will write more later.

Wow, SuziBlue

2007-10-04T08:31:00.000-07:00

SuziBlu

Just go here, just watch this. I gotta figure out how to put video's onto the blog. I am really inpspired by her videos. Just what I need to get going and start back in my journal. Thand Suzi!

Altered Photos for the First Time

2007-10-03T19:03:00.000-07:00

I took some pictures tonight and used a very basic photo editing program to alter them. I ordered some back issues of Portals Zine (and I am hooked, I need more) and saw some altered photographs, and wanted to try. Unfortunately, now I am probably going to have to invest in some good photo editing software, like Adobe Photo Shop. And that is expensive. I will look into it though. Just thought I would post my first attempts. Enjoy.

New Etsy Store and Item for Sale

2007-10-02T12:23:00.001-07:00

OK, I am taking the plunge like other artits, and I have created an Etsy store to sell my goods. In fact, I am even having a banner made, and as soon as she is done I will have it up on this site, and in my Etsy store. I will also have her link on this site so others can use her great work for thier sites! Anyway, here is my first item I have for sell. I have sold stuff on eBay, and I have some beads and stuff listed there, a few other bracelets, but I am trying to brand my work, so I took the plunge to have a real "store". I welcome feedback on my work. Thanks for looking!

Doggie Fairy

2007-09-05T10:03:00.001-07:00

Here is a doll I made after finding some really cool doggie fabric at the fabric store. I like doing fairies.
I enjoyed trying a new technique for the wings. I learned a lot in the procees.
Here is an altered picture in black and white.

Are you a good witch or a bad witch?

2007-09-05T09:57:00.001-07:00

She is a good witch! I am getting into the Halloween spirit. I made her to go on eBay to try to support my new fabric addiction!

I made the hat (and it was a little harder than I thought it would be). I think I need to work with a softer felt rather than craft felt from the craft store.

Here is the detail on the bodice. I think it came out great. I also made her a broom from a big twig/small branch I found in the yard.

Fall Art dolls

2007-09-05T09:50:00.001-07:00

The Girls of Fall

I took the dolls into the local fabric store (they wanted to see them) and I sold the "Cher" doll to someone in line when I was checking out. LOL.

I am trying to do some different stuff with my dolls, I need to expand out, I am finding I have a very Patti Culea thing going (and she is one of my favorite doll artist.

I played with leaves I found at the craft store for one of the dolls. I need to work on my picture taking skills though.

New Breast Cancer Dolls

2007-09-05T09:47:00.001-07:00

Here is my new breast cancer doll. She is on eBay. I love it that I can do this and make some money for a good cause.

I will post some of my other dolls too. I have some cool fall dolls I made. i will put those on next.

Art Stuff

2007-09-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

Here is some of my polymer clay beads I have on eBay.

I have been cleaning out stuff in my art room trying to make some space so I can work on some new stuff.

I will post some of my dolls too. Just wanted to document some of my work. I haven't been doing a good job of that. Can't wait to go see my SIL so I can do some work with my paper and collage and scrapbooking.

New Doll

2007-02-07T11:53:00.000-08:00

Here is the doll I made for my future sister-in-law for Christmas. She is into the fairy/elves thing, so I made this winter elf princess for her. Wish I had more time to work on my dolls, I love to create them. More to come.

Sis's Baby Shower Page

2006-11-29T12:35:00.000-08:00

I guess I need to find out how to get an online scrapbook now that I am addicted. Any suggestions? This one was fun to do. A co-worker does digi scraping and she shared lots of the free download stuff with me. This is so relaxing. I find that this is what I do on my breaks now! And no tape or glue gets on my hands!

my bestest friend

2006-11-28T13:23:00.000-08:00

This is my bestest friend ever and her kiddos. Not sure I would have made it through my divorce, or college (all three degrees) without her! I owe her more than I can ever repay. I miss her!

Another attempt at digital scrapbooking!

2006-11-28T08:19:00.000-08:00

This is my latest attempt. I am trying to find the best sites for digital scrapbooking elements. Does anyone have any suggestions? I am using fxfoto for my scrapbooking software. It makes the whole layering thing easier! Now how to organize all of the free stuff i am downloading! Arggg!

first digital scrapbook page

2006-11-27T13:11:00.000-08:00

Here is my first attempt at digital scrapbooking. I have so far to go and so much to learn! Anyway, it will be interesting to see my growth.

my first artistic endeavor!

2006-11-27T13:05:00.000-08:00

Here is my first attempt at putting up my scrapbooking. This is Dare #48 from the DARES blog. Enjoy!