Artvisionz

Organizing

2012-01-09T05:26:00.000-08:00

I am in the mood. I've been purging and reorganizing all sorts of things in my house. As a very visual person, how my house looks is how I feel. If things in my life are chaotic, which they usually are, if my environment looks that way too, it's like my brain short circuits on overload and I am not such a nice person. ;) I can only take so much. I started working on my studio a few weeks ago and, as Julie Balzar stated it in her most recent blog post, a working studio rapidly can become a storage room. Well, that's where mine has been most of this past year. I don't want to just clean off surfaces, I want it cleaned out, top to bottom, handling every single item I own kind of clean. I haven't been able to work in my studio in... well, I can't remember when. Even as I write, my sewing machine has been moved to my dining room table. I have a 225 sq. ft. studio space and I am working off my dining room table. How sad is that!?!

Well, Julie Balzar is starting her weekly studio organization project so I'm following along even though I do not have the freedom to spend my whole week working on it. Mine will take longer, but I will carry on. Here's pretty much where my studio is at in the process currently. I am making piles of like items with the plan of then knowing how much permanent space I will need for those items. And I'm purging, purging, purging... thinking of putting together flat rate mixed media boxes for sale... I'll keep thinking on that.

I have been doing this clean out throughout my house, actually. My boys were gifted an Xbox and a t.v. to use for play for Christmas so I had to rearrange our main living space to create a play space for these items. In the process, I also moved a different computer desk in for my boys and I swiped the antique writing desk for myself and put it in my room... which lead to a major clean out and reorganizing in my room! One thing leads to another! I'm so excited to now have a small work space for writing in my journal, doing Bible study lessons, and, I put a pan of watercolors in my desk drawer too. Pretty things that have special meaning to me line the top ledge of the desk. It's one of those old desks that the top closes down and when you need it, part of it folds back to reveal the writing space and little nooks/drawers. I LOVE it. I'm so excited! The bad part is lighting in my room. The wall the desk is on has no working outlet. In fact, the closest working outlet is clear on the other side of the room! I only have a lamp in my room and am now thinking of how to remake the shade on it to allow for more light in my room. I HATE dark. Oh! And I scored an awesome chair at our church rummage sale that is PERFECT for my desk!!!

Well, winter break is over for my boys as they go back to school today and I get back into my own routine. Almost time to get them up so I gotta' stop here. If you want to follow along or even participate in Julie's Organization week, you'll be sure to get some great tips! I suggest becoming a follower on her blog as she is a whirlwind of amazing creativity all the time! Such an inspiration!

New local class!

2012-01-06T18:35:00.000-08:00

In November, The Creative Quest closed it's doors. I was so sad to see it go but thrilled that one of the owners (and my boss) decided to reopen a smaller store right next door in the cutest little house! (But I will miss Judy in the worst way! She's retired from store ownership now but will still be teaching classes... wooohoooo!) Well anyway, tomorrow, Jan. 7, is the grand opening of The Occasional Artist! I just put a new, 2 hour class on the book for Feb. 4, just in time for Valentine's day! So check out the new store, the upcoming classes, and head on over to see me!

The class I am teaching is a small, burlap pocket with a magnetic closure the perfect size for a gift card! The little heart on the front is felted wool embellished with other fabrics and special word. We'll also be making 5 tags, back and front, to tie together and tuck into the pocket for your own "love notes" to someone special. It will be a fun class and only $20. with all supplies provided. Class is limited to only 10 people so call or run by the store and sign up fast!

I have more classes that will be coming up on the calendar and something new in the works. Hope to see you soon!

Serious blog neglect but... good news!!!!

2011-12-30T08:40:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know, I know... I have neglected my blog in a bad way. But, I have great news to announce! The website for Art Unraveled 2012 is up!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Registration starts in a couple of weeks AND, this year, as part of the 10 year anniversary celebration, there is a discount to those registering early for classes totally $250.!!!! All info at the website.

This year, I will be teaching on the very first day! This will be a painting class all about textures with various mediums. Details of my class are here: Up Close and Personal

The retreat starts July 30 this year! And I can't wait! Great line up of classes too so check it out!

Giving thanks

2011-11-24T09:08:00.000-08:00

Where has the time gone?

2011-11-19T19:17:00.000-08:00

I'll tell you... it just disappears! Can't believe it's been so long since I posted last! Honestly, I have to blame Facebook. It's so easy to post and keep up with so many all at once, I forget to blog!

What's the latest?

The Creative Quest, my favorite place to work, has gone out of business. The good news is that while one owner is retiring to just have fun, Kathie is reopening another store, right next door, but it will be smaller. We're hoping to be back open to the public next month but at the latest, the beginning of January.
I got another part time job working at my church. I work with Children's ministry. I go in during the week, to all the kids classrooms, take inventory of items needed as well as snacks, do the shopping, restock, clean and sanitize, set up, etc... so everything is ready for Sunday mornings. I love being able to create order.
Women's Bible Study is back in full swing as are yoga classes. I'm thoroughly enjoying both.
The Women's Bible study group now has a monthly hiking group so I have been fortunate to be able to join them. This morning, we hiked at South Mountain. There were 7 of us today and it was a gorgeous morning! I'll share some photos.

Cool truck at the base of the mountain!

Six of us made it to the look out point.

The whole gang.

The stacked stones create this mountain and it amazes me, to see God's sense of order, even in stones.

You will notice a slight obsession with cactus, particularly those with wounds, decay, or already dead. I think there so much beauty in them.

cool to see new growth popping out... and I think this is a completely different variety of cacti growing out of a Saguaro. Must be bird planted seeds.

It fascinates me how plants grow right out of the rocks. This trees entire root system is exposed in the rock! Very cool.

Sun rising over the mountain highlighting the cactus needles.

LOVE all the mossy rocks!

My life is so busy running from one job to the next (I work 5 different part time jobs and that does not include putting together and teaching classes), taking care of my kids and household... I've had no time to do art for myself. I'm in bad need of a studio clean out and reorganization! BAD need, I tell ya'.

ETSY

2011-08-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

Just listed a couple of new kits in my etsy store, one for my "One Page at a Time" book and my "Torn and Stitched: A composition of bits and pieces", both classes taught at Art Unraveled and CREATE retreats.

Also, I am having a 25% off sale on all artwork in my etsy shop! Use the coupon code ARTWORK25. Please help spread the word!

I also got some things listed in my VOP shop. Still trying to work some technical issues out with a secondary email associated with this shop but hopefully, it will be ironed out soon. Waiting to hear back from Etsy. I have a ton of stuff to get listed but it's extremely time consuming so please be patient with me! :)

Whew!

2011-08-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

(sketch from my spot in the woods, high up on the boulders)

It's taken a few days to recover from AU. It was a great event but boy, did I hit a wall by Saturday night!?! Exhausted!

Yesterday, I took my boys to Prescott for the day since we haven't been able to go do anything "fun" or vacation-like all summer. Prescott is only about an hour and a half drive north but about 25 degrees cooler! It was a perfect day. We had fun looking in stores in the square in town. Then, we had a picnic at Goldwater lake where we spent the entire afternoon. We drove back into town for dinner. We got home last night about 10:30. It was a nice break. Loved having time in the woods with no outside sounds. Even Sam kept taking about how nice and quiet it was! I took a lot of photos and did one small watercolor painting in a journal... a quick sketch. Felt great! Here are some of my favorite photos. WARNING... there are a lot of photos!!!

boys and their air soft guns

Max trying to look serious but I love the photo.

Love all the moss!
webs

the photo of this crane was taken from across the lake

Sharing our lunch!

Art Unraveled Week!

2011-08-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's here! Art Unraveled officially started with the "Meet the Artists" event Monday evening. I have been very busy revamping my class samples for the "Beyond the Bag" class I am teaching tomorrow! Today is the last day to sign up and I'd love you to join me if you are here! Here are a few close up shots of the journals. Yes, these are made with plastic grocery bags and no, they are not fused bags such as you have read about in various magazines!

I will be meeting up with friends for dinner Friday evening before setting up to vend for Saturday's busy event! I will also be participating in a special event Saturday evening. And, on the in between days, I am working with The Creative Quest which happens to be the on-site store for the retreat! Busy, Busy. If it weren't for my mom helping out with my kids this week, I don't know what I'd do. This is always the busiest week of the year for me. It's energizing and exhausting all at the same time... and tons of fun!

Figs

2011-07-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

Well, my fig tree is in high production mode. I have picked three different times and it's still loaded! However, the war of the birds has begun. They do not understand boundaries. The top half of the tree is theirs. The bottom half mine. Not sure if I will win another batch. There are a lot that should be ready by Wednesday. Here are some pictures. I think they are so beautiful. God really knows how to combine colors! LOL! Makes me want to paint. They are so inspiring to look at.

And then, there are the warriors in the battle... and they out number me, big time.

Snapped a couple shots of this one preening on the neighbor's fence. He looks like he has war paint on, ready to win this war they have waged, doesn't he?

If anyone has a great recipe using figs, please send it to me!

Published!!!

2011-07-10T22:51:00.000-07:00

I just received my copy of Pasticcio Zine, created quarterly by Angela Cartwright (yes, the actress! And now amazing photographer and artist!) and Sarah Fishburn (awesome artist in her own right!). My painting titled "Lucas" was chosen for publication for this issue! In real life, this 16x20 canvas is very textured. Most of the painting was actually done with a palette knife. This is my second time being published in this Zine. Very cool. Only thing I noticed was a typo. Actually, it would make sense how it's listed but it's incorrect. When I set up my blog, there was a typo in the blog address. Artvisionz was never intended to be Arttvisionz... two 't's... but once it was in there, I couldn't figure out how to edit. So, the double 't' stuck for my blog address. However, all my other stuff is Artvisionz with a single 't'. So, when my info got published, I think there was an assumption that the typo was on my end so they corrected it. Only now, if anyone is trying to locate me through my blog with the 'correction', they will get a dead link. Total bummer. I need to clarify that in the future with all publications. Regardless, I'm honored my piece was accepted! You can purchase your own copy of this zine on LuLu.com

Corrections and truth tellers

2011-07-10T06:37:00.001-07:00

Ok, so this morning, I had a letter in my email box from a fellow artist friend. She thought I would be mad at her for telling me the truth about my fabric dyEing. First of all, I have been misspelling it! How embarrassing!!!! Secondly, she started dyeing in the late 70's and has corrected me about what I am doing with fabric which isn't actually "dyeing" since I don't use chemicals, but is technically "staining". Am I mad at the correction? Gosh no! I want to have people in my life who are truth tellers in a kind way and I'm thankful that this was one of those times. I'm so grateful that she told me! All of this fabric I have been "staining" has never been intended to be used to make clothing or other items that will repeatedly go through the wash. I wash everything to see if the stain immediately comes out so I know that it can be used to create something, whether it be at small art quilt for the wall, a fabric book, an art doll, etc... these items are never washed so, as an artist who makes these kinds of things, I would not worry about a stain in the fabric that would eventually fade or wash out if I were to wash it multiple times. I think it would take quite a lot of washing for the rust to come out but, if washed over and over and over, I trust what I was told about this and it would eventually fade and wash out. The fabric pieces I have been staining are not intended for that purpose. I will be selling them with full disclosure as I will not be dishonest about it at all. I'm so thankful when someone tells me the truth, no matter what it is. Thank you, Marilyn!!!!! You are a true friend.

Still dyeing

2011-07-09T23:01:00.000-07:00

I keep fabric in my "rust pot" all the time since it takes an average of 5-7 days for the color to develop to my satisfaction. Lots of manipulating and "babysitting" rusting fabric. And when, oh when will I remember to wear gloves?! The stains underneath my fingernails are horrid!

Been playing around a bit more with something else but I want to see who can guess what I used to dye this fabric. However, it has not passed the wash test yet so I'm praying! I heat set it tonight and have two more pieces not completely read yet. What do you think?

I find it completely fascinating that I only used ONE thing to dye this fabric and look at the color variations! I love the element of surprise in the dyeing process. I just hope and pray it stays in the wash!

Usually, I have to work on Saturday's but I was off today. I went to a 2 hour demo at the local Art Supply store. It was with watercolor artist, Carole Hillsbery. Her work is fabulous. Very wet, messy, and drippy, which I LOVE but is so opposite of how I work which made the demo even more of a learning process for me. I can't wait to paint now and see how I do playing around with some of the techniques I learned just listening to her talk while she painted! I enjoyed myself tremendously! A friend met me there and there were three other artists there that I know from The Creative Quest! Carole works her paintings upright, on an easel. I was watching and thinking, "Oh, I need to get a board to mount my paper on." Well, I walked in Goodwill in the same shopping strip and guess what I found for $4.99?! The exact drawing board like Carole was using! I use to have one when I was taking drawing classes years ago but it broke. I was so glad to find such a great deal. I take it as a sign that I'm on the right track.

My boys have been with their dad a couple of days so I got to pick them up tonight. We came home and made pizza and watched a movie. This, of course, is mine... the boys eat their so boringly (is that a word?) plain.Well, I stayed up to an ungodly hour last night and didn't get enough sleep, thanks to Kenzy... those of you that have cats, know exactly what I'm talkin' about. They are creatures that memorize a schedule and it's locked in their brains forever. He knows I'm usually up between 5-6 a.m. And he's like a vulture who acts as if he's never eaten in his life. I've never known a cat to love food like he does. He'll eat almost anything. Bob and Marvin are not into the morning breakfast routine. Kenzy acts like he's dying of starvation even though he has access to food 24/7. It's a wonder he isn't overweight. I think if he were another breed, I'd have to really be concerned. For some reason, he stays long and lean. Anyway, I didn't get to bed until 2 a.m. which is very unusual for me. I started waking up about 6 but went back to sleep. When Kenzy finally wouldn't leave me alone, he woke me licking my back and then buried his face in my hair and started nibbling my head. When I woke, I woke from a dream about him! In my dream, he had somehow gotten out of the house and roamed a while. (my cats are strictly indoor cats) Well, he came home from this little adventure and got really sick to his stomach. (kinda' gross) He vomited up a WHOLE Koi fish that was still alive! LOL! I was staring and thinking, "How did he swallow that huge thing whole? And what am I going to do with this live fish? I have to get it to water or it will die!" And then I woke up to Kenzy nibbling on me. What a weird dream! LOL! Anyway, I gave up on sleep and got up around 8 and fed him. I'm one of those people that when I'm up, I'm up. And no, he didn't get a whole Koi for breakfast! hehehe! So, it's been a busy day but now it's about 11:30 so I need to get to bed. Anyone still out there reading? Let me know you are here! Tell me what you have done creative this weekend!

P.S. Just went around the corner and look what I found:
All three furry boys in my human boys bathroom floor. Obviously one of the boys left their damp towel on the floor and it's positioned right where the a/c blows. They are all trying to cool off. Poor Marvin got stuck on the rug. He's not aggressive enough to wiggle his way for a spot on the cool towel. Silly boys.

Spur of the moment class!!!!

2011-07-07T21:35:00.000-07:00

Coming up at The Creative Quest:

Mixed Media Cards
instructor: Angie Platten
Join Angie in making three beautiful, one-of-a-kind mixed media cards perfect for every occasion. We will be using nature photos, making three different cards utilizing a photograph, a transparency, and a transparency transfer. We will mix the three focal components with paper, fabric, and stitching! *Instructor will provide all supplies

Saturday, July 23
10 a.m.- 1 p.m.
$20.00

(above) transparency

(above) photograph

(above) transfer from transparency

Ok, so I decided, spur of the moment, to create a card class for a rare, vacant slot on the book at The Creative Quest! Sorry about the poor quality photos. The cards were in sleeves on the display so they look distorted. But, you get the idea! If you are local, I'd love to have you join me!

I'm still rust dying fabric but have finally gotten all other items for Art Unraveled's vendor day tagged and priced! I'll continue rusting fabric right up to the end before the retreat. Each piece takes a minimum of 3 days to rust.. .usually 5-7. So, the pot continues to brew...

Also been working on some other samples for my class I'm teaching at Art Unraveled. Will post soon. There is still room in my class and I'd love you to join me! I'm teaching my "Beyond the Bag" book class learning to create a book using recycled plastic grocery bags. The concept can be used for many things. Think I will make a tote bag... need to get busy!

I've also been fig pickin'. And found that I break out in a rash from the leaves touching my skin. Not a pretty thing. I have a TON of figs on my tree still and have picked twice. I don't like them so I'm finding people to take them. When I pick, I just want to paint. The colors are so gorgeous!
I did do a fig painting once. Here it is:

(watercolor with pen/ink)

Oh, I'm gonna' fess up now... up until now, I have refused to learn to text. Well, about 4 months ago, my cell phone bit the dust but I couldn't afford a replacement. I kept putting off the whole process. Finally, I ended up at Costco last week. I was able to get a new phone for free, switched carriers and got to keep my old number, got more minutes and unlimited texting for less money than I was paying! WooHoo! So now I'm learning... and realizing that as a hearing impaired person, texting may be my new love.

.

All in a days work

2011-06-29T16:36:00.000-07:00

So, today has been a busy pajama day... meaning, I've not had to leave the house. My favorite kind of days! I have spent the day getting all my little rust dyed fabric bundled ready to sell. These have turned out to be a lot of work! The rusting process takes several days, in and of itself. I can only do a couple pieces of fabric at a time and even then, I have to daily rework the pieces, unwrap and rewrap rusty objects, add more solution to speed up the process, etc... But then, once I'm happy with the patterns created, there is the laundering, ironing, and cutting to size. Then, as I was ready to create little Fat Quarter bundles, I thought, "Hmmm, now each piece is completely unique. If I bundle them, how will a customer know what the piece looks like to encourage the sale?" So, I came up with a solution. As you can see in the following photos of some of my sample fabrics, each piece is numbered. After putting on the black board with a number, each piece was individually photographed before bundling. Each bundle was then tied and labeled with the coordinating number. Now that I have all the photos, I will be printing them in wallet size photos which will become the price tag for each bundle. Now the customer can see what the whole piece of fabric looks like before purchasing. Almost all of the pieces are fat quarters with the exception of a few that were odd sizes. Those will be appropriately labeled, of course. I also put together "remnant bundles" which have smaller, odd size pieces grouped together. All of the fabric is cotton and repurposed with the exception of a gauze fabric. I did purchase that new. It's more difficult to work with but is wonderful. It will be so awesome in a layering process. I only have 6 bundles of it for sale. If I have time, I may go purchase more for rusting. I still have fabric in the rust pot. I have also done some ribbons and vintage trims which I will sell by the yard.

here's a sample of the gauze fabric below:

I find it interesting how many variations of pattern and color I have gotten using the same exact objects but a variety of cottons.

Now, this last piece is really cool. Do you see the face in the pattern? I spotted it immediately! I have saved this piece hoping to create something with it myself... unless I get an offer I can't refuse! LOL!

Well, I'm glad to have this done. I've worked the last week on three samples for a class I want to propose for CREATE 2012. Finished those samples yesterday but still have to do all the brain work... a.k.a. the writing part. I still have many classes to write and samples to do over the next few weeks as well as prepare for Art Unraveled! Busy, busy summer!

Thrifting score!

2011-06-19T06:58:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know I haven't posted much lately. I've been busy working, hangin' with my boys, and really focusing on class proposals for retreats for 2012. There are deadlines a year in advance, ya' know.

After work, I usually rush to get my kids but since they are staying with their dad all weekend, yesterday, I came home leisurely and stopped by a thrift store for the first time in months! The fact that I haven't been to even a thrift store in months is just sinful. Well, I didn't score a lot of stuff or anything but.... Just look at this gorgeous sari I found! And check out the price!!!! There is no tag in it but I believe it is silk, as they are usually made of silk or cotton and this is definitely not cotton! It feels like pure, rich luxury! So anyway, last week, I took the doors off of my closet because it was totally not functional for me. I want to put curtains up instead. When I saw this sari, I knew I found my fabric! And, the best part will be that I only have to cut and sew ONE seam on the hanging end of each piece. I'm going to use curtain clips so I don't even need a pocket! There appears to be at least 5 yards of fabric so I will be creating some matching window treatments for my other windows as well. As you can see, it is beautiful with my velvet bedspread... which really needs the cat hair cleaned off of it. Bob sleeps with me every night at the foot of the bed. sigh.... Anyway, I'm so happy to have found this and at a smokin' deal. Can't wait to get them up. I need a spring rod to put up. I already have the curtain hook ring thingies.

The only other thing I got was a pair of Levis for Max. He'll grow into them probably by mid fall. He still only will wear black Levis and he's so stinkin' skinny. I just purchased a new pair for him a few days ago and those suckers are $38. per pair!!!!!!!!!! Thankfully, I had a $10. off coupon. But, I found a pair at the thrift store, next size up, for $4.99! Score! He's really hard to fit right now because if I get the length to be a good fit, even slims are too large in the waist! A sz. 10 is ringing that "line" of his ankle bordering too short but they fit perfect in the waist. Size 12 slim are great for length but too big in the waist... and not just a tiny bit. The new pair I got were 11 slim and they will work. A tiny bit big in the waist but wearable and a good length. I bought a 12 at the thrift store. I knew they were in our future and just couldn't pass up the price. It's soooo hard finding black Levis anywhere, much less a thrift store!

So, now I'm going to get ready for church and play with the 3 year-old's first hour and then go to the service. Three is the perfect kid age. They are so stinkin' funny!

A few days ago, I stopped in the middle of the road in a neighborhood and snapped these photos of this gorgeous blooming desert plant in someone's yard. Love the contrast of color against the sky.

Sale!

2011-06-08T11:09:00.000-07:00

I am offering a summer discount in my Etsy shop! Enter the code 'sizzle11' and receive 25% off your purchase!!!

Pondering... thoughts anyone?

2011-06-07T07:24:00.000-07:00

I've been pondering on something the past couple of days. Asking myself, and God, questions. What is it about our "stuff"... material stuff... that makes us want vast amounts of it which we hoard? We live in a world of overworked and worn out yet we want to collect more and more stuff, which we are then responsible for. What is this? See, I have someone that I know... and she has a lot of 'stuff'. I look and wonder, "Why are you keeping all of this? There would be so much less clutter if you would get rid of these piles. Would you feel like you could breathe if you weren't being suffocated by so much stuff?" But of course, I haven't said this to her. And she not only hoards "stuff" that makes me feel like I'm suffocating in her home, she hoards food. I'm not joking. She's a single, senior citizen and has food, food, food. Pantries are stuffed to the point that things fall out on you if you open the cabinet. If you go to put something back in the refrigerator, you waste 5 minutes of you life standing there wondering where it came from in the first place cuz you sure as heck can't figure out where to put it. And she's in to "preparedness for emergencies" so she has a storage room stocked full of food.. like 25 lb. bags of dry goods and such. Where is the line crossed in being prepared and this being a sickness? I've been trying to analyze the situation. What I'm pondering are the following questions:
1.) Is this fear? Maybe from experience of a time of not having enough, one stockpiles out of fear of ever being in that place again?
2.) Where does faith and trust come in? Does one, in this place, not trust God's provision for them?
3.) Is the hoarding of things partially about desire? In the gathering and collecting (or hoarding) of things, is it out of desire for an identity... one ties their identity and who they are to what they own?
4.) Is there a line that is crossed between identity being wrapped up in our possessions and having our home reflect who we are? I mean, when you die and someone that didn't know you, walks into your home, you want them to feel that they know you in some small way, by what you have in your home. It's an expression of you. But is there a line that is crossed over into something entirely different when staking your identity while you are living, on those things in your home? Do they define you?

I ponder these things because (1) I am concerned for this person. I care for her and with her increasing health issues, she has an inability to care for her things. So it would make sense to me to purge and get rid of things you don't need, don't use, and simplify so you don't feel overwhelmed with things that need attention. I mean, it's a health hazard to open a kitchen cupboard! You know, the commercial of a kid cleaning their room where they just stuff everything and then when the door is opened, it all falls out? Uh, yeah... that's every cabinet in the kitchen, every closet... everything. The disorganization feels like my brain short circuits every time I look behind a door or in a drawer. I so badly want to help this person but also realize that not everyone thinks like me. That maybe, for some people, being able to own and see all their things is a reminder to them, of life... that these things represent their life. However, I am concerned for her safety and well being with all her "stuff".

Another reason I ponder this that I don't ever want to be one of these people on any level. When I was younger, I saved everything. And I mean, everything. I think I wanted to have reminders that my life meant something. That it was important. That I was important. The more I understand God's view of me and experience His grace, the less important those "things" are. It's easier and easier to let things go. For the most part, my home is furnished very minimally. I no longer have collections of things everywhere. Yes, sometimes I miss those things because they were tied to a memory. But, for the most part, I am relieved not to have tons of stuff collecting dust in my house always needing attention. I am in a perpetual state of mind of "clean out and simplify"... because it frees me.

Let me ask you this... if you had a friend you were concerned about, living in such a way, would you offer to help her? Would you say anything at all? I mean, what if she doesn't even see it as an issue... yet, deep down, I know this isn't true because of things she says. I see her exhausted and depressed. And I know from experience, how my house looks, is how I feel... and vice versa. My house is often messy and cluttered to me... and I HATE it.. because I feel messy and cluttered inside too. It's a reflection. I am constantly trying to clean out and organize so my energy can be spent being creative and loving my kids.. not weighed down with piles. It is a process. But if I was never moving forward in this process, I'd be so severely depressed, I couldn't function. But maybe that's just me.

Any words of wisdom? Thoughts? Anyone?

The Creative Quest

2011-06-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

A while back, I did a photo tour of The Creative Quest, the store where I love working, but I forgot to post the pictures! So thought I would share our store with you! Oh, and by the way, one of my favorite things is reorganizing product displays! hehehe! So here's walking in the front door:

See the classroom are in the back? That's where I teach! :)

This is my personal favorite part of the store because I LOVE the papers! These racks are double sided and are on wheels so they move like turning pages of a book. And I'd die to have this cabinet in my studio! I just love it.

The ever changing class selection! Check out the website for upcoming classes:

my friend, Hannah

2011-06-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

At The Creative Quest, I am privileged to work with Hannah. She's young, cute, funny, and into fashion. I LOVE working with Hannah! She recently started a fashion blog. Her sense of humor really comes out in her writing and she has a funky sense of style... and a major shoe obsession. Go visit her here.

Upcoming class

2011-06-02T19:27:00.000-07:00

I have a class coming up at The Creative Quest on June 11 and still have some openings. I'd love to have you join me and create your own Travel Bundle. This journal is the perfect size to hold travel brochures in the vinyl pockets. It is a double sided journal, as you can see. It feels so great in your hands for on-the-go journaling. We'll be designing on unstretched canvas for our covers and then binding all the pages together to create your own, unique journal! Hope to see you there!

Here is a picture of the kits I made for my classes at CREATE. I just found the photo and realized I never posted it! I made them from wallpaper!

Also, this was a commissioned project I did just before going to CREATE. This box was done for a friend's college graduation. The inside flowers were for others to write 5 affirmations, one per petal.... I think that was what was done with them. I wasn't at the party... just commissioned to make the box and flowers! I have a few more I need to make too. Studio is almost functional so I can get to work. I refuse to pull collage materials out to the dining room table again.

One thing I have to say about doing these boxes... working around the metal hardware is a pain in the you know what. But they do turn out so pretty!

more dying results

2011-06-01T18:01:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple of my rust pieces as well as a couple of other spice dyed pieces. So far, I've rinsed them and have them drying. I will then run them through the wash to see how the hold up. I have no doubts about the rust. That stuff doesn't go anywhere and oh, how I love it! The spice stuff... well, we'll see. I'm waiting for my neighbor to come home to get some Eucalyptus leaves off his tree. I'm too short to reach. I'm also going to the grocery store to see if they'll give me the onion skins out of the red onion bin! I've got some new fabrics in the rust bin now.. over-dying some pieces I wasn't thrilled about.

Results

2011-06-01T16:58:00.000-07:00

Well, sadly, the pink fabric with the coolest pattern ever, did not work. I have to find something that will set the beet dye. Vinegar did not work in this instance. However, at least I know how to create that particular pattern so I'll try it with something else.

Here is the shirt I did last night with soft scrub, stamped with broccoli stems! I think it will look better on. I really like it! :)

And this is another project I'm in the middle of:
These are Sam's new shoes. He has a very hard to fit foot and this is one brand we've had good luck with for him. They only had the white shoes in his size, which actually fit me now too... and he didn't like all the white. He wanted the black ones but no such luck. So, I am using alcohol inks and painting in the graffiti in fire colors, his favorites! I like how they are turning out! I need to hurry up with them so he can actually wear them!

More food dying

2011-05-31T22:00:00.000-07:00

Here are the results of my onion skin fabric dying. The yellow onions produced a beautiful buttery yellow dye.

Here's more rust dyed fabric, which I LOVE. Even Max said, "Mom, you should do a shirt. It would look really good on you!" Yep, I need a white t-shirt to rust.

Then there is this gorgeous pink fabric. I love how the pattern is forming.
And the blending of the two.

This top piece is recycled raw silk. First, dyed with onion skins, then redyed.

I tried to create a pattern with the over-dying in the piece above.

And then there is some pieces in process. I'll unwind them tomorrow and see what happened with all my little kitchen ingredients! :)

Right now, I have a shirt "brewing"... I stamped on it with cut broccoli dipped in Soft Scrub with bleach. Anxious to see how it turns out! It's fun playing with all this stuff and experimenting!

Quitting for the day

2011-05-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm tired and stopping for the day with all this clean out. Here's where I'm at this evening.
I've made pretty good progress today but still have a lot to do. It takes a lot of thinking trying to figure out the best "home"for various things. Then there's the deciding what to keep and what to get rid of. I have a ton of stuff to go through but, maybe tomorrow afternoon, I can at least get the table surfaces cleaned off. Then I'll have a place to sort items as I go through drawers. Once I am confident with where things are put, I will label all drawers and containers.

Now to go clean up the kitchen from my onion skin dying experiment! My boys were suppose to be brought home at 6 from the weekend with their dad. Still waiting... have no idea when they will actually show up. I miss them! Anxious to veg on the couch with them watching Gilligan!

Progress report

2011-05-30T15:44:00.000-07:00

Well, it's almost 4 in the afternoon and I've been cleaning stuff out in the studio all day. I've stopped for a snack and thought I'd post a progress photo. In the back left, you see the big basket? That's stuff I'm not keeping. And in the chair just behind that are all empty plastic bins!!!!!! I still have a LONG way to go. I want to go through everything, reorganize, label, etc...Then I can maximize my creative time knowing what I have and where it is. And, going through stuff sparks new ideas!

Also, here is my first piece of rust fabric! In my cleaning out process, I found a bag of onion skins and decided to experiment with dying with those so I'll show results of that later. I need to collect some purple skins.

My boys have been with their dad all weekend and are due home at 6. I will be hanging out with them watching Gilligan's Island. We just got another disc in the mail from Netflix! We've also been watching Green Acres! Funny... when I watched it as a kid, I never questioned why Oliver insisted on wearing his attorney clothes to farm. Why didn't he get overalls?

heading in

2011-05-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

Well, this is the state of my studio right now... and it's overflowing into my dining room, as you can see! Oh, and this doesn't count the pile in the back of my van that I haven't brought back into the house yet! EEK! I'm heading in to start the clean out and organizing process... if I disappear, someone come look for me.

And by the way, we are having AMAZING weather! It's about 68 degrees at 8:30 a.m. Unheard of in Phoenix at the end of May! It couldn't be more perfect!

Rusting

2011-05-27T22:55:00.001-07:00

Yep, that's what I'm up to... rusting fabric. Isn't it gorgeous!?!?

Art Unraveled

2011-05-27T06:30:00.001-07:00

"It's in the Bag" book inked

"It's in the bag" book left raw

Art Unraveled is coming up in just a few months! I can't believe it! I have to start hammering out proposals for 2012 this summer already! Holy Moly!

This year, at AU, I will be teaching my book binding classed called "It's in the Bag". The cover of the book is created with plastic grocery bags! It's a great recycling project and makes for a sturdy, very lightweight cover for a hand bound journal. The technique for creating the cover also opens up a lot of possibilities for other projects. My mind starts whirling with ideas when I am working on these books! The class does require a sewing machine but has a very small supply list. I was just offered the use of 5 sewing machines for this class for students traveling from out of state!!!!!! So, if you have considered the class but held back because of the issue of traveling with a sewing machine, now there are a handful available for use in class! Please contact me (princessburninghair (at) cox (dot) net) if you need a machine and have signed up for the class so I can reserve one for you.

Final trip post

2011-05-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

In the garden... Karan and Pasqual (not sure if I spelled that right!) have a great little garden in their back yard. Here are a few of my favorite pictures. I LOVE the squash blossoms... would have liked to pick them and cook them up! :)

And wouldn't you know, Karan and I didn't get any pictures of the two of us until I was ready to leave... no make up, nothing! LOL! Oh well...

This trip was such a great experience. Not just the teaching, which was awesome, but getting to be with other like minded people... other artists. There just isn't anything better! Karan and I had never met until she picked me up from the airport but there was a common bond and friendship already. I met several new artists, some whose names were familiar and others, brand new. I have new friend's blogs in my google reader and new FB friends. I also got to finally meet another long time online friend, Kari McKnight Holbrook, who was also teaching at Create. Such a sweetheart!

Flowers

2011-05-24T07:44:00.001-07:00

I took all of these photos in Karan's yard or from flowers running alongside her fence! However, the orchids are inside and are grown by her husband.

Day 2 at CREATE

2011-05-24T05:41:00.000-07:00

Saturday, I taught "Torn and Stitched: A Composition of Bits and Pieces". I wrote this class 3 years ago and finally got to teach it! It was a good class. My students were eager to learn more about creating a balanced composition with bits and pieces of fabric. None of them had ever done a transparency transfer either so we had fun doing transfers first thing! They then chose their favorite to create their piece of artwork with. I had a couple of quick workers so they did two pieces. I also learned some things in this class myself that I will utilize should I ever get the opportunity to teach this class again. One of those things was taught by a student in her "problem solving" process! I love watching process... and Patricia talked hers out and it was an invigorating process to watch. And she has the most magnetic Australian accent! Here are some photos of that class: (don't know why most of this is underlined and don't know how to fix it! It is not a link!)

mother and daughter in class! :)

I love how each piece really reflects the creator of it. Surprising how each piece truly tells a story about the person who made it! So cool!

I'll do a separate post of photos I took outside at Karan's house before we headed to the airport.

I'm trying to catch up on things in my house, that have been let go. My studio is in great need of an overhaul but I had a lot of paperwork to do before my trip about some other things and I have to get filing under control and find the top of my desk! That will be my work for the morning.

CREATE

2011-05-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

Wow, I just got back from teaching at CREATE and what an awesome experience!

It took many days of prepping kits and slowly packing. I flew Southwest so I could check to pieces of luggage, which were stuffed with ONLY art supplies! I packed all my clothes, toiletries, etc.. in this little thing and carried it on the plane:

I stayed with an online friend, Karan, whom I'd never met before she picked me up at the airport on Thursday! We had a great time together. She has such a comfortable, quiet home and a dear, sweet husband with the most beautiful spanish accent. Accents from Spain are very different that accents in spanish from Mexico. I learned to cook some new things that I'm anxious to try!

I taught on Friday and Saturday. My classes went so well! My students were great. Both classes were very relaxing and enjoyable. When I get in front of a class and start teaching, I get completely energized. I always thought I'd get nervous but I don't! I LOVE it!

Friday, I taught my book, One Page at a Time. I had a small, intimate class. We really enjoyed ourselves! Here are pictures from that class. (it was cold in there!!!)
One student had to leave early and I missed getting a photo of her beautiful book. :( This was a sweet and fun group of ladies. I really enjoyed teaching them.

I'm going to post the second class tomorrow. I'm dead tired! Heading to bed now.

Vintage door knobs for sale

2011-05-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

I am getting ready to list these vintage door knobs for sale on Etsy but thought I'd offer them here first. Each is numbered. If you are interested in a purchase, please notify me of the number corresponding with the knob(s) you are interested in. Shipping is $5. per knob as they are fairly heavy. If you are interested in purchasing several, we can work out a deal with flat rate shipping.

Knob #1
There are two identical knobs, one unattached to the post. Willing to sell separately.
$10. each

Knob set #2
These Victorian style knobs are connected. As you can see, one knob has much more patina than the other.

$20. (SOLD)

Knob #3
$7.

Knob #4
This knob has a beautiful shabby chic patina!
$10.

Email me at princessburninghair (at)cox(dot)net if you are interested in a purchase.

CREATE

2011-04-21T23:49:00.000-07:00

CREATE retreat in Costa Mesa is now less than one month away! If you haven't checked out the classes at this retreat, it is not too late! There are still some openings left in both my classes and I'd love to have you join me! Check it out... just click the CREATE icon to the right! Come join us! It will be a blast! You'll learn new techniques, make cool projects, meet new friends, etc...

Moon Rise

2011-04-19T14:07:00.001-07:00

Last night, the moon was huge and beautiful as it rose over the tree tops.

Harley

2011-04-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

Not sure why I seem to be attracted to motorcyles right now... actually, ever since 6th grade, I've had a secret attraction to them but am a big chicken. For now, I'm finding myself drawn to photograph them when the chance arrives. Snapped these at church on Sunday! It belongs to a friend.

Lessons learned

2011-04-18T06:29:00.000-07:00

Upon completion of this last painting, thought I'd share a few lessons learned with the practical side of this creative process.

My initial intent with this painting was to paint on the un-stretched canvas thus allowing me to sew onto my painting and create a quilted painting.
1.) The painting was too large to do this because it was heavy and difficult to maneuver through the sewing machine.
2.) Even if I were going to try it, I should have done the stitching before adding the light source because the stitching would have interrupted the light source.
3.) How I did complete this painting was quilting the backing fabric with the batting and then adding it to the painting and binding them together. Because the size and stiffness of the painting, it had to be done where the entire piece was kept flat while sewing so I had to take it to the church, pop up tables to create a large enough work space and sew. It was not easy to move through the machine and keep the entire piece flat and smoothly moving.
4.) I discovered how much easier it is sewing on binding when the piece is laid out flat on a table surface! I love the hand sewing in the binding process but have never tried laying the piece out flat and doing the hand stitching while sitting at a table. It made it easier. It took over 2 hours of hand sewing on this binding because of the size.
5.) I would not use the highly textured mediums on un-stretched fabric of this size again. Too much movement causes little bits to break off leaving white specks.
6.) I think the concept of having a quilted painting would have worked for something large had I done all the stitching on my line drawing before painting. Then it would have been quilted and I would have been painting a quilt.
7.) Storage for this piece will be a bear due to the fact now that it cannot be folded and, my original plan of rolling won't work on a small tube roll now that extra thickness of the quilting process has been added as it caused the painting side to buckle. If I had a tube larger in diameter, I believe it would work but not sure where to find something like that!
8.) I still am drawn to the concept of being able to quilt my painting but will try it next time on a small piece that can easily be maneuvered through the sewing machine not requiring the fold over of fabric to get it through the machine's opening.
9.) And have I said how much I love products by Golden's? They just cannot be beat. Yes, they are crazy expensive but they are the absolute best!!!! I just went to an art materials trade show and spoke with the Golden's reps about some of the products I had not tried. I've wanted to try their new Open Acrylics giving a longer drying time. They are sending me some samples! Woohooo! I'll let ya'll know what I think when I get them and try them out. I also found that they have a product I can add to my current heavy bodied acrylics to allow for a longer drying time! Cool beans!

Okie dokie... think that is it for the lessons learned in the practical sense for this project. I need to print these out and put them in my journal along with process photographs so I remember. You always think you'll remember stuff like this but ya' don't. I don't, anyway. Thanks to all of you who have followed along with my process through this piece!

Artwork hanging

2011-04-17T21:35:00.000-07:00

Well, my latest artwork titled "How did You find me here?" is now hanging for our week of 24/7 prayer. If you live in the Phoenix area, I invite you to head over to Open Door Fellowship church on the corner of 19th Ave/ Butler any time over this next week. There is security and the church will be open 24 hours a day for this entire next week. Today, we spent hours transforming the entire sanctuary into a beautiful room of interactive prayer stations designed to invite you into intimate time with God. He's waiting for you there!

This piece of artwork measures approx. 4 ft. or so, sorta' square! The final piece is hanging along with the scripture passage from Psalm 130:1-18. Here are a few close ups too.

It is finished.

2011-04-12T10:57:00.000-07:00

Now to get fabric to back it and trim the edges. Need to see if I have enough batting too.....

On the home stretch!!!

2011-04-11T06:50:00.001-07:00

Working on the socks and shoes today!

A little change

2011-04-10T07:11:00.000-07:00

Because I have been getting some odd Anonymous comments here on my blog, I made a change hoping to eliminate any more anonymous comments. I'm sorry if this affects a legit person but the comments are just really .... well... they make me go "Huh? What does that have to do with my post?" Anyway, I hope I correctly made the change in the blog for it to work right! I should ask my 11 year old. He seems to know how to do everything...

Let me direct you....

2011-04-09T07:08:00.000-07:00

to the blog of Quinn McDonald. If you want to be able to do something for people of Japan but don't have money to send and feel helpless, you just have to go to Quinn's blog and read about something she is doing. Something simple that any of us could do. Just go. Why are you still here? Go on now... click on her name and it will take you right there in one second flat.

By the way, it turned cold here again and is raining! Thank you God for the rain for my trees AND, cool weather a little longer!

Painting progress

2011-04-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

(click image to enlarge)

After much debate and many opinions from friends on Facebook, I have finally made the decision about the color for the jacket in my painting. Initially, I wanted it to be red. However, when I put a glaze of color down, I knew immediately that it was all wrong. I ended up combining a couple of "FB opinions" and feel that the jacket is exactly the color it is suppose to be. Hearing the views of other people after explaining the emotional feel I was going for with the painting really helped. When I shared this, one friend gave her response as feeling invisible when in this emotional state. I felt that to be profound and feel I captured that in the painting thus far as the jacket somewhat blends in to the wall but not quite. Anyway, I still have to add some highlight once I pull in my bigger light source, although I have added some already, but it's mostly done. Next, on to the jeans... or should I do that shoes next.... ??????? I think the jeans. Yes, definitely the jeans... the painting looks really weird with the white area left! Eek!

Acrylic Revolution

2011-04-06T18:19:00.001-07:00

This is one of my favorite books about art. It is written by Nancy Reyner and gives instructions and amazing photographs with steps to create every imaginable technique using acrylics. Nancy has been a rep for Golden's Acrylics for years so that is what she uses for all techniques in the book. This is a must have book for any artist. I have landed an extra copy. If anyone is interested in purchasing it, I'm selling it for $20. and that includes stateside shipping.... or make me an offer I can't refuse! The list price in the cover is $27.99.

Japan

2011-04-06T05:52:00.001-07:00

I wrote a post fairly recently about sending socks to Japan. The man who started this drive is Jason Kelly. I insist that every person who reads this go to his blog and subscribe for updates. He is giving the most heartbreaking account of his one on one interaction with the Tsunami survivors as he and his team deliver socks and letters of hope. Powerful stories and photographs. And to find that such a small gesture as a pair of socks has such an affect on those who lost everything. Amazing! Please go read his latest post!

Decisions, decisions....

2011-04-05T18:39:00.001-07:00

Today's progress with my painting consisted of adding in the floor and then transferring some of the floor color up into the stones. My big decision is in the color of the jacket. My initial thought was deep red. I've thrown it out there on FB for opinions and am only getting more confused. Votes have ranged the full spectrum of the rainbow! It gets harder to work late in the day because of bad lighting so I may have to stop for now. Besides, trying to cook dinner and paint at the same time is a really bad combination!

A morning walk

2011-04-05T06:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning, I was feeling anxious and stressed. My friend with whom I usually hike, was unable to go as she got sick so, I decided to walk my neighborhood instead, with camera in hand. I have always said Autumn was my favorite time of year because the leaves turn my favorite colors however, there really isn't much of an Autumn in Phoenix. But we do have Spring! It is my favorite Phoenician season. Here are a few glimpses into my neighborhood.

First of all, I have to get past this:

My cats perch at the door every morning enjoying the fresh air. While Kenzy races to the kitchen for canned food as soon as my feet hit the floor, Bob racing to the door and meows at me. Because it's been so nice out, if I'm home, the doors are open so this is the usual scene at my front door. Got this shot of Marvin from overhead. I love how he lays with his front paws stretched way out and crossed! He looks so proper! This poor guy is going to be my bank drainer as he has autoimmune issues. We went back to the vet again yesterday. UGH! But we love him so!
This was my first shot out the door!

The following two photos are cut rocks in a yard. Aren't they amazing?

And on to the sure signs of spring in the Sonoran Desert!

This photo below is my favorite. I MUST get one of these cacti... have to find out what kind it is. The flowers are just exquisite!

And yes, in the midst of my neighborhood are several HUGE, old pecan trees! Quite a mix going on around here! Unfortunately, the photos of the chickens didn't turn out well. Maybe next time!

Amazing giveaway!

2011-04-04T21:40:00.000-07:00

Trudie Davies is having a giveaway on her blog. She makes beautiful jewelry so go check her out! This is the amazing ring set up for grabs in her April giveaway! Gorgeous, isn't it?

Movin' right along, folks!

2011-04-04T13:34:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I finally finished the base color for the stones. And, did you know:

1.) When you work on a big painting, it is literally a pain in the neck?
2.) If you are short like me, a couple of phone books duct taped together make a great little step stool if you don't have one. Unless, of course, you live in a little town in the sticks where your phone book is the thickness of a brochure. In that case, you made need a case of them. However, if you are in a big city, a couple work perfectly!
3.) Your hand goes numb after painting a while if somewhat overhead.
4.) Your elbow sorta' locks up from holding a palette too long at a time.
5.) If you have any type of vision problems or wear glasses, you will need an assortment so you can change out depending on what part of the painting you are working on and the distance between the brush hitting canvas and your eyes! LOL!

Have to take a break for now to work on a few other things... and hopefully get full feeling back in my fingers of my right hand.

Mid-day progress report

2011-04-01T14:05:00.001-07:00

Ok, it's slowly taking shape. But painting this size is really hard on my body. My neck and lower back hurt. I'm heading to the shower for a break and hope to get back to this later this evening.

progress for today

2011-03-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

Well, Sam went back to school today after missing two days due to Strep and now Max is out with it today. Thankfully, we were able to get a doctor's appt. early and start antibiotics this morning so he'll be able to return tomorrow. Sam was much sicker than Max... barely got out of bed for two days. Max is all mad at me because I won't let him to skateboard! Can't tell he's sick at all except for a sore throat.

Anyway, I had to get a sub for my classes this morning and am looking at today as a blessing because I got to be home almost all day. I've been working on my painting. Got all the stone foundations done by about 1:15. After getting Sam at school and running him to the orthodontist to pick up his retainer, I came home and immediately started painting. I'm jumping around a bit painting because it's hard on your back so I need to change positions often. I'm getting the base colors down for the stones and started some shading just to give me an idea of where it's going. This stage is so hard for me... that "staying in the process" because... well, it's not pretty... it's work, it is slow, and it takes a while for all the pieces to come together. I see it in my head though. It will get there. It will not be perfect but I believe it will tell the story that needs to be told. Here's where I'm at:

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Golden's texture mediums? The extra coarse pumice is to die for! Great rock texture. But, it's difficult to spread. I found it to work really well combined with molding paste. Lay the MP down first and go back on top of it with pumice. As much as I love the look created with the pumice, it would have been difficult to do the word carvings if I had made every stone with the pumice, hence, the variety of textures to create a variety of stones.

Slow progress

2011-03-29T17:18:00.001-07:00

My painting is coming along very slowly. Foundations are important and that's really what I'm working on now. Foundation of stones. I've been creating various textures for the stone wall. I'm using gesso, 2 types of molding paste, extra coarse pumice gel, and used dryer sheets. The color variations of the different mediums really throws my eye off... the balance, visually with this color. I think once I start actually putting in paint, it will balance out more, for me. Right now, it's just disturbing to my eye... makes me want to twitch! LOL! I hope to be to the painting stage by Thursday.

Starting new artwork

2011-03-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I have begun a new piece of artwork... a really big piece! This is one of my favorite kinds of paintings, those collaborated with God. His idea, His vision, my hands. The vision for this piece came quite a while back... maybe a couple years? But, I have found that when God gives me a vision for a piece of artwork to be done, He most often says, "Wait" because the vision is more like an invitation to me to enter into a process more fully. I'm never able to start working on one of these types of pieces until I have walked through much of the process of what the piece is about. So, this one has been on the back burner. Then, a few weeks ago, during a message, the title for the piece was given to me. I was not in the service thinking about this artwork but immediately, when the words were spoken, the picture flashed in my head and I knew it was for a reason. So, the title of this piece is "How did you find me here?".

Now, because I knew from the get-go that the piece needed to be fairly big, I needed an inexpensive way to execute it. I could not afford a canvas this size. Then, I realized I could paint it on unstretched canvas. And, in doing so, hope to be able to do some sewing on it as well, creating more depth and texture to the piece. So, I went to my local favorite fabric haunt, SAS, and purchased a big piece of unstretched, unprimed canvas for $2.99 per yard! Now that's my kind of deal! The piece I found already cut was a bit longer than a yard so, my painting is looking to be about 4x4 feet.

My next dilemma was figuring out what kind of solid surface I could put it on to paint! I ended up taping plastic to my studio wall and then using thumb tacks to mount the canvas directly to the wall. I have decided I am going to be really brave and post photos of progress as I go so, here's the first few:

To give an idea of the size of this piece, the work in progress on my easel is 2x3 feet. You can see that this new project is much larger.

Next, I added gesso on. I intentionally did not paint the entire surface solid. I like the variety of texture in having some of the gesso thicker in areas.

I was up much of the night processing this piece in my head while I just stayed there in bed. I could not get a sense of whether or not the figure in the painting should be a man or woman. I wasn't feeling like it should be a woman, necessarily. And, after looking the web to death in google images trying to find just the right image for inspiration to match the vision in my head, I gave up. I got out my tripod and camera and did some self portrait pictures in the pose I needed. However, I wanted my figure to have on jeans and shoes so I nabbed Max when he got home from school and took a photo of him in the same pose. I got a very rough sketch done of my figure and have now painted the background. The walls will be stone so my first layer of color is the dark shadow that will be between the stones. I decided not to do mortar as I really like the look of old stone walls in Europe that have just been stacked for generations. So, first layer of background color down. Stones will slowly emerge from the walls.
So, here's where I'm stopping for tonight. My studio lighting is HORRIBLE.. I have to use a pole lamp with three lights on it to see what I'm doing in there... and it casts shadows while I paint. I prefer painting in the daytime.

So, that's where I'm at. This piece has a deadline of about 3 weeks because it will be part of our annual week of 24/7 prayer at my church. So I don't have a lot of time!

Socks for Japan

2011-03-23T05:24:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read that right. Socks! Seems so insignificant in the broad scope of needs in Japan in the wake of such disaster to a country, yet, it is a big deal. I just recently found out about this project. It's a small way to participate in helping in a tangible way. Check out the website HERE for details. (I do not know why that entire thing looks like a link. The word 'here' will take you to website. Sorry!) This link takes you to the direct page with details. However, if you click the "home" icon at the top, it will take you to the main page where Jason tells, in detail, about their latest sock drop and it's so moving. You get to read, first hand, how much something so seemingly insignificant is far from that.

If you are stateside, Michelle, is putting together a box and has offered to include donations in those she is sending but you need to let her know! There is also need for donations for shipping costs as they are not cheap! I could not do a better job with details than Michelle did on her blog so please go check it out! I will be sock shopping to send socks along with Michelle's box and I want to encourage everyone to participate!

My heart has just been so broken over the devastation to this country that is so dear to my heart. Some of my best childhood memories were from my time living on Okinawa.

On a different note, I got a lot done last week in my clean out/ organizing efforts yet still have so much to do. It will be a process. But, I made great progress in my kitchen and kids rooms. This week, back to reality.

On Sunday, because I love my boys, I spent hours at a Pokemon convention. Uh, yeah. Ok, so I had happy kids, one in particular. Sam was in heaven. From there, we went to Arizona Cityfest where lots of stuff was happening. Many Christian bands, Luis Palau shared Jesus, and we enjoyed a great show of extreme sports. The BMX bikers were amazing! Here are a few pictures I took of the bikers and skaters.

Crazy boys!

This biker was beautiful to photograph. I took several of him but here are just a couple.

A little catch up

2011-03-17T17:28:00.000-07:00

Lots of stuff has happened over the past few weeks. Emotional roller coaster on many levels... lots of processing.

My boys are on spring break this week and are with their dad for the week. However, change is very difficult for Sam and he has not been able to stay the whole time. He's been going back and forth all week. I have been spending the week doing MAJOR clean out and organizing in my house. I was fortunate enough to be given a gift certificate for a professional organizer to come over for a couple of hours! Rather than spend that time actually "doing" stuff, I spent the time consulting with her, talking about my problem areas and talking through solutions. She was a tremendous help! Susan, you are awesome! And, if you all are interested in some help but aren't local, Susan does telecasts! So, I'm still chugging away. Learning how to use my new label machine. I think I may need a 12 step program for this thing. :)

Today, I got to have both boys for the day. We went to the Desert Botanical Garden. It got really warm today! EEK! I got some good photos too but, in a few weeks, when more things are blooming, it will be an ideal time to go solo with camera and sketchbook in hand. Here are some shots from the day though:

Yesterday, Sam got his braces off for phase 1 of his treatment. Phase 2 will be down the road after the remainder of his baby teeth fall out and permanent teeth come in. What a difference phase 1 made though! I was thrilled to get a natural smile from him. It's a very rare thing for me to capture. He actually didn't know I snapped this shot exactly when I did! hehehe! Love this picture of him though. One of my favorites. Can't believe he'll be 12 in less than 6 months!
Then, there's Max, my silly guy who refuses to cut his hair, is into Michael Jackson, trying to learn to moonwalk, wears a Fedora every day, and thinks ties are great! He's just a crack up. I have chosen not to go to war over the hair but geez, I often find myself questioning my sanity in such a decision. He gets pretty mad being mistaken for a girl too but so far, that hasn't prompted the haircut. One day, he'll look back and be horrified that he wore his hair like this and thought it looked good. Ya'll know what I'm talkin' about. We've all been there.Max feeding a little squirrel.

These two shots were taken by Max!

Ok, back to organizing for me. I'll go hike in the morning and then spend the whole day seeing exactly how much stuff I can get done here in the house before I have to get back working on Saturday!

Answer for Randy

2011-02-22T05:39:00.001-08:00

Randy, you just left me a comment asking about my shelving units... they came from Costco! They are metal and look like a big deal to put together but they are not. A girlfriend and I were able to assemble them ourselves! They are awesome! Thanks for the comment!

Range of emotions

2011-02-22T05:20:00.000-08:00

I'm having an odd range of emotions today. This would have been my 25th wedding anniversary. A huge milestone in a marriage. I am feeling both sad that it isn't that day of celebration, as my divorce was final in Sept. last year, and relieved, all at the same time. I'm learning to live "in the middle" of such extreme emotions, accepting that both are true. Grief and relief mixed together. I think I'm feeling much like one would feel walking through something like cancer with a loved one, over a long period of time, and then losing them. So deeply sad to have lost and so relieved at the same time. The suffering is over. Well, actually, the suffering is only over on a certain level. The affects never go away... the trail of pain remains. It's what is done with it that makes all the difference. I continue to pour my heart out to the One who knows everything about me, who loves me unconditionally, and never leaves me. God knows my complex emotions and thoughts and carries me through.

Just this past week, I asked myself a couple of hard questions.
1. What am I afraid of that keeps me from the feet of Jesus?
2. What do I want more than Jesus... what really keeps me from him?

Well, my list was a mile long for the first question. For the second, I only wrote down two words before I was completely stopped in my tracks. Security and control. Plain and simple. In a life of feeling very afraid and insecure and everything seems like complete chaos, those are two things that I find myself striving for. But Jesus gently reminded me of this IMMEDIATELY upon writing those two words down: My security comes in believing that HE is in control. Ahhhh.... I can firmly stand on this truth and trust that no matter how crazy everything in my life looks, feels, and is, NOTHING got by my God. He is not taken by surprise. What an incredible comfort. I'm choosing to believe in His love, protection, and provision for me as I continue to walk through deep waters. And as I look for His presence in my present moments of every day, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude and joy. Yes, that peace that passes all understanding is MINE!!! I don't have to know what is coming next (although I honestly would really like to! ha!) but I trust He knows and He will walk with me through it, whatever it is, no matter how bad, not matter how crazy and scary. Thank you, Jesus!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord." Jeremiah 29: 11-14

I'm believing in my future and I'm seeking....

Progress

2011-02-22T05:13:00.000-08:00

While I still have more work to do organizing and cleaning in my studio, I am making progress. see?

Mark your calendars!

2011-02-21T11:21:00.000-08:00

For Sunday, March 13th. From 2-5 I will be teaching another Altered Composition Notebook class so if you missed the one hosted in my home a few weeks ago, now is your chance to jump in. Only this time, it will be at The Creative Quest! All you need to bring is a jar of rubber cement glue. I'll provide everything else! Call the Creative Quest at 623-847-2215 to sign up and join me for this fun class! These altered composition notebooks make awesome journals and fantastic gifts!

Also, at the store THIS Saturday, The Creative Quest will be celebrating it's anniversary! I have put together a few samples of cute fabric flower pins as a $5.00 Make 'N Take. Everything is provided for you to make a flower of your choosing. I am putting together a wide variety offabrics, trims, buttons, etc... to create a one of a kind pin. Great to add to your outfit, hat, bag, etc...

My boys spent the night with my mom last night. I got up early and hiked with my girlfriend and am back to day #2 of cleaning out my studio. As you can see, it has been the room of doom... no room left to work.
I am making great progress. I took some of my work to a local store called Ecocentricity, this past week, to show them and see if they would be interested in carrying pieces to sell. The owner wanted everything I took in and then some! So I need to kick in high production mode and get some more things to her and also for a couple of other local stores I want to work with. Ecocentricity focuses on showing work from local artists, especially those who recycle and repurpose materials. They also do consignment for resale on items and offer ecological alternatives for various things. I'm excited about some ideas that came up in my conversation with the owner. I need to make some time to meet again and explore these ideas further. What is cool is they also donate part of proceeds to help with homelessness! How cool is that?! So, if you are local and have not ventured into this little treasure of a store, it is located at 137 W. McDowell on the south side of the road.

OK, cleaning/organizing break is over. Later!

OWOH: And the winner is.......

2011-02-17T10:25:00.000-08:00

Leslie from http://leslie-mylifeandtimes.blogspot.com/!!!!
Congratulations Leslie! And thanks to everyone who visited my blog and entered my drawing!

Day Moon

2011-02-11T16:05:00.000-08:00

Beaded Prayer Totem

2011-02-07T22:04:00.000-08:00

I am offering a new class in my home on Friday evening, Feb. 18th from 6:30-10 pm. I'd love for you to join me!

Beaded Prayer Totem

For centuries, in many different cultures, beads have been associated with prayers. In this class, we will create something beautiful as a reminder of those prayers which we will write and encase in small beaded prayer pillows. Our pillows will then be mounted to form a totem. This class will be very relaxing. The beading process is very meditative. We will make 5 prayer pillows to our totem. The totem itself will measure approximately 6 inches in length without the hanger and beaded trim. These also make a wonderful gift of blessing to someone close to you.

This is a very relaxing project to work on. Very meditative and therapeutic. I do hope you will be able to join me!
The cost for the evening is $25.00. All other supplies provided. ( but you may want to bring a pair of scissors.) You will also receive a complete instructional handout to take home. Snacks will also be provided for the evening.

Please r.s.v.p. as soon as possible as space will be limited.

*If you have cat allergies, please know that I have three cats in my house. If you are interested in the class and cannot come, please contact me to schedule a class in your own home and invite friends to join you!

I'd appreciate it if you could please pass this on to other creative friends who may be interested in this class.
Hope to hear from you soon!

On another note: Registration for CREATE retreat starts tomorrow! I'd love for you to join me in Costa Mesa at this awesome retreat! Head on over and check it out! Click on the icon to the right!

OWOH

2011-02-06T21:10:00.001-08:00

It's that time again... actually, I'm a little late getting on the bandwagon for this, the last year, of the One World, One Heart give away. Sorry for the delay! To find the full list of all bloggers participating this year, go here. If you want to find more about participating yourself, check it out here.

My offering this year will be this:

My miniature wall hanging measures approximately 3x5 inches. If you would like to be in the drawing for this handmade item, you must be a blogger. Please leave a comment and CONTACT INFO! That part is very important! I can't mail your prize if I can't find you! I will be using a number generator on Feb. 17 to choose the winner of this sweet felted heart wall hanging.

Since the purpose of OWOH is to connect bloggers around the world, I know I'll have many new readers visiting so, I'll tell you a bit about myself and hope you'll come back and visit often!

I'm a single mom of two boys, ages 9 and 11. We also have three cats, all boys. I'm surrounded! I'm a mixed media artist who enjoys watercolor with pen/ink, acrylics, fiber art, book binding, photography... and just about anything else in between! I really enjoy teaching art. I teach locally at a store where I also work part time as well as at Art Unraveled art retreat. This year, I am excited to travel out of state to teach for the first time at Create in Costa Mesa! I also teach art to home school kids once day a week. When I'm not doing art, teaching art, caring for my family, or involved in a church activity, I am cutting hair or serving food to the homeless and poor. My life is very full and very busy. I also enjoy hiking and yoga. A bit of silence early in the mornings is golden in the midst of a lot of busy.

I hope you come back and visit here often!

A different point of view

2011-02-06T06:10:00.000-08:00

I have often posted photos of the sunrise but today, I'm posting one taken yesterday morning from a bit of a different perspective. I took this photo from inside my house instead of outside. I love the way the pieces of cut glass in my front door reflect the colors of the sunrise each morning. This is usually the draw for me to run and look out! I glance at the front door and see the color through the glass like this and head for the window for a better view.... then often out the front door with camera in hand! Beautiful, isn't it?

I wasn't on the schedule to work yesterday so I was able to go to Prodigal's home a little bit later and stay for the whole morning. I spent probably 2 hours in the kitchen washing dishes! As food was served to the many homeless and poor, trays and large pans were brought to the kitchen to be washed. There is no running hot water so a very large container of hot water with a valve is set up to do dishes. Funny, people think that helping feed the homeless means standing out with food yet sooooo much goes on behind the scenes for it to ever happen. Volunteers arrive about 5 a.m. One man, Owen, starts making pots of coffee. He literally stands at two coffee makers making coffee for TWO HOURS to fill the large thermal containers so everyone can have warm coffee when they arrive. What a gift to those who have been out in the freezing cold all night! The smile on Owen's face never leaves the entire morning and he serves from behind the scenes, making coffee and cleaning up, mopping floors at the end of the morning, helping put supplies away. There are numerous people just like Owen, who show up every morning to set up tables, set out napkins and utensils, put food out, cook food, unload and set up clothing offered, and musicians there singing each morning. All this besides those there to serve plates of food to those cold, hungry, weary, and rejected by society. There is no line to stand in for them. The come, sit, and are served as if they were in a restaurant, out in a parking lot! Oh, then there is all the clean up and putting away of supplies in a storage unit! This happens every week. Truly, it's such a simple way to make a difference. No special talent is needed to make a huge impact. It's a beautiful morning.

I then got to go see the little house they recently purchased that is now under construction for remodeling. It will be a safe place open 7 days a week, during the day, for the homeless to come shower, wash their clothes, get a warm bowl of soup, see some cool art, listen to music, and have help filling out government papers and such. A prayer garden will also be put in the back yard. I'm glad I will get to watch the entire project be birthed. Right now, the house is a mess and the entire back wall has been taken out with plans of expansion.

I went to Scottsdale on Friday and visited a new up and coming art place. Fun art offered for sale as well as classes of all kinds, not just about art! It's called Jam. If you are local, check it out!

Yesterday, I had a highly emotional afternoon but later ended up going out to downtown Glendale for the "Chocolate Affair". A huge festival that happens every February. I did not go for the chocolate, however, since I do not eat sugar but, I went to check it out for a possible art vending opportunity. A monthly art venue will be happening down there and yesterday was the first so I wanted to see how it was going, what kind of art was being offered by other artists, etc...
I am looking for places to sell my work as well as teach so I'm going through a list. The tough thing about Scottsdale and Glendale is that since they are different cities, I would have to acquire tax licenses for both places. It begins to be expensive to hold tax licenses for all the surrounding cities. Not just paying the taxes on items sold but having to purchase the license. I need to think through and make sure that I'm choosing a venue where I can recoup my money and make a profit or, I'm in a city with multiple opportunities to sell. Unfortunately, here in the summer, all that shuts down so you have to crank during the nice months. Since I already have a Phoenix license, I need to investigate other opportunities here in my own city. This sounds a little funny. You'd think I'm driving way to other cities to look for possibilities when, in reality, there are so many cities surrounding Phoenix as part of "The Valley" that you have no idea when you drive out of one into the other. From the sky, it looks as if it's just one enormous city! They all just run together.

Anyway, I'm trying to gather information to move forward with my art as a career. It takes courage, is slow going, and I want to be wise with my choices. Financially, I'm not in a place to take risks so I have to be especially careful.

Well, need to start getting ready for church. Hope everyone enjoys their day!

A must have

2011-02-03T18:49:00.001-08:00

I am reading THE best book by Ann Voskamp. It is called "One Thousand gifts: A dare to live fully right where you are." I cannot get a picture to load or I'd show you the cover. Follow the link to get your own copy to see and read more about it. It speaks to my heart causing me to feel like I have no air in my lungs, completely breathless it leaves me. I have been reading Ann's blog for a long time and I'm often stirred to tears at what she writes. Rarely have I ever read anything by such a gifted writer as she. Poetic, raw, emotional, deeply thought provoking. She awes me and causes me to see God in a different way. She challenges me. She makes me uncomfortable. She makes me take deep breathes having someone put to words the deep longings in my heart that I have never been able to articulate. I'm so thrilled to have won her book in a give away. It is a must read. Seriously. You can get your own copy here.

Registration!

2011-02-03T18:48:00.000-08:00

Registration for CREATE opens Feb. 8th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Exciting news!!!

2011-01-25T21:46:00.001-08:00

I'm officially teaching two classes at CREATE retreat coming up in May! It is a retreat put on by Interweave Press, one of the nation's largest craft media companies in magazine and book publishing and several other things! Interweave Press publishes 19 magazines, 30 special publications, and has a boatload of books, websites, PBS t.v. programs and events. They are the publishers of my two favorite magazines, Quilting Arts and Cloth,Paper, Scissors! I'm incredibly honored to be chosen as one of the instructors for this retreat!

I will be teaching "One Page at a Time", my original single page book binding technique as well as "Torn and Stitched: A composition of bits and pieces". This is quite an adventure for me as I will be traveling to teach out of state for the first time! I'm beyond excited! I will be driving over and it will be my first ever long distance road trip where I'm driving! OK, I'm not so excited about this part as I hate road trips... especially to another state! Eek! But what is at the other end of the rainbow... well, it will all be worth it! I also plan to vend at the Artists' Faire so I will have my van loaded down!

I'd love to have you join me for this exciting retreat! The website goes live for registration early February. Stay tuned!

Hey, click on the CREATE button and check out a little bit of info about the retreat!

I sooo heart these!

2011-01-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

And there is a give away being hosted here. I'm sharing that with ya'll but just know, I'm competitive and I wanna' win so I'm wishing curses on all of you. Mwahahahaahahaha

Just busy

2011-01-20T21:57:00.000-08:00

My life is just busy right now. For example, just for today.... I got up about 5:15, after kids were gone to school, I had to get ready and head to work. Went straight to pick kids up from school after wok. Ran to the grocery store and then home to finish up a meal for a friend who had surgery. I had put a pot roast with potatoes and carrots in my crock pot this morning before work so I had to make gravy. I also sauteed some asparagus in olive oil with lemon and grape tomatoes. Then there were rolls to warm. I baked brownies late last night. Got dinner delivered and then came home and made a completely different dinner for us... my kids won't eat roast! Then clean up, get kids showered and to bed. I also cooked up some beets which I just pickled and stuck them in the refrigerator. They'll be ready to eat tomorrow. So now, it's 11 p.m. and I"m pooped. Heading to bed.

Please, continue to pray for Joanne and her family. You can click the big button to the right and it will take you directly to her blog where Toben is posting updates. The doctor's began bringing her out of her coma yesterday with some brain activity starting today but also seizure activity in the good side of her brain! Pray without ceasing!!!!

The Sketchbook Project

2011-01-18T20:57:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally completed my book for The Sketchbook Project so it's winging it's way to Brooklyn! My theme was Lines and Grids. Because of the number of photos I took, I loaded them to flickr. You can view them here. I did not actually do any sketching but created a mixed media book. It ended up 2 inches thick! I so badly wanted to do more to the cover but the restrictions for the exhibit prohibited anything hanging on or out of the book. Because of the books bulk, I created a tie inside to hold all the pages together since it couldn't be added on the outside. Each participant was sent the same size sketchbook. Obviously, I took mine completely apart and made a totally different book out of it but still kept the original covers. Hope you enjoy looking at it.

Awesome!

2011-01-15T20:12:00.000-08:00

As I have mentioned, I am getting involved in serving our homeless and working poor community. A friend of mine, Steve, has been serving among these people for several years. He is a writer/poet who travels to different cities just loving people on the streets by his written words, practical gifts of food, socks, water, clothing, etc... and art! He was just interviewed on a podcast with International Arts organization based in NY. If you have a few minutes, listen to his podcast! This is what I am getting more involved in!
http://media.city-gates.org/podcast_episodes/889/audio/Hope_Thru_Art_original.mp3

update

2011-01-15T18:18:00.000-08:00

My friend Joanne, is not doing well. After removing part of her skull to allow for swelling, she ended up being put in a medical induced coma yesterday due to seizures and other things. Today, the main prayer request is that the swelling in her brain go down. It is critical. Please, please pray that the swelling goes down. There are some other things going on as well, which I can't really detail but please continue praying for this family... but especially for the swelling.

A New Local Class!

2011-01-12T17:55:00.000-08:00

If you are local, this is for you!!!!

We are all familiar with the tried and true Composition Notebook. They have a sewn binding making them very sturdy and they are great for those who need a lined journal.

Join me on Saturday, January 22, for a class in my home where you can create your own altered composition notebook! I will provide all supplies. We will start at 10:00. The class time is estimated at 3 hours but you may stay longer if you need to in order to finish your journal.

I have included photos of a few altered composition notebooks I have created. You will learn several techniques with collage, adding images and other embellishments, paint, and a bit about composition as well. Techniques learned in this class can transfer to canvas or other mediums for artwork as well.

The cost of the class is $25. Lunch will be included! (Please let me know if you have food allergies or things you just don’t like!) You just need to show up in clothes that can get messy and be prepared for some fun with collage and paint!

Please r.s.v.p. to reserve your spot! (princessburninghair@cox.net) Space is limited to 6! If I have more than 6 sign up, I will start a second class that same day, at 2:00.

If you would like to take the class but cannot make it on this date, please contact me to schedule another class! I am happy to create a class especially for you and a few friend. I love teaching! If you check out my work on my flickr site and see something that catches your eye that you’d love to make, let me know and I can create a class for you! If you gather 5 friends to join you, you get to take the class for free!

Hope to hear from you soon!

Desperate prayer request

2011-01-12T14:29:00.000-08:00

No, no.. not for me, for my friend. Joanne Heim is a talented writer and lover of Jesus. I met her along with her husband and kids a few years ago. They moved back to their home in Colorado last year and we have mostly been in touch after our meeting through her blog, blog comments, Facebook, messages, e-mails and such. She's a beautiful, young woman... younger than I am, and mom of two beautiful daughters whom she home schools. Well, yesterday, while exercising, Joanne had a massive stroke. You can read that latest updates on her blog and subscribe to stay updated as her husband or sister write. As of this morning, she had to go back in for surgery because of massive swelling in her brain. They removed part of her skull to allow for the swelling but significant trauma has been done to her brain including her brain stem. So much is unknown to us right now. But I know One who knows everything going on. Many prayers by thousands of people are being said on her behalf right now. Please join me in praying for Joanne and her family.

Sundance

2011-01-10T07:27:00.000-08:00

Ya'll do know about Sundance, don't you? Well, if you don't, you should. Not that I have ever been able to purchase anything from them but oh, how I love everything in their catalog. I'm dreaming of owning this top. I just love it... size M please! ;) Sundance has a great story that you can read here. And, well, Robert Redford started it so that should be enough, don't ya' think?

Well, I'm still in the midst of my Sketchbook project and now, I'm at the point that I just want to be finished. I want to move on. I want to paint. So, I'm going to eat breakfast, do some quick clean up around here and get back to that sketchbook. The deadline for mailing is in 5 days and the rest of my week is consumed with work and kids so... today is the day.

Busy bee

2011-01-07T21:48:00.000-08:00

I was in my studio almost all day today. I finally had to get out of my pajamas about 2:30 to be able to go do kid pick up after school! Ya' see, months ago.. yes, MONTHS ago, I signed up to be part of the "Sketchbook Project". I received my sketchbook and given theme of "Lines and Grids"... but do you think I even started it until a week before the mailing deadline? Uh... well... I just had too many ideas and couldn't narrow them down. Yeah, that's it! Actually, that is true. Even until yesterday when I finally started, I didn't know how to narrow down. My mind just goes like a tornado with ideas and it often takes a while for the dust to settle. So, I decided to take my sketchbook apart. I'm creating my own pages.. different pages. I will then rebind the book. I'll have to completely reconstruct it as it will be thicker than it started! :) Tomorrow, I was originally scheduled to work but I was called and told I wasn't really needed so, I'll be in my studio most all day tomorrow too. I will be going to help feed homeless again in the morning but will be in my studio the rest of the day.

I know I am completely obsessed with the sky lately. Here in Phoenix, we have the most amazing sunrises and sunsets. I just cannot contain myself watching them. I watch for them. I mean, literally. Not if I happen to be out somewhere and notice. No, I watch the clock and watch the sky.... daily... every day. This evening, the sunset was splendid. Breathtaking. I finally pulled out a ladder to get a better view for my camera although it's soooooooo frustrating that I have buildings behind me or electrical/phone wires draped in my view... or trees. It just makes me mad! But the ladder helped a bit. Here are some of my shots from today. They uploaded in reverse... The photos were in progression but you'll just have to look at them backwards! Oops!

See what I mean about all those wires ruining my view?

Well, it's late and I"m getting up early so, I'm heading for bed. I'll try to remember to take some pictures of my sketchbook stuff tomorrow, ok? I'm hoping to finish by Monday so it can get mailed off in plenty of time!

I'm baaaaaccckkkkk

2011-01-06T16:14:00.001-08:00

Ok, so maybe not exactly 100% but almost. I just spend the last few days, several hours worth (and I do mean several) turning in proposals for CREATE being held in May in Costa Mesa, CA. I sent in 9 proposals and now crossing my fingers, saying prayers, and waiting to see if I am accepted! While I"m not crazy about the fact that I'd need to drive, I would be crazy about doing it and am thankful that it's only about a 6 hour drive to haul all my supplies. I can't afford to go further and have to ship all this stuff! I'm anxious to find out what it's really like to go teach out of state. With the proposals, I had to send in a couple of photos of myself. I don't have many since I'm always the one behind the camera so today, I had Hannah take one while I was at work! Here I am in my favorite section of the store, the handmade parent sheets of gorgeous papers!
I'm going to try my hand at making homemade chicken and dumplings for dinner tonight for the first time. I'm almost ashamed to say that seein' as I'm from Mississippi and all. I'm a disgrace to my family. It's shameful that I can be from the south with southern family, and be 46 having never made chicken and dumplings! OK, I'll admit, I hate ice tea too. So there....

I have hungry boys so I'm rollin' up my sleeves and getting that rolling pin out.... More catch up later.

sick, sick, sick...

2010-12-30T20:51:00.000-08:00

Well, we'll get to have the cats for maybe another week because the new owner came down sick this morning and could not make the trip. And, I'm sick. Haven't been sick like this in, well... I can't remember the last time. I knew my allergies were flaring on Monday. I've been hoarse but this morning, I woke completely congested way up in my head so now I am hoarse AND sound like I'm talking in a barrel. This evening, I had some trouble breathing and wheezing so I just did a breathing treatment and wow, a miracle in those things. I can now breath with my lungs but my poor head is so stuffed up. I realized that this has been a pattern for me on New Years almost every year my entire adult life. Only a few years have I not been sick for New Years. Maybe I have just been overdoing things every single year! Ya' think? I get my resistance down, my immune system gets compromised, and then I get sick. I'm doing everything I can think of to get well. My medications, lots of vitamins, water, gallons of hot tea, hot showers, more vitamins, etc... feels like this time I will have several days of recovery. I'm very thankful for the timing when I wasn't scheduled for work and I'm not having to take kids back and forth to school. The boys go to their dad's for the night tomorrow so I won't have anyone to take care of except me. I just really want to get well by the end of the weekend. Ya'll pray for me, will ya'?

And to everyone out there, Happy New Year!

Fostering Cats

2010-12-28T21:37:00.000-08:00

Zekie

Daegen (a.k.a. Tootsie Roll to me... he's hefty!)

On Christmas Eve, we got a pair of Abyssinian cats to foster who had lost their home. Their owner had to go into long term treatment and they needed an immediate home. These brothers, Daegen and Zekie, are 5 years old. They were put in the system to be up for adoption through "Lost Our Home" organization. It was a very smooth transition for them coming in to our home with three other cats. It was surprising. They have adjusted well and we fell in love. Today, I got a call that they already have someone adopting them! Their new mom is coming to get them from Colorado! She will be here on Friday. I spoke with her on the phone and she is so excited about them. She will fall in love with them quickly too. Poor Sam was in tears when I told him they would be leaving us. Maybe fostering isn't a good idea for us right now. I didn't realize Sam would get as attached as he has. We three fell in love with both of them but Daegen just really stole our hearts. So, so sweet. Here are a few pictures of the guys. We'll enjoy them a few more days and then say our goodbye's. They will be greatly missed. Seems that they have just always been part of our family even though it's only been a few days. They fit in so beautifully. If I could afford them, I'd have kept them in a heartbeat. Poor Sam offered me all his Christmas money to keep them not realizing that they are an ongoing expense. His Christmas money would only cover one of them having an annual check up! He just doesn't understand.

A few things

2010-12-28T20:53:00.000-08:00

Well, I didn't take care of myself well over the past few weeks and I now have a bad allergy flare up and my voice is almost gone. It's actually been rare that I have been well for New Years throughout my adult life. Bleh.... I'm laying really low this week.

Thought I'd share some pictures of several of the journals I made this month as well as some cute gift tags which I sold at the boutique. I do still have some journals for sale and need to get those in my Etsy shop.

Here are some of the journals. This one is a small spin out journal.

This journal was one of my favorites and the colors were much more intense in real life. The cover is hand dyed velvet with lavender suede for the spine. The suede was repurposed from a jacket.

This journal was made from a repurposed sweater. It was a favorite sweater for many years until it began getting holes in it! Again, the color is off in the photo. It's very butterscotch in real life. The little heart is also felted wool.

This is the fabric inside cover of the felted wool journal. Love this Lonni Rossi fabric!
This book was from the early 1900's. It was given as a Christmas gift. When I deconstructed it and rebound it, I included the sentimental Christmas card. This was my first journal snatched up at my Book event!

Altered composition notebook. This paper is from Italy. I wish I'd taken an up close of the focal point. I adhered Mica over the central butterfly piece. The spine is covered in vintage wall paper which I painted.
This journal was the largest one I made with 5 signatures. It's a sturdy journal.

This is another of the journals made with the lavender suede. I used a jewelry toggle for the closure on this one. I really like this journal!

I did some fun pages in this journal using up lots of bits and pieces and doing some stitching on the pages. Really fun to do.

Vintage postcard journal

Time passes

2010-12-22T07:22:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a few weeks since I've had time to catch up here. This will be pretty long so bear with me if you can!

Last I wrote, I was getting ready for the boutique. I"d like to say I made a boatload of money but that would not be the case. Not much traffic at the boutique. Not a good venue for me. I will not be doing this particular venue again next year but will be investigating other places to sell my things. Now I need to get things listed in my etsy store. Unfortunately, I had planned to do that for things to be on sale for the holidays but my computer had to go in for repair for over a week. I just got it back. Thankfully, it broke down just days before my warranty was to expire so I did not have to pay the $700. bill! Thank you, Jesus, for miracles in timing!

The week after the boutique, I had my book event hosted at my friend, Martha's house. While it was not well attended, my sales were good and the book binding class I taught was much fun! We will be doing something similar in the future.

I found out I will be teaching one class at Art Unraveled in August, 2011 so all my other classes I proposed will be put in the book to teach locally, either at my home or at The Creative Quest! For AU, I will be teaching "Beyond the Bag". The website is up and running with registration beginning next month so go check out the line up! Here is a reminder of my class samples:
This one is also made from recycled plastic bags but has been stained with alcohol inks! These journals feel so awesome in your hands. Lightweight and durable. And good for the environment too! It takes 18 bags to make the larger size journal. That's a good number for a recycling project!
I have been slightly obsessed with taking pictures of the sky. Sunrise, sunset, moon... can't get enough. Of course, with a sky like this to look at, how can I not? These are from a few different days but most of the same sunset/sunrise! Unbelievable! Love the moon shots too! I'm in awe of a Mighty God.Hate all the wires running in the photo but I couldn't not take a shot of this sunset! Magnificent! Arizona has THE most amazing sunsets and sunrises.

Below are all part of the sunrise view from my front porch!

Here are a couple of cool moon shots. LOVE how you can see the texture of the moon in the close up shot! The glow in the clouds was so gorgeous that night.

My boys and I stayed up to see the eclipse only to be sadly disappointed when clouds completely covered the sky right at the point of total eclipse. I could NOT believe it. So sad....

A couple of nights ago, I attended a fantastic dinner with the gals from The Creative Quest. We ate at the Phoenix City Grille and OH MY GOSH! Amazing food! The company was, as always, fantastic! I LOVE the ladies I work with! And I was so showered with wonderful gifts! I felt so special!

For my gifts, I made fabric pocket calendars for 2011. There were a total of 4 but one still had some sealer drying on the button i stained with alcohol inks so it didn't get photographed. These are easy and fun to make and turned out really cute! I intentionally bound them with eyelets in the fabric so the old calendar can be removed and a new one sewn in future years.

Alisa Burke inspired me on her blog, reusing book pages. I have done this a lot but her recent post prompted me into these little bags sewn from book pages, sprayed with Adirondack inks, and tie closed with torn strips of sheer fabrics and finished with handmade tags! They were a big hit!Now this is something I had never heard of. Gnoming. One of our pastors, his family, and a few friends, dress up like gnomes and elves and go around delivering little bags of goodies to people who have really been through a lot that year. They come to let you know you are not alone, that they are standing with you, that God is with you every moment. Then they pray for you and off they go. I got a visit last week and this was the scene at my door! I was cracking up! It was so great! Once you have been visited by the Gnomes, you get invited to become one the following years and for the future. They gather before going out, read a gnome story, talk about gnoming events of the past, plan where they will go that night, and then meet back up afterward (there are now two groups that go out) and talk about what happened that night. How cool is that????? And I get to be a gnome next year! I'm already thinking of my costume....

Finally, my boys are now out of school. This is a special breakfast made for Max his first day on break! I love making special breakfasts and making the boys feel special!
Today, we are going to a movie, thanks to the generosity of a couple of my students who gave us gift cards to the theater! The boys will need to get up soon. They are sleeping in as we were up late again last night. At 11:00, someone threw something through Max's bedroom window. Thankfully, he was not in there because we had just watched a movie and he had not gone to bed yet. Now waiting to hear back from my landlord to get the window repaired. :(

Well, I'm almost ready for Christmas but wish I had another week! Still trying to figure out what to make my mom! Shopping for the boys is finished! Have some constructing stuff to do though. I'll be doing that this evening while the boys are with Chuck. I'll then stash things at my neighbor's house! I've done zero baking and want to do that tomorrow and maybe later this afternoon. Never enough time.

Well, gonna' run. If you are still reading this far, I thank you! Have a wonderful Christmas as we remember Jesus coming to us only to die for us so we could be restored to Him! Unfathomable love given to us!

Like walking dead

2010-12-04T06:23:00.000-08:00

Well, yesterday I worked almost non-stop getting ready for the boutique happening TODAY! I started at 8:30 and stopped at about 12:30 this morning... back up at 5:30. Pretty tired, I am. Hoping I have good sales! If you are in the valley, come see me!
Location: Open Door Fellowship Church on the corner of 19th Ave/ Butler (between Northern/Dunlap)
Time: 9-2
Another boutique is happening right across the street so major shopping ops! Come on by!

Gotta' head out the door for set up!

It's a Sale!!!

2010-11-30T23:24:00.000-08:00

From now until Christmas, I am having a sale in my etsy shop! Enter the coupon code "CHRIST!" at check out and receive 20% off your entire purchase! Do Christmas shopping in your pajamas!

More to update soon, I promise!

Upcoming event for locals!

2010-11-22T17:22:00.000-08:00

If you are local, mark your calendars!!!
On Saturday, December 11 from 10 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., a special event is being hosted for me at the home of Martha Wenzel, located at 8420 N. 17th Ave. (just S. of Butler). Come enjoy a bowl of soup, shop for a one-of-a-kind journal, and/or learn how to make your own! If you would like more details, please e-mail me and I will e-mail you the flyer I made up. I cannot get the file to copy and paste for my blog post!

This is the sample journal for the class I will be doing, which starts at 10:30. Each journal will be different. The class is $15. and that includes everything you need to make a journal! Seating is limited so reservations are required. Please contact me if you would like to join me! Come and bring a friend!!!!

Smitten

2010-11-21T21:10:00.000-08:00

I am completely smitten with the sky right now. The moon, the clouds, the sun rising.... I took pictures this morning and again tonight. The sunrise was interesting this morning with all of the clouds. Some of the moon pictures were obviously taken more at a distance. Interesting how the color changes the closer I zoom in. When the moon was setting this morning, it was more stunning than the rising, if that is possible. I couldn't get a photo though because of the two story buildings behind my house blocking the full view of the moon. The glow was unbelievable though. I"m hoping to get a shot in the morning as I am planning to get up earlier so it will be higher in the sky. We'll see what kind of show it puts on in the morning.

I've been busy making Christmas ornaments for the boutique I am participating in on Dec. 4. I've also been putting together blank journals to sell. Busy, busy.....

Thrilled!

2010-11-20T18:18:00.000-08:00

While driving home from work this evening, I got to stare at the gorgeous and huge full moon all the way home. I kept telling myself that I needed to remember to get my camera out when I got home. Well, I'm beyond thrilled at this cool shot I got! Don't forget to click on the image to enlarge it!

So sorry!

2010-11-18T19:12:00.000-08:00

I'm such a goof. I just realized this evening, that my pdf file was no longer showing up for sale in my etsy store because I had originally listed only 5 and they all sold so I had to relist the file for the next 5. If you have been trying to find the listing, I'm so, so sorry! It is there now. I promise!

Get it while it's hot!

2010-11-18T14:37:00.000-08:00

Only FIVE more copies of my instructional pdf file left at the introductory offer! If you are thinking about purchasing your own copy, now is the time to do it! They are going fast! Of course you can always buy another time but you save $5.00 being one of the next five people to purchase! Thanks for the quick responses! I'd love to see books made using this instructional file!

Announcement!

2010-11-17T15:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I know I'm a bit behind on my blog posting... life has been really busy, I got a stomach virus (my first illness in years), Sam had his birthday party at Castles 'N Coasters (another post), I celebrated my birthday yesterday, etc....

But, I have an announcement to make! Remember this book?

"One page at a Time"

It utilizes my original binding technique allowing you to bind a single page at time. It's great for swapping mail art, painting on pages outside of the book and binding them later, miniature quilted pages, etc... or, if you bind all pages ahead of time, the book lays open flat to paint in it! The technique makes a great book! I have now taught this class twice with both classes being a great success! After having many people ask me how I was doing this technique, I have decided to make my 10 page instruction booklet (complete with photos) available in a pdf file for purchase in my Etsy store! As an introductory offer, the first 10 will be offered for a discounted price of $10. After the first 10 have sold, the regular price will be $15. each. So, now is your chance! Head on over to my Etsy store and get your own copy hot off the press, so to speak!

carving pumpkins

2010-10-29T06:27:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, I took the boys out to my mom's and we carved pumpkins! It was a fun time. The boys created their own designs and did their own carving. I decided to try one of the patterns in the little book we got with the tools. OK, I have to say, especially if you are a mom with really small children and have many years of pumpkin carving ahead, see if you can find hard core, really well made carving tools. The little kits you buy cheap? Well, they work but you'll have all the tools broken by the time you finish one pumpkin! I've not done much pumpkin carving in my life. In fact, the first I remember doing was when Sam was just over a year, I carved the Jack-O-Lantern smile to match Sam's newly grown in teeth! Anyway, this year, I bought big pumpkins not realizing that you then get thick pumpkins. They were harder to carve because of their thickness. Sam chose the smaller pumpkin I'd purchased for myself because he liked the shape. It was a bit hard to get good pictures of these lit. I need help with nighttime photography! So, here ya' go...Mine is the owl. Kinda hard to make out.

Max's is the evil grinning Jack-O-Lantern, which I love.. the eyebrows are the magical touch!
Sam wrote out and carved a Halo 3 pumpkin, one of his favorite computer game logos. Unfortunately, we are finding that the "3" part is going limp already so we're having to use toothpicks to prop it up. I think maybe it should have been carved larger and thicker.

My mom found the most gorgeous area rug and purchased it for my living room as a birthday gift! It looks so amazing on my floor! Haven't taken a picture yet though.

Well, must get boys up for school shortly so I need to dress for my morning walk and go pack lunches. I'll get back to vacation posts and wrap that up soon. Right now, I'm buried in the throws of helping Sam make his ipod touch Halloween costume!

Sunrise

2010-10-25T12:22:00.001-07:00

I love this time of year because the sun comes up a little later and, for whatever reason, the sunrises are more vivid! This was the sunrise this morning. Amazing!

I also snapped this photo of Kenzy yesterday while we were lounging on my bed watching a movie.

Vacation part 4

2010-10-22T22:37:00.001-07:00

Here are some of the photos I took of botanicals in CA. Some really unusual plants there! Don't forget to click on the photo to enlarge it!

Anyone know what kind of tree this is with thorns on the bark?

And these amazing, enormous orange flowers are blooms in a tree! I had never seen anything like this. A tree covered in these? Gorgeous!

These peach bell shaped flowers (don't know the real name) smell so sweet when you walk by them, especially late in the evening.

Here are a few misc. photos I snapped:

Love the patterns in the sand. Like sand trees!

Can you even believe this sunset?

Vacation Part 3

2010-10-20T22:05:00.000-07:00

Critters big and small!

Fascinated with the patterns of many of the snakes. Since this particular snake was laying right up against the glass, I was able to get a close up shot of the skin. Gorgeous! Now if I could only remember what kind of snake it was!

Don't these little guys just make you crack up? Such personality in their faces however, they always look depressed and distraught to me. Poor things!

Koala photo by Max

LOVE this close up of the Zebra!

Squirrel from the Marina. I'm still fascinated that squirrels live in rocks by the ocean!

This Egret photo is one of my favorites... I feel the need to paint.....

Vacation Part 2

2010-10-18T11:26:00.001-07:00

The beach! DAILY... the beach! I could walk miles and miles on the beach but don't make me get in that water. My kids, on the other hand, love being in it but I was very strict as to how far in they could go, much to their dismay. Sam, however, would grow gills if given the option and would stay in the water all the time. Max goes for a bit and is done. They were disappointed that our condo this trip did not supply boogie boards. I think that if Max ever took lessons to surf, he'd be a natural, much like he is on a skateboard.
Here are some of my favorite shots: (click on photo to enlarge)

This is one of my favorite pictures of Sam in the water.

Love this one of Max digging in the sand.

I just love this shot of the boys walking down the beach. Thankful to catch part of their reflection in the wet sand.

These were all taken our first day there, one of the only days with this much sun! It was overcast almost the entire week. If not for whole days, at least most of it. We woke to several mornings of heavy fog and mist.

Celebrating Vacation! Part 1

2010-10-18T08:54:00.000-07:00

I needed a vacation in the worst way! It was wonderful! My mind has the ability to pretty much block out my entire normal life when I go on vacation. It really allows me to be on vacation in every way. However, coming home is disorienting and a bit of a shock as I try to work my way back into real life. It's only Monday and I want to go back on vacation! Haven't even been home two full days yet! LOL!

OK, so, the boys and I went on our first vacation in over two and a half years. We flew into San Diego with my plan B in place to rent a car which I had reserved. Got to the car rental place and ran into major issues with the rental car and realized that plan wasn't going to work. I had a moment of panic and then remembered I did have a plan A.... my original plan. We did public transportation the entire trip! We left the car rental place and caught a trolly to the train and then a cab to the condo. We traveled by train, bus, and cab a couple of times during the trip and we walked over 50 miles during the week... those were only the ones we could actually track! The weather could not have been more perfect. High every day was low 70's and overcast a lot which meant no glaring sun when you are out all day!

We stayed really busy the entire trip yet it was still relaxing. I think because we only had certain concrete plans and the rest we made up as we went. We did a lot of walking on the beach too, pretty much daily.

Highlights were:
beach
favorite restaurants
feeding squirrels at the marina (yes, there are squirrels that live in the rocks by the water at the marina! Weird!)
Legoland- two different days... I'll explain later...
San Diego Zoo
Riding in a bike pedal car (Max's favorite!)
Meeting up with Jane LaFazio in Escondido to hang out while she taught!
Watching the boys play on the beach
Thursday night market at the pier
did I already mention beach? ;0

Ok, so actually getting to Legoland was proving to be a feat! I planned to go on Monday. We caught the bus to Carlsbad (a 10 minute ride) only to find that there are limited buses heading to Legoland and the next one wasn't for several hours and you have to catch a 5:25 bus back since it's the last one of the day. That would not have given us enough time. So, we decided to go on Tuesday.

Tuesday comes, we catch the bus to Carlsbad and plan to catch the next bus to Legoland to realize that we'd just missed the early bus and were now in the same situation as Monday. I got a cab to take us to Legoland only to get there and find it CLOSED!!!!!!!!!! In the off season, they are only open Thurs-Sun apparently. However, the new Sea Life Aquarium at Legoland was open so we decided to stay and do that. We spent the day there and really enjoyed it.

Wednesday was already planned for us to go to Escondido to hang out while Jane taught her class of kids at the California Center for the Arts. Thursday we planned to go to the Zoo so, that left Friday to try Legoland for the last time.

We finally did get to Legoland Friday shortly after opening and stayed until closing. The boys had a blast. I have to say that Legoland is really a relaxing park for parents. I did a lot of sitting and watching, taking pictures, etc.... I didn't really do much with the rides, I observed. Max got brave and tried the roller coasters again, after swearing them off... and he had a blast! Sam loves coasters and really loved some things that was like a robotic arm that just flings you all over the place. See, here he is in his little upside down heaven!
Anyway, it was a great day. However, we accidentally got on the 321 bus unknowingly at 5:15 instead of 5:25 and didn't realize that the same bus number leaving at two different times goes to two different routes.... of course we were on the one going AWAY from our destination!!!! But, at every single stop, no matter where we were, God placed people who voluntarily stepped in and helped us find where we needed to go, what bus or train to get on, etc... some even walking us to certain places to make sure we understood where we needed to be. It was amazing! Max even commented "We sure met a lot of nice people!" And that, we did. So, a nice guy behind us on the bus helped us figure out where to get off the bus and catch a transit train back to Oceanside. It all worked out. And we chose to laugh about it and go with the flow. Not one single moment of the entire trip did I feel afraid. Not once!

So, here are some pictures from our trip. By the way, I'm LOVIN' my new camera!!!!!!!!!!! I'll do separate post for other pictures.

Air view of zoo

This was Max's favorite thing. They pedaled 6 miles and loved taking turns to drive. I helped pedal 2 of the miles.

And lord have mercy, Max's hair is driving me crazy!!!!!!!! It's not bad really until he puts on a hat or helmet... and unfortunately, he likes wearing a hat all the time. BLEH! He did tell me he was going to let me cut it a little bit. Crossing fingers.....

Vacation

2010-10-18T06:42:00.001-07:00

My vacation post is coming up shortly... stay tuned....

Must go pack kids lunches and get dressed for the day!

The storm

2010-10-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

As most of you probably already know, The Valley was hit with a HUGE storm the beginning of the week and many, many people got a ton of damage from hail. I did get a quick picture of the marble size hail we got. Lots of people got golf ball size! Eek! We were happy with marbles! LOL! The only damage we got was some of my plants got a bit shredded. :( But thankfully my van was in the carport so no vehicle damage and no broken windows either! But what a storm it was! Tons of rain!

I've pretty much got the boys things all packed up. I have to run out to my mom's to borrow another piece of luggage. Sam's suitcase is somewhere over at his dad's house and it's just easier to drive out to my mom's and borrow a piece than to track Sam's down. So my things are in a pile and I'll get them packed when I get the suitcase. Since I'm home with the boys, I couldn't run any of my last minute errands so I will do a few things this evening after they go to their dad's house and then a few things in the morning. Thankfully, our flight is later in the afternoon tomorrow so I won't be rushed in the morning. But geez, all the little details that have to be taken care of to go out of town are enormous!

Sam has busied himself learning his new ipod touch today. He has saved and saved to buy that thing and he is so happy. I'm stunned at how quickly he figures out any type of electronic equipment! I borrowed a friends GPS and am relying on Sam to get it set up! Then when I told him, he said, 'we won't need it because I have my ipod touch.'... Smarty pants. Regardless, I'm glad!

Can NOT believe it...

2010-10-07T18:34:00.000-07:00

These past few weeks, as my allergies have reared their ugly heads, Max, especially has been suffering. Both my boys have seasonal allergies with allergy induced asthma. I am able to take them off all their meds during the hot months but when the weather changes, we have to start back on maintenance medications. Max's sinuses have been draining like crazy which causes him to cough a lot. Anyway, last night, he complained that his ear felt pressure in it. I had already been thinking that maybe I needed to take him to the doctor for his allergies/asthma before leaving town but the ear comment was the push. So, I made an appointment for today after school. They wanted to do a strep test just to be sure. Now mind you, the kid has NO symptoms of strep so I'm confident it will be negative. NOT.... so I talked them into checking Sam too, just to be safe, since he was home Tuesday with nausea, although nothing came of that. He's been back to school two days. Ok, so BOTH of my boys test positive for Strep!!!!!!! When the Doctor told me, my gut response? "Get OUT!!!!" The Doc turned and started to leave the room asking if I really wanted her to leave! LOL! I was shocked. The boys were shocked. Max argued with the doctor but lost. I was suppose to go with Max on his first field trip of the year tomorrow morning! He's soooo upset! I had to call his teacher to find a fill in chaperon. Both boys will be home with me tomorrow. I'm incredibly thankful we caught this in time for them to get loaded with antibiotics before we leave town in less than 48 hours! Now ya'll, PULEEZE pray that I don't get it! I'm going to take my vitamins now....

Oh, on another note, the doctor made the assistant weigh Max twice because she thought something must've gone wrong the first time. He's gained 10 lbs. since April! You can't tell cuz he's a string bean but he's grown a few inches over the summer. I was glad to know he's gained the weight as his ADHD medication is an appetite suppressant and I stay on him to eat daily! So, that was good news!

New Camera

2010-10-05T08:46:00.000-07:00

It stormed yesterday and really cooled off, finally! Thank you God! We had a gorgeous double rainbow. The colors were so vivid! Today, I have all my doors and windows open and it feels heavenly!

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a long time, know that my camera was stolen when I was robbed last June (2009). Well, to say I have missed it is an understatement. It was like part of me missing since I use to take pictures almost daily. I also realized that it was a tool I used to stay more connected and aware of God's presence around me. I have soooo missed my camera. Well, with vacation coming up, I finally caved and bought a new camera. I'm trying to learn how to use it before we leave on Saturday. Yesterday, Max got out on his skateboard and I played around with my action shot feature! It's a setting that takes many consecutive shots in a row. Now before you say anything, no, I don't usually let him ride without a helmet. This was the only exception I ever remember making. Here are a couple shots of him:

Oh, that head of long hair. It needs to be trimmed and this kid just refuses to even discuss it. Gonna' have to put my foot down. I told him last night that if I was going to let my son have long hair, it at least needed to be healthy long hair. But, at some point, I have to pick my battles. It is just hair, after all....

Sam is home from school today with nausea. Apparently the boy who sits next to him in class went home yesterday after vomiting at school. Not a good sign. Pray this passes quickly. So far, just nausea. We want it to stay that way.