Gratitude

My heartfelt thanks to those of you who have peeked in and left comments either here, on-list, or through email, both for your kind words of encouragement as well as for the opportunity for connection. When I can also look at your blogs I am amazed by all the variety of talent and wonderful things you are doing in your lives. I hardly feel worthy, but you are an inspiration for me to keep going.

Who would have thought that shy little old me would one day be opening up like this? After being invisible for so many years, not I! I came across a wonderful quote by Anaïs
Nin (probably from one of your blogs!) – it is so me right now: “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” I’ve always told myself I’d be a late bloomer – maybe it’s time.

To my fellow ArtFestejados: I'll see you soon - I can't wait to meet you in person!

A little break, then back to work!

I've been working away like crazy on trades, but yesterday I got to take a little break when Willow and Emily persuaded me to take a hike with them through Forest Park. 'Twas chilly, but what a delight to be with my girls out of doors and enjoying nature! And if I had to, I could even justify it, saying it was a part of getting in the spirit of the theme this year: a walk in the woods! Take a look:

A little bit of snow was still on the ground from the morning - not as deep as Shoobie likes, but as you can see, she was one happy dog. I like the way the intrepid trillium isn't scared off by a little cold weather. It made me think of Kathleen - it's her favorite flower. (She's off birding in Central America right now - Kathleen, see what you're missing back here! Oh, you're jealous, I know!)

After the hike and a hearty lunch, it was back to the studio for me... Until the girls called again and asked if we could watch a movie together - they knew I had "I am Legend" in the house from Netflix. How could I turn them down? As dinner cooked we played Life (the SpongeBob Squarepants edition!), giggling the whole way, and then time for our scary movie with all the lights turned off! After the movie (11 pm) it was back to the studio again! Yeah, no rest for the weary.

So finally, not all finished but well under way, here are the trades. I started off with some Fridas, because silly me, I didn't know the trades were supposed to be related to the theme. Maybe somebody will want some. They're teeny.

When I finally figured out I was supposed to be making something woodsy, a glance around the "studio" revealed gold: Emily's little old hedgehog toy, the faerie crown I made for the girls when they were wee babes, and some tiny chickadees I bought once upon a time for who knows what. I took my woodland babies to various localities in my garden where early flowers are in bloom - see previous post for a bigger pic. I turned the pics into sort of inchies, although the size is not exactly an inch.

Phew! It's been quite an art binge - and it's not over yet! I still want to try to make a gallery piece. (Hey, I still have the rest of tonight and all day tomorrow!) And then there's the classes and art asylum and after that, who knows? Hopefully it won't end.

a wee bit more Spring

They say it may snow tomorrow! What kind of Spring Break is this??? Still, my little woodland babies and I did catch a bit of Spring today.

a bit of spring break

Em invited me to go shopping for a tripod with her, and I ended up buying an iPod for me. "Welcome to the world of technology, Mom," she says! Thanks, now show me how to use this thing.

So now I've spent the better part of the day downloading/uploading music onto it - not really what I was expecting to do today. I woke up thinking I was going to spend the whole day making trades for Artfest - silly me! At least I got the art bag finished - now to load it up with art supplies and tools! I have fun stuff arriving in the mail at the last minute - Ave's ApoxieSculpt, charms from Art Chix...um, I think I'm gonna need a second job to support this art habit.

Spring is starting to peek in around here, off and on at least. Daffodils and cherry blossoms have opened right on cue, and the sun shows its face for at least 10 minutes each day, but the temperature is still in the 30s at night, 40s by day... looking forward to the warmer sun in May!

Serious studio envy

Ok, so I just saw this blog of Julie Molina's via the af list - she's another funny girl and VERY creative and productive and GENEROUS - she's giving fun stuff away every month, so check her out! Anyhow, she posted this challenge: show your studio, because we all vicariously love to looky-loo other people's work spaces and marvel at their ten thousand drawers and shelves and very cool tools d'art. (Right now the spaces I drool over most are Teesha Moore's studio and Pam RuBert's - ahhhhhhhhh.....)

Yes, once upon a time many years ago I had my own personal art room, with cupboards and shelves and a big work table, and I did not share with any bedroom stuff whatsoever. When we lived in our teeny tiny Oakridge house the whole family slept in one bedroom so that the other bedroom could be my art room! Well, the girls were little then. Now that they are teens I am a good mom and they each get their own bedroom. But Emily's going off to college in one more year, and I'm chomping at the bit... Do you think she'll mind if I take over her room IMMEDIATELY?

Meanwhile, I've got some serious studio envy, because this is what my "studio" looks like now: Yup, that's right - when the girls are with me I move all my stuff up from the dining room table shown in a previous post to the bedroom floor! Oh, the sacrifices one must make to become a born-again artist! (i'm gonna have to rededicate myself to yoga, too, to be able to endure the back-bending involved in working on the floor like this!)

By the way, that is one of the things on my "work table" right now - my new art bag, the one I bought for a super marked-down bargain price at JoAnn's to replace my good old canvas bag that the burglars stole from the house in January (to carry their loot!). Boo hoo, I'd had the old one since my art student days and it was big enough to carry those giant art sketch pads. Anyhow, I don't know what possessed me to paint this new one. The original red fabric soaked up about 5 coats of gesso and I thought to myself I must be insane, but there's no turning back now, and I'd better hurry up.

Also on the work table AND the hurry up list: trades! I may not end up with a lot, but being a shy person and all, I guess I'll be happy to make at least a few trades. Here's what I've got so far: I hope there will be some fellow Frida fans who might want to trade with me.

I've made the stitched photo kind of thing before, but this is the first time I've done this kind of beading, as in using the long pins rather than just beading thread - kind of fun! (Hey all you jewelry people,

don't laugh too hard at my naïveté!)

And last but not least, this being St. Patrick's Day: faith and begora, HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAULA!!! These were part of the birthday package I sent her (now that it's her b-day I can show it): (and check out WillowBean's fancy schmancy French manicure! Up until now, we have been a household of non-manicure girls - life will never be the same!) I got the pattern for the wrist warmers from Marieke Leewens' Treats and Treasures. Of course, since I am a lazy knitter and do not knit gauges before starting a project and use different size needles than the pattern calls for, etc., etc., mine came out a bit long, so I got the bright idea of cuffing them. Now I want to make some stripey ones for me, Lady of the Perpetually Chilly Fingers.

Ok, Blog-o-Sphere - it's almost 11:30 p.m. and I have to be up at 5:30 a.m. AND I am on my 3rd week of being a phlegm head with the cold that never ends, so I guess I'd better go to bed. Nitey nite!

Blast from the Past

I have mentioned in my profile that I am a "born-again artist." Before the kids were born and while they were young I used to do art fairs and Saturday Markets and quilt shows. Ah, those were the days! Alas, mass production of my top selling item was not my thing - what I, and every other artist, I suppose, like is creating new stuff. So I moved on, and then drifted away when financial realities determined that I should get a "real job." Coming back to this, ten years later, it's amazing to see the growth and acceptance and encouragement - so much of it via the Internet. And it's weird to feel like a newbie again, full of questions, getting used to the technological part of it, wondering where I will go from here. I am gleaning tips from generous artists on the blog sites, hoping to make face-to-face connections and become a part of this world again. That said, here's a glance back at the past, a couple of quilts I made: "Dancing by the Light of the Mambo Moon," and "Shoobie in the Garden." (I'll try to get better at my digital photography skills, I promise.)

And now, as I told Paula I'd post some of the new work in progress, here are some of the journal pages.

Ok, the program won't let me post any more for now - that's ok, I gotta eat. Plus, I want to get started on a new doll that's sprouting from my head!

Fun times!