Blah, Blah, Blah

I've been feeling a bit blah so I've been staying away from the computer. My Nana has been in the hospital, she's home now but needs a lot of help. She lives with my aunt in Florida so I can't run right over there to help out and that really bothers me. She was always there for me growing up and I want to be there for her now.

My one and only sister is moving to Florida at the end of the month so I've been spending a lot of time over there helping her pack. I'm sad to see her go, but am excited that she's moving back to a place she loves so much and this time is doing it with the man of her dreams.

I've been busting my butt working in the gardens, cleaning and clearing out the house and generally getting things in order before winter sets in. It's a great feeling to de-clutter everything and start fresh.

In the past week I've made 2 journals, a cool set of wind chimes from found objects, a wood burned and painted Goddess image done on a wood slice, played with my dried herbs mixing up various remedies, made up a few batches of flower essences and harvested a bunch of produce from the garden.

Fall is a busy time of year, full of harvest activities like apple picking, canning tomatoes or reworking garden beds. It's a moist, fruitful time. A time for reaping what we've sowed and giving thanks for all our many blessings.

It's also a time of great change, as is evident in the color of the leaves, the migration of birds and the business of insane squirrels and chipmunks. Right now my life is full of changes, but it's all good. Different, challenging, a bit heart wrenching but good none the less. Living isn't always easy but it sure beats the alternative.

I'll be back soon with loads of photos of my new work. I can't wait to show off the wind chimes made from driftwood, copper wire, shell and beads. They are truly cool.

Off The Grid

Hubby and I watched this movie the other night. As much as I'd like to live off the grid and more back to nature, these people were freakin' nuts! One was a crack addict, most were packing some serious heat and had no qualms about shooting someone if they felt it was just, they burned a bunch of cars one night while drunk and the small children brought in a truck along with a bunch of guns while they confronted 'The Nowhere Kids'.

Like I said, I'd love to live back to nature and all but not with a bunch of fruitcakes for companions.

A Gargoyle In the Garden

I have always loved gargoyles. There is something about them that captivates me. Some folks find them creepy, but not me. I love everything about them; their history as water spouts and guardians of cathedrals, their diversity of expression and their presence all captivate me.

When I was in France I gazed upon the Notre Dame gargoyles with awe. They are as awesome as I always heard they were. I could've spent hours looking at them, but didn't have the time to do so. One day I'll go back and spend as much time with them as I want.

I have several small gargoyles around the house but have always wanted one for my garden. A big one to guard my home and yard.

After many years of wanting I finally have one! It arrived yesterday and is truly awesome. He's not made of stone, which is the only part of my wish that didn't come true. But, the stone ones are BIG bucks and that's something I just don't have. So Emmett (the name he came with) is made out of faux stone. But it looks like the real thing, which is cool by me.

Fainting Goats

I Love goats. Always have and always will. I especially love Tenessee fainting goats. Yes, fainting goats. Don't beleive me? Well, MythBusters certainly does. Tonight they did an episode on the goats and found out that they do indeed fall over as if in a faint if you scare them.

There are also numerous you tube videos out there. Take this one for instance. It shows the goats in a total faint.

Even if you don't love goats (something I cannot fathom) you gotta love a farm animal that keels over when scared!

And if you don't, then maybe you'll like this collage I did instead. It has absolutely nothing to do with goats, but there are a couple of wolves in it:

A Few Journal Pages

These journal pages were started in the classes I took with Kelly Kilmer then finished at home later.

The first and third ones were created by painting, stamping layering opaque and transparent images then using markers to highlight images and add text.

The second page has layered collage and paint on the left-hand page and decorative tape over paint on the right-hand page.

If there's one thing to remember about mixed-media it's layering cannot be faked! In order to have rich, interesting pages multiple materials are a must.

Weird Art Exhibits

There are some truly bizarre art exhibits out there. Take this one in Liverpool, England where a giant spider wakes up and travels about the city or this one in London (what is with these Brits anyway?????) where a working loo (toilet to us Americans) with one way mirrors allows you to do your business while watching passersby.

Personally, giant walking spiders and peeing while watching folks walk about the city has absolutely no appeal. But maybe that's just me.

The End Is Near

I'm sorry, but I find this hysterical, especially the photos. People have been getting worked up about the end of the world for centuries and it hasn't happened yet, so why worry? Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gets you nowhere.

If you believe the end is near why waste time parading around town with a sign around your neck? Wouldn't you rather be out doing something you always wanted to do, like hang gliding, riding in a hot air balloon or walking on a tropical beach? I know I would. Seriously, if you only have a limited amount of time here make something of it. Live life to its fullest and stop spending all your time telling the rest of us that the end is near and we're going to hell in a hand basket for not believing it. Seems like a waste of energy and time to me.

5 Things I Did With Kelly Kilmer

August 22 & 23 I took 4 classes with Kelly Kilmer. I'd taken classes with Kelly in December 2007 and really enjoyed them so had to go for some more when she came back to town! There are very few artisits I'm willing to pay money to take classes with, but Kelly is definitely in the top 2. Actually, there are only 2 so that's saying something!

Here are 5 things I did while in class with Kelly:


1. Made this journal:

2. Made These Postcards

3. Made this journal:

4. Made these faux monoprint books:

5. Had my picture taken with Kelly:

(and had a whole lot of fun, but that goes without saying.)

Six Altered Book Spreads

These six altered book spreads are from two different books I'm currently working in. Each spread has been recently completed. Sometimes I find myself redoing pages previously completed and a few of these fall into that category.

5 A Day the Easy Way...

As you've probably noticed I'm not much of a blogger. The fact is it's summertime and I'm outdoors 99.9% of the time. Our season here is so short that every day is precious, not to be wasted on indoor pursuits. That's what winter in New England is for (those of you who think winter in New England is for skiing, snowboarding or other such body numbing experiences are dead wrong!) When the winds our howling and the temperature plummets that's the time to be inside snuggled beneath a warm blanket with a cat curled up next to you for company. The time for reflection and sharing. For blogging!

However, I realize that posting only a few times a month or less is pretty lame. So, I vow to 5 minutes a day from now on. After all, what's 5 minutes in the grand scheme of things? Less time than it takes to make a cup of finely brewed tea. Less time than it takes me to walk to the bus stop or jump in the pool for one last swim before firing up the grill. If I can do those things in 5 minutes or less than I can do this in 5 or less too. At least I think I can. Time will tell. As long as the good weather holds out it will be tough to stay indoors for even 5 minutes, but I'll try.