Cooking As Art

   Art comes in many forms and I for one believe cooking is an art! Especially when it's done with love and enthusiasm, the way all things in life should be done.   My son loves to cook and is becoming quite accomplished in the kitchen.

    This Monkey Bread, which isn't your run of the mill, easy to make type of Monkey Bread, we made together. It was a great way to keep our minds off of Jimmy, the love of my life, being in the ER while we waited to find out what was wrong. Waiting's never easy, but that type of waiting's torture!

   Anyhow, always remember to make life's moments count. Something as simple as making Monkey Bread can be a "moment" when it's done with love and enthusiasm.

Get Lost!

  One of the workshops in the 21 Secrets online classes is titled Get Lost. The course is hosted by Aimee Myers Dolich and, in my opinion, is great fun! The entire course is journal prompts, which I always love. These two pages were done from course prompts. There's a great spread I did, but I used one of my largest journals so getting a decent photo of it is tough. It doesn't fit on the scanner bed and the phone camera doesn't capture enough detail. I'll try to get it with my nice digital camera because it's a spread I'd love to share!

 I spent a good 45 minutes scanning in journal pages this afternoon so there will be lots to feast your eyes upon soon! 

  I've been riding the icky health roller coaster these past few months. On top of the usual Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome I've loads of neurological problems, still undiagnosed. Loads of speculation, but no firm conclusions yet. I'm grateful for the love of my life, Jim, for his support and strong arms. Without him this amusement ride from hell would be a whole lot rougher.  Love that man and thank my guardians for bringing him  into my life when they did. Life may be handing us a bunch of Jokers, but I just keep drawing crowns on them and turning them to Kings and queens. That's what any artist would do, right?

  

Envelope Book

I love the way this envelope book and postcards I made for a 21 Secrets workshop turned out! This workshop was the 'Personal Acts of Kindness' one with Dale Anne Potter, which I mentioned in my last post. 

  The book was suppose to contain 7 envelopes for holding 7 postcards containing positive messages for yourself, but I decided to add more. I made 6 from various decorative papers and another 7 from paper I created myself using inexpensive, white paper, with a coat of gesso on both sides, stamped, inked and covered in light tissue paper. Also I bound the book differently as I liked the look of all the various colors showing through between the covers. I always have to add my personal twist to things!

The heart on the cover is grungeboard painted with metallic red paint.

Top view showing the envelopes and a close up of one of my favorites

The postcards, each with a positive word on the front. 

The backs have a special message written to me, by me.

Side view of the envelopes. Love all the colors!

21 Secrets

  Last week as I was reading Traci Bunkers blog  I noticed a link for 21 Secrets Art Journal Playground. Secrets?  A Playground?  Yes, I MUST check this out!


  As I read the workshops descriptions I got that buzzy, excited feeling. I knew I had to sign up. 21 online workshops, all with a different artist, all yummy sounding and all for one low price.  I signed up right away and started in on the workshops a few days ago. Nirvana!  I've been in serious fibromyalgia hell lately and this is just what I needed to keep me going, give me something to look forward to and to give me a sense of community which has seriously been lacking. It's tough to feel a sense of community when you can barely get out of bed, never mind get out of the house!


  If you are looking for a great set of workshops for a great price, on sale for $59 right now. YES! That's the price for all 21 Secrets, I highly recommend signing up for these.  You will love what they have to offer.  Photos of my first project, a mini album to house uplifting postcards you send to yourself, will be posted soon. I promise! Oh, the album and postcards are from the 'Personal Acts of Kindness' workshop by 21 Secrets instructor Dale Anne Potter. That workshop was the perfect, positive boost I needed right  now!


 

Favorite Friday's, a tad late!

ALL TIME FAVORITE FRIDAY: At 11:11 am on 11~11~11 my niece had her baby! His name is Travis and he's captured all our hearts already.

New Arrival

  Looks like they'll be a new addition to the family either today or tomorrow. My great~nephew has decided it's time to make an appearnace. Got word this morning my niece is in labor. We're all over the top excited. This will be the first baby in the family since my son was born 10 years ago! 

  I have a cute, mini album all ready and waiting for baby pictures. Can't wait to fill it up!

  On a side note, have cut my hand badly so having a tough time working on art, the computer or doing much of anything. It's throwing off my blogging groove, but I will make up for that as soon as I can with lots of yummy journal pictures & shots from the late 1700's graveyard the boy and I were wandering about on Tuesday!

Small Blessings

  Even though a huge section of this maple broke during the Nor'Easter, our prayer flags and wishing hoop came through undamaged. That's a blessing for sure!

You can see how large a section of the maple broke off.

Our Tibetan prayer flags, which have been hung for several years, and our homemade ones. 

Our Wishing Hoop, made from grapevines I cut myself, and more Tibetan prayer flags.

Monday Musings

  The journal I started making during the power outage last weekend is all painted, collaged and bound. I don't usually fully collage one before working in it, but I wanted to spiral bind it with the Zutter so having it filled with images before hand was the way to go. I wanted the collage to come all the way to the left edge on many of the pages and there was simply no way to do that if I bound it first!  It is rather nice to have a full journal all set for pen work and writing that I can grab any time I'm walking out the door.
  The entire time I was working on creating this journal the words "personal and potent" kept running through my head. now I'm referring to this as my personal and potent journal. I tend not to name a journal because then it feels like I need to stick with a theme, but this one obviously demanded naming!
  This is a skinny journal, only 4.5" wide by 8.5" long. I find skinny pages more challenging to work on, but am always up for a challenge as I feel it causes us to be more creative. It's the same reason I limit the amount of images and supplies I have near me at any given time. If I work with a smaller a mount of images, say a decent sized Ziploc full, it forces me to dip deeper into my creative pool. Plus, I find too many supplies, be it collage fodder, stamps, tools, whatever to be creatively stifling. If you have too much around you it can be overwhelming. Better to push the creativity by working with less than sit there going "Where do I start? What do I use?"

The front cover. the back cover has the same paper on it. I've had this wrapping paper for a while now and wanted to use it for something just right.  For whatever reason, this journal was that "just right" piece.

The inside front cover. I haven't added my contact info yet, something I always do just in case a journal goes missing! I'm also going to add the words "Personal and Potent". Or maybe that will go on the outside cover. Not sure yet on that one.

I've been thinking a lot about Thanksgiving and planning my menu. This page has a bit of Giving Thanks in it. It also has a 60's psychedelic feel for whatever reason. I don't question what I do, I just do it!

The cool and slightly odd snail lady got me thinking about how slow moving I am thanks to pain. It also got me thinking how moving slow is often a blessing. You tend to notice a lot more when you go slow. As for the skull, well I just like skulls and add them in as much as possible!

Favorite Friday's

    My favorite this week is the visit I had yesterday with my art buddy, Raine. We hadn't seen each other in eons so a visit was long overdue. As usual we chatted, laughed and acted like our goofy selves, all the while sharing art work while sprawled in her living room. I love the fact that we hadn't been together in ages, yet it was like we'd seen each other just the day before. That's the beauty of a real friendship. No matter how much time has passed you can walk through the door, kick off your shoes and feel at home!

    After the requisite ooooing and ahhhing over each other's journals and art works we then hung out in her back studio. Raine has an amazing amount of art supplies, many of which I hadn't seen yet, so we spent a long time looking though them, talking about ways to use them and brainstorming new ideas. There is nothing quite like a day spent with another Creative Soul to get you inspired and fired up. 

Raine's Living Room Bookcase. Love the displaying of her own creations!
Art is meant to be seen and she definitely shows it off!

Some of Raine's journals

More of Raine's journals

and yet more of Raine's journals!

Raine's back studio

Some of Raine's back studio storage.

The back studio bulletin board with a nice display of her art.

The sign outside the door. LOVE this!!!

The full view of Raine's studio sign

The pile of grunge board Raine sent home with me. Am I lucky or what?

 FAVORITE EYE CANDY INSPIRATION: Teesha Moore's Journals

Thanks Mom!

Sending this stamped & colored card off to my mom today. Inside I thanked her for putting up with me, The Problem Child, for so many years. Having a child who is exactly like me (Goddess help us!) has made me appreciate Mom that much more. How many of you out there have created a work of art,whether it be a card, a journal page, painting or mixed-media piece, to honor and thank the one who raised you? I'd love to see your works and read your thoughts on this!

Our Dia de los Muertos offerings for the Spirits of those who've passed before us. Both 2-legged and 4-legged

Random Journal Pages

It has been a long time since I devoted myself to this blog. My life has undergone a complete restructuring in the past several months and blogging took a backseat to the reality of LIFE.

I feel as if I have gone through a long period of hibernation within my cocoon. A time where deep thinking and self reflection on my life were the total focus. This phase was followed by a period of struggling to break the bonds that held me. The time to cast off that which made me less than WHOLE, made me feel as if I were an empty shell, involved great emotional struggle. yet I know full well that nothing worthwhile in life comes without struggle. Without casting off your old life in order to make room for the life that is waiting for you.

Finally I entered the phase of joyous rebirth of SELF. Of becoming fully ME again. Many things were cast off, relationships that were not what they should be. Thought processes that allowed others to be happy but kept me in sorrow. All things must change, ebb and flow in order to be renewed. From caterpillar to cocoon to vibrant Lunar Moth I have gone and it is my ART, my CORE SPIRIT that helped carry me through.

The pages shown here are a few that show a bit of my renewal, my empowerment and my desire to be fully me again. I hope they inspire you as they inspired me to become myself once again....

9/03/09

10/30/09

12/26/09

April 20-22 Journal Pages

Just a quick posting today to show off a few of my latest journal pages. It's cold and rainy here this week so I've been hurting. I'm thankful I can still make art even when I'm in pain. That's one of the things I like best about art, you can do it anywhere! I make a whole lot of art while laying in bed, not just working in my art journals, but also making ATC's, small painted/collaged items, hand-bound journals, postcards, mini art quilts, etc.

I have a bunch of cozy spots inside and outside my house that I regularly create in. One of these days I'm going to photograph all the different places I work just to show people that making art absolutely anywhere is indeed possible!!!!!!

April 8-10 Journal Pages

It's Easter and my boy came bounding out of bed at 6:45 all revved up and anxious to start hunting for his basket and the eggs the big bunny left. I wish he'd bounce out of bed that easily and enthusiastically on school mornings!

We had a nice anniversary day yesterday. Hubby gave me a wonderful card that actually brought tears to my eyes. The sentiment it expressed was so heartfelt and very much needed at this moment. Although we didn't go anywhere the day was great. Very relaxing and peaceful. Also, fruitful. I painted and collaged a bunch of journal pages and hubby managed to get the big brush pile burned. A good day for it too as there was a slow to heavy drizzle the whole time he was burning. The boy was exceptionally well behaved. So much so that I wondered if the Pod People had come and created a different child who just happened to look like ours!!!

Tomorrow hubby has the day off and we're going to lunch and a movie. I can't wait. It has been ages since we've seen a movie in the theater that didn't involve talking rats, cars, mice or robots!

A few journal pages from this past week:

April 8--two page spread:

April 8--left hand side:

April 8--right hand side:

April 9:
April 10: