Carnivals and Fairs

It's time for another fun blog challenge over at Paper Traders.  The theme this time is "Carnivals & Fairs" and I just had to make something using my new MyMemories digital scrapbooking software!

These photos were taken a few years ago when we went to Medieval Times for my friend Carolynn's birthday.  Fun times... Love you CC!!


P.S. Only one more day left to enter my software giveaway and have your chance to win a free copy of the MyMemories Suite for yourself...

Catching up on the past six months...

Moving back to San Diego has been terrific although I still feel like I'm in my adjustment period.  It took me several weeks to find a new home and even longer to get unpacked... I still am not completely settled in but I'm getting there.  I found a cute duplex in the suburbs and am blessed to have a nice landlord, a friendly neighbor, my own laundry room, a garage, a yard, and the best part - a whole room to dedicate to my art studio/office!

I used my birthday gift cards to buy shelving for the studio and I am almost done getting everything put in its place.  I would have been done ages ago if I didn't keep hauling stuff out and making messes (along with art) along the way.

Shortly after moving into my new home, I discovered this nest of baby birds right outside my window.

I've really enjoyed catching up with old friends and making new ones since coming back to San Diego. 

Sadly, my best friends relocated to the Monterey Bay area shortly after I arrived.  I was lucky enough to get to spend a long weekend with them over Halloween.  On the way home, I took the scenic route down the famous Highway 1...

Being back in Southern California gave me the opportunity to attend one of my online artist friend's art showing... and to finally meet her in person.  Kate Carvellas was as sweet in person as I'd come to know her online and a talented artist too!

Although I went home for Thanksgiving, I spent a lovely quiet Christmas at home this year.

I'm looking forward to the new year and good things  =)

Catching Up on Round Robin Journals

Our Paper Traders group is trying to finish up last year's journal round robin... the books have fallen a bit behind and we're all working hard to get them finished soon. This week, I have completed my spreads in three journals...

The first one is for Keron's journal on Freedom. I chose Free Agency as my theme and included the lyrics from the hymn, Know This That Every Soul Is Free. I hand-drew and colored a picture of Eve and the apple using the new Coloursoft pencils I got from my Mom for my birthday - love them! Although the artwork is original, the idea came from another piece I saw awhile back on a religious website... however, there was no credit given to the artist so I don't know who to thank for this concept.

This second spread is for Abby's "American Idol" journal where we were supposed to feature an American that we admired. I chose Gordon B. Hinckley as my idol - he was a great man whom I admired and appreciated immensely.


Lastly, is my spread for Diana's "Doors & Windows" journal. We were supposed to choose a quote and illustrate it in some way. The door on this house opens to reveal another hidden image. Also, all of the flowers are heavily glittered to add dimension to the page.


So, I'm caught up on journals for the moment... although another one should be making it's way to me soon. I'm certainly looking forward to having my "Hands" journal to finally make it home, too.

Happy Birthday to ME!

This is the pretty e-card I got from my Mom for my birthday today. When I got up this morning, I was feeling a little bummed that I am so far away from all my friends and not having anyone to celebrate with... but then I found gifts and cards in my mailbox, received several phone calls today, and my email and facebook were filled with well wishes - I love all my friends and think they're so awesome for remembering me across the miles.

Today, on my way home from work, I took a drive through the Garden... it was so nice and relaxing. I noticed that some of the trees are losing their summer greens already - I'm excited for Fall to get here!

Today it is very hazy here and they said on the news that it's due to smoke from the California wildfires - my eyes are dry and burning and my throat is scratchy. Having experienced the Alpine and Cedar fires of San Diego and working in the insurance industry as well, I have a lot of sympathy for those who are facing this fearsome enemy... my thoughts and prayers go out to them - I hope things improve soon!

Birthday Box

I waited a little while to write about this because I made it as a birthday gift for a friend and I wanted her to receive it before I showed it to everyone. This is just a simple little cardboard box that I decorated and filled with lots of goodies. This puzzle angel is another piece from that larger puzzle I broke up earlier this year (you can see what else I've done with that on my previous post). On this box, the ribbon looks so dark but it's really a soft green, like the paper quote... but it has a sheen to it that turned black in the camera flash.

I really haven't had much time for art lately - long, busy days at the office have sent me home feeling drained for the past several weeks. I did manage to get my studio MOSTLY cleaned up and the remnants of many previous projects sorted, if not all put away. Sometimes it's easier to find inspiration when all your goodies are spread out around you, however my art space is tiny so there isn't a lot of room for clutter - it takes over my work table until I just have a small spot to work in and it piles up on the floor around me so that it's a maze to get in and out of the room. For the most part, I manage to keep it confined to that one room... otherwise it might take over the whole house!

I live for weekends

I'm probably just like everyone else - dragging my way through the week, anticipating having two whole days off to do the stuff that I want to do. They always seem to go by too fast. For me, working on art is almost always on the top of my list... I even squeeze my other errands in during the workweek just so I can stay home in my jammies and do art.

This weekend, I altered a wooden box for a swap on Paper Traders. My camera batteries are dead so I can't post a photo just yet but will get one up soon. I started it on Friday night and stayed up to the early morning hours because I was on a roll! Eventually, I forced myself to go to bed but, after not enough hours of sleep, I was up again finishing the box. I also worked on some domino charms for my RAK project... that was a funny adventure because I managed - not one, not twice, but THREE times - to superglue my fingers together (and once to the table - LOL!)

Yesterday, I did manage to leave the house for a few hours... I met my friend Stephanie and her daughter for some ice cream (I had sorbet - I'm lactose intolerant) at Cold Stone. Her birthday was last week and it was a fun treat for all of us =) I had planned to go to an ATC swap downtown but didn't really have enough time to get down there before they were supposed to close - hopefully they'll do another one soon. I haven't met many local artists but maybe I can connect with some others soon.

Earlier this week, one of my clients and I got to talking about art and he mentioned a store up in Fort Collins that he thought I would really like. I haven't made it up there yet but am hoping to stop by next month when I will be driving home from visiting my family. I checked out the store's website and it looks like it's just the sort of place I've been searching for - a store actually tailored to the mixed-media/altered art genre - too bad it's so far away! http://www.theartistsnook.net/

Soul Journal Inchies

Continuing on with Sarah Whitmire's Soul Journaling prompts... Going back to yesterday's page, I trimmed out my soul armor with a gold foiling pen - it's a lot of bling, but I'm worth it =)

The next exercise was to search magazines for specific images... some were generic items, like "a bird" or "a flower" whereas others were more personal, such as "eyes the same color as yours" or "something you want (which is NOT the picture of money - LOL)"
Actually, one of the prompts was "something comfortable" which I couldn't really find any picture for... so I picked the money as "something I need to be comfortable" because, well, don't we all?

First, I made a wash of some dark purple acrylic paint (which turned out pretty light once I watered it down), then I spread it around and blotted with paper towels. When that was dry, I pasted on the inchies and applied another wash of a lighter colored paint (ochre). Lastly, Sarah had us add some words and draw around some of the inchies.

A few personal things here? Well, the "40 September" was my last birthday, the beautiful mountain scene is from right here in Colorado where I live now, the snowy branches are my "something you have" since I really appreciate having winter seasons again after living in California for twenty years. The banana bread is one of my favorites and reminds me of my grandmother; the hand represents my current round robin journal which is still winging it's way around the world; the aspen leaves are another Colorado specialty; and the purple swirl represents my favorite color (hence the purple background, too!)

Holiday Wrap Up

So, my holiday road trip was both good and bad - it was wonderful to spend time with my family who I only get to see about once or, if I'm lucky, maybe twice a year; it was disappointing that it went by too fast, though! It was nice to be able to drive there and thereby take as much stuff with me (and not be limited by airline bag restrictions) as well as bring lots of good stuff back, too.

But the drive home was NOT good, by any means... I raced a snowstorm all day long and it finally caught up with me about 30 miles from my home - and then I crawled through the worst traffic I have ever seen for another FOUR HOURS! At times, I wanted to cry from frustration and exhaustion but Mom reminded (via cellphone) that someone up ahead had probably had an accident and was having a much worse day than me! Actually there were several accidents, and stalled vehicles, and slide offs, and snow plows, and it just went on and on.

All told, I spent 12 hours in the car that day - the day after I had been been soooo sick with the stomach flu... so for two days, I ate little more than crackers and 7-Up. Needless to say, going back to work the next day was very difficult - difficulty concentrating, tired, weak - and here it is mid-week and I still can't stomach anything but the most bland food.

So, I guess I had more bad to say about my trip than good but really I don't feel that way about it... it just didn't end well and I guess the ending is what sticks with you. The fun stuff included a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner, a mountain drive with my Dad, arting with my mom and sister, making gourmet candy apples, celebrating two family birthdays, playing with my little niece and nephew, taking my nieces to a movie, and of course listening to my Broncos win a terrific football game!

It's hard to accept that it's already December and I have so much to do before Christmas... I don't know where I'm going to find the time to get everything done - Yikes!

Turn that Frown Upside Down!

So, my day did not get off to a good start and despite my best efforts, it was not getting any better! But then, I checked my mailbox and... Ta Da! My first issue of Somerset Studio magazine arrived - Yippee!!!

Every other month, I save my Michael's coupon and then I go from store to store trying to track down an issue before they're sold out... but this year for my birthday, my wonderfully awesome Mom bought me my own subscription and now I'm going to sit down and peruse the first issue - that kind of artistic inspiration has got to brighten anyone's day, right?

Birthday Blossoms

Today I got a wonderful surprise at the office - floral delivery! I received a beautiful bouquet of yellow roses and lilies with mylar balloons in a lovely green ceramic pot from a dear friend who moved out of state recently. Not much else can make you feel more special than having flowers delivered =)

Birthday Blessings

I have received several birthday blessings from friends and family today... funny and pretty cards and sweet emails... some cute personal items from friends, including a tube of yummy blueberry lipgloss... and a beautiful card from my parents that made me cry! It spoke of how proud they are of me, which just means so much to a girl who's greatest childhood fear was disappointing her parents - that was the worst punishment, even more than spankings or being grounded, when I was a child. I certainly haven't made all the right choices along the way, but I guess I turned out okay =)

Beau"tea"ful Birthday Surprise!

My birthday is this weekend (well, Monday, actually) and I received a package from one of my dearest friends. She called today to tell me to open my package early. Inside was this gorgeous tea set! My dishes are a matching Blue Willow pattern and this set is such a beautiful edition. I am very excited to have this wonderful surprise - I LOVE IT!!!

A Friend is a Gift from God

I made this little door hanger for a dear friend's birthday. She has had some struggles lately and I wanted her to have something special that would make her feel blessed by God's hand. I didn't post it earlier because I wanted it to be a surprise but now that she has it, you can see it too!

I made this from a cork-backed coaster. I sanded down the cover paper, applied gesso, then peach acrylic, followed by a few dabs of green; when it was all dry, I sanded and distressed the painted background.

Next, I layered some gold-printed mulberry paper (pre-purchased). I tore around the edges of the music page and used Tim Holtz' Distress inks on it and layered it over the mulberry paper.

The little dancing girls are victorian scrap that I purchased from our local Michael's store. If you're only shopping in the scrapbook section, you're missing out on lots of great stuff... you can find these in the decoupage papers near the unpainted wood. I chose these girls for two reasons - 1) they look like my friend and I (I'm the brunette & she's the strawberry blonde) and 2) she loves pink and green! The lens was an RAK from an online swapper - I don't know where she got these things but I think they're so cool!

Lastly, I printed out and trimmed the words, then used my gold leafing pen around the edges. After gluing them down, I attached the metal roses which are a dollar store find. I like to check out the jewelry there and take it all apart for the cool beads =) Finally, I stapled a beaded wire to the back to hang it from... voila!

Here fishy, fishy, fishy...

Yesterday was my friend Brenden's birthday party (he's 8) and we went to the Denver Aquarium. It was very cool and so much fun! We spent nearly 3 hours eating in the restaurant, walking through the aquarium, feeding the rays, getting faces painted, and playing and climbing around on huge foam fish! Everyone had a blast! When it was all over, we each took a birthday balloon, made a wish, and let them go into the sky - unfortunately, mine caught a breeze and got stuck under the eaves of the building... I wonder if that's a bad sign? Thank goodness I'm not superstitious!