So my knight in shining armor came for a long visit this weekend. We had such a nice time together. We went all out and enjoyed this AMAZING CONCERT at this FABULOUS EATERY. It was so intimate and the music was so emotional. We both laughed at the non-stop chatter between songs and wiped salty tears from the corners of our eyes as the song lyrics tugged our heartstrings. A grand time indeed.

So in the art world I have been making books, painting with watercolors, doing contour line drawings and making home made cards amongst other things. I have lots of things going on in my head but have not been able to get them all down on paper.

I find that cramming forty plus hours of work a week is too time consuming. It's hard to come home and feel creative at 6 pm and your stomach is growling and the dirty dishes didn't wash themselves. Balance is needed and I am searching it out in a big way. It's find balance or quit working. This will be one tough choice!Just thought I'd toss in this pix of me and my two brothers at Easter. That's my older brother Randy on the left with the silly look. This is odd because he is one serious dude. No kidding. Real serious. His blue eyes can pierce you like well, anything that pierces I suppose. Brother number 2 is on the far right. That's Ron. Soft hearted and sweet. His eyes are just plain gentle. These two are good people who I admire and respect. They both are there for me, always in the nick of time.

And hey, that's me in the middle. Repeat after me: middle child syndrome. Do I look like I'm complaining? No way.

In other news:

• Roommate is having a birthday
• My mother is having her birthday
• My father & friend are traveling home from across the US. He's now officially one of those people who leaves the state for the winter and comes home only during golf season. Bless you, Dad and Doris!!
• Dan and Hill are enjoying spring and are living life high off the hog (What does that mean, anyway?)
• I am enjoying my job at the local farm center but am brewing other things in my head....I'm just trying to roll with the punches.
• Heartwood is done for the school year.
• I have been to three amazing art openings. That has been a real blast about this area. It is filled with galleries! I'm seeing some great work, it is so inspirational.

Happy Mother's Day to all and to all a good night! ...MUAH!

Country Mouse Goes to the City

OMG! This has been such an odd spring. I moved friends. Here I am in Kennebunkport, Maine. Country mouse goes to the city. It's odd and surreal. On a brief note:

• I went without Internet service for nearly four weeks so have been VERY out of touch with blogging and emails. My apologies


• I am still attending Heartwood and the last class was today.


• I have been sewing and painting and drawing quite a lot. There is inspiration APLENTY.


• I've been to the flea market already. Got some GREAT sterling silver earrings that are absolutely hilarious.


• I have a roommate who is adorable and young, like a daughter to me except I can't send her to room if she misbehaves


• I started some lovely tomatoes and basil seedlings that are thriving


• I'm painting the living room tangerine color


• And this has kept me busy.

I'm coming back to life, slowly but surely. It has been a rough ride and of all things my mother-in-law that I adored suffered a heart attack and passed. My heart is aching.

I promise to post art and pix soon and I promise to come back to my laughing silly self. Hang in there with me, will you?

Oddly Enough

This is where I've been at. Please, only if you dare, CLICK HERE.

And then smile and be happy for us. Bookmark it and keep tabs.

Spring in Maine

There I was minding my own business in the kitchen when I heard some rustling noises outside. I ran to the window and caught this glimpse of the shadow of ...hold on to your hats....THE *WEASTER BUNNY*! (don't ask, that's how we say it in our family) Yes, the Weaster Bunny, made an early trip to my house hiding M&M's and Cadbury Creme Eggs.
I feel fortunate to have been able to adjust my shutter speed quickly enough to catch this slow-mo picture of the bunny before he hopped off into the wild blue yonder. Sorta brings tears to your eyes, doesn't it.

In other news. I truly have been busy in the art studio. I haven't posted the CED 08 stuff because, well, because I've been *slack* in posting. I have done something daily, that's for certain, if you want to prove it I'll mail you my journal where I list all the things I'm doing. :)
Here is a short list:

• fimo clay buttons...I really like Fimo. I just do.


• new recipe testing...a great and exciting thing to do and who doesn't love eating?


• sewing. Yes, my old love is resurfacing. I decided to challenge myself and found a lovely trench coat pattern by McCalls. I dug through the discount fabric bins and found some lovely sky blue stretch twill with electric lime green satin and then a teaser print fabric with a floral/leaf motif that I used for the under collar and such.. Gadzooks, what stitching fun!
  

See the pretty colors? And don't you just love an old fashioned tomato pincushion? Who ever came up with that idea? They deserve a pat on the back.

• I read the Chuck Close Portraits book and was completely smitten. Smitten enough to do a picture in this style. Now mind you, his works are GINORMOUS in size 4' x 6' with 4-6" grids. But I, being the nutcase I am, did an 8 x 11 using a 1/2" grid. I literally couldn't see straight after working on my painting for three hours straight. I looked up and almost fell. He he. The dangers of digging into your own work.


• Music by Dave Mallet, Maine singer/songwriter has pleased me along with American Idols Beatles music night. Can I just say that David Archulatta, the 17 year old, looks almost exactly like Miss Muffett's boyfriend, Lyle. Since Lyle is now serving in the US Air Force and I haven't seen him since October each time David Archulatta sings I well up with tears. But I digress, the point is the Beatles music is amazing to me, even if David A forgot the words to his song. Back to art...


• Mixed Media small works 4 x 6": The next pix is of "An Easy Flower" The ant swinging from a flower stem is an idea from my sketch book that I decided was time to bring out.

• Attended an art opening at the school. That was really cool. The Size Doesn't Matter Show was a so inspirational. I am constantly amazed by other peoples work. Maine artists should check the school link for their calls for art. They do eight shows a year.


• I've been planning my new blog. Yes, my new blog. I've outgrown this one and have something better coming up. Don't look for it until I've settled into my new digs. Maybe I'll launch it in May, it depends on how things shake out.


• More Mixed Media Art...Something Fishy. I really like this 4x6 piece. I did it for fun. It has real fishing line and an actual hook, too.

• Grocery Shopping as a creative endeavor?? Why yes!! The colors and textures and shapes really inspire me to cook at a whole new level. I bought broccoli slaw, fresh organic asparagus, organic beets with attached greens. Color and flavor, yum.


• Planning the walls of my new apartment. My roommate and I are planning the color scheme in the new digs. I'm thinking raspberry, chocolate and tangerine. She's thinking red. HA! We'll work it out. Interior Design is a passion of mine. I will be taking photos for you to see.


• Sewing. Did I mention I love sewing? I made a new colorful backpack, pink and green.


• Sewing. Did I mention I love sewing? I found some amazing tie dyed cotton eyelet for a great new sundress. This is my next project.


• Weaving. I have a school project that calls for "found objects" and "environmental issues" so I wove plastic bags together and am in the process of making a wallet from it. Along with that will be a bubble wrap backpack. Let it be, just don't ask.
• Garden planning. This is all in my head at this point, but planning a garden is a creative endeavor, I'm sure of it.
• My book for illustration class. Shy Jack is in its early stages, but it is a labor of love for my sweet five year old nephew.

There, that's the bulk of my creativity for the last month. Of course I still write almost daily and doodle on everything that is flat. Next week I am moving to Kennebunkport (Maine), I have also moved my 20 year old into his new apartment. I am planning a graduation party, a going away party and a special something for a special someone that I especially can't discuss.

Beyond that I tried on my bathing suit to see if it still fits. Do you think the ribbon in my hair is too much?? Be honest, I can take it.

Last but not least, the Weaster Bunny picture from earlier in the post isn't really the Weaster Bunny. It was only me PRETENDING to be the bunny. I didn't want all you moms running to get your kids and show them a photo of the EB when it was really only me. It would be wrong to try to pull the wool over their eyes. In the photo below you can actually see my arm and hand holding the camera. Yes, I tried to trick you. However, the photo above is really of me in my swimsuit and ballet slippers.


*Here's wishing you and your family a warm and heartfelt Easter Sunday. God bless.

Good Computer Gone Bad, Next on Geraldo

Computer has the flu. Doctor making house call tomorrow. Happy thoughts welcomed.

Spring Cleaning

The other day when I was set to do a long post with pictures Blogger wouldn't let me work at MY pace, so I quit that post and went about spring cleaning.



I promise to post the gazillions of artsy-craftsy stuff later when my patience isn't so thin.



Who said "A clean house is the sign of a boring person." ? Now I must go shampoo my cat.

Smile & Breathe

Smile because your heart knows a secret. And because your soul knows what that secret is. Smile at that. Smile a lot. It will cure what ails you.

Breathe. Breathe long and deep. Slowly and gently. Breathe in the soft, sweet nothingness of life, so full of energy, so full of love. It's God's love you are breathing. Breathe deeply and you can feel it. Breathe very, very deeply and the love will make you cry. For joy.

...taken from Conversations With God, Book 3 by Neale Donald Walsch

I'm off to school and to feel the energy of my new surroundings. I'm off smiling and breathing.