Stepping back up to the plate . . .

What an awesome day! My gift today was my BFF flew in to town yesterday to visit with her mom and this morning we were able to meet for coffee and hugs! There is nothing in the world better than hugs and coffee chat with your best friend! We will get to have several days next week when she will come stay with me. We are going to get to play in the art room every day! Can't wait to post our creations.
Keeping it short and sweet today!!

The House of Blues . . .

Well, I am back! I truly thought after my last post I was going to be visiting here and posting on a much more regular basis - I don't know how to explain that I didn't. But, I am here now and I want to snuggle in and share with you guys again. I have been playing a little in the art room and here is one of the most fun things I have done lately. Inspired by Lisa Kaus, some friends got together and created our own version of her art houses. I love them!! I can't get enough of making them. Not having worked with wood before, I am loving that, too! I actually used a power saw for the first time and wonder why I waited so darn long to do that! The house measures 18"x10"x1". It is a true mixed media piece, painted in acrylics and oil pastels, enhanced with collage and found metal objects, and coated in beeswax. I have several fun things looming on the horizon for the near future. I am looking forward to sharing more of my art soon!

Monday blogging . . .

It seems to me that I have fallen out of favor with the blogging scene lately. This is disappointing because I was so smitten when I first started. I have noticed that the other bloggers I visit have been cutting back on their blogging entries, too. Maybe we have just run out of words?!! Could it possibly be that we have really already said all we need/can/want to say?! Anyone who knows me will attest that I don't usually lack for words. For like writing, I do love to talk! Just look at my phone bill each month!
It appeared a bit of my passion had gone underground. It happens. What I count on is that it will come back, and with renewed energy. One way I can tell if I am getting back on track is the desire and ability to create returns. I have been playing in my art room. Things have been bubbling up in my brain and actually finding their way out of my fingers and into the real world. This is making me happy. I am able to let go of some things I know I won't do again and I am entering into some things that are enticing me to take them further. I am finding the sweet spot in my art again. And while it is raining here today, I smell the scent of spring in the air and warmth of the sun on my face.

Soar on Wings of Love . . .

Here's the spoon I mentioned in a prior post. I found it on my morning walk the other day. I ran it through the dishwasher and then added color with alcohol inks and rub-n-buff. I then added wings made out of copper wire and deli paper and colored with paint and mica powders. The little heart is created out of paper clay and colored with acrylic paint. Add a few beads, some copper wire swirls, some words and I have a whimsical piece to add to my wall. I think these spoons are fun to do. I really liked the addition of the wings and heart.
Today I went to see Slumdog Millionaire - a great movie! You owe it to yourself to see this movie if you get the chance.
Well, off to play a bit more in the art room, but I wanted you to see the finished spoon!

Spring is on it's way!

This morning as I took my walk I saw two big V's of Canadian geese flying home! They were honking in all their glory and it made me smile wide to see them. Seeing the geese on their northbound journey is always a highlight of my year. There is something in me that stirs to the sound of their honking, the dedication to their journey and the thought of how happy they must be to be heading home again. This is the third time I have seen them in their migration in the last few days and it definitely brings a happiness to my soul.
This past weekend I taught a glass slide solder class and had a great group of students. This is always a very satisfying class to teach because everyone is happy to learn this technique and take it with them into their future art projects. It's amazing what type of mini masterpiece you can create between two 1"x3" pieces of glass!
Pam, if you are reading this, I want to wish you a Happy Belated Birthday! I hope you did something fun to celebrate your special day! And to the rest of my readers, I wish you a satisfying day and the hope that something will make you experience a happiness in your soul today.

Can January really be coming to an end already?!

Boy, what the heck happened to this month?! I can't believe we are already through the first month of the new year! I feel a bit remiss for not having posted more this month. I have felt as if I am in a state of semi hibernation, and I am not even living where it is cold and I would be justified for withdrawing from life for a bit! Today as I sat on the patio eating my lunch, I thought, "Gee, this is a real treat! So many people are dealing with the hardship of bad weather right now and I feel like I am on retreat!" I relished sitting there and closing my eyes in the sun and listening to the little birds chirping all around me.
I have been in kind of a funky space the last month or so, I don't really want to bore myself or you with that, but I feel the need to address it as I have put myself out here with a blog and I feel an obligation to share I haven't been wanting to connect with anyone. Wanting to be isolated is not a normal state for me, so while I have been working through it, I haven't wanted to be working it through with anyone else. Suffice it to say, I am coming back around.
Yesterday in the art room I played with altering some tins and some paper clay elements. The most fun thing I did though was to play with a spoon I found last week while I was on my walk. I colored it with alcohol inks and rub-n-buff, some wire and beads and some wings I learned to make from Kelly Rae Robert's new book. It isn't quite done, but I will post it as soon I have added the finishing touches. There's something quite fun and whimsical about those darn spoons that makes them irresistible!
I am happy to be writing here today and wanting to leave you with this quote I read this morning: "If you want to meet someone who can fix any situation you don't like, who can bring you happiness in spite of what other people say or believe, look in a mirror and say this magic word: Hello!" - Richard Bach

OMG (Oh My Gosh!) . . .

I can't believe I have let a whole month go by with no postings to my beloved blog! I don't even have a good excuse/reason to give for not being here of late. So, to not beat a dead horse (an awful expression!), the good news I have returned in the New Year! Here are a few things I have been up to lately. I taught a class this past Sunday on altered tins. What a great group of students! I was a little nervous because I haven't taught this type of class before, but it was perfect! Thank you so much to the creative women who made it so fun! I will be teaching it again in March. I have been fortunate to schedule more classes in the upcoming year. On the calendar is a year's worth of PMC classes, glass slide soldering, a mixed media bird project, and if I can get my act together, a book class. I was going to slack off on teaching this year, but if the interest is still there, I will show up for sure! I have also been given the opportunity to join a very talented group of women artists for the purpose of playing, experimenting and doing shows together this year and I am very excited about that!
I have been taking a look at being kinder to my body these days. This means eating well, taking my walks and getting good sleep. I have found my days go much better when I start with my morning readings, my daily writing (a good idea from Julia Cameron, The Sound of Paper), followed by my walk, then a good healthy breakfast. What comes after that is always better balanced by that good start to my day.
I have been reading and just finished Jodi Picoult's Nineteen Minutes last night. I have Sue Monk Kidd's When the Heart Waits and Susan Tuttle's Exhibition 36 on my reading table at the moment. Over the holidays I finished The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, which I really enjoyed. I always feel rich with a stack of good books by my side. And I have been knitting, making socks and chemo caps. I love my hand knit socks! This is funny because I really resisted making them. I thought is was silly when you could go buy them so inexpensively and yet, I can't wait to replace all my store boughts with hand made ones now, they are just so much cuter!
So, it is good to be settling back into the blog seat again. Thank you to my blog friends who have continued to stop by and say hi, I am warmed by your presence in my little corner of the art room. I am very hopeful about the new year, excited for the adventures to come and feeling blessed by all that has been. It's good to be back.