More Updates!

I spent the afternoon working on more updates and here's what's new:
There is a new collage added in Gallery 1. You can see a new mini altered board book in Gallery 2. Gallery 3 has new ATCs as well as photos from the ATC exhibit I attended last weekend. Lots of fresh stuff to look at! More to come as I get time! Enjoy!

Updates!

Hi Gang, a quick update on the fly! I just uploaded my glass house, which was a class I took at Artwerx with Sally Jean Alexander. It's in Gallery 1 if you want to see it!

More later!! Gotta run!

Cool Link Du Jour

Melissa McCobb Hubble has created a really cool font called Erraticus which is free-gratis to download. You can snag it here. She also has a zine, called Erraticus. You can take a peek at it here. Oh glorious eyecandy! (And enjoy seeing Mr. Ratty dance a jig! *hee!)

....if that isn't enough fun, then check out her amazing Victorian inspired art which you can see here. Melissa's art is just so inspiring!

Artfest

My stomach is doing flip flops. A friend of mine said she was going to Artfest and asked if anyone was willing to come with her and be her roomie. I am going. Or at least I am filling in the application and sending it off in the hopes that there will still be room for me to go. I am scared to death, but I am going!!

It's pretty exciting considering that I will get to meet a ton of friends I know online at long last. I am also excited about having four days of total art immersion. Artwerx was so much fun and satifying that way. There are also the Artfest swaps which are ledgendary. I need to think what I will swap. The wheels are a turnin'!! Anyone else going?!? Drop me an email if you are! :)

Web Site Updates

I have been trapped in my home today due to the workmen "fixing" the lino they put in last month. The guy tore it up this morning and then lay some concrete right in my entry way so I couldn't leave the house. (The spread of cement was so large I couldn't step over it!) So.. while I was trapped here, I decided to work on making some updates to my web site. You will find some new peeps on my links page-Linda Harre and Karenann Young. There is also a shiny new banner at the bottom, created by the beautiful and talented Kelly Robson for those of you wanting to link up to Tattered Edge. A button is also available if you want a smaller link.

On the Friends page, I have posted a beautiful piece of mail art that came from Karenann. She is just a sweet soul and her RAK was so appreciated when I was in utter despair at being ousted from my home so repairs could happen. (I now refer to the house as Casa Del Chaos. Week Ten today and the work is still ongoing!) Stay tuned for the before and after shots that will be posted once the work is complete! Anyway, I will keep working on adding new art to the site, so check back.

Deb Trotter (Cowboy's Sweetheart) made me the focus of today's blog entry. LOL! I am blushing furiously at this end, but she had very kind words for me. I hope to have some of her artwork to share with you very soon!

Road Trip!

Yesterday I took my dear friend Lisa to Seattle for an eye appointment. As long as we have been friends, we have never actually traveled somewhere together. It was so much fun. We were laughing and gabbing the whole way.

We stopped to shop at Archie Mc Phee's.
It was very entertaining. They have the weirdest selection of novelty items there. Everything from rubber chickens, to tins, to bobble heads to candy...there's just bin after bin of fun stuff and all dirt cheap. I even picked up a Day of the Dead snack box tin for $1.99! Very cool! It's definitely somewhere I want to visit again!

After that, we made our way into Seattle. Let me just say driving in Seattle is interesting. I managed to almost run over a pedestrian. (Okay I was really only coasting and had I not stopped in time, I would have merely nudged her with my car-my foot was on the brake and I was just slowly coasting.) I was distracted trying to read the signs to figure out where we were. For that, I got the dirtiest look, which I guess I had coming, but then who steps out in front of a moving car assuming they are stopping?!?

I also managed to somehow go backwards up a one way which totally baffled us both. I left the parking garage and we were on a two way street. I crossed the intersection and suddenly realized all the painted directions on the road were upside down. Luckily we were the only car on the block so I quick turned into a laneway. Then Lisa says "But what if this is a one way laneway?!?" I told her it was the lesser of two evils. What was odd was that this street changed to a one way coming towards us with NO WARNING. Not a single sign saying ONE WAY or DO NOT ENTER!! It must be the litmus test for visitors!

Pike Place market was fun. I haven't been there in years. We wandered around looking for something for lunch until we got a whiff of little donuts and followed our noses. A dozen hot off the press donuts for $2! We each got a bag. They were delicious!!

Wandering back through the market, I returned to a stall where I saw a necklace I wanted and bought it and then we headed off to Lisa's doctor's. Coming home we stopped at Stampadoodle and had a nice visit with Wendy, my friend who owns it and then headed to the Colophon Cafe for dinner, which was excellent, as always. It was a great day!

Collaborative Books

So I have this thing about Collaborative books. My friend Penn first introduced me to them and I have become hopelessly addicted. She and I have been taking turns hosting the books. (Sometimes we co-host.) Most of the books I have worked on are posted to my website in one form or another.

Currently, I am hosting one called "Thinking Outside the Box", the theme of which is the beauty of cemeteries. I also have a thing about cemeteries. I think they can be quite beautiful and interesting. When I was in New York last summer, Carlos kept driving by this one near the Williamsburg Bridge. It reminded me of the style you would see in Louisiana and I so badly wanted to go there to explore. I think he thought I was nuts. (I never did manage to get him to detour there.) Anyway, I think you can learn alot about a place by its cemeteries. So this collaborative is actually being done with photos of cemeteries, graves, etc. from around the world. So far the pages that have come in are fantastic and I am so glad I went ahead with this idea. It's been so great I am thinking that I might have to do a part 2 at some point. (Although it's Penn's turn to host next and I know she has her theme all planned.)

I just love making these books. I have a collection of 8 so far with 2 more on the way. Penn and I have been working in small groups of 12-14 people which has been a good number for us. Some hostesses work with groups of anywhere from 25-50 participants. Personally I don't really like to work in groups that big. It's alot of work hostessing and I can't imagine having to hand coil 50 books! I also wouldn't enjoy making 50 of something. I want my art making to be joyful, not onerous and I know that after 12 of anything, I would be gritting my teeth. My hat's off though to anyone brave enough to tackle those big groups!

Anyway, I digress. I just wanted to share that the "Thinking Outside the Box" book will be done hopefully before the end of October and I am so excited. Every time pages arrive, it's like Christmas! I can't wait to share it with you!

Plugging Away

Whew! What a week! Between running to the crisis line every day, plugging away on the classes I am writing (and teaching) and the usual mum duties, I have been up to my eyeballs! I think I am becoming quite the juggler!

This week will be full with finishing up preparations for a couple of classes I am teaching in the next few weeks as well as a number of errands. I have also been purging the house of unnecessary contents after having all of my stuff strewn all over while the repairs/renos were going on. Today marks week NINE of this craziness (I call it casa del chaos) and they are still not done. I am waiting on the floor guys to come fix the bubbles in the new lino and then the carpenter guy will come back, install the rest of the baseboards and do paint touch ups. In the meantime, they have be tearing apart the bathroom upstairs to fix it. That has caused a number of eight legged freaks to find their way into my part of the house. This means at around 8 p.m. every night, I am treated to the scare of my life. I am not talking eensy-weensy spiders here, but the kind that have a body about the size of a dime and huge long legs. The only funny part is watching my husband chasing them because man are they FAST! He's finally realized it's better to give them the business end of a shoe and then grab and flush them. ICK! I was never afraid of them until I got badly bit 2 summers ago. They got me in a blackberry patch-SEVEN bite that were horribly painful and took 8 weeks to heal. *shivers*

I am heading to Seattle on Thursday with a friend and I am looking forward to maybe having the chance to snap some photos while I am there. The weather has been so beautiful here and fall is just getting started. My favourite time of year!! I am just itching to give my digi cam a work out!

If I owe you an email, please be patient. I have been trying to play catch up and will get to it soon! Promise. In the meantime everyone, have a good week and don't forget to visit Sally Jean's web site. She is helping raise money for the American Red Cross to benefit those affected by Katrina. See my previous post for details!

Win-Win

So you probably all know Sally Jean Alexander by now. She's the one who makes the most delightful soldered charms with vintage ephemera and images. I have a small collection of her work and I just love them. Anyway, she has created a beautiful and poignant ovalette honoring the vicitims of hurricaine Katrina which is now available on her website. You can choose between the small or large charm for $25 each + shipping and $25 will be donated to the American Red Cross.

This is your chance not only to get some of Sally Jean's amazing art for yourself, but also to help people in crisis. Every dollar counts, so please support Sally Jean in her fundraising efforts. Wear because you care!

For My Aunt

A collage of my photos taken at Ground Zero last summer In Memory of Kenneth Charles Ledee, lost in the WTC September 11, 2001 and for his family who continue to heal. I will remember. 

First page 

Second page 

Last page. 

Teeny Altered Board Book

A friend of mine gave me a teeny board book a couple months ago (Thanks Pat!) and so yesterday when I bought this new cube stamp I had the brain wave to use it to make this teeny altered board book.

I am teaching an altered board books today so it's perfect timing. It will be a good way to show my students that you don't have to have huge amounts of time (this took me under an hour) or lots of materials to create art. Sometimes less is more!

Killing Time

While I am waiting for HTML help from a friend so I can do some website updating, I offer the following for your amusement. (And mine.)

100 Things Meme
1. I always sing in the car.
2. My favourite colour is red.
3. I have a warped sense of humour.
4. I am highly intuitive.
5. My heart has been broken twice.
6. I fell in love with Harrison Ford when I was six.
7. I lived in Spain when I was 16.
8. I suck at math-it might as well be in a foreign language for all the sense it makes to me.
9. I eat books for breakfast.
10. I cannot abide suffering.
11. My dream dog is an Australian Blue Heeler and I plan to have one someday.
12. I am fascinated by space exploration.
13. I love pink grapefruit juice.
14. I think there is alot of beauty in graveyards and I like to explore them.
15. I enjoy long distance driving-ROAD TRIP!
16. I am a morning person-sleeping in for me is 8 a.m.
17. October is my favourite month.
18. I prefer to be barefoot.
19. If I have to wear shoes, I love clogs.
20. My favourite smells are burning wood (campfires) and the ocean.
21. I think there is nothing better than fresh baked bread.
22. I find Spanish a sexy language-you can say anything in Spanish and have it sound lyrical.
23. I love that my eyes are green.
24. I am addicted to altered art.
25. I write poetry and rarely share it.
26. I dream about travelling to Tibet to see Mt. Everest and the Buddhist temples there.
27. I am spiritual.
28. I have a thing for 1950's era robots.
29. I can't stop downloading new fonts
30. I have impossibly curly hair. (Hated it as a kid but have grown into it now.)31. I conjure people.
32. I collect buttons (the kind that go on a shirt) 1" buttons (the kind with a pin on the back) and pumpkin themed art.
33. I hate writing in pencil-give me a pen!
34. I love popcorn and nuts n' bolts.
35. Rob Schnider makes me laugh.
36. I have an eclectic taste in music and a memory for lyrics and tunes.
37. I am a news hound.
38. I can finally light a gas BBQ without being scared.
39. My favourite thing to do with my son is to go see horror movies.
40. My best birthday was my 30th-it was an amazing day.
41. I am very happily married.
42. I can't stand Michael Jackson ( I would like to smack him!)
43. I love antiques.
44. I practice retail therapy.
45. I always order a Mocha Frappachino at Starbucks.
46. I tend to only eat vegetarian pizza.
47. My close friends are everything to me.
48. I love to laugh.
49. I collect quotes.
50. My two favourite places to visit are NYC and Montana
51. I have been published both for writing and for art.
52. My favourite tea is Chai.
53. I am sentimental.
54. I love it when it snows.
55. Someday I want to build a post and beam house.
56. Ever since I was badly bitten by spiders, I am afraid of them.
57. I hate pumping my own gas-I am *SO* girly about that one thing!
58. I love reading Jonathan Kellerman and Dan Brown novels.
59. Someday I want to have my own studio.
60. I am a paper monger.
61. I love turkey dinners.
62. Freesia and gerberas are my favourite flowers.
63. The first flowers my husband ever gave me were freesias-somehow he knew!64. My passport pic is horrendous! Seriously!
65. I never carry cash.
66. I think my son is an amazing human being.
67. I am a die-hard romantic.
68. I am *SO* not prissy!
69. I have no use for rude or snotty people.
70. I love to cook.
71. If I can get out of doing the dishes, I will.
72. Never tell me I can't do something.
73. I am generous. (Some say to a fault.)
74. Oatmeal and warm cereal makes me gag!
75. I am the queen of useless information.
76. I wish I was taller.
77. I can fix things-my husband has often come home to find me with some appliance in pieces on the floor.
78. I have never cleaned an oven in my life.
79. I hate going to the doctor.
80. I have been known to pull pranks. (Though NEVER mean spirited ones.)
81. I shop only at Cotton Ginny and have for 19 years.
82. I love foreign food.
83. I fall UP stairs.
84. I am terrified of fire or being in a car crash.
85. I have had a concussion.
86. I love getting jewellery, art supplies and books as gifts.
87. Hallowe'en is my favourite holiday.
88. I hug my friends.
89. I love power tools!
90. I get really excited when I get snail mail.
91. I can keep secrets.
92. I am not a hot weather girl.
93. I believe in making a menaingful contribution to the world.
94. Sometimes I have insomnia.
95. I love a good wind or rain storm.
96. I love nail polish but don't wear it often.
97. I am very soft hearted.
98. I own several watches but don't wear any of them.
99. I value integrity and loyalty.
100. I believe I need to keep learning and growing.

Cool Link du Jour

Francie Horton, an altered artist, has been collecting bird art for the "Lupus is for the Birds" art exhibit. I wish I had known about this earlier-it would have been fun to participate! Anyway, if you would like to visit the colourful nest, she has quite the flock pictured on her blog. FUN!

Another Charter Member of the "I Don't Get It Club".

So I've been reading my friend Deb Trotter's blog religiously since she started it over the summer and it's now become my favourite part of the day. Deb cracks me up. I am especially enjoying her comments about her husband and the fact that he doesn't "get" her art. I think that's something all artist struggle with, although I hadn't given it much thought.

When I finish something and show my husband, he says "Oh yeah, that's nice." Or "Uh huh." He doesn't ask how I did it or why I made it but sometimes he asks me "What's it for?" and I say "Nothing, I just made it to make it." "Oh." and that's that. Apparently you have to make art for something. (?!?)

My husband has always been supportive of anything I do. Quietly supportive. He doesn't say much but then at some unexpected time, someone will ask what I do and I say "Well, I teach art and I do some design work." and he'll jump right in relate all the success I've had. Sometimes I catch him telling people on his own, when he thinks I'm not listening and I can tell by the tone he uses how proud he is.

Husbands of artists are funny ducks. They love us but secretly think we're weird. Didn't someone say "You're not an artist till you're misunderstood?" Deb, I think we have arrived!

Website Updates

Hi Gang! I have been busy trying to get my house in order over the long weekend and working on classes I am teaching in the next little while. I did manage to get a small update done on my "friends" page. I've added links to three new blogs that have recently become a part of my daily "must read" list. Deb Trotter of Cowboy's Sweetheart added a blog to her website and every time I read her entries, I am falling off my chair laughing. If your spirits need a lift, check her out.

Eventually I will also be posting some pictures from my Artwerx adventure. I had such a good time. I just need to compress the photo files first and then I can upload them.

I hope everyone is doing well and having lots of creative inspiration!

Home!! (Is there any sweeter word?)

After 6 weeks + 2 days, I am HOME!! Of course the place is in utter choas-stuff flung far and wide. Every room is heaped with bathroom stuff and clothes and art supplies and, and, and...

It's going to take me the entire weekend to get it sorted out and liveable again, but I am just *SO* relieved to be out of the hotel. Let me just say we won't be going on any trips that require a hotel stay for awhile. It's okay for a few days, but 6 weeks was waaaaay too long for me.

There are still some cosmetic installations to be finished in our bathroom, but it's functional, so here we are. I think the carpenter will be by sometime next week to finish up. There's a custom linen cabinet to install and some baseboards and that's it. I will post a pic when it's all done. I still have some items to replace that had to be disposed of when they got wet, (EWW!) but I haven't had time to go looking for them. I have a shower curtain and a bath mat and that will do for now.

It's going to be a busy week with ds starting high school and I have lots of work to do for classes I am teaching in the next little while.I also want to do some updating to my website soon. It's so good to have access to my computer again!! I have been utterly lost without it.

Okay, off to scare up some lunch and then get to work unpacking and cleaning up! *Waves*