wabi sabi

journal fun

lauren  (age 9)loves looking at teesha moore's journals, especially the imaginary figures, squiggles and fun colors. so, with scissors, glue and a stack of magazines, lauren spent hours creating her own creatures for the journal she's making. what amazed me about the process, was her total lack of inhibition...there was no getting stuck in adult-ish  'over thinking'...and of course giggling the whole time!  today she'll paint backgrounds and stitch the signatures together. she can't wait to alter the images even more with her own designs and squiggles...especially mustaches, beards and some devil horns!
these are a few of my favorites...oh yeah, i am SO using the pencil head dude on one of my pages!!

the best kind of mess...

teesha and tracy moore's workshop (may, 2009) hosted by scraplovers/a work of heart was two days of journaling bliss! and to make things even sweeter, not more than minutes from my house! i have been keeping diaries since my elementary school days, but 'art journaling' is an added dimension to the process. while i tend to do things 'my way,' it's always fun to learn the tricks and processes of others who share the same passion. what struck me the most about teesha and tracy was their spirit of generosity  and willingness to share techniques...and then... there's that infectious sense of humor that permeates so much of their work!

  tracy giving small group demos: using copic markers as an air brush with stencils

Michelle V. I learned a lot just sitting
next to her and...

peeking over Lorraine G's shoulder!
(waving to both of you!)

cover and pages...definitely a work in progress!! (apologies for the glaring flash)

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prankster attack!: revised edition

{hanging head in shame over here!}

MEA CULPA: acknowledegement of one's fault or error
it wasn't a prank! ach! i am my own worst critic...

to my sweet friend, mea culpa!!  {blushing bright red} I was not a very good listener. i am SO humbled! by all means, print and send...i'll lick the stamps myself!!

got this in my mailbox the other day
"what do you think? to put in local stores?"
i panicked before i read this at the end of the sentence:
"Bwahahahahaha!"

paybacks Ms. O'Leary....paybacks!

 

no small feat

OY! this post refuses to cooperate...it's after midnight and too late to fuss with typepad...just keep scrolling

when i plan a seed in the ground, i watch and wait and water and watch some more...and when the first tiny sprout appears i am always, ALWAYS amazed.  it's the best present ever! the gentle weather has been kind to our garden this year, giving the plants time to mature before the scorching heat of summer strikes...

every morning,  in my pajamas, coffee cup in hand, i walk slowly around the yard, checking for sprouts, searching for veggies and fruits ready for picking, tugging at weeds here and there...then sit back in one of the adirondack chairs made by my father-in-law, listen to the birds and wait for the kids to wake-up. this tiny bit of time is heaven on earth...

a corner of the garden ...before it becomes  a jungle

 

wax beans

 

scalloped squash

ALL of our tables, benches and adirondack chairs were made by Greg's father...

...Lisa Bias poppies! thanks kiddo!!

later in the day...one of my garden fairies, with a few fresh goodies for my friend Cindy

priorities

they always seem to get in the way of the lesser things...and doesn't it always seem that the lesser things are so much more enjoyable?

this has become a summer of priorities. fortunately, my kidlings aren't as affected by this as i am. for them, summer is 'summer' as it should be...swimming, friends, endless play, late nights, sleeping in...fun. watching them play and listening to them giggle lifts the burden of priorities that seem to suck the life out of so many of my days.

there is a shift on the horizon however...ct scans, tests, a multitude of doctors...the pieces of the puzzle are starting to fit together...i believe we/they have pinpointed the source of the problem and a resolution...whew! a little 'nip/tuck' followed by a bit of downtime for healing...enjoying all the 'lesser things'  is on my list of post-surgical priorities

summer for the kidlings is....
cabana swim team...fun with friends and lots of silliness! AND year round swim team, which is more technical and competitive

fostering kittens from the shelter...tiny babies, some barely a pound...we feed them, love them and get them ready for adoption

playdates with friends...making 'frushi'
(fruit sushi) using fruit leather, fresh fruit and (lots of!) sprinkles

...lots of this! (which i cannot do!!)...and HOURS of playing barbies with the giant doll house that papa made

more later...

the best intentions

i miss my blog. i miss blogging. it has been at the bottom of a long list of 'things to do' and priorities. for the last few months i've been running short on energy to do much more than the basics of parenting and keeping house. anything else has been a real stretch. there is light at the end of this weirdness though...i believe we have found the problem and a solution. Yay!!

so...with a  little house cleaning and rearranging in here...and a little tune-up with the help of  some fine doctors... i should be good as new

oh my do we have some catching-up to do!!

finally getting my health back, a husband who loves me,  my kidlings are home,  the garden is stunning, a grandbaby on the way...and lots of art-making in the wings

it's all good

creative itch

From the intensity of ArtFest to the soothing voice of DJ Pettitt's teaching me wonderful new things, the urge to create has never been stronger. Birds in the feeders, drops of water on the roses in my garden,  even the smells of the citrus trees in the evening set my mind racing...That would be a great pic! Those colors are perfect! I should journal this moment!   I imagine...I can see things in my head...I dream about one project after another. My hands are itching to get busy.

Kidling #1 asked kidling #3 what I wanted for Mother's Day. Without a blink, she answered "Art supplies!" My little, Lauren...she 'gets' me. On the before DJ's workshop she said, "Momma, see this picture? Why not paint out this stuff here and put your words on it?  I think you oughta use white-ish, blue-ish and some brown-ish colors."  Oh! Be still my heart!!

My Mother's Day present from Lauren, just turned 9yrs old.

You can call me 'Mimi'

I just can't picture myself as the traditional
'bubbe' and there is NO way I am a g-ma, meemaw, gammy or a nonni!

My baby's  first baby.
Our first grandbaby.
A boy!

I was there for the ultrasound. Watching our little fella wiggle and squirm...and listening to his heartbeat. A tiny miracle.
We are over-the-moon excited!

Catching- up

Gosh how I miss my mornings at the computer! I've missed blogging and reading the blogs of others. I feel so out of touch! Thanks to all of you for your kind words and input regarding the previous post. I've decided to keep both blogs, adding links to each the next time I update the designs. 

The maiden voyage of An Artful Journey, hosted by my sweet friend, Cindy O'Leary was last week. Three days of instruction with DJ Pettitt...and it was out of this world fabulous!!
She shared  techniques of printing photos on fabric, painting 'into' them using washes of acrylic, and building  a fabric collage around them to create books. (There is much more to the process, but spilling the beans would spoil the fun!).  The gals in class, from 9 different states, were hard-working, focused, talented and SO much fun to be with! (Miss you guys!)

Day One: A walking tour of downtown Los Gatos with DJ, who gave us pointers on what to look for in photo composition for this type of project.

Day Two: Using our photos printed on fabric, we learned how to create acrylic washes, and add texture...We also started the process of 'building' our book covers, piecing and layering fabrics.

'Provisions' for the journey...Wonderful packets of fabrics, laces, trims put together by Cindy for purchase.

 

a sampling of DJ's books

Day Three: Pressing fabric book covers with hot iron, stitching covers/pages, making signatures and binding books.

My new banner is a scan from the front cover of my book...not quite finished, but pretty darn close! I loved everything about DJ's techniques and the ethereal look to the finished pages ...I especially like the chance to paint AND sew.
I couldn't have asked for a more perfect mini-retreat! Fantastic teacher, great setting (close to home!), great gals, and don't even get me started about the FOOD! ( made by Cindy).  I've already signed-up for a day class in July.....Can't wait!! (details to follow later!!)

The Big Debate...

More like an internal struggle...

Years ago when I started this blog, I'd originally called it 'Out of My Head'  (I'm not sure if any of you remember that first banner with the open phrenology head with the title spewing from it). Here's what's bugging me...I changed the name to 'Wabi-Sabi' after getting continuous grief from Dearest about posting too much about my life (with him in it), spending too much time (in his opinion) in the blogosphere, and the list goes on (and on and on) so I'll spare the details. After months of this...feeling, intimidated, angry and tired of trying to defend my words, I gave up and shut down my original blog completely...and opened the new one with hopes of a fresh start and only 'happy happy' posts about art and all things 'yummy' (ok...shoot me now).  Truth be told, the new name and the content never felt right and Wabi-Sabi seems to be the 'shtick' for a whole lot of folks out there...I don't feel like it's 'mine.' It's almost like keeping a journal, but only allowed to write what's comfortable for someone else.

I still have my old blog hiding, unpublished...I'm struggling with the decision to go back to my comfort zone or live with, what in hindsight, was a poor decision.  I sold out to intimidation.

thoughts please...?

Out of My Head  (I'd forgotten about this header!)