No pic, just gratitude

I've had thoughts of blogging, but mostly when I'm outside re-landscaping, digging up something or cutting down something else. I hate to be inside when it's sunny out! But every morning first thing I have my bloggy ritual, skipping from my blog to Tejae's, then to Nina, to Misty, to Katie Kendrick, to Judy Wise, to "Dispatch from LA" and finally link over to &rew and Lisa E. It's a familiar little path, sometimes following a trail over to Kelly Rae or another artist that I might remember or might not. Then with that huge daily dose of inspiration I put on my overalls and go outside to putter happily for the rest of the day. I always try to remember to come in and get cleaned up and start cooking something before my dh gets home at 6. I finally even started wearing a watch to keep track of the time. And marking off the calendar to keep track of the days. My dh retires on Halloween, which is now officially next month! Hooray!

So this is a thank you to all of the artists who enrich my day via blog or postcard. Yesterday I got stung by a bee on my arm, I think maybe it's a sign to go to my studio and create something and give the creatures outside a break from my intrusiveness.

Tagging Postcard

This is the postcard I put together to tag the RAP (Random Altered Postcard) group. I've gotten one back so far, and it was a blast. Now I'm trying to think of how I'll fill out my own to send out through the mail. Of course, the "Post Secret" item is my favorite!

Rain, anyone?

The raindrops are so big, I thought for sure they'd show up in this pic! This is my beautiful garden room, where in the summertime my dh and I can sit out in front and enjoy dinner. I feel so rich in those times, and we've had several of them. But on Monday it unexpectedly started pouring down rain... how could those weatherpeople not see this much rain coming? All I can think is that the rain must have come from Texas and snuck up on them from behind.

But this is Washington, where if we didn't live life while it was raining we'd have no life at all. So last night we went to Lakefair, where the rain kept away most of the crowds. We were treated like royalty while we grazed on Demo-Burgers, hand-dipped corn dogs, and Vietnamese egg rolls. Then we bought lottery scratch tickets and got a tee shirt and hat so we felt like big winners.

I spent the last several days reading "Long Quiet Highway" by Natalie Goldberg and cleaning out my studio to a Zen-like state. But now I'm ready to make a giant mess again, inspired by the wonderful spray paint stencil art of Judy Wise and Dispatch from LA. Those bright colors and smiling faces are enough to lift anyone's spirits!

Imagine My Day

This is the top of my desk, full of a few of my favorite things. Just today I made a holder for the beautiful polymer clay heart that Tejae gave me. The heart is inscribed with the words "True Love knows no bounds" and it is inside a small Limoges suitcase given to me by my dh.
The pic is the island of Taboga off the coast of Panama, a favorite place to vacation when I was growing up. The ink is "polvere di luna" (moon dust) from Campo Marzio in Rome. The dental tool was given to me by Neville Hart when I was an apprentice jewelry maker in college and it is still my #1 favorite tool of all time. Diane gave me the magnetic words that say "Imagine My Day" and "Create Glorious Make Another Fine Mess." I feel so lucky to spend my day creating random art in this lovely space.

Bored spitless

My dh and I are back from Lake Tahoe but now he's gone back to work and I'm bored! In spite of the fact that I have a "honey-do" list staring at me, I decided to paint my Converse hi-tops blue instead. They're out in the front garden drying and I can't wait to wear them. It sounds like this week will be a little too warm but I'm sure the weather will cool off soon enough. In my efforts to get inspired, I read the Sept/Oct 2000 issue of Somerset Studio, and it had a wonderful interview with Nina Bagley. So now I'm going to go pull out my copper wire and make a Knot Now Nina chain for the pendant charm I bought from the Ashmans last Artfest. pic to follow....

July Postcard

This is a "preview" of the postcard I'm working on the the RAP (Random Altered Postcard) Group for the July exchange. I'm doing it using the Golden gel transfer, so this is turning out to be a labor of love. But then what are friends for, other than to bring out the best in us?

Another layer of paint

I came back from Texas with an extremely yukky sinus infection - aargh! So I did what I always do when I don't feel good, I added yet another layer of paint to this little child's desk chair. It was supposed to look lovely like the one in Nina's post, but I had forgotten that the last time I painted it, I covered it with brown wax to make it look aged. Now I think it looks like the inside of my head.

I had a wonderful time in Texas, my Dad was genuinely surprised and it was a lovely family mini-reunion. But it sure does feel good to be home again. A flock of Canada geese and a big family of wood ducks have taken over the back yard... they're molting and feathers float everywhere! Both sets of swallows have hatched and the parents are busy scooping up bugs to keep everybody fed. There's always something going on in this little nature preserve.

Goin' back to Texas

On Thursday, my 2 sisters and I are going to Amarillo to (hopefully) surprise my Dad for his 80th birthday. With my Dad's blessing, I divided a quilt his Grandmother had given him for his 10th birthday into thirds so my sisters and I can each share in this piece of family history. There was even enough left over so I could make a pillow for my Dad! I know I'm truly blessed that both of my parents are still alive, I only feel sad that I live so far from them.

Another day's progress

I finally got a hummingposte picture of my own artwork on my blog. I was partly impaired by a hed coud, but I'm also not the fastest techno-learner. I love hummingbirds, Anna's are in residence here year-round and I do my best to keep them happy. This is my favorite link to info about hummingbirds, the video about the nest is absolutely awesome! Check it out... www.hummingbirds.net/

Can't you tell?

Can't you tell I love hummingbirds? I got the pic on here, that was my only progress for today. Tomorrow I will try to figure out how to make it proportional.

Blame Lisa E!

It's a new day and suddenly I have a blog... how did that happen? I thought it was going to be really hard, but evidently not so. Yesterday I wanted to post a comment on Lisa Engelbrecht's blog, http://lisaletters.blogspot.com but she only takes comments from registered bloggers. So now I are one. WOW - I love all my bloggy friends and I'm very excited to be a part of this great community. Kathy