Cover for a traveling journal

This is a little 5x7 journal I picked up at the dollar store. I embellished with art papers, stamped image and polymer clay face.

I call it "just 'cause" -- a free themed journal for everyone who wants to participate in it to be as creative as they like, in what ever medium they like. Just 'cause.

For now, it will travel amongst the nervousness community, and when I get it back, I may send it out on yet another adventure.

:::happy sigh::: Aaaahhhh, Art!

"I believe in fairies"

I participated with this art squared page in "a book of joy" for a seriously sick little girl. I will send happy, healthy thoughts along with it.

Secret - or not so secret wishes

I found this via Izabellas-Blue blog, and it's a wonderful idea. Why not? Together we can always accomplish more than alone:

I’d like to ask you to both make a wish (as many as you'd like) and to support each other’s wishes. It’s very simple. Just post on your blog something you really, truly, deeply (and maybe even secretly) wish for and leave a comment here to let us all know that you’ve done so.
Then everyone who is participating in Create a Connection, and anyone who sees this post, please go to each and every one of our wishes and in the comments write, “As _______ wishes for herself, so I wish for her also.” Encourage people to go over and do the same.

And just in case people come to your blog who aren’t yet a part of Try Day, feel free to ask them to join in. Just include something like, “For Try Day, I’m posting this wish of mine. A part of the experience is having other people support my dream by including in the comments, “As _____ wishes for herself, so I wish for her also.” I’d love it if you’d take part and help bring my dream come to life.”
There is great power in knowing our dreams, in saying them out loud, in having them witnessed and in the shared enthusiasm of believing in and hoping for each other.

From:

http://www.bealivebelievebeyou.com/create/2007/01/saturday_try_da.html#comment-28360491

*I wish for better health, and not need to go on yet more medication.*

*I wish to be a recognized, successful artist*

*I wish to find the monetary means to go to school for my teaching certificate.*

:::smiling::: I'll be checking on your blogs so I can support your wishes!

She imagines...

she imagines with
wild woman sense
vivid shimmer dreams
the surreal silhouette appears

Unfinished

When I look at that doodle from the last post there, it seems so BRIGHT. Did I do that?

I feel much much darker today.

Like this.

The colors are not represented well because of the artificial light, it's quite grey today. A fine drizzle of snow is descending....

Doodles

Sometimes I doodle in bed before I go to sleep instead of reading.

Here are some examples of that. It may not be the most noteworthy artwork, but I sure like the way it makes me feel. It definitly puts me in right-brain mode. And I love these soft pencils, the way they feel on the paper and how you can shade with them.

It's the process, right? Not the product.

ONE

ATC for a "Buddah" swap

Soul Smile

Detail from yesterdays' art squared page.

Watercolor, mulberry paper, digital and stamped images, pressed flowers, gel pen.

And the kitchen sink.

Sunday art-ing

"Vessel"

This art squared page was made for an artzine over at Nervousness. I used hand painted paper, mulberry paper, paint chips and a digital image. And lots of ModPodge. Love that stuff!

What is in the vessel? I feel like I should know. Hope, dreams, thoughts or other lofty stuff?

Or a gallon of beer, as my sweetie might guess.

What do you think is in there?

One of a kind ATC

I made this for a 1 for 1 ATC chain.

Turns out this one goes to Drachenfrau in Germany!

Detail on 4x4 "Human Body"

Two peek-a-boos

Here are a previews for two swaps I signed up for over at nervousness.
This one was (obviously) called "CAKE" and who better to grace my ATCs than Martha. I can't help it, I like her! Although my house is a shambles, and I don't like to cook all that much.
Now this swap is an art squared (page size is 4x4 inches) called "Human Body". I really liked working on these, and am not entirely enthusiastic to part with them. Good thing I usually make one extra for myself, but these -- I like them all. So you get a detail on all of them.
In the next post, since blogger doesn't want to upload the images to this post.

Red Moon

Luna red Luna....

Valentines

I made these little Valentines for an ATC swap over at Nervousness.org.
You had to include pink and/or red, a heart, a piece of a love letter, a feather, a key and the word love. I like the way they turned out. Here is a blurry peek , I just couldn't get a sharper picture!

Friday Morning In the bathroom

Then again, about any morning in the bathroom!
Kitty has her routine...


...which I interrupted...
..so I could scare myself upon looking in the mirror!

Thursday Hello

Isn't it amazing how fast the time goes by? What's in a day... Get up, give sweetie first wake up rattle, make coffee, give sweetie the second wake up rattle,feed the four legged people living here, give sweetie the third wake up rattle, let dog out, cuddle with cat, let dog in, rattle sweetie, send the dog in to wake up sweetie, and wait with coffee in hand until sweetie stumbles to bathroom. By the time four legged people have settled down for their morning naps and sweetie is out the door, I could potentially crawl back in bed, too. I usually don't. I work on art projects, play on the computer, try to be just a little bit domestic, and before you know it, the day's half over. Then it is DEFINITELY time for the one o'clock nap. Or so I'm being informed by a sighing dog, and a rolled up cat laying in the sun. I do join them for a half hour or so. Very peaceful. Usually dog is on my feet somewhere, cat in the crook of my elbow, and we are all scrambling for a piece of the blanket.
Today I didn't though -- I tried setting up an Etsy shop. More on that later. It's not as easy as they make it seem, but I think I almost have it together.
And I had an appointment at Tusculum College, where I would like to enter the education program, to be a licensed elementary schoolteacher. What do you think? Should I do it?

This is something you'll be able to find in my Etsy shop, once it's up and running!

Guess what it's doing!!!!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Digital collage book

I have been enjoying the computer a lot. I started a little art squared book just for my own self. The goal is to add a page a day. Or so. Sometimes I add quotes to the pages, sometimes it's just an image or a piece of something that happened that day.
But this is really fun, and I could spend hours creating little pages:
My print program! It's like having a desk full of wonderful images at hand, and all I need to do is alter them, and put them together the way I want them. Not terribly hard or original, but I love the images that come to life -- I'm pretending -- or creating? -- a fairy tale called "Tales from the Crown and the Circle".

Journal 1514

Here is the cover of the next traveling journal I'll be sending off.
This one, as you can see, will be about people's image of the Goddess.
A theme that is very close to my heart. Just imagine, thousands of years ago, the face of God was female. Just about everywhere. The Goddess in me mourns her passing, but then I realize that we still keep her in our hearts, where she faintly whispers. Sometimes.

When I was younger, and didn't really know much about Goddess lore, I made a vessel in the vague shape of a woman. I decorated it with different little designs that had no particular meaning at the time. Many years later, I found those same designs in Maria Gijmbutas' book "The language of the Goddess" on many vessels and Goddess figures.
Collective memory, perhaps?















This is a picture of that vessel --front and back. It's signed and dated in 1991. Seems like it was in another life...

Meet the green muse

This came in the mail from my friend VK soaplash in Oregon. It really made my day! I love surprises like that peeking out of the mail box.
Thanks so much, Veek! :::blowing you a wee kissy:::

Birthday Fire

It's my birthday today. The best part of the day was the end, Sweetie made a birthday fire for me on the deck, and we sat there quietly in the night air; flames dancing. It felt good to just be.

the second best Christmas present!

Lavender fuzzy socks!!! Very soft. Would make a good teddy bear. ;)

3 Nudes

These were drawn by me using the scribbler program, I've been having fun with that these past few days. I think my wintry muse has woken up, I'm full of ideas! I've started three traveling journals, and joined the found art project, and there is paper and markers and sculpey and scissors and glue on every available flat surface. I think maybe a little domestic Goddessing is in order today. Happy Artist Dance!!!

Journal 1513

Here is the cover for a journal about trees. I'm participating in the 1001 Journals project! This one is ready to go out this week.

Peace Stars

How I spent yesterday afternoon!
Check it out here: www.found-arty-facts.blogspot.com

Yesterdays' adventure

NPS Photo
View of mountains from the Pinnacle Overlook

Carved by wind and water, Cumberland Gap forms a major break in the Appalachian Mountain chain.
That's where I was yesterday! Sweetie, doggy and I had a nice little hike in the woods in this area. It was quite beautiful, and I'm looking forward to going back soon to explore some more. There are places to camp, caves to explore, hiking trails, and feel history. It was very refreshing for body and spirit.

Fabulous!

This is a very nice piece of puppetry/mime/performance art! And you don't have to understand french.Nicely done, enjoy!http://www.dailymotion.com/visited/search/jerome%20murat/video/xf9oo_jerome-murat

Etayne-slug

This is a slug drawn by my arty-friend VK soaplash in Oregon, after I remarked how sluggish I've been feeling.

Merry Christmas!

My dog is a couch potatoe.

Lost in space

Resistance is futile.
You will be assimilated.

I'm the pretty Borg on the right!

Can you tell I've been enjoying the "Voyager" marathon on the Sci-Fi channel?

These pictures were taken in Las Vegas, at the Hilton's "Borg Invasion" experience. Which was fabulous, by the way, and my reason for going to Vegas in the first place. It was well done, and they had various Star Trek characters wander around the exhibit. Donna told me to go over to the Borg and get my picture taken, my first reaction was: "Are you crazy??? It's a Borg!!!"
The Borg "complied" with picture taking and asked if it was "sufficient." What fun. I don't know if the show is still running, if it is, I highly recommend it, if you like Star Trek. A word of caution: Drinks at Quark's bar are stellar priced.

What I miss

Warm days. Bright sun.
The trees are bare, the evergreens shed their needles. I rake them into a circle around the tree trunks. Neighborhood dogs come and make little nests there, and they lay in the sun and warm themselves.
Winter time. The light is not right here. It looks like spring. My inner universe clock is confused. Where is the grey rain and the cold damp? The crystal rain drops dripping from wet black branches?



Downtown Seattle view from Elliot Bay

...two more prettys!

or pur-tties, as they say here in the South...

I have a job interview this morning. Wish me luck.

A birthday present ...

..for my best friend Sarah, aka Cyd.
I started this little ornament of the Goddess Nathor while still living in Seattle, in the fall of last year. Then it was packed up for the move to Tennessee, and not here in time for Cyd's birthday. Lost for many many weeks amongst many many boxes, it finally resurfaced, and I finished it in time for this years' birthday. Good thing she's my best friend and very forgiving.
I'm slowly recovering from my muses' absence, and creating again.
I find there is other ways of creating, not just in the type of art that I do. Yesterday we spent a blissful day at Sweeties Mom's house, making Christmas goodies. She shared her recipes for Zucchini bread, Pumpkin bread, and my favorite, Peanutbuttercup Cookies. She whipped out eight loaves of bread and 4 dozen cookies in a half a day! That Lady is a true artist in the kitchen, Southern Style, of course.