Dia de los Muertos

Silk Screen Sugar Skull by An'Angelia

Tribute to Frida Kahlo (close up) by An'Angelia

An'Angelia as Sugar Skull

For all my friends celebrating Dia de los Muertos
 (Day of the Dead)  

Happy Halloween Weekend!

Hello all you ghosts and gobblins!  I hope you have a great Halloween weekend filled with laughter, fun and more treats than tricks!  Here's some interactive Halloween fun for you to get the party started!




Stay safe and have some fun with "Happy Creating!" - even if it's just on your face!  I'll see you on Monday :o)

The Mandala

"We know the outer world of sensations and actions, but of our inner world of thoughts and feelings we know very little ... What prevents you from knowing is not the lack of opportunity, but the lack of ability to focus in your mind what you want to understand."
~Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (from tonyuberoi.com)

One of my favorite paths to introspection is the mandala.  Designing within the circle is both calming and meditative.

Mandalas have their origin in India but were mainly used by Tibetan Monks as a spiritual tool towards enlightenment.

There are many wonderful websites devoted to mandalas.  Here is a link to my favorite:

MANDALA OASIS  Cheryl is a wonderful, creative and loving spirit that I've just recently become acquainted with in the Blogspot network.  Her blog is informative and visually exciting and a good place to start if you're interested in learning more about mandalas.

I hope you'll give this meditative art form a try, and I hope you'll find yourself centered in "Happy Creating!"

Nourish

I don't know about you, but I sometimes let the little things in life stress me beyond reason.  Sometimes, I even let the things that bring me the most pleasure become stressful.

I think what's important but not always easy to remember or to do, is to live my life in the now.

I will nourish my mind by going inside and listening to my inner voice, and I will nourish my spirit as I embrace the wonders and beauty of nature.

I will nourish my body ...

And allow my creativity to blossom freely.

   

Have a beautiful, nourishing day, and "Happy Creating!"

Enter the Twilight Zone

"You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind.  A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of the imagination.  That's the signpost up ahead - you're next stop, the Twilight Zone!"

~Rod Serling, Opening narration season 2 "Twilight Zone"

It's Halloween time, and what better way to celebrate than to produce some creepy, mysterious journal pages!

Enter your own Twilight Zone by applying your favorite mysterious color combination randomly to your pages.

Hold your journal at arm's length and stare into the random pattern.  Squint your eyes to alter the contrast.  What do you see?  Animals? Faces?  Unknown creatures?

Using paint or a marker, trace the outlines of the things you see in your page.

Continue working on your page by adding highlights and shadows.  If appropriate, add words and other images torn from magazines to further enhance your page.  

"Happy Creating!" and Happy Halloween week!  See you again on Monday.

Autumn Leaves & Haiku

 You can create a fantastic autumn journal spread with very little effort and a lot of fun!

1. Select 1 or more beautiful autumn leaves. (enjoy the journey as you search for your perfect leaves!)
2. Select 2-3 colors of craft acrylic for your background and apply the paint randomly with a brush, sponge or old credit card.  Let dry.
3. Select 2-3 colors of craft acrylic and apply the paint to the right side of your leaf with a brush or sponge.  Randomly press your leaf on the page. 
4. Repeat step 3 using the same leaf or a combination of leaves.
5. Leave a space to write a thought, poem, quote, or song lyric regarding autumn.

Here's my spread complete with the very first Haiku poem I ever wrote.  I remember trying to convince my teacher that "squirrel" is two syllables, but she wasn't buying it!  (Thus, chipmunk)

 I have remembered this poem every autumn since I composed it in 5th grade, and even though I've never heard a chipmunk chatter, it still puts a smile on my face and prompts me to write more Haiku. 

I hope you'll give this spread a try and enjoy an autumn stroll, collecting leaves and "Happy Creating!"

Mum's The Word

I've been busy working on the 3 commission paintings due November 1st, but I've still had time to get outdoors, and enjoy this spectacular autumn. 

I'm still going out for my daily walk at the beach, and I take time for reflection in the cool, damp solitude as I walk alone on the path.

Even with the sun tucked neatly behind gray, cloudy skies, maples burst from the landscape in a blaze of color.

One of my favorite autumn sights are the beautiful chrysanthemums in bloom everywhere.  I'm particularly pleased  with this small pot of garden mums that survived the cold of last winter and responded to my TLC over this long, hot summer.

As October gives way to the shorter, colder days ahead on the November horizon, I am still able to enjoy the bounty of blossoms from my summer garden.

The weatherman hinted that major changes are coming at the end of next week, so until then, I'll continue my daily 2 mile walk at the beach, and "Happy Creating!" with a "mug-o-coffee" to keep me warm. 

Living so close to Lake Erie makes it highly unlikely that we'll see any snow next week.  But just in case - shhhhhhh.....mum's the word!

Autumn's Splendor

Sometimes "Happy Creating!" can best be enjoyed by observing the creating in nature.  Autumn is here in full force and her offerings are spectacular!  Here are some pics I've taken of the first half of Autumn here in Northeastern Ohio and Lake Erie's south shores.   

A Monarch butterfly caterpillar

Two fawn at the entrance to Headlands Beach

Eastern Bluebird

Entering Headlands Beach

Maples at Headlands Beach

Golden maple on cerulean sky

Geese heading south for the winter

Fairport Lighthouse

A barge returns to Lake Erie from the Grand River

Sunset over Lake Erie

I hope you've enjoyed the tour, and I hope that you take time from your "Happy Creating!" to get outdoors and appreciate all the beauty around you.

October - Soup's On

You've got to love autumn and you've got to love synchronicity.  When the first cool nights of autumn arrive and we begin to contemplate "turning on the furnace!", the first thoughts of warm, comforting, soup begin to creep into my psyche. I recall coming home from school and walking into my mom's kitchen, and basking in the mouth watering aroma of her homemade soup gently simmering on the stove.

I must have been thinking about soup when I began this journal spread that was initially inspired by magazine paper that I tore into strips and glued to my page after randomly applying red, gold and black craft acrylic as a background.  I cut out this bowl of soup from the latest addition of Woman's Day, as well as the spoon and the "October" and "Soup's On.  I wrote the phrase "comfort food" in a repeat pattern to give additional texture to the background, and I printed a list of soup ingredients with gold craft acrylic to add balance.  I finished the page by randomly adding gold craft acrylic dots for added visual interest.

Several days after I completed this spread last week, my oldest son asked me if I would make soup for him.  Of course, I'm ecstatic and happy to do so and I can't help but wonder if this bit of synchronicity is a sign that autumn evokes the same feelings of comfort in him that I feel. 

The comfort of coming in from the cold to a place of warmth, caring and safety from the elements is a feeling that must be universal.  Maybe it's the feeling of being loved and cared for that gets imprinted from that first bowl of soup we're presented with when we're sick with a cold or flu, or maybe it's just the result of one very successful Campbell's campaign. 

All I know is that it's October and the soup's on!  Whether I'm in the studio or in the kitchen, I'll be "Happy Creating!" and it will be Mmmmmmmmmm -good!

Moonage Daydream

This is another spread that "just happened".  I began applying artist acrylics to the page in a random fashion, just playing with the color and enjoying the movement of the brush.  I began to see the shapes emerge and become a face as I began to play with Reeves water soluble wax pastels. 

 I hadn't been listening to the radio - I was just sitting in silence playing with the materials.  Before long, I realized that I was playing David Bowie's, "Moonage Daydream" in my head.  

I've had a great weekend with happy times with our boys and a bonfire last night, a long walk at the beach filled with happy moments, and a wonderful afternoon on the deck making art.  I hope you've had a great weekend, too!  Happy Creating!"

No Words Necessary

There are times when words flow out of me like a river and spill onto the page in a torent.  Other times, one or two carefully placed words on a page enhance a feeling or perspective.  Then there are times when no words are necessary and actually detract from the depth of emotion on my page. 

Listen to your inner voice. Let your page evolve on it's own and show you when no words are necessary.   Happy Saturday and "Happy Creating!"



Sneak Peak

As most of you are probably aware, the 21 Secrets Playground opened last Friday and we're having a blast!  I have a special journal all ready for my October Prompts from the playground and I'm busy with looking at all the other AMAZING workshops on the playground! 

I also have another journal that I'm filling with pages from the other workshops offered on the playground.  If you're still thinking about joining, there's plenty of time to get in on this fabulous opportunity. 

Here's my journal spread from Spooky's, "10 Text Techniques" workshop.  Can you say FUN?  I hope that no matter what you're doing you're having fun and spending time with "Happy Creating!" 

 To access more information about 21 Secrets, go to the link in the upper right sidebar on this page.

Back In The Saddle

FINALLY!  I'm back in the saddle again and most of the buzzing has stopped in my head.  Thank you for the well wishes!  I can't believe I haven't posted since FRIDAY!  Hope everyone is doing well and planning lots of fun, fall activities.

I'm trying to remain true to my Philosophy:  "Don't sweat the small stuff.  Everything is small stuff."   Really, it is.  So anyway, I should be back into the swing of things by tomorrow.  I did get the October Journaling Prompts posted without a reminder this month - but just barely!  So, until tomorrow, happy Monday, happy October, and "Happy Creating!".

Celebrate Autumn!

I love everything about Autumn! I love the dramatic skies filled with dark, purple toned clouds and the amber, scarlet and crimson leaves swirling and fluttering around me.  I love the long drives to the country to buy apples for sauce, cakes and pies.  I love the smell of and sound of  crackling leaves beneath my feet as I walk through the woods.

I started this background page as a celebration of Autumn, and I'll post a pic of the completed spread as soon as I'm well enough to finish it.  Seems I picked up a bug when I was at the ER with Keith last Friday.  Yah, I'm pretty miserable but I'm hoping to be back into some "Happy Creating!" by tomorrow!