Weekend Journal

It's been a busy couple weeks!  After just one week of vacation from the usual daily grind, Keith and I both found ourselves struggling to get back into the "groove" of things.  It felt as if we'd taken off more like a month!  I think we're finally back on track.

I spent a little more time playing with my new watercolors.  I gessoed the page and then poured and splattered blue and green watercolors wet-into-wet, wet-into-dry, and everything in between.  What I could see was this tree and landscape, so I enhanced what was there.  I added violet and yellow to liven things up a bit.

I had torn the top Blue Jay image out of a magazine, and it kept falling out of my journal.  What was I to do except create a page around it?  One of my students saw I was working with it, and as it turned out, she had the mate to it and happily gave it to me.  This is a mixture of acrylic washes, Mod Podged magazine images and text that I assembled in the "intuitive playing" method.

This is another intuitive playing spread, created in much the same fashion as the spread above.  I'm surprised to see myself using so much green and yellow.  I guess I needed the change.

This spread was also created in an intuitive fashion, only this time, I didn't use any magazine images.  I started this page with a dip pen and black India ink.  I drew a random pattern of squares and it evolved into this.  It's mostly craft acrylic.

Here's the latest addition to my journal, a WIP begun in my journaling class last night.  The lesson was using your hand as a self portrait.  I may have to detail that in a Tuesday Tips and Techniques in the near future.

WOMEN'S  CENTER


I can't believe it's that time of year again - my art workshop with the women of the SMART (Single Mothers Achieving Real Triumph) program!  We had our workshop last Friday, and I met a terrific group of women in the final days of the quarter.  I'll write more about this after next week's graduating ceremonies.

NEW VIDEO


I've been on a roll with the videos lately.  Thanks to my "tech guy's" help, I've been able to get Windows Movie Maker to cooperate with me!  The real test will come when I try to record and publish actual video footage as opposed to stills.  Here's my newest video, "Inside Out".  Please enjoy and check out my other videos if you haven't seen them yet.  You can watch them on YouTube by clicking on their icon in the lower right of the video screen.

Everyone  have a wonderfully restful and creative weekend.  Pamper yourself, ok?  I took my own adivce.  I used this wonderful coffee cup that Nadia brought me all the way back from the Kiltrea Bridge Pottery Company in Ireland.  The photo doesn't do justice to the beautiful glaze on this mug.  She also brought us into the current century with this awesome electric teapot, and dark chocolate from See's in California.  YUUUUUUMMMMMM!

 I had been savoring one piece of chocolate a day, but yep, I ate all three of these with my favorite cup of Chai.  Now I have to go walk!  I'll see you back here on Monday with some more of my musings.

CELEBRATE * LOVE * CREATE

Weekend Journal

It's been an extraordinary week for me.  Mike and Nadia arrived safely from California last Saturday, so the entire family has been together for the whole week.  Yes - I'm happy beyond words!  There have been family cookouts and way too much food (but I've enjoyed every calorie!), quiet strolls along the beach, visits to parks, and hours just sitting around reminiscing and laughing.  I really hate to see it come to an end as Mike and Nadia head back to CA tomorrow.

Heather has been making mouth watering desserts for us all week.  My personal favorite - Biscoff Truffles.  Biscoff spread. Cream cheese.  Chocolate.  Speechless goodness.  Heather is amazing with the baked goods and has a wonderful blog: Bake, Run, Live.  If you want to see some great baked goods and sweets and collect some wonderful recipes, this is your ticket!  And the most importantl part - they're "made with love, not calories".  I've been telling myself that all week.

Other family members got in on the sweet action, too.  Mike and Nadia sent Keith this unbelievable box of chocolate covered strawberries from Sheri's Berries for his birthday.  They're deliciously sweet and crazy big!  Sis also contributed awesome chocolate peanut butter brownies to the dessert table.  

And let us not forget Nadia's creamy, luscious homemade flan.  Definitely no calories in this! (Ha!)

Of course, we had to offset all the food (a trip to Melt, breakfast at the 50's Diner, cabbage rolls, chicken curry, etc., etc.....) with some activitiy, and I also had to sneak in some journaling via camera.  Here are some snippets of our trip to the Cleveland Metroparks / North Chagrin Reservation in Willoughby Hills.

Squire's Castle front

Squire's Castle rear right

Looking up through the tower

Crab apple tree blossoms

Red Bud tree

Spring Beauty flowers

Yesterday was all about "the guys" as they washed, polished and "prettied up" the Mustangs.  Four-wheeled Mustangs, that is.  Mike, (videographer extraordinaire), attached his camera to the back window of my car and took video footage of the trip to and from the beach.  I can't wait to see the finished product and I'll be sure to share the link with you.  Here are a couple pictures from yesterday's photo shoot.

Mustang photos:  Keith Thompson

Nick's 99 Saleen, Keith's 69 Coupe and 96 GT Coupe

I have to admit to just a little journaling activity.  Remember the 29 Faces Challenge?  Mike helped me iron out my tech kinks and make a short video of the project.  Here's the finished video.  For the best viewing, watch on YouTube in full screen.

As this week winds down, I hope you are finding ways to not only create, but to celebrate and love this amazing journey we call life.  I hope you're surrounded by loving family and friends, and all the wonderful things that bring you pleasure.

Heather, Nick, Keith, Nadia, Mike

As for me, life just doesn't get any better than this.  I'm an extremely blessed and happy woman.

CELEBRATE * LOVE * CREATE

Weekend Journal

A Journey Through My Moleskin

You may remember my excitement when I bought my first Moleskin journal back in May.  I pull this little gem out about once a month and let my creative muse run free.  If you haven't seen the first posts about my Moleskin, I'll attach some links at the end of this post.


These two pages were all about color and line.  I randomly pulled tubes of artist acrylics and just played to my heart's content.

I wanted to play with a page from an old dictionary on these pages.  I decided to cut out blocks from the page and let my muse play from there.

Music has always played a major part in my life, and these pages were inspired by old sheet music and a postcard for a gallery exhibition.

I created these pages last Saturday.  I was waiting for a student in my art journaling class and was actually writing about her.  When she arrived, she gifted me with a page that read, "Won't you hand on some of your time?"  It was perfect for this spread and I attached it to the page immediately.   You've just got to love synchronicity!

My final two pages were created with water soluble crayons.  I began scribbling in lines in various colors until what emerged was a scene from a woods.  It's no wonder that autumn's on my mind; the weather here is unseasonably cool and my summer flowers are struggling to hold on for a few more weeks.

If you haven't tried using a Moleskin journal, I highly recommend giving it a try.  They're a little pricey for someone as frugal as I, but they're worth their weight in gold.  The pages are watercolor paper and every medium I've tried on them works beautifully.  I bought mine from Dick Blick, but you may be able to find them at your favorite local craft or art store.

TODAY'S PHOTO

The first signs of autumn are beginning to appear in my neighborhood.  I couldn't help but notice this shock of crimson in my neighbor's maple tree.  What's it like in your neighborhood?  I know some of you are entering spring.  As the weather gets cooler and more gloomy by the day, I'm thinking I'd like to trade places with you!

MY SONS' VIDEOS

Here's a shameless plug for my sons' videos.  (Hey, you can't blame a mom for sharing her enthusiasm for her sons' creative endeavors!)  This first video was filmed by my son, Nick, and is footage of Lake Erie last weekend.  It's a little early in the season to see the lake so muddy and active from the north winds.

This next video was created by my son, Mike, who moved to sunny, southern California back in June.  He's having a blast in his new environment and with his new Sony camera.  He's been playing with time lapse and other assorted film making goodies.  This video is from his weekend at Big Bear Lake in CA with his girlfriend, Nadia.

If you've never been to California (as I have not!), check out some of his other videos for a tour of some really beautiful scenery from their travels in CA, NY, and Canada.  They're headed to Europe next week and I can't wait to see those videos.  I'll keep you posted!

My Moleskin Journal Post Links

My First Moleskin
The Black Keys
More Moleskin Fun
Ideas
Visions of Sugar Skulls
Reflecting on the Weekend

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

I hope you have a wonderful, restful and creative weekend!  Take some time out of your busy schedule to do the things that make YOU happy, and don't forget to spend some time out of doors enjoying the scenery in your world.  Whether it's time to flip through spring catalogs or winterize your deck, I hope you're enjoying every moment of your life as you "Celebrate, LOVE, and Create!"  And, hey - don't forget to leave a comment below.   I do so enjoy hearing from you and what you're doing!

Musings: My Babies Are Back!

I'm so happily excited! My Baltimore Oriole babies are back!  I dutifully hung their feeder filled with grape jelly and nectar, early yesterday afternoon in eager anticipation of their arrival.  I have learned to mimic their call well enough that they often answer in reply, but try as I might, I could hear no lovely Oriole songs.


The day turned rapidly into evening, and I gathered my journal and a few supplies to work outside on the deck.  I was deep into creative mode, when suddenly, I heard it - the beautiful sound of the Orioles calling back and forth to each other near the river!


It's amazing to me that they arrive on May 1st each year, and not a day sooner!  I didn't see any last night, but this morning, I've watched about half a dozen beautiful males come to the feeder.

Meet "Red".  He is the first Oriole that I saw at the feeder this morning.  He is so named due to his bright, red orange breast.  I have never seen an Oriole with so much red in his breast!  He slowly approached the feeder as I stood at the screen door waiting to get some pics.

He moved in, slightly closer, until he was certain I was coming no further.  Once his safety was established, he came to the feeder and hungrily devoured some grape jelly.

I managed to capture a picture of him with one of his family members.  You can see how much more yellow his friend is, and that is the color that I'm accustomed to seeing in the males.  I haven't seen any females yet, and as I see the males carry off beakfulls of jelly, I can only assume that they are tending to the nests.

So, my babies are back, right on schedule, and all is well with the world.   As I sit at the dining room table with my laptop, I can hear their song as they come to feed.


On the art journaling front, I leave you with a video I created and uploaded to YouTube last week.  Some of you may have seen it already.  Enjoy your day and remember to take time to enjoy the spring blossoms, the sunny skies, and the new arrivals in your backyard.  And as always, remember to "Celebrate, LOVE, and Create!"

"Traces of Love"

A bit of nostalgia prompted by the rose patterned paper.