Celebrate! Good Times

I hope you've been enjoying this holiday weekend and celebrating these last beautiful days of summer with the ones you cherish.  Me?  I've mostly been making new memories and revisiting old ones.  

I've been "feeding the well" with Keith as we enjoy his days off from work and make our daily pilgrimage to Lake Erie . . .

And I've most definitely been feeding my face as I enjoy love and laughter with those dear friends and family who mean so much to me.

I hope that you've been doing the same on this Labor Day weekend, because all these moments...all these memories...these are the ingredients that lead to "Happy Creating!"

Hugs, and I'll see you again on Wednesday

My First . . .

VIDEO!

I know it looks like I've been goofing off all summer and having loads of fun, and I have. BUT, I've also been yanking out my hair and swearing a LOT as I stumble through the learning process of producing videos for YOU!   Lots of things wrong with my first attempt, (I'm betting you would like to see the ENTIRE journal!) and a couple transitions could be a little smoother.  But there are also some triumphs . . . I actually got my photos inserted, the sound to work, and the video to actually publish to YouTube.  No small feat.  So..without further adieu, here's my video premier with lots of editing (It was initially over 20 mins long! LOL)



I hope you enjoyed watching! Don't forget to leave comments, questions and critiques below - I adore hearing from you on this journey of "Happy Creating!"

And The Winner Is . . .

The 2010 SUMMER Party has come to an end, and Phoenix Peacock is the winner of the Summer Party *ARTtastic Giveaway.  Congratulations, Phoenix! In addition to the 1st 4 prizes listed:

Original Acrylic Painting, "Journal Junkie"

Composition Notebook Journal . . .

With some of the pages prepped by Angelia

The "Sassy Chic" Tote

And lovely, hand painted, "Creative Queen" Tiara


YOU HAVE ALSO WON

A plethora of ephemera, decorative and handmade papers, and a couple extra surprises!

So once again, "Congratulations!" and thanks for participating in the SUMMER party, Phoenix.  And thanks to all the rest of you for your comments and support.  More exciting things are planned for September and "Happy Creating!". Stay tuned!

Last Day of Summer

It's the last day of the 2010 SUMMER Party and your last opportunity to enter links to your SUMMER journal pages for a chance to win the *ARTtastic giveaway HERE.

Summer came in with blue skies, the eager song of Orioles,

and lots of opportunities for bird watching and creating art on the deck.

There was plenty of time for dreaming

and remembering summers past.

SUMMER 2010 may only live on in footprints

and shadows,

but the road ahead looks bright with the promise of more incredible tomorrows and "Happy Creating!"

"Let Your Art Shine All Over The World"

Fire, Art, Music & Tech Burn Out

I tried to create a post earlier, but honestly, I'm just burned out, shut down -the brain has exited the building.  I've not yet found a solution to my video tech problems and quite frankly, I'm exasperated to the point where I just can't deal with it anymore for awhile. 

It was definitely time to "Fill the well" and recharge my spirit, and that's just what I did this weekend by working in my journal, and surrounding myself with good friends, good music and good wine.

We had a wonderful bonfire at Ro's on Friday night.  It was a beautiful starry night with some scattered clouds, and the moon was just a few days past full. It was a night perfect for listening to the crackling fire and sipping wine.

Photo: "August Moon" taken by Keith Thompson

We went out Saturday night to listen to our singer/songwriter friend, Tom Smith, play a gig at Rider's 1812 Inn in Painesville.  Tom entertained us with favorites from decades past, like Seals & Crofts', "Summer Breeze" and Bob Dylan's, "Don't Think Twice". 

He covered many more favorites from artists like The Beatles, Al Green, James Taylor and the more contemporary Verve Pipe and Black Crowes, but it's Tom's thoughtful and tender originals that always captivate my attention.  Tom is genuine, caring and  funny, and I am always enriched after having been in his presence.  He and his wife, Kathy, are far more family than friends.

And speaking of Kathy, she turned us on to an excellent Australian Shiraz.  How can you possibly go wrong with a wine named, "Layer Cake"?

So, that's about it for now.  Today I went for my morning walk with Ro and did some grocery shopping.  After putting the groceries away, I basically spent the day doing NOTHING.  That's right, I did NOTHING, and in doing so continued to feed my spirit and recharge my energy.

Now, I'm feeling like I can face my technical problems head-on tomorrow and find a solution.  After all, there are so many wonderful things coming up for the month of September and they all point to "Happy Creating!"