Our books are being published!

My art desk looked like this last weekend.

as I stitched up 10 of these little books for the art clubbers...

who can hardly contain their excitement as

we just found out that I get to write an article

about our book 

for Stampington's new magazine 

Create with Me

on newsstands in July.

Yippee Yahoo!!!!

You can find the original blog here.

Now I need to clean off the art desk, 

put on my writing cap,

and start writing.

a Spring Bouquet

some spring beauties for your weekend -

made in art club last week...

fills the air with hope doesn't it?

first glue...

lots of thick glue lines are necessary...

 let dry...

 then fill each area between the glue lines with oil pastel color...

 add final dots of white tempera,

sparkle beads,

flowers and butterflies too.

 then move onto your other vase...

 and outline in a dark oil pastel...

 and add the same goodies as above...

then take home to your mom who squeals with delight.

so what makes you squeal with delight this fine spring day?

cut, stamp, paint, repeat...

 no words needed...

 like riding a bicycle...

 haven't done this in years...

 wanted to use the idea from this page...

 and threw together fun foam

for more dimension...

all to be added to this auction piece

which is due in a week -

and if I write about here

I just might finish it...

come back in a couple of days to see the end product.

there, I said it.

A Sunday Blessing - LGLG

or

Let Go Let God...

 bought this lovely in Port Townsend while

attending Art Fest.
It's called Grace.  
"they will be life for you, 
an ornament to grace your neck"
Prov. 3:21-23 
speaking of discernment.

 I just love it

and it makes me smile...

 especially love the the secret code on the back

as it says

LGLG

(Let Go Let God).

something I need to remember daily.

I am starting to return to the land of the living

as this illness really took its toll.

you see I will admit that I totally freak out when I am sick

and I think I will never get well -

I think it's a lack of control thing really.

instead I need to rely on Him...

"My grace is sufficient for you,

for my power is made perfect in weakness".

 it came wrapped in chiffon 

and packed in its own little travel tin.

 there is a gratitude rock

and even a blessing

"in all things the hand of god"

wrapped in irish thread...

oh how lovely...

for more check out Kathy's site.

could use some fairy dust...

not been the best week here...

bronchitis, 

bad pneumonia vaccine, 

2 migraines,

 the worst bladder infection ever,

2 antibiotics...

I am so ready for this week to be over 

and spring to 

spring

sprang

sprung!

photos from Anthropologie and Ravenna Gardens

in U Village not taken this week...

mermaids in my head

logo #1...

became logo #2 this week...

became logo #3.

well I have some explaining to do...

my dear, sweet husband makes the lattes around here,

and he often adds a little extra

to the outside of my to-go cups.

thought this was hysterical and just wanted to give him

a big 'thank you'

for all the little things he does.

btw he is a really good artist -

this was a quick 30 second sketch.

I have the sicko thing in my chest -

along with a come and go migraine...

day #5 but who's counting.

the blue tree socks of Sammamish

every cloud has a silver lining... or

when life gives you lemons make lemonade... or

how about a new one?

every tree needs a blue sock.

so the story goes like this... 

a clump of beloved trees are trimmed because they are dying.

 boo hoo I exclaimed.

My city (Sammamish, WA) is hoping they could be carved into public art,

but found out they would need to be removed and set on pedestals

or they would rot.

boo hoo the trees weeped.

along comes Suzanne Tidwell and Beth Newfield who decide to

make lemonade out of lemons...

so they enlist some friends and started knitting,

and knitting and knitting...

until they have 39 miles of yarn wrapped around some very cozy trees.

the trees say thank you (or whatever it is that trees say) 

and the people say thank you...

and we look forward to the new spring socks being installed later this month.

yahoo I say.

I promise to photograph the new spring socks if 

the trees will quit their partying and let me near... 

A Sunday Blessing

He heals the brokenhearted

and binds up their wounds.

Psalm 147:3

found amongst my mom's things -

a nice needle holder for binding up wounds in clothes - 

wonder if God has a kit like this...

the wisdom of Stephen King

If God gives you something you can do,

why in God's name wouldn't you?

so begins one of my favorite quotes 

penned by Stephen King in his book

On Writing,

a Memoir of the Craft.

working on this one at present

and can't quite figure out how to finish it...

so I must wait for it to speak.

no wonder people think artists are weird...

 and I am still blown away when 

I see my published art

(this one out any day and I have a whole page - yippee!)

more from Stephen:

Talent renders the whole idea of rehearsal meaningless;

when you find something at which you are talented,

you do it until your fingers bleed

or your eyes are ready to fall out of your head.

 so that is why I love 'pulling art' out of kids.

I want them all to realize how gifted they are!

Here is our class auction project...

 which just melted my heart as each student looked in amazement

at their creation...

 and yesterday in art club we played with glue.

I was washing glue out of brushes at the sink

and I overheard one student say,

I just love art,

and then another,

I just love it too,

and another,

me too.

and seriously I started to tear up...

could anything be better?

 Well maybe watching a Kindergartener

with very definite opinions about how she is going to do a project...

work on this beauty.

She was the only student who insisted on doing a glass vase - 

notice the water in it.

and I thought it would be too hard - oh me of little faith...

Stephen King finishes his thoughts on creating,

Even when no one is listening

(or reading, or watching),

every outing is a bravura performance,

because you as the creator are happy.

Perhaps even ecstatic.

And shouldn't we all live that way -

thinking our next outing will be a bravura performance?