oh me of little faith...

in the last Harry Potter movie I watched

Professor Dumbledore tells Harry,

"It's not our abilities that show what we truly are,

it's our choices".

eloquently put really...

so much of life is really just showing up...

do you know what I mean?

notice that painting with the flowers 

on the far right

on the second row from the bottom?

 well it's mine and is now residing in the window 

of this wonderful art gallery

in Issaquah, WA.

 and you may remember what a hard time I was having with the little bugger.

I almost threw it in the trash but persevered.

there's a lesson in there -

most of life is just about showing up,

making choices,

and pouring yourself into it does not hurt either.

so this online auction for my work and 150 others begins May 6.

I will give you the particulars once it opens.  

You can bid on my piece.

wouldn't that be fun to have a bit of me on your wall

above your fireplace 

or next to your coffee maker to cheer the beginning of your day

or wherever you need a bright spot?

I am feeling rather drawn to this fat cat wearing horizontal stripes.

isn't he a hoot?

he would definitely cheer me up

and maybe if he came to live next to my food cupboard -

he just might keep me out of it too.

our NYPhiladelphiaPrinceton trip was wonderful 

and I really do not know how to go through all the photos... 

so give me some patience 

and I promise there will be some amazing places to share soon...

yes hopefully soon.

Seattle coffee and sun

 waiting for my husband at Cafe Vivace while he works.

the sun is out,

music plays

and a good book awaits me...

did I mention the sun was out?

the dog in the store next door was enjoying

every last gleam of it too.

(hi guys - this was an automatic post from a couple of weeks ago...

just got back from Princeton and New York - 

wow what a trip -

can't wait to share all my photos with you!!!)

Easter travels

have a Blessed Easter Day!!!!

We are happily traveling from Princeton to NYC today

with kiddo #1 and Kim.

Can't wait to share this amazing adventure with you soon.

wish I could travel by this scooter...

well maybe not with all 4 of us!

(original photo from Anthropologie

with a little help from picnik)

doodles

Nick loves to draw...

anytime...

anywhere...

this one is a polar bear drawn 

in the sand...

 and this little ninja was the inspiration...

for this composition just completed 

for his art class.

btw he graduates in June with a BA in psychology,

which I think he should use for art therapy,

 don't you agree?

going around in circles...

going around in circles can be quite fun...

start in the center and...

add your favorite colors...

and work towards the outside
adding magazine and construction paper cut outs...

and blobs of paint,

and pen doodles,

and stamps of more paint

and then...

cut your beloved painting into 1/4s... 

and pass one piece of yours to the person on the left 

and so on and so on until....

you have a gorgeous new piece of art

with a touch of your creation

and 3/4s of your friends.

note: we then doodled with permanent marker

on used laminate and attached brads to adhere this 

to the top of our art

for a wonderful multi-layered look.

then we moved on to the another piece...

full of happy spring-time colors in the background...

and construction paper flowers...

jumping off the pages...

ready to enjoy springtime

(if it would ever arrive - first time ever we have not hit 60 degrees in April

and tonight the low will be 34 - a new record,

but who's counting?)

not these guys...
aren't they adorable?

a Sunday blessing

or Happy Fern Sunday...

remember this from last year?

just had to repost because it really was too funny.

if I am honest with you,

I have to tell you I had a no good rotten bad week 

and thankfully it was our spring break,

so I laid low 

and cried a lot

and missed my mom

and cleaned 

and cried a lot.

grief really is a roller coaster of emotions...

I feel better today and ready to face the world again.

xo

the spring tree socks of Sammamish bloom

 the Sammamish trees got clothed in their new spring socks...

 gone are the winter ones...

 even tho it did snow two nights ago...

we are hoping for spring and sunshine

(even tho I hardly recognize that yellow thing in the sky

 trying to make an appearance right now)...

 the trees are hoping to sway in the breeze in their 

Easter attire.

now all we need is some bunny rabbits and easter eggs

 to complete the scene...

 the barrista at the Starbucks next to the installation 

said we should tell the world this is what we do in the northwest 

to all our trees to keep them cozy in the winter...

hee hee, wouldn't that be fun?

simple pleasure

Limitations live only in our minds.  

But if we use our imaginations, 

our possibilities become limitless.

Jamie Paolinetti

(the photo is one of my favorite collections...

the quote is from Carla Sonheim's wonderful book 

Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists)

What limitless possibilities

are you imagining today?

spring bloom has bloomed

finally finished...

but let me tell you -

this painting was torture

and if the art process was always like this...

well I would quit painting...

 it started like this -

an innocent beginning...

 but soon advanced to getting every art supply out of every drawer

to try and steer it in the right direction.

I blogged about the plan for the painting here -

innocent enough I thought...

 but soon it was clear to see that my plan for stamping was too busy,

and the composition didn't work 

(no photos - too painful)

so I covered all the stamping with paper flowers,

but I had too many 

so I scraped some of them away...

 and added and subtracted

and finally got to something I liked...

 that made me happy...

and ready to bloom.

This painting will be for sale at 

The Up Front Art Gallery In Issaquah

during their 150 Feet of Art fundraiser in May.