La vie en rose

It's the dead of winter here in Minnesota, so I'm getting out my happy, colorful decor to liven things up. I have this fun little vase that is in need of some flowers. I was thinking of the whimsy, homemade variety. I've had it out for a couple of weeks now just waiting for the right inspiration. It came in many forms. I was paging through my Feb. issue of Memory Makers magazine and found this goregous bouquet of paper flowers by Danielle Thompson. Who, by the way, is my current fave scrapbooker. I just love her style!!! Check her 2Peas gallery out here. WOW...is all I can say! So I'm definitely going to have to give this a go. With all the paper scraps I have, I could fill my entire bedroom with flowers:) Then yesterday the latest issue of Country Home magazine came in the mail. They had a bouquet of lovely little roses, made of rolled fabric! Another idea I came across was in Martha Stewart Kids magazine. It's easy, bright crepe paper flowers. How fun! Here are some huge ones, and a lovely bouquet of roses. These will certainly keep me busy.

SPT #3 {Personal History}

This is a picture of me (in the foreground) when I took a trip to Italy by myself at the age of twenty. I went to Tuscany, stayed with an amazing group of people and took a photography class with Harvey Stein. It was a truly remarkable trip for me. I felt so strong and independent and came back a different person. I raved about the class I had taken to my sister. She then decided to go a couple of years later and met her husband there! My parents went a few years later. We all had unbelievable experiences. Il Chiostro is certainly a part of my personal and family history.

Happy 50th post!!!

Can you believe it, 50 posts already!? I just started this blog on Nov. 29th. I've been blogging like a mad woman. Hope you're enjoying it. I know I am:)

Today I leave you with the 2Peas meme for this week. It's an exercise from Julia Cameron's The Sound of Paper.

The artist soul thrives on adventure. Many adventures require that we muster the courage to be a beginner. List five things you would love to do, if you didn't have to do them perfectly.

1. If I didn't have to do it perfectly, I'd try to sew my own clothes.

2. If I didn't have to do it perfectly, I'd try to start my own business.

3. If I didn't have to do it perfectly, I'd try acting.

4. If I didn't have to do it perfectly, I'd try submitting my work to be published.

5. If I didn't have to do it perfectly, I'd try surfing.

This is me....a work in progress

I'm working on an art journal page for melba's new Mixed Media Memoirs. I love this new project of hers. Check it out here! Her first theme is "This is Me" so I thought this picture was perfect to begin with! If your wondering what my son is doing, he's actually doing sign language to the tv:)

Hope you had a nice weekend. My hubby and I saw the movie "Fun with Dick and Jane" today. Nothing big, just a funny, light movie. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon. I just went to Target and bought a blender with a food processor attachment. I plan to start making my own baby food for Chloe. I'm psyched!! I'm not sure why I wasn't doing it before. Anyone have any good recipes and or tips?!

UPDATE: I finished my page, you can see it here!
I used a page (scanned) from my journal, a picture from SPT on my blog, the picture I have above and Elsie's fab fonts found here.

Artist's Way {inspirations}

I thought I'd better get going on my inspiration to share with the Artist's Way group. There has been so much inspiring me lately. So many wonderful bloggers out there, so many great books I've been reading. One thing that I've always been inspired by is textiles. Sounds weird, but the colors, patterns and textures really gets my creative juices flowing.

Today I did my Artist's Date at Anthropologie. Shopping doesn't count, you say? I didn't buy a thing, but just wandered around admiring the "euro-apartment style" clothing and household items that I love so much. Nothing beats their colors, textures, aromas... the whole vibe I just love. Their velvety purses are to die for, their bedding looks heavenly, love the quirky kitchen towels and aprons! When is the last time you wore and apron?! Anyway, I came home totally inspired...and of course wanted to re-decorate my entire house!

The picture above is of my grandmothers silk paisley throw. It's something I've always treasured. I am constantly inspired by the fabrics that I come in contact with. I love to express myself through fabric; in my home, on my clothing, through my art. Colors can really set a mood, and textures can trigger emotions. I love to go to estate sales. The textiles can be so telling. I love looking at old handmade quilts, and rummage through piles of vintage fabrics and sewing notions. Truly the fabric of life.

Kind of a funny sidenote, my daughters little hand seems to get into all my pictures. It's kind of like a "where's Waldo?" but more like "where's Chloe?" Hehe.

New toys!

Here's a layout I did last night of little Chloe pulling herself up. It's a different style for me, much more clean lines and simple. I still think maybe it needs a little something. I wanted to try a few new things. I used Picasa to change the pictures to black and white. You can do TONS of fun adjustments with Picasa..and it's free! I also used fonts that I found at scrapvillage. I played around with that a long time and decided to use this one called "calvin and hobbes". I've never used my computer for scrapbooking before, besides to print out pictures. I've always used letter stickers, rub ons, or my own handwriting. I feel like these new found tools are adding a whole new dimension and endless possibilities for my scrapbooking! I also enjoyed used my favorite foofala "thrift store" paper and new Daisy D's attic heirlooms die cut flower. These are fabulous! Oh yea, I also bought a square punch yesterday and made a neat little collage with my Christmas cards and pictures inspired by Ali. It was so easy. I have lots more, so I think I'll do a few more layouts. Let the fun begin!

Chenille Fever

Isn't this cake just the cutest? I got it on ebay from Emily over at crazycakes.biz. Check out her web site. She's got the most adorable chenille cakes, cupcakes and tea sets. I actually bought it for my daughters first birthday, which isn't until April. I just love chenille. It's so soft and cuddly, so old fashioned and just perfect for a child....or an adult. I love my chenille bed spread! I even use chenille in my scrapbooking for pockets or photo corners. I "age" it first with coffee, tea or walnut ink.

I'd love to make some chenille animals or pillows. I found this web site with everything you could ever want made with chenille. It also has some facinating history. Did you know that chenille is French for "caterpillar"?

Check out this chenille-looking crafty goodie from Miss Dots web site. Fun little project!

Art and Blogging {Lesley Riley}

I happened to come across an interesting post about "bloggers block" and 10 killer post ideas recently. I was intrigued by #4. the interview, although I didn't think too much of it at the time. Then in my morning pages for the Artist's Way group this idea came to light and I followed through with it. I'm new to blogging so I've been very busy navigating the blogging community and figuring out where I "fit in". I've found a lot of kindred spirits and noticed that a lot of artists (amateur and professional) have blogs. I wanted to explore the idea of ART and BLOGGING, so I brainstormed some questions and emailed them to some of my favorite artists. Low and behold I got some responses! I'm always amazed at how accessible and receptive people are online. So every now and then I will feature an "interview" with a fellow blogging artist. Today, it's with none other than mixed media artist, Lesley Riley!! She has a brand new blog in addition to her web site.

AM: When did you start blogging?
LR: Right before Christmas. I had been home from teaching for over a month, and found some extra time on my hands, so I jumped in.

AM: What was your motivation?
LR: Nina Bagley and I had been talking about it since April. We decided together to start one after we found a couple of blogs we really loved.

AM: Who is your audience/readership?
LR: Who ever knows, but I think it is other artists and quilters. I have links from my website and a lot of other artist's blogs.

AM: Do you use your blog as a social network?
LR: No, it's just a place for me to share my thoughts.

AM: Do you read other blogs? Which ones?
LR: Yes, a few. My favorites are: http://artjournaler.typepad.com/pomegranatesandpaper/
http://jujulovespolkadots.typepad.com/juju_loves_polka_dots/
http://rosylittlethings.typepad.com/posie_gets_cozy/
http://ornamental.typepad.com/
http://www.dannygregory.com/

AM: Has blogging changed your creative process at all? Are you inspired by other bloggers?
LR: I am inspired by a few things I see on other blogs, mostly talk about some exciting new work they have found. One such link has led me in a new direction.

AM: Do you find inspiration online?
LR: Definitely, which is good, because it sends me into the studio.

AM: Blogs can be very intimate; do you enjoy showing a different side of yourself?
LR: Yes, exactly. I have written 2 books and contribute to Cloth Paper Scissors as the Arts Editor, but I want to write things that are not how-to. My blog gives me that chance.

AM: What is a typical day like for you?
LR: Get up at 6:40 to get my daughter off to school, come down to my computer, IM with my best friend to kick off the day and get us inspired. And depending on the work load, either do appraisals, or make art. On the art side, that also includes a t lot writing. I just finishing my 2nd book.

AM: Where do you usually create?
LR: My bedroom is in my studio, so I am either there or here in front of the computer working on images.

AM: Do you find the computer has distracted you from your art?
LR: Yes & no. It has allowed me to create the art I do which is very image driven. Yet when I am doing "art" on the computer, it never feels like art and I am anxious to get hands-on in the studio. I do think though, that I waste a lot of time on here, but it's also my "down" time, a way of relaxation - almost like sitting down with a book, because let's face it, if you are on the computer you are doing a lot of reading.

Oh my gosh, have you guys been to blogthings.com? It's loaded with funny little quizzes and stuff to put on your blog. I particularly like "you know you're from......when......". Too funny! Something light for hump day:) Be well.

De-lurk!

I know you’re out there. If you’re reading this and you don’t usually comment, now is your time to be heard. Just say hi!

Ok, if you need something to write about I'd love to know your answer to this question

What is your idea of the perfect creative day?

For those of you participating in Blogging the Artist's Way this could be inspiration for your Artist's Date. Some of my most memorable creative days include doing an intensive meditation retreat or sesshin, where I actually did absolutely nothing, just sat...all day. It felt creative because I was clearing the palate, letting go! Another was a day at a scrapbook convention. I get so revved up, inspired to spill my life onto the page. I would love to attend a CKU event someday. It would be a dream come true for me and the ultimate creative day to take a workshop at Valley Ridge with LK Ludwig.

Self Portrait Tuesday {Personal History}

my daughter~myself
@ 8 months

Hello there!

I just noticed that Sharon posted a link to this blog on her blog. Thanks so much, Sharon. I figured I should have something for all of you textile artists coming to visit. Just today at the library I picked up Lesley Riley's new book Quilted Memories. Click on the title for a fabulous interview with Lesley on HeartsART radio. You can listen online. Also check out her web site and new blog! This book is just yummy!!! Lesley is awe inspiring. She includes lots of her fabulous work, plus tips on design, color, and style. I think I may have to buy this one. The pictures are amazing! Makes me want to run out to the fabric store. The other book I got is Jan Bode Smiley's The Art of Fabric Books. This book goes into detail about making fabric books, pockets, envelopes, you name it! It's filled with lots of ideas and techniques. It includes some projects similar to the altered fabric book I made for my son when he was an infant. You can see lots more if you follow the link to MY ART on the side bar. Thanks for visiting!

The Artist's Way Journey

The Artist's Way group has begun! I was tempted to share the mind blowing poem by Mary Oliver called The Journey. It's certainly one of my favorite poems ever. Then there it was, on Kat's web site, propelling us off into this journey together. A group with a common focus, on expanding our creativity. So I will start off my journey with another favorite poem of mine. This one by the lovely Naomi Shihab Nye

Come with Me

A journey can lead

east and west, from

north to south, up, down,

over, under, in between,

and next to.

A journey can last

a minute, an hour, a year,

a month, a lifetime.

A journey might be slow

or fast or both.

A journey might be shining.

One journey could remind you

of another one.

Are you sliding?

Stumbling? Floating?

Maybe it all depends

on your point of view.

I wasn't sure when I was going to be able to do the morning pages. A requirement for the Artist's Way:) I have a feeling it may change each day. With a 2 year old and a 9 month old and their nap, eating, playing schedules to contend with, my "free" time if fleeting. However the time has found itself the last few days. Flowing onto the paper just as my wee ones awake from their slumber and are not ready to get out of bed yet, this morning I wrote as my baby played on the floor and my son slept in. I was interrupted by a diaper change, husband leaving for work and feeding breakfast, but they were completed. After writing them I feel so much lighter, like I'm purging from the inside. I also have been re-evaluating my outside environment. Last night I went through every box in our basement and consolidated, marked for sale or put in bags to give away. I moved my craft stuff into my new found craft room (aka laundry room). I'm feeling a lightness of being today!

The Big Picture- Dive in!

Just catching up on things after a busy, fun day. The morning was filled with swimming lessons and preparing for my hubby's side of the family to come over for a holiday/birthday gathering for my sister-in-law.

I got my copy of Stacy Julian's new book The Big Picture last night. Our local scrapbook store, Artsy Tartsy , had been out of it, but they just got a few more copies in. I had read about it in some scrapbookers blogs and they were pretty excited about it. There's also a very cool web site on it with free downloads, classes, a newsletter and more. I have been exposed to so much great new scrapbooking stuff lately. There is so much depth to this hobby and the community involved in it. I feel like I've just begun:)

I grew up taking a lot of pictures and always kept a journal, but never combined the two until I had kids. For the last few years I've been participating a lot in the altered art community online. I'm in several yahoo groups and did some swaps and round robins which were a lot of fun. I did mixed media art, lots of visual/art journals, fabric altered books and other fun stuff. I was greatly inspired by the artists in the True Colors collaboration. Then one day my sister and I were talking and she said that she had seen people doing art similar to what I do and selling it on ebay. I started out doing paper bag books. They are still one of my favorite things to make. Then I did some mini albums and decided over the summer to try selling some premade 12x12" layouts. I was happy with the money I was making. It basically supported my "habit" and I'd use it to go buy more scrapbooking supplies. I now have several very loyal customers who I do lots of custom work for and still sell on ebay when I get ahead on my orders.

Back to the book....I curled up with it last night and really enjoyed it. She certainly does look at the BIG picture, taking every day life, all of it, as scrapbooking material. The book is full of TONS of great layouts and ideas. Stacy doesn't scrapbook chronologically, she has many different albums constantly going on, such as: "photos I love", "family celebrations", "just because", to name a few. I woke up this morning with visions of scrapbook albums dancing in my head. I thought about how fun it would be to do an album about fashion. Sometimes seeing a certain style or outfit in a magazine can be very inspiring for me. The colors, the textures just draw me in. I'm also in love with the clothes and home decor at anthropologie.

After reading this book my goals are to:
*journal on my pages more, a LOT more
* do a "month in the life" album or more as a way to chart Lowell's progress and celebrate his successes
*do some daily life pages- this is such a unique time in my life as a SAHM to two very young children there's so much going on all the time!

I was just checking out Ali Edwards blog and she has a link to her album class she's teaching at CKU in March. It's called "A Week in the Life" and is exactly what Stacy is talking about in her book. She even has a couple of PDF files here and here that you should be sure and check out. If you can't make it to Chicago, it gives you lots of food for thought to do it on your own. So cool!!!

I love this quote from the book:
Life is nothing more than a stream of experiences-the more widely and deeply you swim in it, the richer your life will be. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

SO DIVE IN!!!!!

MamaSaysOm- {Uberlist}

"The goal isn't to accomplish every single item, or to judge myself by the amount I am able to accomplish, rather to remind myself that there are small things I can do on a regular basis to nourish my spirit and soul."

Get over it!!

I drew this picture in a journal many, many years ago. Since it's how I'm feeling today, I thought I'd throw it out there. My kids are driving me absolutely looney! My son is perfectly fine when someone else is around besides me and when he's watching his Baby Einstein videos. Otherwise he's a crying mess. I don't think I've mentioned before that my two year old son has been diagnosed with "educational autism". Since it was done through the school district, they couldn't give him a medical diagnosis and I feel like he's too young to have that testing done. Anyway, he's now seeing a speech teacher, autism specialist and other special ed. teachers. He attends a toddler class and gets home visits every week to help. These services all started about three months ago. He has been progressing, except that he is transforming into a boy that I'm not sure that I know (or always like). It's probably all part of the process, but he is going through some crazy emotions and behaviors lately. I know I just need to be patient.

Before a few months ago he had no way of communicating that he wanted something. He is now grabbing my hand and pulling me around, which is a great step. However, he doesn't point or use any words to tell me what he wants. So he completely freaks out and whines...all the time. His tantrums have gotten very intense. Of course when my parents come over to visit or take care of him he's just great. At least that gives them a positive experience and they'll take him more often. Today, for instance, he woke up from nap and when we went downstairs he started completely going nuts. I had absolutely no idea why. Nothing would console him, so I threw him in front of a video. There he stands with a big smile on his face, just fine. Ahhhhhh!!!!

I hesitate to be this personal on my blog, but sometimes a girl has got to vent! Maybe some of you have been there and have gotten through it. Please tell me I will too:) Ok, I know I will!! My artsy craftsy projects are an outlet for all of this pent up emotion. I'm working on my theme for the year for Swirly Girls 52 Figments project. I think it's going to be let go! ....or maybe it should be GET OVER IT as Ali said on her blog today! She says she "likes reminders....things that tell me to chill out, that everything is going to be fine, essentially to get over whatever it is that I am stessing or fretting about at the moment." Thanks so much for that:)

Slowing down

Kinda funny, I have so many thoughts running through my head just as I was about to sit down and write about slowing down.

Now that the holidays are over, my sister and her family have gone home to sunny southern California and the grey Minnesota winter is settling in, we're getting back into the routine of todder classes, swimming lessons and the like. I had a morning at home this morning with just my little one while grandpa took Bean off to class and over to their house to play. Why haven't we thought of this earlier?! Having a morning "off" (a term used loosely to mean with only ONE child:) was great. I got out my slow cooker and poured a bunch of veggies, meat and sauce in and it's now beginning to smell wonderfully yummy in here. Does anyone know of any great slow cooker recipes? This thing is a god send. I just throw it all in and viola! dinner will be on the table at 6pm and I don't have to worry about cooking during that "volatile" time of the afternoon when the littles are at their worst. I'm lovin' that!

Another random thought is that I found yet another groovy creative activity to get involved in. Ok, my plate is getting pretty full... but this is too much fun to pass up! On Swirly Girls blog she talks about her 52 Figments project. "52 weeks, 52 questions, 52 creations, 52 opportunities to think outside the box, make something up, ponder your most outlandish dreams and have some fun. " Curious? Go check it out!!

Finally, I never got around to doing last weeks MamaSaysOm post on spirit, so I leave you with this picture. I feel like my daughter exudes spirit!

SPT #1 {Personal History}

This month's Self Portrait Tuesday challenge is personal history. The first thing that pops into my mind are my journals. I've had many, many of them over the years. They are literally my personal *her*story. After looking through many of them I realized that I didn't have many pictures of myself in them, so I found this one and went with it. I'm pretty much obsessed with journals; writing in them, looking at other peoples, reading about them. I'm completely facinated with the notion of "leaving a mark," sharing ones life story. Here are a few of my favorite books that either are journals or are about journaling:

Leaving a Trace: On Keeping a Journal by Alexandra Johnson (click on title for chapter excerpt)
Journey into Motherhood by Leslie Kirk Campbell
The Creative Journal for Parents by Lucia Capacchione
The Blue Jay's Dance: A Birth Year by Louise Erdrich
A Year in the Life by Sheila Bender
A Trail Through Leaves by Hannah Hinchman
ANY book by Sabrina Ward Harrison
The Journey is the Destination by Dan Eldon

Creative Retrospective 2005

Inspired by Hanna's blog entry, here are a few projects of 2005: What about 2006? Well, I'm starting out with a bang, joining "Blogging the Artist's Way" a group of bloggers organized by Kat's Paws to work through Julia Cameron's book The Artists Way. If you're feeling creatively blocked, or even if you're not, come join us...we're just getting started! Here's to a creative and adventurous 2006!

Weird and wacky me!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

Hope your new year is starting off bright! I guess my first post of 2006 is going to be a little different. Tenika tagged me (thanks!), so I am supposed to list 5 weird things about myself and then "tag" 5 other people to do the same. And then post on their blog that they have been "tagged."

Here goes....
1. One of my favorite movies ever is Fight Club. Chuck Palahniuk (the author of the book) rocks!

2. Several years ago my husband and I took a tragedy tour. We visited the site of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, stood on the grassy knoll in Dallas, went through Waco, TX (but were afraid to ask where the branch dividian once stood) and drove through the parking lot taking pictures of the Correctional Facility in Portage, Wis when Jeffery Dahmer was there. Taking pictures was NOT such a good idea!!!

3. I'm Buddhist. Being a white, suburban Midwest mommy in the land of Lutherans, that is certainly not the norm.

4. I am almost ashamed to say, I read the celebrity-babies blog daily.

5. Lastly, this seems to be fairly uncommon these days, and some people actually consider it "weird". I had my first baby without any pain medication. Yeah..ouch!

Ok, now I tag Michelle, Elsie, Ali, Amy, twistedsoda, acumamakiki...ok, I'm tagging more than five....elizabeth, chris, Lia and shankari you're it too! Why not shake it up a bit, right?!