Post Easter musings

Hello everyone!!! I had a heck of a week. Fun yet nasty....lol

It started of course with Easter Sunday. I went to my cousin Jon's for Easter Dinner. If you love ham I would challenge you that you do not really know "HAM" till you've had one of my cousin's. He smoked and O-M-G it was divine!!!! Oh and WOW the desserts. Key Lime bars and Lemon Meringue Pie. I had never had either and they were both so tart and amazing. I wanna have them every day!!!!

It was a great food and fun filled day. My son had to work so I didn't get to visit them for my Sophia's (official) first Easter. But I was able to go on Tuesday and we celebrated then. My son's car had died a unexpected death in February and Tuesday they were ready to get another. I was lucky enough to be able to go to Cincinnati to help them with the process. (By help them I mean babysit with my grand while they did there magic car buying thing...lol) While there I also got to see my son at work in his Applebee's (he is one of their star server's) I took a photo but he'd do more than roll his eyes if I posted it here...lol But you can believe me when I say that he is one hot server!!! lol The following pics are from my day with him and his family.

Look mommy my bottle has handles...lol

Lola and Pippa celebrating her first Easter!!!

Aren't my babies beautiful!!!!

Lovely family, proud daddy and hubby

Sleepy girl with her new lamby

Peek-a-boo

Have to take a brag second here....not only is she just downright adorable...

but the incredibly cute (if I do say so myself) bunny hat she has on was made

with all the love I could. I am so tickled with the way it turned out and how cute

she looks in it!!!! Bragging second over....lol

Sophia approves of the new car!!!

Happy couple 

Taking Ma for a spin!!!

YEAH!!! Productive day!!!

BUT....I got home that night and by midnight I was sick as a dog (why do you suppose we use that expression. I've had many dogs in my 48 years and really, for the most part, they were never as sick as I was this week!!!) By Tuesday night I was so cold (and I never get cold) that it hurt. How does the cold hurt??? Oh but it did. I turned my heat on for like only the 3rd time this year. I was "better" by Wednesday but not 100%. Had some meetings that I had to go to both Tuesday and Weds but whenever possible I stayed in bed. My little nursemaid stayed with most of the time to make sure I took care of myself....

Nurse Mimi tending her patient

Friday (yes, Friday the 13th...lol) I had a fundraising event for my student association. As you may recall I am a Urban Affairs/Nonprofit Management student at Wright State University. I belong to WSU Nonprofit Leadership Alliance Student Association. Our Alumni Association (WSUNLAAA) had a Wine Tasting and Silent Auction. I donated a painting and 8 all occasion cards. Due to being sick I barely got the painting done and I only had half the cards done. I am not really pleased with either but an obligation is an obligation. So, I promised to deliver the painting and cards for the highest bidder to buy me a few days to get the cards done. Now that I have the painting back home I am trying to resist the urge to tweak to my level of satisfaction but I am told (and I am trying to obey) that it is unethical to alter the painting that was bid on....lol We'll see....lol My poor little Figaletto was placed next to an AWESOME giant of a painting that was made by one of our alum's neice. I do not know the title or the artist name but you can see how it's magnificence had my poor Figgie cowering next to it...lol

Figaletto

                         

You can see how Figgie is shrinking in on himself as he 

cowers in the shadow of the "great one" <wink>

I need to find out the name and title of this.

This artist has donated 2 times to our group

and she is just AMAZING! I suggested that 

the next time she include a demonstration/class

separately....I would save my pennies to bid as high

as possible for that opp!!!

Some good friends we had our own little "after party and

it was a great time...looking forward to it again soon!!

The gent with the (white beard) is one of the best

Political Science profs ever!!! I came out with a

greater appreciation of the political process and a

renewed sense of patriotism due to him. I would

love to audit his other classes, I just don't want to

have to write the papers or take the exams....lol

I have three profs like that. The Public Budgeting

prof, the research prof. and my poli-sci prof.

In fact...I think we should develop a coffee clutch

with them and my 2 Nonprofit advisers and let's

throw in my philosophy, religion and history profs

as back ups....lol Those would be conversations 

to record......lol I'm not a genius, but I can 

appreciate, admire and envy it in others!!!

To round out my week I spend Saturday (yesterday 4 14 2012) with Stillwater Church for their framing of a Habitat for Humanity home. My cousins and a family friend and I had a great time building in the rain. They will be actually "building" the house around Memorial day weekend and I am hopeful I will have the opportunity to join in on that too!

This is the great family who is being honored by this build.

This is the basic layout of their new home. 

I loved it!!! I can't wait to see the finished product!!!

You know I had to keep everyone on the straight and narrow!!! ;-)

My build partner Chels

We make a great team....She's my favorite,

shhhh, don't tell anyone else, it's just our secret!

Nic (family friend) and Alexis. Alexis 

hooked me up with this gig and she is my

favorite cousin!!! Shhhhh, we have to

keep this a secret cause, wow, do the

others get jealous!!!

Look at me hard at work building some 

wall frames.....I'm a mean carpenter.

Here's our happy little group. Soggy (clear to our drawers)

but happy to have been a part of such a great experience.

One last inspections. Gotta make sure these

boys get it right!!!! ;-)

So this is Sunday (April 15th) and I am just winding down. I washed a bit of dishes, I contemplated cooking but opted for eating the reminder of the left over Easter Ham and the mini cupcakes from my cousin Alexis and her partner Jackie. Oh, I forgot to mention they donated a gift cert for their bakery business to the silent auction on friday. I feel in LOVE with their keylime cup cake and their chocolate peanut butter cup cake. I could eat a whole bowl of the peanut butter frosting by it's self. So anyway, yesterday after the build we stopped by Alexis's apt and I got to take some home. So Ham sammie and key lime and choco-peanut butter cupcakes have been my staples for the day. I did a bit more crocheting and I caught up with last weeks episode of America's Next Top Model and am about to watch last weeks Dancing with the Stars. Shhhh, don't tell me who got eliminated, I want it to be a surprise....lol 

Have a great week and we'll catch up again soon!!!

And Miss Lora, I hope you are continuing to have a great adventure in Buenos Aires.  

Inspiration comes from many places.....what inspires you?

As an artist I am inspired by many things and in many ways. I find youtube is a wealth of creative inspiration; from video demonstrations of techniques or supplies to the ability to see other artists work and their inspirations. The internet itself is quite inspiring. Through any search engine you can enter key words and view images of an infinite amount of inspiration.

For years I have enjoyed searching a wide variety of tarot sites to view the wonderful art that is Tarot Design!!! One of my all time favs is Stick People Tarot:

It's fun, whimsical and full of inspiration!!! I have always thought it would be fun and adventurous to attempt my own tarot deck with my non-objective (pattern and doodle) art. Imagine the possibilities!!! I think I would like to start with two of the most (to me in any case) inspirational cards of any tarot deck; The Fool or Death. Neither name truly incorporates the depth and scope of the esoteric meanings and visual cues of these cards. The Fool is a carefree, adventurous card that inspires one to be more childlike and receptive of new ideas and adventures. Certainly it offers the caution of not being so childlike that you are not aware of the dangers associated with any new venture but is also encouraging and invites walking a new path. The Death card doesn't necessarily (actually quite rarely) depict the death of anyone. It is a more holistic view of the word death. Death in it's most simplistic, means the end of something. It could mean the end of self in a very spiritual sense as when one changes employment, ends a relationship or even graduates from college (as I will do in June...lol). It is the ending of our old selves and the beginning of something new. 

When you really look at the many artistic renderings of either of these cards you begin to see how much symbolism is in each picture and how graphically they truly represent the esoteric meanings of each. I think it would be quite interesting to very mindfully (keeping the meanings foremost in your mind) and yet absently (without pre-design) begin to create my own representation of these cards and then the entire deck. I am hoping to feel confident enough to trust my own instincts to do this before the end of the summer this year (2012). 

In one of my favorite facebook groups, Dream Doodles by Lyn., we have been sharing our artistic interpretations of the hand. These have been represented through photography, watercolors, zentangles and more. With Lyn's permission I am including the link below to her "Hand Jive" album so that you can check it out and get inspired yourself;

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.193633300752336.42440.184018491713817&type=3

Right now I am working on several various pieces that have been inspired by my continuing journey on the World Wide Web. I look forward to sharing them here soon. What is inspiring you right now? Not just artistically, but culinarily, the entertainment you enjoy (books, movies, tv, music,etc.), and in your personal lives. Tonight I am inspired by tex-mex cuisine and will make a rice and andouille sausage casserole. My friend Lora recently inspired me to take up crocheting again and my grand daughter is inspiring me to make a easter bunny cap...if and when (lol) I complete that I will share the results.

Now it's your turn...what is inspiring YOU???

Self-Worth can teach an old dog new tricks...I'm proof...lol

Last Friday was the We Care Arts Going Green Fundraising Auction. As a former student/client I was asked to give a "speech" as a success story for them??? ME??? A success??? I was flabbergasted!!! lol As a 40-something with several mental illnesses I never put success next to my name. But it made me think and ask myself questions. Am I a success? If I am, how has We Care played a part in that? I will save you the 10 cent speech and get to the heart of it...SELF-WORTH!!! "We Care Arts is a place where people with disabilities learn independence and build self esteem." That is a direct quote from their site. And it is sooooo very descriptive of what they do and how they became a part of my success story. I was put on disability 10 years ago and I never in my wildest imaginings would have believed that I would be where I am at this point in my life. I graduated from our local community college in 2009 with honors!!! And went out to Wright State University where I will graduate with my BA in Nonprofit Management this June. And somewhere between 2002 and 2012 I began to believe in me again and believe that I could achieve anything I wanted to. I stopped calling my cute, quaint drawings "doodles"...heck, I stopped calling them cute and quaint...lol I call myself an artist and I wouldn't have done that 10 years ago. And in June I will add CNP to my name as a "Certified Nonprofit Leader." And as I told the crowd of apx 200 people on Friday, all this started with the quiet acceptance and sincere encouragement from the teacher and staff of We Care Art. When someone else believes in you that you respect, you begin to believe they may be right and you begin to believe in you too! They gave me back my self worth!!!

Thanks, Bruce, Terry, Shari, Theresa, Sharen, Marie, Carole, Brenda, Mary and all the others at We Care!!! You truly made a difference in my life!

To top the night off, I had donated one of my paintings to them. I did a series called the Giving Heart. One of the international symbols of "giving, volunteerism, and nonprofits" is 2 or more hands extended with a heart. The painting below went up for auction and I am stunned and pleased to tell you that it raised $325 for We Care!!!! Glad that in some small way I was able to give back to those who gave me so much!!!

The Giving Heart II

This doesn't convey they terror I felt at speaking in front of so many people...lol

International Postcard Swap 2012, cards rec'vd

I was going to wait to share until I had rec'vd all 10 but patience is NOT a virtue of mine...lol Below are the cards I have rec'vd, they are all so unique and interesting. I hope you enjoy them too!

Here are the seven I have rec'vd so far....

www.milanstudio.com -- Kay Milan, San Antonio, TX

And Kay was my very first card!!!!

Pennwoodframnc.blogspot.com -- Anna Micciolla, 

Tracy L Vandermay, Bellingham WA

dorcaspennyfather.wordpress.com

This has come the farthest....England!!!

Tricia Lawson....I have no idea where she is from,

unfortunately no return addy??? But what a 

BEAUTIFUL card!!!

raeisravenus.blogspot.com Rachel

again, no return addy but very cool card!!!

iwannabemewhenigrowup.blogspot.com

Kara, I wish ppl would have given me their

general location...lol But again, I love the

card...it is a great reminder of why I began

to dabble in art in the first place!!!

I hope you enjoy these lovely postcards as much as I do. Check out these blogs....they are fabulous and fun!

Just a side note...I live in Kettering, Ohio and it is LEAP DAY!!! 2/29/2012!!! And the weather is a frigid 68 degrees!!! I love when we have such cold winters...lol My only fear is the great (in my opinion) winter we have had this year can only bode poorly for the summer....I don't tolerate heat well!!!!! 

Have a lovely extra February day!!!!

Mexican-ish Stew

Today I made a "Mexican-ish" Stew. I slow cooked a pork roast in 2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies, 1 package each of onion soup mix and spicy taco seasoning. After 4 hours on high I added on can of V8 juice, 2 cans of (rinsed) black beans and 1 can of shoe peg corn. It turned out a little spicier than I had intended...but YUM!!!!! 

Update on the family

The end of the year started rather nicely with the announcement that my family would be growing. Yes, my son and his bride are already adding to their family.

B2 - Gummy

They refer to him/her as gummy because they believe he looks like a gummy bear...lol I refer to him as

B2...for baby number 2. They don't really care what the gender is so long as the baby is healthy, but if 

they could choose, they'd like a son so they have a set...lol

But the beginning of the year was very sad. My Aunt Virginia suffered a stroke and went into a coma. The very next day her daughter died unexpectedly. Within 2 weeks Aunt Virginia passed as well. They were lovely ladies and they shall be very much missed.

As you may know my son lives in Cincinnati (I live in Dayton). His car broke down while I was in Tennessee for my cousins funeral. So they no longer get to come visit with my grand daughter. But I can go there so as my finances and these every rising prices on the gas will allow. After my Aunt V passed (and she was laid to rest in TN too, next to her husband and daughter) we had a memorial celebration with the family here. I went to Cincy and picked the kids up and brought them home for it. I so enjoyed seeing them even under such sobering circumstances. As it happened the memorial was on my son's birthday, my baby turned 21 and he hasn't been my "baby" in a long time...

           

 Isn't my sweet girl so pretty, what a happy smile.     

 My dil and her baby...nothing like a mommy's kiss.

This past weekend I volunteered at the fundraising gala for Artemis Center (it is a resource center for domestic violence and a worthy cause). It was a lovely affair held at a local country club. I got to get all gussied up for it...any excuse to dress up is a fun night...lol

 

 Looking regal in my finery...lol    

 Having fun with the photo booth props.

I just registered for my final quarter before graduation. I will graduate Wright State University this June with a bachelors in Public Administration/Nonprofit Management. Then I will have to figure out what I wanna be when I grow up. I am considering going for my masters but perhaps I will just find a job instead. So many options. 

In July my favorite cousins, my son and his family and I will be going for a little vacation to a cabin in Kentucky. I can't wait. I haven't been on a real live vacation in over 16 years...and to be with my favorite family members who make me laugh so hard I cry will just be the bit of relaxing I need. It will also be about a month and a half before the newest member of the family will be born. 

So while the first of the year has had its tragedies and joys the middle of the year promises to have many more joys and that is a blessing!

Hope you are all having a safe, happy and healthy new year!

International Post Card Swap from Musings on Reality

Hello everyone;

My offerings for the Post Card Swap

At the end of last year I joined a "post card swap" hosted by Musings On Reality blog. It is a very witty and interesting blog, you should stop by and take a peak if you have time. http://www.musingsonrealities.blogspot.com/

Anyway...I thought I would share the post cards that I have made and am sending out just in the nick of time as the deadline is tomorrow...lol I hope you enjoy them. I tried some new techniques such as water colors and scrapping with mixed results. I think they are all nice enough to share but, as I am sure many of you understand, you have a certain expectation as an artist and sometimes you don't feel you live up to that. Hopefully everyone who rec'vs one of mine will like them well enough!!!

Stop by again soon....

A zentangle inspired piece (ink, colored pencil and glitter)

This is done in a "journaling" technique.

I love it when I have seen others do it.

I am unsure how I feel about mine. At

times I like it and others, not so much.

The quotes are all about trees, of course...lol

(ink and colored pencil)

I am rather pleased with this as it is my first ever

watercolor!!! I thinks it's pretty good....even if I

say so myself...and I do...lol

(water color and ink)

This is done with ink and water colors. Then I  used

the butterflies and added glitter to them. I think it

has a nice effect all together.

This is just one of my doodles....I really enjoy this type

of free drawing the best. I think it is very expressive.

I know you shouldn't be boastful of yourself, but I am

very fond of this type of art. This is done in ink and

colored pencils.

Another zentangle inspired piece done in ink and 

pastels my first experimentation in pastels. I rather

enjoyed them and hope to become better with them.

This was my first attempt at "multi-media" for this swap.

I have used multi-media techniques in my other art but

I think I was being too literal here because someone was

challenging me, so to speak. I used scraping, watercolor

pencils, ink, and stickers. Overkill perhaps, as multi-media

goes, but I am not too unhappy with it.  ;-)

This is one I am very proud of. I did the flowers in

a combo of watercolors and ink. I then cut them out

and placed them with scrapping stickers for a 3D

sorta effect. I made the leaves from scrap paper

and then added a lovely quote by Gerard De Nerval;

Every flower is a soul blossoming in Nature.

This was my last one. It too is zentangle inspired 

(inspired because I do not solely use patterns from

zentangling). It has a faded pastel back ground in 

shades of pink, purple, blue, green and yellow and is

drawn in ink.

This is zentangle inspired made with ink, colored 

pencil and rhinestones.

UPDATE!!!!

Took my postcards to the post office...My "3D" one is being sent to the Netherlands and even though I marked it "fragile handle with care" (which used to mean it would be pulled and hand stamped everywhere it went along its way to the destination) it will be sent through the machines all the way there. I pray that it manages to get there still looking at least 1/2 way decent...not happy!!!! :-(