Sunday Rain

I like the winter and colder weather. Ok, let me clarify that I like the winter here. I like the low 30s at night and high 50s in the day. And not always (like during soccer games) but I love rain. It started raining last night and I slept well. This morning it is still raining and the view out my window is different. The leaves and vines are wet. The drops that are hanging on to the bushes are magical. We don't get snow here very often, I can only imagine the beauty it brings. I know the reality of snow and rain when I have to be out in it but from my window, it is pretty cool. My 5 top thankful things.

1. RAIN

2. Family and Sunday lunches
3. Prayer
4. My staff at work; they are hard working and keep on keeping on no matter what craziness is going on
5. Broken seashells and glass in a jar

Inspiration_Avenue_Broken_Pieces

When this week's Challenge at Inspiration Avenue was announced, I had a piece I knew I wanted to do. I have had a long busy week so I tried to finish it today and I hope I make the post time at IA.

The California coastline has some very beautiful places. One beach is very unique, Glass Beach in Fort Bragg. This beach has a very interesting story. In the mid 1900's, they used it as a public dump! Yep, they dumped trash, car parts, and a whole lot of glass jars and bottles. Fast forward over 60 years later, waves and salt water crashing over and over on these items. The ocean has created a shore of tiny glass pieces that are beautiful. Broken pieces that have rolled and turned so they are not sharp and edgy but soft and beautiful.

In my life, I have had some broken moments. And just like the glass pieces, I can be edgy and sharp. But over time I have had waves of not salt water but love wash over me. I am thankful for time to help soften my edges. As in nature, I believe that life has a purpose and given time will provide beauty you may never have guessed.

I started this piece with a picture taken of the beach shore. I collaged torn, punched circles, and strips of paper. For the bottom edge, I added broken pieces of seashells. Then on the corner of the picture I added a few piece of the broken glass I collected from the shore. I added my label and date.

Cassie's Italian project

I love family pictures.. My younger daughter had a project for her Italian class and so I helped (maybe more than I should) with the scrapbook part.

Each page is about something she did when she was young. She used to play basketball.

She was in ballet for two years.

She would get to take a bath in the sink..

She loved to play with Barbies..

Her sister used to play with a lot of kitties..

She would get to ride in the back of a tractor with her Uncle.

She would sleep with her sister.

I will always love to scrapbook. The fun of putting it together and the fun to look at the pictures and remember the good times!!

Sunday feelings...

Well this was a fun weekend. I survived my present to my daughter.. haha.. I was not sore the next day either which surprised me. Part of her run is these MEGA hills and so we start by going down them.. I did that no problem.. then she tells me that we circle back and will have to come up the hills!! AGH.. I gave it a try but ended walking up more then half of each hill.. and she just ran right up each hill.. amazing.. I really did have fun and I love to see her run, she is so strong.

Then my younger daughter has her permit and is learning to driving. She is good and has been learning but we have had a few opps..  I have put my imaginary brake on a few times and she said that a few times I scared her more then the driving.  My deep breathing and sudden AGH.. was not helpful but too funny. I know we will laugh about all this someday.

Then comes Sunday. Love this day. I try so hard to hold on to this feeling during the week. I spend time at home, read blogs, work on some art project, and weave in the weekend chores. Just a great day to be thankful and my top 5 are:

1. Beautiful winter days
2. Imaginary brakes
3. Bicycle ride with my crazy running daughter
4. New cardstock paper
5. Family gatherings filled with good food, fun times, and shared love

Inspiration_Avenue_Month

The challenge this week is your favorite month. I have to say that picking one month is difficult. I love each season. Spring is new growth, beauty, and renewal. Summer is vacations and long days. Winter is cold days and warm tea. But Fall is my favorite.. the harvest and the changing colors of nature. I love it. But if I had to pick a month, it would be November. It includes Thanksgiving and I love being with family.  Then it is the month I picked to get married. And I guess I have liked it for a long time as it is the month I entered into the world.. haha. Then when I think of my favorite colors to use in my art, I think of colors like brown, orange, red, and green and these colors are predominate in nature in November so how wonderful is that. Therefore, this piece has all my favorite things I love about the month of November.

Unbelievable

I know that it is a cliché but I REALLY cannot believe that 23 years ago today my life was changed forever. My baby girl turns 23 today. Happy Birthday Katie Kate!! I was so nervous and had not a CLUE of what I was doing back then. However, I remember on the day she was born and all the family and friends that had come to visit us in the hospital had gone home, we were there alone. I held her in my arms and cried a few tears of joy. I could not believe this precious baby girl sleeping in my arms was part of my life. How could God let me be responsible for something so wonderful? But in the quiet of that moment, I knew that I would love and cherish her and we would be alright.

FAST FORWARD… 23 years later. She is an awesome young woman now and still amazes me. I look forward to the next 23 years! I never knew that my love for a person could grow so much but it did! I have a few tears in my eyes today but just like back then it is tears of joy and thankfulness that I have been a part of the journey with her. OH and by the way.. maybe say a prayer for me. My present to her today is to go on her run this morning. Now, she will be running but I could never keep up with her so I am on my bike. I know I will be sore tomorrow.. AGH.. what was I thinking when I gave her this gift.. haha.. I love every minute of it.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET KATIE, LOVE YOU.

Cigar Box

I was talking with a friend at work and found out that her brother owns a cigar shop! So I joked with her that if he ever had any boxes he did not want I would be glad to take them.  OMG.. and then last Friday she brought me this box!!  It is so COOL.. It is so nice I am still trying to figure out what I should do with it??  Any ideas??  I guess for now I can store pictures..

Thrift Store Finds

My sister and I went over to a store near her house. Looking for vintage things that I can use in my art is new for me.  I am learning to look for things not as what they were but as what they can be.

We found these books.

One book is from 1949 on Trees. The cover is so cool. The pages have pictures and items that are interesting. I am still trying to get used to the idea of altering or riping pages. The other book has American Painting. I love early American history and I love the art work with it. I remember as a young girl seeing the picture of George Washington crossing the Delaware and was intrigued by the emotion it evoked. This book has some great paintings and information on the artist. The other book is an encyclopedia A to Ameri. Love the pictures and items included. This will be a good book to alter. Another book is a children's book on the United States. Very interesting. Lots of projects from these.

More pages in the travel journal

On Saturday at my sister's house, we worked on art projects. She showed me how she had glued together some of her journal pages so that they would be thicker for her watercolors. I decided to do that to the travel journal that I had made in December. I like that it will have thicker pages to hold ink, paint, or even more pictures. I also feel better that there aren't so many pages to have to put together.  Here is how it is starting to come together too.

 In addition, I am learning to be more relaxed on how I add elements and how I journal in it. I am having fun.

Pay It Forward

I was blog hopping and came across this fun idea at Evil Edna's 

So here is what it said and I have agreed to play along. Check it out and see if you want to play along too.

I promise to send (or deliver) something handmade to the 1st 5 people who leave a comment.

They must in turn post this and send something they made to the 1st 5 people who comment on their Blog Post.

The rules are that it must be handmade by you and it must be sent to your 5 people sometime in 2011.

Sunday is a better day

What I love about Sunday is that I breath a little deeper, think a little broader, and love a little sweeter. Life can get to me some days and I may not feel like myself. However, on Sunday I try harder to make sure that doesn't happen. So I am switching my thankful list to Sunday. Fridays have become a little more crazy lately and I am not getting a post done. I have so much that I am thankful for but here today is the top FIVE.

1. MY AWESOME SISTER.. Happy Belated Birthday Sis.. LOVE YOU!
2. Time spent with family
3. Sour cream containers haha (Altered Pen and Pencil Cups!)
4. Singing at Mass
5. You Tube videos on art techniques

Inspiration_Avenue_Inspire

This week at IA the theme is "What inspires you?" I feel that people, places, and things all inspire me. However, Nature is a true inspiration to me. I am always amazed at the beauty I find in nature. Today was a cold but beautiful winter day. I was outside for a little while and the green in the fields was gorgeous! The blue sky was crisp and clear. And here in California, the early spring buds of my daffodils are poking their heads out to sprout out and grow.

So with all that I created my collage with "love of nature". I used magazine photos for the letters, the beach, trees, snowy mountain side, and a "perfect" wave. Then I took some fern branches with paint to create the greenery. With all this around me, I can not help but be inspired!

Begin

I love creating background. I pick colors and I then when I put the paint on the brush, it seems to take a whole different dimension. Then as I swipe the brush on the paper, the color seems to take form. The shades create thoughts in my mind. In the blue I see ocean waves, blue summer skies, and fields of blue flowers.  On the base, I added in the gold. It is sand on a warm summer beach, wind through the forest, or dirt road leading off to some new adventure.  There is so much beauty in the outdoors.  This week's theme at Inspiration Avenue is "What inspires you?" I guess mine is the beauty of nature..  I will have fun with this one.

Simple thoughts

Yesterday was a day of doodles and simple thoughts. I have a tendency to rush things, feeling I may not have time to do it later. So I notice that I either try to put too much in one piece or I over think it and then just don't know what I want to do with a piece. So I made myself just do what came to my mind without a reason.

I am learning how to use alcohol inks. They are tricky and leave a distinct mark. Then I started to doodle on the ink. Did not like it but it is just what happened.

The color of the sheet I painted reminded me of geraniums that I had last summer so I tried to draw some.

Then I was looking through magazines and I found this page with a giant koala building in Victoria, Australia. Another place got to add to the Bucket List!!  Saving this page so I can collage it one day!

Cover Page 2011

This is the cover of my first book from last year. I took a class and had learned how to do a transfer. I like how the panda turned out but a more faded then I wanted. Have to practice on that.

Late last night I finished with my cover page for the new year.

 

This year's cover I wanted to try several things. I drew the panda instead of using a image. I had gotten some Metallic Blue Sapphire paint and tried it out...  fun, a little different. I am still learning about my art. Very fundamental. I know I am not following the ideas for collage or painting but I am still finding my way so this year will be a fun year to see what happens.

Tah Dah...

I am late.. I am late for a very important date!!  Have you ever felt like the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland???  In these times of do more with less resources, at work, I feel exactly like the that every day anymore!  I COMPLETELY apologize for complaining but I have just been under so much pressure at work that I miss out on blogging and I am late on my announcement of the giveaway winner.

ENOUGH of that.... Drum roll....... THE WINNER IS BAY SIDE TO MOUNTAIN SIDE!!! Darla has a wonderful blog that I love to visit. She does beautiful sketches.. I love her Sketchy Ladies. Her blog also has great local events, her walks, and shares poems, thoughts just all kinds of wonderful things. So check out her blog it is great fun. And Congratulations Darla! I will contact you to make arrangements to get the prize to you.

Thank you all for joining in my celebration and I so enjoy all your comment and support. I may complain about my work too much BUT I am immensely thankful for all of you. OH MY... just like the rabbit again.. I did not do my Thankful Friday.. another post to be coming!!

WOO HOO..  I can't believe it. I have been learning so much and look forward to much more.  I have to say that it wouldn't be a celebration unless ScrapPanda wasn't doing her happy dance..  Thanks Hubby! 

And I really want to thank all the blog friends I have met with these 100 posts and the wonderful comments and support that you provide me.  Don't forget if you would like to be a part of the ScrapPanda giveaway,click here. And leave a comment. Winner will be selected Friday.. Cheers!!

Organization with Art

There was two things I was hoping to get done today. One was to get something to hold little embellishment instead of just dumping into a basket type box I keep in my art locker.

We went to Home Depot and I decided to try this storage box.  It was an ugly grey so I tried to change it up a little. Painted added other embellishments. I put some of my items in and then put on the wall. Step in the right direction I hope.  I have to say I would rather had a wooden cubby but this will have to do for now.

The second thing I wanted to do today was create a new cover for my 2011 art book. I got started but not done. For this cover, the scrap panda is one I drew... a leap for me..  it was fun.  Well new year, new art.

Inspiration_Avenue_New_Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

I love the challenges that are at Inspiration Avenue. This is my first year creating a blog and for journeying into altered art.

This week's challenge was to review accomplishments of 2010 and set goals for 2011. This year was a big one for me. I am slowly stepping out of my safe zone and learning more about myself. I will always have a scrapbook heart, love photos, family, and art but I love the freedom and expression of altered art and the many new art forms I am learning of.

Well here are my lists:

2010


Wanted to be more creative to relieve stress.

• went to a class with my sister on Collage 101 in June
• Started a blog in July
• Became addicted to blog hopping and learned(still learning) so many new techniques and ideas!!!

Be more open to change and not so critical of myself

• Well this one is still a work in process. However, with my wonderful sister edging me on.. ha, love you sis.. and all the wonderful comments I have received, I feel I am making progress.

 

Spend more time on art

• Officially taken over extra room and moved all my art stuff
• Have a wonderful 2010 book of art with 17 pieces in it
• Took an open spine book making class with sister, and LOVED it

I feel there is plenty of room for improvement and development on these goals but I am heading in the right direction.

NOW FOR 2011

• CREATE AN ASSEMBLAGE TO MY GRANDMOTHER PEARL
• MAKE ANOTHER OPEN SPINE BOOK TO NOT FORGET, AND ADD MORE TO MY CURRENT HAWAII TRIP ONE
• CREATE A 2011 BOOK OF ART THAT HAS MORE THAN 17 PIECES IN IT
• ORGANIZE MY EMBELLISHMENTS BETTER SO THAT I KNOW WHAT I HAVE

I will do my best this year and it will be a lot of fun this time next year to see what has happened!!

AND DON'T FORGET ABOUT MY 100 POST GIVEAWAY, WINNER TO BE SELECTED JANUARY 7TH!!

Click here to leave a comment and be entered!