Friday Ramblings

I have been reminiscing quite a bit since Mother's day. 

Maybe because there is so much change in the air, maybe because it was just such a sweet day.

Sitting on the beach, talking with my eldest, I thought back to when we first began taking our girls to the beach. I think it was the day after they were born.

I can see them now, full of sand and sea water, diapers full and droopy from being wet, bathing suit bottoms full and droopy from sand. Sand. Everywhere. Like snow on their eyelashes and all through their hair. I would find it a couple of days later in their little ears.

I never freaked out about sand. I just made sure everyone was dry and piled them into the car to come home. The vacuum was my friend back then.

Now...not so much.

I have a dear friend who is moving and I helped out by cleaning her house and part of that was vacuuming.

What happened to the days when one could clean a house and still keep going?

Now, I just lay on the couch with a heating pad because I don't have any hips left.

On another note, I got ready for my next show today.

It's on Balboa Island this Sunday.

I've had to re-do the look of my booth, as I don't get a booth.

The show is on a boardwalk, so my space is 20ft.x3ft wide strip.

yep.

I bought gridwalls for the occasion.

Which I had to put feet on.

Just some screws, washers and a nut. Wait. A bolt. No, no. A nut.

The round thing that is flat on the outside.

yeah. that.

Which leads me to this photo and the song that enters my head from Sesame Street:

"One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other".

there are times I wish I was as analytical as my husband.

Shoot.

It took my friend coming over to help and four different tries to figure out what came first-the washer or the nut.

We persevered together and got it done.

I love when she comes over to help me.

one of my favorite altered book covers.

Once we got the hard stuff figured out, we got to the fun part.

Pulling out vintage table cloths, wire baskets, and letting her go to town arranging all the paintings.

Right now, every time I close my eyes, I see paint.

I took over the back patio and hauled and moved furniture and display items.

After we were finished, I took photos so I will know how to set up on Sunday and then took it all down and put it all away to pack up into the car (please. please. please let it all fit.).

And yes, I was back on the heating pad.

What the heck?!

who knew gridwall could be so handy?

Do you love vintage items?

I do.

Especially tablecloths.

I use them all the time.

really, I just like this photo and wanted to put it in the post.

Right now I'm procrastinating.

I did just a couple more altered book covers and I have a large 30x30 canvas that needs some "soul"

Do you ever get a feeling that if you keep at something it might just get worse before it gets better, and that you don't have the patience to see it through to the better part?

Which I actually have time today to do.

But I mopped my floor first.

And came back to the canvas.

Then I decided another cup of coffee would be nice, and why don't I unload the dishwasher and wipe down the kitchen cupboards while the coffee brews?

And stare at the canvas that needs soul.

paint. that's all I see.

I could go water the plants in the back yard first.

Or go to the hardware store. I need more zip ties.

Or go to Michael's. I need more bags.

sigh.

Part of my procrastination is that I'm excited for the show and I tend to get a little giddy with paint when I'm excited. I don't think the canvas needs giddy.

Maybe just a touch of giddy with a dose of soul.

All right. Now I'm rambling for real.

I'm going in.

Giddy + Soul= souldy time.

Oh, boy. I have inhaled too many cleaning products.

Have a great weekend!

Sharing Time With Paint

Catchy title, no?

I didn't think so either, but I do kinda like it...

ANYWAY.

I decided what I wanted to do this week!

It has to do with paint. And sprays. And little, tiny spray bottles. 

I started by wanting more Glimmer Mists, so, being the cheap skate that I can be, I looked for a tutorial on how to do this myself.

I found several that were very handy. Until I learned from the last class I took from Christy Tomlinson that these can be combustible when make with alcohol inks.

oops.

Plus, after taking her class, I used Dylusion Sprays.

Oh, man.

When you want fabulous, rich color, go purchase these.

Or, be a cheapie like me and look on the internet on different ways to make sprays with a lot of color.

When you do it this way, you also have an added benefit of finding really cool blogs.

This tutorial I tried came from Julie Fei-Fan Blazar.

*edited note, this post was a guest tutorial, and not written by Julie*

It's super easy.

You put paint and Mod Podge in a tiny spray bottle and add water.

Done.

Or....

You think more is better and don't really pay attention to Julie's directions and you put just a tad bit too much paint in the bottle and have trouble stirring it up.

But.

This is where being a Starbucks addict comes in handy, because you have a little stopper handy from your last cuppa joe and it fits perfectly into the bottle.

I love how this turned out.

It's not runny, it's color is fairly strong and it's a bit thick, which works well for me.

Sorry for the lousy photo.

I had so much paint on my hands, I was trying to shoot left handed while actually holding my camera with my left hand.

Yeah.

Don't ask.

I wanted a soft, soft look for this canvas.

Just a touch of pink to cover. Which is odd, as I am so not a pink person and neither are my canvases usually done in soft, soft colors.

 Which is why I think I really messed up this 30x30 canvas, because I just can't leave well enough alone and the next thing I knew, I had RED all. over. it.

But that's a different story for a different day.

 Check out the tutorial, make some sprays and let me know what you think!

what do you want

What do you want?

A question that has been asked as far back as I can remember.

What do you want for dinner?

For lunch?

What do you want from me?

What do you want to play?

new life for an old canvas

What do you want....

to do?

My answers have been pretty straightforward...

good food

a sandwich on home made bread and some chips

to be loved

anything fun and in the sun, next to the water.

Then the last one.

What do you want....

To DO?

I am stumped.

If it was all open to me and readily available,

what do I really, really REALLY want to do?

layers and layers and layers of paint and paper, ink and color

If I could pick and choose?

I have had the fun thoughts:

travel the world

live on the beach

hit every flea market in Europe

sing back up for a huge singer 

(I can't do harmony worth beans, I just want to be on an enormous stage)

free motion stiching

Then the more subdued thoughts:

live a boring life

to be able to make sure my child will never be sick again

have more energy

to get the stupid to do list done-forever

Then the whisper comes again-

"No. Really. What do you want to do?"

"what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

               ~mary oliver

It's getting a little more clear as time goes on.

It's centered around

 art

encouragement

truth

beauty

living with my hands open

Sure, I'd like to be featured in a gallery, or have my art on pillows.

But what makes my heart race and gets me going is...

 Sharing the message behind my art. 

 To women in particular.

To share the art making process and help unlock the answer to that age old question.

the half way point...it's becoming clearer

  What do I want?

To do?

I would like to share this with the women who are facing a time in their life where they are unsure. Maybe the future is looking a little bleak. They don't know how to express their longings, their heart song.

Women with too much change going on, not enough change, women who feel 30, but the face in the mirror says they are (a little) past that age.

Things I have experienced- am experiencing and learning...

Speaking Truth, even though our voices shake.

Joy.

Working through the hard stuff.

Loving with everything I have. And then some.

Being enough.

Becoming brave.

Giving myself permission to put what I am learning on the canvas until I have exhausted the learning process.

Then start again with something new.

There is a lot swirling in my head that will help me do just this.

As always, I am more than impatient to get it going. But man. It takes time and intention. Which is better in the long run. Especially when you couple that with fun.

It's pretty amazing to me that the learning process never ends.

So, keep checking back.

Maybe we can learn something together!

Graduation.

I won't bore you with hundreds of photos of my eldest walking to receive her diploma.

But I might tell you how proud we are of her.

I do believe she was a little excited as well!

And that, yes, I did cry. 

Big fat tears rolling down my cheeks as I soaked it all in:

the day, the weather, the back drop, smiles, friends, hugs,  family, the accomplishments....

  

I'll tell you that she is one happy girl.

Oh, my word. These people are just the best.

I'll  tell you that it was a TON of fun,

and that she isn't quite sure what the future holds....

proud dad..

But not many of us do.

What she does know is that she is loved.

A lot.

photo credit: Carol Shobert

Friday Ramblings

You know what I love?

Watching my children sleep.

They are 22 and 18, but I will never, ever get tired of it.

I still get the chance to watch Brenna sleep and it never fails to stop me in my tracks when I do.

It's the most peaceful picture I can ever hope to remember.

No worries of the day,  no frustrations, just peaceful sleep.

And the smell. Oh, isn't it just the best? Sure, clean laundry and cucumber melon are great scents but kids sleeping? It out does all of the popular smells in my book.

Pillows, blankets, sweet dreams, warm skin and a slightly musty tang. It's enough to make me cry. 

I loved to sniff my kids when they were little when they first woke up and say, "mmmmm! You smell like pillows." sniff, sniff, sniff. "mmmm! And blankies!!" sniff, sniff, sniff (preferably the back of the neck or right below their ear.) "mmmmm!!!!" By then they would be giggling and I would be burrowing my nose further into their neck for just another whiff of childhood.

she looks sound asleep, right? yes. that is a Justin Bieber pillow case.

I took this photo in the morning, thinking that Brenna had not woken up for school yet.  So much for assumptions.

I heard her mutter, "What do you think you are doing?"

I was caught red handed, so the most obvious thing to do was to get a good whiff of a sleepy child. It's a nice way to begin the day.

Sleep:

"to take the rest afforded by a suspension of voluntary bodily functions and the natural suspension,complete or partial, of consciousness"

Unfortunately the partial suspension of consciousness was my fate early this morning. I had the strangest dream in which I had made gluten free pancakes and some little boy in my house did not care for them. So began a long, tortuous, non-ending dream of agonizing over teaspoons and measurements and flour and something about baking powder. It.was.exhausting.

To top it off, I was fully wakened by a quivering mess of a dog. Her shaking was so bad it had my bed moving.

Miss Party is not partial to strange noises. Air horns, smoke alarms, the signal for low batteries on a cell phone and fire works pretty much have her come unglued.

This morning we learned that low battery signals from smoke alarms have the same effect.  It's a lot of fun.

I'm counting my blessings in that we are warned of low batter events.

She's much more relaxed in the car. Maybe I should just put her in the car every night.

Moving on....

I had my last exam this week.

It was yet another cat scan with contrast. I do believe I will rent myself out for Halloween this year as a safety light for kids when they go trick or treating. I could make some really good money.

For this fun exam I had to slug down three bottles of water before the test. Then the "largest needle" was inserted intravenously. The "largest needle" is used because the dye goes in all at once. So nice to have that explained. It helps me not look at the "LARGEST needle" when they put it in. It does help that the person inserting that horrifically (geez. that's a hard word to spell) large needle does it very well. 

I was instructed to drink a lot of water for the next 24 hours so I can flush the dye out of my system. I don't know about you, but I needed some help wanting more water, so I enlisted the help of peanut M&M's. 

you should have heard my husband when he saw me taking a photo of an empty bag of M&M's.

I always want water when I eat these. Here is where I will give some advice.

As much as I think I neeeeeeeeeded a treat after having the LARGEST needle inserted into my vein, and I neeeeeeeeded some help to drink more water, I should have (should is a nasty word.) eaten only four or five M&M's. Much better to do this than to inhale the whole bag (which to me looked rather small) and then down more water.

It's kinda smart to heed advice when it has been learned the hard way by someone who does not usually eat peanut M&M's but really does love them .

Just say'in. 

ooh.

But I think I have made a new discovery in the form of Washi Tape.

I think the hospital used some just for me to make me feel better.

Okay, enough talk of hospitals and exams.

Let's ramble about horses.

And friends.

And hot days.

(I'm so sorry for those of you still suffering spring snow. I think there should not even be such an expression.)

Unforgettable. Isn't she a beauty?

I took B down to the stable to help her friend Janelle, give her horse  a bath, a good brushing and some treats in the form of an apple and a couple of tangerines.

Huh. 

Maybe I should take a lesson here regarding treats.

whatever.

I don't know about Brenna, but I thought it was so, so nice to brush a horse again.

apples. not peanut M&M's. check.

Hey, guess what? I found out the meaning of "Winner, Winner, Chicken 

Dinner" from my friend, Linda!

She says:

 The term "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner" is from right here in Vegas.. Years ago every Las Vegas casino had a 3 piece chicken dinner with potato and veggie for $1.79. A standard bet back then was $2.00, hence when you won a bet you had enough for a chicken dinner.

How cool is that?!

I'm off to buy a large box of kleenex to put in my suitcase for graduation this weekend.

Have a happy Friday!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

We have three winners!!!

I wish I could say you also won a chicken dinner, cause I would like to have you over for a meal, but I will mail your goodies to you as soon as I get your addresses.

We just like saying winner, winner chicken dinner around here.

Anyone know where the heck that originates from?

Oh. I need to announce the winners...

THERESA!!!!!

You won the little matted book page!

LINDA!!!!!!

You won the itty bitty painting on the vintage book!

(I'm laughing because I received the seam binding from you-do you recognize it? I love it!)

KRISTA!!!!

You won the set of notecards!

Thank you all so much for participating. Really. Thank you all SO.MUCH. for reading this little blog and supporting it. I appreciate it more than words can say.