Beta Testing at Violettes

All group photos are taken by Nicci's six year old son
an aspiring photographer!

Violette held a beta testing workshop at her magic cottage yesterday. It was superb; I’d give it an “A” rating all the way, for clarity, organization, and information! Learning invaluable journal binding skills, opening my realm for possible new endeavors.

A future self bound book of my poetry for a family member, a coffee table conversation piece touting bits of my art, or that long awaited illustrated children’s book. Once again Violette has endowed me with a present that will continue to grow and embellish my artistic life even more!!

Thanks Violette for the information packed session! It was a very enjoyable mother daughter day and great visit with my fellow artist friends Violette and Nicci.Although Violette found there to be a few glitches, from my perspective it went really well.Even though I didn't get the prospected project completed I left with a large chunk of work and new knowledge to finish it on my own.

Being uncomfortable to draw in public Pepper used
one of my faces as a template for her book.

Artist just wanna have fun!!

I’d recommend this innovated workshop as a gift for that artistic teenager, for creative souls in search of new inspiration, a unique wedding shower suggestion for the bride who has everything, a ladies birthday party, a girl’s night out, or an opportunity to explore your untapped creative side. Even the most particular scrap booker could benefit with interesting new techniques to take their scrap booking to a new level! I’m not kidding I came away packed with new skills; I am one deeply inspired, exhausted guinea pig!!! I hit the sack before nine and slept until midnight! I was so excited I just had to get up and blog about it!!! Unfortunately my main PC wouldn't let me post anything until now!! So I went back to bed after I wrote it! For more about our day with photos from the facilitators perspective read here!!

Niccis book

This upcoming weekend Sept 27th Nicci will be an attending artist at the annual Granville Island Ferries garbage can decorating contest! A charitable family fun event! Take yourself down there and enjoy watching a group of artist put their individual flavor on a garbage can that will then be auctioned off that day to buy supplies for the Children’s Hospital art program!

Cook's still in the closet

My writing is getting rusty again. Just not enough blogging lately. I've been spending time on the net researching purchases. Offline doing some art projects and being a sou chef while my daughter cooks. Did I just say that? Yes my daughter prides herself on not cooking, telling people she can't and has no interest in it. But surprise surprise the girl is a fabulous cook. Who knew! Maybe twenty three is the magic number for her to find her true niche. She's an absolute natural! In fact I think she's a gifted cook.

Family doesn't read my blog so I can expose her here. Although she'll ask me questions I leave the ball in her hands because I believe a good cook has an intuitive nature about seasoning, and marrying flavors. Indeed this girl does, it's innate even though she's always fought it. We've traced her aversion to cooking back to the mix master incident, where beaters tangled with her tresses taking a quarter size chunk of hair off her seven year old head!

Bryan was a bit under the weather, being the healthiest in the house it caused concern! So after work Thursday Pepper made him a chicken soup with mega vegetables. I quickly chopped up a bag of peppers at her direction, while she continued all the other preparation seasoning it with ten cloves of garlic! Let me tell you, it's the best soup I've ever eaten. The consistency was thick packed with veggies, chicken, and full of flavor! Last week it was a big Chili, the week before curry! Makes me wonder if those things we fight most are the things we should sincerely explore! I'm thrilled the family cooking legacy won't end with me! But shhhh, nobody is suppose to know, cause the cooks still in the closet!

Sunday Scribblings "Tattoo"

click image to enlarge
A pattern I drew that would make a good tattoo for me should I ever
desire the painful process or win the lottery!

Sunday Scribblings prompt this week is "Tattoo"

I enjoy the artistic aspect of tattoos, the meaty stories behind them, but I have no desire to get one. Piercings on the other hand would be more my thing. If I was young today stretched ears with big purple jewels would be my indulgence. Mother would have squawked her disapproval at such a suggestion!

No one in this house has a tattoo. Byran's mentioned eventually having one that signifies his wife and children. Pepper talked of a possible one when I die. But neither has interest in getting one anytime soon.

My cousin’s daughter has one on the back of her leg that looks more like a bruise than the spiritual sign it was meant to be. I’m sure there is much unspoken regret centered on certain tattoos. Sadly some markings are so terrible with ink fading away far too fast. Like an outdated hair-do they get stale and ugly, needing a frequent touch ups!

My friend Earth Goddess has a third eye between her shoulder blades. It’s my favorite. She’s a suppressed artist; with the only tattoo that’s ever tweaked an interest in me having one! I enjoy the rich stories that accompany tattoos for now that's good enough for me.

Should I ever get one it would have my grief wings for all who've passed out of my life, a paisley,my favorite pattern, my daughters initial or name, my son-in-laws name or initial on a music note, scrabble pieces, the word imagine for my favorite song, a few hearts for my favorite shape, my blog name, something to represent peace and a colorful pattern like the one at the start of this post.It may look similar to the image below! If the truth be told tattoo's are just not for me,even though god knows I have enough skin for a mural!!!

click image to enlarge

Sunday Scribblings "Key"

Sunday Scribblings prompt albeit late this week, is the "Key"

Decisions

When I was young

Decisions came easy

What to clean,

What to buy,

What to protect

When to ask why

In mid years

Life was askew

All resolution

Left in my hand

Resolve required

On demand

Finances, repairs

Shopping with less

I jumped to attention

Cleaned up the mess

Sold a house

Dispersed of our crap

Never asked my desires

I did away with that

Alone with the worry

When things needed done

Pride washed away

I succumbed to have none

Somewhere, somehow

Along my way

I misplaced

The essential key

To execute decision

Confidently

Now trepidation

Attacks

My sense of choice

As I extrapolate

Information

From every resource

With imminent fear

Of Buyer’s remorse

Where did I

loose that key?

Thursday Thirteen

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen reasons/excuses why I haven't been

blogging consistently, take is as you will!

Shopping for and figuring out paint,

Babysitting a toy poodle for three weeks

Revamping downstairs powder room, daughters initiative

Painted a lamp to match the bathroom

Cleaning up messes VERY SLOWLY, in preparation for company

Searching for new bathroom accessories

Sleep is off kilter, energy is low,hip and knee are sore

Searching and researching new cars

Drove and retrieved son-in –law from the plane

Headache two mornings in a row

Spending alone time with my daughter which can be rare!

Spent the day with a good friend went for dinner

Have my favorite out of town guest with her dog for a week

Too pooped to blog…and I mean that in a very nice way! Was that fourteen...oops....