happy new year!

well, it's hard to believe another year is gone

they say time flies as you get older

remember y2k?

it seems like yesterday we thought

the world was going to end

or at least "crash"
and here it is 9 years later

i don't make resolution, just set a few goals

something like

"make time for more art"

which i did this year

part of that was starting this blog

i'm so glad i did

i've "met" some great people and

would like to say thank you

to everyone for visiting me,

encouraging me with all your wonderful comments

and wish everyone a creative 2009

nancy

merrry christmas

may the spirit of christmas bring you peace,

the gladness of christmas give you hope,

the warmth of christmas grant you love

unknown

the big dig!

christmas waves a magic wand over the world,

and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful
n. peale

i guess we don't have to wish for a white christmas
i just hope it looks this pretty tomorrow

more snow!

looking out my wind this morning

i decided to stay in bed and read

but eventually we bundled up to clear the driveway

and surprisingly it wasn't that cold

it was nice to see the white blanket

so we decided to go for a walk

the view from the top of my street

snow dayz!!!

what a perfect day to stay in and

work on my crochet project

i've been so busy with work, school and

my wire ornaments that i forgot

that i had yarn waiting to be used

i finally finished my last project

which made my "baby" happy

her name: joey girl

it seems that "this" is her new favorite spot

last years i made 8

perfect for the couch

4' x 6'

the first one took five evenings

watching tv to complete

once i got the pattern down

it was a breeze to finish one is just a few nights

this year i will only get a few done

more photoshop

it's amazing how three simple images can be

turned into something really cool

the first is a photo i took at my local park

the second is a ttv image i found on flickr

and the third is an antique postcard

i just layered and played with the

blending modes and filters

i used the color burn blending mode on the top layer

here i applied the "high pass" filter


and here the pin light blending mode

just by a click of a button
you can change the mood
and "undo" anytime you want
i came up with several variations
but like these 3 the best

another day on cold meds

a massage and a nap

(yes leslie, i said nap)

i got inspired after reading maries blog

1. i loved the kaleidoscope effect

and manage to come up with the above project

2. her "call for care"

anyone looking to "give" the christmas spirit

please read this post

not sure if it's a good thing to be on cold meds while

operating photoshop!

i used my favorite winter photos and tried

on every ttv and background image

it gave me something to do

without having to think too much

i haven't had time to practice in ps for awhile

these are my four favorites

until the drugs where off !

california dreamin'

feeling a bit under the weather

don't know if it's the cold meds but

i 'm california dreamin'

all wired up!

i've always loved working with wire

i can sit all day and bend, twist and shape

which i did this weekend and managed to make

a ton of tree ornaments

my favorite are the little angels

they will make great gifts

see more on inspire me thursday

all my friends are artists

today, i got to finish work a little early so i

could attend the jolly christmas sale

some really amazing local artist

some of which i'm lucky to call my friends

seen above, clockwise from the top left

some of my purchases
Marissa Decepida-Wong jewelry journals, cards and art pieces.

Mary Ambrose vintage style jewelry and sculptural art.

Susan Williamson – Artopia Mixed Media Art.

Karen Arts – gemstone bead and silver

Carmi's button magnets, pins and embellishments.

Sharon Ginsberg Fabric boxes, framed tree ornaments

more christmas cards

after working on jewelry for the past several months

it's a nice change to work with wire again

i like to keep my hands busy

and can do these while watching tv

i'm on a roll now and will make some

wire tree ornaments this weekend

countdown

only 23 more days 'til christmas

i usually start counting after labour day weekend

it drives everyone crazy

i think i do it "just because"

but this fall has been very hectic and i'm behind

now that it's december it has sunk in

first task

christmas cards

like the one above made from

some leftover armature wire

in the past i've made tree ornaments

and decided that they will make great cards instead

i've also got some great pictures from

last winter, which seemed to last 6 months,

i've used in my new winter banner above and

know they will be great cards too

encaustic class

today was my last encaustic class

it was a mad panic to get everthing done

and of course my head is filled with a hundred ideas

i will take the class again next semister

just so i can experiment some more

and it will be nice to have the same teacher

mona shahid

this photo was taken near lake st. clair

and the texture was added in a grid

and done in a real hurry

i hope i remember how to do this again

i like how it turned out

tagged

six thing you might not know about me?

hummmm....

1. i've had two corrective surgeries on my jaw

2. my natural hair color is auburn

3. i have my degree in interior design

4. i love horror movies

5. i have a crush on the supernatural boys!

(i can't decide who's the cutest, oh..then there's 

the one from smallville, decisions, decisions)

and finally
6.thank god for "spell check" because

i can't even get 5 letter words right

photo journal

another great job by catherine

this months theme was

a photobooth layout

wisdom

wisdom

(a film by andrew zuckerman)

what does it mean to you?

watch this link

it will make you THINK

thanks to leslie for finding this

encaustic class

i've been so busy , i forgot about posting

my latest

from my encaustic class

this week , i worked with some

coloured photocopies

adding them first and then working

with layering the wax

i also wanted to practice some texture techniques

i used painters tape to mask out the areas of the pictures

and tried to match up the coloured wax to go with the photo
it was fun and different from my previous work

i'm really enjoying this new medium and

with only 2 more classes left

i'm thinking i will take this class again

next semester

i have a lot more to learn !

the photos were taken in jerome, az

a day of sharing words

"we get so caught up in the furry of our lives

that we forget the essential thing about art-

that the act of creating is a healing gesture,

as sacred as prayer,

as essential to the spirit as food is to the body

our creative work reveals us to ourselves,

allows to transform our experience

and imagination into forms that

sing back to us in a language of

symbol of who we are,

what we are becoming,

what we have loved and feared.

this is the alchemy of creation:

that as i attempt to transmute a feeling or a thought

into and artistic form that can be

experienced by another,

i myself am added to,

change in the process."

jan phillips

photos from my weekend trip to owen sound

it was truly a creative time which changed me

thanks to lk ludwig for starting this idea

(see previous post)

lovely idea

i've always thought "if we could all just use our "powers" for good",

this would be a wonderful world

i love the blog world and have found so many sharing, caring,

encouraging, and creative people

i've been hearing about this "idea" lately that

was started by a wonderful artist

lk ludwig

A Day of Sharing Words
The idea:

We have words that touch us, move into our hearts and resonate,

creating a feeling, taking us some place- past, present, future-

perhaps some place we have never been and may never go,

but for whatever reasons, the words pulse in our blood.

Meeting new words, new poets, new poems,

new ways for my heart to beat, is an intruiging concept.

Want to go on this adventure with me? It will be easy to travel along.
Many of us already do this sharing; this idea is just to help us

find each other and hear the words we have to share.
The Date:
Wednesday, November 19.
The Plan:

on your blog, post a poem that moves inside you,

touches you, reaches you. (quotes and song lyrics welcome).

Include the author (or composer or musician) and source (book, album)-

perhaps also the amazon link if there is one. no explanation required,

no other revelation necessary.
One last thing- Perhaps add an image. a photo. a video.

a painting.a collage., if you would.
Come here to this post. Add a comment with your link.
I'll create a typepad page with the links,

so others can hear the rhythm of the words,
see the image and share in the experience.
The Request:

If you are intrigued enough, post on your blog about this

Day of Sharing Words- encourage your friends to post.

Who couldn't use a few new poems in their treasury or new songs in their hearts?

it's been a very creative and productive week

this past full moon really "kick started" me

i wish i could bottle it and keep it

for weeks when i can't seem to get started

i'm a really moody artist and thank the stars

that i am a "moonchild" and this one lasts some more

it's only 5 weeks 'til christmas(OMG)

and i need to make a ton of presents!

i've been playing with some of my owen sound

pictures in ps and really like the one above

it was taken on my nature walk

"alongside a field of birch trees ran a stream"

so reflective!

a week of hearts

it's been a whirlwind week

once i got home from my long weekend getaway

i taught a "heart" necklace class

i was lucky to have 3 really wonderful,

talented and patient women,

leslie, irene and sharon

as my students

we spent the day creating and exchanging ideas

i was so please that they all made

a wonderful necklace to wear home

thanks girls! for making it a wonderful experience

crashing waves

this past weekend was my

first visit to georgian bay

i really enjoyed the sound of

the waves crashing against the rocks

it soothed my soul

and amoungst the million rocks

i found this one

my favorite shot

back home

what an amazing view

just outside our window where

my friend dede and i sat and created art

all day long for 4 straight days!

dede was a card making machine

171 unique christmas card

while i worked on my jewelry,

got 2/3 through my afghan

and read 350 pages of my vampire book

we laugh and cried

told stories and teased

ate and drank

went for a great nature walk

i managed to take over 600 photos

where you can find just a few on my flickr page

all in all it was a great long weekend

thanks dede for inviting me!

i hope we can do it again soon!

R & R

all packed and off to the cottage

for a little r&r

and creating art

see you next week

encaustic class

this weeks class was a huge success

i really enjoyed learning textures last week and

couldn't wait to do it again

i had this idea in my head all week

it took me awhile to figure out which three photos to use

this series was taken this summer on my montreal trip
i completely covered the background with some

pages from an old french book

added some coloured wax then the transfers

and then worked on the textured squares

i'm happy with it so far

not sure if it is finished ?

fall

as i'm raking the few leaves in my backyard

i can't believe it's fall

last week i woke up to see the grass

covered with snow

and today the temperature is 18c

for november that way above average

not that i'm complaining

it's just that i was all ready to say

goodbye to my garden

and now i'm wishing for spring

wouldn't it be nice to just "cut" out winter!

watch the season change from fall to spring!

i guess i have to move further south

happy hallowe'en

the sky's the limit

i can't believe this is my 100th blog entry!

when i started this back in april i had no idea

where this would take me

it was just something new i wanted to try

part of my evolution
i've never been one for words and was a little

intimidated and scared

but with the help and encouragement from everyone

i can't imagine not doing this!

the blog world is so amazing

i've been inspired, learned so much and

have "met" the most wonderful people

special thanks to

my friend lennie who got me started

marie my photo shop guru, friend,

cheering section and inspiration

denise , deryn and carmi

encaustic class

it was a great class today

i really love texture and was amazed on

how much can be done with wax

with just a little practice and patience

i was excited to see how it evolved

i can't wait 'til next class so i can experiment more

morning walk

more resin

" inspire" necklace

this is the last of my bezel necklaces made in class

now i have to go out and get a blow torch and start making more!

i was definitely inspire in the class and influenced by all my

class mates

see some of their work here

carmi

marissa

joanne

billi jo

irene

leslie

sharon

martha

this was an amazing group of women to work

with and be inspired by

everyone came with a wealth of

information and ideas

i hope we get together again

full moon madness

the past week i've been making tons jewelry and just realized

where all this creative energy has been coming from

the full moon started last tuesday

and since i am a moon child it's no wonder i've

finished over 20 necklaces and

2 encaustic painting

and tonight worked on starting 10 more bracelets

it seems i just can't get enough

you know it's only 10 more weeks 'til christmas

and yes i know i said a "bad" word

but today it snowed!!!!!

resin heaven!

i'm was happy to see that all my resin pieces this morning!

just a few, every-so-faint air bubbles

for my first time, i think i did pretty good

i work last night making the chain

and hanging embellishments

for the "angel" necklace above

it's one of my favorite photos and enjoyed

creating in a whole new style

i was really inspired by jane and

would definitely take another class with her

bezel be-dazzled

wow! what a weekend!

many thanks to my friend carmi

for organizing 2 fantastic classes

i must admit, this was the best class i've taken

so much fun and a wealth of information from a

wonderful instructor jane wynn

who had more patience than me and

helped so much with all the delicate work!

thanks jane, you rock!

i will be dreaming of making jewelry

and praying to the resin gods

that the rest of my pieces turn out

they will have to dry over nite

and i will work on adding the finishing touches tomorrow

weekend class

i'm so excited

i just finished packing all my supplies

(way too much)

my friend carmi is hosting

jane wynn

2 days of jewelry making and fun

can't wait to see what creativity we come up with

stay tuned..................

exposed

i finally got my film developed

i almost forgot what was on the 4 rolls i brought in

i posted some on my toy camera flickr page

i just love the unexpected and can't remember how many times

i exposed the same photo

i must keep better notes or get my film developed faster

giving thanks