A Colorful Way to Recycle

More pics from the road trip to KY.
We found this car sitting on the side of the road as a
colorful sign for an antique store.
Plus you can scarf down some great cookin'...

Yes, I give this car a thumbs up for color
and all it's junk is out in the open not in the trunk.

As George Carlin said, "To you it's my junk...to me it's my stuff."
I also have a gift of finding great junk left on the roadside.
So my car has resembled this one
when I hauled my treasures home.
Yeah, baby, I have lots of gifts.....
Just ask my friends...
~They want most of the stuff I've hauled home~
Recycling at its finest....

I have a few more pics to show of the trip to my Mom's in KY, then I'll share with everyone what I learned about myself regarding my PTSD, and my progress with it. I needed some time to digest all the things I experienced being in a car for such a long trip. Bottom line, I did it. Fears and all, I did it! But sharing it helps it get smaller in my mind. Does that make sense to you???

Maybe if I drove a colorful car like this one people would stay the heck out of my way on the road! Hmmmmmm..... [makes a memo to herself to slap some bright paint on her car....]...[or collage it.... yeah, baby!!]

101 List Items are becoming history this time tomorrow

Slowly but surely, I march on completing creative tasks on my 101 List. I'm still figuring out a way to post completed items, yet to be fulfilled items, and new ones I'm adding. These types of items on my 101 To Do List are not negative for me. This type of inner work calms me. Brings me into focus. Charts my creative process. Fills me with awe, feelings of success, and lets my child art-heart come out to play with freedom. It truly is the best therapy out there... at least for me dealing with PTSD.

One of my passions is putting new twists on old things, especially furniture. I've done this my entire life. The term shabby chic is simply the way many creative types like myself had to live to have anything beautiful around us (or to sit on, sleep on, look at, etc...) We naturally know how to make do with what we have; tweak it if it needs it, slap it with another coat of paint--you can always repaint it another color--cover it with a sheet, grab it off the curb before it goes into the dumpster, and stalk yard sales. Cheap is great...Free is BETTER!

Staging is one of my gifts. I see an area, and I stage it. Staging makes me happy. Every, tiny item in every corner of my world is strategically placed to make one (and myself) feel enlightened, happy, inspired or relaxed when they (I) look at it. It's art... art in a 3 dimensional format. The entire world is my palette, and I love making my world a unique place to be. I call it Woodstock Lily Style, my style--you each have your own. I know many of you reading this understand exactly what I mean in making your environments uniquely "you".... That's the way it should be.

Superman has a table in his back yard at his Fortress. That's it above in it's "before" state. From the first moment I laid eyes on this begging-to-be-painted-beauty-in-the rough table, I had to make it special. So, thus, began our adventure of putting a little love, and color, in Superman's backyard. I'll post more updates, side by side, as it unfolds into a vibrant rainbow of colors for you to feast upon.

Poppies, poppies, poppies popping up this time tomorrow

I took some shots a couple of weeks ago of some poppies I saw growing in a neighbors front yard. I've been working on a series of poppy paintings ever since. I hope they cheer you up as much as they do me.

I know they're bright... But wait till you see the pants I'm wearing today....

Yep... I posted them below, as well. Grab your shades. :-)


Many of my friends know I use the expression, "monkey pants". I tell people that Opie Taylor, my kitty, wears monkey pants because from the back it looks like he has shorts on that fall just below his "knees" (if cats have knees....) If you've seen a cat scamper suddenly like it has wild hairs... that's putting on your monkey pants. I tell my friends I have my monkey pants on if I'm feeling sassy. I am definitely feeling a lot sassier today than I was the last couple of days. It's probably due in part to my choice of britches I put on to paint in today. Thank you everyone for the good vibrations you sent my way. I could feel your hugzzzz.....

If you didn't heed my warning above about the sunglasses you may want to now....


And here's what Opie Taylor has to say about wearing monkey pants....

Creativity comes in all shapes, sizes, and forms. Our world needs creativity today so we can have a better world this time tomorrow

Thank you so much, Herrad. This is a cool award especially coming from you. My goal is to stop by Herrad's every day to see what beautiful pictures she posts, what wonderful food Richie is cooking for her, and to get my daily fix of gratefulness. I am so utterly grateful for you, Herrad. I'm thrilled you fly over to the Tree House to visit me. Thank you so much!

I'm often amazed that sometimes people think they are not creative simply because they cannot draw or paint. Creativity comes in all shapes and sizes. Our entire world depends on the creative process to even function.

Industrial Designers....make everything from pencils to toilet paper holders, cars, planes, and trains. The wheel chair and medical equipment Herrad so depends on, even her pasta maker is an example of industrial design.

Cooking is an art. We eat with our eyes. If it doesn't look good we probably won't put it in our mouths... Big time creativity!! Man oh man, that pasta looks so good that Richie made Herrad.. Wonder if they adopt???? Hmmmm.....

Every movie and television show has people writing the films, directing the films, people behind the cameras, people editing the film, adding layers of animations to make us believe we are on some strange planet or underwater... a lot of this is done on computers... Special effects (like make-up, latex, props, set design, and animatronics, robotics, etc...) Even a TV commercial depends on creative ideas, the script writers, etc. Inside an ad agency is a huge mix of creativity not pertaining to drawing sitting in desks being "creative" figuring out ways to sell us something. They prepare the models, their make-up, their fashion to pique our interest to watch the commercial so we'll buy their stuff....whoa a whole other area of design... clothing and accessories.

Photographers, graphic designers, game art designers, even surgeons use video games to practice on...so does the military, police, and other agencies that serve and protect. Speaking of animation... Wow what would the world be without Sponge Bob Squarepants??? Or the funny papers... or Superman? Or Wonder Woman?

Interactive media-web designers... you wouldn't be blogging without creativity all done on computers. No drawing required.

Interior Design, for homes, offices, hospitals, businesses, and creative people who stage what a store front will look like or the layout inside to store to promote more sales.

The person who mixes the music is just as creative as the one who performs it. Or the photographer who takes the cover photo... or the person who writes the songs... or sits behind the mic at the radio station playing the song for us to listen to as we drive.

Art is everything. Art is everywhere. You are sitting in it as you read or you're lying on it, a couch, a bed, a rug.... That roof over your head....that's creativity. Creativity is everywhere. Everyone has some form of creativity inside. If you are blogging....you are a creative person. No drawing required.

Sometimes we forget we are creative beings in so many ways..... We were created to create.

Here are a couple of creative people I'd like to pass the award on to.

Michelle at Enchanted Inspirations

Jonathan Dror

Laurie at Creating Pictures in my Mind

ReCreational Art

mysticdave Love his live music reviews. Go find the band Elephant Revival on his blog Fabulousness!!!!


Have fun exploring everyone. Thank you again, Herrad.

And the list goes on..... the madness inside a procrastinator's head

OK here's the start of something big. (if I can just finish it...) My list of 101 things I want to do.

It's not easy being me. But there is no one else I'd rather be. Creative people are the best. Perfectionists are the best. Procrastinators are the best. People who give stupid pep talks to themselves are the best.... Oh, ffs... just get on with it girl....

Some of the items on my 101 list I will blog about later. Either because the task needs an explanation or it has been on a previous list somewhere, sometime in my life. Or simply because this is a blog and what the frap else am I supposed to do BUT write???? This is where things get a little tense for a procrastinator. Will I actually finish this?? Oh crap. The pressure is on.

Here I go... one to do at a time. (I used to call it a "to-do-doo list"....)

• Create the ultimate artist's studio... or just finish the one I already have. I'll blog about this one tomorrow.
  

• Write daily. (looks like I will have to keep this one on my to-do list permanently)
  

• Paint the picture of the picture of my son, Jake, sitting in Panera's.
  

• Paint the picture of the picture of Ashley sitting in her closet.

• Paint the picture of the picture of the Topa Topa Mountains in Ojai, CA.

• Paint the POTP (Picture Of The Picture....geez) of Emery in the big chair.

• Read Eckhart Tolle's, "The Power of Now". (anyone else see the humor in this???)
  

• Paint the picture of Todd and Lisa's cats.

• Finish my draft of my book, "Six Days to Haight Ashbury."

• Create a children book on Pammy's bedtime story she told Ben and James.

Ten ideas. Ten things on my list... that should be enough for now. Ten ideas every day?

Yes, I am laughing friggin' out loud at what a perfect procrastinator I am....

Sigh. I'll finish it tomorrow.

Well, it's a start damn it! :-)

This time tomorrow--my favorite time to do things. A blog from a procrastinator...

Blogging.... didn't we used to call it journaling, keeping a diary? Writing secret stuff about ourselves in a secret place that we buried like cats bury poo so no one would find it, read it or see it?

I am a procrastinator. A perfectionist. Well there. I said it. Out loud. This is my blog about procrastination and perfectionism, and the life long battle I have had putting off until tomorrow what I should have, could have and needed to do today. This blog site will be a stretch. If anyone actually starts following me, I'll be held accountable and responsible. Shudder....

I'm just a girl (yes, I am still a girl, a 56 year old girl to be exact) seeking to figure out why I procrastinate and how in the hell can I fix it???? Now, it hasn't all been lost lists and never accomplishing anything--far from it. I've acquired some rather fetching accomplishments in my life. I just don't want to wake up tomorrow, out of time, or heaven forbid not wake up at all, and see all the wasted energy, brilliant ideas I had rotting on top of my grave. I know today will suddenly turn into this time tomorrow. I want to arrive there saying, "Wow! I did it! I actually finished this project that has been locked up inside my head! I lived my life in the fullest."

Now here is the kicker--the proverbial kick in the ass.

I'm recovering from PTSD from an auto accident. May 4, 2009 will be my one year anniversary. This is my journey of a near death experience, and a moment in time I saw every dream on my to-do list, hang in that moment forever--undone. I am going to live those dreams, give them flight, and maybe along the way as I blog my progress a few of you will be encouraged to do the same by the words (and deeds) I etch in time and space in a place called the internet.

I will list my 101 Things I Want To Do with my wonderful life, and will document the glorious joy of checking them off one by one. My goal is to keep adding another item to the list after I check something off. You will be my eyes and virtual cattle prod to keep me moving forward. Hey, no pushing and shoving--OK? Cheer me on! To the finish line!

I will post my list and post my projects in pictorial form from beginning to marvelous end.