Confessions of a Blog Land Loser

Hi, I'm Laurie, and I'm a Blog Land Loser.  There, I said it.  Now it's off my chest.  I cannot believe it's been 2.5 months since my last post.  And I've only written a handful of posts in the last 7 months, big ol' heavy sigh.  Like so many fellow bloggers, I vowed to do better!  I have been crazy-busy this spring, although I can't really say with what.  Not because it's Top Secret (oh, that I could be so mysterious!), but because it all escapes my wee brain.  Whatever it was, it sure has been time-consuming.  And I'm sure it was important, too!

The funny thing about blogging is, I actually like doing it.  As a pretty private person, I had my doubts.  But after having art show customers and shop owners ask me if I had a blog, I finally decided to take the plunge last fall.  I was so nervous, not knowing if I'd have anything to say (as my family rolls with laughter, I am rarely at a loss for words...).  To my surprise, I found that I like blogging about my art, about where I find inspiration (my main sources are other artists, my sweet animals, Darling Daughter, Studly Husband :), the small things in life that make my world complete.  I've met some really interesting, very kind folks in my blogging experiences, too.  I have enjoyed the Blog Land ride, and hopefully I can get back in the saddle and ride some more.

My art room's been mostly silent this year.  I recently started two commissioned pieces and they have been very healing for my soul.  I also had a booth at Funky Finds Spring Fling in Fort Worth last March, and at Dallas City Arts in May.  The organizers of Spring Fling were great, with many friendly and talented artists there as well.  I hope to be able to do this show again in the future.  At City Arts I met a very talented jewlery artist, Leslie Todd.  Her booth, No Stone Unstrung, was right next to me, and I loved getting to know her and finding out we have so much in common.  And she is truly one of the nicest people.  I also met Richard and Marlys Kunkel of Wildflower Pottery, also seriously good folk.  (scroll down to the bottom of this link to see their amazement!)  Each piece of pottery they make is stunning, earthy, and has the lyrics to a Beatles song.  I could have spent a fortune in their booth, OH MY. I have a few shows planned in the fall that I need to get started on, after a major overhaul of my wild and crazy art room.  It's getting hard to even find a surface to work on.

I discovered a new book this spring, The Artistic Mother by Shona Cole.  Check it out here.  I love this book.  It has practical and beautiful ways for busy moms to carve out time to create every day.  There is also an online group that is reading the book and doing the projects inside together, as they share about their artistic explorations along the way- www.artisticcreationswithtrudy.blogspot.com.  Cindy Mayfield from Yapping Cat Studio is featured in Shona's book.  She hosts an art retreat, Paper Cowgirl, in Waxahachie, TX, and I'm looking forward to attending and meeting her there later this month.  I believe registration is still open, so if you're in the area, come on down. 

The photo above is a collage I managed to make this spring, created on an old book cover. It's a little more washed out than I was going for, but it was good to make something with my hands.
With all sincerity, in addition to major chaos, this year has also been one of sorrow and loss for me and those I love most.  Time and again I find myself trying to go forward and put one foot in front of the other.  Thinking about art and taking time to connect with other creative spirits-- both are things I've had little time and energy for, both are things I have deeply missed.  Art for me heals, and blesses me from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.  Here's hoping we can all do a little more art each day.


So, for someone who worried about not having much to say, I have certainly written a LOT tonight.  I know each paragraph is chock-full of wordy run-ons and disjointed ideas.  English teachers, please forgive.  :)  This concludes Confessions of a Blog Land Loser.  Hopefully I'll be back before the next 2.5 months roll by.  Many blessings to you all.

You say it's your birthday...

Yesterday I turned 41.  Ugh.  Seems like I was 30 only a couple of years ago.  I have to say, despite the changes my body keeps making and the fact that my memory is fading fast, the 40s are a good place to be.  My mom's always said life begins at 40, and so far it's been my best decade yet. I know myself better, feel more comfortable in my own skin, and have a more accepting, embracing view of others.  I am able to see more good in a world that is often scary, unfair, and unkind.  I am more able to laugh at myself and less prone to take life seriously.  I am less obsessed wtih being perfect and have more courage to try new things, knowing I will sometimes fail.  I am able to have confidence in myself as a wife, mother, daughter, friend, and also to forgive the times when I get things wrong and make mistakes with those I love.  I still have many (MANY!) moments of anxiety and self-doubt, I have not acheived a total state of zen by any means!  However, I do feel more at home in the world, and with myself.  And today, at the age of 41 and one day, that is a great place to be.

I had a lovely birthday this year.  My husband and daughter made dinner for me (he cooked my favorite meal and cleaned up!) and gave me a Hannah Montanna cake.  I could be wrong, but I think my 6 year old picked it out.  :)  They also gave me a necklace that says "I love you to the moon and back" and it has their names on the back.  I also got a tile that says "Art before dishes".  Looking at the state of my kitchen right now, all I can say to that is a hearty AMEN.

After I dropped my daughter off at kindergarten yesterday, I came home, made myself a cup of coffee, planted myself on the sofa with my animals, and watched Jane Austen's "Emma" on PBS.  I'd recorded it a month ago but never allowed myself time to watch.  Then I took a nap for an hour, which I NEVER do!  After my daughter came home, we played outside in the sunshine.  The icing on the cake was a trip to Sonic for Happy Hour and my favorite large unsweet tea.  Ahhhh...  It was a great way to celebrate another year of being alive.  I have so much to be thankful for.

The blond girl above is me at age 4 with my neighbor and BFF, Martha.  We were playing dress-up in my fanciest frocks, that happened to be about 3 sizes too small.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  We crammed ourselves into undersized velvet, chiffon, and lace, stuffing our feet into tiny pattened leather shoes.  We grabbed our ragdolls and posed on my front porch while my mom took our picture.  In our 4 year old minds, we thought we were pretty stylin'.  Today my 41 year old self has to agree.  :)
   

Gong Hey Fat Choy, Y'all!

Chinese New Year is upon us, and 2010 marks the Year of the Tiger!  This 15 day celebration began February 14th this year, and is observed by Chinese folks and Asians around the world.  CNY is a very important holiday in Chinese culture, more so than any other, including birthdays.  It symbolizes the end of winter and the beginning of spring.  Let's hope this will soon be true, this season has been brutal for so many.  To learn more about Chinese New Year, visit here. 

Because my daughter was born in China, Chinese New Year is a special holiday in our home.  Every year we learn more about the traditions, and we add to a small stash of decorations we've been collecting over the years.  We trim the house with paper lanterns, eat small oranges for good luck, and attend parties with friends that include Dragon Dances and fancy Chinese restaurants.  Each year I read a CNY story to my daughter's class at school, and we bring her friends red envelopes with coins, a well-loved custom that symbolizes prosperity for the new year.  Our coins happen to be chocolate, always a big hit with the preschool and kindergarten crowd!  For fun CNY activities for kids, including stories, crafts, and games, check out this site.

My favorite hallmark of CNY is to remember ancestors that went on before us, as well as to get the house super tidy to be rid of negative energy and start the new year with a clean slate.  Sounds good in theroy at least, although I've still got some work to do.  Thankfully it is a 15 day holiday, so maybe (possibly??) I'll be in good shape by then.  A mom can dream...     

CNY is an important time to honor family and friends, and for counting blessings, too.  As a Texan who is not so well-traveled, I fumble my way through the holiday and its customs.  Like everything else in my life, I learn about this tradition as I fly by the seat of my pants, but I always enjoy the ride.  In honor of Chinese New Year and the Year of the Tiger, I created the collage above.  The child on the end in blue reminds me of my daughter when she was a toddler, complete with chubby (squishable!) cheeks and cautious demeanor.  This collage is for sale in my Etsy shop.

"Gong hey fat choy" or "gong xi fa cai", both are traditional Chinese New Year greetings, meaning "best wishes for a happy and prosperous year".  To hear the pronunciation and see the Chinese characters for these phrases, click on this cool site.   Gong Hey Fat Choy, dear friends!  May the Year of the Tiger be good to us all.

Valentine Winner!

Just drew the lucky name for my first-ever blog gveaway!  And the winner is... (drumroll, please) Liz-Anna's on the Lake!!  Liz is my new artist friend I met through the Melange Team on Etsy, and she makes incredible mixed media pieces.  To check out her artwok and blog, visit her here.  You can find the Melange Team shop on Etsy here.  Thanks so much to everyone who entered the drawing.  I will be having another one soon, so stay tuned!

This beautiful furry girl is Bagel, a white German Sheperd mix who is sweet beyond words.  She was running in the neighborhood when my friend's 16 year old son coaxed her into their yard.  Two hours later, she had a litter of puppies, OH MY.  Her babies were adopted by wonderful families, and Bagel came to be a part of mine.  True to her GSD heritage, she is bright, loyal, loving, cautious, and protective.  She also loves balls and stuffed toys.  Here she is trying to nap on the sofa, her favorite spot in the house, next to being in our one of our laps.  My daughter stuck a Bendaroo heart on her head, just to help her look ever so fancy.   

I hope you have all had a warm and toasty day.  :)

Melange Team Challenge- TIMELESS

Melange: "a mixture; a melody; hodgepodge; mingle-mangle".  When it comes to mixed media and collage, I couldn't have said it better myself! 

The Melange Team is a group of inspiring and talented mixed media artists who sell their work on Etsy, as they share their artistic journeys together.  I have recently had the blessing of joining them.  Each week they post a theme and a challenge on the Melange blog, and invite others to participate and share photos of their fabulous creations.  You do not have to be part of the Melange Team or an Etsy seller to join the fun.  To play along, visit here!http://www.melangeonetsy.blogspot.com/

Since I joined the group recently, I am a little later with my submission for the "Timeless" challenge that was presented a few weeks ago.  Here's what I came up with.  I made this with sweet daughter in mind, who is so proud of being 6 and so intent on striving to do things FOR HERSELF, thank you very much.  Although she is a tomboy and prefers to live in jeans and superhero attire, she is also a little ballerina and loves to dance.  As she grows and fancies herself quite the Big Girl, I am filled with pride and joy.  I also find each step toward indepence a gift that is bittersweet, as every mom can relate to.  The quote I found for this collage was in an old reader and to me, it says it all.

The Melange challenges are a lot of fun!  I hope to be doing more this week, and posting about them here, too.

Just a reminder:  If you'd like to participate in the drawing for the watch face collage pendant, leave a comment with your name and email address by Feb. 14.  Thanks and Happy Monday!

Cupid Strikes! Collage Pendant GIVEAWAY!

Valentine's Day, it's my favorite holiday. I adore the Season of Love! But not in a Hollywood movie kind of way. Sugary sweet love songs and romance novels, nah, not for me. All the pink and red, my two favorite colors, that has something to do with it. As well as my love of almost any kind of heart, and memories of messy, sappy Valentines I fashioned by hand as a child. I always heaped on the glitter and glue, and made them with all the love and care I could muster. Valentines created by kiddos, there's nothing better. My daughter gave me one she made in kindergarten this week, be still my heart. The first one she made me at age 3 will forever hang proudly in a frame on my kitchen wall. Maybe that's what I love most about Valentine’s Day, the notion of remembering those we hold most dear. Oh, and all the chocolate, that doesn’t hurt either.

I was very honored to be contacted by Robin this morning, who writes a great blog, Robin's Nest. She searches for and writes about cool art she finds on the web.  She was kind enough to feature a couple of my things in a post this week, and WOW!  I am so touched.  Thanks so much, Robin!  Check out her blog, it's a lot of fun!  http://mypinkyfinger.blogspot.com/2010/02/metallic-magic.html 

I have been having fun making Valentine-inspired gifts in my art room this week. These heart collages would be great for a friend, daughter, or sweetheart. They are also suitable to leave out year-round. Check them out at http://www.amillionbushels.etsy.com/.

In honor of my favorite holiday, I'm introducing my first-ever blog giveaway! I will be giving away a watch face collage pendant, attached to pearls and a sterling silver link chain. To enter, just leave a comment on this blog anytime before V-day. Be sure to leave your name and email address so I can contact you in case you are the lucky winner. I will draw the winning name using a number generator on February 14th!

Welcome 2010!

I'm a little late, but I hope this finds your new year off to a wonderful start!  Here in North Texas we've been COLD.  We even had a White Christmas!  This is the first Christmas snow I've seen in my entire life and it was wonderful sight. What a rare and beautiful gift, and so much fun for my little girl.  My dogs also had a BLAST, although the cats were not impressed.  It's been colder than normal ever since, and we Texans (Winter Weenies!) just can't seem to thaw out.  We're just not used to this stuff.  (I know my northern friends will be rolling their eyes.  :)

We had a delightful holiday season with family and friends, and with A Million Bushels, too.  I had a very busy schedule last fall and enjoyed seeing so many of you at the shows.  My favorite creations for Christmas were the custom orders.  Taking old photos and family mementos, a favorite image or quote, then creating something special- this rocks!   And I am always happy to do it.  Please keep this in mind for Valentine's or Mother's Day gifts, or when considering what to do with old keepsakes and family heirlooms, too.  Thanks so much to those of you who placed orders for the holiday season, I appreciate your business!


I am busy with many new ideas and exciting plans for my mixed media business this year.  I am taking two online classes taught by KC Willis, who is a nationally known artist, author, and instructor in the mixed media field.  I am finding myself quite inspired by Ms. KC's amazing artwork and talented teachings, and am ready to dig in and try my hand at several new pieces!  I have also been asked to join a small art group in town with a few other local artists, and we will be meeting to bounce ideas off each other, as well as discuss putting together our own show in the future.  I am very excited about the chance to get to know these talented folks!


I have several shows planned for this spring, and hopes to have my pieces in a new shop or two as well. I am excited to have a booth at Funky Finds in Ft. Worth in March.  I'll have many new pieces, and will be bringing back some favorites from shows last spring, too.   I'd love to see you all there.  Hopefully I'll warm up by then! 


May 2010 be the best year yet, for both you and those you love.  Many blessings to you all!