I want a Mentor

Build, yep, that's what I'm doing. That's what we all are doing! We are
building our lives. No, I really don't have a model or a personal guru
that I can run up to every time I feel stuck and need some help in the
decisions I'm facing. I've got to figure it out for myself. I've got
guidelines (the bible, morals, ethics), but on the day-to-day little
minor things it's pretty much up to me and the little choices I make.

For instance, I'm re-painting my Family Room. It was a light brown. This
room doesn't get much light. It faces South. When the sun is high in the
sky it doesn't really get into the room. I've been calling it THE CAVE.
The paint I've chosen is very light, almost a white. I like how it's
transforming the room. It's got a Beach House feel to it now. I want
it to be PERFECT! But I don't trust myself and my DECORATOR skills to
pull it off. I want someone to copy, someone to come running up and
TELL ME WHAT TO DO.

But I'm going to have to be BRAVE. I'm going to take it a little slow.
I'm going to have to ignore the voices in this house who don't like
change. And trust that the vision for this room will appear. I'm already
getting some ideas, and scrapping some other ones. It's fun!

How do you mentor yourself?

"Maybe being brave is no more than staring down the "less than" feeling and stepping up to the "I am worthy" feeling." -Terri St.Cloud

You Are What You Think

I have started collecting quotes that I love. I have a little 4x6 notebook that
I carry in my bag and when I see a quote that resonates with me I'll jot it down.
This quote is by Dale Carnegie. Wouldn't that have been fun to listen in on one of his talks? I can really get inspired by great speakers, speakers that tap into my self-reliance. My wanting to do more with my life, my self. I love to be around "Yes" people, it's like they give me permission.

What are some of your favorite quotes? Please share!

Mother's Day

I'm so lucky, I've been playing for the last 5 hours! I've finished up my "Doodle Alphabet" inspired by Sue Doodles at www.suedoodles.wordpress.com. I've sat
outside on one of those crisp 70 degree sunny days listening to my Kim Komando podcast as I played with my pitt, sharpie and faber-cast markers. And now my DH is making dinner, my DD is doing the salad and I get to enjoy the company of my DS for a few more hours before he goes back to school.

Yep! Life is Good!

Hope everyone is enjoying their own Special Mother's Day blessings as well!

Flicker Favorites Mosaic

1. in the dead of night, 2. trying to find my way home, 3. Party Dots Closeup, 4. Journal Page in Progress, 5. Journal Page in Progress, 6. hopscotch #2, 7. orange slide, 8. Pieces in Rhythm, 9. bfacetoon21, 10. 52Q: How do I feel today?, 11. Journal for today, 12. Babette-ish crochet cushion, 13. Beware the Grinch!, 14. Fanciful, 15. Easter Birds, 16. circle.doodle

Alphabet Doodles

I came across this blog from Sue Doodles. Isn't she so creative? I love the way she doodles. Being one that was fresh out of ideas but oh so willing to "do something" I was inspired to try my own set of Alphabet doodles. I use really good pens when I can. I have fallen in love with the 0.05 Black Micron pen. It allows me to outline real fine and it doesn't bleed into the paper.

I've uploaded the letters I have so far into Flickr. I've been doodling during my
break at work. I carry my son's old blue pencil case and a clipboard and doodle
for 30 minutes. I found some art paper at Hobby Lobby, but it's not as good as
the paper I bought from the Art Store. The down side of the art store paper is it comes in 24x36 and I have to cut it down to 8x10. The Hobby Lobby paper is already precut. I've noticed that the colors are better with the art store paper. This paper is much more forgiving to erasing pencil marks. The Hobby Lobby paper likes to take up the ink more. It has a bit of a tendency to bleed and absorb the colors and if I've erased, it grips the ink even more.

Ah well, at least I'm staying out of trouble! And having some fun at it too!!

SLOW, Mom's playing

I was wandering around Half-Price books children's section looking for a book that could teach me some fundamentals in drawing. I spotted a sticker book about SIGNS, so I grabbed it. The book is great! It's loaded with simple graphic designs. It was just what I was looking for. I was drawn to the "SLOW, Children playing" sign. Not only because I love the color yellow, but it made me think of my kids and how fast they've gone thru their childhood.

And well, now I'm in my second childhood!! LOL!! I feel like I'm a kid again, because I'm letting myself doodle, and play with paint and just indulge myself. Because now, I have some time. I think the hardest part for me is to just play with markers and paints. To allow myself to experiment with color and shape and to let it show that I'm a novice. It's so relaxing.

What are you doing that you haven't done since you were a kid?

Mandela and.....

I stumbled upon ihanna's blog and they were talking about Mandala's. Wow, lots of pretty mandala's out there. So, being the adventurous type I thought I'd give it a try. I think it's best if I limit myself to using no more that 4 colors. Because being a color-freak, I get very carried away and it's like mixing paint, if I use too many it'll start to look muddy.

Journal Quote (Norman Vincent Peale)
Believe in Yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy....Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture... DO NOT BUILD UP OBSTACLES in your imagination...Do not be awestruck by other people and try to copy them. Nobody can be You as efficiently as you can. Remind yourself that God is with you and nothing can defeat him.

Yes! The Weekend

I'd like to tell you this is where I'll be this weekend! I'd love to be going to the beach for Spring Break. I have big plans for my Beach Weeks! I'm usually lucky if I get half of what I set out to do accomplished! But what really matters does get accomplished. I come back refreshed, relaxed, a little tanner. Our family has a couple more stories from events. I find there is no place I'd rather go on vacation than a quiet beach. I get to dream here! I get to indulge myself here! I get to challenge myself as well!

But, this isn't where I'll be this weekend......
However, only in TWENTY short weeks, this is EXACTLY where I will be!

Have a great weekend everyone!

What are your TRUE COLORS?

I'm always such a sucker for the quickie quizzes that analyze personalities.
Because I truly believe that the hardest person to live with is the one in the
mirror. I think we can be our bestest friend or our worstest enemy. So, if I
stumble upon a little quiz that takes only a few minutes, I find I always have
the time.

Below is the analysis of my personality, just by answering about 20 word
choices. Here's the LINK. See what it says about you!

Your rainbow is shaded green.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is says about you: You are an intelligent person. You feel strong ties to nature and your mood changes with its cycles. Those around you admire your fresh outlook and vitality.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

These 2 feet

We had this picture sitting around and I was looking for something to do. So, I gridded it up and made a separate larger grid on my art paper.

I drew the outlines of the feet. I was awfully glad I had the squares to keep me in line. Hahaha. Then I traced the pencil lines with permanent marker. Erased the pencil grid and just started playing.


I used some markers and watercolor paints in the background. The paints give it a much more interesting look. They also can be marked over, whereas where I used marker in a colored section the paper tends to hold onto the marker color more. Doesn't lend itself to layering as easily.


I don't know if this is done yet. I'm fighting an urge to doodle all over the place here. I am finding I love using the black/white box strips. It's something that I enjoy doing and it tends to add a lot of POP to the drawing.

I came across this article by Anahata Katkin called "A grain of Salt" where she talks about "art journaling" and the way you use symbols I thought it was so interesting. She gives us permission to use and reuse any elements that we like in our art journals. Here's the Link, it's a really good read and gets my creative juices going. I think this can be applied to many other areas (digital scrapbooking, writing) too.

Unwavering Hope

Unwavering Hope
Originally uploaded by jenlemen

This lady Jenlemen has got some really fun art. I came upon her
thru Kelly Rae's
blog. I love the colors and the simplicity of these.
Just wanted to share.

Post-its

I received a free sample of this Sticky Picture Paper from Post-it awhile back......I wasn't sure what I'd do with it but hey, "it's free" right? Who can pass up free? So, today I created the "Create Everyday" sign with Erica Hite's Creative Spirit Collection from this month's Scrapgirls Club. See collection HERE

I printed it out on the Post-it paper and put it in my new Journal. Isn't it cute?

However, I'm a little disappointed that when it printed it left a white band on one side( see the right side). So, I'll have to play with this next time I go to print something on this paper. I think I'll have to resize to 3x5 then print it on the 4x6paper.

Self Portrait Two

I tried another Self-portrait while waiting for "dear daughter" to get out of school. Done thru the rear-view mirror. I was thinking I'd do a series of these. It would be fun to see how my face changes? In this one I look like I have the full "Angelina Jolie" lips! Yeah wouldn't that be nice! I'd probably rather have another physical characteristic from her other than her lips!


Self Portrait One

Make your own Camera Strap

For a really thorough tutorial, you've got to check out this site from "made by petchy"...Here


1- Gather your fabric. You don't need much.

2- Make a pattern from newspaper. Outline your strap, then do another line about .5 inch out from the first. Trust me it's better to cut more fabric then less.

3- Turn your edges in and sew.

4- Put the strap slipcover on your camera strap, reattach the strap to the camera body.

5- VOILA- you're new camera strap. That can be changed according to your mood. I made two. It can be cleaned if it gets dirty.

Art Journal Zentangle

This started out as an Art Journal page with some affirmations and some quotes. I like to use Red and Green together. They are complimentary on the color wheel.

Do you Zentangle?

Here is my attempt at a Zentangle! This is incredibly relaxing and it really helps me keep my hand steady for the finer lines. The only Fine point Sharpie I had on hand was a purple one. I tried this in another medium, it was an Art Journal page. I'll scan and post next. I find it's important to use a pen you like that really grips the paper. Possibly a color that inspires you. Remember, it doesn't have to be done in all one color. It is alot of fun! Give it try next time you find yourself with some extra time. You may really surprise yourself!!

To find out more about Zentangle, click
Here

Rubik's Cube

I was in college when these came out in the early 80's and they frustrated me then but not as much as they frustrate me NOW! My 20 yr old college student son wanted one of these. So while in Chicago we ran into a Walgreens on Thanksgiving day. When we returned home he played around with it some then turned to me and said, "Mom would you like to time me to see how fast I can complete this"......Sure I said........I hit my watch and kind of ignored him figuring that I'd watch the last part in about 10 minutes.......2 minutes 16 seconds later, he handed it to me and said "DONE".....

Ugh! I then tried for about 5 minutes and couldn't even get one side. He gave me a few pointers but I so lack patience for this. I gave up 5 minutes later! My mind is not wired for this, at all!

But what a hoot that his mind is!

When was the last time you bought a CD?

I am really not sure when I've bought a CD last. I think it was around 2003.
I am LOVING, let me repeat LOVING the way I can get music now! How I wish I had an ipod when I was in high school. I can get any song I want for .99 cents, I can find the artist and the song title in minutes. Downloaded and listening to my new tune within, what? Five minutes? Three??? Not only did I never know who sang the song I wanted back in high school or what the title of the song was. The ultimate embarassment would be when I had to "perform", you know sing a few lines, hum a tune, give them a clue!! Since I can't carry a tune, my friends would laugh and then they'd take over and sing it to the helpful attendant. Then of course, I'd have to fork over $8-12 bucks for the entire CD, and I usually just listened to the one song. As I got a little older I started listening to the entire CD. Then I found out that there were other songs on the CD that I became more fond of than the one I bought it for. Amazing!!

But all that has ended now! Cuz, I'm downloadin' and backing up!
Yep, this is the life!

Yeah.....I think I'll keep my day job!

Came across this site and I was fascinated with the concept of drawing a self-portrait. I wanted to try it, to really s-t-r-e-t-c-h my artistic/creative muscles. Well, as you can see, it really needs more stretching. This was really fun. I only had 15 minutes while waiting for my daughter to get out of school and I was armed with 2 fine-point Sharpies in purple and red. I was lucky I had my sketch pad with me and this is what I got. Looking thru the rearview mirror. I also, took a picture for comparisons sake, but dummy me, I deleted it by accident. Oh well, I'll have to try this experiment again.

Digital Picture Viewer Keychain

My DD knows me well, for Christmas she got me this Digital Keychain. I had
seen them at the stores and I thought they were cute, but I'd never buy one
for myself. The fact that she thought I'd like this made it special to
me. So, I've loaded it up with our Beach pics from last summer and now it's ready to go. It's pretty cool. It has a slide viewer which I can adjust how long
between pictures. It has a clock & date stamp. The only negative is the viewing
field is pretty small at 1.5 inches. It charges thru the USB and takes no
external batteries. The charge is good for 8 hours of "on time".

It's just so cute!

Project 52

I have decided to join in on the PICTURE A DAY project at ScrapGirls. Then once a week we will do a Layout with the 7 pictures we've taken that week. I think this is a wonderful way for me to "get going" on my photography. I hope that it will help me to experiment more with my shots. Know my camera, adjust my aperture and settings.

Well, I plan to post some pictures or Layouts here as I get going.

Wish me luck!!

My Word of the Year

I love to play on the computer and try different things! I was just messing around and came up with this for my word of the Year!

Never drive faster.....

Never drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly

Ok? Ok, honey?? My youngest is taking her driving test today! Already! She's had her permit for 180 days, she's accumulated the required 60 hours (and more) behind the wheel with ten of them being at night.

But, I still see her as my ....

my baby!

If you have a moment, please say a prayer for her and for all the young drivers that are just gaining their road experience. I pray that they don't assume they know what the other drivers are doing, that they take that second look just before they switch lanes. That they have the sense to put their cell phones down and not fiddle with the radio. That they allow themselves a few extra minutes to get where they need to be so they aren't rushed. That they are quick reflexed, conscientious and courteous drivers. Amen.

Routine

Today, everyone goes back to school or to work after the Christmas break. I'm planning to get back into my exercise routine. I do one of 4 things, I Swim, Step (stationary biking is the warm down), Weights or Run (ugh! Wish I enjoyed this, but I don't. I only do it because it's the best way to tone my legs). Rarely do I walk. I like to walk, but I don't do it as exercise it's more as a "mental escape" or scenery change for me.



About 4 yrs ago, I could never keep track of whether I worked out or not. When the kids had to be carted back & forth and back & forth , and I was doing lots of quilting in between I would think that I worked out "yesterday", but I really wasn't for sure. That's when I started using the kitchen calendar to write my workouts down. It was so easy and Visual. I could see at a glance if I've been slacking off or if I could use a break.


From this I could see how much I exercised that year. I decided to keep a yearly log on my Palm. The categories are the same as above: Swim, Weights, Steps, Run, Bike. It's been a little reward system, if you will. This year was not as good as last year in TOTAL DAYs worked out. Last year I totalled 250 days, this year only 227 days. I've figured out if I work out 5 days a week that would equal 260 days per year and if I work out 4 days a week then I'd have to do 208 days per year. So, really I'm about where I want to be. Not less than 4 days a week.

Quiet Responses........

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger.

Proverbs 15:1

Have you ever tried to argue in a whisper? It is equally hard to argue with someone who insists on answering gently. On the other hand, a rising voice and harsh words almost always trigger an angry response. To turn away wrath and seek peace, choose gentle words.

Rush! Rush! Rush! Hurry, get there, do that! Don't forget! These are the types of statements that on occasion will cycle through my psyche. And with that comes a "hurried response" a louder than I planned response. Sometimes too quick a response. Not only have I not thought it out, it hasn't even occurred to me how the response would sound if I were the one listening. If only I could halt

a few seconds and take a deep breathe instead racing to answer....

As per my word for the year. I'm going to try to START responding more softly in all my engagements. Not just in a possible tiff here or there with my family. But in my responses to the support team on the phone, or some of my excited responses to the people I engage with on a day to day basis at work and the parents I see when attending school or sport functions. I know this may be 2nd nature for many of you, but it's not for me. It will be something I need to be mindful of! It will be another thing I will need to be mindful of!! Oh-evie!

Do you Doodle?

I think we all are capable of doodling? I doodle when I'm on the phone, when I am in meetings (cuz I'll have pen and paper), when I'm home and making lists of items to get from the grocery store. I love coming across people's doodles. Just think of what you can learn from them. Lots of times I can find out who likes who, or I can find out the "date of the doodle". Yeah, random stuff, but fun stuff too! When I was a kid I always doodled faces. I worked on the eyes and someone showed me how to do the pupil, where it looks like light reflects in them. I like to doodle in color too! Fine point sharpies are my marker of choice.

I was so happy to receive this Doodle book I heard about for Christmas. It's called "Doodling for Papercrafters" by Maelynn Cheung and you can find it HERE

Organizing my USB cords! Ugh

Why are all these cords "proprietary" ? Why? We have the USB cord to the Palm, to the Olympus Camera, Rio MP3 player, Sandisk Sansa, Sony Cybershot, Sony Alpha, and my Instinct Phone. Only one of these cords will "multi-task". The Standard USB cord I got with the Palm.

Thankfully, it did my Olympus Camera and my Rio. But why didn't Sony make one proprietary cord? My DD's cybershot cord will not work with my Alpha SLR, huh? Go figure!

So, feeling rather inspired to organize this mess. I labelled each end of each cord. I use the red background tape to signify "camera", the blue bkgd tape to signify "mp3/Phone" and the white tape is because this is the closest to a UNIVERSAL USB I have found.

I still am not 100% in love with the visual effect this leaves, but it's far better than the way it was.

If you've found a "system" or an item that helps you organize your cords please share it. Oh yeah, it has to be less than $10, too!

Very Random game- But if you believe in synchronicity then maybe there's something to it.

The game is PLAY BOOK and I found it on this blogpost:

http://www.letyourlifebloom.com/ from the November 28th post.


Play BOOK!
Book! Rules:
1- Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
2- Turn to page 56.
3- Find the fifth sentence.
4- Post that sentence along with these instructions in a note to your wall (blog, journal,etc), and post your sentence in a comment here as well.

My 5th sentence was:
“Description also satisfies the defiant human desire to preserve certain “unforgettable” perceptions against the annihilation of time.”


I really wanted to post the 6th sentence:
There are moments that, for the artist in all of us, seem too important to allow to pass into oblivion.

Oh Well.......

Christmas Cards

Our 2008 Christmas Card!

Merry Christmas

Busy, busy, busy time! But I wouldn't have it any other way! We always take a "all included" picture on our last day at the beach! Now, I'm starting an "all included" picture for Christmas. It really isn't hard to set up the tripod, so why didn't I do this before?


P.S. Today is my 23rd Wedding Anniversary! Wow!

Professional Pictures, Can't Sell without a Release

I guess I should feel flattered, but this could be a hassle! I took wedding pictures for this adorable couple this summer and as a Christmas gift to them, I wanted to make a funky little Digital Layout. I really don't know if this is their style, but I sure had fun making it.I just wonder why Walgreens requested a release? I said; "Well, I took the picture and I did the Layout in Photoshop". I told them I release myself! The clerk didn't give me any problems, but what if she had? Do I need to carry around my purchase information from ScrapGirls because I bought some digital elements from them......See the Date Stamp,the Vertical Diamond border, the "Always and Forever" and the butterflies. Please note,this is a gift, I am not selling this.

I'm gonna upload to a different Walgreens for my digi-Layouts next time! Who wants to be bothered?

The Christmas Card

You won't be getting this Christmas Card from us. I loved this card. I liked the colors and the quote. But it has been axed! You see, I'm married to a man with rather strong opinions and well, he 1- Didn't get the quote (not Christmassy enough) and 2- He didn't like the hat I photoshoped in (I guess I could've put it on the dog) and 3- His original shirt was Orange, not red (but see I changed the color to work with my theme). So, now I'm working on another card. And I better hurry, I'm running out of time.

Word for the Year

I am lousy at keeping New Years Resolutions! First of all, I can never think of the "perfect" resolution! I ping-pong and yo-yo between any and all of the ones below:
1) Lose weight 2) Exercise more 3) Make my bed every morning 4) Cook more or try new recipes 5) Cut and use coupons

You get my drift. I'm obviously pretty vague about 1 & 2 ; I should say lose 10 pounds by Easter, or Exercise for 30 min. a day. #3 is a super hard one for me because 3-4 mornings a week I am out of the house before DH is even out of bed. AND, #4 is well, it just will be something that I've resolved myself to not enjoying. Granted, I love to EAT and get SERVED but the actual task for me reminds me of work (performing multi-step testing to get an accurate result). I also think I'm a rather boring eater. I could eat the same thing for days and not grow tired of it. Now #5 I did do for over a year. I used my PALM to write down all the money I saved with my coupons and those BOGO (buy-one-get-one) Free promos and I learned a ton about when to buy what, how to stockpile and what is a good price for Meat or Laundry detergent.

Last year I came upon a few sites ( Ali Edwards and Christine Kane )that talked about choosing a WORD for the year instead of the New Years Resolutions which I break or forget I even made.

So, I've made up my mind! I have my Word! I think it'll work in lots and lots of
ways as I create my life. Really you must go check out Christine's blog, she starts December with a whole list of words to get your creative juices flowing. Then each day this month she has a guest blogger talk about the word they chose for 2008! I find it so Fascinating, really!! See for yourself HERE



So, without further adu, My Word for 2009:

Gone Digital

I am so honored today! On Saturdays the Scrapgirls NEWSLETTER
selects weekly LO (Layout) winners! I couldn't believe my eyes! One of my LO's was featured in the newsletter. I posted this LAYOUT in early November and I sorta forgot about it! It was a super fun LO to do and surprisingly I didn't have to "overthink" it too much! Once I figured out how I wanted to show the hands. That's where the frame came in for the left hand. All the products are from Scrapgirls (even a FREEBIE was used). I think I get $5 to the Scrapgirls BOUTIQUE and with all the sales they have this will suit my needs just fine!

The journalling reads: I was never one to pull out my wallet and show people my kids latest School pictures. But all that's changed since I went DIGITAL........

By the way, I totally love my Sprint INSTINCT (it's Sprint's version of the iphone)! Love, Love, Love it! My DH even asked for one for Christmas. We set him up with his very own yahoo email and now he will actually respond to email....... (I think cuz he has an excuse of writing on the phone so it's ok for him to keep it brief).

Photo Contest

I am just "pleased as punch", "happy as a clam", "as happy as a dog with two tails", because I won a something! A couple of months ago Mark took me up flying for my birthday, we planned to go up the morning of the Bluegrass Balloon Race so we could see all the balloons. I brought my camera (Sony Alpha dSLR) and hoped I could get a few decent pictures to submit for the photo contest they were running. See my earlier blog entry Bluegrass Balloon Fest for the pics I submitted.

I just found out that I won! I won? Me? I didn’t win a new car, nor a Me-llion dollars (think Dr.Evil in Austin Powers). But Still I WON! I WON!!

Here is the LINK to the CONTEST GALLERY.

And this is what I won!!!

Don't you just Love these FALL colors????