PREVIEW of my new banner

I am so excited...my friend the very creative and talented and generous Heather Simpson-Bluhm has created a new banner for my blog!! I can't wait to see the full change, but here is a preview...

I have found and joined a charm swap...BUT, I am still vacillating on holding my own too!!

I'm a crazy woman huh??? I was directed to a current charm swap being held by Amber Dawn, please check out her blog and her Yahoo Group Charms2007swap by my "new best friend", the marvelous Heather Simpson-Blum. The swap is for either 21 for 20 or 42 for 40 (I've elected the 21 for 20 choice). I am happy to say that Amber has set up very well defined guidelines, which will insure this to be a very artistic and quality swap. I am excited about participating and if anyone wants more information, just let me know and I will show you the way!!

As far as the vacillating about holding my own swap---I have had several people show interest (even though I said it wasn't going to happen!). Actually, I have received quite a lot of encouragement and ideas and I am once again seriously thinking about doing this after the first of the year---this would be in addition to the one I am participating in now. So...look for future updates!! JUST LOVE these little charms---kind of like the 1x1 mini collages!!!

I'VE COME TO MY SENSES---so, before I go to bed....

Yes...I have come to my senses. I have been informed by some of my friends that there are already several other charm swaps going on out there. I will look into them and find one to join instead of hosting. Would you believe that I am sometimes really obsessive and really impulsive???? You know that "I have to have it" syndrome!!! If you were reading about my "thinking about hosting a swap post" and were thinking of joining the insanity, I will report what I find out about current swaps and post all the info tomorrow. It is now 2AM here in the midwest and I am going to bed!!!

OK, I've never done this before---ANYONE interested???

I recently become aware of a FABULOUS swap that was just completed by a group of 25 very talented artists and hosted by Ruth Rae. You can view many of the individual charms including step by step instructions from many of the artists on Ruth Rae's blog, Simply Charming. I am so jealous that I was not a part of this swap that I am thinking of (I can't believe that I am saying this) hosting my own charm swap!!! Here is a pix of the finished bracelet---



Please let me know if there is any interest out there. We would need at least 25 participants to make it a go (we need to have a REALLY chunky bracelet!!) and I might need some organizational help since I am swap host inpaired (never done it before). What do you think???? Please let me know and PLEASE feel free to jump in even if you have already participated in the Simply Charming swap!! And just to let you know, I would not be opposed to somebody else jumping in and hosting/co-hosting!!!

Oh James...

James Taylor is one of my all time favorite recording artists and he is playing in Chicago tonight to a sold out house. I was hoping that my husband would buy some last minute tix on ebay (for Sweetest Day)---but alas it is not to be. Maybe next time around. There are links in my previous post to two of my favorite tunes. I just figured out today how to link music to my blog. Click on them and enjoy!!

Wish I was going tonight....James Taylor SOLD OUT!

Drum Roll Please...the final 30 1X1's!!

I'm on a roll...

Got together with two of my good art friends today. We get together on the first and third Saturday of each month to create and enjoy each other. Sometimes there are more of us and sometimes it is just the three of us---we like each others company and we inspire each other. My project for today was to continue making my little 1X1 masterpieces. Here are the next 30!!!

25 new mini masterpieces....

I have completed the next 25 (total 40) for the 100 square swap. I am just loving making these! When I posted to the list that I belong to Altered Art Obsession, I used the analogy that it was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle!! I have all these little pieces of ephemera, images and words in front of me and I keep moving them around until I find the perfect fit! It amazes me that I like working this small. Will be doing some more over the weekend.

Addictive little 1X1 mini artworks!!

The other day while reading my favorite blogs, I came across some wonderful little mini artworks on Chrysti's blog. She explained that they were 1x1 collage squares and that she was participating in a swap where she had to make 100!! I became obsessed with these tiny masterpieces and knew that I had to join the Yahoo Group that Chrysti belonged to and join that swap!! So, in my year of NO committments, I have joined the Altered Art Obsession Yahoo group and I have joined the 100 1x1 collage square swap AND I am having a blast making them!!! So far I created my background and I have cut it up into 100 1x1 squares and I have collaged my first 15. So---here are the first 15!!!!

Another bit of art...

My year, my number...

a little bit of art...

Me again---I'd like to welcome my good friend Sandy to the wonderful world of blogging!!!

My good friend Sandy is finally blogging!!! Please take a look at her blog "Auntie Sandy's Art". She is a talented, beautiful woman who is now sharing her art, her stories and her family.

What I've been doing besides driving Joey to and from preschool...

Several weeks ago I got together with a few of my "inner circle" art friends---I love them dearly! We attended a "work day" held by the Midwest Collage Society. The very talented Belinda came prepared to show us some very cool techniques and projects. We worked with Ranger Color Washes in an altered book format, the Jonathon Talbot collage method and my absolute FAVORITE of the day---little matchbook shrines--- Michael DeMeng style sort of!! Since then I have been industriously cranking out matchbooks!!! They are so much fun! Now I have to figure out what to do with all of them! I have scanned in a few (maybe more than a few--plus an ATC) and my collage that I made with Belinda's guidance---

OK...feeling much better now!!

Silly aren't I??? YES!!! And a bit under confident??? YES, that's me!!! I really needed to hear that somebody was really out there reading my blog---and I am happy to say that some of you dear people left comments and now I feel so much better!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

JUST WONDERING....

Is anyone reading my blog??? Please just leave a small comment---like "yes I've been here"!! PLEASE!!

Collage Round Robin

I have been participating in a Collage Round Robin for the past several months. It is being hosted by my friend Belinda (see her blog at http://alteredbelly.blogspot.com/). The project idea came from an article in the last issue of Cloth Paper Scissors magazine. The deal is this---you have five or six artists in a group and each artist does a background on a 1/2 sheet of watercolor paper. Each artist then mails their background to the next on the list and that person adds to the collage (their own interpretation---anything goes) and mails on to the next person the following month. Eventually the piece comes back home to the original artist as a finished masterpiece. The above images are the what I added to the collage in my possesion this month. The theme seemed to be "Pears" as in the fruit---but what I added was "pairs" as in eyes and guys!! Having fun and feeling creative---FOLLOWING MY BLISS!!!

Two days in a row---still trying to keep it interesting!!

I was just taking a few minutes to read a few of my favorite blogs and I came across a very fun site listed on LoneCrowArt (Laura Lein-Svencner's Blog). It is called "Make Your Own Pollock". You need to try it out---it is way too much fun!!! You also must check out Laura's blog. She is a very talented artist/teacher living here in the Chicagoland area.

Oh---and it's supposed to be interesting!!!

So I am adding a little interest!!! This is a 12x12 mixed media collage I finished a few days ago. It is a technique that I learned at Art Unraveled in a class taught by Gail Russakov . The class was called "Tasty Textured Squares" and it was fabulous!! It was my very favorite class and I will use this technique often. I will post a pic of the original piece that I completed in her class (that one was orange---you know, my very FAVORITE color!!).

I was reading (and thinking) last night....

I was laying in bed last night reading the new issue of Somerset Studio magazine when I came upon an article about blogging. It pointed out that in order to have a SUCCESSFUL blog (one that is read by lots of people), you have to UPDATE your blog often. As you can tell---I have not been doing this consistantly. I would really, really like to have a super, duper blog that lots of people read. Hmmm...guess I need to re-think what I've been doing here and make some changes!! Can I do it??? Blog more often??? What a challenge!!! I think I will try!

About the "BLISS" theme....

I was watching Oprah one morning last week and she was interviewing Anderson Cooper (he is so cute and down to earth!). The interview pretty much explored the heartaches in his life and his ability to overcome them to become the incredible news correspondent that he is today. When Oprah asked him where his inspiration came from, he told her that his mom (Gloria Vandrbilt) always encouraged him to follow his "bliss"---and that is what he did. His reply stayed with me all that day, so I decided to explore the words---follow your bliss. I "googled" the words follow your bliss and found that they were part of a quote from a passage in a book written by a man named Joseph Campbell. Here is the quote...

"Follow your bliss. If you do follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while waiting for you, and the life you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in the field of your bliss, and they open the doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be. If you follow your bliss, doors will open for you that wouldn't have opened for anyone else."

Joseph Campbell
US folklorist & expert on mythology (1904 - 1987)

I have decided to adopt those words for my life. I have made a decision that I will FOLLOW MY BLISS (my creative side---my ART) and see where it goes. I am the happiest when I am creating---I will have to start looking for some of those doors!

I am so excited---going to Art Unraveled!

I am leaving for Phoenix on Tuesday morning (with my friends Harriet and Sandy) to attend Art Unraveled 2006! I am so EXCITED!! Harriet and I attended last year and had a blast---I just know that this year will be even more fun. Here are pix of my trades (ATC's) and my name tag.

Completion of a project...

This is a spread I just completed as a last round in a Collaborative Journal project that I participated in this past year. I will be mailing the journal home to it's owner in Australia tomorrow. The journal theme is "My Favorite Things". The first image is the left hand side of the spread and the second is the right. It feels good to be at the end of this journey.

I found "Traci Bunkers' Blog"

While signing up for Art Unraveled, I came upon artist/teacher Traci Bunkers. Her classes were filled, so I will be unable to take a class with her, but I hope to meet her and see some of her work in person while in AZ. Her Journal Pages are phenominal---check out her blog!

Two weeks was really three weeks...

I am back from Florida and trying to get organized (if you know me, you know that I use the term "organized" very loosely) and settled back into a kind of normal (normal for me) routine!! I have lots to say about my visit with my mom---but I will only share that with interested friends on a one-to-one, need to know only basis! I did very little art and I did not enhance my suntan while away---but I did turn 55, get to several resale shops, learn how to play "Mexican Train" dominoes and eat some very good food. I washed all of my clothes before returning home and I am tempted to leave most of them in my suitcase for the next two weeks until my trip to Phoenix to attend Art Unraveled---OK, you REALLY didn't think I had unpacked yet did you???? CAN'T WAIT TO GO TO PHOENIX!!!!!