Dream Street Papers sneak peeks this week...

woo hoo! this is my favorite part of the year...when the new papers we designers at Dream Street Papers get to show sneak peeks of our new paper lines...the first 2 of 10 are up on the Dream Street blog...they are being shown 2 per day for the next 5...mine will be out on Thursday....but check all the other beautiful papers out!...gorgeous stuff~
http://dreamstreetpapers.blogspot.com/

a bit more about Birmingham and Townsend Hotel

I noticed a comment from the manager of the hotel in my comments??...amazing how people can find stuff on the internet isn't it!? Any way, I, just since I am the type of person that doesn't like to come across nasty or begrudging, would like to clarify a bit on my comments of Birmingham. It is a very very beautiful city..my favorite part was driving through some of the neighborhoods. The little town part was very picturesque and there were tons of little shops downtown. However, for me, clothes shopping just isn't my cup of tea and being 10 degrees out did make me a bit crabby. Marley's was an amazing boutique and will be on my list of places to visit again~ I was astounded (or is it flabbergasted ha ha) at the prices..but being an artist myself, was in awe that it is possible to find places where artistic creativity and ability is appreciated and willingly paid for! Something not seen in many places. I guess at times I am a cheap skate..and since i can make so many things...paying that much for some things just isn't going to happen..i will make it myself. Although on the other hand, i take great pleasure in supporting my fellow artists directly and do so often(i know how much retail tags onto the original price..used to own my own shop..lol!)
and back to the hotel The Townsend Hotel. Honestly, I have stayed in many 4 and 5 star hotels in various places like in Chicago, Seattle, San Diego, Toronto, New Orleans, Denver etc.....Art says that a 3 star is roughing it for him..lol! Well, my determination of this hotel. It is by far my favorite hotel i have ever been a guest of. Truly outstanding...like I mentioned, the details that were provided for were incredible. The food....i can only say one word..crude as it may be YUMMY!!! the best scallops...i didn't know they came that big and cooked to perfection. Art was equally impressed with his dinner(the margarittas are fogging my memory....not sure what it was he had...a steak and lobster I think) the staff was friendly and helpful and full of smiles...very much appreciated! I would definitely look forward to staying there again...and a bonus..even though i am NOT a shopper...only occasionally....the huge mall, Somerset, is only a few minutes away...that is an adventure in itself...

so if any one decides to visit Michigan...Birmingham would be a wonderful choice to add to your list..and if you please...i can recommend the Townsend Hotel...gees i am beginning to sound like an infomercial..rofl...really though, it was wonderful~
okay off my little soap box (who i am pontificating to, I am not sure...lol) and back to the real world and the mountain of laundry and a handful of errands....then maybe 10 minutes of art time..up here in my studio....

I LOVE my life...aka "I know I am spoiled rotten...."

We went on an overnight business trip thurs-Fri last week. Art had a course he attended at this gorgeous hotel. I tagged along just to get a mini getaway! Here is what greeted us as we walked into the lobby~(bear with me..there is actually some art at the bottom of this post!) the flower arrangements were made by this wonderful shop across the street called Marley's so many fun and unique items and prices that made my hair stand on end and take my breat away..artistic clothing...600 for one jacket?..gees maybe i need to send them pictures of some samples...rofl~ I wish i had just hung out and sat in the lobby. I froze my butt of walking around town for a while with no shops that were of interest to me..too expensive with snotty sales clerks..I felt like Julia roberts in Pretty Woman....gees
the lobby is only one example of how gorgeous this whole hotel was. It is the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham MI. I felt spoiled. We had a delicious dinner the night before..my scallops were the size of hardboiled eggs...6 of them with delicious everything else to go with it..including some of the best margarittas i have ever had!when we walked into our room....this was the first thing I saw! I told Art..."i Love my life!!'''rofl! yes am a bit spoiled at times...it makes all the hard work worth it though!details details every where..you should have seen the mini bar...Thre was even a jar of gummy bears~ i resisted though..i had ahuge dinner and then went down to the restaurant for breakfast


the suite
the restaurant in the lobby..this is while I was waiting for my cream cheese and lux brekafast!

So after the swim meet yesterday the rest of the weekend was spent up here in my studio~ I had signed up for the bracelet club at paulas kit club(.com) and wanted to play. I decided i wanted a necklace and earrings. I love the look of bracelets but honestly never wear them..or rarely. So i played and played and played...i ended up cleaning my studio the rest of the afternoon today or I wouold have had time for another set or two..but Turners cubscouts are coming on Feb 14th for their party and crafts...and Salina lost her friends camera...so it was a good reason to dig in and start the cleanup...i still have more to go..but wow! i can see my table top a bit..rofl~

this one I added fabric yo-yo's and used the majority of the kit
for this one I used the red button and lace from the kit(paula's kit not the jewelery one) the heart beads are from French General from the valentine kit... one more these are highly addictive so be ready to see more in the future...a good way to use up all those vintage and various buttons i collect...ha ha..maybe 100 more and i might make a dent..lol~ so this was a wonderful past few days...a get away with Art and a day and half of artwork..what more can a girl ask for! Life is good!

purging....out with the old!

I have had that clean out bug this week. I am clearing everything out...the whole house..mind you it is over 5000sq ft and has lots of storage and collecting areas. I had read on a feng shui blog about a year ago that excess stuff in our homes is conducive to excess weight on our bodies. She had a client that had gained weight after moving into her larger house. After a few years she sought help from this feng shui expert and after working with her extensively the only thing that they could determine of her environment(they claim that there are direct links of your home and work environment to your health and state of mind) Well, the one difference was that her house was bigger and had more places to collect clutter. the first thing she said was that she needed to clear the clutter...now i do have to say i never did get back there to see if the woman lost weight or not...but i like to think that there is validity in her reasoning...plus it is a good excuse to get rid of the junk! and it feels so good!

any way....there are no new pictures...and i have to say Jackie's guess is right...i am building mushrooms to sit on for posing..the cleaning spree actually started with my work space over there...first up the worst worst worst part of the house(nice to get the worst out of the way...the rest will feel like a piece of cake!) my storage room. So far in the past 5 days I have cleared out more than 12 large black garbage bags out of there alone!.phew!

I have posted a banner in my right column on behalf of Bernie Berlin and her outstanding efforts for her shelter for displaced and abuse animals. Her work is amazing. She is trying to raise money through this organization. If she can remain in the top 4 she will also qualify for a 50K grant to help her rescue mission! Every donation counts..starting at a mere $10..they accept paypal so that makes it extra easy! Please find it in your heart to help

If you would like to read more about her efforts please visit her blog: http://aplacetobark.blogspot.com/ she has lots of photos..some happy ones and others that will make you cry!!
thank you!!
have a wonderful day!!
xoxox
angela

awesome art day!

PHEW!!! what a day! I finally got my Dark RR book ready~ It was quite involved and i am tickled though with the end result..it lived up to my hopes~ mY book is about a 10 year old vampire and her story of how she became a vampire...and her adventures of the last 200 years~ The cover of the book was so fun to create...it has a medallion on the front that I made fromsome thingie i got a garage sale..it think it was supposed to be a Mayan calendar or something. I alcohol inked it and added a bee and sparkles. The character;s name is Amelya...it has a 'y' in her name only because after i glued on the letters as i found them...realized there was not an 'i' available...lol~the inside cover explains my expectations...the 5 page letter on the opposing page is Amelya's letter of introduction...i think this actually could be the begiining of a really cool story! if you want to read it..leave me comment and i will email it to youthe sign in page...Timothy is somewhat of a graffiti artist....so i figured i would have the sign in on the castle wall. Timothy is Amelya's best friend....and I used papers I had designed as some of the elements...they seemed fitting for this book
Amelya'sfirst home before becoming a vampire..the castle is a pop-upthe introduction of Timothy...he is a fun friend..no?...

Amelya's parents...from 200 years ago...
The doll trunk the book travels in...outside
inside the trunk...along with the paper doll versions...and some extra friends
inside the drawer...I am hoping the participating artist will do one spread in the book (rather than the required two) and then either add or alter the trunk..this is the CRS powder that Amelya and her vampire friends use after feeding on their victims to make them forget the incident...the will only awaken with two odd puncture marks on their neck....CRS=Can't Remember Shit
I was on a roll...after I finished my book, I thought i would work on the pages from the next one in line..called the Dark Continent. It is in a fun format. the binder has loose pages with a protfolio style cover. I did two pages front and back. the first was an Egyptian spread...can you belive it the majority of this page is from a skittle ad!!! lol!~
the back side..images from a vintage book from 1918

and i have had this darling vintage image of a dance couple printed out forever...they were perfect! I was honoring their 'distant heritage"since their coutnry of origin is Africa..noting some similarities...the dance was ever so important to their culture
a bit wild on the back side~

so now I can rest easy...i will be mailing both out tomorrow to my recipient and this marks the beginning of our RR..okay it was very delayed...what was I thinking when i started a RR in December.....i know I had lost my mind!

so now we can get this party started!

xoxox

angela

sorry no new hints yet...

I am being a good girl and am working on my dark RR book...a story of vampires. It is ridiculously late...if i weren't the hostess i would have banned myself..*sigh* Once i get it going though, it should run smooth after this. The last 6 months have been crazy..starting with 4-5 days a week of football back in July into school prep, party prep, Thanksgiving reunion and all the other stuff. I am praying for a couple of boring months just so I can catch my breath around here~.....I was almost going to drop and just hostess...but then i decided that since this is probably the last RR I am going to participate in, that I will make it wonderful and fun!...my last RR hurrah~

I have so many new and exciting things happening right now....that I need to concentrate more on those and stop the swaps~ I loved the past 4 years of swapping..but as always all good things eventually come to an end....now it is time for new good things!
I will post a new hint maybe later today..and hopefully pics of my fun RR book!!
xoxox
angela

today's clue....

I didn't get far yesterday, Ty had swim practice..then supper and kids to bed so forth..weekdays are just so busy~..and no where today..It was busy with errands and taking Oscar in for puppy shots and his check up..but this is what I did after i posted yesterday...keep guessing!

ADD day....

ha ha...did i catch your attention..today is a fun Artist Distractive Disorder day....i have gone from cleaning up the kitchen, throwing in laundry, putting my tree in the studio away, printing pictures for my RR book*(that I am horribly behind on..)working on that here and there as I pass by)now that i got my paper revisions done, working on some new collage sheets, picked up the Christmas wrapping mess in my work room, looking at the pile of laundry a hundred times...and pretending like i really didn't see it...to finally starting on something i have been dreaming about for a while. I had made a comment to one of my friends the other day when i had my meltdown that i needed to work on something I am passionate about...well today i started...I am not going to tell you right out what it is..but I will give hints along the way..One of my promised this year was to get this certain thing started.....here is a hint..it is inspired by this fabulous photographer if you search through..you can find the photo that has inspired me so here ya go: finally found my safety glasses.....this is what i really should be doing...nah! i can do that tonight after I am too tired to be creative...

and this is what I am working on...got the intial cut down done..off to my band saw....If some one can guess what i am making, i will send you a little suprise of some sort....leave your guesses in the comments...go check out Fack to Bront's photos for the hint

today's gratitude btw: I am grateful for my crazy ideas...they reeeeaaaally make me happy~ and again i am so grateful for my friends...Kari started an exciting group....yay!~go check her buzz out...love that girl!~

later all xoxox

more gratitude!

first of all today i am grateful for a GREAT nights sleep! phew!!! Amazing how good sleep can give you a dose of a positive attitude adjustment~ 11 hours of it! I think for 5 nights in a row i slept 5 hours or less..probable cause of meltdown yesterday!

And as i was sitting here dinking on my computer...visiting flickr friends and new discoveries and instigating some retail therapy....i stopped and looked around me...and realized that so much of my inspiration comes from just being up here in my studio....and my little office!

So i decided to take pictures of what i see everytime i sit here at my computer...i love my space..even if it is soooo messy!

So here is a set of pictures of what i see and a little blurb about the joy i see when i look at all of these wonderful things!!

my "wall" It is the half wall that surrounds the lower foyer. We had put a half wall up rather than a railing so we wouldn't have repeling wanna be's going over the edge. I would hate losing this wall because it has been a favorite place to perch gifts and special things from my art world.

Here you see the word "angel" a gift from Andi, a canvas i made for the cover of one of our diva calenders, the mini journal I sent with my doll for our doll round robin and a glimpse of my bulletin board packed with artwork and stuff~

a further view of my wall..a purse I made, an angel dog i found at goodwill, a gorgeous doll Stephanie got for me on her trip to NYC and a really cool accordian book from one of my 12 days of christmas swaps...what agorgeous creation it is!!! under it is a panel of fabric with quilting labels that i pinned there for inspiration for my new paper line my desk top..it got hot up here last night so i took my blouse off....and a pile of misc junk!
this is directly in front of me...it makes me smile everyday! It is full of things that have so much meaning to me! a piece of art that i painted that was accepted into a student art show years ago..he looked perfect on the purple, below my very first art print I recieved from my dad and Carol this artist is so fun! My art doll from katie Kendrick. She has inspired me for years! One day i hope to meet her. This doll is also very special to me because I had asked my guardian angel for a sign that I was on the right track...a few days later...unbeknownst to mehow special this was, a Diva Friend Angie Platten had mentioned a tutorial she found on Katie's sight....so i went and looked and saw this angel. I rarely buy much art from other artists(that has changed quite a bit since then) and I HAD to have this angel....so she comes a few days later and i saw a tag on her...her name was Gracie ...well that is my guardian angels name..the angel of grace aka Anunchel...and the doll is doll #13....that has been my lucky number since I can remember! Other items on this wall...a fun assemblage doll created by one of my most favorite local artist friends Joane Huffmanm a pocket fairy from a lovely artist in France, Helinina~ and a gorgeous leave created by my son Turner who at times says he is an artist too!! and a couple of beautiful angel fatbook pages RAKed to me by a fellow fatbook artist(can't remember her name)
all of my tarot decks and awesome vintage books one of the reasons I got into rubberstamping! I had seen a technique on one of those decorating swap shows on HGTV and they used a sun image to paint a huge sun on the wall! Art's last name is Sonneborn and means born under the sun....so i love sun images and wanted one on my wall too! this was one of my first stamps I purchased...I projected it with my art projector! and then filled it in with a black paint pena print I purchase from DJ Pettitt another one of my inspiring artist friends. It says flying on strong wings...i love angels and RED is my favorite color..i had to have this. Unfortuantely she has already sold the original...but I got the next best thing! and on either side a gift from my brother Michael..an amazing nautre photographer...one of his hobbies~messy cd's////i need to organize those,a beautiful canvas from the 12 days diva swap..from Terry~ and a couple of other pieces from friends
my window to the world....and more art from my friends...Karen Campbells gorgeous mailart puzle piece from a couple of years ago..Lenny the king guinea pig from Christy Grant, an ATC from Angie Plattenm vintage photos in a basket...more in the file cabinet
ACK!!! messy messy shelves...this I really plan on organizing and cleaning up soon!!


so there you have it...my cram packed but wonderfully inspiring office...I am so grateful to have my own space...to create and play! And all of my beautiful artist friends and acqaintances!

just for fun...

I decided to dig around the internet for images of larger women called big, plump, rubenesque among other things...very interesting reading! Of course any of us perplexed with weight issues some days just feel so alone..well We need to relax..not only through out history but even today women have been larger and rounder and plumper..you damn those idiots that brought out that super skinny woman back in the early trhough late 1900's...being round doesn't mean unattractive or unworthy....so here are some of the images I have found..I think this support my idea of a photography book I want to create..the everyday diva...soon every one..that is one of my goals for this month..to work on getting my studio ready....remember that long oddly shaped tube i showed afew months ago....you will find out soon what it is!!!

So first I decided to search for some Leonardo DaVinci artwork..i knew that his women were frequently full figured...here is one example of an angel drawing...never saw this one before..

then I came across the term rubenesque and did a search for Ruben'spaintings...here are some that i saw...as you can see the round woman is portrayed as very sexy and beautiful!

Hey if EVE is round...what in the world are we worried about..she is the original woman...geesh what was all this fuss about?

and look at their beautiful creamy white skin....no artificial tans here... a more modern painting..unfortunately there was no statement of who the artist was...but really it is a gorgeous painting and the women look so....well womanly

and yet an even more modern painting..I find her so adorable
and besides the well known vixen of the earlier part of the century..the well known blonde bombshell..Marilyn Monroe here is my all time favorite full figured woman. It was interesting..I found this on a BET blog and there was aman just slamming her...talking how horrible looking she is...okay she may not have the most beautiful shape in the world..but if you watch any of her movies you can see how comfortable she is with herself...her size does not stop her! She is fun and is beautiful inside and out! She can always brighten my day watching her moviesand my most favorite full figured woman image was this one...It is just so amazing...To see a group of women like this....they are having the time of their life here...there is beauty in that~
and last not but least a fun cartoon from this talented guy a large sized wonderwoman~....what fun..and what a super woman~

much better now....

Okay now that i have vented and had a few close friends come to my rescue and Art and I had a lovely lunch together with rational conversation....i feel better. I think sometimes a good pity party and some tears helps vent the frustrations and all that negative stuff...now I can express some things that I am grateful for that was brought home today with my melt down this morning!
like I said my children and then for my biggest support system First and foremost..i reeeeally have a wonderful mate in Art..I know that he loves me and he loves me today no matter what i look like. He loves me for what is inside..and tells me I am special and one of a kind..and that they broke the mold then made me..he he.. I know that he really is trying to help me and has promised to back off a bit on the advise. I am so sensitive, that when i am having a bad day it really bothers me bad. He did make a comment that was true...he says it looks like to him that I am waiting for something....stalling on doing all that i need to do with the weight loss...he seems to have something there...I wonder what it is?..why i am doing that?..some fear maybe....well maybe that fear that I am only loved when i am thin....and that i need to believe now the way I am now that i need to love...our brains are so much fun aren;t they?...so confusing at times...lol! So I am better in that department and I just need to soul search on my own a bit and figure that one out...and not be so hard on myself...I know all of this is my own insecurities talking...man be nice to me angela..gees

The other thing that I am grateful for are all of my wonderful girlfriends in Diva land that came to my rescue this morning and cheered me up and the ones that have been cheering me on and helping me name my papers and such the past 24 hours!! Thank you!! I cherish each and every one of you and am so grateful for having you all in my life!

I am also grateful for my health. Other than being a bit fluffy and I have high cholesterol(that is hereditary but under control...) I have excellent health. I get maybe one or two flu/colds in a year..a sniffle a couple of other times and that is it...and i get through them in 1/4 of the time than most people..I heal fast! I am in good shape....with lots of muscle and even if I am round I do have a waist and figure...think rennaisance figure here..lol! so I have many things to be grateful for..and as for all the things breaking..well none were too aweful and so far only 200 for the computer repairs..hopefully the belt for the blower isn't too much and the washer repair on monday...Like I said all minor pain in the butt stuff...oh yeah..today i backed into the garage...so there 2x3 in 3 days..that equals 6 ...I think i must be done for the year....now on to the good stuff..so tonight...some wine..and benadryl for sleeping.....and a good night sleep here I come!
xoxox

Gratitude..where is it today?

This is inspired by Kari and Christy trying to find something to be grateful in each day... Today, I am trying to find a tiny bit of gratitude in a very crappy day..Okay I need this today! I am normally a very positive person and can find the silver lining in every cloud. Well this year has started with a few bumps and potholes. after a whine I will get to the gratitude part....I will spare all the details, (maybe not..hmm)they have all either been resolved or will be, with some expense but more an annoyance than anything. This week with a paper deadline looming(the 2nd..yes that was two days ago..but got an extension and am uploading the last few files as I type) My computer broke, all of my files were one it, I was faced with starting all over....it kept restarting(it is now fixed ...i am typing on it) Okay so I am preparing to start the redo..hook up Salina's computer...was successful at fixing the problem I igonored for months...i couldn't get it up onto the wireless (essential for transferring digtal files to paper company), so then i began to load software for my printer and scanner so i could rescan everything...well, hers started to shut down over and over..*sigh* panic hits...Well nothing i could do..so i decided to go snowblow..made two passes on our huge long driveway and the snowblower breaks...I can't get my computer in the next day(the 2nd..deadline day, I still had Art computer to use if needed) if I have to let Art take my truck because he can't get his car over 12" of snow...and i just didnt' have the enrgy to shovel..although i probably would have gone out and done it anyway...the angels must have been listening..an hour later I look out the window and see a giant tractor with some young man digging us out...He was one of Salina';s friends and "happened" to be in the neighborhood...Okay so now i could relax a tiny bit...So the morning of the 2nd...it is cold in here..no heat..I call for repair..they are coming in 3 hours or so...so i go to the gym...first time in 2 weeks...Repairman comes..15 minutes later heat is fixed, no charge, under warranty, YAY! So i talk to Tara...the paper company owner...she said she could work on the rest of the designs first...so i got an extension..computer guy got computer fixed within a few hours..pick it up, don't have to rescan etc...So all is well...and then my washer breaks...I do up to 15 loads a week..I can't do without a washer for long..will have to make a trip today or tomorrow to laundromat...
The worst part...I have not been sleeping..and my attitude by today is dim. I am so exhausted I can't bring myself to work out..would be so painful and my heart rate is elevated..which can lead to panic attacks... I cried so much last night. I know what the biggest problem is..my weight..and Art isn't helping. Constantly he is saying things about it..he says it is only when i say something..it doesn't feel that way to me~, he seems to talk about it all the time! I am reeeeally starting to feel even worse about it. I went through a first marriage of 12 years that I was constantly reminded about how i would look so much better if i lost weight..oh i miss those days of when you were skinny...gees maybe the men in my life only want me for my looks..what is going to happen if I stay fat forever?..huh?..am i going to be alone again for the rest of my life?..why do i keep ending up in situations that support my fears and insecurities? Or is it my fears and insecurities that make me more sensitive to the whole thing. who friggin knows...then i have a mother that told me 'Oh look I am smaller than you" gees that made me feel good..not!...that was about a year and a half ago and it still stings..it used to be the only thing I felt like I had, was my little figure and cuteness...but with that gone, I struggle...Why is my self worth so wrapped up with what dress size i wear?..so if i lose weight, is Art all of a sudden going to want me more..is he asking me to lose wieght for me..or for him?.he seems to think about it a whole heck of a lot..it must be bothering him...What happened to "if you gain weight from quitting smoking..I would rather you be round and be around longer"...well shit maybe I should start smoking again..there are some little times I still miss it~nah i won't....but damn this metabolism...and now I have to sacrifice everything..no more wine if i want to lose, that is my last vice! and I enjoy it!...working out 4-5 days a week isn't doing it...I have bruised feet and am in constant pain..God help me! I don't think that he realizes how hard this is on me..right now I just want to run away...I won't, have I have my boys...my babies..and my big kids..they are what keep me going! They love me for me..if i am fat or not and bless Jonathon's heart...he tells me everyday that he thinks I am beautiful. His name means God's Gift..and boy he is that and more!

So for today...despite all of this whining..and tears streaming down my face..I can say I am ever so grateful for my children...they love me unconditionally...even when i can't love myself that way!

Happy New Year!

I would like to wiosh all of my blog friends a Happy New Year!! I hope that it is a great year for each and every one of you! full of happiness, health ,peace of mind and the wildest successes you have ever dreamed of!
One of the latest things I have been doing is sewing. I have had a new obsession with hats! I spent a few pennies at Amazon and bought a pile of hat books..historical, pictorial and a couple of how to books! I found a new friend on flickr that has sparked even more of an interest and we both seem to be fascinated with tiny top hat versions! Well I was a bit stumped at how to make them the 'real' way. I dug around and located my grandfathers collapsable top hat and since it is old the lining had a bit of ftear in it and I could see how some of it was done. Cardboard for the top...hhmmm?...okay it had springs for the structure..can't recreate that..but i could use more cardboard. So i designed and created my mini version and even if my methods are not true to millinery standards...it is clean, neat and very professional looking in the end result...and I am now addicted and have plans on making more...I had already made this outift and the top hat i made was from the left over fabric laying on the table...voila! a fun New Years Outfit was born~ The corset belt was made from a velvet beaded vest..easy easy..it has pants underneath for comfort and practicality~!the bow was made on a pin so it can be removed..the hat could be possibly worn with other outfits that way.Mr. Snowman helping out with the chore of modeling..another reworked/rem,ixed outfit. Inspried by the vest turned into corset belt idea...i had the black pants..and after I made the vest i looked down and lo and behold was a gold shirt from Art that had abad collar and stains on the front..I took it somewhat apart and cut out new pieces...leaving the front button holes and pocket and reworked the sleeves...to make a peasant blouse. I dug through my buttons and found areal cool set of two buttons with a chain and switched out the rest for other silver buttons. The lace is vintage hand crocheted!
I have decided several things in the past few weeks. I have been on a dead run now for 6 months. We have had event after event on top of the normal everyday living with 4 kids at home and two older ones out in the world...along with a big house and all the activities and sports...so i am tired...I have had very little time for art and any art that i have done was for swaps or submissions. I seem to have lost my pleasure. I decided that this year I am going to make things for MY pleasure and let my muse guide me and see what I will make...for fun and to feed my soul. I used to get so excited and inspired and would create all sorts of new and fun things...experimenting and designing..but for some reason it all got lost this year..the fun and charm. So for me to be able to forge ahead and create new and exciting things....it is time for me to just stop with the swaps(except a few very thoughtfully chosen ones) and also not worry about submitting and what i might make that would be accepted...etc! I am going to play! So that is one of my resolutions for the year..and also to stop whining and dig in and finally do something about this weight...including giving up a bit more of my wine habit!

so there....my new years stuff....i also have come up with a new motto or two... 'If the journey through life is an adventure'...dress the part...and 'Attitudes are contagious..is yours worth catching?'
love and light to you all and I hope you find all the wonderful things in this new year!
angela