Friday, November 27, 2009

All things Holiday

I love Holiday traditions! I love all things kitchy when it comes to the Winter holiday season in particular! I love Christmas cards, Christmas cookies, Christmas carols and Christmas ornaments. I love Christmas TV specials! Even when we have no little one with us, I must confess to watching Rudolf, Frosty and all the oldies but goodies! I love all the silliness, all the good will and all the overdone lights and decorations! I love family gathering round and playing games for hours on end! I love spending special nights out with dear friends!

Mostly, I keep deep in my heart the true meaning of Christmas, and the awesome gift given to mankind. (Luke, Chapter 2 NIV) I believe it's because I have this gift in my heart that I am so fully able to enjoy the rest of the over-done, over- commercialized and done-to-death holiday season! I invite all to jump in to the melee with me head on! Not only am I planning to partake in ALL the old holiday traditions, this year, I'm planning to start 1 or 2 more of my own!!!
In that spirit, I offer this light-hearted link to a most relaxing holiday web-site! It's "Make-A-Flake" and I could play there for hours if I wasn't so busy! http://snowflakes.barkleyus.com/

All of the flakes you see here, I easily created there in a few Bliss-filled, stress-free minutes, reliving childhood wonder of the season and all it's glory!

Monday, November 23, 2009

Circle of Friends Award


WHERE does the time go these days? In between Dr's appointments, finishing our basement, and a trip to Tenneessee, it seems as if I just blinked and almost a month has gone by!

Imagine my surprise when I found out Jeri Aaron bestowed on me The "Circle of Friends" Award. I am truly moved and touched. Thank you Jeri!
Please permit me to share with you about Jeri Aaron. Jeri is the talented author/artist of An Artful Gathering blog. http://artfulgathering.typepad.com/ She is also organizer extraordinare of fabulous Art Retreats! I have been corresponding and chatting with Jeri for some time now, and have found her to be so gracious, so kind and ever so creative! Because she is such an awesome artist herself, she uses alot of creativity to make her retreats stand out as being extra creative and unique. She thinks of all the "special touches" to make a retreat a very special and very personal event. It's not the "big, corporate I'm just a number" kind of retreat. It's the "I'm special and deserve it" kind of thing. It's the kind of retreat you would plan for your very favorite and best of friends. It's the kind of personal details that make events extra extra special, and unforgettable. I am so proud of her- I know she's been working NON-STOP in pulling this retreat together to make it extra fabulous. It is such an honor to call Jeri my friend!

Jeri's next event is the Shady Ladies Art Retreat in Salado TX (Austin area) in April next year. http://shadyladiesalteredart.blogspot.com/ I will be teaching there, but was planning on attending anyway!




And as is tradition with this Award, I will continue the circle with 5 more creative Artist friends!

1. Aileen Roberts of Outside the Margins fame. http://aileensmusings.blogspot.com/ Aileen is one of the most generous artists I have ever had the pleasure to know. Her Blog and her website are constantly chock-full of creative projects which she generously shares her processes with her readers. She has the coolest stuff for sale in her online store!

2. Judy Streger is "The Mixed Up Media Artist." http://judystreger.blogspot.com/ I am lucky indeed to call talented and ever so clever Judy my friend! Her description of her projects are humorous adventures that make learning her techniques even MORE of a joy! She is a font of wisdom, and keeps me in constant giggles.

3. Kathy McElroy's blog "My Life in Pictures" http://kathymcelroy.typepad.com/ does portray her wonderful art and her wonderful photo art, but doesn't tell you 1/100 of how WONDERFUL she is as a supportive friend and an intelligent and loving woman! Her art pieces art hot collectors items among those of us who are lucky enough to have some!

4. Joanne Thieme Huffman. Her Ad Libitum blog http://joannethiemehuffman.typepad.com/ hosts STUNNING photographs of her travels around the world! Joanne is such a talented photographer and writer that she allows you to feel as if you slipped in her backpack and actually travelled to all these fabulous places with her! I'm not even TOUCHING her mixed media art - I will allow you to discover it's wonder for yourself once you visit her blog!

5. "My Angela" or at least that's how I think of her. Angela Hoffmann is like a sister-soul to me. She is responsible for encouraging me to take risks in my own art, and to believe in myself as a mixed media artist. She is responsible for introducing me to some of the best mixed media friends I've EVER had! http://geminiangelsart.blogspot.com/ And she has the time to do all this while being Mom to 6!!! Just check out what she's done to her walls!

Well- that should give you some fun places to pop over and visit while I try to finish up some other projects. My next post will show what I did on my Tennesseee trip and workshop with the ever-awesome Anne Bagby!