It's the Merry Christmas Season!

I've been busy busy busy on the road, off again, on the road and off again! (Thank goodness Mike is here to hold down the fort! I certainly couldn't do it without him!) SO much to tell! More classes, more long term projects and more stamp designs! I couldn't be happier! All arty goodness!

One of the most recent trips was a great time visiting my In-laws, then over to Chattanooga to teach 2 fun workshops at Townsend Atelier. They were so much fun, the artists who gathered were all in fine form open to any ideas I pitched out to them! They jumped in with enthusiasm and great talent, each making the projects with their very own artistic voice! I'll be back April 28, and 29, 2012 for 2 more workshops!

I had only a day or two and then taught 2 Holiday Journals classes in my hometown. Wonderful to have an opportunity to teach close to home again. If you are going to be in Grove City, Ohio please pop in to Red Letter Journals and check out one of my classes. I'll be teaching a valentines class on Jan 28th and again Feb 11th!

Right after Thanksgiving, Mike had to have spinal surgery, and we've been down for the count ever since. He's doing better, but they had real difficulty reviving him after surgery, and was on 2 different breathing machines. Scary times. But the Lord was good to us, and he is getting stronger every day. It is round the clock care right now, but in 4 weeks, he should be at least able to leave the house and go for a short ride in the car. I've been so busy taking care of him, we haven't even had time to open all our Christmas presents yet!

My wonderful In Laws came up from TN to help me take care of him for a week, so I can rest, and get some much needed paperwork done, and get some art work done! They came New Years Eve, and God Bless her heart, my MIL took down all my holiday decorations for me, while my FIL watched over Mike. She's also doing all the cooking for a week to give me more time!

So I've been in the studio for 2 days finishing projects and turning in proposals, and packing kits for upcoming classes!

My heart has been with all our you and hoping everyone was having a wonderful season, and the start of a lovely and promising new year! I wish you all, health, peace, love, art, and sparkles!

Giving Thanks

I feel so blessed in my life, so happy with the way things are happening in my art life right now. All day everyday, I think we are bombarded by negativity about the economy, the environment, our fellow man, and I just wanted to combat that.

I started another Gratitude journal, which really focuses me on the good, and the positive. It also happens to be coming up on Thanksgiving season, thus the color scheme. I also thoroughly enjoyed playing with some of my new line of Polymer art stamps. The faces and the birds all just jump off the pages don't you think?

I love making these as holiday journals, and if you wish to join me, I will be teaching local classes at Red Letter Journals in Grove City, Ohio on Saturday November 19 2011, and again on Saturday December 10, 2011. They are perfect for recording special holiday memories, and are great as gifts! For more info, Heather and Tonya can help you out at 614.539.3900.

I'll be teaching you how to make and personalize the books themselves, as well as give you demos on the fancy writing techniques I love to use.

Happy Anniversary! Syrup alert!

Today was Mike and my 9th Anniversary! We spent it the way we seem to spend many days- going to Dr. appointments, shopping for tools and shopping for art workshop supplies! But as a special treat, we celebrated with dinner at The Columbus Fish Market- yummo! Food was wonderful, and the staff was so sweet- even gave us a rose and a happy anniversary card they all signed!I am so blessed to have Mike in my life. I could not do what I do, without him helping and supporting me. He is the natural calm that my natural hyper needs. We are happy to spend all of our days together. We can work together all day, and then still be happy to spend the evening together too. We laugh together, play together, work together and dream together. For better or worse, in sickness and in health, through all the days of our lives we are so happy together. Our basic views and morals are so similar, it makes it easy to always get along! We wish this happiness for all of you, our friends and loved ones. Here's a peek back at that happy day 9 years ago!

Here's the week we got engaged, with our Sophie. Wasn't she a pretty baby?

Tenneessee anyone?

November 5 and 6 I am heading to Chattanooga to teach workshops at Townsend Atelier! An awesome art studio, run by Stan and Peggy Townsend. The space is phenomenal, and the hosts are so warm and friendly! The workshops they host want for nothing, and I am so honored to be in their line-up!

Handmade Journals
Saturday Nov 5, 2011 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Sculpture and functional journal all rolled into one!

Perfect for the gift giving season!

More information & Registration

Re-purposed Books

Sunday Nov 6, 2011 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Green Art at it's very best!

Very few supplies needed!

More information & Registration

I have so many online friends from the Chattanooga Area, it would be so wonderful to make some of you IRL friends and share the day or weekend with you! C'mon down and create with us!

Home from Art & Soul

This beautiful smile came all the way down from Alaska to be in my "Happy Birds Sing" class! Didn't she make a lovely book?

Its been a week, and the suitcases are unpacked, studio is half cleaned up, and I'm *almost* caught up on the 800 plus emails from when I was gone to Portland Art & Soul. When you see what all we did, you'll know why it's taken me a week to get back into the groove- lol!

Here's Glenny officially opening Portland Art & Soul 2011 at the kick off party!

Ricë Freeman Zachery telling us how the Altered Project Runway was going to work...

Poor Earl Zachery... Altered beyond belief! I decided he needed pink lemonade lipgloss...

(Thanks to the Art & Soul girls for the photo!)

As ALWAYS, Glenny, Marie and the Art & Soul gang put on a FABULOUS Do. I swear, each one I go to, I love more than the last! (And I didn't know it COULD get any better, because I've always had such an awesome time!!!) It was just such a joy to meet up with new friends, and spend time with other friends I'd met before!

Starting out, Sunday night was the kick off party! Ty Shulz, Earl (EGE) Zachery, and Dan Carrel all were great sports as the models for an altered project artway... And boy was it ever altered! Let's just put it this way...I was caught on film in the act of applying strawberry lemonade lip gloss to Earl Zachery...go here to see the brutal evidence. (I DO insist it WAS his perfect color!) I helped with the pink and green slashed t-shirt too- (Tough to do with 10 minutes and garden snips!) For the whole recap, in living color, visit the Art & Soul Facebook page.

I had wonderful Roomies- Jean Van Brederode and Stephanie Rubiano. Both creative and wonderful women who are busy busy busy talented artists and instructors. We had a great time, just wish it would have been longer!

Monday I taught my Happy Birds Sing clay covered journal class. Awesome students I was so BLESSED to have had the help of a wonderful new friend Gina Goodling who just made the day fly-by for me. Normally, after a full day of being on my feet, I am done for, because I forget to drink fluids or eat because I am so focused on my teaching. Wonderful Gina not only provided the toaster ovens to bake the clay (helping keep the cost of the class down), but also kept me fed and watered. You can bet I'll reserve her for next year if she's in the assisting business!
Got to meet up with my friend Deb who I've been able to see all over the country now! It feels like we are long lost sisters from another mother! Never enough time to spend, but good to get to see her for awhile!

Tuesday was the Green Art Goodness class. Wonderful lively students, much sharing as well as art going on! We were so wrapped up in the art, that we forgot to take photos! We made awesome journals out of stuff we no longer liked the color, shape or pattern. We used up parts of our stash to create journals to fall in love with! Llewellen, A & S' s resident wonderful octogenarian kept us all in stitches. The stories she can tell! Well worth sitting down for a chinwag with!

Wednesday was the Fluid Romance class! Always a popular class, I had such wonderful and open students! All took artistic risks, and went home with completed paintings! I am so proud of the work they did! Wish I could show you some of their paintings- each and every one a successful piece~ but crazy me- I ALWAYS forget to take class photos before the class is half gone and cleaning up!

Out to dinner with the roomies, and meeting up and laughing with roomie Jean and Jen Crossley from Australia, and Sondra Barrington from Rings & Things all night, then off to pack my suitcases (thankfully lighter) and to bed. Thursday morning was off to the airport, only to arrive home on Friday morning! Sigh...the fun goes by in the blink of an eye!

Ready for Portland Art & Soul

I've been in the throes of getting ready for Portland Art & Soul next week. That means, house is neglected, studio is trashed from rushing about and packing kits and goodies, friends haven't been seen as I've been swamped. Last night, after 2 solid and FULL weeks of writing proposals and creating new art, I decided at 10:30 to come downstairs and join hubby for a few minutes of mindless tv and relaxing together. I have been checking and rechecking lists day and night, and was a little stressed and tense. I needed to unwind. I barely sit down on a comfy spot on the sofa when I catch something out of the corner of my eye. I ignore it, thinking it was reflections of light or something. A few seconds later a much more obvious movement. Mike and I look at each other in that split second before I jump up screaming BAT!!!!! I ran to the bedroom and slammed the door. (It was every girl for herself at this point!) Mike said so very calmly- honey, just calm down a minute, and I will get it...Calm down you say? Calm down? A disease ridden, flying vermin is in MY comfy home, where I stretch out and relax, and you say calm down???

EEEEEWWW! I can deal with them in the barn- that's THEIR home, and they eat the mosquitoes. I can't deal with them in my family room, when I'm comfy and tucked in my jammies for the night! It seemed like forever- (the 1 disadvantage to having a 2 story open floor plan) but Mike cornered the critter with a blanket in all places- MY STUDIO!!! My safe haven, my sanctuary where I spend all hours of day and night ALONE. Holy Bat-Crap did that ever creep me out! But Mike- calm as ever just opened the window and let it out... I didn't come back upstairs the rest of the night, waited for daylight-I think where you see 1 bat- there is bound to be another! How in the WORLD did it get in? Mike had been cleaning out the barn, and had opened up both of the top floor haymow's to let light in. I guess one (I hope just 1) of the little creepies decided what's good for Mike is good for him. So did he fly in the door? Did he hitch a ride on Mike's clothes? EEEK it wigs me out to think about it!

I'm calm now, and back at last minute tasks getting ready for Art & Soul. Teaching 3 classes there- A Fluid Romance, Green Art Goodness, and the Happy Bird Sings clay covered journals! Still plenty of time to sign up and join me~ there are still a few open spots in the classes!

CREATE in Lisle

Messy Sue's class

Wow- another mega trip to CREATE mixed media art retreat, with the car loaded to the gills. Literally, had to sit with my purse on the floor between my feet, as there was no room to put one more thing!

Classes were fabulous! Treated myself, and enjoyed Sue Pelletiers class to warm up for a great week of creating! Never been in such a messy room! Half an hour worth of creating, and the entire floor was covered with plaster powder! They broke out towels, and brooms and shop vacs and then the ever-bubbly and hardworking Sarah from Create was actually on her knees wiping the residue!

Happy Birds Sing class

Next day, my class with the lovely creatives who rose to the Happy Bird challenge! Amazing to me how we all start with the exact same materials each and every time, and yet, no two books look alike at the end of the day! Have to say, the class rooms were so nice and spacious! And that fun bubble plastic on the floor- whoo hoo! Love to step on it, because it sounds and feels like bubble wrap! My wonderful Mike was the toastmaster, watching carefully as the clays baked, so the artists could continue on with other tasks.

Dot and Nancy enjoy the nice large classrooms

After teaching The Happy Birds Sings Journal class all day, it was time to rush over and set up for vendors night! I was particularly anxious because we were launching my new line of polymer stamps. I am so thrilled to proudly say that the ENTIRE line sold out, and we took tons of orders for more in less than 3 hours! All the other goodies seemed to sell fantastically as well. Again- Mike, my hero, never looked up for the 3 hours, he was so busy ringing up sales! Thank goodness for him- I would be so flustered, but he was fabulously unfazed.

In person, it looked alot longer than the photo shows!

Our schedule said we had 1 hour to set up 16 feet's worth of our lovely goodies! I was a little stressed that we wouldn't make it, as we had so many bits and pieces, but it actually worked out just fine. At an antique shop earlier this year, I found vintage suitcases with the initials on them. The initials spelled out ART! Can you believe it? They called to me, and of course I snapped them up to vend with. They ended up being just what we needed for transportation and packing. Thank goodness they were a LOT lighter going home.

After we packed up that night, and got to eat dinner, it was about 1 am. I was exhausted, but it was a happy and fulfilled exhaustion!

Up early the next day to set up the classroom for teaching A Fluid Romance class. The lovely spacious room was soon filled to the brim with wonderful, open and creative students. The work that comes out of this class is always amazing, and I am always so happy to share these times with students, and experience their breakthroughs with them. I can't tell you how happy I am at the end of each day. Filled to the brim with happy bubbles....

Lots of room to move around and spread out creative treasures! Most came away with not one, but 2 completed projects! They got so excited they used their practice canvasses too!

We headed home the next morning, and got in around midnight. I've been unpacking and restocking supplies ever since. Art & Soul Portland is just a couple weeks away! I've also been busy writing up proposals for CREATE 2012. Hopefully, you'll see me in Irvine next May!

New stamp line

THEY'RE HERE!

I am so excited! Today I launched my new stamp line! 4 separate themes! First is a Crazy Lace stamp 8.5 x 11 for backgrounds. Next is a mysterious women faces line, then a macho men's faces line, both with large and small faces, as well as power words in original fonts that can be sold by the full sheet, half sheet or quarter sheet. Finally, my patterned birds and quotes, jammed packed 8.5x11 inches completely full of images! I will be selling them at the CREATE retreat in Lisle IL at the Vendors faire on Fri night Aug 26th~ whoo hoo. Been waiting a long long time for this to happen, finally found the right company to work with.

Preparing for classes

I'm excited to be preparing for classes. It feels good to check and double check my lists and workbooks and I enjoy stuffing the workshop kits and goodie bags for class. I love making the samples. And I make multiples, just to make sure all goes smmmmooooothly during classes.

This year I have 3 more venues -CREATE in Lisle IL, at the end of this month, Art & Soul in Portland OR September 30-Oct 7, and at Townsend Atelier in Chattanooga TN, November 4-6!

I'll be teaching at Art & Soul Virginia Beach March 1-6 2012 and at Art & Soul Las Vegas, June 14-18 2012.

Got plenty of new classes up my sleeves, and also teaching some well requested favorites- I can't wait!!! I hope to see you all very soon!

Playing with ICE!

My Rockin' Resin Reliquaries

As many of you know, I injured my arm and shoulder and have been down for the count for several days now. The Dr. said ICE would help....BOY was she RIGHT!!! Little did the Doc know I have a stash of beloved ICE Resin that I have been experimenting with! I can't say enough good about it, I've been using it in my Knead-a-Mold molds I've made, I've been using it with my polymer clay, I've been making jewelry, and I've been using it in my journals and on paper!!!This stuff is amazing, I've had no problems from fumes, and it's so user friendly!

Here is a peek at a class I'm developing for next year called Rockin' Resin Reliquaries.